Mac Observer

The creator of The New Oil shared his website that gives people resources on privacy. But it’s not just a list of private tools to use. Instead the goal is to give people context and explain concepts like data breaches, why strong passwords matter,…

We have a bit more news about the SolarWinds hack this week. NPR has wrapped up an investigation and reveals the “behind-the-scenes” story.…

We have a deal on the award-winning Luminar 4 Power Bundle. Luminar 4 is a full-feature photo editor and organizer for Mac and Windows that lets you create edited photos with a single click. This bundle also comes with the Photography Fundamentals Course…

Documentary feature Fathom will premiere exclusively on Apple TV+ on June 25, it was announced. The film tells the story of two ultra-committed scientists who study the songs and social communication of humpback whales.…

Apple has published the latest version of its annual environmental progress report. There is an easy-to-navigate webpage here, and the longer 105-page PDF here.…

Andrew Orr joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss Security Friday news, and a very helpful Hitchhiker’s Guide (not that one).

A special episode of Mythic Quest arrived on Apple TV+ on Friday and (spoiler alert!) it features a guest appearance from Sir Anthony Hopkins. Variety has the background on how the Everlight episode was made, and how The Silence of the Lambs star ended up…

Those in the Bay Area can use Apple Pay when using any form of transit that is accessed with a Clipper card. The feature now works on BART, Muni, Caltrain, and the ferryTechCrunch reported.…

The upcoming (eventually) release of 14.5, and in particular the introduction of Ad Tracking Technology, has prompted an almighty fight between Apple and Facebook. In a new video, the Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern explains what's really going... with the…

Under Senate Bill 39, Wasilla Republican Sen. Mike Shower proposes using blockchain technology to support the state voting system.…

A letter seen by the Wall Street Journal has revealed that Apple Music pays artists a penny per stream of a song. That's a significantly higher rate than that offered by rival Spotify.…

Scosche Industries announced new PowerVolt car and wall chargers at CES 2021, and now these products are ready for purchase. The company notes that all car chargers are available globally but the wall chargers are only for U.S.-based customers.…

Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, has joined the Time 2030 committee. The committee is designed to advise "on the potential solutions and innovations that can best solve the decade's greatest challenges."…

Docker announced on Thursday that its desktop app for Mac adds support for M1 chips in its latest release.…

Nature documentary The Year the Earth Changed, narrated by Sir David Attenborough is now available on Apple TV+. It is joined on the streaming service by a bonus episode of Mythic Quest.…

TerraGenesis is a space terraforming simulator and its publisher has partnered with Ecologi on a new, permanent feature within the game. With the new partnership, and based on the actions players take in TerraGenesis - from daily logins to ad views to…

The latest Apple event, 'Spring Loaded', is set to take place on April 20, 2021. Once again, there is an AR Easter egg hidden amongst the event details.…

Apple has teamed up with researchers from the Seattle Flu Study and the University of Washington. The aim is to understand how Apple Watch and iPhones can help to predict respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.…

There are early discussions taking place regarding Apple Studios serving as a distribution partner for original comedy Mr. Lucky, written by Aaron and Jordan Kandell. It follows the screenwriters selling the pitch to production…

For the past three years Reddit has maintained a privacy bug bounty program for cybersecurity researchers with HackerOne. On Thursday the company announced a public program.…

Now through April 22 Apple will donate US$1 to Conservation International for every Apple Pay transaction made on apple.com, through the Apple Store app, or in Apple Stores.…

On Thursday Adobe released the Global Emoji Diversity & Inclusion Report. It surveyed 7,000 emoji users from around the world on how they use diverse and inclusive emojis.…

The U.S. has imposed sanctions against Russia for election interference and its role in the devastating cyberattack known as SolarWinds. Additionally, the U.S. will expel 10 diplomats from the Russian mission in Washington, DC.…

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee formally approved a report that accuses big tech companies, including Apple, of either buying or crushing smaller rivals, Reuters reported. The extensive document offers various options for changing…

Apple TV+ titles' average score on IMDb of 7.24 beats that of its key rivals according to research conducted by personal finance company Self Financial, which tried to find the best value for money streaming service. Furthermore, the Cupertino offering has…

Apple’s Fitness+ service is expanding its program with three new categories: Workouts for Pregnancy, Workouts for Older Adults, and Workouts for Beginners. These will be available starting April 19.…

Self-confessed "home automation enthusiast" Siobhán Ellis integrated an electric car into her Apple HomeKit setup. In a blogpost (spotted by MacRumors) she explained what she did and how she did it.…

Thursdays with Bob continue as Dr Mac drops by to chat with Kelly about how (and why) to shop for a hard drive, and Bob’s secret for buying them.

On Thursday Apple announced the Restore Fund, a project that will make investments in forestry projects to remove carbon from the atmosphere while generating a financial return for investors.…

In honor of World Backup Day (March 31), here are tips for acquiring hard or solid-state disks to use as replacements, additional storage, or backups.…