This is my own fault for sure, but it’s going to become a much bigger problem soon.

It’s January 6th, and I can’t find Airpods Pro anywhere. I’ve checked four Apple stores in three states, and every electronics shop in the immediate area. They straight up don’t exist around me, and the folks who work in these stores tell me they’ve been sold out for days and have no idea when more are arriving. The Apple Store app says it can’t ship me AirPods Pro for over a month. The explosive popularity of these headphones have guaranteed they don’t exist around me.

Instead of waiting for them to ship, I decided to check out Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone was selling any that were gently used or at a slight bump in price. A couple of hours later, I was holding that white cardboard box with the Apple logo and the AirPods Pro image on the side. But the hardware I found inside was not quite right, and it’s impressive how long it took me to be sure these weren’t real.

A thorough check was no…

What you need to know

The ”1984” ad was a huge deal for Apple.
It aired during the 1984 Superbowl.
It was Steve Jobs and Apple all over.

”… you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.”

Apple aired the now infamous ”1984” Macintosh commercial 36 years ago today. January 22, 1984, was the day that a computer became a household name and the rest, as they so often say, is history.

You can catch the ad on YouTube and it’s embedded below. The full transcript is also available via the Unofficial Apple Archive, if that’s how you roll, too.

The ad was directed by Ridley Scott and created by advertising agency Chiat\Day. Its airing went on to become a watershed moment for Apple and advertising and it’s often pointed to as one of the best ads ever made….

What you need to know

Wistron assembles iPhones for Apple.
It already had two factories India.
The new plant will use local people for its management positions.

Wistron already makes cheaper iPhones for the local market.

Apple partner Wistron has brought a third iPhone plan online in India, according to a DigiTimes report.

Wistron reportedly plans to start ramping up output in the country, with smartphones being part of that. The company already builds iPhone 6s and iPhone SE phones for the local markets, with the third plant to pick up additional production.

The third plant, located in Narasapura, will also undertake the production of iPhone devices initially, boosting Wistron’s overall production capacity significantly in India, said the observers.

With Apple rumored to have an iPhone 9 announcement weeks away, it’s possible that too could see production in the country although that’s nothing beyond speculation. Foxconn currently builds Apple’s iPhone XR in India as wel…

Is Apple evil? Yes. Of course. 100%. But in a far more dangerous way than the cliched, cartoonish, contorted new Evil List article in Slate suggests.

Slate contends that, sure, Amazon is a bully and a tax cheat, Facebook is a bad employer, and Google is a haven for sexual harassers and abusers. But Apple — Apple according to Slate — is one of the most egregious offenders and yet has been, curiously, forgiven for their evil. Apple has gotten away with it all!

What’s worse than bullying and cheating and being bad to employees, and providing a haven for sexual harassers and abusers in Slates book? What crime does Slate think we’ve failed to hold Apple accountable for?

Why… purveying crystal prisons, of course.

But, let’s back up a bit.

The cult of Apple

Slate starts off by retreading the most tired of cliches right in the title — the cult of Apple. Because Apple customers are a cult, Apple, unlike every other big tech company, just isn’t held accountable for their evil….

”They could have given us that information. It would have been very helpful,”

What you need to know

Donald Trump spoke to CNBC’s Joe Kernen at Davos in Switzerland.
When questioned about Apple, he reiterated his stance that Apple should do more to help the government.
He said that Apple has the keys ”to so many criminals and criminals’ minds.”

Speaking to CNBC at Davos in Switzerland, President Donald Trump has reiterated his stance that Apple could and should do more to assist the government when it comes to encryption.

Joe Kernen asked the President what he thought of Apple, to which the President replied:

I like them a lot. I think we should do some encryption. I think we should– we should start finding some of the bad people out there that we can do with Apple. I think it’s very important. Frankly, I’ve helped them a lot. I’ve given them waivers, because I want them– it’s a great company, but it made a big difference. Now, you know, they compete against Samsung. Mostl…

What you need to know

Apple lost out to Facebook when trying to lease another building.
Now it’s turned its attentions to 11 Penn Plaza.
Apple wants 200,000 square feet.

Apple may need more space, too.

Apple is looking to pick up around 200,000 square feet of New York City office space, according to a New York Post report.

The company had previously tried its luck with the historic Farley Building but was beaten out by Facebook. That left Apple without the space it required, but now it may have found it.

The 1.15-million-square-foot building owned by Vornado has 638,921 square feet available from the fourth through 14th floors as a sublease from Macy’s, with some square footage ready to be occupied.

Sources say Apple is negotiating for roughly 200,000 square feet of this space in the middle of the building, which holds down the entire eastern blockfront along Seventh Avenue between West 31st and 32nd streets, cater-corner to Madison Square Garden.

While this move wou…

Don’t count on Screen Time when using third-party web apps on macOS to protect young eyes.

Microsoft Edge is a promising alternative to Apple Safari on macOS. If you plan on having the youngest members of your household use the browser, however, there are a few things to consider when it comes to parental controls. Take a look.

Screen Time limitations

The built-in macOS Screen Time tool lets you keep track of your kids’ online movements and block content that you feel is inappropriate. The tool works as expected with Apple Safari. Unfortunately, when third-party browsers are involved, such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, there are noticeable holes.

Under Content & Privacy in Screen Time on macOS, you can select from one of three Web Content settings: Unlimited Access, Limit Adult Sites, and Allowed Websites Online. The first and last settings work properly with third-party browsers. When selected, the first option doesn’t block any website. With the last one, the only si…

Software support will end in May for the devices, launched between 2006 and 2007.

What you need to know

Sonos is ending support for several of its oldest products.
Software updates will cease in May for the original Zone Players, Connect, Connect:Amp, Play:5 (1st gen), CR 200 and Bridge.
Sonos is giving users the option to trade in these devices with a 30% credit for each product you replace.

Sonos has announced that it will end software support for several of its oldest products as of May 2020.

In a press release the company stated:

Since launching our first products, technology has advanced at an exponential rate; from streaming services and voice assistants to wireless networking and Bluetooth capabilities. Through all of this transformation, we have continued delivering new features via software updates. We’re extremely proud of the fact that we build products that last a long time, and that listeners continue to enjoy them. In fact, 92% of the products we’ve ever shipp…

What you need to know

Oprah resigned as executive producer of the documentary two weeks ago.
The documentary was to air on Apple TV+, but that isn’t happening now.
She has explained why she stepped away from the project.

She wanted to make sure everything was accurate.

Oprah Winfrey has explained why she took the decision to back away from a documentary centered on the alleged sexual assault in the music industry. Specifically media figure Russell Summons. According to Oprah, it was all a case of wanting to make sure the facts were 100% accurate.

Speaking to CBS, Oprah said that she raised concerns about the accuracy of some of the documentary but was shot down

Winfrey explained it was ”a hard decision” to step away from the film because she knew it could look like she was caving to pressure from Simmons, but that before he pressured her, she had expressed concerns to the filmmakers.

”I had said to them, ’Houston, I think we have a problem here’ because new information…