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The Problem-Reporting Edition Monday, October 4, 2021

Apple Finally Lets You Report App Store Scams, by Sean Hollister, The Verge

But now, it seems like every free app with in-app-purchases appears to offer the “Report a Problem” option. I checked a handful of apps I’ve never paid for (but could have) and they all displayed the button. You’ll still get kicked out to a website where you’ll need to sign in, but overall this seems like a step forward.

iPhone Used To Capture Stunning Photo, Videos From 360 Miles Above Earth, by Oliver Haslam, iMore

We've seen iPhones used in some amazing ways over the years, but new tweets shared by SpaceX Inspiration4's Jared Isaacman include a photo and some videos that were taken more than 360 miles above Earth — and they're stunning.

Why This Doctor Uses The iPhone 13 Pro To Photograph Patients' Eyes, by Jaron Schneider, PetaPixel

“I used to use a Nikon D800 with a 105mm f/2.8 macro lens,” he says. “I would take pictures of the patient’s eye using that camera and then I would have to take the card out, upload it, and put it into my computer records. There were lots of friction points.”

He explains that as the years progressed, he noticed that he was able to use a different method that would reduce that friction and make it easier for him to do his job.

Stuff

Apple Makes iCloud Safari Bookmarks End-To-End Encrypted, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

Apple has toggled end-to-end encryption for Safari bookmarks in iCloud, further expanding the type of user data that the company fully encrypts, offering the highest level of privacy and data protection.

Audible Way Finder App Offers A Guiding Hand, by Mark McCord, Microsoft

RightHear is a new way-finding technology developed by a local startup that helps people with orientation challenges navigate inside buildings. Through networked beacons, app users who are blind or low vision, or with dyslexia or agoraphobia, can be fed audio pointers and details about specific locations with the environment. More than 100,000 people globally use the app in 2,000 locations, including shopping malls, municipal buildings, restaurants and even Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. It’s also being piloted at Microsoft’s campuses in Tel Aviv and Herzliya.

Notes

Apple Has A Tablet Problem And It Starts With The iPad Air, by Dan Moren, Macworld

Apple can, of course, update its products on whatever schedule works best for it, but by having new iPad models come out a couple of times a year, it means that the line-up is always uneven somewhere.

Hey Siri, What Happened?, by James Vincent, The Verge

Siri [...] surprised us all when it launched in 2011, but has since burned out that goodwill. Apple needs to re-focus on the basics rather than push into a future that doesn’t yet exist. It needs to start listening.

Why Apple’s Siri Is An Excellent Voice Control For The Smart Home, by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge

To be helpful, voice control in the smart home just has to be easier and less obtrusive than pulling out a phone and opening an app, and more convenient than walking over to flip a switch. It’s a challenge and one that Apple is the closest to conquering — in my home at least.

Bottom of the Page

I use my iPhone mostly for audio entertainment -- listening to podcasts, audiobooks, radio, and music. I use my iPad mostly for visual entertainment -- Netflix, Apple TV+, Sudoku, crosswords. And I use my Mac mostly for work stuff -- day job and weekend hobbies.

And this is reflected in relative sizes of the three different screens.

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Thanks for reading.