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The Precise-Location Edition Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Why Your Wi-Fi Router Doubles As An Apple AirTag, by Brian Krebs, Krebs On Security

Researchers from the University of Maryland say they relied on publicly available data from Apple to track the location of billions of devices globally — including non-Apple devices like Starlink systems — and found they could use this data to monitor the destruction of Gaza, as well as the movements and in many cases identities of Russian and Ukrainian troops.

At issue is the way that Apple collects and publicly shares information about the precise location of all Wi-Fi access points seen by its devices. Apple collects this location data to give Apple devices a crowdsourced, low-power alternative to constantly requesting global positioning system (GPS) coordinates.

A Day In The Life Of Apple TV+ Graphic Designer Gina Alessi: "We're Surrounded By Flurries Of Paper, Set Drawings And Research Photos", by Ian Dean, Creative Bloq

Recently acclaimed film graphic designer Gina Alessi revealed how she led an art department crafting the world of Manhunt for Apple TV+, a period drama about the hunt for Abraham Lincoln's assassin.

The project required hundreds of graphic designs, creating and recreating era perfect wallpapers, posters and signage as well as books, carpets and even the blanket Lincoln died on.

What Comcast's New Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV+ Streaming Bundle Tells You About The Industry's Economics, by Peter Kafka, Business Insider

But another part of that argument was new to me: People who get streaming services by signing up via broadband companies like Comcast or Verizon are much less likely to stop and start their subscriptions. Which would make Netflix much more willing to take a discounted rate for this kind of bundle than it would be if it were part of a different bundle.

Apple In Courts

Apple Takes Steps Toward Asking Court To Dismiss US Antitrust Case, by Mark Gurman and Leah Nylen, Bloomberg

“This court should reject the invitation to forge a new theory of antitrust liability that no court has recognized, that would harm innovation, and that would only deprive consumers of the key competitive features that make iPhone distinctive,” Apple wrote in its filing.

[...]

Motions to dismiss are commonly filed in antitrust cases, though rarely granted in government lawsuits. Alphabet Inc.’s Google filed one in the Justice Department case concerning its advertising technology business, but failed to get the case tossed out.

Apple Works

Apple Taps Bank Of America Veteran As Latest Diversity Chief, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. hired a new diversity chief for the fourth time in recent years as the iPhone maker seeks to make its workforce more inclusive.

Banking veteran Cynthia Bowman is taking over the role from Barbara Whye, becoming vice president of inclusion and diversity. Bowman left Bank of America Corp. earlier this year after a 17-year career there, serving most recently as chief diversity, inclusion and social responsibility officer.

Stuff

Apple Adds Support For Live Activities To Shazam, by Hartley Charlton, MacRumors

Shazam's Live Activities keep the user updated when searching for music in the background, which is particularly useful when multitasking or identifying songs in other apps.

New 'Parkour' Immersive Video Coming To Vision Pro On Friday, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

A description of the Parkour episode invites Vision Pro wearers to join the "world's leading parkour athletes" as they go on a "gravity-defying trek across the streets and rooftops of Paris."

Apple And Île-de-France Mobilités Introduce Navigo Card For iPhone And Apple Watch, by Apple

Apple and Île-de-France Mobilités today introduced an easy, secure, and private way for customers to add a new Navigo card to Apple Wallet and purchase passes to ride transit in the Paris region. Riders can buy passes from the Île-de-France Mobilités iOS app or directly from Apple Wallet, and use an iPhone or Apple Watch to tap and ride. Additionally, beginning this week, real-time transit information in Apple Maps is available in Paris to help users navigate their travels throughout the city.

Adobe Lightroom Gets A Magic Eraser, And It’s Impressive, by Jess Weatherbed, The Verge

“Generative Remove” — powered by the company’s Firefly AI model — is now available to try in early access across Lightroom’s mobile, web, and desktop apps. Described as Lightroom’s “most powerful remove tool yet,” the feature allows users to “paint” over unwanted objects or people in images and then delete them with a click of a button.

Little Snitch 6 Released For macOS Sonoma With DNS Encryption, Integrated Blocklists, New Traffic Chart, And More, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

The key new features include DNS encryption, easier access to blocklists, a redesigned interactive traffic chart, a new Control Center in the menu bar, new hierarchical grouping options in the connection list, new sound notifications, and an overhauled user interface.

QuickTune: A Music Remote App For Mac With Tiger Vibes, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Guzmán’s latest app is QuickTune, a remote control utility for Apple Music. The app is the spitting image of QuickTime 7 running on Mac OS X Tiger, with a sprinkling of modern features and fun interactions that make it a pleasure to use.

Notes

Apple Offers Biggest-ever iPhone Discounts In China As Annual ‘618’ Shopping Festival Begins, by Laura He, CNN

Apple is offering unprecedented price cuts in China as big brands and retailers launch promotions for the annual “618” shopping festival in the face of sluggish consumer demand.

The hefty discounts by the iPhone maker come at a time when it is battling stiff competition from Chinese smartphone manufacturers, such as Huawei and Vivo, and declining market share in the world’s second largest economy.

OpenAI Just Gave Away The Entire Game, by Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic

On its own, this seems to be yet another example of a tech company blowing past ethical concerns and operating with impunity. But the situation is also a tidy microcosm of the raw deal at the center of generative AI, a technology that is built off data scraped from the internet, generally without the consent of creators or copyright owners.

‘It’s Basically Inaccessible Without A Phone’: Are Kids Losing Their Love For Music?, by Oliver Keens, The Guardian

My daughter is nine years old. When I was her age, in 1989, I had my own small cassette player and a beloved pile of my own tapes – brand new, or made up of songs from the radio – that I could listen to whenever I wanted. The same went for my parents’ modest CD collection (Genesis’s Invisible Touch was awesome; their three Lionel Richie albums were boring). There were a few vinyl records knocking about and there were at least two radios – invariably set to Capital FM – that I could turn on whenever.

My daughter has none of these things. The only way she can access music is by making me get my phone out and play a song on my Spotify account. The inconvenience is trifling, but more painful and alarming is the growing gap between us when it comes to musical experience.

Bottom of the Page

There are rumors that Apple will be adding an iPhone ultra to its lineup, increasing the price of the top-end of the iPhone line.

Yes, maybe Apple has hit a price ceiling on what 'innovations' they can put into an iPhone, whether it is a super-duper display or a super-duper camera.

But that's the easy way. The challenge facing Apple is on the other end of the price spectrum. For whatever standards Apple is measuring, 5c failed. 12/13 mini failed. The SE is still around, but is standing still.

Sure, make an Ultra. But don't forget to also innovate on the lower-end. It is not easy. But that's why you are Apple.

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Thanks for reading.