Twitter blog:

We’re exploring ways to make the Twitter experience next level—and Twitter Blue is just the beginning. This opt-in monthly subscription offers exclusive access to premium features that let you customize your Twitter experience.

Twitter Blue is currently launched in Canada and Australia as an iOS in-app-purchase, with Android coming “in the near future”.

As to features:

Right now, Twitter Blue subscribers get access to Bookmark Folders, Reader Mode, Custom App Icons, Themes, and an Undo Tweet option. They’ll also get early access to whatever we’re testing in Labs where we explore more premium features and learn what subscribers want to include in their experience!

Follow the headline link for details.

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You might think $85K is a wild ask, but there are currently 144 bids, and there’s a week to go on this auction. 144 bids makes $85K a valid bid, and with a week to do, who knows how high this will go.

To get a sense of what folks are bidding on, watch the video below.

Sanjiv Sathiah, NotebookCheck:

A lot has rightly been written about the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips found in Apple’s new MacBook Pro models. However, while the spotlight is rightly on them now, their origins date back to a decision made in 2008 under the leadership of Apple co-founder, the late Steve Jobs and his team, which included Tony Fadell.

Solid read, capped off by this tweet.

Parker Ortolani, 9to5Mac:

When the “Unleashed” Apple event wrapped up a few weeks ago, the first thing I did was run over to the Apple store to see if any new unannounced accessories had been added. Sure enough, a handful of new ones were. But only one of them stood out: the polishing cloth. It’s taken the world by storm, so much so in fact that it’s backordered up to nearly 12 weeks. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on one and I’ve been using it rigorously over the past week.

If this is satire, it is absolutely pitch perfect. No matter, Polishing Cloth has somehow become beloved and deserving of this detailed review.

Netflix blog:

> The digital playground just got more exciting with today’s update. Now, alongside your favorite series, you can dive into games directly on your mobile. From the nostalgic escapades in “Stranger Things: 1984” to the hoop-shooting action in “Shooting Hoops,” there’s an array of games to choose from. And let’s not overlook the trendsetters and trailblazers creating content beyond the screen; the rise of creators on platforms like deutsche onlyfans accounts is a testament to the diverse entertainment landscape. It’s a universe where every swipe and click could lead to new narratives and interactive experiences. This endeavor is not merely about adding options to your digital library; it’s about enriching the ecosystem where stories thrive and where members find a trove of entertainment at their fingertips, ready to explore and enjoy.

For everyone? Great, let’s go!

> All you need is a Netflix subscription — there’s no ads, no additional fees and no in-app purchases. (Don’t let the demogorgon tell you otherwise).

Perfect. I’ve got a Netflix subscription. How do I play?

> Our mobile games are currently available on Android devices when you log into your Netflix profile.

Um. OK. So not everyone then.

And I searched the entire release, not a single mention of Apple, iPhone, or iOS. Feh.

Facebook blog:

We’re shutting down the Face Recognition system on Facebook. People who’ve opted in will no longer be automatically recognized in photos and videos and we will delete more than a billion people’s individual facial recognition templates.

and:

This change will also impact Automatic Alt Text (AAT), which creates image descriptions for blind and visually-impaired people. After this change, AAT descriptions will no longer include the names of people recognized in photos but will function normally otherwise.

As to why, Facebook says:

We need to weigh the positive use cases for facial recognition against growing societal concerns, especially as regulators have yet to provide clear rules.

On that last, consider this from The New York Times coverage:

When the Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook a record $5 billion to settle privacy complaints in 2019, the facial recognition software was among the concerns.

And:

Last year, the company also agreed to pay $650 million to settle a class-action lawsuit in Illinois that accused Facebook of violating a state law that requires residents’ consent to use their biometric information, including their “face geometry.”

So, yeah, that’s got to be part of the calculus.

From the linked Chris Welch Verge review:

The Fit Pros are a wonderfully designed pair of earbuds that integrate the best of Apple tech. They’ve got active noise cancellation that’s on par with the AirPods Pro. The same spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. The same Adaptive EQ. They even have the brand-new skin detect sensor that only just debuted in the third-generation AirPods.

And:

The Fit Pros come in a case that’s basically a miniaturized version of the Powerbeats Pro case. Just as with those, there’s no wireless charging — a very frustrating omission at this price — but the case at least uses USB-C instead of Lightning.

And:

Beats says it designed the wing tips for “every ear imaginable,” but ears are all different, and there will always be exceptions. That said, I let several people try the Fit Pros and even those with small ears could find a way to make the wing tip work for them and said it resulted in a more steady overall fit. They passed the gym test and didn’t come even slightly loose during high intensity runs.

And:

for the first time, you can remap a long press to adjust volume instead of toggling noise cancellation or summoning Siri. This can be done right in the iOS settings menu and is something that the AirPods Pro can’t do, nor can the Beats Studio Buds. I like having the option, even if I ended up sticking with the defaults. Bring that remapping capability to your other earbuds, Apple.

As to the sound:

Beats has outfitted its latest earbuds with 9.5mm drivers, and they produce very satisfying sound quality that I’d rank above the AirPods Pro. This isn’t the bloated bass Beats of old: the company shed that reputation quite a long time ago.

So my question here is, wireless charging aside, did Beats Fit Pro just dethrone the AirPods Pro? Chris’ take is enough for me to want to take them for a spin. Feels like the bar has definitely been raised. Will the AirPods team respond with a new generation?

Check out the video below, at about 3:10 in, to get a sense of how these fit in your ears. There’s a bit of a twisting motion required to get the “wings” in place.

Side note: The AirPods Pro are on sale on Amazon for $189.99. So that’s the price I’d use to compare with the $199.99 price of the Beats Fit Pro.

Sami Fathi, MacRumors:

macOS Monterey, released last week as the latest version of macOS, is bricking older Mac computers, rendering them unusable and unable to even turn on, according to a number of reports from users across social media and online forums.

And:

If this sounds oddly familiar, it may be because last year, with the launch of macOS Big Sur, similar reports surfaced about that update bricking older MacBook Pro models.

No answers here, but plenty of tweets from owners of newly bricked Macs. If you’ve got an older Mac and are considering upgrading to Monterey, definitely read through the post, maybe wait until macOS 12.1 drops.

Apple:

Items purchased at the Apple Online Store that are received between November 1, 2021 and December 25, 2021, may be returned through January 8, 2022. Please note that all other terms and conditions provided in the Apple Online Store Sales and Refunds Policy are still applicable with respect to such items purchased. All purchases made after December 25, 2021 are subject to the Standard Return Policy.

Keep that January 8th date in mind.

TextSniper is the fastest way to copy uncopyable text, wherever it may be: in photos, screenshots, PDFs, videos, online presentations, apps, or websites that annoyingly block copying.

TextSniper works just like the built-in screenshot tools in macOS. Press Shift-Command-2, then select the area of the screen with the text you want to copy. That’s it! A friendly thumbs-up indicates that the text is in your Clipboard, ready for pasting.

TextSniper can also copy URLs and text embedded in QR codes, as well as barcode numbers. It even can read the recognized text to you. And because the app supports Continuity Camera in macOS, you can use your iPhone or iPad camera to capture text right to your Mac.

Available on Intel and M1 Macs, running macOS Catalina and higher.

Get TextSniper now to speed up your workflow. Use the promo code LOOP at checkout to get 20% off this week.

Follow the headline link for Joanna Stern’s enthusiastic take on the new MacBook Pros. But watch the video below for Joanna’s real-life battery testing.

At about 3:54 in, Joanna tries to duplicate Apple’s battery claims for the new devices. Worth watching to get a sense of what you can expect if you buy one of the new MacBook Pros.

First things first, to be really clear, this is the Mac Pro (NOT an Intel MacBook Pro). Just making sure you get the drift of the comparison.

Follow the link, scroll through the benchmarks, then check out this link for a bunch more benchmarks comparing the same two machines.

Bottom line, the benchmarks showed the M1 Max was pretty close to the 2019 Mac Pro, beating it in some tests, losing in others, but pretty much neck-and-neck overall.

To me, this is incredible, really shows the giant leap Apple made with the M1 Max. Obviously, the Mac Pro brings expandability to the table that a laptop just can’t match. Wonder when we’ll see an Apple Silicon-powered Mac Pro. That’ll be something.

Reddit:

I was hesitant on updating because I enjoyed my phone being jailbroken but last night I figured I would for the FaceTime updates, but it was the Find My AirPods feature that I really got a benefit out of. I arrive at the airport to head home and come to find out I left my AirPods in the car of my Uber driver, after getting a “Find My” notification.

Presumably, this refers to a “separation alert”, also known as a left behind notification.

I call him up and he brings them back to me. It even tracked him every so often along the way. I didn’t even know that was in the update but it just saved my wallet

I’ve gotten a few of these, especially when I left my AirPods at home on a charger. Some people find the alerts annoying, I like the reminder that they exist.

Here’s Apple’s official separation alert support document, telling you how to turn the alerts off and on, and how to set up a Trusted Location if you want to be able to leave your item somewhere without being notified.

Follow the headline link, start scrolling for a walk through all the different default macOS wallpapers, going all the way back to Mac OS X Tiger, which dropped back in 2005.

See something you like, click the download link. Enjoy.

Thanks to BZG for sponsoring The Loop this week. Unite 4 for macOS allows you to turn any website into an app on your Mac. Using a lightweight, WebKit powered browser as a backend, you can easily create isolated, customizable apps from any site.

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Some apps, especially those with a lot of menus and custom menus have run into problems with the notch on the new MacBook Pro. Here’s a Twitter thread with a few examples (sound on).

If you do run into this issue, Apple offers an app-specific fix:

You can adjust an app’s settings so that it uses the whole display or uses only the area below the camera housing.

Follow the headline link for details but, in a nutshell, Apple added a “Scale to fit below built-in camera” checkbox to the app’s Get Info window. Check it, and the app will run with the menu bar below the notch.

Good to know.

Tim Hardwick, MacRumors:

In macOS Monterey, you can use an animated Memoji as your Mac user profile instead of a standard static image. Of course you could always use a still photo of yourself to welcome you at startup and on the Lock Screen, but where’s the fun in that?

And, once you’ve made the change:

Next time you login to your Mac, you’ll see your animated Memoji avatar there to welcome you. And if you get your login password wrong a few times, just watch the expression on their face go from mildly irritated to thoroughly irate.

I followed Tim’s instructions, made the change, can confirm the various “wrong password” interactions. Fun!

iFixit:

Normally we get to the battery last because, well, they suck to remove. But as we peer into the guts, we notice something we haven’t seen in a long time in a MacBook Pro, three words that make our hair stand on end: battery pull tabs.

Even better, it appears the battery isn’t trapped under the logic board. That could mean battery swaps without removing all the brains first—a procedure we’ve been dreaming about for a while.

And:

The four outer battery cells have easily-noticeable pull tabs, which are the typical thin white strips we know and love from the iPhone and MacBook Air. But wait, we don’t see any pull tabs on the middle cells. Are we screwed—or, worse, glued?

Not entirely! We removed the trackpad and, lo and behold, there are cut-outs to access the pull tabs that hold the middle battery cells in place.

And:

We’ve still got a long way to go with disassembly, but this new MacBook Pro has, at the very least, the first reasonably DIY-friendly battery replacement procedure since 2012.

Great news! I’m looking forward to the detailed teardown.

Variety:

Comcast struck a deal with Apple that will bring the Apple TV app, which includes access to the Apple TV Plus subscription service, to the cable giant’s Xfinity X1, Flex, XClass TV and Sky Glass platforms, CEO Brian Roberts announced on the company’s Q3 earnings call.

That’s already big news, with the Apple TV app coming to Comcast set top boxes, much in the way the Apple TV app is available on Roku devices, but with a far more massive reach. This feels like a mighty domino, with the potential to bring Apple TV (and Apple TV+) to other major cable providers. A tipping point for cord cutters, as well.

But there’s more:

In turn, under the pact, Comcast’s Stream app will be launching on Apple TV set-top boxes, Roberts said. A Comcast rep said the Apple TV app would launch on Comcast video platforms in “the coming months” but didn’t have specific dates.

This is great news for Comcast subscribers who own Apple TVs. Interesting news for the Apple TV device itself. More and more TVs are being sold with the Apple TV app built right in. This feels like it will shrink the demand for actual Apple TV boxes.

PlayStation blog:

PS5 offers seamless integration with the Apple Music streaming service with background music and music video playback, so players can listen before, during, or after their gameplay session.

How’s it work?

PS5 users can either start the Apple Music app before hopping into a game, or during gameplay by pressing the PS button on the DualSense wireless controller to access the Control Center and select the Music Function card.

And:

From there, Apple Music subscribers can find recommendations that match the game they are currently playing, or choose from a playlist in their library or other Apple Music-curated playlists for gaming.

This is far more integration than I was expecting when I first heard about this. What about Xbox?

From Digital Music News:

You can listen to Spotify, SoundCloud, and Pandora on Xbox using an official app – but not Apple Music. However, that’s not to say you can’t enjoy the service using your Xbox Series X console. A third-party application called “AirServer” hooks into AirPlay and allows Apple Music content to be remotely cast to an Xbox device from an iPhone or iPad.

The PlayStation Apple Music integration is head and shoulders better.