Reddit:

Since I started noticing this issue, I’ve gotten counterfeit batteries, counterfeit shampoo, and counterfeit guitar strings, and they were all sold by Amazon.com. It got so bad that I completely stopped using Amazon.

The bigger question is “what the hell is going on?” This didn’t seem to be a problem, say, 5 years ago. I started looking into why this was the case, and I found a pretty clear answer: commingled inventory.

And:

Let’s say I am a third-party seller on Amazon, and I am selling Crest Toothpaste. I send 100 tubes of Crest Toothpaste to Amazon for Amazon fulfillment, and then 100 tubes are listed by me on Amazon. The problem is that my tubes of Crest aren’t entered into the system as “SolitaryEgg’s Storefront Crest Toothpaste,” they are just entered as “Crest Toothpaste” and thrown into a bin with all the other crest toothpaste. Even the main “sold by Amazon.com” stock.

This is a fascinating read. In a nutshell, the logic here is, commingled inventory means a counterfeiter can dump their bad goods into the river of genuine goods and never get caught, since the goods are not validated until the end user receives them.

Not sure this is fixable, since the cost of validating goods on the Amazon side would be enormous, a non-starter. One thing Amazon could do is prevent third party goods from entering the validated goods stream. That way, when you make a purchase, you could choose “validated” goods or “take a chance” goods.

TechRadar, on Apple Arcade’s highly addictive game, Grindstone:

Anyone who’s played Grindstone can attest to its engagement: the novel puzzle game centers around killing like-colored enemies in sequence to rack up big combos, with plenty of items to spare. But anyone versed in free-to-play games can see how easily Grindstone could include in-app monetization: there’s in-game gems and consumable health items that feel tailor-made for players to drop real-life money to buy. It’s so apparent that it seems like the game would have released with in-game purchases had Apple not come calling.

To me, this is a tremendous value point for Apple Arcade. You will never be held up for in-app-purchases that you need to, say, complete a level, or save yourself from an unreasonably, unnecessary grind.

Continuing:

In other words, part of what’s so engaging about Grindstone’s gameplay loop overlaps heavily with addictive loops that free-to-play games deploy to get players spending real money on in-app purchases.

There’s nothing preventing Apple from adding more games to Arcade that use such gameplay loops to keep players subscribed to the service without betraying Arcade’s no-monetization policy.

Interesting take, all the way around. The takeaway I got from this is that Apple Arcade has found its sweet spot. And they are tuning their future game acquisition model to home in on games that keep people engaged.

Fun read and great work by Michael Steeber, my go-to expert on Apple Stores. Don’t miss the before-and-after slideovers in the middle of each picture.

Electrek:

The FBI released information this week on the arrest of Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov, a 27-year-old Russian citizen, who they claim was part of a group who attempted to extort millions of dollars from a company in Nevada, which has now been identified as Tesla.

This is a pretty solid tale, involving a Tesla employee who turned down a million dollar payday, then wore a wire in an FBI sting. Part of my takeaway from this is all the companies who paid the ransomware rather than fight.

Reuters:

Facebook Inc on Thursday told Reuters that Apple Inc rejected its attempt to tell users the iPhone maker would take a 30% cut of sales in a new online events feature, forcing Facebook to remove the message to get the tool to users.

And:

Facebook said that Apple cited an App Store rule that bars developers from showing “irrelevant” information to users.

“Now more than ever, we should have the option to help people understand where money they intend for small businesses actually goes. Unfortunately Apple rejected our transparency notice around their 30% tax but we are still working to make that information available inside the app experience,” Facebook said in a statement.

Speaking of disingenuous, that last sentence just leaves a bad taste all around. There’s an implication that Facebook is a champion of transparency.

But I digress:

Facebook earlier this month said it planned to roll out a new tool that would let online influencers and other businesses host paid online events as a way to offset revenue lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company said it had asked Apple to waive the 30% fee the iPhone maker charges for in-app purchases so Facebook could pass on all of the events revenue to business owners, but that Apple declined.

Facebook had aimed to provide a notice of Apple’s cut to users, according to mock-ups it released at the time, but Reuters found on Thursday that the promised message was not present on the new events feature.

On the surface, this does look bad for Apple. Did Apple actually prevent Facebook from transparently laying out the fee structure for in-app purchase? Or is there more to this story?

Hoping for a response from Apple telling its side of this story.

From the email:

Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the ‌App Store‌, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, the Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), did not release on iOS and macOS on August 27.

Apple limits competition so they can collect 30% of consumer payments made in apps like Fortnite, raising the prices you pay. Epic lowered prices through a direct payment option, but Apple is blocking Fortnite in order to prevent Epic from passing on the savings from direct payments to players. Epic has taken legal action to end Apple’s anti-competitive restrictions on mobile device marketplaces. Papers are available for our August 13, August 17, and August 23 filings. In retaliation for this action, Apple blocked your access to Fortnite updates and new installs on all iOS devices.

Apple gave Epic the chance to fix the situation, Epic made the choice to take a stand.

Both sides made choices. Epic is painting a picture of Apple is bully and Epic as choice-less victim. To me, this is just ugly. And disingenuous.

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Apple each year hosts a company wide fitness challenge for its employees at corporate offices and retail stores around the world, tasking participants to close all three of their Apple Watch Activity Rings every day of the month.

Normally runs in February, but COVID. So they ran it mid-July to mid-August. Follow the headline link to see a pic of this year’s shirt and card.

Just a shirt, but one I think will have special meaning, given all everyone’s going through this year.

Follow the headline link to read a roll-up of important and, perhaps, less obvious features brought to you in iOS 14 so far.

Or watch the video embedded below to see them in action. Really well presented.

Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac:

One of the big improvements in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 is that Siri no longer takes over the whole screen. However, in the early betas you couldn’t interact with Siri and apps at the same time – doing anything with an app, even scrolling, would dismiss Siri.

A Redditor noticed that this is no longer the case on the iPad as of iPadOS 14 beta 5.

Here’s a link to the video showing this off.

Note that this works on iPadOS but not iOS. Not clear if that will change over time. Definitely a feature worth checking out. Siri working in parallel with the rest of the interface, rather than completely taking over, is a big step forward.

The Register:

Facebook has apologized to its users and advertisers for being forced to respect people’s privacy in an upcoming update to Apple’s mobile operating system – and promised it will do its best to invade their privacy on other platforms.

The antisocial network that makes almost all of its revenue from building a vast, constantly updated database of netizens that it then sells access to, is upset that iOS 14, due out next month, will require apps to ask users for permission before Facebook grabs data from their phones.

I’m a sucker for a well-written headline. Monstrous. Onion-worthy.

Epic:

Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, Fortnite’s newly released Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27.

This whole situation makes me sad. Seems like only yesterday Epic excitedly showed off their upcoming Fortnite title at the 2015 WWDC keynote.

Check it out.

Bloomberg:

AirPods have come to define the true wireless (TWS) earphones category, with Apple accounting for nearly half of all sales in 2019 and expected to grow to 82 million units this year, according to Counterpoint Research data. More affordable alternatives from Chinese rivals, however, have eroded Apple’s lead and the Silicon Valley company now finds itself with just over a third of the market, at 35%, followed by Xiaomi Corp. with 10% and Samsung Electronics Co. on 6%, according to the researchers.

Follow the link, check the pie chart to see how splintered the earbuds market has become. It’d be interesting to see a pie chart based purely on iPhone users. It’d also be interesting to see a pie chart based on revenue, rather than units sold.

Apple made the market, showed the world how much money there was in making/selling earbuds. The market matured and the lower end of the market was underserved, the other makers filled the vacuum.

Also interesting that this same market phenomenon does not seem to apply to the Apple Watch. This tech is just harder to master, for one thing. But earbuds are also easier to divorce from an ecosystem designed to include it.

Apple TV+ today unveiled a first look at a trio of documentary series that celebrate humanity and the wonder of the natural world, premiering globally this fall. Led by a star-studded lineup of narrators, including Oscar and Golden Globe winner Olivia Colman, Golden Globe winner Tom Hiddleston and Golden Globe nominee Paul Rudd, each new Apple Original will showcase never-before-seen footage, groundbreaking technology and dynamic storytelling.

All three look wonderful.

Facebook today warned advertisers that Apple’s upcoming anti-tracking tools could cause a more than 50 percent drop in Audience Network publisher revenue due to the removal of personalization from ads within apps.

In a blog post, Facebook said that it does not collect the identifier from advertisers (IDFA) from Facebook-owned apps on iOS 14 devices, as Apple added a feature that requires users to agree to ad tracking to prevent cross-app and cross-site tracking used to provide targeted ads. Facebook says that it’s not a change that it wants to make, but Apple has “forced this decision.”

I’m sure Facebook posted this message hoping for sympathy from the public. All I have to say is thank you, Apple!

Epic has confirmed it will not be releasing its upcoming Fortnite season, Chapter 2: Season 4, for iOS or macOS, saying the ongoing antitrust feud with Apple over in-app payment processing and other App Store disputes has blocked it from issuing updates and new installs on Apple devices.

I think Epic expected the judge to issue an order forcing Apple to put Fortnite back in the App Store before the launch of the newest season. That didn’t happen. I don’t think Epic is going to like the way this plays out.

In the new feature, elements of a TV show, like characters or objects, would be displayed on a viewer’s phone or tablet and integrated into the surrounding environment, according to people familiar with the project. For example, someone watching a moon-walking scene in the Apple show “For All Mankind” might be able to see a virtual lunar rover on their device’s display, seemingly perched atop their living room coffee table. The option would serve as bonus content akin to the director commentary or trailer that accompany a movie download and would be accessed from Apple’s TV app on the iPhone or iPad.

The AR feature is expected to debut next year, ahead of an Apple headset in 2022 that will be built around augmented and virtual reality, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to discuss the plan publicly. A release of the TV+ feature had previously been set for later this year, but the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on software development and film production impeded that goal. Apple could ultimately decide to scrap the plan, the people said. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

This may be fascinating for users of Apple TV+ and will most definitely bring AR to more people, but I’m still waiting for the app or service that will bring AR to the masses.

iOS 14 beta 6 includes new UI that lets users recommend a place with a thumbs up or thumbs down. The rating system can differentiate between categories, so users can rate the quality of purchased products in a shop highly even if they didn’t get the best service. At least at this early stage, the rating UI is only visible for a small subset of all POIs on the map.

I really dislike Yelp—I don’t trust the reviews and it seems like a system that is abused a lot. Apple is also trying to prevent abuse of its system.

Apple is using on-device machine learning to present POI rating opportunities when it sees that someone has visited a place several times. The company will also be doing some checks to try and prevent abuse, such as only accepting ratings from people that have physically visited the place.

I like that. Of course, that’s the way it should be, but not always the way it’s been. This system may not be perfect, but they are taking steps to ensure it’s not abused.

Today Apple is updating Final Cut Pro X with powerful new features designed to enhance remote workflows and speed up editing for content creators. Improvements in creating and managing proxy media provide editors with portability and performance when working with large resolution formats, or when collaborating remotely. New social media tools automate video cropping in square, vertical, and other custom sizes for popular social media platforms, and new workflow improvements enhance the versatility and performance of Final Cut Pro — making the Mac stronger than ever for all video editors and motion graphics artists.

I wondered about the social media video cropping in a high-end tool like FCPX, but it makes sense these days—everyone is posting video to their networks, even studios. Apple also said they updated Motion and Compressor as well.

John Gruber:

Months ago, when I first started grocery shopping while wearing a mask, I switched my iPhone from an alphanumeric passphrase back to a 6-digit passcode for convenience. I did so thinking, basically, that even though a 6-digit passcode is less secure, anything truly dangerous like disabling Find My iPhone requires my iCloud password as well.

It simply never occurred to me that if a thief (or law enforcement, or any adversary) has the device passcode, and your iCloud password is in your keychain, they can get your iCloud password from your keychain. All you need is the device passcode to access all of the passwords in iCloud keychain. Try it — you can.

Go read the linked Daring Fireball post. Imagine if someone had your passcode, not just access to your unlocked phone, but the passcode itself, then had access to all the passwords in your iCloud Keychain. That is one helluva security nightmare.

Anyone disagree with this assessment? Is there a missing element here?

This is a great video from Jeff Benjamin, 9to5Mac, all about the nano-textured glass offered as a $500 upgrade to Apple’s 2020 iMac.

Watch the whole video, but pay specific attention at about 1:28 in, where you see the direct comparison between regular and nano-textured glass, when it comes to reflection. If that matters to you, at least $500 worth, get the nano-textured glass. And be sure to clean it with the provided cloth.

The Verge:

Epic Games just won a temporary restraining order against Apple — at least in part. Effective immediately, Apple can’t retaliate against Epic Games by terminating the company’s Apple developer accounts or restricting use of Epic’s Unreal Engine by developers on Apple platforms.

That’s half of what was at issue. And, to the massive community of developers who depend on Unreal Engine, a critical ruling.

But in the same ruling, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided that Apple will not be required to bring Fortnite — which it had banned after Epic added an in-app payment system in violation of Apple’s rules — back to the App Store.

And that’s the other half. Impacting Fortnite fans, perhaps, but not much more than a tiny ripple in the ocean of iOS apps.

This battle is just beginning. A few more things to read:

• The New York Times: To Fight Apple and Google’s Grip, Fortnite Creator Mounts a Crusade, a profile on Epic CEO Tim Sweeney (thus the “Battle of the Tims” tag you might encounter).

• The legal order itself. Scroll down to the Analysis section on page 4. Key to the whole thing is the issue of “irreparable harm”. In a nutshell, the judge ruled that Fortnite would not suffer irreparable harm if it was blocked from the App Store. At the same time, the judge ruled that Unreal Engine would suffer irreparable harm if Epic’s developer account was terminated.

More to come. Much more.

Associated Press:

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, was a tough act to follow. But Tim Cook seems to be doing so well at it that his eventual successor may also have big shoes to fill.

Yesterday was the 9th anniversary of Tim taking over for Steve. This AP article is a short recap of Tim’s time at the helm.

One particular highlight that stands out:

Asked what the company might look like under his management, Cook said that Apple needs “to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make.” It has doubled down on that commitment, becoming a major chip producer in order to supply both iPhones and Macs. He added that Apple would resist exploring most projects “so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us.”

Good read.

In celebration of the US National Park Service’s 104th birthday, on August 25, Apple today is introducing new ways for customers to support America’s parks — in person or from home. A new Apple Pay donation program, Apple Watch Activity Challenge, and special content collections give people the chance to experience the parks and learn more about what makes them an incredible national resource. These collections will be available in the Apple TV app, Apple Music, and the App Store.

From August 24 through 30, Apple will make a $10 donation to the National Park Foundation for each purchase made with Apple Pay on apple.com, in the Apple Store app, or at an Apple Store in the US.

This is great, cheers Apple.

Colette and The Imitation Game star Keira Knightley has found her next period drama – an adaptation of Sarah Perry’s novel The Essex Serpent for Apple TV+.

The Essex Serpent follows newly widowed Cora, played by Knightley, who, having being released from an abusive marriage, relocates from Victorian London to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, intrigued by a local superstition that a mythical creature known as the Essex Serpent has returned to the area.

I’m a big fan of period dramas, so this one interests me. Again, Apple is showing its willingness to sign a variety of shows to Apple TV+.

I have done this so many times in Photoshop. Amazing to read that I can do this in Preview. Will definitely be giving this a try.

The Ringer:

The Apple TV+ series, which is based on a character from an old NBC Premier League ad campaign, is somehow one of the most touching shows of 2020

And:

It was hard not to be skeptical when AppleTV+ first announced Ted Lasso. Even with the pedigree of veteran showrunner Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Cougar Town, the tragically short-lived Whiskey Cavalier), there didn’t seem to be much there in terms of a series. The “character” of Ted Lasso, as one-dimensional as it was, originated from a couple of NBC promos when it acquired the television rights to the English Premier League. The idea was that an American football coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, was hired as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur. Most of the jokes stemmed from Lasso being out of his depth, from one sport called football to another. (Ted Lasso is unaware that you can end a soccer match with a draw, among many other things.)

Let me just step in here and say, I absolutely felt the same way when I first saw this show premise. The problem, I think, was that the trailers highlighted the dumb, without the warmth, without the charm.

Ted Lasso the sitcom … seriously rules. The series has no right to be as good, funny, and moving as it is. And yet I devoured all 10 episodes in a single day while frantically messaging my editor in disbelief that this is one of my favorite new shows. As far as TV productions go, this might as well be Leicester City winning the Premier League.

I’m telling you, this might be the best Apple TV+ series. Absolutely worth your time. A bit like Scrubs, but more long arcs, less slapstick. And ignore the trailers. This is not a jokey show, this is all about character, driven by Jason Sudeikis and his pitch perfect take.

Side note to Bill Lawrence: Consider a trailer based on the box of treats Ted brings to his boss every morning. That’s a perfect example of the heart of this show. Why does this work? I don’t know. Heartstrings mixed with a bit of mystery? Whatever it is, the trailers are missing the magic part that makes this show so great.