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The No-Loss-In-Functionalities Edition Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Apple Says iPads Will Keep Working As Home Hubs In iPadOS 16, But There’s A Catch, by Jay Peters, The Verge

“iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 will continue to support iPad as a home hub with no loss in functionality,” Apple spokesperson Catherine Franklin said in a statement to The Verge. While that seems promising on its face, there is a big asterisk. Apple is planning to introduce a new architecture to the new Home app in iPadOS 16, and the iPad won’t be supported as a home hub with that architecture.

Apple's Native Apps Need To Finally Break Free From iOS Updates, by David Price, Macworld

Cut individual apps from the iOS apron strings and they can push updates as and when it suits them. Users get new features on a timely basis, Apple gets to take one more advantage away from Android, and changes to individual apps get the attention they deserve instead of being buried or completely ignored amid the excitement of 50 other announcements. Apple already does this with apps like Pages and iMovie, and it’s time it came to the rest if iOS’s native apps too.

Apple Expands User Support Forums To Recognize Best Members, by Mike Wuerthele, AppleInsider

Apple's new Community+ program is designed to recognize frequent contributors' "positive attitude, expertise, and curiosity" as they help other posters solve their technical problems.

Debuting quietly, the Apple Community+ Program is world-wide, and limited to select invitees. On a site for the program, the company does give guidelines on what they are looking for.

iPhone At 15

The iPhone At 15: Pro Photographers On How It Changed Their World, by The Guardian

This week marks 15 years since the iPhone first went on sale and ushered in a new era: the age of the smartphone. To record a snapshot of that change, Associated Press photographers around the world captured images on their mobiles and reflected on the nature of iPhone photography

The iPhone's Most Important Part Isn't Apple's Hardware. It's Everything Else, by Patrick Holland, CNET

In 2022, the iPhone continues to extend beyond its svelte metal-and-glass chassis into the world around us. It's the backbone for products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, and will likely play a role in future Apple products like rumored AR glasses.

It also serves as the foundation for Apple's digital services, which have become an increasingly important factor to differentiate the iPhone from competing mobile devices. These services have evolved rapidly in recent years along with the iPhone.

Stuff

Unified Apple Gift Card Now Available To Buy In The UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy And More, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

The Apple Gift Card removes all that complexity, with one gift card eligible towards almost any Apple purchase, for physical or digital goods. Today’s rollout brings the Apple Gift Card to the biggest Europe regions.

How To Make Your Musical Magnum Opus On An iPad, by Omar L. Gallaga, Wired

Whether you have an infectious beat in your head you want to turn into a ringtone, you want to learn a little music theory, or you're a serious musician with studio ambitions, the tablet is surprisingly capable. It combines hardware power and useful apps that can aid in recording, editing, and exporting your music.

First Look: PDF Expert For Mac 3 Gets A Design Refresh, OCR Support, New Export Options, And Changes To Its Business Model, by John Voorhees, MacStories

PDF Expert by Readdle has been a leading PDF utility since the early days of the App Store, offering the kind of pro-level features that are critical to users whose work depends on managing and editing PDFs. With today’s update to version 3, PDF Expert for Mac debuts a new look, optical character recognition support, new export formats, and changes to its business model across all platforms.

Best Calculator Apps For iPad, by Darryl Boxberger, AppleInsider

Unlike on the iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch, there is no Apple Calculator app for the iPad. From the most popular to the most functional, this is a list of apps to fill that gap.

Belkin’s MagSafe Charging Stand Can Now Fast Charge The Apple Watch Series 7, by Emma Roth, The Verge

The new BoostCharge Pro three-in-one charger offers 15W fast charging for your iPhone 12 or 13 and 5W charging for your AirPods or AirPods Pro.

Twelve South Refreshes Leather BookBook Cases For 14- And 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pros, by Rikka Altland, 9to5Toys

Redesigned for the recent M1 Pro MacBook Pro models, the signature vintage-inspired leather covers have been refreshed to carry Apple’s 14- and 16-inch machines with all of the expected premium designs in tow.

Identifying Bird Species By Sound, An App Opens New Avenues For Citizen Science, by Phys.org

The BirdNET app, a free machine-learning powered tool that can identify over 3,000 birds by sound alone, generates reliable scientific data and makes it easier for people to contribute citizen-science data on birds by simply recording sounds.

Notes

Why Some Fear That Big Tech Data Could Become A Tool For Abortion Surveillance, by Barbara Ortutay, Associated Press

History has repeatedly demonstrated that whenever people’s personal data is tracked and stored, there’s always a risk that it could be misused or abused. With the Supreme Court’s Friday overruling of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, collected location data, text messages, search histories, emails and seemingly innocuous period and ovulation-tracking apps could be used to prosecute people who seek an abortion — or medical care for a miscarriage — as well as those who assist them.

Bottom of the Page

The iPod introduced me to to many audio entertainment from podcasts to audiobooks, while the iPhone gave me back the joy of reading. From e-books to RSS to Instapaper to the various news apps that I've used over the years, I now always have something to read while I am waiting in lines, or lying in bed at the end of the day.

I wish I will have another 15 years with iPhones.

~

Thanks for reading.