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Macworld:

Popcorn Time for iOS tries to offer a version of sideloading, but there are far too many pieces of its process to worry about. Further, it’s not likely to be reliably available.

It’s unimaginable that Apple would ever allow something like Popcorn Time in the App Store. It’s also inadvisable by any standard to install software like it through the method the developers provide.

Leaving aside the legality of this app, the process you have to go through in order to install it makes it a non-starter for me.

iMore:

Photo editing app Snapseed gets its first major update since 2013 with version 2.0, adding a number of new editing tools to help you get the most out of your photos.

Snapseed is my favourite iOS editing app and it’s free. The interface has changed significantly but it’s not awful. If you’ve used previous versions, you’ll get the hang of this new UI fairly quickly. If you’ve never used it, you really should. It’s easy to figure out. Every photo I take on my iPhone gets passed through Snapseed.

I spent some time today talking to TechCrunch’s Darrell Etherington about Apple Watch and the 12-inch MacBook.

Samsung talking about Apple releasing the Apple Watch:

“It’s with great delight that Apple has followed us into that market.”

It’s like that company doesn’t know when to shut the hell up.

Great seeing you again, Tim. Much respect.

Steven Levy:

A few weeks ago I was crossing the street. It was cold — late February in the Winter From Hell here on the east coast — and I was wearing a heavy coat with an inside pocket for my iPhone. The device buzzed and vibrated. My heart quickened. I ran the remaining few yards to the curb. I pulled off my gloves, fumbled to open the buttons of the coat, and almost dropped my bag in the process. Finally I managed to pull out the phone. On the screen was the following message:

“Braves OF B.J. Upton has changed his name to Melvin”

This was delivered to me in the standard message format, no different than a New York Times alert informing me a building two blocks from my apartment has exploded, or an iChat message that my sister is desperately trying to reach me. Please note that I am not a blood relative of B.J. — sorry, Melvin — Upton, nor am I even a fan of the Atlanta Braves. In other words…this could have waited.

I reflexively deny permission to 99% of the apps that ask to notify me of every stupid little thing so I have less of an issue with this but I do understand where Levy is coming from. One of the things that jumps out at me from some of the Apple Watch reviews is the idea that, if you set it up right, only those notifications that are truly important will be sent on to your wrist. But that’s the way I have my iPhone set up already.

San Jose Mercury News:

Apple has opened the door for construction workers with recent felonies on their records to help build its new campus.

The tech giant has lifted a requirement that people who had been convicted of felonies within the past seven years could not work on the massive Cupertino construction project, Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock told this newspaper Thursday. After the policy came to light this week, Apple came under fire from union leaders and advocates, who say construction jobs are a key source of work for felons trying to transition back into society.

I’m glad they did this. Now I can apply for a job on the Apple Campus 2 construction crew.

MY thanks to Yamaha for sponsoring The Loop this week. Perfect for webcasting, podcasting, gaming and music production, the AG03 and AG06 hybrid mixing consoles/USB interfaces have unique features that make your computer-based audio tasks easier and better. The AG Series offers high-resolution (24-bit/192kHz) audio recording and playback, iOS compatibility and battery operation.

The intuitive “TO PC” switch allows users to route selected inputs back to a desktop or iOS device. The “Dry CH 1-2” allows computer or iOS recording of inputs 1 and 2, while the “INPUT MIX” switch routes all inputs to the computer or iOS device via USB for music production applications. The “LOOPBACK” switch routes all inputs to the stereo USB output along with the USB input from the computer — perfect for podcasters.

Gamers will appreciate the headset/mic interface and direct hardware control of game and voice level, perfect for adding professional audio to videos or TwitchTV broadcasts.

The AG series “1-TOUCH” effects utilize programmable digital signal processing like Reverb, Compression, EQ and even Amp Simulation, adding the final professional stroke to your music productions.

There are a lot of things to consider with the new MacBook—a Retina display, a new sized screen, weight, redesigned batteries, a newly designed keyboard and trackpad, and the fact the laptop only has one port—USB-C. Of course, one of the biggest things, for me anyway, is whether the MacBook fits into my workflow. Any one of these new features could be a deal breaker for many people, or this could simply be one of the smartest moves Apple has made in its laptop business in years. […]

If you need to chill out after reading all those Apple Watch reviews, let me show you this wonderful new, tiny and always-be-melting Apple Computer.

Om Malik finds some of the most wonderful things.

This is a really comprehensive guide from Rene Ritchie and his crew. If you have any questions, this is the best place to start.

You can download the release by opening the Mac App Store on your computer and check for updates. Of note in this release is Photos, Apple’s new photo management application.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update on your iOS device to download it.

Success is a very unusual term. One person’s success is almost certainly considered by another to be a failure. There are few ways to measure success that everyone would agree on, even when you are talking about Apple products. […]

I can’t verify how accurate some of the more brutal comments are in the Apple Watch reviews posted today, but here’s a roundup of some of their harshest comments.

Of all the people that posted reviews today, Gruber is the only one I really trust. If you’re going to read a review, make it this one.

Duncan Robson makes YouTube supercut videos and is taking to Patreon to seek funding to keep making them. What’s a supercut video? Watch.

A series of photos have surfaced on social media today that provide a first look at what could be the retail packaging for the Apple Watch and individual bands. Instagram user Jeremy Gan posted the photos to his profile, which he has since switched to private, this afternoon. The photos appear to show a 42mm stainless steel Apple Watch with Milanese Loop propped on a stand within its official packaging, alongside a brown leather band in a separate box.

Gan works for the Daily Mail, so the pics could very well be genuine. Somehow I don’t think he was supposed to post these pics to social media.

Re/code:

Foxconn is eager to present a different face, and agreed to give Re/code a tour of a sprawling manufacturing facility in Shenzhen in the south China province of Guangdong were it makes iPads and Macs. To be clear, we were not allowed unfettered access. A special assistant to CEO Terry Gou traveled from Shanghai to escort us on a tour that appeared to paint a picture of workers being treated well. We weren’t permitted to observe the factory floor — an unidentified customer wouldn’t allow that.

I think it’s fair to assume we all know who the “unidentified customer” was.

Despite continued losses, Samsung’s projected earnings are actually an improvement from the last two quarters, when sales fell 36 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, and a whopping 60 percent in the quarter before that.

Here’s the way it’s gone for Samsung over the past few years: They shamelessly copied Apple and made a boatload of money; Apple sued the hell out them, so Samsung changed it’s designs thinking it had consumers locked up; They didn’t and profits began to fall dramatically when they released phones not copied from Apple; The new Galaxy S6 shamelessly copies Apple’s iPhone 6.

Samsung is hoping for two things: 1. Apple doesn’t sue the shit out of them again. 2. People are too stupid to recognize the points I listed above and will buy the piece of shit.

Guitarists are always looking for great tones. AMPLIFi is a Bluetooth speaker and guitar amp in one. Now, with AMPLIFi Remote for Apple Watch, you can pick your favorite guitar sound right from your wrist. And when it’s time to tune up, you’ll see which note you’re playing and whether it’s sharp, flat, or in tune.

I can’t wait to try this out.

First announced during the Apple Watch event in March, HBO NOW is available to Apple customers today. You can sign-up using your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch or directly on Apple TV.

HBO is offering a 30-day trial to new HBO NOW customers who sign-up through Apple. You can learn more about the programming available by visiting Apple’s HBO NOW channel.

Good letter. Much better than the drivel Ballmer wrote.

Perfect for webcasting, podcasting, gaming and music production, the AG03 and AG06 hybrid mixing consoles/USB interfaces have unique features that make your computer-based audio tasks easier and better. The AG Series offers high-resolution (24-bit/192kHz) audio recording and playback, iOS compatibility and battery operation.   The intuitive “TO PC” switch allows users to route selected inputs back to a desktop or iOS device. The “Dry CH 1-2” allows computer or iOS recording of inputs 1 and 2, while the “INPUT MIX” switch routes all inputs to the computer or iOS device via USB for music production applications. The “LOOPBACK” switch routes all inputs to the stereo USB output along with the USB input from the computer — perfect for podcasters   Gamers will appreciate the headset/mic interface and direct hardware control of game and voice level, perfect for adding professional audio to videos or TwitchTV broadcasts.   The AG series “1-TOUCH” effects utilize programmable digital signal processing like Reverb, Compression, EQ and even Amp Simulation, adding the final professional stroke to your music productions.

This could be a handy document to bookmark.

Not so funny now, is it Samsung.

This is pretty damn funny.

This is a lovely bit of analysis on Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney and their respective approaches to soccer.

Five years ago today, Apple unveiled iPad, a device that would change the way many people thought about computing, me included.

That all changed back in June when Lanier started playing around with an iPad with the help of her tutor Morgan Tyner.

“The first thing she said was “hi, thank you for releasing my voice”, and there was something about the power of being able to express her voice, her thoughts. It’s really priceless” says Morgan and the next thing Lanier typed out was “Tell my mother I love her.”

According to Leslie “I have never heard her say I love you and later that same day she wrote, tell my dad I love him and that he’s my hero.”

If this doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, nothing will.