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The Observational-Dataset Edition Thursday, October 19, 2023

New Apple Research Highlights The Health Benefits Of Pickleball, by Apple

Researchers from the Apple Heart and Movement Study share new insights into one of the fastest-growing sports around the world: pickleball. To see how this emerging sport compared against the long-standing game of tennis, and how it impacts overall health, researchers turned to the data.

In one of the largest observational datasets of pickleball activity collected using Apple Watch, researchers found trends in both pickleball and tennis workout data that highlight the potential health benefits of both activities.

Apple’s $130 Thunderbolt 4 Cable Could Be Worth It, As Seen In X-ray CT Scans, by Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica

If your goal is to buy one cable that will hold up to abuse, work with the power and data speeds of today and a reasonably distant tomorrow, and remove cables from your list of things that might be the problem? Lumafield's images show why Apple's alpha-cable might just be worth it.

Inadvertent Balloon Drops (Or, The Default Conundrum), by Jason Snell, Six Colors

There’s no great answer here. For every Haughey or Hurley who is interrupted by inappropriate animations, there’s probably someone else who discovers the feature in a family call and thinks they’re delightful. But in a case like this, where embarrassment in front of other people is a strong possibility, I feel like our devices should probably ask permission rather than forgiveness.

Stuff

Apple Releases Second AirPods Pro Firmware Update Since Adding Features In iOS 17, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

Apple has released a new firmware update for AirPods Pro. The update likely includes additional bug fixes and improvements to the wireless earbuds and their charging case.

The Creator Of Apollo For Reddit Has Moved Onto Smaller And Weirder Things, by Jay Peters, The Verge

As an example of what Pixel Pals is now capable of, look no further than Language Pal, a language-learning widget that just launched for free. With Language Pal, you can practice vocabulary across 10 different languages (including, hilariously, “Canadian”) through a guessing game widget right on your homescreen.

Language Pal is just one of many widgets you can pick from. There are more traditional widgets like calendars, clocks, and battery percentages. You can care for the cute pixel animals as part of a Tamagotchi-like virtual pet game.

Home+ 6.2 Adds A Battery Smart Section And Widget, by John Voorhees, MacStories

With version 6.2 of Home+, Hochgatterer has added a new section to the app that reports the remaining charge for any battery-operated HomeKit accessories, such as window and door sensors. The new section, which color codes its battery icons according to the remaining charge, is accompanied by a new set of small, medium, and large-sized widgets that can be customized to show all of your battery-operated devices or a subset picked by you.

Mophie Debuts New Snap+ Juice Pack Mini MagSafe Power Bank With Built-in Stand, by Rikka Altland, 9to5Toys

Where things start getting interesting with the snap+ juice pack is with the built-in stand. The add-on ensures that the power bank can prop up your handset while it charges, and even pairs that with a USB-C port on the side so you can refuel the internal battery at the same time; which, speaking of, you’ll be able to use that USB-C port to charge another gadget with 12W, while it can accept 20W inputs for refueling the power bank.

Notes

Apple & Skydance Animation Part Ways With Latter Taking ‘Spellbound;’ Companies Remain Robust Partners In Live Action Film, TV, by Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline

While it will continue to have a deal with Skydance Media for tent pole live action film and TV fare, Apple is parting ways with Skydance Animation, the company run by former Pixar chief John Lassiter. Their multi-year deal has come to a conclusion, and Apple is making other kinds of films, notably this weekend’s opener Killers of the Flower Moon, which opens globally Friday.

Apple Fires Multiple App Store Employees After Probe Reveals Business Misconduct And Sexual Assault Allegation, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

According to a new report from The Information, Apple recently fired several members of its App Store team in China over “business misconduct.” Through a year-long internal investigation, Apple reportedly uncovered a variety of misdoings, including improper contact with mobile game developers, sexual assault, and more.

Bottom of the Page

In the year twenty-twenty-three, why do so many apps still give me dialog boxes with "Yes", "No", "Cancel" option? I don't have much time left to read your dialog box.

And can you tell I am using a Windows machine at work?

~

Thanks for reading.