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The Proper-Backups Edition Thursday, January 23, 2025

Apple Passwords Is Hostile To Backups, by Jeff Johnson

I use Safari password AutoFill, because it's extremely convenient, but I don't rely on Apple Passwords to store the sole copy of my passwords. When I create a new online account, I generate the (long, random) password separately, save it in my login keychain, and then enter the password in the web form for Safari to save too. This is the only way to ensure my passwords get proper backups.

Mac Users Targeted With New Malware, So Be On Your Guard, by Sead Fadilpašić, TechRadar

Software developer Ryan Chenkie spotted the malicious campaign on Google, noting threat actors have been running malicious advertising campaigns on Google’s network promoting a fake version of Homebrew, an open source package manager for macOS and Linux.

“Developers, please be careful when installing Homebrew,” he said. “Google is serving sponsored links to a Homebrew site clone that has a cURL command to malware. The URL for this site is one letter different than the official site.”

Stuff

How I Use Technology To Overcome Procrastination, by Kourtney Borman, MakeUseOf

Over time, these tools haven’t just helped me complete tasks, but they’ve also actually shifted my habits. I rarely dread sitting down to work anymore because my system of connected tech tools helps remove decision fatigue and distraction.

Notes

Apple Unveils First Mass-timber Apple Store In Miami, by Tom Ravenscroft, Dezeen

Designed by Apple's in-house team, Apple Miami Worldcenter occupies a standalone pavilion that continues the aesthetic of previous Apple Stores while nodding to art deco architecture in Miami.

"We were inspired by softer, undulating surfaces and the articulation of mass found in the local art deco architecture to create a lighter, more dynamic result," Apple retail design lead BJ Siegel told Dezeen.

Apple Sued For Using Dangerous Chemicals In Watch Bands, by Brandon Vigliarolo, The Register

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the Northern District of California, specifically targets three Apple Watch bands: The Sport Band that comes stock with new basic model Apple Watches, the Ocean Band, and the Nike Sport Band that ships with Nike-branded Apple Watches. Apple describes all three as being made from fluoroelastomer, which the lawsuit alleges conceals the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

Apple Must Face Suit Over Alleged Policy Of Underpaying Female Workers, by Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica

On Tuesday, California Superior Court Judge Ethan P. Schulman filed an order that largely denies Apple's motions to strike the class allegations and suspend several class claims. This allows what one lawyer representing women suing, Joseph Sellers, said was "a very important case that impacts thousands of current and former female Apple employees."

[...]

According to workers suing, Apple has three policies that seemingly perpetuate and widen gender pay gaps. Allegedly, Apple relies upon "prior pay and pay expectations to set starting salaries," uses performance evaluations that "reward" men and "penalize" women "for the same behaviors," and uses "talent" reviews to pay men more than women "with similar levels of talent."

UK Probes Apple And Google Over 'Mobile Ecosystem' Market Power, by Paul Sawers, TechCrunch

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching “strategic market status” (SMS) investigations into the mobile ecosystems of Apple and Google.

The investigations constitute part of the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act that passed last year and came into effect in January. The Act includes new powers for the CMA to designate companies as having strategic market status if they are deemed to be overly dominant, and propose remedies and interventions to improve competition.

‘Not $1 Billion’: Indonesia Says Apple’s Investment Commitment Only $200M, by Antara

The Industry Ministry has revealed that US technology giant Apple plans to invest approximately $200 million in an AirTag device manufacturing plant on Batam Island. This amount is significantly lower than the previously reported $1 billion investment pledge.

[...]

The discrepancy arose because the government’s calculations did not account for export value projections and raw material supplies, which were included in Apple’s proposal, he explained.

Apple Pressed By India To Pre-Install Government Apps On iPhones, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Apple and other smartphone makers are being pressed by India to pre-install government-developed apps on devices before sale, echoing a similar 2021 demand from Russia that Apple ultimately complied with.

The request came during a meeting last month where government officials outlined plans for expanding access to state digital services, according to Bloomberg.

Bottom of the Page

I am using a cross-platform password manager, and by cross-platform, I meant platforms other than Apple's. But I do save a few passwords in Apple's password manager too, just as a convenience thing.

Cross platform is very important to me, so I am hoping Apple is busy expanding password management onto iCloud.com.

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Thanks for reading.