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The Scratch-the-Surface Edition Saturday, November 2, 2024

Apple Acquires Photo Editing App Maker Pixelmator, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Apple has reached an agreement to acquire Pixelmator, the company behind popular photo and image editing apps Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval, according to an announcement made by the Pixelmator team on Friday.

It's A Big Deal That Apple Is Getting Back Into Photo Editing Software, by Jeremy Gray, PetaPixel

Assuming that Apple’s purchase of Pixelmator, which includes the company’s numerous editing apps including Pixelmator Pro and Photomator, passes the requisite regulatory checks, Apple will own very powerful photo editing software. While the company’s Photos app offers some editing tools, including a new AI-powered Clean Up feature that gives Adobe a run for its money and then some, it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what Pixelmator Pro can do.

Apple Acquires Pixelmator, Speculation Begins, by Adam Engst, TidBITS

The Pixelmator Team says it can’t wait to share what’s next, but companies acquired by Apple historically don’t say much after they’ve been assimilated into the mothership.

Stuff

Apple Launches New iPhone 14 Service Program For ‘Rear Camera Issue’, by Michael Burkhardt, 9to5Mac

Apple today has launched a new service program for iPhone 14 Plus models, where a ‘very small percentage’ of devices may show no rear camera preview.

Notes

iPod Fans Evade Apple’s DRM To Preserve 54 Lost Clickwheel-era Games, by Kyle Orland, Ars Technica

Old-school Apple fans probably remember a time, just before the iPhone became a massive gaming platform in its own right, when Apple released a wide range of games designed for late-model clickwheel iPods. While those clickwheel-controlled titles didn't exactly set the gaming world on fire, they represent an important historical stepping stone in Apple's long journey through the game industry.

Today, though, these clickwheel iPod games are on the verge of becoming lost media—impossible to buy or redownload from iTunes and protected on existing devices by incredibly strong Apple DRM. Now, the classic iPod community is engaged in a quest to preserve these games in a way that will let enthusiasts enjoy these titles on real hardware for years to come.

Driving The Game Forward: iPad Teams Up With College Football, by Apple

While the pregame revelry and Cajun cooking are longstanding traditions at Tiger Stadium, the iPad on the sidelines is entirely new: In April of this year, the NCAA approved a rule that allows college football teams to have up to 18 active tablets on hand for use on the sideline, in the coaching booth, and in the locker room during games. Taking advantage of this new rule, three conferences — the ACC, SEC, and Big Ten — chose iPad for their game day needs, including in-game video shot from the sidelines and end zone, as well as any broadcast feeds.

Apple Health Trends, by Dr. Drang, And Now It's All This

There are some odd things about the way Apple tracks your progress in the Health app. These oddities aren’t new with the recent OS updates. They’ve been a part of the app for as long as I can remember; I’ve just finally gotten around to talking about them.

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Surprise, the week of Mac continues onto Friday, with potentially new enhancements of the Photos app or new Pro apps on the Mac (as well as iOS and iPadOS).

Will there be weekend surprises?

Hopefully, good news can continue onto next week.

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Thanks for reading.