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.

Brand Finance:

Apple has overtaken Amazon and Google to reclaim the title of the world’s most valuable brand for the first time since 2016, according to the latest report by Brand Finance – the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Apple has the success of its diversification strategy to thank for an impressive 87% brand value increase to US$263.4 billion and its position at the top of the Brand Finance Global 500 2021 ranking.

Doomed.

With each quarter’s Apple financial results, Jason Snell does the heavy lifting of generating a transcript of the call (starting with Tim and all the way through the Q&A) as well as a (headline linked) set of charts that tell all the stories.

This quarter’s charts are particularly easy to read, since they are boom all the way. Just look at that first one, how clearly that revenue number (in billions) out distances its predecessors.

Great stuff. Thanks, Jason.

Start with this tweet from Paul Haddad, maker of Tweetbot:

Not sure if its a new App Store rule, or just whichever reviewer we got, but they requested that we remove Tweetbot 5 from sale within 30 days of Tweetbot 6 going live.

And by request I mean wouldn’t approve until we agreed. Was going to anyways, but just FYI.

— Paul Haddad (@tapbot_paul) January 26, 2021

Saw this, went to the App Store, typed in Tweetbot, found nothing but a long list of competing products. No Tweetbot, no Tweetbot 5, no Tweetbot 6.

Searched again right before I wrote this, found hints (the grayed text completion that suggests as you type) for Tweetbot 5, which took me to a competing Twitter client’s page. Tweetbot 6 took me to an “early access” page.

This is certainly confusing. Michael Tsai rolled up a number of clarifying comments on his blog, worth a look if you are a dev interested in this issue, especially if you are exploring the possibility of moving to a subscription model.

Nilay Patel, The Verge:

Marques Brownlee is one of the best reviewers I know, and also one of the most savvy and successful YouTubers. And he’s been in the game for a long time: he started the channel MKBHD in 2009 when he was just a teenager making videos about his new HP laptop. Since then, he’s grown it to one of the biggest tech channels on YouTube, with 13.5 million subscribers, a podcast, and a growing support team.

But what looks effortless and fun to the viewer is often the result of careful planning and investment. YouTubers are entrepreneurs, and Brownlee — my guest on today’s episode of Decoder — talks that talk with the best of them.

Fascinating interview, an insight into the business of building a YouTube empire.

Zack Whittaker, TechCrunch:

Apple has released iOS 14.4 with security fixes for three vulnerabilities, said to be under active attack by hackers.

The technology giant said in its security update pages for iOS and iPadOS 14.4 that the three bugs affecting iPhones and iPads “may have been actively exploited.” Details of the vulnerabilities are scarce, and an Apple spokesperson declined to comment beyond what’s in the advisory.

From that Apple security note:

Kernel impact: A malicious application may be able to elevate privileges. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

And:

WebKit impact: A remote attacker may be able to cause arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

Note that this is an issue for both iPadOS and iOS. So update your iPhone and iPad both.

Apple:

Apple TV+ today announced that “Tehran,” the global hit espionage thriller from Moshe Zonder and Omri Shenhar, has been renewed for a second season following its critically acclaimed season premiere.

Since its debut on Israeli network Kan 11 and globally on Apple TV+, “Tehran” has captivated viewers worldwide, and has been hailed by critics as “gripping,” “heart stopping,” and a “captivating spy thriller.”

Now streaming on Apple TV+, “Tehran” tells the thrilling story of Mossad agent Tamar Rabinyan, who goes deep undercover on a dangerous mission in Tehran that places her and everyone around her in dire jeopardy. “Tehran” stars Niv Sultan, Shaun Toub, Navid Negahban, Shervin Alenabi, Liraz Charhi and Menashe Noy.

I loved season one of Tehran. The subtitles worked well for me, every episode was riveting, easy to follow. Glad to see it renewed.

This is a great walkthrough of the “Time to Walk” setup. Clears up so much. Really well done, worth the watch.

Start off with Apple’s official announcement:

Apple today announced Dan Riccio will transition to a new role focusing on a new project and reporting to CEO Tim Cook, building on more than two decades of innovation, service, and leadership at Apple. John Ternus will now lead Apple’s Hardware Engineering organization as a member of the executive team.

John Gruber’s take (headline linked):

This is not an easing-out-the-door of Riccio: he really is taking over something big and new.

And:

I still don’t know which project Riccio is heading, but my guess is that it’s the headset, not Titan, simply because I’m certain the headset is closer. I think it’s a sign that the headset is ready to get real, and Apple wants someone as capable as Riccio to lead it with nothing else on his plate.

This really clicks for me. Mostly because of something Horace Dediu said in this post about Apple entering the highly competitive car market:

The reason Apple’s market revenue shares are so much greater is because it largely created the markets in which it participates. Rather than hacking out share from incumbents, it created its own and iterated to sustain.

Apple Watch and AirPods are perfect examples here. Folks weren’t wearing smart watches or Bluetooth EarPods (at least not in great numbers) before Apple entered the market and, in doing so, expanded the market considerably.

With Apple Glass (or whatever branding such a product might use), Apple would be entering a failed and tiny market. With a vehicle, Apple would be entering a massive market with many competitors. Like night and day.

I’m with Gruber on this.

Ben Zotto:

Apple’s second computer — its first to have a case — launched in 1977, and that boxy beige Apple II was soon everywhere: in classrooms, living rooms and offices. At the vanguard of a generation of personal computers to come, it featured a particular and carefully-chosen beige. But what did that look like? Those first machines — the ones that have escaped landfills anyway — have shifted in color over 40 years. The documented public record is sketchy and confused. But I stumbled upon a way to investigate what Apple Beige was like.

The article itself is interesting, but what drew me in (via kottke.org) was the photo, there at the beginning, of that bottle of official Apple beige touch-up paint.

That shade of beige was Apple’s color for a long time, from that first Apple II case, through the first generation of Macintosh. Since then, we’ve seen shades of gray, returns to platinum, wild runs of neon acrylics, then experiments in aluminum.

But that particular shade of beige is with me forever.

Mark Gurman:

The upcoming MacBook Pro is an example of Apple’s renewed focus on Mac loyalists. The company is planning to bring back an SD card slot for the next MacBook Pros so users can insert memory cards from digital cameras. That feature was removed in 2016, to the consternation of professional photographers and video creators, key segments of the MacBook Pro user base. The heavily criticized Touch Bar, the current model’s touchscreen function row, is also going.

The potential disappearance of Touch Bar and the rumored return of a specialized port have rampaged around Twitter this weekend.

I’d love to see lessons learned lead to an evolution of Touch Bar, perhaps into a smaller footprint scrub-bar or some other specialized hardware add-on that did not do away with the escape and function keys.

The return of the SD card slot is another matter altogether. I, for one, miss all the ports on my older MacBook Pro. It was a great mix, a Swiss Army Knife of ports I always had with me, no dongles required. The SD card slot is the most sorely missed, for sure, but the USB-A ports are certainly next.

I’d posit that if you own a modern USB-C Mac, you own at least one, if not multiple USB-A adapters, if not a complex hub with multiple USB-A ports. The universe continues to prioritize USB-A over USB-C for low cost devices.

And if you travel and forget one of your dongles, you either do without the functionality or head to an electronics store to buy another.

I’d love to see the return of the SD card, a bit of a fight back against the all the unified port regimentation.

All that said, I do appreciate the massive improvements we’re seeing in the Mac.

Joe Cieplinski, on Mac advancements:

M1, for starters. Thunderbolt 3/4, a massive leap forward in speed. Touch Bar (for me, though it should probably be optional.) Vastly superior battery life. Lighter weight. True Tone, P3 Display. Support for driving 6k displays.

Well said. These gains are massive, indeed, well worth carrying my baggie of dongles.

Om Malik:

I peered over the edge and saw a group of off-duty paramilitary servicemen taking selfies with their backs to the scene. They were capturing the moment using nothing but the cameras on their smartphones. The irony wasn’t lost on me. Here I was, standing high above, with a camera rig that cost as much as a second-hand sedan, waiting for the perfect light as I took great care to keep my own shadow out of the frame. And there they were, recording the same moment with faint regard for the quality of the light or the image itself. Instead, they were letting the chips figure it all out as they strained to document their own presence.

And:

In many ways, the iPhone reminds me of another groundbreaking camera: the Brownie. Launched at the turn of the last century, the original Brownie was the catalyst of change that helped us record our own history — exactly what those servicemen were doing more than a century later as I labored at my art.

This essay took me down memory lane, thinking about my very first camera, an Olympus OM-1, a camera I took everywhere with me, through college and my first trip overseas.

That original iPhone sacrificed quality but put a camera in everyone’s pocket. It changed the world.

This is a lovely read, all the way through.

Follow the headline link, start zooming in. I’d start zooming in on the lips. At some point, the almost invisible cracks in the paint become crevasses in some alien landscape.

Once you’ve marveled at all that detail, tap the 3D button in the tool bar. Once the sample loads, zoom in some more and glide across the actual surface of the painting.

Some remarkable work here. To me, this goes well beyond the museum experience, brings an appreciation of a classic work in a way that is only possible on your device’s screen.

Apple:

Each Time to Walk episode is shaped by the guest’s personal, life-shaping moments and includes lessons learned, meaningful memories, thoughts on purpose and gratitude, moments of levity, and other thought-provoking topics, recorded while walking outside or in locations that are meaningful to them. The narrative comes to life through photos that appear on Apple Watch, perfectly timed to amplify a corresponding moment the guest shares. Following the guest’s stories, the experience extends with the guest introducing a short playlist of songs that has given them motivation and inspiration, so the listener can continue their walk to a soundtrack intimately connected to each guest.

The first four walks launch today. New episodes launch each Monday through end of April.

This is a fantastic idea. Get people walking, make the walks interesting, expand the Fitness+ user base and connect yet another thread to Apple Watch and Apple Music.