The Public Access Weekly: Ho ho ho
The holidays are officially upon us, so in between all the last-minute shopping, and gift wrapping, and caroling, and egg nogging, and traveling, let’s get down to some community news:
Over the holiday break, we will be doing our best to get to all the incoming Public Access articles that have been submitted but our turn around time will be unavoidably longer. Expect it to take at least two or three days to hear back on articles you’ve submitted for approval. Normal article editing schedule will resume on January 2nd.
A quick note to Public Access users who have accepted a topic suggestion: Please change the title of your article from the title of the suggestion! Articles cannot be published with the same title, so if more than one person submits an article with the title of the topic, it results in an error message.
Over in the comments section, a lot of people have asked me about the badges next to users names — you might have seen a star with the words ‘influencer’ or ‘leader’. This simply means that individual comments, shares or likes comments frequently. Essentially, it indicates involvement in the community so if you’d like to see one next to your name be sure to comment, share and like others comments.
That’s it for this week, have a great holiday everyone!
Looking for something to read? Check out:
Breslin Borland took us all to school on how to conserve more energy on our tech hardware with some handy tips and stats. While I am strict about unplugging my chargers when I’m done, I had no idea that game consoles used that much energy, so thanks Breslin!
Meanwhile, Anna Johansson looked to the future of 3D printing arguing that the technology hasn’t plateaued but is instead headed for increasingly levels of adoption, with newer materials and more focus on integrating the technology into printing repair parts.
Lastly, Amelia Wong gave us a compare-and-contrast piece on the differences between smartwatches, and feature watches, broken down into categories. And she included some original photos, which was a nice touch!
Looking for something to write about? Mull over:
Aaron Souppouris’ article on AR ‘stealing’ the year away from VR provoked a lot of thoughtful arguments and comments so we thought you would like to weigh in too: Was this the ‘year of VR’? Wny or why not? Did AR ‘steal’ it away? If so, how?
Jon Fingas discussed Apple’s Mac lineup and the ‘great desktops’ that the company still has on the way, prompting us to wonder: How long, ideally, would you want your hardware to last? Desktop PCs, laptops, smartphones — how long do you hold on to your tech and how long do you think your hardware should last?
We have had a really good time writing our end of the year articles, with the “Best of” pieces being a particular staff favorite. Now that we’re waving goodbye to the last days of 2016, pick your best of: Best games, best tech, best app, best wearable, etc.
Both Sony and Microsoft are holding big holiday sales right now
It’s just a few days until Christmas, and plenty of people will probably end up with an Xbox One or PS4 beneath the tree. Naturally, both Sony and Microsoft are offering a raft of game deals for people to load up their new consoles, and it’s worth taking a look whether you’re just getting a new console or have had one for years now.
On the Sony side, there aren’t many deals on brand-new to be had, but some of the best of the last couple years are on sale — including Shadow of Mordor (Game of the Year edition, $10.99), Star Wars Battlefront (Ultimate Edition for $27.99 or the standard edition for $9.99), Overwatch ($39.59) and the full Destiny collection ($39.59). You can also grab Bloodbourne for only $7.99, Grand Theft Auto V for $29.99 and the first season of Hitman $29.99. That’s just the tip of the iceberg; there are dozens more games on sale. Note that all of these prices only apply if you have a PS Plus subscription — though all these games are also on sale if you don’t have PS Plus, they’ll just cost a little more. Sony’s deals are on through 12/27 at 8AM, though there will be another sale right on the heels of that one.
Microsoft has a similarly expansive sale going on through the 28th. Among the many games on sale are Battlefield 1, BioShock: The Collection, Dishonored 2 and Destiny: The Collection all for $44.99 each. Forza Horizon 3 is on sale for $38.99 and Forza Motorsport 6 is $29.99. If you want to pick up some games on the cheap, Batman: Arkham Knight and Star Wars: Battlefront are only $11.99 each. And if you want to get your hands on the latest from one of Microsoft’s flagship franchises, Gears of War 4 is on sale for $32.99. Microsoft is also having daily deals today through the 31st, and another sale will kick off on the 29th after this current one ends.
If PC games are more your speed, Steam is also holding its big holiday sale right now — it’s a good week to blow some cash on games regardless of what platform you prefer.
Source: Microsoft, Sony
Australia fines Valve $2.2 million over its Steam refund policy
Australia’s federal court has fined Valve AUD$3 million (USD$2.2 million) after ruling that the company breached consumer law when it didn’t offer refunds between 2011 and 2014. This is the maximum fine requested by Australia’s competition regulator and it’s 12 times more than Valve itself suggested it should pay, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Justice James Edelman said he imposed such a harsh penalty because Valve willfully disregarded Australian law.
When Valve established Steam in Australia, it did not seek out legal advice or ensure it followed local regulations until the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was alerted in 2014, Valve’s general counsel Karl Quackenbush said. This lack of forethought did not sit well with Justice Edelman.
“[Valve] had a culture by which it formed a view without Australian legal advice that it was not subject to Australian law, and it was content to proceed to trade with Australian consumers without that advice and with the view that even if advice had been obtained that Valve was required to comply with Australian law the advice might have been ignored,” his judgement reads, according to the Morning Herald.
Valve is a United States company serving 2.2 million accounts in Australia, and between 2011 and 2014 it received 21,124 tickets with the word “refund” from Australian IP addresses, Justice Edelman said.
Australia’s federal court found in March that Valve’s lack of a refund policy on Steam violated consumer law. Valve implemented an international refund policy in mid-2015.
Valve initially suggested it should pay a AUD$250,000 penalty, but Justice Edelman said that figure was “not even a real cost of doing business. It would barely be noticed.”
Luckily, refunds are now definitely a thing on Steam — and the site’s winter sale is going on right now.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
Volkswagen is starting a ride-hailing service in Rwanda
Volkswagen is trying to put its PR woes behind it. And to do so, it’s looking to invest in Africa, the cradle of civilization, with a ride-hailing service and a production facility. The automaker will set up the former in Rwanda, with Reuters reporting the latter will be in Kenya.
Now, the ride-hailing news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Earlier this year, the company made a $300 investment into European company Gett. Reuters writes that Rwanda is a good place to operate because Uber hasn’t set up shop there like it has in Kenya.
Speaking of that country, VW’s plant there will produce the Polo Vivo electric compact — the first manufacturing it’s done in Kenya since the ’70s. And starting next year, the outfit will also make cars in Algeria.
None of this sounds like the luxury market or self-driving initiatives VW is pushing, of course, but the company has to start somewhere.
Source: Reuters
MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Three Year Subscription to 1Password for Families
MacRumors is holding a series of software giveaways in celebration of the holidays, and for today’s giveaway, we’ve partnered with AgileBits to give MacRumors readers a chance to win a three-year subscription to 1Password for Families.
For those unfamiliar with 1Password, it is password management software, which is essential in an era where critical website hacks occur on a near-daily basis. With 1Password, you can store all of your passwords, credit cards, and other sensitive information, all protected in a vault by a master password.
1Password generates complicated, secure single-use passwords for each website or service you use, so in the event that a hack does happen, there will be no compromised shared passwords. The software even alerts you when a password has potentially been compromised so you can change it right away.
With a 1Password for Families subscription, which is priced at $5 per month, a family of five can access the 1Password service for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices, with 1GB of document storage and unlimited passwords, notes, credit cards, and more. Password information syncs between devices so your passwords are always right at hand regardless of whether you’re using a Mac or an iPhone.
1Password for Families also gives families a safe way to share the passwords and logins for bills and other shared services with both personal and shared vaults.
AgileBits is giving 25 MacRumors readers a three-year subscription to 1Password for Families. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (December 23) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on December 30. The winners will be chosen randomly on December 30 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Tags: giveaway, 1Password
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First LG UltraFine 5K Displays Arrive Early for Lucky Customers
While the LG UltraFine 5K Display went on sale earlier this week, it was actually the second time it became available for purchase. Apple very briefly accepted orders for the display in late November, possibly by mistake, and some lucky customers who bought one received six to eight week shipping estimates.
Apple emailed some of those first-wave customers earlier this week to let them know their order would be shipping sooner than expected, typically with an expected delivery date of December 28 to December 29. But, in the United Kingdom at least, at least a few lucky customers received their displays today.
LG UltraFine 5K Display delivered to a lucky customer in the United Kingdom
“I ordered literally within seconds of them going on sale, with estimated delivery of December 28-30,” said MacRumors forum member Stealth66, who ordered two LG UltraFine 5K displays. “I received a shipping email out of the blue yesterday afternoon, and they were delivered today by UK Mail.”
“I’ve used Apple’s Thunderbolt Displays for a few years and I must say these LG 5Ks are awesome,” he added. “Very bright, incredibly sharp, and worked flawlessly out of the box, just like an Apple product! It works fine with the Belkin Ethernet adapter plugged into the back of the display.”
The forum member noted the Thunderbolt 3 cable included in the box with one of the displays was defective, prompting him to make a Genius Bar appointment to obtain a replacement cable.
MacRumors forum member iBrooker, located in Wales, said his LG UltraFine 5K Display coincidentally arrived today at the same time as his new MacBook Pro, with the deliveries handled separately by couriers DHL and DPD.
“I’ve spent a couple of hours setting it all up and have to say the display itself is stunning,” said iBrooker. “However, I’m still a bit peed that there is no headphone out—so I will have to waste one USB-C port for that. I am not fussed on the built in speakers, and didn’t really want/need a camera.”
LG’s UltraFine 5K Display, designed in partnership with Apple, connects to the new 15-inch MacBook Pro with a single Thunderbolt 3 cable, which provides up to 85W of power to charge the notebook. The 27-inch IPS LED display has peak brightness of 500 nits and a wide DCI-P3 color gamut for more accurate and vivid colors.
The display has an adjustable and removable stand with VESA mount, built-in camera, microphone, stereo speakers, and three downstream USB-C ports at 5 Gbps speeds. It has a 60Hz refresh rate and 217 PPI. The display can be purchased from Apple for $974 until March 31, when it increases to $1,299.95.
The majority of orders placed in late November should begin arriving to customers in the United States and elsewhere next week. Orders placed this week were initially estimated to ship in as few as 3-5 business days, but orders quickly became backlogged and shipping estimates slipped to 2-4 weeks.
For those still looking into purchasing a 4K or 5K display, be sure to consider the smaller LG UltraFine 4K Display or other USB-C displays available.
Related Roundup: Displays
Tag: LG
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