A handful of useful links tweeted by @AppleSupport

Written by

Apple’s official support Twitter account, @AppleSupport, is definitely worth following, a terrific way to get help with a nagging problem on one of your devices.

Besides direct support, the account also tweets out tips and the occasional useful link. Click through to the main post for a few examples.

35 interface innovations that rocked our world

Written by

This is posted by Xerox, so take the choices with that in mind. That said, this is a pretty solid list, an enjoyable read. I only wish there was a bit more depth (or a “read more here” link) for each one.

New Photos app detects 4,432 kinds of objects and 7 facial expressions

Written by

MacRumors:

Over the weekend, a Reddit user discovered a few lines of code within the framework of Apple’s beta of the macOS Sierra Photos app, possibly detailing both the specific facial expressions that the app recognizes and every single searchable object users can find in both Sierra and iOS 10.

With Game Center app gone, invites are managed by Messages

Written by

Apple Insider:

As detailed by Apple at a session during its Worldwide Developers Conference last week, games will have access to new tools for inviting friends to multiplayer games via the Messages app.

Apple told developers that those already using existing Game Center invitation APIs won’t need to make any code changes for iOS 10. Messages-based invites will automatically replace the old method of inviting friends to play, and anyone can be invited via the Messages app and iCloud.

This is an interesting left turn for Game Center and the Messages app. Messages looks to be a delivery mechanism for a richer set of iOS-specific messages.

After 21 years, end of the road for MacNN

Written by

MacNN:

From when the company was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and irrelevance, to the crowning of Apple as the most valuable and influential tech company in the world, MacNN has been there. As of July 1, Apple will carry on — but MacNN will not, we’re sorry to say.

Damn.

macOS Sierra’s new system requirements

Written by

Stephen Hackett presents the list of Macs that can run macOS Sierra out of the box, with an unofficial option if your machine just falls off the list.

Why Apple can take a bigger stand against Trump than its rivals

Written by

Hayley Tsukayama, writing for The Washington Post:

[Apple] is arguably in a unique position among tech companies to take big political stands. Not only does its size insulate it against some backlash, but it is also protected because expressing political opinions does little damage to the reputation of its products.

That’s not true for many other tech titans.

Read the main post for the details. Interesting.

The secret anti-counterfeit symbol

Written by

[VIDEO] I knew it was illegal to copy money. I just had no idea there was a special symbol built into money that told photocopiers not to copy it. And, apparently, there’s a newer secret device that makes copying even harder.

The TL-DR version of Wikipedia

Written by

I just learned that there is a simplified version of each Wikipedia page. Here’s how you get there.

Intel and the end of Moore’s Law

Written by

Howard Yu, writing for Fortune:

Just four months ago, Intel disclosed in a regulatory filing that it is slowing the pace in launching new chips. Its latest transistor is down to only about 100 atoms wide. The fewer atoms composing a transistor, the harder it is to manipulate. Following the existing trajectory, by early 2020, transistors should have just 10 atoms. At that scale, electronic properties will be messed up by quantum uncertainties, making any devices hopelessly unreliable. In other words, engineers and scientists are hitting the fundamental limit of physics.

Intel just announced that they will be providing chips for some of the next generation of iPhones.

Slither.io game goes viral, brings developer $100K a day

Written by

Wall Street Journal:

Three months ago, Steven Howse struggled to pay rent. Now, the 32-year-old developer is trying to keep his hit videogame running smoothly as it pulls in more than $100,000 in revenue daily.

This is a pretty impressive story. The game is as simple as can be, and is free.

With Sierra, Apple lets the Mac be the Mac

Written by

Dan Moren, writing for Macworld:

To me, the big message to take away from Monday’s presentation is that Apple is all too happy for the Mac to share features and technologies where it makes sense, but to still let it stand on its own two legs and be the best version of itself.

And:

Given the rapid success of iOS in the last almost decade, more than a few folks were worried that Apple might decide to shift the Mac towards a stronger resemblance to its mobile sibling. The company’s fall 2010 event was even described as “Back to the Mac,” the main thrust of which was bringing features from iOS to OS X, most notably a new Mac App Store and the changing of the scroll direction. That spurred fears of forced convergence among Mac fans, who didn’t want the peanut butter of iOS infesting the chocolate of their Mac experience.

This is a good thing. And a terrific read.

Apple Stores get green light in India

Written by

Times of India:

It seems Apple CEO Tim Cook’s India visit didn’t go in vain. Decks have cleared for the setting up of Apple stores in India with the government announcing sweeping reforms to rules on foreign direct investment.

Apple is expected to be a beneficiary of a three-year relaxation India is introducing on local sourcing norms with an extension of up to five years possible if it can be proven that products are “state of the art”.

Solid news for Apple.

On App Store Search Ads

Written by

Over the weekend, Apple sent out a wave of emails promoting Search Ads. Search Ads allow you to bid to place ads that appear when a user searches the App Store.

Does this help Indie developers? Here’s the scoop.

Apple Watch, watchOS 3, and the evolution of app launching

Written by

By far, the biggest change that needed to be made to watchOS is to improve app launch speed/responsiveness and it looks like that has been done. The second change involves the actual application launch process itself. And that’s more of a complication (sorry).

Brief look at the new features coming to Apple Music

Written by

Kirk McElhearn:

Apple has released developer previews of iOS 10 and macOS 10.12. There are major changes to Apple Music, and they show up in both iTunes and the Music app on iOS. It’s worth noting that Apple can roll out these changes whenever they want in iTunes; they don’t need to actually update the app. Elements such as the iTunes Store and Apple Music are merely web pages that display in iTunes, so, while the iTunes app hasn’t changed, the new display of Apple Music is visible.

Nice overview, take a look.

You can now call me Mx. Mark

Written by

Tim Carmody, writing for Kottke.org:

“Mx.” (pronounced “mix” or “mux”) is a gender-neutral honorific. It’s used by people who don’t want to be identified by gender, whether their gender identity isn’t well-represented by the older forms, or they just don’t want to offer that information or assume it when addressing someone else. “Mx.” was added to Merriam Webster’s unabridged dictionary in April, has begun to be used on official forms in the UK (the Royal Bank of Scotland has been an early adopter), and appeared in two recent stories in the New York Times, once as a preferred honorific for a Barnard College student who doesn’t identify as male or female, and once in a story about “Mx.” itself.

Apple unbundles its native apps like Mail, Maps, Music and more, puts them in the App Store

Written by

Sarah Perez, writing for Tech Crunch:

Apple today has made a big change to its suite of native applications for iOS devices, like Mail, Stocks, Compass, Calculator, Watch, Weather and others: it’s now making these available as standalone downloads in the iTunes App Store. What that means for end users of iOS devices is that the majority of the stock apps that come pre-installed can be removed. This puts users in more control of their devices.

Yes: you can now remove the Stocks app from your iPhone, among others.

Apple’s disappearing iOS Apps

Written by

Kirk McElhearn encountered a problem trying to find and update certain iOS apps on his Mac.

To see this for yourself, jump into iTunes on your Mac and do a search for:

Find My Friends

You’ll find no such app, though you will find the app if you search on your own apps, not on the App Store. Know why? Tweet at me.

It’s Tim Cook’s Apple now, helped out by two standout performers

Written by

This is the new Apple, Tim Cook’s Apple. The keynote was jam packed, but not overstuffed. The presenters were polished, without the unnecessary fluff and with hardly a stutter. The machine felt oiled and hummed along nicely.

Key to it all? Two standout performances.