Apple Working to Put a Stop to iCloud Calendar Spam
Over the course of the last week, many iCloud users have been the target of spam that’s delivered in the form of an unsolicited Calendar event invitation, and now Apple is working on a way to stop it.
In a statement given to iMore’s Rene Ritchie, an Apple spokesperson said the company working to block spam invites.
We are sorry that some of our users are receiving spam calendar invitations. We are actively working to address this issue by identifying and blocking suspicious senders and spam in the invites being sent.
iCloud calendar spam isn’t new, but there’s been a serious uptick in calendar spam since last week. Because iCloud calendar invites are sent to an iCloud calendar automatically by default and there’s no easy way to ignore them, there’s no clear way to stop the spam.
Image via OS X Daily
Declining, accepting, or choosing “Maybe” on an incoming iCloud invite lets an iCloud email address is valid, so until Apple can put a stop to the spam, there are two fixes. First, by logging in to iCloud via a web browser and accessing the Calendar settings (Click the cog, go to Preferences, then choose Advanced), you can choose to receive all event invitations as email. Emails can be more easily ignored and deleted.
Second, you can create a new Calendar, name it Spam, move the spam invitation to the Spam calendar, and then delete the Calendar entirely. This method does not inform spammers that an event has been declined and does not verify an iCloud account’s validity. For more detailed instructions, make sure to check out our how to.
Both iOS users that use the default Calendar app and those who use third-party calendar apps like Fantastical are affected by the spam issue, which appears to be fairly widespread.
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Siri gets its first major movie promotional stunt
While Amazon has been furiously releasing updates to keep Alexa abreast of current events (and holiday shopping deals), Apple has been content to keep most of their Siri updates limited to major OS releases. That’ll change with the iTunes release of The Secret Life of Pets, which marks the first time Apple’s virtual assistant has been used to promote a movie release or partnered with a major movie studio.
As 9to5Mac notes, the promotional stunt for The Secret Life of Pets gives Siri 15 somewhat humorous canned responses to the question “What do my pets do when I’m not at home?” When Engadget tried the gimmick, Siri responded with: “I don’t know, but the dog just asked me for a walking route to the nearest park.” And: “I don’t know, but the cat just asked me about the five day forecast for the living room sunny spot.”
Those answers might be cute, but they’re also not quite as smart as say: having Siri pull up your Nest cam highlights or launching your treat cam app. Either way, Apple felt the feature was worth a brief, product-placement heavy Facebook Video commercial:
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: iTunes on Facebook
Fantastical 2 for Mac Updated With Touch Bar Support
Popular calendar app Fantastical 2 for Mac was today updated to version 2.3.1, adding support for the Touch Bar in the new 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models.
The Touch Bar in Fantastical 2 allows users to quickly swipe through the months, days, weeks, or years on their calendar, accessing future or past information with a few gestures. There’s also an option to return to today’s date and a feature for switching between different calendars.
When selecting a specific event, there’s an option for seeing more information about it, or changing the calendar where it’s listed, and when adding a new event, the Touch Bar lets users add emoji, choose a calendar, set a reminder time, and more.
Along with Touch Bar support, today’s update also includes a few new minor features, bug fixes, and performance improvements.
What’s New
– Touch Bar support for the new MacBook Pro
– New Add Detected Invitees option to automatically add invitees detected in a sentence (for example, “Lunch meeting with John tomorrow at 12:30pm”)
– Added option to complete reminder when clicking and holding on the Snooze button of a Reminder notification
– Fixed dragging reminders without a due date from the Reminders section into the calendar view
– Minor performance improvements in the Month view
– Fixed visual glitch when using Graphite theme on macOS Sierra
– Various fixes and improvements
Fantastical 2 can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $39.99 (limited time price). [Direct Link]
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Cyber Monday Sales Live for iPhones, Macs, iPads, Accessories, and More
For those who missed out on last week’s Black Friday deals, or remain on the lookout for a few more gift ideas, Cyber Monday offers a number of online and in-store discounts on a wide range of Apple-related products and accessories. Most deals will remain available through the end of day on Monday, November 28.
Best Buy
Best Buy has a collection of Apple products on sale for Cyber Monday, with free shipping on all orders and free in-store pickup options available for customers.
iPhone
– iPhone 7 (32 GB) for $1 with activation and a two-year contract on Verizon: Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
– Buy any iPhone on installment or lease agreement and select Beats Solo 3 or Powerbeats 3 headphones, save $100.
– iPhone SE (16 GB) for $9.99/month ($160 total savings) when you buy and activate with Verizon: Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold
12.9-inch iPad Pro
– 32 GB Wi-Fi for $699.99 ($100 off): Silver, Space Gray, Gold
– 128 GB Wi-Fi for $799.99 ($100 off): Silver, Space Gray, Gold
Apple TV
– Up to $30 off: 64 GB $169.99 and 32 GB $127.49
MacBook
– 1.1 GHz/256 GB $1,149.99 ($150 off): Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold
– 1.2 GHz/512 GB $1,449.99 ($150 off): Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold
MacBook Air
– $200 off discontinued 11.6-inch MacBook Air with 128 GB or 256 GB of flash storage
iTunes
– Buy one iTunes gift card, get one of equal or lesser value 20% off: $15, $25, $50, $100, 3 x $10
Target
Target’s 15% off site-wide sale is still going on through the end of the day. There are a few restrictions, but other than iTunes gift cards, Apple products are included in the offer.
B&H Photo Video
B&H Photo Video is offering some of the better Cyber Monday deals we’ve seen on Apple products. We’ve listed some of the notable discounts below.
Macs
– Early 2015 13″ MacBook Air (1.6GHz Core i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD) for $879 ($150 off, regular $1,029)
– Early 2015 13″ MacBook Air (1.6GHz Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) for $1,039 ($160 off, regular $1,199)
– Early 2015 13″ MacBook Pro (2.7GHz Core i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD) for $1,149 ($150 off, regular $1,299)
– Mid 2015 15″ MacBook Pro (2.7GHz Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) for $1,299 ($200 off, regular $1,499)
– Late 2016 13″ MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar (2.0GHz Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) for $1,399 ($100 off, regular $1,499)
Apple Watch Series 1
– 42mm Apple Watch Sport (Space Gray/Black Sport Band) for $199 ($150 off, regular $349)
– 42mm Apple Watch Sport (Space Gray/Black Woven Nylon Band) for $199 ($150 off, regular $349)
– 42mm Apple Watch Sport (Silver/Orange Sport Band) for $199 ($200 off, regular $399)
– 42mm Apple Watch Sport (Silver/Blue Sport Band) for $209 ($190 off, regular $399)
iPad
– 9.7-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi + 4G LTE/128GB/Rose Gold) for $629 ($200 off, regular $829) — sale ends at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time
MacMall
MacMall is offering Cyber Monday deals on a range of Apple products, including iPads, Macs, and accessories. The discounts are similar to what it offered on Black Friday.
iPads
– iPad mini 4 (Wi-Fi/32GB/Space Gray) for $359 ($40 off, regular $399)
– iPad mini 4 (Wi-Fi/128GB/Silver) for $474 ($25 off, regular $499)
– iPad mini 4 (Wi-Fi + Cellular/128GB/Space Gray) for $589 ($40 off, regular $629)
– iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi/32GB/Space Gray) for $347 ($52 off, regular $399)
– iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi/128GB/Space Gray) for $435 ($64 off, regular $499)
– iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi/128GB/Silver) for $459 ($40 off, regular $499)
– 9.7-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi/32GB/Space Gray) for $491 ($108 off, regular $599)
– 9.7-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi/32GB/Gold) for $491 ($108 off, regular $599)
– 9.7-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi/32GB/Silver) for $491 ($108 off, regular $599)
– 9.7-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi + Cellular/32GB/Space Gray) for $611 ($118 off, regular $729)
– 9.7-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi + Cellular/32GB/Silver) for $611 ($118 off, regular $729)
– 12.9-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi + Cellular/128GB/Gold) for $887 ($142 off, regular $1,029)
Macs
– Early 2015 13.3″ MacBook Air (1.6GHz Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) for $1,115 ($84 off, regular $1,199)
– Early 2016 12″ MacBook (1.1GHz Core m3/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) for $1,172 ($127 off, regular $1,299)
– Mid 2015 15″ MacBook Pro (2.2GHz Core i7/16GB RAM/256GB SSD) for $1,819 ($180 off, regular $1,999)
– Mid 2015 15″ MacBook Pro (2.5GHz Core i7/16GB RAM/256GB SSD) for $1,959 ($140 off, regular $2,099)
– Mid 2015 15″ MacBook Pro (2.2GHz Core i7/16GB RAM/512GB SSD) for $2,160 ($139 off, regular $2,299)
– Early 2015 13″ MacBook Pro (2.7GHz Core i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD) for $1,195 ($104 off, regular $1,299)
– 27″ iMac with Retina 5K Display (3.2GHz Core i5/8GB RAM/1TB HDD) for $1,673 ($126 off, regular $1,799)
– Late 2013 Mac Pro (3.5GHz Intel Xeon E5/16GB RAM/256GB SSD/Dual AMD FirePro D500) for $3,639 ($360 off, regular $3,999)
Other
– 64GB Apple TV 4 for $159 ($40 off, regular $199)
– AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook/MacBook Air/13″ MacBook Pro for $215 ($34 off, regular $249)
– Apple Pencil for $89 ($10 off, regular $99)
– Smart Keyboard for 9.7-inch iPad Pro for $139 ($10 off, regular $149)
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is offering a “free memory upgrade” on the iPhone 7, with 128 GB models selling for $650 and 256 GB models selling for $750, which is a savings of $100 on both phones. Offers are only available online and through T-Mobile telesales (1-877-413-5903).
Twelve South
Twelve South is offering up to 50% off on a collection of its MacBook accessories, as well as some headphone stands. Those who place an order on Twelve South today will also receive free shipping in the United States. Like most offers, it ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time tonight, while supplies last.
– Fermata – $69.99 (regular $79.99)
– BookBook for MacBook – $39.99-$69.99 (regular $79.99-$99.99)
– BaseLift for MacBook – $19.99 (regular $39.99)
– BookArc möd for MacBook – $29.99 (regular $59.99)
– HoverBar for iPad – $29.99 (regular $59.99)
– MagicWand – $14.99 (regular $29.99)
– BassJump 2 for MacBook – $34.99 (regular $49.99)
Pad & Quill
Pad & Quill is giving its customers a site-wide discount of 15% off on Cyber Monday, including accessories for the MacBook, iPad Pro, and even Apple Pencil. Take an additional 5% off with coupon code “PQ5” entered at checkout.
Incase
Incase is offering a 50% discount site-wide on Cyber Monday, including a collection of its MacBook bags, cases, battery packs, and more, with the code CYBER50. Additionally, anyone who spends over $50 before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 28, when the sale ends, will receive a free gift in their order.
Belkin
Belkin is giving its customers a 30% discount on all of its products today with the code HAPPYDAY. The two exclusions to the offer include the $99.99 PowerHouse Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone and the $39.99 Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar, which lets users listen to music and charge their iPhone 7 simultaneously. The company is also offering free ground shipping on all orders placed within the U.S., currently running through January 2, 2017.
Speck
Speck’s deal running today is 30–40% off almost everything site-wide.
ZAGG
Like last year, ZAGG is offering a 50% discount site-wide on Cyber Monday, with three exclusions: Slim Book Pro, Rugged Book Pro, Glass+, and Sapphire Defense.
ZAGG’s offer runs later than most sites’, closing on Tuesday, November 29 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, with an additional limit of only three discounted items allowed per customer.
Other Deals
– Griffin has extended its Black Friday sale so customers can continue to save 30% site-wide with the code CYBERMONDAY.
– OtterBox is automatically taking 25% off of all orders placed on its website today.
– Staples is offering 15% off of $50 and $100 iTunes gift cards only.
– OWC has a collection of deals on Thunderbolt dock solutions, EarPods, Beats by Dre accessories, and more.
– Incipio is offering 50% off site-wide, with orders of $100+ gaining a promo code for 20% off a future purchase.
– DODOcase is offering 30% off site-wide with promo code CM30.
– Native Union has a selection of docks, cables, cases, and watch bands for up to 80% off.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.
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The best deals for Black Friday
Black Friday, the shopping mania that occurs the day after American Thanksgiving, may be more important than ever in 2016. Between 4K TVs, new game consoles, media hubs, mobile devices and wearables, there are many potential gifts this year — those discounts could be crucial to splurging on someone or treating yourself. But where do you go to find the best bargains? Never fear, as we’re rounding up some of the bigger deals you’ll see on and around November 25th. And many of these deals will be online, so you might not have to brave packed stores and shopping malls to save some cash.
12 gifts for music nerds
Nerds come in many forms. Some build stuff, some like video games, and others sweat the tiny details of audio fidelity or salivate over vintage drum machines. That latter group can be difficult to shop for if you’re not initiated in the ways of the music nerd. But don’t worry. Whether the obsessive audio freak in your life is more into making music or listening to it, we’ve got you covered. For those that love composing sweet beats, there’s the TR-09 — a pretty solid remake of the classic 909 drum machine that was essential to creating ’80s and ’90s house and techno. There are also pocket synths for musicians on the go, like the Pocket Operator line from Teenage Engineering.
For those who get their kicks more from listening than creating, there are subscription services like VNYL that deliver fresh pressed records to your door. You’ll also need a solid turntable like Music Hall’s MMF-2.3 to listen to them on, of course. And, if your favorite audiophile also happens to be an iPhone owner there’s an obvious stocking stuffer: Belkin’s Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar. This brings back the headphone jack and lets you charge the phone at the same time!
For our full list of recommendations in all categories, don’t forget to stop by our main Holiday Gift Guide hub.
Apple’s diversity numbers haven’t moved much in a year
It’s been a year where tech companies have been pledging their fealty to the concept of diversity, but backed that up with very little action. Recode has unearthed a document that Apple sent to America’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that might as well have been an A4 print-out of a “¯_(ツ)_/¯.” For all the talk, the company is still miles away from achieving parity between its white, male executives and everyone else. In fact, only 20 out of Apple’s 107 top executives are women, and only five are defined as coming from an underrepresented minority.
In the firm’s defense, remedying years (or decades) of lax employment practices doesn’t happen overnight. These businesses are more like ocean liners than go-carts, and you can’t simply fire hundreds of employees to make room. But earlier this year, Apple showed that it was hopeful for the future by revealing that the number of women and minorities that it hires as new entrants is increasing year on year. Whether the company has also worked to deal with its apparently toxic corporate culture is another story altogether.
Source: Recode
Old Apple computers make excellent plant pots
What should you do with old Apple hardware? Keep it and maintain it as the company intended, old software and all? Or maybe donate it to a museum, where fellow fans can gaze at its chunky keys and adorably low-res display longingly? Christophe Guinet, also known as ‘Monsieur Plant,’ has another idea. For his latest project, Plant Your Mac!, the Parisian artist has converted some classic Apple products into tiny gardens. All of the machines, which include the Macintosh Classic, the iMac G3 and G5, now house a selection of lush, exotic plants in unusual, imaginative ways.
The old Macintosh Classic, for instance, has a small bonsai tree sprouting out of the top. The soil and roots can be seen through the display — or rather, where it used to be — while an innocent sapling grows out of the mouse nearby. Some, such as the iMac G3, contain the foliage neatly within their original housing. Others, like the iMac G5 and PowerBook, have their new companions bursting out of the display in spectacular fashion. Together they’re a beautiful collection guaranteed to spruce up any home. We expect some purists will disagree with the treatment — but in our humble opinion, it’s a neat way of reusing some truly iconic technology.
Via: DesignBoom
Source: Monsieur Plant
Touch Bar MacBook Pro Orders Begin Shipping to European Customers
The first wave of European shipments of MacBook Pros with Touch Bars appear to be out for delivery, after several Apple customers across the pond and beyond saw their orders enter the “Preparing for Dispatch” stage over the last 48 hours.
Many MacRumors readers in the EU are reporting notifications of imminent courier deliveries, while a handful of readers in Germany, Sweden, France, and the U.K. claim to have received their new MacBooks early this morning.
The new MacBook Pros sold out quickly, with shipping estimates moving from 2 to 3 weeks to 3 to 4 weeks hours after they went on sale. Current shipping estimates are 3 to 4 weeks. Apple’s Phil Schiller said that the company has received more online orders for the new MacBook Pro than any previous model. Slice Intelligence sales estimates suggest the new model has already outsold all competing laptops in 2016.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $1,799 while the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $2,399.
European readers interested in tracking their orders and discussing their configurations and shipping status can join our dedicated MacBook Pro pre-order EU shipping thread.
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Malicious Video Link Causes iOS Devices to Freeze, Requiring a Hard Reset
A malicious video link that when played in Safari causes iOS devices to crash has been discovered this morning.
Playing the MP4 video in question through Safari appears to have no effect at first, but gradually the operating system slows down before it freezes completely, after which only a hard reset will bring the device back to life. YouTube channel EverythingApplePro has posted a demonstration (i.e. not the original video) showing the exploit in action.
The bug appears to affect iOS builds as far back as iOS 5, while iPhones running iOS 10.2 beta 3 are said to power off and show the spinning wheel indefinitely.
If you fall victim to the prank, you’ll need to hard reboot to get your device working again. According to a Reddit post by user Riddle, currently the top level domains hosting the video appear to be vk.com and testtrial.site90.net, but bear in mind that the video could be hosted on other sites quite easily and that URL shorteners can mask the actual address you’re being linked to.
This kind of prank isn’t new. Three years ago, a text exploit made the rounds that caused both Mac and iOS devices to crash.
(Via 9to5Mac.)
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