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Apple TV+ series ‘The Morning Show’ nominated for several SAG Awards

I take the SAG Awards more seriously than the Golden Globes in general but also specifically when it comes to the particular categories where they overlap. SAG has more than 160,000 potential voters while the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golen Globes are voted on by a minuscule 90 people.

Apple’s new Mac Pro can cost $52,000. That’s without the $400 wheels

While know-it-all pundits avail themselves of the opportunity to take potshots at Apple over being “out of touch,” almost every one of them seem to be oblivious to the fact that this is not a consumer-level machine. It is a high-end machine for professionals and is priced accordingly.

I personally know two scientists and one video guy who are salivating over this machine. They’ll be maxing it out and happy to do so because they know they can work faster and better and make more money over the next 12 months than they would otherwise. Saying, as Macworld does, “A maxxed-out Mac Pro costs more than a 2020 Corvette convertible!” is utterly ridiculous. Lots of things cost less than a maxxed-out Mac Pro. But lots of things cost more as well.

Pundits should take some time to talk to Apple’s target market for this machine. Few of them blink at the price. They just want to know, “Does it work as advertised? Yes? I’ll buy it.”

Linea Sketch 3.0 will move to a subscription model

I hate the subscription model as much as anyone but given this blog post, I completely understand why Iconfactory, a well respected and trusted Mac/iOS developer, feels it needs to go this route. The best news is the subscription for Linea Sketch 3 will only be $10/year. And, if you buy/bought the app in 2019 (it’s only $5), you’ll get a year of the new version for free.

Netflix could lose four million subscribers in 2020

Needham analyst Laura Martin, who downgraded the California-based tech giant to “underperform”, believes Netflix will have to add a lower priced service to compete with competitors including Apple Inc’s Apple TV+ service and Walt Disney Co’s Disney+.

I don’t buy it. If all Netflix did was show old re-runs of shows, then this analysis would make some sense, but that’s not the only thing Netflix does. It’s original programming is among the best in the industry right now. Apple, Disney, and Amazon are add-ons to Netflix and I don’t see that changing in the next year.

Randy Rhoads items recovered after burglary

A number of items that were stolen from the family of Ozzy Osbourne’s late guitarist Randy Rhoads were recovered early Sunday when an Eyewitness News viewer spotted them in a dumpster.

Someone had broken into the Rhoads family music school in North Hollywood on Thanksgiving night and stole irreplaceable instruments, memorabilia and photos.

I’m so glad the family got these items back. Randy was one of the great guitarists of our time.

Apple’s Safari privacy features are “stunningly effective”

Two years ago, Apple unveiled Intelligent Tracking Prevention for Safari which aimed to protect users of the browsers from unwanted tracking. It was yet another in a long-running move towards more privacy on behalf of the company for its customers, and this technology, in particular, seems to be having a major impact on the advertising industry.

The ad industry has hated Apple’s implementation of privacy features for its users from the very beginning. To be absolutely clear, the only reason we needed these types of features in the first place is because of the slimy way the ad industry tracked us in the first place.

Swiss company’s alternate Apple TV remote

Apple’s Siri Remote has always been a bone of contention for Apple TV users. And with Swiss fiber TV company Salt giving Apple TV 4K boxes to its subscribers it was only a matter of time before they complained. And when they did, Salt made an alternative.

It’s cool, but for my uses right now, the ATV remote seems to work fine.

HairLove

#HairLove, an animated short film from @MatthewACherry, tells a touching story about a father learning to do his daughter’s hair for the first time. pic.twitter.com/g18uHroJwK— Sony Pictures Animation (@SonyAnimation) December 5, 2019 I’m not crying. You’re crying.

Here’s how we made our car invisible to cops

The New York to Los Angeles Cannonball Record is now an insane 27.5 hours. Now, there’s no way any of us would ever condone doing such a thing but that’s still pretty “cool” in a completely illegal kind of way.

Chaos at the top of the world

I’m glad I’m nowhere near fit enough or interested enough or wealthy enough to try to climb Everest.

A letter from Larry and Sergey

With Alphabet now well-established, and Google and the Other Bets operating effectively as independent companies, it’s the natural time to simplify our management structure. We’ve never been ones to hold on to management roles when we think there’s a better way to run the company. And Alphabet and Google no longer need two CEOs and a President. Going forward, Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet. He will be the executive responsible and accountable for leading Google, and managing Alphabet’s investment in our portfolio of Other Bets. We are deeply committed to Google and Alphabet for the long term, and will remain actively involved as Board members, shareholders and co-founders. In addition, we plan to continue talking with Sundar regularly, especially on topics we’re passionate about!

That’s a pretty big move by the co-founders, but probably the right one.

Black Ink 2.0 crosswords released

I’m excited to share the news that Black Ink 2 has shipped and is available for immediate download both on the Black Ink home page and from the Mac App Store. As promised, customers who purchased a license to Black Ink 1 on or after January 1, 2018, are entitled to a free upgrade to Black Ink 2. Customers who purchased Black Ink 1 in 2017 or earlier are entitled to a discounted upgrade price.

Black Ink 2.0 is a huge update to the app, featuring a massive overhaul of the puzzle-solving window, support for new accessibility features, and at long last, Dark Mode support for macOS 10.14.

There are a lot of great new features in this version of the app from one of my favorite developers.

Apple picks up documentary on sexual misconduct in the music industry

The film will explore alleged sexual misconduct in the music industry, following a former music executive who struggles with whether or not to go public with her story of assault and abuse by a notable music industry executive.

I’m glad to see Apple is tackling this story—it needs to be told.

‘The Banker’ cast defends movie after Apple delays release

In a statement, the film’s director, writer, and producer George Nolfi, as well as cast members such as Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Nia Long, and other key talent say they stand by the film and “its positive message of empowerment.” While expressing sympathy for Cynthia Garrett, they note that the film is not based on the memories of Garrett’s children, but on interviews with Garrett himself, as well as transcripts, court rulings, and articles.

I was really looking forward to this film, but I certainly understand Apple delaying the release to investigate the claims by Cynthia Garrett. It’s still unclear what will happen, or how long the investigation will take.

Judge rejects Apple’s bid to dismiss keyboard lawsuit

A federal judge on Monday rejected Apple Inc’s bid to dismiss a proposed class action lawsuit by customers who said it knew and concealed how the “butterfly” keyboards on its MacBook laptop computers were prone to failure.

I don’t think Apple concealed anything, but there were certainly a lot of complaints about the butterfly mechanism.

‘Snowbrawl’ and the making of it

Apple’s latest “Shot on iPhone 11 Pro” spot is a “cinematic snowball fight.” I prefer the behind the scenes video.