Why you need a fake online identity
Macworld The danger of using an unprotected identity Venturing online can be a dangerous business. Bad actors want your personal data, and will go to almost any lengths to get hold of it for their own benefit, and at your cost. If you use an unprotected identity online, and the wrong person gets hold of your email address, for example, the very least you can expect is an avalanche of spam and phishing messages. And it can get a lot worse than that. Let’s say you’re trying to get a discount code, and the codes site asks you to enter your email address. And then you use the discount code to buy from an ecommerce website, and this too requires the use of an email address. Maybe it’s a site you’ve not used before, or one with a sketchy reputation, or a data protection policy that’s alarmingly vague. In these scenarios, how confident are you that your email address will be kept securely and used responsibly, rather than being sold on to a data broker who will add it to dozens of marketing subscription lists? You’re probably familiar with the annoying way that buying from a website, even if you carefully tick all the boxes saying “please don’t send me marketing messages,” still seems to generate a ton of spam afterwards. But it could be worse. If your email address ends up in particularly unscrupulous hands, you may start to receive phishing emails. These are sometimes easy to spot, but get this wrong just once and you may find yourself the victim of identity theft, financial harm or a wrecked credit score, the leaking of embarrassing personal information and more. And that’s before we get to the frightening dangers presented by online stalkers. Some of these scenarios are predictable–such as after buying from an obviously dodgy website. But even reputable sites get it wrong some of the time, or may end up losing your data in the event of a breach. And there are many other seemingly innocuous interactions that can spell trouble if your identity isn’t protected. Subscribing to an email newsletter can keep you entertained and informed, but who knows what else you’ll be signed up to? When applying for jobs, entering competitions, dating, or pursuing social activities, are you always certain that the person you’re contacting is who they say they are, and can be trusted with your details? Any time you send an email or tell a person or business your contact details, there is a danger that the information will be scraped and put to nefarious purposes. The advantages of multiple identities In many online interactions, particularly those with a contact and business with whom you haven’t yet built up a relationship of trust, it makes sense to use a secondary identity: one based around a backup email address you don’t normally use but which you can access if needed. Many of us have second or third email addresses we habitually use when a business insists we provide one; and then, when the spam starts to arrive, we’re not bothered by it. Indeed, having a large number of addresses can help identify where the spam is coming from and help you to hold the sources accountable. The problem with this method is that it can be cumbersome and inconvenient. Remembering the username and password for many different accounts is difficult, while re-using the same details, or recording them in an insecure location, is a security red flag. Break into one account and you may find you’ve been frozen out of them all. So what’s the solution? Your options compared There are several routes you can take here. Burner email: A method specifically created to handle this issue. The service generates an entirely new email account for you, which you enter while buying from a website or signing up to a competition, and then vanishes a prescribed time later. Such services generally lack a transparent privacy policy, however, and are limited in scope to email addresses only. If you need a full online identity, or a long-term solution, this isn’t for you. Creating a second, throwaway email account: Why not keep things simple and create a second email address for those moments when you’re unsure the recipient is trustworthy? This is the impromptu method many of us have used for years to evade the worst attentions of spammers, but it’s hardly convenient: you need to manage multiple inboxes and passwords, and it can be time-consuming to set them up. Not to mention that the email provider you’re signing up with is still likely to be collecting your data, which means you’re avoiding one privacy headache by submitting to another. Fake name generator: Such services can help if you’re reluctant to provide your real name, but again, they often have questionable privacy policies of their own. If the service is free, it is likely to be supported by data collection or irritating adverts; if not, that’s an extra expense to worry about for something very limited. Creating an entire fake identity for yourself: The nuclear option. You can create a fake name, a postal address, and all the other aspects of an identity for yourself, and then use these when interacting with potentially suspect contacts. The problem is that (aside from being time-consuming) this is tremendously difficult: simply passing US address validation, for example, is a challenge, while most sites are wise to this method and will be set up to reject obvious or common default names. And aside from everything else, it’s surprisingly tricky to come up with convincing local names! How Surfshark Alternative ID can help Okay, so those four methods each have problems and limitations. But there’s a fifth option that we’d suggest is a better choice for most Macworld readers, and that’s Surfshark’s Alternative ID. Alternative ID is a feature designed to help protect your privacy and security by generating a brand-new online identity for you, with none of the hassle of the previously discussed approaches. Simply tell Surfshark any key details you wish to apply to the identity, and the company will do all the rest of the work. You’ll be presented with an entire online persona, including an email address you can use when signing up to codes websites or shopping online, and your real identity will be protected. Surfshark Surfshark Surfshark There’s none of the cumbersome management involved in juggling multiple email accounts. Emails to the new address will be safely forwarded to your real inbox, enabling you to click verification links or access any information that’s worth having, but it’s easy to divert these into a separate folder if spam starts to predominate. And unlike with burner emails, the identity is good for as long as you need it. This feature is available via the company’s browser extension, together with a VPN and ad blocker. It’s the best and safest way to keep your data out of the hands of brokers, spammers, and scammers. And right now, there’s a fantastic deal: 81% off + two free months. Sign up today. sign up now Security Software and Services

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How to find 3D movies to watch on Apple Vision Pro
The introduction of the Apple Vision Pro has reintroduced 3D content after nearly a decade of absence. Here's where to find 3D movies for purchase from any Apple device that has a TV app.How to watch 3D movies on Apple Vision ProThe Apple Vision Pro is not just any other headset, it's a gateway to a whole new level of film experience. Before immersing yourself in the world of 3D content, it's crucial to set up your device correctly.Apple offers comprehensive support through its website and in-store experts, ensuring you get the most out of your Apple Vision Pro. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Forget the iPhone 16, Apple’s best new feature in 2024 will be for older iPhones too
Macworld The iPhone 16 lineup will bring in more money for Apple than anything else this year. As many other parts of the company (namely services) are growing, the overall fortunes of Apple still rise and fall on iPhone sales. You would think that would make the iPhone 16 Apple’s most important product this year, but no. That distinction belongs to iOS 18; or more specifically, the on-device AI features it is expected to bring to our pockets this fall. For better or worse, it’s all about AI these days. Every tech company has to have a “leader in AI” story to satisfy investors, even if users are starting to get bored with AI chatbots already. And Apple, though the company has used lots of AI and ML (machine learning) in many of its products for years, has been really slow to release anything that could be considered competitive in the white-hot “generative AI” space. You know: image/video/music creation, smart chatbots that can write and hold natural conversations, code generation, and so on. While some gen-AI tools out there are little more than a gimmick or fad, others are being used by millions every day. Whether it’s using AI to turn your selfie into a Monet for your avatar image or removing an unwanted person in the background of your favorite beach photo with a single tap…the tech world is racing toward gen-AI, and Apple needs to deliver. Apple’s big selling point: On-device privacy We expect Apple to release a suite of gen-AI tools with iOS 18. Rumors say to expect many of the features you would imagine, centered on a smarter, more capable, and more natural Siri that can do more of what ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot can instead of just sometimes setting timers or telling you the weather correctly. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are expected to get gen-AI features to help you more easily create great documents, Xcode could get code generation features, Safari may get AI-powered page summaries, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see enhanced photo or even video editing that leverages advanced AI features. The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year. The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year.Jason Snell / Foundry The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year.Jason Snell / Foundry Jason Snell / Foundry But Apple’s big hook, according to Mark Gurman’s tipsters, is that it will use an LLM (Large Language Model, the core intelligence of many types of generative AI) that runs entirely on-device. Some of Apple’s recent AI company acquisitions like Datakalab and DarwinAI have specialized in creating AI models that run on limited hardware. Recent research papers like LLM in a Flash focus on taking big AI models that notoriously require lots of RAM and compute power and finding new optimization methods to let them run efficiently on devices with less resources (like an iPhone). It all makes sense, of course. Apple is the “what happens on iPhone stays on iPhone” company. Faced with premium Android phones that arguably take photos just as well or better, and phone hardware that long since passed the point of being “fast enough,” Apple has to find something that really distinguishes itself from its competitors, and that’s privacy and security. The best way to ensure neither Apple nor any third-party can scoop up all your data is to keep everything on your phone in the first place, and end-to-end encrypt everything that leaves it. So that’s going to be Apple’s big play: With iOS 18, your iPhone has AI features just like all those other guys, but with Apple, it’s private and secure. Privacy is not enough Privacy is a good thing. When it comes to accessing your personal data—either that which you create deliberately like photos and calendar appointments or those you generate automatically like your location and browsing history—it’s best to ensure that nothing has to go up into the cloud to be processed by some computer you don’t control. The thing is, most people just don’t seem to care. Apple has been on a big privacy marketing push for quite a while now and there’s no real indication that it’s making people choose iPhone over other alternatives. In fact, iPhone sales were down almost 10 percent last quarter compared to the year before and they could be in for a steeper drop when earnings are announced next month. Sure, some people really care about privacy, and they’ll be sure to tell you all about it on social media. But the market at large—more than a billion smartphone users—seems perfectly happy to let a giant megacorp scoop up, sift through, monetize, bundle up, and sell off literally everything about them as long as they deliver a cool product. Apple doesn’t have to have every single AI feature everyone else does (like OpenAI’s Sora video generation), but what it has better be good enough to make people want to buy an iPhone to use it. We expect iOS 18 to be announced and make waves at WWDC in June, but it’s not going to be released to the billion iPhone users of the world until September. That’s an eternity in AI development time. Apple is competing not with what is out there today but with what Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google will have in users’ hands by the end of the year. The new Siri, or Photos features, or Music features, or whatever else Apple has up its sleeve, has got to at least be competitive with that stuff, while operating under the difficult restrictions of operating entirely on-device. If not, the iPhone will earn a reputation for being “not a phone you want if you like AI” and be stuck with it until iOS 19 in September 2025. Great AI in iOS will sell the iPhone 16 We’re at the point where the new iPhones every year are just predictably good and a modest improvement over the year before. We expect the same with the iPhone 16 line–faster, some little features like solid-state buttons, and the camera’s a little better… the entire premium smartphone world is in that same boat. Transformative experiences that make you run out and buy a new device don’t come from hardware that is 15 percent better, it comes from amazing software that your four-year-old phone can’t run. iOS 18 is rumored to be compatible with the same iPhones as iOS 17, which would include all models going back to the iPhone XR. But just because your iPhone from 2018 can get iOS 18 doesn’t mean it will get all of the new features, especially the AI ones. In recent years, Apple has held back numerous features from older phones due to the ability of the hardware to run them properly. Some iOS 18 features might be unavailable on older phones, so they need to be compelling enough to get people to upgrade. Some iOS 18 features might be unavailable on older phones, so they need to be compelling enough to get people to upgrade.Onur Binay/Unsplash Some iOS 18 features might be unavailable on older phones, so they need to be compelling enough to get people to upgrade.Onur Binay/Unsplash Onur Binay/Unsplash Outside of the small enthusiast market, most people don’t care to run out and buy the new iPhone just because it’s got Titanium or a 5x zoom or a little bit faster processor. They buy it because it’s the new iPhone and their old iPhone is getting old. The ecosystem and strength of the brand are what drive iPhone sales, along with pricing. If Apple wants to sell a lot of new iPhones, it needs to hype up the idea of the iPhone more than the iPhone 16 specifically. And this year, that means making the iPhone operating system something that really gets people talking. Something meme-worthy (in a good way). Apple needs people to post “I just said this to Siri and I can’t believe what it did” stories to their social media feeds. And that means making iOS 18’s private, safe, on-device AI impressive enough to make regular people say “wow.” Wow moments are all about performance, not privacy. Nobody has ever posted to their socials, “Wow, I can’t believe how private this feature is!” Making must-have AI features the defining characteristic of “iPhones” with iOS 18 will not only please the investor class that is willing to throw unlimited money at all things AI right now, but it will elevate the most famous smartphone brand in the world, and that is how Apple sells more iPhones. Apple Inc, iOS, iPhone

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How to watch Apple's 'Let Loose' iPad Air & iPad Pro event
Apple's May iPad "Let Loose" event is right around the corner. Here's how to watch it, live.How to watch the 2024 iPad eventOn April 23, Apple announced a special event scheduled for May 7, titled "Let Loose." The company also teased the event's focus with images of stylized Apple logos featuring a hand holding an Apple Pencil.Apple has not updated the iPad lineup significantly since October 2022, aside from an Apple Pencil refresh in November 2023. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Rumor: Apple Vision Pro shipments decreased as US demand for the headset wanes
Sometimes demand levels off and/or there need to be easier ways to purchase an item. Per noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has reduced its orders for Apple Vision Pro parts and assemblies, with the cut in shipments said to indicate lower demand for Apple’s headset than previously thought. While the launch of the Apple Vision […] Source

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Biden will ban TikTok unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells it
After a vote in the Senate tied to foreign aid late on Tuesday, President Biden will sign into law a requirement for ByteDance to sell or divest its TikTok platform within a year.TikTok could be banned in the USThe combination bill including a potential TikTok ban was approved first by the House of Representatives, and now also by the Senate. President Biden says he will sign it into law on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.According to Reuters, the legislation mandates that TikTok will be banned if ByteDance does not divest its ownership within nine months. There is a possible extension of a further three months if a deal is still in progress. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Scan, share, and fax documents from your iPhone with SwiftScan, only $60
Macworld While digital has its advantages, paper isn’t going anywhere. SwiftScan VIP lets you scan, edit, fax, and edit documents in one place, anywhere you are. Now, it’s available at the best price on the web — only $59.99 (reg. $199).  SwiftScan VIP uses the camera in your iPhone or Android device to take a photograph of your document starting at a resolution of 200 dpi. The app then applies layers of correction to sharpen out blur, adjust the color for clear and neutral scans, crop out the background so only your document is in the file, and other adjustments to give you the cleanest scan possible. Documents can be saved as high-quality JPGs or PDFs, and SwiftScan also acts as a comprehensive PDF-handling tool. Additional built-in features allow users to edit documents by adding notes, marking up important information, and more. Users can even use SwiftScan’s OCR technology to make their scans searchable, redact content in scans, and reorder document pages. Once you’re done editing your document, share via email or print, or save it to Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, etc. Put a scanner, fax machine, and document editor in your pocket with lifetime access to SwiftScan VIP, now just $59.99, the best price online.   SwiftScan VIP: Lifetime Subscription Only $59.99 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories

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LeBron James spotted with potential Beats Bill prototype
Sometimes it’s the celebrity shots that give away nifty forthcoming products on the horizon. Prior to Saturday’s playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, superstar LeBron James was spotted carrying what appeared to be an unreleased version of the Pill speaker from Apple’s Beats brand. The original Beats Pill was a […] Source

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Enjoy enhanced productivity on your Mac or PC with a $30 Microsoft Office 2019 license
Macworld Whether you’re a student who needs a reliable word processor or a professional who needs to crank out numbers and organize them on a spreadsheet, you can rely on Microsoft Office to help. Fortunately, lifetime access to Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac and Windows is only $29.97 (reg. $229) through April 30. While this isn’t the latest iteration of Microsoft Office, the 2019 version (4.4-star rated on the Macworld Shop) can set you up with Microsoft’s top-rated productivity apps for life. With this slightly older version, you may even find that this license pairs better with a more dated or refurbished device. Upon purchase, you’ll gain the 2019 editions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook. PC users will additionally get Publisher and Access 2019, while Mac users will receive Teams Classic 2019. Each license is good for immediate download on one computer. Windows users should ensure their OS is at least Windows 10 or newer, and Mac users should run Monterey 12 or newer for smooth installation. Outfit your device with Microsoft’s popular productivity suite for less. Through April 30 at 11:59 PM, grab one of the following: Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows, now just $29.97. Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 for Mac, now just $29.97.   Microsoft Office 2019 Only $29.97 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories

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YouTube Music bug shows black screen on iPhone 
Some YouTube Music for iOS users today are facing a bug where the app opens to a black screen on certain Google Accounts with no ability to play songs. more…

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Tim Cook hints at new Apple Pencil 3 coming next month – here’s what the rumors say
Apple on Tuesday announced that it will hold a special event on May 7. Although the company doesn’t usually discuss the topics of the event, the invitation artwork makes it clear that it will be all about iPad – as we can see an Apple Pencil in it. To add fuel to the fire, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted that we’ll see at least a new Apple Pencil 3 next month. more…

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New 11-inch iPad Pro could be supply constrained due to OLED display shipments
Apple will announce new iPad models next month, and this includes a new generation iPad Pro powered by the M3 chip and featuring OLED displays for the first time. However, the 11-inch version may face supply problems due to OLED display shipments, which could make it more difficult to buy one at launch. more…

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Apple was the real target of China’s App Store crackdown, Telegram founder argues
Last week, Apple was forced by the Chinese government to pull four apps from the App Store in China: Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Threads. Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has now responded to the situation, arguing that Apple was the real target of China’s request. There are more than a few problems with this spin, though… more…

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Apple “Let Loose” Event Scheduled for 7 May 2024
Anticipate new iPads, possibly along with a new Apple Pencil and updated Magic Keyboards. But will the announcement make the iPad exciting again?

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Apple Original Film ‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’ among Peabody Award nominees
The Apple Original Film 'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie' is honored among the first batch of Peabody Award nominees… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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iPadOS 18 could ship with built-in Calculator app, after 14 Calculator-less years
Every single iPhone and Mac has come with a calculator app, but not the iPad.

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iPhone Sales Drop 19% in China
Apple's iPhone sales dropped sharply in China in the first quarter of this year as the company saw strong competition from domestic brand Huawei, according to a new report from market research firm Counterpoint Research. CNBC: Apple saw sales of its iPhones fall 19.1% in the first three months of the year, Counterpoint's data showed, as Chinese telecommunications and consumer electronics giant Huawei saw a resurgence in its smartphone business. The Shenzhen, China-based firm saw sales of its smartphones surge a whopping 69.7% in the first quarter, Counterpoint said. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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iPhone Sales Drop 19% in China
Apple's iPhone sales dropped sharply in China in the first quarter of this year as the company saw strong competition from domestic brand Huawei, according to a new report from market research firm Counterpoint Research. CNBC: Apple saw sales of its iPhones fall 19.1% in the first three months of the year, Counterpoint's data showed, as Chinese telecommunications and consumer electronics giant Huawei saw a resurgence in its smartphone business. The Shenzhen, China-based firm saw sales of its smartphones surge a whopping 69.7% in the first quarter, Counterpoint said. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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9to5Mac Daily: April 23, 2024 – Apple announces May special event!
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by Roborock: Get a special deal on the S8 MaxV Ultra Robot Vac & S8 Max Ultra with free gifts for a limited time. more…

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Calculator app for iPad might finally launch in iPadOS 18
Apple will reportedly integrate a Calculator app into the iPad operating system, in a long overdue move. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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