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The Without-Being-Too-Complex Edition Friday, December 10, 2021

6 Weeks In, I See The Value In Committing To The Apple Watch Series 7, by Andy Boxall, Digital Trends

As I continue to use the Apple Watch Series 7 every day, I am seeing value from its health tracking. The data it provides is in-depth without being too complex, and the graphs are clear, plus it helps me see where I’m improving. I also appreciate that when I use the Health app, I don’t have to spend ages looking for the right menu or deciphering masses of data. All this comes without the need to provide much beyond your basic information, or make sure all the features are active. I love this simplicity.

Why Apps Suddenly Want To Protect Kids, by Shira Ovide, New York Times

When people younger than 18 record videos and add them to YouTube, the public can no longer watch them. TikTok says it will stop sending app notifications to teenagers at night. Facebook and Google have sharply restricted the ways that advertisers can tailor messages to minors on their sites.

In recent months, internet companies have reworked their apps and policies to try to better protect the safety, privacy and mental health of children. One big reason is Britain.

Apple Continuing Work On New Apple Music App For Classical Music, by Hartley Charlton, MacRumors

Following its acquisition of the classical music service Primephonic earlier this year, Apple’s work on a new music app dedicated to classical music is ongoing, a recent job listing indicates.

Stuff

Apple Maps Expands Detailed Coverage, Look Around, And Other Features To Australia, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Apple on Thursday announced a major update to Apple Maps for users in Australia. The company is now officially expanding its detailed coverage with better navigation, Look Around, and other features to the country.

Apple Updates AirPods, AirPods Pro, And AirPods Max Firmware, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Apple does not offer information on what’s included in refreshed firmware updates for the AirPods‌, so we don’t know what improvements or bug fixes the new firmware brings.

MagSafe Charger Firmware Update Now Available, by Wesley Hilliard, AppleInsider

The MagSafe Charger is a simple device with some on-device intelligence for charging the iPhone at specific rates given certain information provided by the connection. Apple doesn't provide release notes for MagSafe Charger firmware updates so expect bug fixes and optimization.

VSCO Adds Dodge And Burn Tools Into Its iPhone App, by Jaron Schneider, PetaPixel

The addition allows users to take more granular control over shadows and highlights in their photos.

FastScripts Review: Shift AppleScripts Into High Gear, by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

FastScripts takes Apple’s football and runs with it, elevating AppleScripts from a slightly pushed-under-the-rug technology to something that can work on par with apps and as connective tissue.

Pok Pok Playroom Releases Major Town Toy Expansion, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Today’s update grows the town into a thriving, diverse metropolis. The original parts are still there, but kids will also find more occupations, green spaces, new means of transportation, a farm, and even a movie set complete with a dinosaur.

Notes

Microsoft Quietly Told Apple It Was Willing To Turn Big Xbox-exclusive Games Into iPhone Apps, by Sean Hollister, The Verge

Where did negotiations break down? Microsoft now tells The Verge that Apple was actually the one that rejected its proposals — because Apple insisted on forcing each and every game to include the full streaming stack and wouldn’t agree to anything else.

“Our proposal for bringing games through individual apps was designed to comply with App Store policies. It was denied by Apple based on our request that there be a single streaming tech app to support the individual game apps, as the initial email states. Forcing each game to include our streaming tech stack proved to be unrealistic from a support and engineering perspective and would create an incredibly negative experience for customers,” reads a statement from Xbox Cloud Gaming CVP Kareem Choudhry to The Verge.

Bottom of the Page

I really hope the new Apple Music app for classical music will cater to both advanced classical music listeners (of which I am not) and beginners (like me!) who want to learn how to appreciate these music.

Or maybe there's a (different) app for that?

~

Thanks for reading.