odds and ends
Latest
The Week in Review: news and features you don't want to miss
Last week was a busy one with your favorite TUAW writers posting some excellent How-To guides, commentary and other informative news articles. Here's a quick roundup of our recent feature worthy posts you may have missed: News Apple R&D spending reached record levels last quarter Microsoft Outlook now available for iOS AAPL share price hovering near all-time high Apple's last quarter profit the biggest in history for any corporation Apple destroys earnings estimates: Revenue of $74.6 billion on the back of 74.5 million in iPhone sales Apple Pay: Now at 200,000 more locations for self-serve payments Apple Pay interest high for retailers; PGA Tour to take it starting next week Fiksu report shows staggering App Store growth Features Rumor Roundup: BREAKING - March and April not same month Now that YouTube has jumped to HTML5, here's what Steve Jobs said about Flash Google Play may have the downloads, but App Store has the money, honey Have you heard? The iPhone 6 is REALLY LOUD Alfred Remote is here and it's interesting Apple is as "boring" as it's always been The iPhone case that might get you killed Rumor Roundup: Features you can't explain to Grandma TUAW will be back next week with another round of handy features and breaking news, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's useful.
Nine ways Apple users differ from Microsoft fans
Are you a Starbuck's loving, Microsoft-hating type of person who thinks Facebook is a cool to place to work? If so, then you must be an Apple fan according to this chart published by Business Insider using Ranker's crowd-source ranking data. The infographic looks at nine consumer opinion categories, including preferred brands, candies and movies. While there are some cliches (what Apple fan doesn't hate Microsoft?), it is entertaining to see some of the differences between these two groups of rival computer users. You can view the full comparison in the graphic below.
All the top news and features last week on TUAW you don't want to miss
Last week was a busy one with your favorite TUAW writers posting some excellent How-To guides, commentary and other useful articles. Here's a quick roundup of our recent feature worthy posts you may have missed: News Bill Gates: Apple Pay is "fantastic" and a "real contribution" iOS 8's privacy notification not sitting well with some developers Apple hired designer Marc Newson on part-time basis to work on "specific" projects Thousands of Macs infected with OS X botnet malware controlled via Reddit Apple launches tool to check Activation Lock status of an iOS device Twitter remembers it has an OS X app, updates it for the first time in 10 months Former Apple managers discuss hectic work culture: "These people are nuts. They're just there all the time." Assassin's Creed: Identity launches in NZ, coming soon to an iOS device near you Apple Watch will rely on a dedicated iPhone app; incorporates a number of design cues from traditional timepieces Apple releases OS X bash Update 1.0 Apple accused of receiving illegal state aid in Ireland Fashion boutique Colette shows off Apple Watch Game developers praise iOS, not put off by multiple screen sizes iPhone 6 models to go on sale in China on October 17 Apple disables downgrades from iOS 8 to iOS 7 Features Rumor Roundup: Screaming from the digital rooftops How Apple implemented time-lapse video in iOS 8 Apple Pay: An in-depth look at what's behind the secure payment system Crowdfunding roundup: A Bluetooth boombox, smart lamp speaker and more iOS 8's privacy notification not sitting well with some developers How to create nested folders and completely hide apps in iOS 8 Why the Apple Watch will never cannibalize iPhone sales iOS 8.0.2 probably not Apple's finest update Rumor Roundup: One million yeaaaaars dungeon Mobile Safari in iOS 8 supports Animated PNGs Slices of Apple episode 8: Real Artists Ship part 2 TUAW will be back next week with another round of handy features, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's useful.
People respond to Apple's iPhone 1000
With Apple going big and bigger with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, is this our inevitable future with the iPhone 1000? Image Credit: Redditor Michel00 via Imgur
Last week's popular and featured articles on TUAW you don't want to miss
Last week was a busy one with your favorite TUAW writers posting some excellent How-To guides, commentary and other useful articles. Here's a quick roundup of our recent feature worthy posts you may have missed: Slices of Apple episode 7: Real Artists Ship More iPhone apps ready for iOS 8 Camera+ 6.0 introduces manual controls and more to remain the best iOS camera app How to patch OS X for the bash/Shellshock vulnerability Crowdfunding Roundup: Unbreakable smart door locks and powerful purses Welcome to our planet, where things are not indestructible Developer warns against using in-app browsers due to keylogging potential Rumor Roundup: Debunked by Apple itself How to easily add secure FileVault passcode to your Keychain How iOS 8 Safari makes it simple to view the desktop version of a mobile website iOS 8-ready: More apps are updated Hey, Siri, please stop listening Waiting on those 6 Plus Cases iOS 8 app switcher good. Recent contacts bad. Rumor Roundup: Fast news day TUAW will be back next week with another round of handy features, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's useful.
Old Macs always spoil the best parties
We love our old Macs, but sometimes they are party-poopers -- shutting down and scaring the children in this amusing Joy of Tech comic.
Prankster fools passers-by with fake iPhone 6
Jonathan Morrison from TLD took to the streets with an iPhone 6 clone in order to prank people into believing it was the real deal. Unlike UrAvgConsumer who was upfront his iPhone was fake, Morrison really convinces people he has Apple's next generation iPhone. You can watch his humorous ruse in the video clip below.
The Status of Apple's Ecosystem from 'Facepalm' to 'Getting There'
An amusing look at Apple's ecosystem inspired by Apple's System Status page. Image originally created by The Joy of Tech.
President Obama signs cell phone unlocking bill into law
The White House today announced that President Obama was signing the "Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act" into law after the bill passed successfully through both the House and Senate. Today, President Obama will sign into law the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, and in doing so, will achieve a rare trifecta: a win for American consumers, a win for wireless competition, and an example of democracy at its best -- bipartisan congressional action in direct response to a call to action from the American people. The bipartisan bill restores the exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that made it legal to unlock a cell phone. The Library of Congress failed to renew this exemption in 2012 and sparked an outrage that led to the eventual passage of this bill. This provision for unlocking a smartphone will remain in effect until the Library of Congress reviews these DMCA exemptions again in 2015. You can read more about the issue in this primer written by Brad Molen for Engadget. Image obtained from Flickr.
YouTube Find: The ridiculous lengths people will go to just to destroy an iPhone
Ever look at a 100-ton train and wonder what would happen if your iPhone happened to be on the rail when the locomotive was passing by? You don't have to consider that scenario any longer now that the folks from TechRax have recreated it for us by placing an iPhone 5s on a rail, setting the tape to record and waiting for a train to hit the phone with all its might. You can watch the obvious outcome twice in the video below.
Florida man scams Apple retail stores out of $309,768
In a rather offbeat and somewhat bizarre crime story, a Tampa Bay man was arrested earlier this month after managing to scam Apple out of $309,768. According to the Tampa Bay Times, 24-year old Sharron Laverne Parrish Jr. frequented Apple retail stores 42 times across a number of states where he purchased thousands of dollars worth of Apple products. When it came time to foot the bill at checkout, Parrish handed over a debit card with insufficient funds. Upon being informed that his card was rejected, Parrish protested and subsequently provided Apple retail employees with what appeared to be a valid override code. The scam was made possible through a practice known as a "forced sale," "forced post" or "forced code." A credit or debit card gets declined, a customer protests that funds should be available and a merchant calls the card issuer, looking for authorization to proceed. If the issuer approves, the merchant gets an authorization code, creating a record of the override. But that code isn't special. "It does not actually matter what code the merchant types into the terminal," the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey stated publicly in February after a similar case there. "Any combination of digits will override the denial." Only in this case, it wasn't Apple who called the card issuer. Apple retail employees, the report explains, should have sought out the override codes themselves rather than relying on a customer to supply them with one. As a result, Apple and not the bank will likely be on the hook for the losses. The 8-page criminal complaint can be viewed below. Apple - Sharron Laverne Parrish Jr. Complaint July2014-Censored by redletterdave
Most popular and featured articles on TUAW you don't want to miss
Last week was a busy one with your favorite TUAW writers posting some excellent How-To guides, commentary and other useful articles. Here's a quick roundup of our recent feature worthy posts you may have missed: What would make you run out and buy an Apple-branded smartwatch? Five apps that'll help you bike like a Tour de France champion Creative use of Gmail addresses can help you tame your inbox Filmmaker reminds us that portrait video still matters Analyst you've never heard of says Apple could be obsolete in two years Microsoft still doesn't get why the iPhone succeeded Rumor Roundup: A confirmation bias the size of Greenland iPhone 101: Add labels to your On/Off toggles in iOS Want to download old iPhone firmware? Here's where to find it I searched for all 74 of the stickers in Apple's new ad so you don't have to Xiaomi's Hugo Barra emphatically denies company is copying Apple; evidence strongly suggests otherwise Mac 101: Use Spotlight to quickly solve math problems How to put a negative spin on a record breaking Apple earnings report Here's a fix for disappearing contacts in iOS 7.1.2 What the analysts expect from Apple's upcoming earnings report Why the Mac was left out of Apple and IBM's landmark agreement Quick and easy fix for Lightning port charging problems Rumor Roundup: Disappear in a puff of logic DTS expanding whole home audio choices with new partners and iOS links TUAW will be back next week with another round of handy features, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's useful.
Filmmaker reminds us that portrait video still matters
People often roll their eyes at portrait video -- not only does it fail to capture the entire field of view, it also is the hallmark of an iPhone noob. This recording technique is so maligned that there even are iOS apps that force the camera into horizontal recording mode regardless of the phone's orientation. This negative opion of portrait video didn't stop New York filmmaker Dan Toth from using the technique in a recent video that pays tribute to his neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens. He uses it so effectively that your entire perception of portrait video will change forever, guaranteed. [Via Laughing Squid]
The iPhone 6 is last year's Samsung Galaxy, Wait, Wut?
Earlier this week, Conan O'Brien addressed the unavoidable iPhone 6 rumors that claim Apple is working on a large-screened iPhone model. In typical Team CoCo style, Conan delivers a monologue that cuts to the heart of loyal iPhone fans around the world. The iPhone bit starts at 1:30.
iPhone-yielding, Pope-shaped Cheetos curl will forever change your view of the cheesy snack
Cheesecurlsofinstagram is a wonderful Instagram account that posts pictures of oddly-shaped Cheetos snacks with witty descriptions that nail their appearance. Take, for example, the above shot of Pope Frances curl. "After a Sermon, Pope Frances, Wearing a Miter, Prepares to Get in the Pope Mobile, but not Before Taking a Quick Selfie Using the Forward-Facing Camera on his iPhone 5s" The account is the brain child of Andy Huot, who is a self described "mechanical engineer with a creative mind." In an email to Yahoo Canada News, Huot explains his trek into pareidolia, which started last year when he stumbled upon a Sasquatch-shaped curl. "Last spring I was working on an invention at home. I would get so into the project that I didn't want to stop to prepare food, so I reached for a bag of Cheetos. I normally eat healthy but hadn't had them in years. I found Sasquatch in my first bag along with other interesting pieces." Hout is still going strong with his cheesy hobby, accruing more than 60 images of the curly snack on his Instagram account. Disclaimer: While the images of the Cheetos are benign, some of the descriptions may not be safe for work or for children.
The one iMac feature cat lovers really want
A kitten-creating iMac. Want now, please.
Last week's popular articles on TUAW you don't want to miss
Last week was a busy one with your favorite TUAW writers posting some excellent How-To guides, commentary and other useful articles. Here's a quick roundup of our recent feature worthy posts you may have missed: Rumor Roundup: 'Next week' iPhone 101: How to view your Safari browsing history on your iPhone or iPad Five apps to make your Fourth of July fabulous This one proofreading tip for iOS and OS X will save you hours of headaches Why the iPhone isn't a commodity YouTube Find: Make iPhone speakers out of an old Starbucks cup Mac 101: Using QuickTime to record video of your Mac's screen Go, You Chicken Fat, Go!: The story of the Youth Fitness Song Video: Talking to the developers of the LaMetric smart ticker Rumor Roundup: Tie a ribbon cable 'round the old oak tree How to build a homemade version of the Adobe Ink stylus and Slide ruler for iPad Celebrate the 4th with slow motion fireworks captured by an iPhone 5s TUAW will be back next week with another round of handy features, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's useful.
This gold-plated, Putin-worshiping iPhone is the price of a used car
You can get a whole lot of gaudy decorations for your iPhone, but if you're really looking to add some Russian flair, you can't do much better than a golden portrait of Vladimir Putin. The Supremo Putin -- yes, that's what they actually named this custom iPhone -- comes from Italian luxury retailer Caviar. The 64 GB iPhone features gold plating and is, as the company has labeled it, a "Presidential accessory for people of a higher range." I don't know about that, but the phone's US$4,300 asking price will definitely limit its appeal to those who can afford to be particularly ostentatious. To top things off, the phone ships in a wooden case lined with velvet and punctuated by gold accents, because why not? Of course, underneath all the patriotic glitz, it's still an iPhone 5s, so you can use your $4,300 phone to play 99-cent App Store games. [via CNET]
Why Apple's early Macs would not be good at music
Why wouldn't an early Mac be good a music? Because at under 1023MB, it didn't have any gigs. This intelligent humor is from Mashable, which was inspired by this Reddit thread on intelligent jokes.
Emergency Father's Day gift for iPad-owning plumbers
What started out as a joke, apparently has turned into a thing. If you can't find the official "iPlunge," I'm sure the US$10 household toilet model with a bit of paint will work just as well.
