FastMail Might Leave Australia Over Encryption Law

[The Mac Observer Express]

The Mac Observer Daily Headlines e-mail. Visit The Mac Observer at <https://www.macobserver.com/> -- You'll get your Mac news here from now on...
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Headlines at The Mac Observer for Saturday, February 23, 2019
<https://www.macobserver.com/>

1. FastMail Might Leave Australia Over Encryption Law
2. The Mystery of the Beats AirPlay 2 Speaker
3. 3 Security Flaws in 4G, 5G That Could Affect iPhones
4. 1TB MicroSD Cards Are Here And It’s Insane
5. App Developers Will Soon Be Able to Offer Discounts to Win Back Users
6. YouTube Kids Has Videos With Suicide Instructions
7. Apple News vs Publishers, Jeff Williams Talks Pricing – TMO Daily Observations 2019-02-25
8. Omnicharge is Launching a 12,800mAh Power Bank for $69
9. 5G T-Mobile Won’t Launch Until Later This Year
10. AirSelfie 2: Drone Not Ready for Prime Time
11. RokBlock, a 4-Inch Long Record Player: $89
12. Members of Congress Write to Tim Cook, Demand Saudi Arabia Female Tracking App Removed From App Store
13. Warren Buffett Holding His Stake in Apple
14. Apple COO Says Company ‘Very Aware’ of Pricing Concerns
15. Apple News Has Problems But Privacy Isn’t One of Them
16. Tim Cook Pays Tribute to Steve Jobs on Apple’s Co-Founder’s 64th Birthday
17. Apple Video Hows to Use Depth Control, and Defuse Awkward Situations With Your Partner
18. Apple and Content, Marzipan, and the Executive Shuffle, with Charlotte Henry – ACM 502
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1. FASTMAIL MIGHT LEAVE AUSTRALIA OVER ENCRYPTION LAW
Privacy email provider FastMail is losing customers because of Australia’s new anti-encryption laws, and faces calls to leave the country.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/fastmail-australia-encryption-law/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

2. THE MYSTERY OF THE BEATS AIRPLAY 2 SPEAKER
Zac Hall reminds us that right before Apple announced the HomePod, Craig Federighi showed a slide of speakers that would support AirPlay 2. But where is the Beats AirPlay 2 speaker? It’s been two years and we haven’t seen it.
A Beats AirPlay 2 speaker would still need Wi-Fi though. Wi-Fi would be new to the current Beats lineup, but it wouldn’t be the first Bluetooth + Wi-Fi combo AirPlay 2 speaker. Libratone’s versatile Zipp speaker retroactively added AirPlay 2 support to its existing portable Wi-Fi + Bluetooth speakers last year.
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/beats-airplay-2-speaker-mystery/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

3. 3 SECURITY FLAWS IN 4G, 5G THAT COULD AFFECT IPHONES
Three security flaws found in 4G and 5G networks could be used to intercept phone calls and track peoples’ location. 
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/4g-5g-security-flaws/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

4. 1TB MICROSD CARDS ARE HERE AND IT’S INSANE
1TB microSD cards are here, and it’s insane that the technology has reached this point. Western Digital, Samsung, and Micron have announced 1TB cards at Mobile World Congress.
The new SanDisk card can record with 90MB/S write speeds with up to 160MB/s read speeds. Western Digital says the card can transfer files with twice the speed of standard UHS-1 microSDs. That’s paired with 1TB of storage, designed to expand the memory of a smartphone or to manage large files in action cameras and drones. The card will also launch in a 512GB version.
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/1tb-microsd-cards/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

5. APP DEVELOPERS WILL SOON BE ABLE TO OFFER DISCOUNTS TO WIN BACK USERS
App developers will soon be able to offer three types of discounts to their existing and lapsed subscribers, Apple announced.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/developers-discount-offers-app-store/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

6. YOUTUBE KIDS HAS VIDEOS WITH SUICIDE INSTRUCTIONS
First, YouTube inadvertently helped pedophiles find underage content. Now, the YouTube Kids app shows kids how to commit suicide. 
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/youtube-kids-suicide-instructions/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

7. APPLE NEWS VS PUBLISHERS, JEFF WILLIAMS TALKS PRICING – TMO DAILY OBSERVATIONS 2019-02-25
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss opinions of Apple News and COO Jeff Williams’ comments on Apple pricing.
<https://www.macobserver.com/podcasts/tmo-daily-observations-2019-02-25/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

8. OMNICHARGE IS LAUNCHING A 12,800MAH POWER BANK FOR $69
Omnicharge is coming out with a series of power bank devices that will charge your Apple devices. One of them—Omnimobile 12,800mAh—offers 60W USB-C output, 10W wireless charging, and two fast charging USB-A ports. It’s great for people on the go because you don’t have to carry multiple power bank accessories or cables. You’ll be charging both your MacBook/iPad and iPhone with one device. The Mobile 12,800 has an ideal capacity for smaller 13” USB-C laptops and ultrabooks, but has enough power to charge even large 15” MacBooks and other laptops. It’s available on Indiegogo at US$69 as an early bird perk, which is 30% the regular price of US$99. The estimated delivery date is April 2019 so if you’re in the market for a new power bank, check this one out.
<https://www.macobserver.com/cool-stuff-found/omnimobile-12800-power-bank/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

9. 5G T-MOBILE WON’T LAUNCH UNTIL LATER THIS YEAR
Most smartphones coming out are designed to work on higher frequency cellular bands. But there aren’t any current phones that work on the 600MHz band.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/5g-t-mobile-delayed-2019/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

10. AIRSELFIE 2: DRONE NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME
Dr. Mac had high hopes for AirSelfie 2, a reasonably priced (under $200), pocket-sized drone made of anodized aeronautical grade aluminum with a 12-megapixel HD camera with anti-vibration shock absorbers. Read Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves Episode #319 and learn how his hopes were dashed…
<https://www.macobserver.com/columns-opinions/dr-macs-rants-raves/airselfie-2-drone-not-ready-for-prime-time/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

11. ROKBLOCK, A 4-INCH LONG RECORD PLAYER: $89
Our deal on the RokBlok is back. This device is billed as the world’s smallest record player, and it sits on your record, traveling around in a circle to play it. In the video below, you can hear that it produces a small sound, but it’s Bluetooth enabled for piping the sound to another set of speakers. It’s $99 through us, but coupon code ROK10 takes off $10, for a checkout price of $89.

<https://www.macobserver.com/link/rokblok-record-player-89/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

12. MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WRITE TO TIM COOK, DEMAND SAUDI ARABIA FEMALE TRACKING APP REMOVED FROM APP STORE
14 members of Congress wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook and his Google counterpart Sunder Pinchai, demanding their firms remove the Absher app. Insider published an investigation into the government-run app, reported on by TMO, earlier in February. It found that Absher has access to a database of women in the country. Men can use it to monitor the whereabouts of female relatives and even stop them leaving Saudi Arabia. The 14 representatives included Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Katherine Clark, and Jackie Speicer. Following the initial report, both Apple and Google said they would investigate Absher, but have since failed to comment.

In Thursday’s letter, the signatories said Google and Apple need to remove Absher as it “serves as [a] tracking device” used to “prevent the free movement of Saudi women.” They said: “Twenty-first-century innovations should not perpetuate sixteenth-century tyranny. “Keeping this application in your stores allows your companies and your American employees to be accomplices in the oppression of Saudi Arabian women and migrant workers,” the letter said.

<https://www.macobserver.com/link/congress-tim-cook-saudi-arabia-app-store/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

13. WARREN BUFFETT HOLDING HIS STAKE IN APPLE
World-renowned investor Warren Buffet said Monday that he is holding his Apple stake. However, the Berkshire Hathway founder told CNBC’s SquawkBox that his firm is not increasing its holding at the moment. He has previously said that his company “would love to see Apple go down” so it could buy the shares for a bargain price.
“If it were cheaper, we’d be buying it. We aren’t buying it here,” Buffett said in an interview with CNBC “Squawk Box” co-host Becky Quick. “I don’t see myself selling – the lower it goes, the better. I like it, obviously.” Buffett has made Apple a keystone of his expansive holdings and highlighted his own use of the company’s products. Buffett has made Apple a keystone of his expansive holdings and highlighted his own use of the company’s products. He said at his annual shareholders’ meeting in Omaha last May that “we would love to see Apple go down in price,” so he could buy more at a bargain.
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/warren-buffett-holding-apple-stake/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

14. APPLE COO SAYS COMPANY ‘VERY AWARE’ OF PRICING CONCERNS
COO Jeff Williams admitted Apple is “very aware” of product pricing concerns and said it wants “to be an egalitarian company.”
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/apple-coo-says-company-very-aware-of-pricing-concerns/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

15. APPLE NEWS HAS PROBLEMS BUT PRIVACY ISN’T ONE OF THEM
Hot takes abound in the wake of a report from DigiDay about how publishers are frustrated with Apple News. One of the cited issues is a lack of user targeting, which is great for users. One problem I see with Apple News is that the rumored News subscription might reward clickbait. But privacy is a big reason why I use Apple News. I can put up with ads, but the less time I spend on publishers’ websites infested with trackers, popups and autoplaying videos, the better. I have my favorite sites I subscribe to, but I do it through Apple News so the companies can’t sell my credit card information.
And while publishers remain frustrated with Apple News as a source of revenue, some said they appreciate where Apple is coming from. “I respect Apple and that they believe in privacy,” one source said. “It just makes it incredibly challenging to sell there.”
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/apple-news-problems-privacy/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

16. TIM COOK PAYS TRIBUTE TO STEVE JOBS ON APPLE’S CO-FOUNDER’S 64TH BIRTHDAY
On what would have been Steve Jobs’ 64th birthday, Apple CEO Tim Cook paid tribute to his former boss and late friend.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/tim-cook-steve-job-tribute-64th-birthday/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

17. APPLE VIDEO HOWS TO USE DEPTH CONTROL, AND DEFUSE AWKWARD SITUATIONS WITH YOUR PARTNER
Ever taken a lovely portrait, only for it to be ruined by someone lurking in the background? Apple feels you. Ever had a nice snap of your partner, but their friend or colleague features in it accidentally? Again, Apple feels you. That’s why it introduced depth control to iOS- the ability to adjust the depth of field before or after a picture is taken. As a new video released Sunday shows, the depth control tool can also help defuse an awkward conversation with your partner!
<https://www.macobserver.com/cool-stuff-found/apple-video-depth-control/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

18. APPLE AND CONTENT, MARZIPAN, AND THE EXECUTIVE SHUFFLE, WITH CHARLOTTE HENRY – ACM 502
Where is Apple going with its content drive? Bryan Chaffin is joined by guest-host Charlotte Henry to dive deep into original shows, services, publishing, news, and Apple’s other content ambitions. They also talk about the promise (and potential drawbacks) of Marzipan, and what Apple’s recent executive shuffling might portend.
<https://www.macobserver.com/podcasts/apple-and-content-marzipan-and-the-executive-shuffle-with-charlotte-henry-acm-502/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>