Week 3, December 2021
“I studied everything but never topped. But today the toppers of the best universities are my employees.” — Bill Gates
● Apple TV+ has ordered its first original Russian-language show. Container is another production from Apple that is not originally in English and follows other shows, such as Tehran and Dr. Brain. According to Variety, Container will launch on Apple TV+ in spring 2022. As of now, it’s premiered in Russia and CIS on START in September.
2. Adding holiday cheer to your iPhone home screen with widgets
● Widgetsmith is one of the best apps you can add to your iOS home screen to customize every aspect of it. If you want to customize your home screen, there’s no better app. Since it’s the Christmas season, there are a number of options inside of Widgetsmith to give your widgets some Christmas flare.
3. iPhone 13 Depreciates Half as Much as Flagship Android Rival
● The iPhone 13 lineup depreciates in value at almost half the rate of the Google Pixel 6. The Pixel 6, Google’s latest flagship smartphone, launched just two months after Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup. Despite being touted as a leading Android competitor to the iPhone, the Pixel 6 suffers from considerably worse depreciation.
4. How to Open Spotify Links in Apple Music and Vice Versa
● A handy new app for iPhone and iPad that takes Spotify links and makes them something you can open in Apple Music. It also works in the opposite direction for anyone who uses Spotify and often receives links from someone who uses Apple’s streaming service. It’s called MusicMatch, and it’s a free download on the App Store.
5. Sony planned to bring PlayStation Now to the iPhone, shows papers from Epic v. Apple case
● A report showed that Microsoft tried to negotiate with Apple to release Xbox-exclusive games on the App Store. Now a new story reveals that the Redmond company wasn’t the only one trying to do so as Sony was also planning to bring PlayStation Now to mobile phones. A confidential document from the Epic v. Apple trial shows that Apple had insider knowledge of Sony’s plan to launch PlayStation Now cloud gaming service on iOS and Android devices.
6. Here’s how to use macOS Monterey’s most useful new feature: Live Text
● One of the hallmark new features available in macOS Monterey is Live Text. As Apple puts it, this feature makes text “completely interactive in your photos,” allowing you to copy and paste it, use lookup, translation, and more. Head below for the full details on how Live Text works.
7. iCloud and other services vulnerable to new ‘Log4Shell’ exploit impacting logging systems
● A new exploit called “Log4Shell” has been giving security teams at large technology companies a headache. When exploited, the vulnerability lets hackers run malicious code on vulnerable servers, and it can reportedly affect platforms such as iCloud and Steam. Apple’s iCloud is also vulnerable to the new exploit. Attackers can even trigger the malicious code through QR codes, which makes the exploit even more dangerous. Apple and other companies didn’t respond to a request for a comment, but they are certainly all working to fix all the breaches as soon as possible.
8. Here’s how to play Halo Infinite on your iPhone or iPad with Xbox Game Pass
● The much-anticipated sixth entry in the mainline Halo series titled Halo Infinite on Xbox has finally landed, and you may be wondering if you can play it on your iPhone or iPad. Good news! You can, and it’s extremely easy to get set up.
9. More details emerge on how Snap, Facebook, and others are skirting App Tracking Transparency
● Earlier this week, a report indicated that both Snap and Facebook are using a loophole in Apple’s App Tracking Transparency guidelines to continue sharing ‘aggregated’ user data. A new report sheds more light on this, with a specific focus on the workaround Snap is using.
10. Apple releases updated iOS 15.2 RC and macOS 12.1 RC builds to developers [U]
● Just three days after releasing the RC builds of iOS 15.2 and macOS Monterey 12.1, Apple on Friday released new updates to developers. iOS 15.2 RC 2 and macOS 12.1 RC 2 can now be downloaded on the Apple Developer website or as an OTA update.
11. Apple Music Now Available on Google Nest Speakers in Five Additional Countries
● Apple Music is now available to stream on Google Assistant-enabled devices like the Nest Mini and Nest Audio in five more countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Mexico, and South Korea.
