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The Collection-Agency Edition Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Apple Exec Phil Schiller Testifies That He Raised Concerns Over App Store Commissions On Web-based Sales, by Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

He said he was worried about how the App Store would have to go after developers who didn’t pay the commissions, making it “some kind of a collection agency” that had “rules around how we handle nonpayment and whether ultimately it means we’re going to have to do audits of developers.”

[...]

Despite the initial concerns Schiller raised, a pricing committee that included Apple CEO Tim Cook, former CFO Luca Maestri, and Apple’s legal team, alongside Schiller, ultimately decided to charge developers a commission on these outside purchases.

Stuff

This App Lets You Create Automations Your Mac Usually Doesn’t Support, by Pranay Parab, Lifehacker

To create automations using Apple's Shortcuts app on your Mac, you're dependent on Apple's support for various actions. While Shortcuts supports an array of useful actions, some aren't in the app yet, such as clearing all notifications or quitting all apps. If you want to add a few more helpful actions to your Mac automations, consider Shortcutie, a powerful extension for Shortcuts that lets you execute actions Apple doesn't yet support.

Tailscale Gives You Remote Access To Your LAN From Anywhere, by Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

Since Apple sunsetted macOS’s remote network connector, Back to My Mac, I have looked for a system that would provide full access to devices on my home LAN when I was outside the network. I found it in Tailscale, a corporate-grade virtual networking system with a free tier that is as easy to use as clicking a button.

Creativity Meets Function With The MOFT Action Inspiration, by Bradley C, 9to5Mac

If you’re the type of person who likes to carry around paper and pen but doesn’t want the bulkiness of a bigger notebook, this is the product for you. Because it snaps onto the back of your iPhone, you won’t feel like you’re carrying around something extra.

Why BBC Podcasts Are Moving To Its Website And App Outside The U.K., by Georg Szalai, Hollywood Reporter

Listeners and fans of BBC podcasts outside of Britain will soon get to discover and access them via BBC.com and BBC app, while the BBC Sounds audio service will become exclusive to U.K. audiences. The change is set to take effect in the spring.

Notes

Indonesia, Apple Agree On Terms To Lift iPhone 16 Ban, Bloomberg News Reports, by Pretish M J, Reuters

Indonesia and Apple have agreed on terms to lift the country's ban on iPhone 16s and could sign a deal as early as this week, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Apple Cuts Off Russian Access To Its Developer Enterprise Program, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

The shutdown means Russian developers can no longer use ADEP to create and distribute custom iOS apps for internal use without going through the App Store.

At 3 A.m., I Turned To AI For Comfort. That Was My First Mistake, by Danica Popovic, The Walrus

Pain, uncertainty, wonder—these aren’t technological problems, and AI, incapable of true interpretation, cannot give voice to the complexity of human life. Only human-made art can.

Noise-cancelling Tech Leaves Us Less Able To Listen, Argues Researcher, by CBC Radio

Mack Hagood, author of Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control, said though he enjoys listening to podcasts and music on his headphones, they cut off the possibility of "sonic spontaneity."

"We've really become consumers of sound, rather than people who just simply experience the sounds around us," he said.

Bottom of the Page

Thank goodness I wasn't tied to BBC Sounds for my podcasting listening entertainment, now that it is shutting down for me, who is outside of UK.

Not that this is a podcasting client in the first place. It is only meant for BBC (and it's partners) programmes.

But, there are great programmes from BBC. I am glad BBC has a very good list of (real) podcast programmes that I can subscribe to. I am also glad to hear that BBC Radio 4 (as well as World Service, obviously) continue to exist outside of UK.

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Thanks for reading.