My thanks to Timing for sponsoring The Loop this week.
When was the last time you were frustrated with your time tracking app, for example because you had forgotten to set a timer?
Or when you wondered what you spent all your time on today?
Timing solves this problem. Instead of making you do all the work, Timing automatically tracks how you spend your time. It logs which apps you use, which websites you visit, and which documents you edit.
Timing is essential for anyone serious about their time — power users and freelancers alike. Download the free trial now and on Friday review exactly what you did this week, down to the second.
Until November 18th at 11:59 p.m., PT, eligible new members can join Amazon Prime for $79 plus applicable taxes for the first year and enjoy member-only benefits and content, including The Grand Tour. Although the price in your cart will show $99, the promotion discount will be applied at checkout. You will be charged when you place your order.
Just in time for the holidays and the new show from the former Top Gear hosts.
There is no formula that makes a picture influential. Some images are on our list because they were the first of their kind, others because they shaped the way we think. And some made the cut because they directly changed the way we live. What all 100 share is that they are turning points in our human experience.
Setapp, an upcoming subscription service from MacPaw, aims to offer a Mac App Store alternative and change the way customers obtain software for their Macs. Setapp will make 40+ popular Mac apps available to Mac users for a flat monthly fee at launch, and there are plans to continually add new apps as the service grows.
Much like Netflix, Setapp will charge users a flat $9.99 fee per month, giving them access to a wide range of Mac apps like RapidWeaver, Marked 2, Ulysses, iMazing, iStat Menus, Toast Titanium, CodeRunner, Blogo, Pagico, and more. It’s an interesting concept that has already attracted quite a few app developers, and could attract many more popular apps should the concept catch on.
I don’t know if the Mac Community needs, wants or is ready for a subscription service like this. It will come down to the number and quality of the apps.
So Apple has been syncing call log history and some people have been reporting this as a major problem. Here’s Apple’s statement:
“We offer call history syncing as a convenience to our customers so that they can return calls from any of their devices. Apple is deeply committed to safeguarding our customers’ data. That’s why we give our customers the ability to keep their data private. Device data is encrypted with a user’s passcode, and access to iCloud data including backups requires the user’s Apple ID and password. Apple recommends all customers select strong passwords and use two-factor authentication.”
How the hell did you think Apple was able to get this information on all of your devices if they weren’t syncing it? There’s nothing to see here.
Interesting story, via the Dan’s Deals site. In a nutshell, people in the forum started reporting that they had lost access to their gmail accounts, the accounts suspended due to terms of service violation.
From the article:
It turns out the common denominator is that they had all bought Google Pixel phones and shipped them to a phone dealer in New Hampshire who paid them a profit on each phone. There is no sales tax in New Hampshire and the phones are then resold to others.
The problem is that many of them didn’t read the terms that they agreed to when buying the phone from the Google store. Those state “You may only purchase Devices for your personal use. You may not commercially resell any Device, but you may give the Device as a gift.”
If true, this seems an overreach on Google’s part, suspending access to someone’s email for this sort of violation, rather than simply voiding the sale.
Apple today opened registration for Hour of Code workshops at all 487 Apple retail stores worldwide, from December 5 through 11 in celebration of Computer Science Education Week. Among the most popular events at the Apple Store, Hour of Code workshops teach the basics of computer science with Code.org’s programming tutorials. Apple and Code.org share the goal of giving every student the opportunity to learn computer science.
If you love music, this 8-part series from PBS is for you. I’ve made it through parts 1 and 2 so far, and they are both fascinating and riveting. The list of artists involved in this project is astonishing. Starting with George Martin and the Beatles, it’s a real who’s who of modern music, a true insider’s view.
Jason Snell tells the story about trying to remote help his sister who is a victim of a particularly nasty bit of Safari malware.
The story itself is worth the read, unfolding like a mystery. But if nothing else, be sure to read the section titled “In the end, common sense wins”, which shows a bit of problem-solvery you should add to your own troubleshooting toolbox.
Tucked in Amazon’s big Black Friday news this morning was the announcement of a handy Package X-Ray feature for its iPhone shopping app. The app can now leverage your iPhone’s camera to reveal the contents of an Amazon delivery without having to actually open up the package or hunt down tracking numbers.
And:
It will only work on packages tied to your Amazon account so you don’t have to worry about your kids or spouse ruining any surprises (as long as you don’t share an account, that is).
It’s been a month since I got the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Full disclosure, I have never owned an Apple product in my life. Okay, I had an iPod shuffle for about a week or two and ended up returning it. I had experiences with Apple computers as a child in a suburban elementary school but never owned an iPhone, iPad, MacBook or anything of the sort. I have been a lifetime Google Android user, and before that a Microsoft Windows Mobile user (yeah, I know). So, my first experience with an Apple product that I bought and used has been extremely interesting. That includes the utter shock and awe that came out of people’s mouths after I told them that I got an iPhone. I feel like a lot of the reasons why I never switched to Apple have gone away while others remain.
I love stories like this, because it reflects an objective, outsider view that is rare inside the Apple bubble.
Telecom giant AT&T is seeking to purchase content giant Time Warner (which is no longer affiliated with Time Warner Cable, see “AT&T Aims to Buy Time Warner for $84.5 Billion,” 24 October 2016). However, the deal could run into regulatory obstacles, with politicians on both sides of the aisle questioning the merger. It also doesn’t help that the Department of Justice is suing AT&T subsidiary DirecTV.
And:
Goldman Sachs is reportedly pushing Apple to make a competing bid for Time Warner, but Apple is resisting. However, I think Apple should consider the possibility. Here are four reasons why.
This is a great, thoughtful read. Should Apple spend the cash to instantly acquire one of the biggest, highest quality content libraries on the planet? Would they burn bridges in doing so, alienate players they are trying to bring to the table?
The messaging app Snapchat allows motorists to post photos that record the speed of the vehicle. The navigation app Waze rewards drivers with points when they report traffic jams and accidents. Even the game Pokémon Go has drivers searching for virtual creatures on the nation’s highways.
And:
After steady declines over the last four decades, highway fatalities last year recorded the largest annual percentage increase in 50 years. And the numbers so far this year are even worse. In the first six months of 2016, highway deaths jumped 10.4 percent, to 17,775, from the comparable period of 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
I don’t see this as alarmist. Clearly, there are more apps each year that are useful and usable while driving. Will we address this before we ultimately make the move to autonomous vehicles? Is there an obligation on Apple and Google’s part to do something about this?
Apple’s hefty cut of sales made via its App Store has long angered partners, some of whom have accused the technology giant of anti-competitive behavior. The concessions speak to the growing importance of video to Apple, which next month will introduce a new app devoted to TV shows and movies.
And:
Some video partners have already been paying 15 percent of monthly subscription fees to Apple. The company is now extending the rate to all subscription video services as long as they are integrated with Apple’s new TV app, said the people who asked not to be identified because the changes aren’t public. To compensate for the fee, some providers increased the price of their services sold through the App Store to equal the revenue generated on other distribution channels.
The Apple TV is not the walled garden of iOS. While iOS uses services like Apple Music and blue Message bubbles to keep you inside, you can easily switch inputs on your TV to accommodate game consoles and other inputs, including devices from Google and Amazon that feed non-Apple content into the mix. If a video service is more expensive through Apple TV, it’s easy enough to switch inputs to another device if it means saving money each month.
Switching TV inputs is already an ingrained habit for folks who own both an Apple TV and subscribe to some form of cable service.
If the price is the same, and if Apple offers a truly universal search mechanism, the walled garden starts to feel more compelling. Why switch inputs when everything you want is on the already connected device?
The disruption of cable and subscription TV is still in its early stages. The rules are still being set, alliances still being formed. Apple has a huge opportunity here. Dropping the fee seems a smart move that will help cement the right partnerships, bring more players into the fold.
Correct. I joined Apple in January of 1997, almost twenty years ago, because of my profound belief that “the power of the computer should reside in the hands of the one using it.” That credo remains my truth to this day. Recently, I was informed that my position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies was eliminated for business reasons. Consequently, I am no longer employed by Apple Inc. But, I still believe my credo to be as true today as ever.
I’ve known Sal for years, and he is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He cared about Apple and the user.
Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai will meet in Brussels with EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and Guenther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, as the final stop in a short tour of the continent, spokespeople for Google and the EU confirmed.
Google is some trouble in the EU and the situation could get much worse.
Routers are in fact small computers running Linux, and they have vulnerabilities and bugs like any computer. This article is a list of the best practices for home router and WiFi security.
Here are some good, common sense things you can do to make changes to your home router.
Apple’s in an interesting, but tough spot here. They could be the vehicle to bring original content to your home with Apple TV, or they could add their own original content and battle with Netflix and Amazon.
Pixelmator 3.6 Cordillera brings full support for macOS Sierra and the all-new MacBook Pro Touch Bar, adds Tabs so you can manage your Pixelmator windows with ease, includes a content-aware Smart Refine feature, Deep Images support, and more.
There are a lot of changes in the latest version, including macOS Sierra and Touch Bar support. This is one of the first apps I install on any of my devices.
Lemkesoft’s Mac-only GraphicConverter has been around since 1992. Version 10.2 has just been released, and now integrates into Apple’s Photos app. This makes it a great small tool for light editing of images in the Apple ecosystem. Time to quickly review an indispensable little piece of software that doesn’t get much love or recognition.
I’ve been a fan of GraphicConverter for decades. It’s probably the first image editor I ever used on my Mac, back in 1994. The developer has been faithful to the app and the Mac community for more than 20 years. And he’s a really nice guy as well.
SEQUEL 2 opens on November 30, both online and at the gallery proper. You’ll be able to find it here, and below you can check out a few of the pieces in the show. In each, check out tons of small Easter Eggs that hint at what each artist thinks the sequel could be about.
I’d pay good money to see the sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Want to get a sense of the game? Go here. And be sure to click the arrows on the side of the screen. There’s lots of content here, all designed to whet your appetite for the game.
This is a bit of a long post, too multi-faceted to do it justice with a few call outs. But this one paragraph resonates big time:
To me, an iPad in notebook mode — connected to a keyboard cover — is so much less nice than a real notebook. And the difference is more stark when compared to a great notebook, like these MacBook Pros. There are advantages to the tablet form factor, but no tablet will ever be as nice as a notebook as these MacBook Pros. I also prefer MacOS over iOS for, well, “doing work”. I think I’m more productive on a Mac than I am on an iPad. I can’t prove it, but even if I’m wrong, the fact that I feel like it’s true matters. I always feel slightly hamstrung working on an iPad. I never do on a Mac (at least once I’ve got it configured with all the apps and little shortcuts, scripts, and utilities I use).
I love the idea of the Touch Bar, happy to have more functionality on my Mac. But the key element that keeps me on my Mac is the idea of a pointer I can leave in place. I move my mouse cursor to a spot and it stays there, marking time, at that exact same location, until I move it. Selecting and manipulating, copying and pasting text is another element I find superior in macOS.
I love my iPhone and iPad, use both every day, but for creating content, nothing compares to sitting down at my Mac.
This is one of my favorite iFixit teardowns. More humor, and more surprises (like step 13, where we learn something interesting about the speaker grills, no doubt a basic difference between the 13″ and 15″ models).
Earlier this year, Apple promised it would clean up its iOS App Store by removing outdated, abandoned apps, including those that no longer meet current guidelines or don’t function as intended. That great App Store purge now appears to be underway, according to new data from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The company found that app removals increased by 238 percent in October 2016, with mobile games seeing the most deletions.
Apple had originally stated that the deadline for developers who wanted their outdated apps spared was September 7, 2016. However, Apple didn’t take immediate action during the month in terms of large-scale removals.
That seems to have changed in October, when 47,300 apps were removed from the App Store, Sensor Tower discovered.
And while it’s true that Apple does delete apps on a regular basis, this figure is around 3.4 times higher than the monthly average of 14,000 for the months of January through September.
Apple sent out a letter to developers on September 1 hinting that this day was coming.
