Elizabeth Warren on green texts: Apple is ruining relationships
Senator Elizabeth Warren has tweeted a somewhat bizarre one-minute video in which she says that green texts are “ruining relationships” and that this is “just one of the dirty tactics that Apple uses to keep a stranglehold on the smartphone market.” Warren uses the to-camera piece to voice her support for the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple, but has chosen a rather peculiar argument to do so … more…

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Senator Warren doesn't have a plan to break up Apple, but still wants to pretty badly
Senator Elizabeth Warren has posted a call for Apple's "stranglehold monopoly" on the smartphone market to be broken up, despite the iPhone peaking at only half the US population.Senator WarrenFollowing her siding with Beeper as it broke iMessage security and used Apple's servers without payment, Senator Warren has now attacked the iPhone's existence. Claiming that Apple uses "dirty tricks" in not providing iPhone features to people without iPhones, Senator Warren also explicitly blames the company for ruining relationships."That's right, non-iPhone users everywhere are being excluded from group texts, from sports teams chats to birthday chats to vacation plan chats," she says. "And who's to blame here? Apple." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The Humane AI Pin has no future as long as the Apple Watch exists
Macworld Negative criticism is fun, as Anton Ego so wisely observed. And I had a lot of fun this week watching Marques Brownlee’s polite demolition of the Humane AI pin, which he described as “the worst product I’ve ever reviewed.” Not just a solution in search of a problem, but a future in search of a present. Humane’s product, a chunky AI-powered pin that sits on your lapel and operates by voice and gesture rather than possessing any kind of screen, is riddled with problems. Some of these feel like temporary issues that will be ironed out in version 2.0, such as battery life, mild overheating, and slow query response times. Others are more fundamental: will a projector interface coupled with gesture controls ever match a touchscreen for ease of use, particularly among older demographics (or indeed anyone outside the early adopter bubble)? Maybe this is what computing will one day become, but right now there’s little appeal to a wearable AI that replaces your phone. This did make me think, however, of ways in which the concept could work. The problem is that Humane has tried to remake the computing experience from the ground up. This means you have to persuade customers to learn a new interface and control system and leave behind all the comforts and benefits of the technology they’re used to; namely the smartphone, which the world has revolved around for the last decade and a half. Instead of doing that with a watch-sized badge, why not use a watch-sized… watch? The Humane AI Pin is probably going to be one of the world’s forgotten gadgets—but the concept doesn’t need to be. The Humane AI Pin is probably going to be one of the world’s forgotten gadgets—but the concept doesn’t need to be.Humane The Humane AI Pin is probably going to be one of the world’s forgotten gadgets—but the concept doesn’t need to be.Humane Humane When it launched, the Apple Watch shared some of Humane’s novelty issues, but it’s been around for almost a decade now and the world largely understands the concept and operation of a touchscreen smartwatch. What’s more, in terms of general life niche rather than interface specifics the Apple Watch took the place of a product roughly 200 years old: the muscle memory to pull up a sleeve and glance at a little face is ingrained in us almost from birth, and potential customers won’t be put off by the idea of looking weird… which I’m convinced, by the way, is far more of a factor in consumer spending than anyone admits. None of that applies to an odd-looking gadget on your chest with a camera pointing in people’s faces. That’s going to attract all the wrong kinds of attention. The Apple Watch isn’t currently sold as an AI device in the same way as the Humane pin, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely dumb. Using Siri, I just asked my Series 9 for the height of the Eiffel Tower, and got an accurate answer and a picture. I asked it when the next Manchester United game would take place and got, well, a wrong answer. (A postponement seems to be the cause of the confusion.) But that level of inconsistency is pretty much where the Humane AI pin is at, too, and shows that the Apple Watch is already an AI device, it’s just not a super reliable one. Fortunately, it’s likely to get a lot better at AI in the near future: where iOS leads, watchOS generally follows. Many of the tech advances that Apple is preparing to announce at WWDC this year will benefit its product ecosystem as a whole, with millions of us desperately hoping that Siri is about to get smarter on the Mac, HomePod and Apple Watch as well as on the iPhone. And any tasks that are dealt with via Apple’s cloud servers should benefit from the company’s wider AI advances. The Apple Watch already does some AI stuff—but watchOS 11 could take it to the next level. The Apple Watch already does some AI stuff—but watchOS 11 could take it to the next level.Jim Martin / Foundry The Apple Watch already does some AI stuff—but watchOS 11 could take it to the next level.Jim Martin / Foundry Jim Martin / Foundry Mind you, while we’re talking about the cloud, Apple is showing promising signs of recognising that on-device processing has its advantages. While the Humane AI pin tackles almost all queries by contacting the company’s servers, which means a delay and potential breakdown if there’s a connection issue at either end, this year’s iPhones will take responsibility for processing many operations themselves. Again, we don’t know if or when the Apple Watch will follow suit, but the chances are good that Apple will, in time, apply the same principles across its product portfolio. The Apple Watch has a more discreet form factor than the Humane pin, a more familiar control system, a screen you can actually read things on, and a far better battery life, while its AI capabilities aren’t far behind at the moment and are likely to leap forward in the near future thanks to its maker’s greater developmental resources and current focus on AI. But the real ‘secret sauce’ that the champ has over the newcomer is its integration with the iPhone. With admirable but foolhardy ambition, Humane is setting out to create a standalone device that will replace smartphones and has consequently made the decision not to connect to them. That means your AI pin (which currently has no third-party apps at all) has no access to the text messages sent to your phone’s number, your calendar, your smart home devices, your Uber, Spotify, and Amazon accounts, or any number of other key data sources that the smartphone naturally and intuitively gathers together in one place. The Apple Watch, by contrast, is plugged into all of that stuff. It’s not difficult to imagine, a few years down the line, the Apple Watch finding a new niche for itself as a portable AI companion. This is already the lowest-friction of all Apple’s products: when I need to set a timer I instinctively do so on my watch rather than my phone because it doesn’t need taking out of a pocket – it’s already there. If Siri gets better and regains our confidence, which admittedly is a big if, then all the other ingredients are in place. Whereas the Humane AI pin doesn’t seem to have any future at all. Apple Watch

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IHG announces that more than 60 U.S. properties will feature AirPlay-compatible TVs in the rooms
If you’re looking for hotels with AirPlay-compatible TVs in the room, IHG is starting to cover the bases on this. IHG Hotels and Resorts announced on Thursday that more than 60 of its properties in North America will allow guests to connect their iPhone or iPad to the in-room TV. This will allow guests to […] Source

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Tim Cook leaves Singapore after week-long Asia tour
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been posting an account of his last few meetings with officials, users, and students from his Singapore visit.Tim Cook in Singapore (Source: Apple)Tim Cook began the week in Vietnam, then spent Wednesday in Indonesia, and rounded out the week with two last days in Singapore. While Apple does not release Cook's schedule, it appears that his tour has concluded, and he's posted a last few photos and videos from it.Cook's last evening in Singapore consisted of his visiting the Apple Marina Bay Sands store. Musician Benjamin Kheng was performing a concert there. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple Time Machine review
Macworld At a glance ProsReliable, easy to set up, and good at working behind the scenes to create backup archivesEasy to migrate Time Machine data over to new Macs as neededGood level of encryption-based security for backup dataConsAlmost exclusively local backups rather than cloud-based backupsLimited backup scheduling optionsRestore interface can be confusingOur VerdictTime Machine remains an outstanding solution for local backups on your Mac, but backups require an external drive, no cloud backups here. Best Prices Today: Apple Time Machine Retailer Price $0 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket We all understand the importance of backing up a Mac, despite so much of our life being stored in the cloud. If anything happens to your Mac and you need to recover your data then you will be glad to have a backup. Regularly backing up a Mac is one of the easiest things you can do thanks to the included Time Machine software, but many still don’t do so. In our review of Time Machine we will explain just how easy it is to back up a Mac with Time Machine and why you should. We look at other Mac backup options separately, many of which offer more than Time Machine, but aren’t free like Time Machine. We also explain How to back up a Mac and How to use Time Machine and how to restore from a Time Machine backup elsewhere. What does Time Machine do Since its introduction way back in 2007 with Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”), Apple’s Time Machine backup utility has been among the best tools for local (and sometimes NAS-based) backups. The software functions on the idea of creating a full-sized initial backup of every file on your Mac, and then making incremental backups throughout the day as long as your Mac is attached to a designated Time Machine external backup drive, filled a niche, and made local, automated backups easy enough to be a background task. A routine backup with Apple’s Time Machine backup software in macOS Sonoma A routine backup with Apple’s Time Machine backup software in macOS SonomaFoundry A routine backup with Apple’s Time Machine backup software in macOS SonomaFoundry Foundry Time Machine has gotten progressively better with each new version of macOS, and it’s both simplicity and reliability that make it worth your attention. Just boot up your Mac, connect an external USB or Thunderbolt hard drive or SSD, to your Mac, and your version of macOS will ask if you’d like to use the external drive as a Time Machine backup drive, pairing it to that Mac while allowing the drive to be disconnected and used as an external drive for other computers. It’s the first backup that always takes the longest given that every file on your Mac is being rolled into the Time Machine backup, but it gets quicker from there, as only recently used files are copied over in subsequent backups. Setting Time Machine’s backup schedule on a manual, hourly, weekly, or monthly. Setting Time Machine’s backup schedule on a manual, hourly, weekly, or monthly.Foundry Setting Time Machine’s backup schedule on a manual, hourly, weekly, or monthly.Foundry Foundry One of the most interesting and useful elements of Time Machine has always been its Restore function, which allows you to open the Time Machine, scroll through past backups, locate the files you’re looking for, and restore them to a location of your choice. This comes in handy if you’ve accidentally deleted some files, remember you saw them a week ago, and dig back to recover the most recent version. Alternatively, you may have made changes to a file and then realized that you need to go back to an earlier version, Time Machine can help with that too. This, when paired with the macOS Migration Assistant utility, makes it easy to restore certain file types. Migration Assistant makes porting data and user profiles from an old Mac to a new one simple. It’s easy to add multiple/redundant backup drives as well. Just add a new external drive and Time Machine will ask if you’d like this to become a Time Machine backup drive for your Mac as well. For users importing a Time Machine backup to a new Mac, Time Machine inherits previous backups well and rolls these over to the new Mac with ease, which is always appreciated. For the security-minded, Time Machine offers good, if not extensive, features. It’s easy to designate a password with which to encrypt your Time Machine backups, and while you’re up a creek without a paddle should you forget the password, this can help keep someone from snagging your Time Machine backup drive and having easy access to its files. Other small touches, such as the macOS reminding you how many days have passed since your last Time Machine backup, prove helpful, and nudge you in the direction of always having your backup drive connected to your Mac, as it won’t do much good just sitting on a shelf somewhere. What Time Machine doesn’t do For all its strengths, there are still some weaknesses within Time Machine to consider. Except for the Time Capsule routers of yesteryear and certain NAS drives that support the Time Machine protocol, Time Machine is geared towards local backups. Local backups are always an ideal solution, but the online automated backup market has grown considerably over the past several years, and services such as iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, and others have seen impressive growth as a result. It’s always best to have both a local and secure off-site copy of your data, and Time Machine is more geared towards the external hard drive on your desk, which can be lost, damaged, or stolen. A lack of specification in terms of choosing which files to include or exclude when backing data up means that you’ll wind up storing every file on your Mac. This isn’t a bad thing, but it can occupy more space on your Time Machine backup drive, where some users might prefer a more elegant approach that’s suited to the data they want to back up and nothing more. This, along with no specific backup scheduling feature behind setting it to back up on a manual, hourly, weekly, or monthly basis, can be a bit grating to users who want more control over the process. This isn’t a terrible approach, but there’s something to be said for a predictable schedule (i.e., overnight when you’re sleeping), and Apple has kept Time Machine’s options simple without offering this choice to its user base. Should you use Time Machine? Despite its foibles, Time Machine remains an outstanding solution for local backups on your Mac. Yes, you’ll need to keep an external hard drive connected to your Mac for it to work consistently, and this isn’t as convenient as an automated cloud-based system automatically tossing your backup files online throughout the day, and yes, an external hard drive can be lost, damaged, or fail with little to no warning, but there’s still an excellent level of protection that’s been built into the operating system. If you haven’t set up a Time Machine backup, this is worth looking into, snagging a good external hard drive, and taking a few minutes to set yourself up for the future. You may be thinking that the important files you work on daily are stored in the cloud, but beware that there will inevitably be things that are only on your Mac along with all your settings, software and anything pre-cloud that you don’t want to lose. Time Machine is a simple system to avoid the worst case scenario. Backup Software, Mac, MacOS

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Rumor: Apple to incorporate similar or identical mini-LED display found in current 12.9-inch iPad Pro in 12.9-inch iPad Air
Apple’s rumored 12.9-inch iPad Air is rumored to be equipped with a mini-LED display that could be similar or identical to that of the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants. Per Young, the move to mini-LED technology for the 12.9-inch model would provide increased brightness for HDR […] Source

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Turn data into diagrams with Microsoft Visio Professional 2021, now under $20
Macworld Any professional knows that data is critical. However, what may be more important is breaking down large or complex data sets into a manner that other collaborators or colleagues can understand. Microsoft offers top-rated diagramming tools in Microsoft Visio Professional 2021, and through April 22, lifetime access is only $19.97 (reg. $249). In addition to the shape and tool library from the standard edition of Visio, the Professional version adds a broader library that can be expanded with online content as well, for a total of over 250,000 shapes and a broad template library for floor plans, org charts, flow charts, network diagrams, and other visualizations. Visio Professional can also help users develop and validate diagrams to meet industry standards, whether that’s BPMN 2.0, IEEE, or UML 2.5. There is also a wide range of ease-of-use features, such as touchscreen compatibility, to maintain your flow. Visio Professional can also synchronize with your Microsoft programs, including Excel, Entrada, and PowerBI, to automatically generate diagrams and update them as new information becomes available, saving you time and keeping your documentation current. Create vibrant, crisp diagrams more effectively with lifetime access to Microsoft Visio Professional 2021, now just $19.97 through April 22 at 11:59 PM Pacific.   Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional for Windows Only $19.97 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories

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Apple pulls WhatsApp and Threads from China’s App Store
WhatsApp and Threads, two popular Meta apps, have been removed from the Chinese App Store following a request from government. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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This lifetime license to the Jott AI text and speech tool is now under $35
Macworld Efficiency and clarity in digital communication are essential, no matter what your business. So, it only stands to reason that having the tools to support those efforts could be a game changer. Jott Pro is an AI-powered image extractor, transcriber, and more, and through April 21, a lifetime license is currently on sale for only $34.97 (reg. $199). This user-friendly tool has many features that can streamline everyday tasks for work, home, or school. Use it to seamlessly transcribe important meeting notes or lectures into written text. You can even convert your spoken words into text, which can be helpful when drafting an email or crafting a presentation. Because Jott Pro can expertly transcribe between languages (including taking into account cultural sensitivities), you’ll be able to save time when communicating with a multilingual audience. Another helpful feature is the ability to extract and edit text from any image, potentially saving you tons of time doing the transcription manually. Since Jott Pro consistently receives updates and improvements, you can be sure that you’re receiving the latest innovations when you use this AI-powered program. Get a lifetime license to the Jott Pro AI Text and Speech Toolkit for just $34.97 through April 21 at 11:59 PM Pacific.   Jott Pro AI Text & Speech Toolkit: Lifetime License Only $34.97 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories

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Everything you need to know about emulating retro games with Delta for iPhone
Your iPhone can play retro games originally released for the Gameboy, Nintendo 64, and more, thanks to the Delta app. Here's how to get started.Emulate old game consoles without needing the hardware with DeltaDelta is a spiritual successor to the GBA4iOS app that originated as a project built by then-high school student Riley Testut. Apple never allowed emulation on iOS until regulations forced its hand, so now Delta has arrived officially on the App Store.Emulation software runs on the iPhone's CPU to simulate a game console so it can run game ROMs. These ROMs, the Read Only Memory found in cartridges and discs, can only be legally obtained by pulling them from physical hardware. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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TikTok might not have existed without insights from Steve Jobs
The story of TikTok's start highlights how visionary ideas, much like those of Steve Jobs, can have unexpected paths that profoundly impact global technology and culture.TikTok might not have existed without Steve JobsA recent examination of court documents and business transactions reveals a complex web of investments and technological pivots that trace back to an obscure Chinese real estate venture.In 2009, Susquehanna International Group, a firm well-known for its strategic market placements, invested in a promising Chinese real estate start-up named 99Fang, which boasted a sophisticated search algorithm. The venture didn't meet its commercial expectations but set the stage for what would later become ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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WhatsApp & Threads pulled from Apple App Store in China
Apple has removed Meta-owned apps WhatsApp and Threads from the China App Store after government officials claimed national security concerns.China dictates what it allows on its country's internet and App StoreThe App Store culling continues in China after 30,000 games, then an additional 94,000 games, 44,000 apps, then 100 ChatGPT-like apps were removed over the past four years. The government in China is the driving force behind these app removals, but a more significant App Store removal took place on Thursday night.According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Apple was given orders by the government in China to remove WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store. China's cyberspace officials claim the apps needed to be removed based on national security concerns. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple pulls WhatsApp and Threads from App Store in China
Apple has removed two Meta apps from the App Store in China, reportedly at the request of the Chinese government. Both WhatsApp and Threads have been made unavailable in the App Store, preventing new installs for the messaging and social apps. more…

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HomePod with LCD display again corroborated by leaked part
Apple is rumored to be working on a new HomePod with a touchscreen LCD display on top, and we’ve already seen some images of this unreleased device floating around the web. Now Apple product collector Kosutami is back with a new image showing another part of one of these HomePod prototypes with a display. more…

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AR shopping gets a boost with Best Buy's Apple Vision Pro app
Best Buy has launched an augmented reality app designed exclusively for Apple's latest wearable, the Apple Vision Pro that offers real-time product previews.Best Buy launches Apple Vision Pro app for augmented reality shoppingNamed Best Buy Envision, the app is set to upgrade the way consumers shop for electronics and home products, Best Buy announced on Thursday. With its advanced augmented reality (AR) capabilities, users can visualize products in their living spaces.The app allows consumers to see how a product would realistically appear in their space in terms of size, style, and color before making a purchase. The app shows the products in 3D and provides essential information like ratings, reviews, and pricing, making it a comprehensive shopping tool. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple TV+ mystery thriller Sunny stars Rashida Jones and a robot
Join Rashida Jones and a robot in the sci-fi thriller "Sunny," a mystery series coming in summer 2024 to Apple TV+. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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New Adobe Express app with Firefly AI now available on the iOS App Store
Adobe on Thursday officially launched its new Adobe Express app with Firefly AI for iOS and Android. This version of the app has been available to beta testers for some time, and can now be downloaded by anyone. Read on as we detail everything that’s new with the Adobe Express update. more…

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Save big on lifetime access to a library of 2,500 microbooks and counting
If you can't invest time to read full-length tomes, a microbook summary service like 12min can keep you up to speed with your reading goals. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple pitches its Vision Pro spatial computer to businesses
Apple is touting its Vision Pro spatial computing headset which was made available in the U.S. earlier this year to businesses… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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