retrogusto

If 1930s canine fashion is your thing, there’s a limited number of options available to you as a human, so they can charge whatever they want. 

“That tab allows users to scan for AirTag models or other items nearby -- even if the device belongs to someone else. If any item is detected, Apple gives users the ability to disable the device so it isn't able to be used for tracking purposes.”

So anyone with an iPhone will be able to completely disable my AirTags if they are close enough, without even seeing them or knowing where they are? (If you hide one in your car, your bike or your luggage, any random malicious person could just walk by and disable it remotely?) It seems like these anti-stalking features are making them a lot less useful, especially for theft scenarios, but maybe still useful if you frequently misplace things. It seems to me that the stalking scenario (where a stranger hides one in your belongings) is infinitely less likely than the stealing scenario, but I guess privacy is the higher priority for Apple.

I got a notification saying that the service was temporarily unavailable, but I didn’t otherwise notice any interruptions. 

Appleish said:

While Apple had "tested versions" with add-ons such as an SD card slot, HDMI, and USB-A, it seems unlikely that Apple will be including them in the new variations, the report also claims.

Bad news for the three people who wanted these. 

I’m one of those three, I admit. I struggle to get behind some of Apple’s decisions, especially when they involve omitting features that would presumably cost very little to include, like an SD slot or a USB-A port. I figure it’s about wanting to force their version of the future, but honestly I could do without the “tough love” and sometimes I just want to use the same thing I’ve been using for years if it still works as well as (or better than) the latest thing. And I don’t mind paying more for a premium machine, but not if it’s also less capable or convenient in some simple ways than the machine it would be replacing. Maybe a fairly high percentage of users would never need USB-A at all, this many years since they stopped including it, but maybe a high percentage of users also would never “need” the full potential of the M1 chip either, and that’s not really the point. To me, it’s a question of making the best, most broadly capable and useful machine.

iPad OS 15 made my 10.5” iPad Pro (A10X fusion processor) noticeably jittery, performing worse than my iPad 2 did with some software, and I’m still hoping that as they revise it the performance will improve, but this release doesn’t solve the problem. If anybody is holding out to avoid this kind of issue, you should probably keep waiting unless you have other reasons that merit the trade-off.