Review: Zand, the stand that makes using the iPad at a desk comfortable
The Zand is a desktop stand designed to be used with the iPad. It is constructed out of brushed aluminum. To use the stand, there’s no adhesives, clamps or hooks used to make the device stick to it. Instead it uses nanoparticle adsorption to keep the iPad in place.
The base of the stand lifts the iPad a couple of inches off of the desk, so that it sits slightly higher at eye level, which makes it easy to see. The base mimics the look and feel (texture wise, obviously it’s a lot lighter at 8.5 oz) of the base of the iMac.
Just like the base of the iMac, there’s a hole on the back for the Lightning cable. Most of the time, I used the Zand in the upright mode so I was able to use Duet Display (review here) on my iPad mini and MacBook Air.
While using the iPad on the Zand, at first I was skeptical about how well the iPad would stay on.
Filed under: Reviews Tagged: IPad accessories, iPad Stand, Zand
How-To: Manage your ‘digital afterlife’ while you’re still here to do it
None of us likes to think about our own mortality, but as the old saying has it, nobody is going to make it out of here alive.
Things were simple enough in the old days. We wrote a will, took out a life insurance policy, maybe left a letter explaining where to find important documents, and that was about it. But in an age where many of our documents and assets are in digital form, it’s worth taking a little time to ensure that our loved ones don’t encounter major hassles when it comes to accessing them.
There was a case recently where a widow was unable to use the apps on her late husband’s iPad because she didn’t know the password for his Apple ID – and Apple wouldn’t give it to her even with his death certificate. There have been other cases of family members being locked out of a lifetime’s collection of music for the same reason.
Fortunately, there are a few simple steps we can take to ensure that technology is one less thing for our family to have to worry about …
Filed under:
How-To
Apple Pay gains 27 new bank partners across the US
Since launching in China two weeks ago and adding 3 million users in just two days, Apple Pay is continuing its expansion across the United States as well. The addition of Mainland China started with another dozen participating banks, and today another 27 banks have joined the 1,000+ partners in the US. These are the latest:
Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Apple pay, Apple Pay banks
French parliament votes to jail company execs who fail to hand over encrypted data to investigators
French parliamentary deputies have voted in favor of legislation that would see execs from private companies jailed for refusal to hand over encrypted data to investigators, reports the Guardian. While no direct reference was made to the Apple/FBI battle, it is clear that this was behind the proposal.
The controversial amendment, drafted by the rightwing opposition, stipulates that a private company which refuses to hand over encrypted data to an investigating authority would face up to five years in jail and a €350,000 (£270,000) fine.
Filed under: iOS Devices
Foxconn’s acquisition of Sharp reportedly back on track after earlier doubts; Apple’s involvement still unclear
Foxconn’s planned takeover of Sharp, to allow it to begin making displays for iPhones as well as assembling them, is reportedly back on track.
First reports of Foxconn’s interest in purchasing Sharp’s display division emerged last September, when it was reported that Apple would come on board as an investor. Foxconn made a $5.3B bid in January, and it was initially reported that the deal had been concluded last week.
Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Inc, Foxconn, iPhone, iPhone displays, Sharp, Sharp Corporation
US/Europe/China smartphone slowdown has “grave consequences” for Apple, but 2017 looking better – IDC
IDC’s latest quarterly mobile phone tracker contains a mix of good news and bad for Apple. It starts by noting that 2015 was a fantastic year for the company in terms of both sales numbers and average selling price.
2015 was a tremendous year for Apple and the iPhone as shipments hit a new record of 231.5 million for growth of 20.2% over 2014, which was nearly double that of the overall smartphone market. More importantly, Apple was able to grow its ASP from $663 in 2014 to $713 in 2015.
Things get tougher this year, it suggests, forecasting flat sales for the year (or a drop of 0.1% if we wanted to pretend that forecasts could ever be that accurate) …
Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Inc, IDC, iPhone, iPhone sales, iPhone sales 2016, iPhone sales 2017
Apple/FBI: San Bernardino District Attorney strangely claims suspect’s iPhone contains a ‘cyber pathogen’
Although tech companies are joining Apple’s camp en masse for the Apple/FBI court battle due to commence on March 22nd, there are many amicus briefs being posted in favour of the FBI’s argument. One of these was filed last Thursday night by the San Bernardino District Attorney, Michael Ramos. In the document, he claims that the shooter’s iPhone (which the FBI wants Apple to make a backdoor unlock for) could contain evidence that it is a digital weapon — containing a ‘cyber pathogen’ that would exploit San Bernardino infrastructure.
It’s the first time someone has implied what might actually be of interest on the phone. However, whilst the idea of a ‘cyber pathogen’ sounds scary, it really doesn’t make any sense. On his blog, iPhone forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski explains these terms have no technical substance and even if you read between the lines to decipher the comment, it is very difficult to get any sensible meaning whatsoever.
Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple, cyber pathogen, FBI, iOS, iPhone backdoors, Security
Report: Apple drops out of race to obtain streaming rights to ‘Thursday Night Football’
Earlier this year it was reported that Apple was among a handful of tech companies negotiating for the streaming rights to NFL Thursday Night Football games. While CBS and NBC obtained the rights to the television broadcasts, the NFL is looking for other options for the streaming rights. Re/code reports today, however, that Apple is no longer interested in purchasing the rights to Thursday Night Football.
Filed under: Apple TV Tagged: Apple, Apple TV, NFL, streaming
iTunes Connect down for many users; nothing yet showing on Apple’s status page
According to a variety of users on Twitter, iTunes Connect is down at the moment. Users report that they are unable to access any aspect of the service. It’s important to note that this is iTunes Connect, not Apple Music Connect. iTunes Connect is used by developers to access information about their apps and other store content. Last year, the service was down for upwards of four days for some.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, icloud, iTunes Connect
Twitter, Airbnb, Square, plus many more officially file joint brief supporting Apple in FBI case
On a new webpage dedicated to highlighting companies and organizations supporting it in its fight against the FBI, Apple today has shared a joint amicus brief from a variety of tech companies that has been filed with the court. Twitter, Airbnb, LinkedIn, Square, Reddit, and many others have signed the brief expressing support for Apple.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, Encryption, FBI, Twitter