Amber Neely, AppleInsider:

After being unable to locate one of his AirPods, a Massachusetts man’s trip to the emergency turned it up in an unlikely place.

And:

I went back out in the morning and shoveled [snow] for an hour,” he told WWLP News 22. “When I came in, I tried to drink a glass of water again and couldn’t,” said Gauthier.

Gauthier’s family joked that maybe he’d swallowed it, but the idea felt “too coincidental.” A trip to the emergency room lead to an x-ray, which lead his doctor to discover the AirPod lodged in his esophagus.

I can’t imagine doing this. But there it is, on the X-Ray. Crazy. I wonder if this will impact his warranty.

TK News:

In the middle of all this misery, you have a group of the most cancerous rent-seekers on earth, aligning to destroy this company GameStop, because they decided it shouldn’t exist anymore.

And it was GameStop! It’s such a visceral symbol for people in my generation. Even for me, in all those bad times growing up, it was always a nice memory just to go to a strip mall, go in the store, check out a game or two. I like GameStop. Everyone remembers going to GameStop. It’s part of what made it such an obvious rallying cry.

That was it for me. I found myself thinking, I didn’t care if I lost every last dollar doing it, I was going to put it on GameStop, just to see them panic for once. Even if for just one moment they have to think about how they’re going to make their payments for their Manhattan apartments, that’s worth it. They’re playing these games while there are people out there who can’t afford Christmas presents for their kids, can’t afford food. What are these families supposed to do?

Follow the headline link, it’s a bit of a long read, but there’s a lot of insight there into how this all unfolded and its seeds in the fund collapses and bailouts back in 2008.

CNBC:

“Hyundai Motor is getting requests from multiple companies for cooperation in joint development of autonomous, electric vehicles but nothing has been decided since it’s in early stage,” the company said, according to a CNBC translation of a regulatory filing.

More specifically:

“Hyundai Motor is not in talks with Apple on autonomous vehicle development,” it added.

And:

Kia Motors also said it was not in talks with Apple.

I’m fascinated by the secrecy of Apple’s auto efforts. Part of this is how long this has been going on, how many people have come and gone on this project, how much attention it has received from the media and, after all this time, how little is known.

I would love to see Apple’s detail-focused design skills applied to a car. But between internal combustion engines vs EV, driven vs driverless, and the move away from car ownership, the evolution/disruption of this space seems to still be a future event. And this is an expensive space to set up in, especially if you buy in and the space changes underneath you.

Steven Shen on Twitter:

On iOS, if you turn on “Limit Adult Website” under Screen Time->Content Restrictions, Safari blocks any website URL containing the word “asian”. Seriously, go try it, it’s unbelievable.

This can’t be true, can it? Give it a try yourself:

• Go to Settings > Screen Time
• Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions
• Enable Content & Privacy Restrictions switch
• Tap Content Restrictions
• Scroll down, tap Web Content
• Tap Limit Adult Websites

Now fire up Safari and search for, say, Asian Food. Here’s the screen shot I got. In a nutshell, it says, “You cannot browse this page because it is restricted.”

Apple needs to fix this and figure out how this happened so it doesn’t happen again.

Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac:

When Apple announced the transition from Intel processors to Apple Silicon chips, the company offered a custom Mac mini with the A12Z Bionic chip so that developers could update their macOS apps to support the new ARM platform. The company is now asking developers to return these DTK Mac minis as the M1 Macs were introduced in November last year.

And:

As developers had to pay $500 to get the custom Mac mini with A12Z Bionic chip, Apple will offer a $200 credit for each DTK returned. This credit can be used as a discount to buy a new M1 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini.

Apple made the Developer Transition Kit available so folks could test and update their Mac apps and be ready when the M1 Macs started shipping. Developers paid $500 for the kit and knew when they signed up that they’d have to return them at some point (returning the DTK was specified in the agreement, no surprise there).

Apple is easing the sting of having to return the “rented” DTK with a $200 “one-time use code” credit towards the purchase of an M1 Mac.

One wrinkle: The $200 expires at the end of May. Presumably, WWDC will be virtual again and will occur in June. And if new Macs are announced at WWDC, this means the $200 will not be usable for those Macs. Some developers are notably unhappy.

All in all, I think Apple could have avoided this PR bruise if they would have clearly laid out the specifics when they released the DTK in the first place. You pay us $500, we’ll give you a $200 credit that expires at the end of May when you return the box. As is, I got the sense that people were expecting Apple to send everyone an M1 Mac. An unfair expectation, true, but Apple could have controlled this from the beginning.

Bloomberg:

The walls of his highly compartmentalized empire have been crumbling for some time. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to be Jeff Bezos (at least by Bezos’s standards). He presides over a collection of properties that spans not only Amazon but The Washington Post, several philanthropies and a space company, Blue Origin LLC, that lags far behind its chief rival, Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

This is a great take on Bezos stepping down and the freedom that offers Amazon without the political weight of The Washington Post and the fractured attention pull of Blue Origin.

Harvard Business Review:

“Without personalized ads,” [Facebook] says in its ads and on its website, “Facebook data shows that the average small business advertiser stands to see a cut of over 60% in their sales for every dollar they spend.”

Hmm. Really?

It’s an eye-popping figure, and one that suggests that Apple’s pro-privacy policy is poised to deal a devastating blow to small businesses. But where does the data for this apocalyptic claim come from? And does it hold up under scrutiny?

And:

To properly evaluate this claim, you first need to understand the popular metric that Facebook used here to quantify advertising success: return on ad spend, or ROAS. The metric indicates the amount of revenues associated with advertising — but it does not indicate the amount of revenues caused by advertising.

And:

In its campaign against Apple’s new policy, Facebook is claiming that when it compared the ROAS for campaigns that leveraged personalized information with campaigns that didn’t, it found that small businesses would suffer a 60% cut in revenues if they were deprived of personalized advertising.

That scary-sounding number, however, is almost certainly too high. Randomized controlled trials that compare personalized advertising with no advertising tend to reveal much smaller differences.

Follow the headline link for more of this takedown. I’d be quite happy with a much smaller version of Facebook that allowed me to keep in touch with friends and family without all the privacy busting. I’d even pay for the privilege so I stopped being the product.

Apple:

Apple was honored with four Golden Globe nominations today for Apple Original films “On The Rocks” and “Wolfwalkers,” and Apple Original series “Ted Lasso,” making history as the first streaming service to receive a nomination in the Best Motion Picture, Animated category in less than a year and a half since its launch. The news was revealed today by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the 78th Annual Golden Globes live nominations.

Apple Original Films received its first-ever Golden Globe nominations for a motion picture, including Best Motion Picture, Animated for “Wolfwalkers” and Bill Murray for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for Sofia Coppola’s “On The Rocks,” marking his seventh Golden Globe nomination.

Of all of these, I think Apple’s best hopes are for:

• Wolfwalkers as “Best Picture – Animated”, though it’s up against Pixar’s Soul
• Ted Lasso as “Best Musical/Comedy Series”
• Jason Sudeikis as “Best Television Actor – Musical/Comedy Series”

Place your bets. Here’s the full list of Golden Globes nominees.

The video embedded below does a nice job showing off the use of an Apple Watch to unlock an iPhone when Face ID is hampered by a mask.

Note that you’ll need both the iOS 14.5 beta as well as the watchOS 7.4 beta for this to work. You’ll also need WiFi enabled on your iPhone (no need to be connected to a network).

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates, and while the new software serves as a deadline for when app developers must comply with App Tracking Transparency rules, there are also a handful of other changes worth noting.

Follow the headline link for a detailed list of new features.

The most significant of these new features, to me, was the ability to use your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone when Face ID is stymied by your mask.

I generally don’t install a first beta on my daily carry iPhone, but this feature pushed me to make an exception. I did the install and I have to say, this beta (at least so far) is rock solid.

If you do install the beta and want to enable Apple Watch unlock:

• first you’ll need to install the watchOS 7.4 beta on your Apple Watch (also rock solid for me)
• go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode
• Scroll down to the new UNLOCK WITH APPLE WATCH section
• Tap the Apple Watch switch
• Make sure WiFi is enabled on your iPhone (no need to be connected to a network)

I threw on a mask and put this through it’s paces. It works really well. Kudos to the engineering team. Well done.

One reason I am running a bit behind this morning is that I wanted to install macOS Big Sur 11.2, test the issues that have plagued my Mac since I first installed Big Sur. And…

…Huzzah!

All the iCloud/Handoff/Bluetooth/Pasteboard issues have been solved. Everything works again.

Salvador Rodriguez, CNBC:

Facebook on Monday will begin urging some iPhone and iPad users to let the company track their activity so the social media giant can show them more personalized ads.

The move comes alongside Apple’s planned privacy update to iOS 14, which will inform users about this kind of tracking and ask them if they want to allow it.

I actually have no problem with Facebook’s approach here. I don’t see this as striking back, but more as playing by the rules.

Follow the headline link and check out that pair of iPhone screen shots, about halfway down the page. Facebook is making their case to the user, then asking for permission to do their tracking thing. Key for me is that Facebook’s “learn more” link goes to a page that is honest about what happens to the user’s data.

Follow the headline link, click through the 5 picture gallery. That is some design. A double-helix, covered with trees.

The article itself is filled with details on this coming, Arlington, Virginia headquarters. Design aside, there’s a lot to like about the space, including plans for LEED Platinum sustainable energy, and:

Amazon aims to make PenPlace an energetic, 18-hour district that is open to the public and enlivened by local art, including an Artist in Residence program in The Helix, Schoettler said. Local businesses will also be incorporated into the campus.

Same design firm that did Amazon’s Seattle “spheres”.

Problem 1 is captured in the headline linked Washington Post article:

Under a new “App Privacy” label added last month, there’s a blue check mark, signaling that the app won’t share a lick of your data. It says: “Data not collected.”

I downloaded a de-stressing app called the Satisfying Slime Simulator that gets the App Store’s highest-level label for privacy. It turned out to be the wrong kind of slimy, covertly sending information — including a way to track my iPhone — to Facebook, Google and other companies.

And:

As I write this column, Apple still has an inaccurate label for Satisfying Slime. And it’s not the only deception. When I spot-checked what a couple dozen apps claim about privacy in the App Store, I found more than a dozen that were either misleading or flat-out inaccurate.

And:

Apple’s big privacy product is built on a shaky foundation: the honor system. In tiny print on the detail page of each app label, Apple says, “This information has not been verified by Apple.”

Apple’s response:

“Apple conducts routine and ongoing audits of the information provided and we work with developers to correct any inaccuracies. Apps that fail to disclose privacy information accurately may have future app updates rejected, or in some cases, be removed from the App Store entirely if they don’t come into compliance.”

Problem 2 is highlighted in this thread:

The App Store has a big problem👇

You: an honest developer, working hard to improve your IAP conversions.
Your competitor: a $2M/year scam running rampant.

1/🧵

— Kosta Eleftheriou (@keleftheriou) January 31, 2021

The problem showcased here is the App Store’s infestation with scammy, copycat apps. Read the thread. It does a great job laying out all the details.

Is the App Store simply too big to police properly?

Apple:

To celebrate Black History Month, Apple commissioned more than 30 Black photographers to capture and share their hometowns with the world through their unique lens, all shot on iPhone 12 Pro. All across the US, these photographers set out to showcase the people and the pockets of their cities that embody their local culture.

Follow the headline link, check out the pics. And don’t miss Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, highlighted on their front page.

I get the sense this has been around a long while, but ran across it this weekend, thought it worth a share.

Click on the remote control’s power button to turn it on, flip through the channels.

Don’t miss My ’70s TV and My ’80s TV. Enjoy!

Xiaomi blog:

Mi Air Charge Technology enables users to remotely charge electronic devices without any cables or wireless charging stands. Today, we enter a true wireless charging era.

And:

The core technology of Xiaomi’s remote charging lies in space positioning and energy transmission. Xiaomi’s self-developed isolated charging pile has five phase interference antennas built in, which can accurately detect the location of the smartphone. A phase control array composed of 144 antennas transmits millimeter-wide waves directly to the phone through beamforming.

To get a sense of what this looks like, watch the video below. This seems like a remarkable achievement, though I have doubts as to its practicality. Not only is there a cost to the box itself, but there’s the sheer size of the charger, not to mention the question of charge inefficiency (how much power the charger consumes as compared to a traditional wired brick). And, of course, there’s the question of the reality of this as a product.

Taking this with a grain of salt, but will be fascinated to see this roll out, if it ever does.

Deadline:

In the first big deal of the 2021 virtual Sundance Film Festival, Apple has landed worldwide rights to CODA, for a number just north of $25 million. That sets a new a Sundance acquisitions record — above the $22.5 million that Palm Springs received last year from Hulu/Neon. But this time, all the premiere watching and all night auctioning was done far from the slopes of Park City. It came down to a pitched battle between Apple and Amazon.

Apple and Amazon continue to raise the bar in content acquisition cost. Deep pockets, both. Curious how Apple’s team measures the value of a film, how they make the bid/no bid decision. Is the value of the film a no brainer? Is this about keeping a film out of the competition’s hands?

The funniest part of this deal was this tweet from Panic founder Cable Sasser (Tweet spoiler here).

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Apple is now selling standalone ear cushions designed for the AirPods Max, allowing AirPods Max owners to purchase cushions in different colors.

And:

The ear cushions are available in all of the ‌AirPods Max‌ colors – silver, black, red, sky blue, and green – and are priced at $69. ‌AirPods Max‌ ear cushions attach to the ear cups magnetically and can be popped right off, so making a swap to a new color is simple.

Here’s a link to the Apple Store AirPods Max ear cushion replacements purchase page.

As you’d guess, you get two ear cushions for $69. Can’t help but wonder if we’re gonna see people doing the mix and match thing, walking around with mismatched colors. Team up with a friend and buy two different color sets, trade so you each have mismatches.

And I suspect we’ll see a wave of “singles”, with a bit of a markup, on eBay.

Solid ad. Take your ECG anywhere, anytime. [Via AdAge]

Apple:

January 28 is Data Privacy Day, a time to raise awareness about the importance of protecting people’s personal information online. Apple is commemorating Data Privacy Day by sharing “A Day in the Life of Your Data,” an easy-to-understand report illustrating how companies track user data across websites and apps. The report also shares how privacy features across Apple’s products give users more transparency and control, empowering people with the tools and knowledge to protect their personal information.

From A Day in the Life of Your Data:

John and his 7-year-old daughter, Emma, are spending the day together. In the morning, John uses his computer to look up the weather, read the news, and check a map app on his smartphone for traffic conditions for a trip to the playground next to his daughter’s school.

So far, so good.

During the ride, there are 4 apps on his phone collecting and tracking their location data periodically in the background. After the data has been extracted from the device, app developers sell it to a host of obscure third party data brokers that John has never heard of. Although the location data collected is claimed to be anonymous, user tracking allows data brokers to match John’s location history from these apps with information collected from his use of other apps. This means information tracked across different apps and from multiple sources is available for any company or organization to purchase, and could be used to create a comprehensive profile about him that includes his precise day-to-day movements.

Apple does a great job making the case for its privacy model. Facebook complains that Apple is abusing their position to their own benefit. But at the heart of Apple’s new ruleset is transparency. If you don’t track a user’s data without their knowing, you won’t have an issue. If you want to track your user’s data, tell them and ask their permission.

To me, this is a clearcut issue. Transparency is good. Surreptitious tracking is evil. The end.

Canalys:

In Q4 2020, worldwide smartphone shipments reached 359.6 million units, a small decline of 2% year-on-year. Apple shipped its most iPhones ever in a single quarter, at 81.8 million units, up 4% against the previous year.

Samsung took second place, shipping 62.0 million units for a -12% decline. Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo completed the top five, with each seeing share gains from a beleaguered Huawei (including Honor).

And:

“Apple is better positioned than its competitors on 5G, being heavily skewed towards developed markets, and mobile operator sales channels. But it also made savvy moves behind the scenes to propel its sales and profitability. The omission of a power plug from the iPhone retail box, which reduces weight and size, is making logistics significantly more efficient, amid the ongoing high cost of air freight due to the pandemic. And it also implemented channel-centric growth initiatives to target SMB customers, which have bolstered demand for its entire range of iPhones.”

Even more doomed.