One bill dies in committee, but there are others out there, including Burr-Feinstein, and, on the flip side, a preemptive bill from Ted Lieu.
Apple
A geek’s garden of iPhone secrets
Watch the video embedded below for a fantastic collection of iPhone secrets. My gut tells me there’s something new here for even the most knowledgeable iOS power user.
Hey Chloë – you can find that iPhone even more quickly with this trick
In a new Apple Watch ad, Chloë Sevigny uses her Apple Watch to ping her iPhone. Keir Thomas takes things one step further, showing you how to add the iPhone’s flash to the equation.
Official Reddit app ships. Apple pulls 3rd party Reddit apps to remove NSFW toggle
Interesting timing. Reddit ships their app, Apple pulls a bunch of third party apps from the app store. Why?
The trouble with/power of 3D Touch
Jason Snell has stopped using 3D Touch. Rene Ritchie argues that he finds real power in Peeks. My take? It’s got a real future. Read on.
Apple Watch’s future will include smart watch bands
Neil Cybart, writing for Above Avalon, with some excellent speculation about the future of Apple Watch bands.
Today’s 100 best Mac games
Pretty impressive list. My favorites are all on here (including FireWatch and Braid), but there are many that are new to me.
Why the iPad does not have a native calculator
The story (not clear if this is true) of Steve Jobs and the original iPad calculator.
iFixit’s iPad Pro 9.7″ teardown
Some real repairability issues. I wonder if Liam the Robot would have problems taking this one apart.
Kobe and Michael B Jordan share screen time in new Apple TV ad
[VIDEO] Actor Michael B Jordan teams up with Kobe Bryant in an ad highlighting Siri’s Apple TV prowess.
Accessibility and the glory of the iPad Pro screen
Steven Aquino makes the case that the iPad Pro display is a real boon to accessibility. Another detail that Apple got right.
Google said to be considering Swift as a first class language for Android
Nate Swanner, writing for The Next Web:
About the time Swift was going open source, representatives for three major brands — Google, Facebook and Uber — were at a meeting in London discussing the new language. Sources tell The Next Web that Google is considering making Swift a “first class” language for Android, while Facebook and Uber are also looking to make Swift more central to their operations.
Lots of implications here.
Jason Snell’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro review
Jason Snell does an excellent job laying out all the details on the 9.7 inch iPad Pro. A terrific review. I especially love his thoughts on Apple’s product naming.
Apple’s copycats are turning into true iPhone competitors
Vlad Savov, writing for The Verge:
The copying of Apple has evolved. It’s less literal now, as companies strive to recreate the essence of Apple’s success, whether it be through vertical integration (as with Huawei and its in-house processor design), positive brand associations, or simple aesthetic and tactile appeal. Apple is still the Michael Jordan that every Chinese smartphone manufacturer looks up to, but instead of trying to dunk with their tongues sticking out or shoot fadeaway jumpers, these rising stars are developing their own ways of scoring points with consumers. Instead of imitating, they are emulating.
Should Apple be concerned?
FBI Director Comey’s speech, Apple, and inevitability
FBI Director James Comey gave a speech at Kenyon University’s Center for the Study of American Democracy last night. His speech focused on encryption, the divide on privacy priorities, and the issues relating to the recent court case involving Apple and the San Bernardino iPhone 5C running iOS 9.
He made a terrific speech, laying out both sides of the argument. But he made a central point that I believe is flawed. Jump to the main post to watch the speech, read my take, and hear a Q&A exchange with an audience member that addresses what phone models can be broken by the FBI’s recent efforts.
Apple using @AppleNews Twitter account to curate news stories
Zac Hall, writing for 9to5mac:
Apple appears to be taking its new Apple News app to the place that news often breaks (then spreads), Twitter. The Twitter handle @applenews has been dressed for the job for several months now although it’s been inactive before today and it isn’t yet marked “verified” by Twitter.
That’s now changed.
Bill Atkinson on the birth of the Mac
[VIDEO] Bill Atkinson is one of the members of the original Mac development team. He created MacPaint, the QuickDraw toolbox (the underpinnings of the Mac’s graphical interface), and HyperCard, just to name a few of his many accomplishments.
This is a great interview, with lots of nice little touches, like Leo LaPorte pulling out his original copies of Inside Macintosh, the bible for us Mac developers.
Fortune poll: What is your favorite Apple product of all time?
Good question. My very first Mac, which I got in early 1984. Hard to match that purchase for pure product joy. But there are other choices.
Apple’s official iPhone service price list
Apple’s official pricing support page. Obviously, your warranty coverage will affect your price.
A bargain Milanese Loop replica Apple Watch band on Amazon
Karen Freeman, writing for WatchAware, ordered this Milanese Loop replica Apple Watch band on Amazon and gave it a rave review.
Tesla, Apple, and disruption
Great article from Ben Thompson on Tesla, their game plan, and what it means to be disruptive. There are some nice Apple parallels in there too.
Apple fixes Siri bug allowing access to Photos and Contacts on locked device
If you weren’t paying attention, you may have missed this bug’s arrival and departure entirely. Interesting that Apple was able to fix this server-side. That is, Apple fixed Siri on their end, without you having to install an update.
Apple posts an official 40 year anniversary Apple Music playlist
Some of these choices are obvious (selections used in commercials, for example), some not so much. I suspect they all have some significance to the folks at Apple.
DoBox: The wireless box for Apple devices that does a lot
I tend to shy away from Kickstarters, purely because there is no guarantee that you’ll get the goods after you fund them. But this one might be worth a look.
The DoBox is an all-in-one device, but it does a lot. Let’s you attach peripherals (like a mouse/keyboard) to your iOS device, charge all your devices (including your Apple Watch without a cable), transfer files, make a hot spot, even more. Worth a look.
Tweaking the Finder toolbar
Kirk McElhearn on tweaking the Finder to make your Mac experience more efficient.
Apple’s official phishing support page
Tuck this one away, pass it along to folks you support.
On AR/VR marketing
Interesting post on the virtual reality marketing problem. How do you market a device that the potential buyer can’t touch? This is something to which Apple is very well suited.
Barclays Bank adds Apple Pay, 9 months after UK launch
A double-win for Apple Pay. Big UK bank, and overcoming their attempts at setting their own contactless payment standard.
Planning an Apple product purchase? Check a buyer’s guide first.
In the market for a new retina MacBook Pro? An iPad mini? An iPod Touch? You might consider checking out a buyer’s guide before you buy, to get a sense of where your particular product is in its release cycle.
Siri can now answer more of your baseball questions
Baseball season is now officially here, and Siri can now answer more of your baseball related questions.
Try this one to get you started:
How many career home runs does Bryce Harper have?