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The Family-iPod Edition Monday, October 11, 2021

Apple Highlights iPhone 13's New Ultra Wide Lens With Beautiful #ShotOniPhone Images, by José Adorno, 9to5Mac

With the pictures, Apple highlights the benefits of Smart HDR 4, a bigger aperture as well as the 120° field of view that adds more content to one shot.

Apple Drops New Safari Bookmark End-to-end Encryption, by William Gallagher, AppleInsider

In early October 2021, Apple's support documentation was updated to show that Safari bookmarks had been updated to have the same end-to-end encryption as, for example, Apple Card transactions, and even Memoji. Now, however, the same documentation has removed this, and bookmarks are again listed as encrypted only "in transit & on server."

How A Playlist Keeps My Family Connected To My Late Father, by Amy Paturel, Wired

On a recent grocery run, my son, Jack, asked me to play Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise." Most 7-year-olds ask for a Disney or Minecraft soundtrack. Not Jack. From the time he was 3 years old, Jack was crooning Neil Diamond hits.

It didn't happen by design. Diamond's songs were just among the 1,500-plus tracks on our family iPod. But I quickly discovered that Jack's love of Neil Diamond could become the thread that tied him to my late father, who died when Jack was 4.

Stuff

How To Use Notify When Left Behind With Your AirTag, by Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider

In effect, you're alerted when you're leaving the AirTag behind, or if the AirTag is being moved away from you in a theft. This reduces the time it takes for you to be aware that something's wrong, and therefore to act.

5 iOS Apps Available On Apple Store To Help Look After Your Mental Health, by Puteri Yasmin Suraya, Lifestyle Asia

After months of sluggishness brought on by lockdown upon lockdown, it’s always good to check in with yourself on how you’re doing. From taking a moment to unwind to practising your breathing and meditation, Apple has a range of apps that’s best suited to every method of improving yourself mentally.

Notes

The Growing Pains Of Apple’s Subscription Addiction, by Lucas Matney, TechCrunch

For a blanket disclaimer, I will say that Apple gets criticized so much over seemingly petty things because they generally have done a pretty solid job streamlining positive consumer experiences with their devices, and consumers have also grown accustomed to seeing other companies let these little things snowball into misplaced incentives that slowly erode a product. That’s why seeing a couple more promotional push notifications than normal or a seemingly misplaced ad or a few too many introductory offers when sparking up a new devices raises some red flags.

Intimate Data: Are You Signing Away Your Privacy By Tracking Your Steps, Sleep And Food?, by Simon Usborne, Irish Times

I, meanwhile, will continue to wait for the new Apple Watch, with all its promise as a virtual nurse, and then decide if I really need it. How will I balance the convenience and potential benefits to my health and insurance premiums of a smartwatch against the instincts of a burgeoning industry of data gluttons in big tech and advertising? Do I really need digital confirmation of a bad night’s sleep or a lazy day?

Bottom of the Page

I used to take long walks alone when I was younger... without iPods nor iPhones, without earphones in my ears. How did I do that?

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Thanks for reading.