Essential Apple Podcast 52: Blood, Sweat, Tears, VPNs and Subscriptions

Recorded 13th August 2017 After my Sunday out with friends last week it’s Mark’s turn to be otherwise engaged with his social life. That means it’s down to me to keep the show on the road. So that you don’t all have to just listen to me I’m joined by Scott Willsey previously of the Pocket Sized Podcast and now co-host on Don’t Nihongo It Alone to discuss this week’s Apple and Tech related news. On this week’s show: Apple puts voices into people's heads – Wired.com via Daring Fireball iOS Beta has nearly 100 minor tweaks and refinements – YouTube Will the next Apple Watch have its own cellular connection? – BBC Xiaomi takes top wearable spot say Strategy Analytics – [Cult of Mac](https://www.cultofmac.com/495880/xiaomi-wearable-number-one/amp (https://www.cultofmac.com/495880/xiaomi-wearable-number-one/amp/) That’s totally Apples and Oranges though because as they point out, the Xiaomi band costs about £18-£25 here in the UK and an Apple Watch starts at £269 - hardly competing devices I’d say... that is like saying that someone like Kia are outdoing Ferrari because they shifted more cars! The full report in excruciating depth - from which that clickbait headline and short precis has been extracted is here Strategy Analytics Report From @dougee Hotspot Shield accused of tracking, logging and selling users histories – Hacker News Seems Hotspot might not be the only VPN you can’t rely on ... never heard of this one but it seems it’s a data gathering tool for Facebook Daring Fireball WannaCry “hero” charged with Kronos malware creation – The Telegraph Also Marcus Hutchins: cybersecurity experts rally around arrested WannaCry 'hero' - The Guardian Firmware update blunder bricks hundreds of home 'smart' locks – The Register Nightmare on Connected Home Street – Wired From MacJim Consumer Reports drop recommendations for Microsoft Surface with controversial reports of excessive failure rates – Daring Fireball Blood, Sweat and Tears could power future medical tech? – The Verge From Scott Willsey Ulysses moves to a subscription model. Why does it matter and what's the outrage over subscriptions? – MacStories Nemo’s Hardware Store (24:42) Twelve South BookBook for iPhone 7 (https://www.twelvesouth.com/product/bookbook-for-iphone) – Amazon ARCTIC S111 Silver - USB Powered Stereo Multimedia Speaker with Enhanced Drivers – Amazon Social Media and Slack You can follow us on: EssentialApple.com / Pinecast / Twitter / Facebook / Google Plus / Slack – ask us for an invite any way you can get hold of us. You can always help us out with a few pennies by using our Amazon Affiliate Link so we get a tiny kickback on anything you buy after using it. If you really like the show that much and would like to make a regular donation then please consider joining our Patreon And a HUGE thank you to the patrons who already do. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.