The insurers are exploring ways to subsidize the cost of the device for those who can’t afford the $279 price tag, which is the starting cost of an older model. The latest version of the device, which includes the most extensive health features including fall detection and an electrocardiogram to measure the heart’s rhythm, retails for a minimum of $399, which many seniors could benefit from but can’t afford.

This makes perfect sense for Apple. The health features of the Apple Watch continue to help people of all ages and save lives. Getting these devices into the hands of seniors is the right thing to do for all involved.

Composer, sound designer Joel Corelitz has a gift for you. It’s a collection of music he created that is free for you to use in your own projects.

Bookmark the page, as I suspect this collection will grow over time, and you never know when the need will strike.

Pull up Siri and ask these two things:

• How many days since December 17th?

and:

• How many days since December 17th, 2018?

You’ll get two different responses. Now go read the linked post. Very interesting.

Niko Kitsakis (via Michael Tsai’s blog):

People called good Macintosh software “Mac-like” because that’s what it felt like. If an application did not adhere to those seemingly unwritten rules, you would develop an itch in the back of your head. Something was off.

This “Mac-like” feeling was at the core of the classic Mac OS era. It’s what gave the Mac its legendary status and its place in history. And while the first versions of OS X broke with some conventions, things became better as OS X progressed. That is to say, until 10.7 came out and started a trend of questionable design decisions that has been continuing ever since.

This is a short-but-sweet post that lays out a specific example of the power of a properly constructed interface. The oldest “Save changes” dialog asked a question, but populated the response buttons with Yes, No, and Cancel. A look at the button only was not helpful.

This evolved into the use of verbs in response buttons, with Save, Don’t save, and Cancel.

The Mac design language was so powerful, and so widely adopted, that any app that did not follow the rules stood out like a sore thumb. Mac applications were instantly recognizable, and apps from outsiders tended to look ugly, in comparison, as those outsiders did not know the rules to follow.

Does the modern macOS and iOS app universe still hew to a common standard? Are Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines lost in the incredible complexity of application creation? Are we better off with fewer rules and less oversight on the things we create? Or might the pendulum swing back, with apps that are recognized as following the iOS and macOS HIGs?

Here are the product links:

• iPhone XS case
• iPhone XS Max case
• iPhone XR case

All three come in black or white. All three priced at $129.

Battery life varies per model, with the iPhone XR up to a whopping 39 hours of talk time.

DuckDuckGo blog:

We’re excited to announce that map and address-related searches on DuckDuckGo for mobile and desktop are now powered by Apple’s MapKit JS framework, giving you a valuable combination of mapping and privacy. As one of the first global companies using Apple MapKit JS, we can now offer users improved address searches, additional visual features, enhanced satellite imagery, and continually updated maps already in use on billions of Apple devices worldwide.

With this updated integration, Apple Maps are now available both embedded within our private search results for relevant queries, as well as available from the “Maps” tab on any search result page.

I love this integration. It is very well done, and is blazingly fast.

Head to DuckDuckGo.com and type pizza in the search bar. Look for a block on the page with a map and click the Open Map button.

Just a taste, but this is privacy-respecting Apple Maps. Brilliant integration.

See also, DuckDuckGo’s CEO writing about their revenue generation model.

Ars Technica:

Another round of Netflix price hikes is upon us. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Netflix will increase the prices of all of its subscription plans, effective immediately, for all new customers. Existing customers will see their rates increase over the next three months.

Netflix’s most popular plan, which lets users stream HD content on two screens simultaneously, will now cost $13 per month. That’s an 18-percent increase from its previous $11 monthly price. Netflix’s premium plan, which includes HD and UHD streaming on up to four screens simultaneously, will now cost $16, up from $14 monthly. The most affordable Netflix option, the “basic” plan, increases by $1, from $8 per month to $9.

Netflix last increased its prices at the end of 2017, but only its standard and premium plans were affected. This time around, all three plans will cost more, resulting in a price hike that affects all US Netflix users.

It will likely eventually affect customers in other countries as well. We are a Netflix family but, at what point will these increases stop us from paying for the service?

John Gruber deconstructs this Wall Street Journal article, titled Polaroid. Walkman. Palm Pilot. iPhone?. It’s a terrific read, especially useful given the linked article is behind a paywall.

Read John’s whole piece, it’s not that long. But from the wrap-up:

There will be major new products from Apple, someday, when they’re ready. There is no rush for them. If you’re worried about Apple’s near-future success, the key is their execution on their existing products. The Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Watch are all businesses that any company would kill for. Apple has all of them, and none of them are going anywhere. Apple needs to keep them insanely great where they already are, and raise them to insanely great where they aren’t.

This. So much this. I am such an Apple fan. I want that insanely great feeling to go back to being higher in the mix, more the rule than the rare jewel.

Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac:

Apple’s historic Tysons Corner store could be preparing to see an inspired move. Recent plans indicate that construction of a significantly larger and more modern replacement space may soon begin at the nearby Tysons Galleria.

This is big news. The Apple Store at Tysons Corner was the very first one in the world. It was the store that saw the first massive lineups waiting for the chance to buy an iPhone. It was Steve’s brainchild, a plan that would upend the entire concept of retail success.

I love this store. It’s my go-to store, and continues to be massively busy, even when the mall in which it lives is relatively empty (which is rare – it’s a very busy mall). It is a true cornerstone for the mall, a shopping destination for many.

Michael’s article is a good read, with lots of useful links. I would add a few clarifying points.

First, the existing Apple Store is in a mall called Tysons Corner Center, an extremely large, almost always busy, indoor mall. It is on the second floor of the mall, with massive glass doors that allow entry from the mall, into a relatively large rectangular space. No trees, no staircases, just a big retail rectangle dotted with typical Apple Store fixtures and furniture.

It carries none of the architectural details of the later Apple Store evolutions, but it is what it is. The space is boxed in by other retail stores and there are no real options to expand or upgrade the space in any significant way.

The second location referred to in the article is in a nearby mall called Tysons Galleria (to us locals, it’s called Tysons II). Tysons Corner Center is a mall for the people, with typical chain shops, affordable (at least for the region). Tysons II is notably upscale, with high end jewelers, boutique clothiers and pricy kitchen shops. Tysons Corner Center has massive amounts of parking, well managed, and Tysons II has limited parking, with lots of driving around looking for a space.

There is a metro stop between the two malls. Notably, the metro stop has a pedestrian bridge designed for access to Tysons Corner Center (the one with the existing Apple Store), and no trivial way to get to Tysons II (short of walking along busy roads, dodging traffic).

Lots to process here. I would love to see another Apple Store open in the area. I would hate to see the historic first Apple Store close in favor of a new location that is in a high end boutique center, with relatively little foot traffic, that is harder to get to, and far less pedestrian/parking friendly.

As far as I can tell, no formal announcements have been made. Clearly, the retail pieces are moving, rare anchor space being opened up. So it does seem likely that something will happen here. Following with bated breath.

First, from this Apple press release, touting this Friday’s HomePod release in China:

HomePod is a convenient way to check the weather or the latest sports scores, set multiple timers and reminders, make and receive phone calls and more. Siri on HomePod also offers storytelling for children, just say “Hey Siri, tell me a story.”

As pointed out by Benjamin Mayo in this tweet, the request to “tell me a story” does not yield anything useful, just the typical Siri whimsy.

But it is unlike Apple to post an announcement for a non-existent feature. I’m wondering if there’s a mechanism in the works that will bring story time to HomePod, perhaps with an imminent update. I’ve got the latest update installed, so there’s no update waiting, at least as of this moment.

This also makes me wonder how Apple would deliver storytelling for children. Would this be a hook into the Books store, where you’d buy a book and Siri would read to your kids, keeping track of the current place in the book?

Would there be an API for developers to add their own, similar commands? Might this be a clue into HomePod/Siri’s direction for WWDC 2019?

All speculation, I realize. But Apple did open this door with their press release. Will update if I hear anything more.

Forbes:

A California judge has ruled that American cops can’t force people to unlock a mobile phone with their face or finger. The ruling goes further to protect people’s private lives from government searches than any before and is being hailed as a potentially landmark decision.

Judge Westmore declared that the government did not have the right, even with a warrant, to force suspects to incriminate themselves by unlocking their devices with their biological features. Previously, courts had decided biometric features, unlike passcodes, were not “testimonial.” That was because a suspect would have to willingly and verbally give up a passcode, which is not the case with biometrics. A password was therefore deemed testimony, but body parts were not, and so not granted Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination.

This feels like a ruling that might make its way to the US Supreme Court.

An ad-free version of the service will be available for a fee and non-pay TV customers can purchase a subscription to the service, the media company said

Everyone has to have their own service. From a user perspective, there are too many services to keep track of.

MacRumors:

Apple is United Airlines’ biggest customer at the San Francisco International Airport, according to signs the airline has available that were shared on Twitter today.

According to United, Apple spends $150 million on airline tickets each year, and purchases 50 business class seats on flights to Shanghai every day.

Apple spends $35 million each year on flights from SFO to Shanghai, which is the number one flight the company purchases.

I wonder why it wouldn’t be more cost effective to simply buy their own plane(s)? I’m sure they’ve already thought of that though.

HomePod, the innovative wireless speaker from Apple, will be available in mainland China and Hong Kong markets starting Friday, January 18.

Under normal circumstances I would think this was great news, but with China’s economy being what it is, I’m not sure this will be a big help for Apple, at least not yet.

Damn good question.

This is a timeline showing every product Apple has ever made. Well, mostly.

One nit to pick is the QuickTake Camara, introduced as the QuickTake 100, followed by the QuickTake 150 and then, the QuickTake 200. The pic says QuickTake 100, but shows the 200. Just a nit. Any others?

This was a fun graphic for me, especially when I think about Steve Jobs’ personal timeline, especially what the product line looked like just before he returned to Apple, back in 1997. The QuickTake was one of those products Steve left on the cutting room floor.

Ars Technica:

I wanted to love the Apple TV remote. It was sleek and futuristic. Plus, it had an accelerometer and its own little trackpad. Besides which, I didn’t think I’d really need the remote, anyway, since I could simply tell the TV what I wanted to watch. What wasn’t to love? Turns out, pretty much everything.

Thankfully, though, this interaction travesty provides some good insight into what makes or breaks the user experience.

I hate the Apple TV remote as well. Anyone else have strong opinions about it one way or the other?

Medium:

Waffle House is a large chain of diners, more than 1,800 stores in 25 states, although mostly in the south. The locations are clustered near highway exits. You will have seen their high-rise yellow signs. If you want, you can buy a decommissioned Waffle House property. Waffle House corporate has a division that sells them. Waffle Houses stay open 24 hours, year round.

But I was interested in the cooks. There were three. One man covered the two-foot flattop devoted to cooking meat. Another was stationed beside the seven electronic waffle irons. In between them, cooking eggs and potatoes on the griddle with his back to me, stood the man I had traveled to Atlanta to see. I had been told he possessed in abundance what Anthony Bourdain described in Kitchen Confidential as a “Nijinsky-like grace” at the griddle: light hands and supple feet and an unflappable disposition. His name was Charles Thurman, and he was a Rockstar.

Even though I lived in the South for several years, I never actually set foot in a Waffle House. But, as a motorcyclist, I am a huge fan of diners and always appreciate the stories of a good short order cook.

The Verge:

VLC, the open-source video player app, is announcing two major milestones from CES today. The development team, Videolan — along with Jean-Baptiste Kempf, one of the lead developers — told Variety at CES that it’ll be adding AirPlay support, allowing users to transmit videos from their iPhone (or Android) to their Apple TV.

The update could be released for the primary VLC app in “about a month,” for free.

Since Apple has been ignoring QuickTime for years, VLC, along with the new IINA app, have been my go-to media players for all kinds of files.

Fans of Eddie Van Halen’s illustrious Eruption guitars can now own a piece of rock and roll history with three tribute model packages from EVH Guitars! These new models include the Super ’78 (limited to only 8 pieces), ’78 Eruption Relic (limited to only 30 guitars) and ’78 Eruption (limited to only 40 pieces). And in a true homage to this pivotal period, EVH has also recreated Eddie Van Halen’s original G&G case and loaded it up with the very items used by him at the time, such as ‘70s-era Fender Super Bullets strings, Van Halen ‘70s tortoiseshell picks, ’78 chain strap and 3-in-One oil. The tribute models are also accompanied by an exclusive collector’s booklet, a backstage pass vinyl cloth sticker, 8”x10” 1978 concert photo of Eddie Van Halen, autographed certificate of authenticity and an autographed vinyl copy of Van Halen.

I want one of these!

New York Times:

Not long after his 21st birthday, Christian Rodriguez got the contract of a lifetime for his new info-tech company: The Colombian was hired as a cybersecurity consultant by Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo.

In several follow-up meetings, Mr. Rodriguez testified this week, he pitched Mr. Guzmán on an elaborate plan to enhance his information security, offering to build him a private phone network that ran on the internet and was totally encrypted.

That sophisticated system was, within three years, used against Mr. Guzmán after Mr. Rodriguez became ensnared in an F.B.I. sting operation and was then persuaded to become an informant. The I.T. expert helped the American authorities secretly collect a vast trove of the kingpin’s phone calls and text messages — among them, dozens he had sent to his wife and mistresses. In two days of testimony that ended on Thursday, Mr. Rodriguez told this riveting story to great — and damaging — effect at Mr. Guzmán’s drug conspiracy trial in Federal District Court in Brooklyn.

As many are pointing out, this story is why you should be nice to your IT people.

The allegations stem primarily from large severance payments to Andy Rubin, who led Google’s Android mobile operating division until 2014, and Amit Singhal, head of Google’s search unit until 2016. Company investigations into both men had found accusations of sexual harassment against them to be credible, according to the lawsuits.

The Intercept:

Ring has a history of lax, sloppy oversight when it comes to deciding who has access to some of the most precious, intimate data belonging to any person: a live, high-definition feed from around — and perhaps inside — their house.

Despite its mission to keep people and their property secure, the company’s treatment of customer video feeds has been anything but, people familiar with the company’s practices told The Intercept. Beginning in 2016, according to one source, Ring provided its Ukraine-based research and development team virtually unfettered access to a folder on Amazon’s S3 cloud storage service that contained every video created by every Ring camera around the world.

Consumers are far too ready to give up their privacy for security and companies are far too lax when it comes to protecting either. This is another data point for my contention that I will not allow these kinds of “security” devices in my home.

Macworld:

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you told yourself that you’re going to lose weight as a New Year’s resolution. Congratulations! The bad news is that there’s a good chance you’re going to fail, at least if thousands of personal anecdotes and studies have any weight.

But these days it’s easier to avoid falling into that trap. The iOS App Store is as stuffed with helpful apps for losing weight as I was stuffed with turkey and bread in the aftermath of Christmas dinner.

These are the best of the bunch.

I’m using a couple of these apps, along with an Apple Watch, to track my food and calorie intake along with exercise. I find it helpful to know how much food I’m eating and what the calorie amounts are. So far, I’m doing pretty good. I just need to exercise more.

Hulu is preparing to update its streaming app in order to make it simpler to navigate to and discover content you want to watch. Some of the changes coming in the weeks ahead are smaller, but worthwhile tweaks – like adding buttons or rearranging menus. But the more notable change is that Hulu is testing the elimination of the app’s existing landing page – currently known as “Lineup” – and replacing it with a new experience.

There’s a possibility that the testing might reveal that viewers prefer “Lineup” over “Hulu Picks” so the company can’t definitively say that it will drop Lineup permanently.

I’m currently testing out Hulu and it’s a pretty good app, but these changes are a good move. There are some other changes I would like to see with the DVR and other functions, but navigation should help users find the content they want faster.

Motherboard:

Basically, 2019 marks the first time a huge quantity of books published in 1923—including works by Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie, and Robert Frost—have become legally downloadable since digital books became a thing. It’s a big deal—the Internet Archive had a party in San Francisco to celebrate. Next year, works from 1924 will enter the public domain, and so-on.

So, how do you actually download these books?

It largely depends on what site you go to, and if you can’t find a book on one site, you can probably find it on another. For instance, ReadPrint.com, as well as The Literature Network (mostly major authors), and Librivox (audio books), Authorama (all in the public domain), and over a dozen other sites all have vast selections of free ebooks.

There’s actually quite a few very interesting books that have just entered public domain status.