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The Changing-the-Window Edition Friday, June 4, 2021

Apple Bolsters AirTags Privacy Measures, To Offer Android Detector App Later This Year, by Ian Sherr, CNET

The tech giant said Thursday it's begun sending out updates to its AirTags, changing the window of time they'll make noises when potentially being used to track another person. Initially, the Apple device would play in three days. Now it'll begin to play at a random time inside a window that lasts between 8 and 24 hours.

To further reassure people about its AirTags, Apple said it's developing an app for Android devices that will help people "detect" an AirTag or Find My network-enabled device that may also be unsuspectedly "traveling" with them. Apple iPhones already have a similar alert system built into their devices. The Android app will be released later this year.

This One Email Explains Apple, by Matthew Panzarino, TechCrunch

Crisp, lean communication that does not coddle or equivocate, coupled with a leader that is confident in their own ability and the ability of those that they hired means that there is no need to bog down the process in order to establish a record of involvement.

Apple Resolves M1 Mac SSD Storage Longevity Issue In macOS 11.4 Beta, by William Gallagher, AppleInsider

At the time, an AppleInsider source within Apple, not authorized to speak on behalf the company, told us that it was a data reporting error within the tools used to report SSD wear. [...]

Now that same source has told AppleInsider that the issue has been fixed in the latest beta of macOS.

Coming Soon?

Next-Generation 16-Inch MacBook Pro Seemingly Filed In Regulatory Database Ahead Of WWDC, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

If the filing is accurate, the next 16-inch MacBook Pro would have a slightly lower battery capacity than the existing model, potentially due to the notebook's rumored flatter design. However, any potential impact on battery life would likely be mitigated by the 16-inch MacBook Pro transitioning from Intel processors to more power-efficient Apple silicon.

Apple Working On iPad Pro With Wireless Charging, New iPad Mini, by Mark Gurman and Debby Wu, Bloomberg

The Cupertino, California-based company is planning to release the new iPad Pro in 2022 and the iPad mini later this year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The main design change in testing for the iPad Pro is a switch to a glass back from the current aluminum enclosure. The updated iPad mini is planned to have narrower screen borders while the removal of its home button has also been tested.

Stuff

The Best Ways To Back Up Your Big Sur Mac, by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

Big Sur resists the ideas of a bootable external backup, though more particularly it resists easily updating an external copy of your startup volume’s system files.

Weather Strip iPhone And iPad App Debuts With Unique Week-long Hourly Timeline View, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Weather Strip uses a week-long hourly timeline view to show everything going on with the weather in a single horizontal graph. That means you can see the chance of sun, clouds, and rain, temperature, extreme weather warnings, UV, and even the likelihood of rainbows in a single view.

Simon 5.0, by Agen Schmitz, TidBITS

Designed for checking Web pages and other kinds of online services for changes or failures, the server monitoring tool requires you to enable data syncing, after which each test can be checked on a specific computer but edited from any synced Mac.

Twelve South MagSafe Wallet Case: Leather Form Meets Function, by Blair Altland, 9to5Toys

I’ve come to love the fact that when it’s time to actually head out the door, I can just snap on the magnetic leather wallet shell, but at home I don’t have to use the typical bulk that comes with folio designs. Twelve South effectively offers the best of both worlds here, with the ability to dock my iPhone 12 Pro on a MagSafe dock, just adding even more convenience into the mix.

Nanoleaf Elements Wood Look Hexagons Review: A More Grounded Smart Light, by Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider

They fit much better into living spaces by looking like stylish wood panels when not in use, and when in use, they emit cool to warm lighting — or various scenes that animate those lights with motion.

Review: BlackBrook's AirPods Max Leather Cases Give Protection In A Practical Design, by Hartley Charlton, MacRumors

Whether the case is used for everyday use as an alternative to the Smart Case, or occasionally for peace of mind when traveling, the BlackBrook ‌AirPods Max‌ cases present functional and premium options for any potential buyer.

Bottom of the Page

I'm excited to see where Apple is going to move iPadOS to. I'm worried that Apple is going to split iPadOS between pre-M1 and post-M1 iPads, with the latter getting more new stuff.

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Thanks for reading.