Author

Peter Cao

Peter writes for 9to5Mac. He has a passion for music and technology and has accepted the Bluetooth audio revolution, but will never give up the beauty of vinyl.

Tips to peter@9to5mac.com

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Amazon Web Services causing outages to the company’s Alexa service, among others

Peter Cao Mar 2 2018 - 11:49 am PT

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Amazon on Friday is having issues with its cloud-based “Amazon Web Services” system that is causing outages on several major platforms including the company’s own Alexa service.

Several large companies such as Amazon, Google, and Apple have been heavily relying on cloud infrastructure for their services for several years now. Any major outage can interrupt service for thousands, if not millions of users worldwide.

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Uber

Cautionary tale: Drinking and Ubering could cost you $1600

Peter Cao Mar 1 2018 - 2:22 pm PT

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While taking a taxi, Uber, or even Lyft when you’re drunk is generally a good idea, it doesn’t prevent every poor decision. A drunk man by the name of Kenny Bachman took a ride ‘home’ to his house in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The issue is he was no longer in Philadelphia.

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Apple Maps

Apple Maps expands transit directions and lane guidance in several locations

Peter Cao Feb 28 2018 - 1:12 pm PT

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Apple has today made some improvements to both transit directions and lane guidance in Apple Maps. The company has been making a rapid push to get both of these features out the door and has been looking to expand them in as many cities as possible.

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PlayStation Vue TV service adds support for signing up outside of home, local channels wherever you are, more

Peter Cao Feb 28 2018 - 9:55 am PT

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The PlayStation Vue TV service has added multiple features that will enhance its mobile viewing experience. The company originally rolled out its PS Vue app on Apple TV back in 2016, being one of the first internet TV providers to launch a client on the tvOS platform.

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iPhone X

ASUS targets Apple with 26% smaller notch than ‘Fruit Phone X’, higher screen-to-body ratio

Peter Cao Feb 27 2018 - 12:18 pm PT

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As we head into 2018, it seems like most smartphones will be embracing the design language of the iPhone X. ASUS is leading the way with its most recent announcement….

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Producer M. Night Shyamalan takes on straight-to-series order for future Apple thriller

Peter Cao Feb 27 2018 - 10:55 am PT

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Producer M. Night Shyamalan is working on a straight-to-series thriller for Apple, according to Variety.

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iPhone
ads

Apple shares new ads targeted towards iPhone switchers

Peter Cao Feb 26 2018 - 12:28 pm PT

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Apple has today shared a handful of new ads, focusing on security, ease of use, and environment. The series of ads have a tagline that read switch to iPhone, showcasing features that are better on the iPhone compared to its competitors.

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How to use Podcasts stations to play episode playlists like ‘daily news shows’ on HomePod

Peter Cao Feb 23 2018 - 1:41 pm PT

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HomePod is a great sounding speaker, but lacks the smarts of a typical smart speaker. However, on the iPhone, Siri can do so much more and we’ve got a workaround for HomePod to allow custom podcasts commands for Siri.

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Apple Pay

Apple Pay Cash international roll out appears imminent as iOS users in Spain, Ireland see feature [U]

Peter Cao Feb 23 2018 - 10:53 am PT

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[Update: Users in Brazil have confirmed to us that they are also seeing the option for Apple Pay Cash.]

Ahead of launching in Brazil, which Tim Cook says is coming sometime this year, Apple Pay Cash appears to be rolling out to users in Ireland and Spain.

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Report: Intel intentionally hid Meltdown and Spectre security flaws from U.S. cyber security officials

Peter Cao Feb 22 2018 - 1:20 pm PT

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Intel reportedly did not disclose Meltdown or Spectre security flaws to U.S. cyber security officials after being notified of the flaws because hackers had not exploited the vulnerabilities yet, Reuters reports.

The company did not disclose the information to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, better known as US-CERT, until January 3. This was after the details of the vulnerabilities had leaked online.

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Apple’s final settlement with European Commission expected to be around $16B in taxes owed

Peter Cao Feb 22 2018 - 10:29 am PT

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Apple is said to owe 13 billion euros (estimated $16 billion USD) to Ireland, according to the country’s tax collectors, Reuters reports.

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Be My Eyes for iOS adding Microsoft tech support for blind or impaired customers

Peter Cao Feb 21 2018 - 10:39 am PT

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The iOS app Be My Eyes announced that it will be offering support for blind or impaired customers through Microsoft’s Disability Answer Desk in the latest release of the app.

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AirPlay 2 removed from iOS and tvOS 11.3, suggests HomePod multi-room and stereo won’t arrive next month

Peter Cao Feb 20 2018 - 12:32 pm PT

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In today’s iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 updates, Apple has removed AirPlay 2 support from both platforms, hinting that the feature will be delayed until further down the road, possibly coming with a future iOS 12 release.

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Parallels Toolbox update includes Presentation Mode, video editing tools, much more

Peter Cao Feb 20 2018 - 7:00 am PT

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Parallels Toolbox, an ever-growing suite of handy single-purpose tools that simplify common computing tasks to just a click or two, has received a major update for both Mac and PC users. New tools and key features include presentation mode, capture for lengthy webpages, free memory reclaim, quick resolution switching, and time-saving tools to download and edit videos or make a GIF. A Parallels Business Edition also launched today, which gives IT the control they need to easily provide employees with tools to be more productive.

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VLCKit 3.0 adds support for H.265, better 4K memory management, and 3D video

Peter Cao Feb 19 2018 - 11:41 am PT

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Today’s VLCKit 3.0 update from the developer of the popular VLC Media Player brings a number of enhancements to the framework for apps on iOS, tvOS, and macOS. This is the first major update for the framework in over three years.

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HomePod

Apple publishes new guide on how to use the HomePod [Video]

Peter Cao Feb 16 2018 - 4:06 pm PT

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After a handful of how-to videos last week, Apple has now published a new HomePod video on its Apple Support YouTube channel covering how to get the most out of the smart speaker, noting that Siri will be your main interface with the device.

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Twitter puts deadline on Mac application, will drop support in 30 days

Peter Cao Feb 16 2018 - 3:27 pm PT

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Today Twitter has announced that it will be killing its Mac application in favor of a web client. The social media giant tweeted on its platform today that the app has thirty days to live, and that it will no longer be supported beyond that.

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Apple confirms Telugu bug fix coming in next release of iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS

Peter Cao Feb 15 2018 - 12:37 pm PT

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Apple has confirmed via iMore that a fix for the Telugu message bug is coming soon on all of its major platforms.

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Pad & Quill introduces leather coaster to prevent HomePod from damaging wooden surfaces

Peter Cao Feb 15 2018 - 11:23 am PT

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With a quick turnaround time, Pad & Quill is now offering a coaster for the HomePod, claiming “state of the art surface protection” for your wooden surfaces.

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iPhone X

Apple takes more than half of all smartphone revenues in Q4 2017

Peter Cao Feb 15 2018 - 10:00 am PT

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Apple has taken more than half of the global smartphone revenues for Q4 of 2017 (Apple’s Q1 2018), according to Linda Sui of Strategy Analytics.

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HomePod

Apple admits HomePod may leave white ring on wood surfaces, recommends using elsewhere

Peter Cao Feb 14 2018 - 9:38 am PT

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Uh oh. A few days after HomePod hitting the market, customers have noticed an unwelcome occurrence caused by Apple’s new smart speaker: wood staining.

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Skype bug could allow malicious attacker ‘system’ level access, Microsoft says fix is ‘too much work’

Peter Cao Feb 13 2018 - 11:44 am PT

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A nasty Skype bug could allow a malicious attacker to gain “system” level access, if exploited. The bug is applicable on both macOS and Windows desktop platforms.

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Apple working on ‘Swagger’ TV show starring Kevin Durant, produced by Imagine Television

Peter Cao Feb 13 2018 - 10:45 am PT

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Apple is working on a TV show starring NBA superstar Kevin Durant, Variety reports. The show is dubbed “Swagger” and will be produced by Imagine Television and Durant’s Thirty Five Media.

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Facebook to roll out subscription tool on iOS starting next month

Peter Cao Feb 12 2018 - 5:11 pm PT

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Facebook will be rolling out a subscription tool soon that will allow publishers to put up paywalls for certain content on the social media platform.

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