Everything Apple (the Mac heads thread)

Yep, ordered one. I did have one on order when I built my last PC but couldn't get stock and didn't really need it for that. Just got the electronics basic set this time. I tried the laptop last night and didn't really get it hot enough for the fan to come on though I could hear it tickling around in there at low speed after an hour of Netflix. I think tbh it'll probably be fine for Monday and I'd rather tinker when I get back instead of risk killing it before the shoot.

How does everyone feel about the offline phone scanning that will probably become part of iOS in a future update?

Tell me more please

iOS 15 update. Scans photos on phones for 'inappropriate' images.
Obv child abuse images are universally inappropriate, but (among other things) concern about whether governments could force Apple to enable similar tech for things the regime of the day deems inappropriate

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/apple-iphone-photo-scanning-csam-b1903328.html

Earlier this month, Apple announced that it would be adding three new features to iOS, all of which are intended to fight against child sexual exploitation and the distribution of abuse imagery. One adds new information to Siri and search, another checks messages sent to children to see if they might contain inappropriate images, and the third compares photos on an iPhone with a database of known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and alerts Apple if it is found.

It is the latter of those three features that has proven especially controversial. Critics say that the feature is in contravention of Apple’s commitment to privacy, and that it could in the future be used to scan for other kinds of images, such as political pictures on the phones of people living in authoritarian regimes.

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/03/apple-delaying-rollout-of-child-safety-features/

Apple delaying because of outcry.

Tricky one for a number of reasons.

Individual integrity vs the potential of saving children from trafficking, abuse, etc. Personally, I'm leaning towards it being a good thing and that we need to accept some carefully thought through privacy invasion for the benefit of less protected individuals in society. If an AI bot needs to look through my icloud photos to save kids I'm fine with that as long as it happens as Apple has outlined their system (all scanning happens on device, zero comms with servers unless there's potential shady images found)

I don't think I'd be ok with any other company than Apple to do this though. Apple has proved themselves to protect end users several times when governments have asked them to open phones.

Of course there might be a huge gray area and also cases where Apple has cooperated that we don't know about, but it seems like a wasted opportunity to not help vulnurable kids when we have the technology to do so.

This is a bit of a false dichotomy though. It is not a black and white, mutually exclusive choice between saving the children and everyone enjoying privacy.

As always, the actual bad people will just use another device/operating system. When have previous snooping measures ever led to a reduction in crime?

Sure, but why not rat them out from the most used mobile platform of all? It might stop a few "lighter" cases at least? I agree it won't stop the technically minded as they will just move elsewhere but this could be a good way to stop people who are new to it or just clueless about technology.

But yeah, i see your point

The proposed system only rats out images that are already in the database. Its effect on preventing abuse that hasn’t happened yet seems dubious.

It’s also been pointed out that iCloud Photo Library isn’t currently end-to-end encrypted, so Apple could do this on their servers if they so wished.

Any one in need of thunderbolt cable and/or thunderbolt 2 -> 3 (usb-c) adaptor?

just dug them up while having a clear out but was originally purchased when trying to add more usb controllers to my MBP to get around device limit but it didn't work out so they've sat in a box since unused.

both official apple products purchased from amazon.

Thunderbolt Cable 0.5m - £15 (rrp £30)
Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter - £13 (rrp £20)
or £25 for both

If you don't need the boxes I can post in a small padded envelope for £2 otherwise probably £3-4 postage in a bigger envelope

Just upgraded my 2017 MBP 15" i7 to a 2020 MBP M1 13" 16Gb/512Gb ... first thoughts were damn this thing is tiny compared to my old laptop. Will take a bit getting used to the smaller screen.

That said, damn this thing is FAST and major battery life. I was using it for about 6 hours yesterday and left it over night unplugged, still had 5 hours of battery life to go!

So far, I've not had problem with apps. That said, I basically live in a browser ... I'll need to install some photo apps to see what they act like.

I know there's almost def. new MBP's coming next month, but this is a work laptop on a pilot test phase. It will be at least a year before my company approve these due to all the apps everyone uses.

My GF has just started a new job, and it appears the only way to access IT resources from home is through Chrome on a PC! Apparently, they're using an RDWeb environment where the user logs remotely into their desk PC (which always needs to be on). And she's been told this function can only work on a Windows computer and through Chrome.

Unfortunately, we're a mac only household and haven't installed Bootcamp or anything else on them. Is there a way of getting the PC version of Chrome to run on a mac without boot camp, and ideally for free?

Sounds like IT support is being lazy.
There are definitely Remote Desktop clients for Mac, and a quick google suggests that RDweb doesn't do much special outside of provide a .rdp file which the Windows native RD client would use to connect.

If you get the Mac app
https://apps.apple.com/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id1295203466

And have a flick through the 'Add a remote resource' bit of
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/remote/remote-desktop-services/clients/remote-desktop-mac

and/or
https://peoria.medicine.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/03/How-to-use-RDWeb-on-a-Mac.pdf
or
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/2209111-remoteapp-on-a-mac

It'll be doable. Just possibly a little bit of faff to figure out the URL and other details that IT support should have just given you.

I just finished editing some video on my MBA 2020, very impressed. I never would have though a MBA can handle video editing that well.

I use Windows Remote Desktop on my MBP with no problems, I fucking hate it but it does work... Nuts that my new place hasn't issued me with a laptop, makes visiting clients a bit difficult without one...

Any recommendations on a pen to use on an iPad. I’m led to believe that the Apple pen is expensive and there are others which work adequately.
Thanks all.

As far as I know the Apple pen is the only proper pen / stylus that works, other are just a glorified finger.

Depends on the use as well. If you’re just scrolling and clicking buttons anything will probably do but if you’re drawing I’d say the pen is prob worth it

There's a really interesting Sam Harris pod cast on this subject.
https://samharris.org/podcasts/213-worst-epidemic/
It's been a while since I listened but tells the story of how Facebook was the largest platform for child pornography going, but only because it was unencrypted so the number of reports and prosecutions could be defined. When Facebook encrypted those numbers zero'ed and the reality is that all platforms that employ encryption get to abscond from the responsibility of hosting such material because 'they don't know it exists', the numbers from Facebook are absolutely staggering though so painfully they all know it does exist and the longer its been around and proven to be well encrypted the higher those figures are.

Was thinking about buying an iPad Air - any reasons I should be holding off?

I went to apple shop to buy one on saturday - apple man in the shop told me to wait until after today..... I dont think he had any idea if a new one was coming out or not, but thought i may as well wait a few days and see instead of getting one and then a new version coming out three days later!

It was updated just under a year ago and Apple doesn’t normally update iPads annually, so I wouldn’t expect much if anything unless you’re willing to wait up to another year.

I'd give it until tomorrow at least

Good guide here: https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

Yeah makes sense. Didn’t even realise there was an event today!

I wish I didn't. I've started to question my interest in Apple and their gubbins. I should just get an imac every 3/4 years and a new phone every 2 years and leave it at that.

most used mobile platform

Android, at >70% market share, wants a word.