Lit Apple Mac, iPhone, iPad User Group

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"Gorogoa" ($4.99)

This hand-drawn, point-and-click game was named the iPad Game of the Year for 2018.

Find it the App Store here.



Playdead's "Inside" ($6.99)

PlayDead's "Inside" is an atmospheric adventure game with an emphasis on creative lighting and stealth gameplay. The game's unique style earned it a 2018 Apple Design Award.

Find it the App Store here.



"Monument Valley" 1 & 2 ($3.99 and $4.99)

"Monument Valley" is a beautiful puzzle game filled with colorful 3D backgrounds and well-designed mazes. The story unfolds around a silent princess as the player guides her through each new area.

Find it the App Store here.
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"Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade" (Free)

Based on the popular series of table-top games, "Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade" lets the player pilot a mechanized war suit in more than 170 single-player missions. Each suit is customizable and players unlock new parts as they play.

Find it the App Store here.



"Marvel Contest of Champions" (Free)

"Marvel Contest of Champions" is a combat-strategy game featuring dozens of characters from Marvel Comics. Players build their own team of superheroes to fight their way through the game's missions, improving their favorite characters and unlocking more as they progress.

Find it the App Store here.



"The Talos Principle" ($4.99)

Originally developed for PC, "The Talos Principle" is an open-world puzzle game with more than 120 challenges. Players explore their environment and slowly unravel the mystery behind the game's unusual setting.

Find it the App Store here.
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The new MacBook Air is $200 off at Best Buy for three days only

• In the market for a new laptop? Now is the time to buy, especially if you're an Apple fan.
  
  
• Best Buy is running a three-day sale of the new MacBook Air, which is being discounted by $200.
  
  
• That means you can score one for yourself for $999.99 instead of the original $1,199.99 price.

Getting $200 off a new MacBook Air is a pretty big deal, especially considering the fact that the MacBook Air was released quite recently in October 2018. Often, when Apple announces new products, they don't get heavy discounts like this until at least 10 months later.

You can get that $200 discount at Best Buy from today, March 7 through Saturday, March 9.

The MacBook Air is a perfect laptop for those who want a highly capable device that's ultra lightweight. The computer features an updated design compared to the previous-generation model with slimmer black bezels, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and two USB-C ports on the left. The 13.3-inch screen looks great, too.

As you might expect, the laptop also has updated internal specs. The base model of the computer features an 8th-generation 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor, coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you want, you can upgrade the device to offer up to 16GB of RAM and 1.5TB of storage — though you will need to pay a little more for those upgraded models.

Perhaps the best thing about the laptop is how it blends performance with portability. The device is only 0.61-inches thick at its thickest and weighs in at 2.75 pounds, which makes it extremely easy to carry in a backpack or even by hand. But what are the downsides to the laptop? Well, usually it's that the computer is slightly expensive, but with this new deal, that's not really an issue.
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Apple's 'It's show time' video and Apple News event is on March 25 at Steve Jobs Theater


Apple has invited members of the press to an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on March 25, expected to include the unveiling of Apple's news and video services.

The invitations for the March 25 event confirm long standing rumors of the date and also that the event will be held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park, Cupertino. While the invitation includes no more details than the time and venue, it does say that "it's show time" and the animation included in the video has a distinct film leader countdown indicative of the Apple's video service.

As ever, Apple has not announced anything that it plans to announce at the event, but it is expected to center on services rather than hardware. Specifically, Apple's updating of its news offering into a subscription service is believed to be central to the event.

Similarly, the forthcoming streaming video service from Apple is at least expected to be revealed even if its actual launch may not be until later in the year.
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HEADS UP!
At a high level trying to show what Steve Jobs and AT&T a.k.a. "Ma Bell" connection to the Web.
Broke out into several posts to help me keep it organized and not a big single post

(know that's not Kunal Nayyar, credits rolling during this scene
and not spending time to clean up image)

What can I say? just felt like getting some Chinese chow for my peeps and I got my geek on

Tim Berners-Lee made a proposal for an information management system on March 11 1989

 

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A NeXT Computer was used by Berners-Lee as the world's first web server and also to write the first web browser, WorldWideWeb, in 1990. By Christmas 1990, Berners-Lee had built all the tools necessary for a working Web: the first web browser (which was a web editor as well) and the first web server. The first web site, which described the project itself, was published on 20 December 1990.

NeXT, Inc. was an American computer and software company founded in 1985 by Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs.

Release date September 18, 1990
Introductory price US$10,000 (equivalent to $19,177 in 2018)

The NeXT computers experienced relatively limited sales, with estimates of about 50,000 units shipped in total. Nevertheless, their innovative object-oriented NeXTSTEP object-oriented, multitasking operating system based on UNIX and development environment were highly influential.


Apple purchased NeXT in 1997 for $429 million, and 1.5 million shares of Apple stock. As part of the agreement, Steve Jobs, Chairman and CEO of NeXT Software, returned to Apple, the company he co-founded in 1976. The founder promised to merge software from NeXT with Apple's hardware platforms, eventually resulting in macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. These operating systems are completely based upon the NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP foundation. Many bundled macOS applications, such as TextEdit, Mail, and Chess, are descendants of NeXTSTEP applications.
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AT&T Unix is a multitasking, multiuser computer operating system, development starting in the 1970s at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and others

Ken Thompson (sitting) and Dennis Ritchie working together at a PDP-11



in 1969, a team of Bell Labs researchers led by Thompson and Ritchie, implemented a hierarchical file system (HFS), the concepts of computer processes and device files, a command-line interpreter, and some small utility programs. The resulting system was to become Unix.






Of interest:

In 1999, during George W. Bush's campaign for President, Jim Wilkinson (professional politician at the time) helped sell the idea that Al Gore claimed to have "invented the Internet"
FACT CHECK: Did Al Gore Say "I Invented the Internet"? | Snopes
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Apple's iCloud services suffer outage for some users

A number of Apple's cloud services are experiencing an outage, with the iPhone maker acknowledging the existence of issues affecting some users of News, Photos, Find My iPhone, and various key iCloud functions.


Apple's iCloud status web page says there are "issues" with several products and notes that users may not be able to access those services.
The issues are being experienced for iCloud Account and Sign In, iCloud Backup, iCloud Bookmarks and Tabs, iCloud Calendar, iCloud Contacts, iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, iCloud Mail, iCloud Notes, iCloud Reminders, iCloud Storage Upgrades, iCloud Web Apps, and iWork for iCloud. Other non-iCloud items down for some users include Back to My Mac, Documents In The Cloud, Find My Friends, Find My iPhone, Mail Drop, News, and Photos.

The outage comes a day after Facebook suffered one of its worst technical outages in the company's history. Facebook attributed the outage, which left its core social networking platform and its Instagram app unavailable to many users on Wednesday, to a server configuration change.

Earlier this week, Google's Gmail suffered technical problems.
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Apple just surprised with major updates to the iPad Air and iPad Mini

• Apple announced major updates to the iPad Air and iPad Mini lines on Monday morning.
  
  
• Both devices are getting updated internals.
  
  
• Perhaps most significantly, both the iPad Air and iPad Mini now support the Apple Pencil.

Apple just surprised by announcing major updates to both the iPad Air and iPad Mini.

Both devices are getting their internals upgraded, and both are getting support for the Apple Pencil.

The same A12 Bionic chip that powers Apple's iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR will now power both the iPad Air and iPad Mini.

The new iPad Air supports the Apple Pencil and Apple's Smart Keyboard.



Apple says the addition of the A12 offers a "70% boost in performance" to the iPad Air, while the iPad Mini is "three times more powerful" than the previous model.

Both updated devices are available starting on Monday, and are scheduled to arrive in stores in the coming week. The iPad Air starts at $499, and the iPad Mini starts at $399.
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Apple just updated the iMac for the first time since 2017 with a big performance boost

• Apple just refreshed its 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models with more powerful processors and faster graphics.
  
  
• It's the first time Apple has updated the iMac since 2017.
  
  
• Both new models are available online immediately and arrive in Apple Stores next week.

Both are available to order starting on Tuesday from apple.com and the Apple Store App, and in Apple Stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers the week of March 25. The new 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display starts at $1,299 and the new 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display starts at $1,799. The non-Retina display iMac configuration continues to be available for $1,099 — the same base price as the previous models.



21.5-inch iMac 4K configurations
The base model iMac 4K has a 3.6 GHz quad-core eighth-generation i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a Radeon Pro 555x. A $1499 configuration has a 3.0 GHz six-core eighth generation i5 processor, a 1TB fusion drive and the Radeon Pro 560X. The type of RAM in this model is still 2133MHz DDR4 memory.

The $1499 configuration can be upgraded with a 3.2GHz eighth-generation i7 processor for $200, and the Vega 20 graphics for an additional $350. Upgrading to 512GB of flash storage retails for $300. A configuration with that i7 processor, Vega 20, 512GB of flash storage and 16GB of RAM retails for $2549, with shipments on April 3. Both upgraded configurations use 2666MHz DDR4 RAM.

27-inch iMac configurations
The 27-inch iMac base configuration for $1799 includes a 3.0 GHz six-core eighth generation processor with a peak speed of 4.1 GHz, 8GB of DDR4RAM, a 1TB fusion drive, and a Radeon Pro 570X. A 27-inch configuration is available for $2299 that has a 3.7 GHz six-core ninth generation i5 processor with a peak speed of 4.6 GHz, 8GB of RAM, a 2TB Fusion Drive, and the Radeon Pro 580X. The RAM on all configurations has been upgraded to 2666MHz DDR4.

The i9 processor can be added to the $2299 27-inch iMac configuration for $400, with Vega 48 graphics available for $450. Moving to 512GB of flash storage on the high-end incurs a $100 charge as well. Adding the i9, 512GB of Flash instead of the super drive, the Vega 48 graphics, and upgrading to 16GB of RAM will retail for $3349, with delivery around April 3.



The upgrade gives Apple more leverage to remain competitive with similarly priced Windows machines, as it's not uncommon for all-in-one PCs in this price range to offer six to eight cores. For example, HP offers a 27-inch Envy all-in-one for $1,449 that includes six cores, and Dell sells a $1,399 Inspiron all-in-one with eight cores.

The latest iMacs provide a way for consumers to get more speed and multitasking prowess without paying up for a higher-end iMac Pro, which is more computer than many consumers really need. That's because the iMac Pro's Intel Xeon processors are designed for tasks like real-time data analytics and cloud computing. The new iMacs, by contrast, rely on Intel's Core line of microprocessors, which are optimized for everyday projects and productivity.

The refresh comes just one day after Apple introduced its latest iPad mini and iPad Air models on Monday. Apple's online store went down ahead of the announcement, leading to speculation that Apple could unveil new iMac computers shortly. The announcement is also timed days ahead of Apple's event on March 25, where it's expected to unveil a Netflix competitor and a news subscription service. The company is not expected to introduce new hardware, as the new services are expected to be the company's area of focus for this event.

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New AirPods Launch With H1 Chip, Hey Siri, Up to 50% More Talk Time, and Optional Wireless Charging Case


Apple today in a press release introduced new second-generation AirPods powered by an Apple-designed H1 chip that enables hands-free "Hey Siri" functionality and up to 50 percent more talk time compared to the original AirPods.

Apple says the H1 chip in the new AirPods makes switching between the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac up to two times faster, and enables up to a 1.5x faster connection time for phone calls and up to 30 percent lower gaming latency.

Hands-free Siri allows AirPods users to say "Hey Siri" to change songs, make phone calls, adjust the volume, get directions, and more.

The new AirPods get up to three hours of talk time per charge, compared to up to two hours with the previous generation. Other battery life figures remain the same, with up to five hours of listening time per charge and more than 24 hours of total battery life from extra charges stored in the case.

The new AirPods have the same outward design as the original and remain available in white only.

The new AirPods are available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app starting today with a wired charging case for $159, the same price as the original AirPods, and with a wireless charging case for $199. Both options will be available at Apple Stores and select resellers starting next week.

The wireless charging case is also available individually for $79 for use with both the first-generation and second-generation AirPods. An LED light indicator located on the front of the case shows the charge status at a glance.

Apple also announced that free engraving is now available on any AirPods charging case for orders placed on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app.
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Microsoft ships antivirus for macOS as Windows Defender becomes Microsoft Defender

Microsoft is expanding the reach of its device management services.



Microsoft is bringing its Windows Defender anti-malware application to macOS—and more platforms in the future—as it expands the reach of its Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) platform. To reflect the new cross-platform nature, the suite is also being renamed to Microsoft Defender ATP, with the individual clients being labelled "for Mac" or "for Windows."

macOS malware is still something of a rarity, but it's not completely unheard of. Ransomware for the platform was found in 2016, and in-the-wild outbreaks of other malicious software continue to be found. Apple has integrated some malware protection into macOS, but we've heard from developers on the platform that Mac users aren't always very good at keeping their systems on the latest point release. This situation is particularly acute in corporate environments; while Windows has a range of tools to ensure that systems are kept up-to-date and alert administrators if they fall behind, a similar ecosystem hasn't been developed for macOS.


The initial preview of Defender for Mac will focus on signature-based malware detection. This is just the start, however. Defender ATP for Windows tracks various system behaviors and reports them to the ATP cloud service, which can be used to detect threats even without identifying any specific piece of malware. For example, if a system is iteratively opening and overwriting all its documents, there's a good chance that it's running some kind of ransomware process that's systematically encrypting the user's files. ATP can alert administrators that this is happening. The Mac client should over time grow to include similar reporting capabilities. Microsoft is also integrating it into other cloud services, such as Intune device management.

Those cloud services are growing ever more capable, too. Microsoft's system-management software can already report on systems that are using insecure configurations or running out-of-date software, but Defender ATP's new Threat & Vulnerability Management will expand this. The various risk factors will be prioritized according to the current threat landscape—for example, updating systems running insecure software versions becomes more pressing if there's active exploitation in the wild—so that administrators can focus on the software updates and configuration changes that offer the most bang for their buck in terms of improving their exposure to risks.

Further, TVM will integrate with Intune and System Center Configuration Manager to push the recommended fixes to machines that need them. TVM can then track the progress of these remediation activities as they're rolled out.


Since taking over as CEO in 2014, Satya Nadella has steered Microsoft in an Apple-friendly direction. Many Microsoft products have made the transition to Macs, iPhones, and iPads,
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Best Buy's Tax Day sale is going on right now — save $400 on a 15-inch MacBook Pro and up to $150 on the iPhone XS and XS Max

If you have a decent tax refund this year, Best Buy wants to help you spend it on tech with its 3 Day Tax Day Sale.

There are a ton of products on sale, but standouts include savings on the much-loved iPhone XS and XS Max, the MacBook Pro laptops, TVs, and more.

Perhaps the coolest sale is on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. If you're on Sprint's network, you can save $150 on either phone, and if you're on AT&T's network, you can save $100 on the phones.

The iPhone XS and XS Max are the latest iPhones: Both have sharp screens with minimal bezels, and a dual 12-megapixel camera.

If you're in the market for a laptop, then there are also some great deals for you. Perhaps the best laptop deal is on the MacBook Pro. For certain 15-inch MacBook Pro models, you'll save up to $400. If you want the smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro, you'll still get a savings of around $300.

Other deals are worth checking out, too. You can save on some iPad models, including the last-generation iPad Pros, as well as on products like solid-state storage drives, and more. You can check out all the deals for yourself here.



Get the iPhone XS from Best Buy for $35.41/month for 24 months on Sprint [You save $150]


Get the iPhone XS Max from Best Buy for $39.58/month for 24 months on Sprint [You save $150]


Get the iPhone XS from Best Buy for $29.99/month for 30 months on AT&T [You save $100]


Get the iPhone XS Max from Best Buy for $33.33/month for 30 months on AT&T [You save $100]


Get the 13-inch MacBook Pro from Best Buy for $1,499.99+ [You save $300]


Get the 15-inch MacBook Pro from Best Buy for $1,999.99+ [You save $400]



Check out all the deals from Best Buy's 3 Day Tax Day Sale here.

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Apple's 2019 iMac 4K drops to $1,099 ($200 off) while supplies last

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Mere days after Apple announced new iMacs, Apple authorized resellers are already issuing steep discounts on the 2019 21.5-inch iMac 4K, delivering the lowest price available at $1,099 for the standard model.

21.5" iMac 4K (3.6GHz 8GB 1TB HDD Radeon 555X) MRT32LL/A: $1,099 @B&H ($200 off)
21.5" iMac 4K (3.6GHz 8GB 1TB HDD Radeon 555X) MRT32LL/A: $1,099 @Amazon ($200 off)


The $200 instant discount is valid only while supplies last, and both Amazon and B&H's Apple deals have been known to sell out quickly. According to Amazon, units will begin shipping on March 26, allowing for fast delivery immediately after launch. B&H is also throwing in free shipping and will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside many states, including California and Florida. Orders are shipped on a first come, first served basis.

This particular iMac 4K configuration is equipped with a 3.6GHz 8th-generation Intel Core i3 processor and 8GB of 2666MHz DDR4 memory. The Radeon Pro 555X graphics card offers 2GB of GDDR5 video memory, while the chassis has two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports for connecting peripherals. At $1,099 this is a 15% markdown.
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Apple Event deals: $699 2018 iPad Pros; $999 2018 MacBook Airs; $300 off quad-core 13-inch MacBook Pros


In celebration of Monday's Apple event, Amazon is knocking hundreds off current hardware, with 2018 iPad Pros starting at $699 and Macs as low as $999.

Each MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iPad Pro deal rings in as the lowest price available, with free shipping for added value. Supplies may be limited, and Amazon's Apple deals have been known to sell out quickly, so don't delay if you want to take advantage of the bargains.



11-inch iPad Pros (Late 2018)

11" iPad Pro (64GB, Wi-Fi): $699.99 ($100 off)
11" iPad Pro (512GB, Wi-Fi): $999.99 ($150 off)
11" iPad Pro (512GB, Wi-Fi + LTE): $1,199.99 ($100 off)
11" iPad Pro (1TB, Wi-Fi): $1,399.99 ($150 off)
11" iPad Pro (1TB, Wi-Fi + LTE): $1,599 ($100 off)




12.9-inch iPad Pros (Late 2018)

12.9" iPad Pro (64GB, Wi-Fi): $874.99 ($125 off)



MacBook Airs (Late 2018)

2018 MacBook Air (1.6GHz 8GB 128GB): $999.99 ($200 off)
2018 MacBook Air (1.6GHz 8GB 256GB): $1,199.99 ($200 off)



13" MacBook Pros with Touch Bar (Mid 2018)

2018 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (2.3GHz 8GB 256GB) Silver: $1,599.99 ($200 off)
2018 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (2.3GHz 8GB 512GB) Silver: $1,699.99 ($300 off)
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Apple brings back 'Think Different,' 1984, dancing iPod people in event launch video

Apple has opened the "It's show time" Apple News and video event with a special animated introduction, one that highlights all of the important ad campaigns and products that the company has produced over the years in a fast-paced movie-style preroll.

Starting before the "Feature Presentation" and ahead of Apple CEO Tim Cook's arrival on stage at the "It's show time" event, the animation echoes back to the movie introductions from the 1960s and 1970s, with an uptempo beat accompanied by flashy motion graphics. Starting with the rainbow Apple logo, the video progressed through all of the various pieces of hardware and software Apple has created, with each framed as offering a different "role" in the production.

A "Think Different Production," the video moves on to reference the Mac, iPhone, HomePod, iPod, Siri, Apple Pencil, and other products. There are also sections reminiscing about the iconic silhouette advertising campaign, and the clip's direction by "The Crazy Ones."



Opening Film — March 2019 Apple Event

I"m putting together a recap of oday's event that I want to post this evening

The iPhone giant's announcements included a new gaming service, a physical credit card in partnership with Goldman Sachs, and a streaming service to compete with Netflix. Apple also unveiled Apple News+, its new magazine service, which will include digital outlets and newspapers.
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Here's what Apple announced at its big March event


Apple kicked off the event with a video from what it called "A Think Different Production." It appeared to be a mock trailer showcasing Apple's products throughout the years, and was filled with a lot of fun references to Apple products and its history.

Apple CEO Tim Cook then took the stage to explain what the audience was in for: "We've also been growing our collection of world class services, and that is what today is all about," Cook said. "Hardware, software and services. This is something Apple does better than anyone else."

First up: Apple News Plus, Apple's new magazine service. It will offer access to 300 magazines, all of which will be available in a single package.

Apple News Plus will include Live Covers, which turn the cover photos into what appears to be short videos. You can browse articles within the issue by swiping, and there's a "My Magazines" section for your favorite publications. You'll also see suggestions for magazines you might like.

Apple News Plus also includes digital news outlets and newspapers like Vulture, TechCrunch, the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

It will cost $9.99 per month and you can share it with family members.




Next up: Apple is launching a new service called Apple Card, which will be coming to the Wallet app in the US this summer.

Apple Card is backed by Goldman Sachs and MasterCard.

Users will be able to sign up on their phones and, within minutes, be able to use their Apple Card. If users need help with their cards, they can contact Apple directly through the Messages app.

There will be an interface that shows recent transactions that leverages Apple Maps to show where the transaction occurred.

Apple Card will also have a rewards program called Daily Cash, where users will get 2% of the purchase amount when they use Apple Pay in Daily Cash.

Apple is also touting no fees — no international fees, no over limit fees, etc. They also won't charge a penalty if you miss a payment.

Apple Card will use a secure element to protect transactions. Every purchase is authenticated with Touch ID or Face ID. And information about your transactions is processed on device, not on Apple's servers. It's designed with your privacy in mind, Apple's Jennifer Bailey said on stage.



Apple is also launching a physical credit card with no card number and no security code on the card. "It's the most beautifully designed card ever," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay.

Next up: Apple is launching Apple Arcade, a new gaming service. The service is launching in the fall with pricing and more details to come.

Apple Arcade will offer access to more than 100 new and exclusive games that Apple says you won't find these games on any other mobile platform.

Games will work across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. You'll be able to pick up from where you left off across devices, and games will be playable offline.



Now, on to Apple TV. Apple designed a new TV experience called Apple TV Channels, which lives inside the new Apple TV App.

Apple TV Channels will let you pay only for what you want, all in one app, that's on-demand and ad-free. It's available online or off. The service will include HBO, Showtime, Starz, and more.

"This is how TV should work," Apple's Peter Stern said.



Apple has also redesigned the Apple TV app.

The new Apple TV app starts with Watch Next, which lets you pick up from where you left off. Everything from your cable providers and services like Hulu and Prime Video are housed within the app.

There's also a dedicated Kids section for child-friendly content.

Apple announced that the Apple TV app is coming to the Mac for the first time this fall, as well as smart TVs made by Samsung this spring, followed by Sony, LG, and Vizio. The app is coming to Roku and Amazon, too.



Apple is also launching a new service called Apple TV Plus. Apple described it as a new service dedicated to "the best stories ever told." This service is ad-free and will be available in more than 100 countries coming this fall.

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This isn't Apple devices specific, but rather retailer and dubious malware-scanning software



Office Depot rigged PC malware scans to sell unneeded $300 tech support

Office Depot and its software supplier have to pay $35 million toward refunds.

Office Depot and a partner company tricked customers into buying unneeded tech support services by offering PC scans that gave fake results, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Consumers paid up to $300 each for unnecessary services.

The FTC announced that Office Depot and its software supplier, Support.com, have agreed to pay a total of $35 million in settlements with the agency. Office Depot agreed to pay $25 million while Support.com will pay the other $10 million. The FTC said it intends to use the money to provide refunds to wronged consumers.

Between 2009 and 2016, Office Depot and OfficeMax offered computer scans inside their stores using a "PC Health Check" software application created and licensed by Support.com.

"Defendants bilked unsuspecting consumers out of tens of millions of dollars from their use of the PC Health Check program to sell costly diagnostic and repair services," the FTC alleged in a complaint that accuses both companies of violating the FTC Act's prohibition against deceptive practices. As part of the settlements, neither company admitted or denied the FTC's allegations.

The FTC filed its complaint against the companies in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, while at the same time unveiling the settlements with each company.
“Infections” found on brand-new PCs

KIRO 7 in Seattle aired an exposé on the practice in November 2016. The news station found that Office Depot stores claimed to find infections in brand-new computers that had never been connected to the Internet.

The stores offered PC Health Check scans for free, while claiming the value of the scans was between $20 and $60. But PC Health Check was configured to tell consumers their computers were infected regardless of what any scan showed, according to the FTC. At the beginning of each scan, consumers were asked if they experienced PC problems such as repeated crashes or slowness. Any yes answer in that survey guaranteed that the program would flag a problem with the user's computer.

"[W]hile Office Depot claimed the program detected malware symptoms on consumers' computers, the actual results presented to consumers were based entirely on whether consumers answered 'yes' to four questions they were asked at the beginning of the PC Health Check program," the FTC said. "These included questions about whether the computer ran slow, received virus warnings, crashed often, or displayed pop-up ads or other problems that prevented the user from browsing the Internet."

Obviously, a PC user who brings a computer to a store for a malware scan is likely to suspect that there is a problem, and thus likely to check one of those boxes. If a box was checked, the software falsely told customers that PC scans found "malware symptoms" or "infections" even if computers weren't infected, according to the FTC.

PC Health Check "tricked those consumers into thinking their computers had symptoms of malware or actual 'infections,' even though the scan hadn't found any such issues," the FTC said in a blog post. "Many consumers who got false scan results bought computer diagnostic and repair services from Office Depot and OfficeMax that cost up to $300. Suppport.com completed the services and got a cut of each purchase."

Screenshot from Office Depot's PC scanning program.



Office Depot and OfficeMax merged in 2013. Even before the merger, both were using Support.com, which provides "cloud-based software and technical support services" directly to consumers and indirectly through clients such as office supply retailers, the FTC said.


Software provided limited “optimizations”

Office Depot "tech experts" told customers that PC Health Check would "optimize" their computers, but in reality the software "did not run complete diagnostics on consumers' computers," the FTC said. Some later versions of the software did some "limited optimizations... such as removing junk files and reconfiguring certain settings."

After displaying fake scan results to consumers who had checked any of the four boxes, PC Health Check "also displayed a 'view recommendation' button with a detailed description of the tech services consumers were encouraged to purchase—services that could cost hundreds of dollars—to fix the problems."

In some cases, store employees checked the boxes themselves, guaranteeing that the software would produce a warning, the FTC complaint said. "Defendants trained Office Depot and OfficeMax store employees on how to utilize the PC Health Check Program and instructed store employees to check any of the Initial Checkbox Statements that applied based on the consumer's responses," the complaint said. "Consistent with their training, Office Depot and OfficeMax store employees read each of the Initial Checkbox Statements once the program began and selected the corresponding box based on the consumer's response."


Stores censured for not meeting sales goals

Employees who pushed the scans got "positive performance reviews" and "extra commissions" if they "met their weekly PC Health Check runs and tech-support service sales goals," the FTC said. "At the same time, the Office Depot companies censured store managers and store employees who continually failed to meet these company-wide targets." Stores that failed to meet their targets were subjected to "'underperforming' calls with the stores' managers that reproached their stores' performances."

When Office Depot sought additional revenue, "it instructed its stores collectively to raise millions of dollars in profit by increasing the number of PC Health Check services performed and the rate of converting the PC Health Check services into tech-service sales," the FTC said.

In November 2016, Office Depot suspended its use of PC Health Check after KIRO 7 "aired a series of investigative reports about the tech service divisions of Office Depot stores in Washington and Oregon that were flagging malware or malware symptoms on computers that were, unbeknownst to the stores, brand new and straight out of the box," the FTC said.

Instead of providing assurances that Office Depot wouldn't continue the practice, "the senior manager at the Office Depot companies primarily responsible for procuring tech-support vendors testified, under oath, that it would be proper for the company to continue offering the same PC Health Check to consumers even after the KIRO 7 news report," the FTC said. Office Depot finally severed its relationship with Support.com in 2017, but the office chain bought another tech-support company and is "continuing to offer computer diagnostic services and sell computer repair services."

The FTC said the settlement prohibits Office Depot "from making misrepresentations about the security or performance of a consumer's electronic device and requires the company to ensure its existing and future software providers do not engage in such conduct." The settlement requires Office Depot to submit to compliance monitoring. Support.com faces similar provisions in its settlement with the FTC.
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[sultrysandy]

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Comparing AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, & Verizon's unlimited wireless plans for iPhone in 2019


All four of the major carriers in the United States offer competitive "Unlimited" plans, but they all vary in terms of what they actually offer to customers. Comparing the plans to try and work out what actually provides the better deal for iPhone users.

The mobile network business is extremely competitive, with all of the main wireless plans offering similar items, including "unlimited" calls, texts, and data allowances. While this is mostly true, "unlimited" really means LTE speeds for a certain amount before potentially being cut down to slower data rates, with the allowance varying between carriers and plans.

Carriers are also offering many extras to their plans that aren't directly communications-based, such as subscriptions to video or music services. Savvy shoppers may feel they can get a bit of a deal by going for such plans, with the money from not paying for a subscription directly offsetting some of the overall cost of the plan.

All four of the main carriers have similar unlimited plans at first glance, but as will be explained, there are quite a few differences to take into account when deciding where to spend your hard-earned money.


AT&T

The offering from AT&T hasn't changed much from the last time Taking a look at it, but this time under the $70 before taxes and fees Unlimited &More and $80 Unlimited &More Premium names that take advantage of AT&T's online television offerings. Both plans offer unlimited calls, texts, and data that work in the United States as well as for Mexico and Canada, as well as more than 35 channels of live and on-demand television.

The differences start with the data, as while both are "unlimited," AT&T's slowdown during times of network congestion for the non-Premium version can kick in from the very first byte of data, while Premium users are safe from such measures for their first 22 gigabytes in a billing cycle. The standard also does not have mobile tethering, whereas Premium has 15 gigabytes available per line.

There is also a difference in terms of the resolution of video that can be streamed on each, and again Premium customers are better off with 1080p HD streaming versus 480p "DVD quality" streams that max out at 1.5Mbps.

Premium adds in an extra bonus for subscribers, with the choice of one of HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, VRV, Amazon Music Unlimited, or Pandora Premium subscriptions.


Sprint

Last time, Sprint had just one tier of service, but now it is offering three: Unlimited Basic, Plus, and Premium, priced at $60, $70, and $90 before taxes and fees respectively. All offer unlimited calls, texts, and data usage, as well as free text and basic data when roaming in more than 200 countries, and unlimited talk and text in Mexico and Canada.

Basic provides 480p video streaming, upgrading to 1080p for Plus then "Full HD Streaming" for Premium. The mobile hotspot allowance also goes up with the price, from 500 megabytes for Basic to 50 gigabytes in Plus, and 100 gigabytes in Premium.

This data limitation also extends to roaming in Canada and Mexico, as while Premium users have unlimited 4G LTE data while in those destinations, the allowance goes down to 10 gigabytes and 5 gigabytes for Plus and Basic respectively.

On all tiers, users will find their data reducing from LTE to 3G speeds after exceeding 50 gigabytes of usage in a month.

One other add-on users could consider is the inclusion of streaming services. Basic has Hulu, with Plus adding Tidal on top, but Premium users also have Lookout and Amazon Prime at their disposal.


Verizon

Verizon has three plans on offer. Go Unlimited is the basic service at $75 per month for one line, before taxes and fees, while Beyond Unlimited is $85 and Above Unlimited is $95. The primary difference is when each are subject to slowdowns caused by network congestion, with Go automatically affected while Beyond and Above have 22-gigabyte and 75-gigabyte allowances before the slowdown rules apply.

All do include an unlimited hotspot facility, but where Go is limited to 600Kbps, Beyond allows up to 15 gigabytes at LTE speeds before reducing down, and Above sets the tethering barrier at 20 gigabytes. Video streaming is limited to "DVD-quality" on Go, described as 480p, but the other two allow "HD" 720p streams through.

The three plans all have unlimited texts and minutes, offer usage in Mexico and Canada, Verizon Up Rewards, and a six-month subscription to Apple Music.

On top of that, Above Unlimited also has five "TravelPasses" per month for roaming using the device in 185 countries and 500 gigabytes of Verizon Cloud storage.


T-Mobile

As with Verizon, T-Mobile has kept its offering pretty much the same, with two plans called T-Mobile One and T-Mobile One Plus. The standard T-Mobile One costs $70 per month for one line, with Plus costing an additional $15. Unusually, T-Mobile is including taxes and fees as part of the plan's marketed cost.

Under the standard One plan, customers get unlimited calls, texts, and data, with a 50 gigabyte LTE allowance before speed limiting comes into play. Texting and data abroad is also included, with the addition of talk in Mexico and Canada, as well as mobile hotspot data, albeit at 3G speeds, and video is streamed at 480p.

Bonus items under the basic plan includes the standard Netflix plan, free texting from Gogo while flying, and other weekly freebies.

Adding Plus to the plan brings streams up from "DVD" to "HD," though the resolution is not specified, as well as a 20-gigabyte LTE allowance for tethering before dropping to 3G speeds. There is also unlimited in-flight Gogo Wi-Fi, faster data speeds while abroad, a Voicemail-to-Text facility, and Name ID, which tries to identify calls from unknown numbers.


Which do you go for?

Your primary concern has nothing to do with the features of each plan and everything to do with reception, as there is no point opting for a plan if there is no coverage for that particular carrier for where you live, work, or generally need to use your devices. While Sprint and T-Mobile tend to fare very well in urban areas, neither is great in rural locales, making AT&T and Verizon better bets for those who travel and need coverage everywhere.

The cost of each carrier's unlimited plans for one line, per month.



For urbanites, the decision is less clear-cut as there's a lot of elements to consider.

If the amount of data you need to use is important, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Above Unlimited's throttling limits of 50 gigabytes or more are going to be the main attraction. For tethering, Sprint's Unlimited Premium is king, but with strong showings from Sprint Unlimited Plus, T-Mobile One Plus, and Verizon Above Unlimited.

The limits for each price plan before connection throttling can occur, and how much tethering allowance each offers.



The extra additions of each plan in terms of third-party services are also worth considering, especially in relation to the price of the plan, and if you already have a subscription for them. Bear in mind that it may seem like an attractive thing to go for, but going for a higher plan just for a non-telephony bonus may not necessarily be a good deal for you.

For example, Sprint's addition of Amazon Prime on the Premium plan may be attractive for non-subscribers, but you're effectively looking at a $20-per-month add-on for Lookout's security, more tethering allowance, and access to a service that would normally cost $120 a year on its own.

Also bear in mind that the pricing of the plans being compared are based on one single line, with all carriers providing discounts for each additional line on a plan. Families are typically better off if they have all of the lines on the same carrier through a single account.

The same price plans but with four lines on an account instead of just one.



An example of this would be Verizon's plans going down in price by $35 per line when there are four or more lines on an account. The $75 per month per line Go Unlimited reduces down to $40 for each of four lines, or $160 per month in total, just over double the cost of a single line on its own.

Despite the hype surrounding 5G, and each carrier's plans to bring the next-generation networks to consumers as soon as possible, there is no point considering these future connections as part of your buying decision for the moment. It will take years for the 5G networks to become fully useful to consumers, and with Apple unlikely to bring out a 5G-capable iPhone until 2020 at the earliest, there's still a while yet before you will be able to take advantage of the higher bandwidth on an Apple device.
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[sultrysandy]

 

[sultrysandy]

How to see if your Macbook needs a battery replacement

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There's a simple way to see if your MacBook needs a battery replacement — here's how to check in less than 30 seconds

• You can see if it's time to replace your MacBook's battery by clicking the battery icon and holding the option key.
  
  
• You can also see other metrics about your MacBook's battery, such as its full charge capacity and charge cycles, by looking at the system report.

If it seems like your MacBook is running out of power more quickly than it should be, it might be time to get its battery replaced.

The quickest way to see whether your MacBook's battery is in good health is by clicking the battery icon in the upper-right corner of your computer's screen while holding the option key. But if you want a deeper dive on your battery's status, the System Report will provide an overview with information like the number of cycles your battery has left and its full capacity.

If you do wish to replace your battery, Apple charges $129 for battery servicing on 11- and 13-inch MacBook Airs and 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros not covered by warranty or AppleCare Plus. Those with a 17-inch MacBook Pro will have to pay $179, while 12-inch MacBook owners and those with a 13- or 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display will be charged $199.

Follow the steps below to learn about your Mac's battery.




Hold the option key and click the battery icon near the top of the screen.

You should see a "condition" field that indicates whether your battery is performing as it should. If it says "normal," your battery is operating normally. If it says "replace soon," the battery is holding less charge than when it was new and should be monitored.

If this field says "replace now," the battery is holding significantly less charge but is still safe to continue using. "Service battery" indicates your battery isn't operating normally and should be taken to an Apple Store, though you can still use it safely when it's connected to the right power adapter.



Click the Apple icon and choose "about this Mac."

Or hold the option key and click "system information" to get to the final step quicker.



Choose "system report."

Click on "power" to see details about your MacBook's battery.

Here you can see information like your battery-cycle count, full charge, and charge remaining.

If your MacBook has consumed all its charge cycles — from depleted to fully charged — it's fine to continue using it, but you're likely to notice a dip in battery life.
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[sultrysandy]

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This is not Apple related, but rather more Facebook lack of caring about users security or privacy.




Are you seeing a pattern here? And these have all occurred in less than 3 weeks!


Facebook employees had unfettered access to hundreds of millions of users' unencrypted passwords in plain text for years
Mar. 21, 2019

• Facebook employees had access to hundreds of millions of users' passwords — for years.
  
  
• Users' passwords were being stored in an unencrypted format and were said to be accessible by 20,000 workers at the company.
  
  
• Facebook says it hasn't found any evidence of misuse of the data.
  
  
• It's the latest privacy scandal to hit the besieged tech firm.

Facebook is asking some new users for their email passwords and appears to be harvesting their contacts without consent
Apr. 2, 2019

• Facebook is asking some new users to provide the password to their email account.
  
  
• The move has alarmed security experts, who warn it could encourage users to engage in "risky" behaviour and increase their chances of being hacked.
  
  
• The social network also appears to be accessing these users' contacts without asking for permission.
  
  
• The company now says it is discontinuing this login tool, though it didn't give a timeframe.

540 million Facebook user records were left exposed by app developers
Apr. 3, 2019

• 540 million Facebook user records were left exposed on public Amazon servers by app developers.
  
  
• The social network's lax data policies meant that for years developers could easily harvest users' sensitive data — and now it's leaking out.
  
  
• Facebook has since tightened up the data the user data accessible to app developers, especially in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but at least some damage has already been done.
  
  
• "Data about Facebook users has been spread far beyond the bounds of what Facebook can control today," said UpGuard, the security firm that found the leak.

And these are after:

Hackers stole millions of Facebook users' highly sensitive data
Oct. 12, 2018

• Facebook says 50 million users were affected by the massive hack it first disclosed two weeks ago.
  
  
• On Friday, the social-networking firm revealed more details about the attack
  
  
• Hackers accessed millions of victims' highly sensitive personal data, including locations, relationship information, recent searches, and birthdates.

And these are on top of Facebook's actions of stealing and harvesting users personal info, and tracking people across the web.





Disclosure: I don't now or had a Facebook account, especially after their 2012 IPO, which Zuckerberg retained a 22% ownership share in Facebook and was to own 57% of the voting shares.

Imagine being a major stockholder, but having no say in the company.
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[PWilton]

About Facebook

Not to excuse them, but....I have sometimes thought that Facebook is so big, so widespread, complex, so many features, etc., that there are just a lot of items that 'slip through the cracks' so to speak. It is almost like a slice of 'Sorcerer's Apprentice'. Something like 'the law of unintended consequences'.

In another context, it occurs to me that the recent two crashes of the Boeing 737 Max may also be a result of the same flaw. They bolt on a new 'feature' that is supposed to address a pilot error that could lead to stalling, but wind up creating a circumstance where the 'fix' can go haywire. Maybe it is lack of training or whatever, but feels like they didn't really play through all the scenarios.

Microsoft seems to be the same way -- so many versions, features, that require constant patching. Apple does a much better job on all of this.

Just my musing....

 

[sultrysandy]

Not to excuse them, but....I have sometimes thought that Facebook is so big, so widespread, complex, so many features, etc., that there are just a lot of items that 'slip through the cracks' so to speak. It is almost like a slice of 'Sorcerer's Apprentice'. Something like 'the law of unintended consequences'.

In another context, it occurs to me that the recent two crashes of the Boeing 737 Max may also be a result of the same flaw. They bolt on a new 'feature' that is supposed to address a pilot error that could lead to stalling, but wind up creating a circumstance where the 'fix' can go haywire. Maybe it is lack of training or whatever, but feels like they didn't really play through all the scenarios.

Microsoft seems to be the same way -- so many versions, features, that require constant patching. Apple does a much better job on all of this.

Just my musing....

Each year Comcast would have not only the lowest customer satisfaction score in their industry, which cable TV also has the lowest score, but Comcast the lowest score for a business. And this happened for consecutive years until they finally said that they are so big it will take time to correct, compared to smaller companies. I on the other hand believe that's a bullshit line as it also means that they also have more employees and money to fix the problem, but instead have decided to issue yet another excuse to the public, government, and their customers.
I see Facebook operating the same way.


Apple has an advantage over Microsoft as Apple also controls the hardware that runs their Operating Systems and Programs. Same as designing an Operating System gives an upper hand to writing programs to run on it as you know the internal workings of the OS; whereas third party vendors only have the software development tools to use that have been provided.


I listed only a few recent examples of Facebook not caring aobut their user's information, instead it's more how they can monetize it. Doesn't matter if they're hacked, it's freely available due to no or lack of security, agreements they have with other business, and they sell it. And I believe there will continue to be issues, and even after the federal government finally starts regulating the industry attempting to help protect peoples privacy.



I removed my remaining part of this post regarding legislators, lobbyists, and executives of companies that have been breached, testifying before Congressional committees all saying how they take security and privacy "very, very seriously", yet sadly these are common occurrences.

 

[astuffedshirt_perv]

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This is not Apple related, but rather more Facebook lack of caring about users security or privacy.

While the lack of privacy concerns by Facebook are troubling, it is far out shadowed by Facebook's desire to make our world a worse place to live by connecting like-minded assholes.