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The Tight-Grip Edition Saturday, July 10, 2021

Joe Biden Wants You To Be Able To Fix Your Own Damn iPhones, by Lauren Goode, Wired

It’s too soon to determine what the FTC’s new rules might look like, or how long it will take the agency to impose any new regulations. But the Biden administration’s involvement in repair issues brings national attention to a topic that has, for the most part, only been addressed in legislation at the state level. And it could have major implications for large tech companies and equipment makers that have historically held a tight grip on how—and by who—their devices can be repaired.

The UK’s Right To Repair Law Already Needs Repairing, by Adam Speight, Wired

As such, one company known for its tight hardware and software integration has sought to stave off the emergence of further right-to-repair laws. Apple, the company in question, argues that these laws could lead to sub-standard repairs and consumers harming themselves when they try to repair devices. In France, Apple has already been required to act as a result of right to repair-related legislation – now listing product repairability scores on its French online store.

Coming Soon

Latest iOS 14.7 Beta Fixes Bug That Caused Certain Network Names To Disable Your iPhone's Wi-Fi, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Over the last several weeks, a flaw has emerged in iOS that means a handful of network names can actually disable Wi-Fi on your iPhone altogether. In the latest beta of iOS 14.7, which Apple released to developers and public beta users yesterday, Apple has seemingly fixed this bug.

Stuff

Apple Participating In Sales Tax Holiday For Select U.S. States, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

For the next several weeks, Apple is offering customers in a select number of U.S. states the opportunity to purchase a wide range of its products without a sales tax.

Apple Expands Universal App Store + Apple Store Gift Cards To Canada And Australia, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Last year in the US, Apple overhauled its gift cards taking them from two separate products to a single one that works with the App Store/iTunes Store and Apple Stores. Now the new Apple Gift Cards have launched in Canada and Australia.

Apple Debuts 'This Week On Apple Music' With Weekly Highlights, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Apple says that it will provide highlighted stories with album suggestions, playlists, videos, radio episodes, interviews, and more.

Apple's New 'In The Dark' iPhone 12 Pro Ad Highlights Night Mode, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

The spot focuses on night mode selfies, showing a man taking photos of himself in various low lighting situations. “Now you can take amazing selfies in the dark,” reads the tagline of video, which also uses the song “In The Dark” by YG.

Apple Ad Spot Highlights Ping iPhone Capabilities Of Apple Watch, by Mike Peterson, AppleInsider

Apple has shared a new ad spot highlighting how an Apple Watch could help users find a misplaced iPhone — even if it's literally lost in a haystack.

Beyond Goodreads: Four Tools That Help Readers Track Their Books, by Angela Haupt, Washington Post

Whether you want to boost your reading speed, keep track of your growing personal library or find just the right book to fit your mood, here are four reading tools to consider.

Notes

Apple Reportedly Wants In On NFL Sunday Ticket, by Ian Carlos Campbell, The Verge

In the quest to get people to pay monthly for video, having the rights to stream sports, especially football, is key. Apple might finally be playing that game to spruce up Apple TV Plus: The Information reports the trillion-dollar phone maker has expressed early interest in securing the rights to the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package — a subscription covering every game that is not airing on local affiliates — for its video service.

Are We In The Metaverse Yet?, by Kellen Browning, New York Times

As a buzzword, the metaverse refers to a variety of virtual experiences, environments and assets that gained momentum during the online-everything shift of the pandemic. Together, these new technologies hint at what the internet will become next.

Bottom of the Page

Can Apple afford not to raise the price of Apple TV+ if it adds sports entertainment to the service? A good drama or comedy show can continue to attract new subscribers for years to come, but sports? Wouldn't Apple need to recoup the acquisition cost almost immediately?

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I haven't been excited about new Apple commercials since the I'm a Mac, I'm a PC days.

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Thanks for reading.