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The Digital-Transformation Edition Thursday, May 6, 2021

With Apple's Claris, Digital Transformation Goes To School, by Jonny Evans, Computerworld

Just as digital transformation accelerated in the enterprise, the implementation and deployment of tech in the education sector has also accelerated, prompting Apple’s Claris subsidiary to introduce its own powerful student information system (SIS), which it calls Claris Connect for Apple School Manager.

Apple's Find My Has A Hidden AirTag Detail Mode, by William Gallagher, AppleInsider

It's a curiosity rather than anything immediately useful to most users, but it's possible to get the Find My app to display much more information as it tracks an AirTag. Tapping on the item's name five or so times, at any point during tracking, or even after it's been found, will turn on a kind of developer mode.

On App Stores

At Trial, Epic And Apple Squeeze Microsoft Over Xbox, xCloud Restrictions, by Kyle Orland, Ars Technica

Microsoft Vice President of Xbox Business Development Lori Wright took center stage at the Epic Games v. Apple trial today. The executive's testimony served up some interesting comparisons and contrasts with Epic's complaints and addressed questions about the Xbox consoles' closed, iOS-style app market and the difficulties Microsoft faced getting xCloud streaming on iOS devices.

Epic Games Admits Its Own Developer Agreements Ban Rule-breakers, by Mike Peterson, AppleInsider

Epic Games doesn't tolerate rule-breakers on its platforms, Apple argued in the Epic v. Apple trial, drawing parallels to the actions that led to "Fortnite" being removed from the App Store.

Emails Reveal Apple's Attempts To Stop Netflix From Dropping App Store In-App Purchase Support, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

These documents made public via the Epic vs. Apple trial provide an incredibly interesting look at the lengths to which Apple was willing to go to keep Netflix happy. Previous reporting has indicated the size of Netflix’s business via the App Store, and these documents make it clear that Apple did not want to lose Netflix as an IAP user.

Apple Is Fighting An Epic Battle—just How Much Will It Give Up?, by Jason Snell, Macworld

The big question is, will Apple be able to bargain with the powers that be, offering smaller changes that will take pressure and scrutiny off of the rest of the company’s practices? Or will it be forced to change in ways it absolutely doesn’t want by judges and regulators who have decided that its behavior is in violation of the law?

This is complicated stuff. There’s no way to tell how it’ll turn out. But it’s worth considering some of the possibilities.

Stuff

Luna Display's Mac-to-Mac Display Feature Now Works Over Ethernet And Thunderbolt, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Astropad's Luna Display accessory that's able to turn an old iPad or Mac into a secondary display for a primary Mac was today updated with a new feature that's designed to allow Mac-to-Mac mode to work over Ethernet and Thunderbolt.

Otterbox Announces New MagSafe Folio And Wallet For iPhone 12, by Amber Neely, AppleInsider

Otterbox is expanding its MagSafe accessory lineup with two new items — a magnetic Folio and a magnetic wallet that attach to your iPhone 12.

Infuse 7 Brings Powerful Streaming Features, Trakt Sync, AirPlay, And More To iOS, macOS, And Apple TV, by Bradley Chambers, 9to5Mac

Although I use Infuse for accessing my Plex library that I host locally on an Intel NUC, Infuse can access and play almost anything from anywhere. Infuse lets you browse and play videos stored on a Mac, PC, NAS, Plex, Emby, Jellyfin, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, pCloud, Yandex.Disk, and MEGA.

Notes

Apple Begins Transition To Randomized Serial Numbers With Purple iPhone 12, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

The new serial number format will consist of a randomized alphanumeric string of 8-14 characters (10 characters initially) that will no longer include manufacturing or configuration details, according to Apple's memo.

Bottom of the Page

Oh, did I tell you I am now using an iPhone 12 mini in beautiful blue color? At the end, I didn't opt for the purple iPhone.

The tradition of blue devices started with the bondi blue iMac to the iPod minis and iPod nanos. I don't think I will buy a blue iMac: I think I am a Mac mini kind-of-person nowadays. But maybe my next iPad can also be in blue.

~

Thanks for reading.