The Road to Seven
It’s always a journey. Sometimes it’s not as easy as it should be…
Over the past six years, I’ve been an iPhone user. I’ve owned an iPhone 4s, an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 6. On Tuesday 2016-09-20, I will be an iPhone 7 Plus owner. They say that getting there is half the fun. Normally, it is. This time, however, there were some unexpected bumps in the road. Before I get to all the fun that comes with a new phone, you need to hear about the journey.
Now, in the grand scheme of things, is this a big deal..? No. Not even a little bit; and this is definitely a first world problem. However, it was a bit maddening and just a whole lot confusing.
Watching the Apple iPhone Event Keynote
Mario comes to the App Store!
I am currently watching the Apple iPhone Event Keynote. I will have a full run down later!
If you have an iDevice or a Mac, you can watch the stream, here.
iPhone 7 Rumor Roundup
Apple intends to announce the next generation iPhone at an event on 2016-09-07…
I’ve been doing this for several years now – Apple prognostication, I mean. I must say… I mostly suck at it.
In fact, most everyone does. Well, except for Ming Chi Kuo. He’s an analyst for KGI Securities and he has the best record for predicting what Apple will actually introduce; and even HE isn’t infallible. So, take everything you read about what Apple will actually introduce – including what I’ve included here – with a grain of salt…
So, as I said, Apple is likely to announce iPhone 7 (or whatever they decide to call it…) on 2016-09-07. For the last two years, we’ve gotten two different size iPhones: the 4.7 inch iPhone 6/6s and the 5.5 inch iPhone 6/ 6s Plus. Everyone, Kuo included, is expecting that to continue with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
Given this, the follow are the most commonly rumored and agreed upon new features by anyone that’s attempted even basic iDevice prognostication:
iPhone Leprosy, or Touch Disease
If you have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you need to check this out…
Just in time for you to trade in your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, a new iPhone hardware issue involving the 2014 model cellular iDevice has hit the news wire – Touch Disease.
Touch Disease is a hardware defect effecting both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices and is identified by a malfunction in the touch screen where user touch input is not read or not interpreted correctly and therefore ignored by the device. Symptoms of the defect are usually preceded by a grey flickering band at the top of the screen, just under the iSight camera and speaker, regardless of device orientation. This symptom can be sporadic and may respond to torqueing or pressing on the device.
Replacing the touch screen does not resolve the issue.
Apple Releases iOS 9.3.5
A hacking group exposed some nasty holes that Apple has patched with an emergency fix.
Over the past few days, Apple has released a point-release to iOS 9.3 – iOS 9.3.5 – that was released to patch vulnerabilities exploited by the Pegasus malware. Pegasus, a set of tools that is branded as "lawful intercept" spyware by the NSO Group and has sold to some nation states for up to $1M USD. It could be used to remotely jailbreak iPhones and then use the device’s microphone to eavesdrop on suspected dissidents and its cameras to capture images of them.
iOS 9.3.5 was released to specifically thwart this malware.
Pegasus was highly sophisticated, silently installing itself via a link sent to an unsuspecting user via text message. Once installed, Pegasus can do more than just spy on you, it can also intercept cellular calls, Facetime audio and video calls, text messages, email and more. The software has been nicknamed an attack "lookout."
Security Analysis firm Lookout indicates that Pegasus can take advantage of the following security weaknesses in iOS 9.x:
Popular MP3 Music Players
Time to get your groove on with these popular MP3 player downloads!
Introduction
Music is a huge motivator for me. If there’s one thing that I know I need on a daily basis, it’s a healthy injection of my tunes. In many cases, this is most easily remedied by firing up Music on my iPhone, and I’m good to go. However, this doesn’t always work, especially when you’re in an interior room or office in a Chicago high rise and you can’t get a cell signal when you don’t have any music stored on your phone.
That’s when you need a different music player download to save the day.
MP3 music players on your PC or Mac can come in a few different forms and types; and it’s important that we outline the differences.
- Streaming Apps – the type of player that will play music only via an active internet connection. Music is not stored or cataloged locally
- Local Music Players – the type of player that will play only local copies of music files. Music is stored and cataloged locally
Why are they so important? That’s simple – Music downloads and sales. Streaming music player apps make it very easy for listeners to discover new music, as it functions very much like traditional radio. Listeners can find music and listen to it in a “try before you buy” environment. Some services offer purchase links to artists and songs directly within the app, the idea behind all of this, however, is sales. Both streaming services and record labels are hoping that after you find new music, you’ll either purchase a subscription to the service, or you go and buy and download the album or tracks you’re interested in.
Woz Says, "Just say No"
According to reports from Fortune, Woz hates the idea of an iPhone without a headphone jack…
Get ready… it’s coming, yet again. Can you hear it? It’s getting closer!
Change! Change is coming!!
I remember back before the Lighting connector was introduced with Apple’s iPhone 5. The entire world lost its mind every time Apple would make changes to its proprietary 30 pin connector; and it happened often enough between the release of the 3rd generation iPod in 2003 and the release of the Lightning connector nearly four (4) years ago in September of 2012 that the wounds are still fresh. Changes to the connector meant charging cables, cradles and other accessories wouldn’t work with the newer devices, requiring you to not only shoulder the expense for the new device, but for all new speaker, sync and charging accessories as well.
It made owning an iPod risky; and it made buying a new one all that more expensive.
