About ten years ago, Apple released an "Apple Store" app on the App Store which you can use to shop for Apple hardware, such a new iPhone. I don't believe that I even mentioned it on iPhone J.D. at the time, and a June 15, 2010, article from Marco Tabini of Macworld begins by saying: "Apple has quietly released a new iPhone OS app that allows users to access the company's online store directly from their favorite iPhone OS devices." About 10 years later, Apple came up with a quiet-but-fun way to celebrate. If you open up the Apple Store app — again, this is not the App Store app, but instead the app called Apple Store — and then you tap the Search button and type 10 years ... well, I'll let you try it yourself to see what happens. I find that the Apple Store app is usually the easiest and fastest way to purchase an Apple product. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- I've never been a fan of screen protectors for the iPhone and iPad, but California attorney David Sparks says that he is a fan of the Moshi iVisor screen protector for the iPad. It changes the iPad from a glossy to a matte screen to reduce glare, reduces screen smudges, and improves the Apple Pencil experience.
- The Microsoft Teams software on the PC and Mac was recently updated to show up to 49 people on the screen at one time. According to an official post on the Microsoft user feedback forum, the next app update will allow you to see up to 8 people at once on the iPhone (2x4) and up to 9 people at once on the iPad (3x3). I just checked and it doesn't look like the app has been updated yet, but hopefully, the update is coming soon.
- When Apple and Google announced in April that they were working together to develop contact tracing software, I was encouraged that this would help to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Unfortunately, very few states in the U.S. and countries have adopted the technology. Chance Miller writes in 9to5Mac that Virginia is the first state to debut an app that works with this technology, and he also wrote that the app is now available in Canada.
- If you get a new iPhone and you need to move the Microsoft Authenticator app to your new device, your best bet may be to contact the IT department. But apparently, you can also do it yourself, and Rob Woodgate sets forth the steps in this article from How-To Geek.
- Christine Chan of iMore reviews the Logitech Folio Touch for the 11" iPad Pro, and she thinks it is better than Apple's Magic Keyboard.
- Katie Conner of CNet offers advice for cleaning an iPhone. One tip that I had not heard before: use Scotch tape to remove sand and lint.
- When astronaut Bob Behnken was returning home from the International Space Station in the SpaceX Crew Dragon, he encountered a problem with the iPad mini that acts as a spaceflight manual. As Zac Hall of the Space Explored website explains, mission control helped him to get the problem by using AirDrop to transfer files from astronaut Doug Hurley. I doubt that Apple has tested using AirDrop in space, but now we know that it works.
- Here is an interesting battery for the iPhone: the Anker PowerCore Play 6K, a battery designed for using with an iPhone while you are playing a game in landscape orientation. The battery — $36 on Amazon — has two grips to make it easier to hold the iPhone, has a fan to keep the iPhone cooler while a game is pushing the iPhone's processor to the limit, and it supports both USB and USB-C.
- And finally, this video is absolutely worth watching, but don't do it on your computer. Watch it on an iPhone or iPad that you can turn to portrait orientation. Apple released a short film by director Damien Chazelle that was shot entirely on an iPhone 11 Pro using vertical video, and the film takes full advantage of that aspect ratio. It is called The Stunt Double and it is great fun. There is also a great "making of" video. Bravo!
