Smart Home Diary: My entire home is now HomeKit-enabled, but there are some irritations …

I wrote last time that despite having 16 HomeKit devices, I was already wanting more. No-one who knows me will be the slightest bit surprised that the interval between ‘wanting more’ and ‘getting more’ was rather short. Every light in my home is now HomeKit-enabled, and I’ve also added some switches and motion-sensors.

The lightbulb additions were the kitchen and bathroom, and the justification of adding these two rooms seemed somewhat flimsy. Were we really ever going to want mood lighting in the bathroom or kitchen? But having added these rooms into the mix, along with some rather old-fashioned HomeKit technology, I’m glad I did it.

That doesn’t mean that HomeKit is perfect, however – but let’s start with what I’ve added and why before I list my complaints …

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Filed under: Apple

Second report of red iPhone 7, along with 128GB iPhone SE, at March iPad event

There was a supply-chain rumor toward the end of last year that Apple was working on a new red color option for the iPhone 7, and Japanese blog Macotakara cites a Barclays analyst supporting this.

It’s possible that Barclays has heard from the same supply-chain source as earlier reported direct by Macotakara, so this may not be independent corroboration of the idea, but the fact that it is still being suggested a couple of months later does at least lend a tiny bit of weight …

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Filed under: Apple

1Password & other Mac apps failing to launch due to expired Apple developer certificates

Popular password manager 1Password for Mac has been failing to launch over the weekend due to its developer certificate expiring, as the company notes in a blog post.

Customers were getting an error message when trying to start 1Password […] We knew our developer certificate was going to expire on Saturday, but thought nothing of it because we believed those were only necessary when publishing a new version. Apparently that’s not the case. In reality it had the unexpected side effect of causing macOS to refuse to launch 1Password properly … 

The same issue has hit a number of other Mac apps …

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Filed under: Apple

Report: Apple shifting its ad focus to regional & digital efforts rather than global campaigns

According to a recent report from Adweek, Apple is in the process of streamlining its global marketing efforts. The report explains that Apple has restructured its relationship with ad agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab to put a stronger emphasis on digital and regional campaigns rather than “big brand campaigns” for the global market.

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The new wave of ‘unlimited’ data plans: How Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T compare

Over the last week, all four of the major United States carriers either announced new unlimited data plans or made changes to existing plans in an effort to better compete. With all four carrier offering some form of unlimited data, now be as good of a time as ever to analyze your current plan and think about switching.

Read on for a breakdown of what each plan has to offer…

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Filed under: Apple

EduTech: The best iOS apps for keeping track of assignments, due dates, and more

EduTech is a new 9to5Mac weekly series that will focus on technology’s application in education, lower and higher level, both for productivity and enjoyment. If you have suggestions for topics or specific questions you’d like to see answered, feel free to let me know. Catch up on past installments here

In this week’s installment of EduTech, we’re going to break down the best apps on iOS stay organized, keep track of assignments, and more. Some of these apps are specifically made with education in mind, while others were developed with a broader focus yet still offer benefits to educators and students alike.

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Filed under: Apple

Logic Pros: Using MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar w/ customizable key command shortcuts

With Logic Pro X 10.3, Apple introduced support for the new MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, the small touchscreen panel that debuted on the device last fall. Logic users might have had to wait longer than Final Cut Pro or even GarageBand users as one of Apple’s main apps that didn’t get support right at launch, but what it did end up getting is some of the best Touch Bar support yet. Let’s take a look.

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Filed under: Apple