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The New-Category Edition Saturday, March 5, 2022

Apple Investors Urge Company To Undergo Civil Rights Audit, by Michael Liedtke, Associated Press

Apple's shareholders have approved a proposal urging the iPhone maker to undergo an independent audit assessing its treatment of female and minority employees, delivering a rare rebuke to a management team that runs the world's most valuable company.

[...]

The outcome “shows that investors want to know if Apple is making a difference in tackling potential harms to key stakeholders stemming from its products and policies," said Dieter Waizenegger, executive director of SOC Investment Group, which was one of the shareholders that filed the civil rights proposal. “Investors heard from Apple’s corporate and retail workers who bravely spoke out against inequitable and harmful conditions even under the threat of retaliation.“

Shareholders Approve Apple's Executive Pay Despite Protests, by Stephen Warwick, iMore

Apple shareholders have voted to approve the company's executive compensation package for 2022, despite some opposition and concerns about Tim Cook's level of pay.

Apple, Google, Microsoft, And Mozilla Aim For A More Consistent Web, by Jonny Evans, Computerworld

The aim of the project is to try to ensure web applications based on these standards work and look the same across the world’s vibrant forest of different devices, platforms, and operating systems. With a little luck, one day, web developers will be able to have some confidence that the experiences they deliver are consistent to all users.

Coming Soon?

‘Mac Studio’ Is Coming – Is It The Pro Mac Mini Or Mini Mac Pro?, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Although the name “Mac Studio” may change, it represents a new category between Mac mini and Mac Pro aimed at professional users. The brand also matches the “Apple Studio Display” that the company has been working on, which suggests that Apple will widely advertise both products as a perfect combo for professional work.

Stuff

Dr. Mac: Better FaceTime Makes Getting ‘Together’ More Fun, by Bob Levitus, Houston Chronicle

Spending so much time with the FaceTime app (usually on my Mac), I was impressed with how much FaceTime has improved and how many useful features have been added over the years. If you haven’t used FaceTime lately, I’d like to highlight several relatively new features that make FaceTime better and more usable.

A Practical Guide To Securing Your Mac, by Thorin Klosowski, New York Times

Locking down and securing your computer might feel like an impossible task, but it doesn’t have to be that way. With a few simple steps, you can lock down your Mac and protect it from the most obvious threats without inhibiting how you use your machine. Keep in mind, though, that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to computer security, and for most people, “good enough” security, is, well, good enough.

Menu Plan Is A Gorgeous App For Planning Meals And Recipes, by Oliver Haslam, iMore

If you've ever wondered what you should have to eat for dinner and realized you don't have anything in, you're probably going to like Menu Plan — an iPhone and iPad app that helps you create a menu plan, manage recipes, and figure out what you need to buy from the store.

NoFilter Is A Free App That Helps You Find The Best Photo Spots While You Travel, by Dunja Djudjic, DIY Photography

NoFilter is a new app that helps photographers and travelers to discover the best photo locations, whether they’re across the world or even just in their neighborhood. It merges Google Maps, photography, and social networking, and it’s a pretty interesting concept.

This App Can Put Live Countdown Widgets On Your iPhone's Home Screen, by Oliver Haslam, iMore

Widget Studio is an app that can put countdown widgets right on your iPhone and iPad Home screen. Unlike so many similar apps, this one can also count down live, right before your eyes.

Text Messages Are Boring. This App Makes Them Classy And Creative, by Steven Melendez, Fast Company

A new app called HiNote [...] lets you use easily customizable, stationery-like templates for all kinds of greetings and messages, from work meeting invitations and thank you notes to informal wedding party planning messages and even grocery lists.

Notes

Apple Sets April 11 Return-to-Work Deadline For Corporate Staff, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. has set an April 11 deadline for corporate employees to return to in-person work, marking a key test of whether the tech giant can reestablish office life in the Zoom era.

Employees will be required to work from the office at least one day per week by that date, according to a memo sent by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook on Friday. By three weeks after April 11, employees will be expected in the office twice per week. And on May 23, employees will need to be in the office at least three days a week -- on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Apple Presses U.S. Lawmakers On Dangers Of 'Sideloading' Apps Allowed By Bill, by Diane Bartz, Reuters

In a letter dated Thursday and sent to key members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Apple said it was aware that a critic, computer security expert Bruce Schneier, had called its concerns about sideloading "unfounded."

Apple went on to argue that most malware does not rely on technical tricks to gain access to devices but instead tricks the human user to download it. It argued that Apple's review of apps that are put into the App Store "creates a high barrier against the most common scams used to distribute malware."

Bottom of the Page

The rumored name of Mac Studio just doesn't sound right to me. All the modifiers that Apple uses are short: +, SE, Pro, Max, Air, Mini. Studio just sound cumbersome. Apple did had the Apple Studio Display, but that was a long time ago. There is also the Apple Watch Studio, but that isn't a product.

Do I believe the rumored Mac Studio, whatever the name, is real? I don't know, but I sure wish it is. There has always been a big gap between the Mac mini and Mac Pro, and iMac is not it.

Actually, what I really wish to see is Apple starts to get really serious about the Mac platform, and starts filling the gaps in its lineup. Maybe one day Apple will finally figure out how to make a really low-cost Mac?

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Thanks for reading.