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The Webcam-Covers Edition Thursday, June 23, 2016

Mark Zuckerberg Covers His Webcam With Tape. But He Shouldn't Have To., by Will Oremus, Slate

When you think about it, the surprise here is not that Zuckerberg, or anyone else, would want to cover their webcam when it isn’t in use. It’s that he has to use a piece of tape to do it. As privacy expert Adam Harvey points out, in an era when we’re increasingly aware of all the threats to our personal security, it would make a lot of sense for Apple and other computer makers to simply build webcam covers into their machines.

Coming To An OS Near You

Apple Confirms iOS Kernel Code Left Unencrypted Intentionally, by Kate Conger, TechCrunch

When Apple released a preview version of iOS 10 at its annual developers conference last week, the company slipped in a surprise for security researchers — it left the core of its operating system, the kernel, unencrypted.

“The kernel cache doesn’t contain any user info, and by unencrypting it we’re able to optimize the operating system’s performance without compromising security,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Forget The Stickers: iOS 10 Turned iMessage Into A Platform, And That's More Important, by Caitlin McGarry, Macworld

But the biggest change to Messages is more behind the scenes. Facebook Messenger and WeChat are taking over the world, but Apple’s decision to open up iMessage to developers makes it clear that the company isn’t yielding to the dominant messaging apps—in fact, it has an advantage.

Hands On With macOS Sierra, by Jason Snell, Six Colors

The X is dead—long live macOS. With this fall’s release of macOS Sierra, Apple is bringing some familiar iOS features to the Mac, along with interesting interactions with iOS hardware, a dramatic expansion of iCloud, a major update to Photos, and a lot more. I’ve spent the past few days using an early beta, and here are some first thoughts about where Apple is taking the Mac in 2016.

Apple In The Enterprise

Apple And IBM's Enterprise Alliance Just Scored A Major Retail Win, by Steve Ranger, ZDNet

UK pharmacy and beauty chain Boots is the first company to roll out a new retail app developed as part of IBM and Apple's enterprise deal.

IBM's 'Sales Assist' app allows iPad-touting sales staff to show product information and reviews to shoppers, to find out whether a particular item is available in store or at a nearby branch, and to order items for next day delivery. The retailer is running the app on 3,700 iPads across its stores.

Stuff

Dropbox For iOS Gains Document Scanner, Other Productivity Improvements, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

New to Dropbox's mobile apps, including Dropbox for iOS, is a built-in document scanner that uses an iPhone or iPad's camera to capture photos of whiteboards, notes, receipts, sketches, and more, converting them into documents that can be stored in Dropbox.

Simple Habit Aims To De-stress You With 5-minute Meditations, by Devindra Hardawar, Engadget

Standouts In Mobile Gaming, by Kit Eaton, New York Times

I recently looked through some app stores to find games that are innovative, beautiful and meaningful.

Develop

Why These People Are Upset About Apple’s Latest Updates, by John Patrick Pullen, Time

While app developers’ revenue depends on App Store access, some are left upset when Apple includes a feature similar to their own idea in a new product update.

Notes

Giving In And Not Giving In, by And Now It's All This

The longer you use computers, the more set you become in the ways you use them and the more certain you are that your ways are the right ways. There are, of course, people who disagree with you. Normally, these disagreements result in nothing more serious than a good-natured flame war, and you can continue to use your computers the way you want. But sometimes the disagreement is with the people who make the hardware and software you use, and that’s when things get tricky.

I Use My iPhone To Hide That I’m Homeless, by Jenny Powers, New York Post

Robert has been homeless since December.

And he’s part of a growing community of homeless New Yorkers using the internet as a means of survival. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, the problem is at its highest level now since the Great Depression: In April 2016 there were 60,060 homeless people sleeping in New York City shelters each night. But some displaced New Yorkers are able to avoid the system thanks to cellphone savvy.

Bottom of the Page

If you think that getting rid of the headphone jacks to go wireless (or Ligthning audio) does not bring a single ounce of benefits, you are not thinking hard enough.

The question is always about priorities and tradeoffs.

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Thanks for reading.