"Ireland accuses EU of exceeding power in Apple tax case" Reuters 8:43 PM
"Apple to appeal EU tax ruling this week, says it was a 'convenient target'" Reuters 8:43 PM
"Ireland to appeal EU's record $14 billion tax order on Apple" Associated Press 8:43 PM
"Apple formally challenges the EU's tax demands: The tech giant claims Europe ignored legal advice in order to exaggerate its punishment." Engadget 8:44 PM
"Apple and Ireland to challenge EU tax ruling this week" BBC 9:35 PM
"Apple Inc. Now Close to Supply-Demand Balance on iPhone 7 Plus: A check of the tech titan's online store suggests that supply of and demand for the iPhone 7 Plus are converging." The Motley Fool 4:41 PM
"All of iPhone 8's OLED version will be curved: sources" The Korea Herald 7:00 AM
"OLED iPhone 8 to Feature Curved Display and New Touch-Sensitive Technology" MacRumors 7:04 AM
"Apple's not very good, really quite poor 2016/Commentary: It's not so much about the profits. It's more about how much, or how little, Apple has thought about its customers." CNET 4:39 PM
"From software patents to Apple's tax case, the European Commission has been a premier source of fake news" Foss Patents 8:27 AM
"Apple has set up a secret office in Berlin to 'cherrypick' mapping engineers from Here" Business Insider 7:11 AM
"Apple, Inc. Has a Long Way to Go to Be Perceived as a Services Company: But what if you considered part of the iPhone business as a service?" The Motley Fool 12/17
"Apple's software has been anything but 'magical' lately: There was a time when I could blindly update my Apple devices and trust that the update wouldn't break it, remove a core function, or make me feel stupid for not knowing how to use a simple feature." Mashable 12/17
"iPhone should replace Chromebook in the classroom" BetaNews 12/17
"Taiwan Semiconductor Reported to Start Building Apple A11 Processor in April: Apple's next-generation iPhone processor should go into production in late April, per BlueFin Research Partners, though it looks like TSMC needs to improve yield rates on its 10-nanometer technology ahead of the ramp-up." The Motley Fool 12/17
"Apple's macOS file encryption easily bypassed without the latest fixes: Custom-made Thunderbolt devices can be used to extract the encryption password from locked Macs" IDG News Service 12/16
"Your Security Is the Best Reason to Get macOS 10.12.2" LAPTOP Magazine 12/16
Reviews/How-To/Tips
"Vesper Open Source #1: the Boring Part" inessential 12:40 PM
"Examined: project management tool OmniPlan 3.6 with Touch Bar support in macOS Sierra" AppleInsider 12/17
"How to Use Tapback Messages on Mac" OS X Daily 12/16
"How to use the Touch Bar with Reminders on the MacBook Pro" iMore 12/16
"Control iTunes With the MiniPlayer" MacMost 12/16
"Navigate Mac Files And Folders Without Using The Finder" TeraTalks 12/16
"This Is The Cool Backup Tool To Use Instead Of The Mac's Time Machine" NoodleMac 12/16
"Apple loses smartphone patent suit" TechnoBuffalo 10:33 AM
"2 More Insights From Apple Inc.'s Job Boards: Continued investments in a tried-and-true display technology and potential further vertical integration as it bulks up its image sensor expertise." The Motley Fool 12/17
"Could you get a job at Apple? It depends on your answers to these 25 questions" Telegraph 12/17
"Apple, Facebook, Google, IBM and Uber say they won't help Trump build a registry of Muslim-Americans" Recode 12/17
"Apple's Jony Ive takes us into his secret design lab" Mashable 12/17
"How the hot startup that stole Apple's thunder wound up in Silicon Valley's graveyard" Business Insider 12/17
"'Super Mario Run' Is A Success In Japan And Has Also Avoided A Major Monetization Pitfall" Forbes 12/17
"Your wearable-tracked health data is for sale, according to a new study: If you sport a Fitbit or Apple Watch on the regular, you probably love the health insights you get from your wearable. You know how much you move, how well you sleep and have likely started tracking patterns and trends as soon as you have enough time logged." Mashable 12/16
"Gene Munster's last Apple note predicts AR wearables will replace the iPhone" Recode 12/16
"Apple, Spotify Face Upstart Rival in Streaming Music: China's Tencent/Tencent to expand its Joox music-streaming service in Southeast Asia; exploring plans to enter India" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/16
"Super Mario Run has nearly three million downloads, but also a lot of low ratings: Plenty of people weren't happy about its high price tag or how little was available for free," Recode 12/16
"Nintendo Loses First Round of Super Mario iPhone Launch: The launch of 'Super Mario Run' failed to jump-start Nintendo's shares" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/16
"Players complain about high data use from persistent internet in 'Super Mario Run'" AppleInsider 12/16
"Nintendo's Super Mario Run Exposes Shift in Game Player Expectations: Super Mario Run reaction shows that gamers are looking for more satisfaction and cheaper prices." TheStreet 12/16
"'Super Mario Run' tops Apple's highest grossing, free app charts hours after launch" AppleInsider 12/16
"Apple hit with $2 million penalty following San Diego retail employee complaints over breaks" 9to5Mac 12/16
"New Time-Lapse Video Shows Past 6 Months of Work on Apple Campus 2 in Just 4 Minutes" MacRumors 12/16
"4K drone footage timelapse dramatically illustrates pace of Campus 2 construction [Video] 9to5Mac 12/16
"Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak didn't replace his Tesla with a Chevy Bolt after all – he got another Tesla instead" Electrek 12/16
"What they said: Best Apple quotes of 2016" Cult of Mac 12/16
"Today in Apple history: Apple signs 'clone Mac' deal" Cult of Mac 12/16
Non-Apple News
"'Find my Phone' is an amazing short film about a stolen cell" TechCrunch 4:40 PM
"Virtual assistants expected to top virtual reality in holiday sales" Reuters 12:41 PM
"Obama's tech chief predicted foreign election hacking back in 2013" Recode 11:09 AM
"Inside LG's Women-Led Phone Production Line, Where The G6 Will Be Made" Forbes 7:44 AM
"Data breach at LinkedIn's Lynda.com affects 55,000 accounts: The passwords were secure, but the training site isn't taking any chances." Engadget 4:39 PM
"LinkedIn's training arm resets 55,000 members' passwords: Lynda.com database accessed by 'unauthorized third party'" The Register 7:05 AM
"LinkedIn resets some Lynda.com users' passwords following data leak" VentureBeat 12/17
"Internet thinks exploding phone victim is CeeLo, but whoever it is, it looks bad" Mashable 12/17
"Microsoft might have some secret weapons in store for its Echo competitor" Android Authority 12/17
"Latest Yahoo Hack Worth $300 Million Online" Digital Trends 12/17
"In Memoriam: The Tech That Died in 2016" [Slideshow] PC Magazine 12/17
"Verizon buys its users a little more time with the Galaxy Note7: Verizon has officially announced that it will push Samsung's update that will kill the Galaxy Note7. The update will roll out January 5, 2017." TechRepublic 12/16
"Google Home gets a bunch of new functionality, ranging from Netflix to Domino's Pizza" TechCrunch 12/16
"Most Firefox users are running Windows 7 on dated PCs: A new report tells developers if the average user can run a game." Engadget 12/16
"Amazon Fire TV's new look arrives today" TechCrunch 12/16
"Net neutrality might die after FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler steps down" The Next Web 12/16
"Evernote issues yet another privacy policy statement: makes note snooping opt-in only" BetaNews 12/16
"Evernote backs off from privacy policy changes, says it 'messed up'" IDG News Service 12/16
"Evernote does U-turn on privacy policy after clarification fails to reassure customers" 9to5Mac 12/16
Publications/Podcasts
"Super Mario Run, Pixel XL, Moto Z, T-Mobile DIGITS (MobileTechRoundup show #387)" ZDNet 2:01 PM
"The First Rule of The Darknet Is Don't Talk About The Darknet – Mac Geek Gab 636" The Mac Observer 11:01 AM
"Being Siri: meet the woman behind Apple's personal assistant – tech podcast" The Guardian 10:32 AM
"Super Mario Run-o-rama - The TouchArcade Show #186" Touch Arcade 12/17
"In-depth review of Apple's AirPods. Plus, foldable iPhone in 2018? (Apple Byte Extra Crunchy, Ep. 67)" CNET 12/17
"Super Mario Run, Astra for iPhone -TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-16" The Mac Observer 12/16
"AirPods alternatives and the BEST shows of 2016 on The CultCast" Cult of Mac 12/16
"AppleInsider podcast talks Apple Watch Nike+, HomeKit, Super Mario Run, more" AppleInsider 12/16
"Super Mario Run: Tips, tricks and takeaways for Nintendo's first Mario game for iOS" [Podcast] GeekWire 12/16
"First AirPods Orders Begin Arriving in Australia and New Zealand as Apple Stores Begin Sales" MacRumors 8:43 PM
"AirPods begin arriving to customers & hitting retail stores around the world [Gallery] 9to5Mac 8:43 PM
"Prometheus: upcoming tool may allow unsigned iOS upgrades and downgrades" iDownload Blog 7:43 AM
"iPhone 8 Rumors: Will Apple's Next Smartphone Actually Be Called The 'iPhone 7s' Instead?" The Inquisitr 7:11 AM
"AirPods Begin Shipping to Customers in the U.S." MacRumors 12/17
"Apple AirPods now shipping to preorder customers" AppleInsider 12/17
"Samsung Will Be Apple's Top Supplier For iPhones Again In 2017" Forbes 12/17
"What You Get for Super Mario Run's $10 In-app Purchase" The Mac Observer 12/17
"LG Display Partners up with Outside Businesses to Develop Out-Foldable OLED Panels: It is confirmed that LG Display has partnered up with Apple and google and is developing 'out-foldable' displays for Smartphones. It is going to start mass-producing them in 2018 and supply them to Apple, Google, and Microsoft." Korea IT News 12/16
"LG Said to Supply Apple With Foldable Displays for Future iPhones" MacRumors 12/16
"LG Display reportedly partnering with Apple on foldable OLED for upcoming iPhones" 9to5Mac 12/16
"Following MacBook controversy, Apple hiring Battery Algorithm Analysis Engineer/others in budding electrical test lab" 9to5Mac 12/16
"Apple Tying to Beef Up Battery Engineering Team" The Mac Observer 12/16
"Is Apple Finally Building A Dual-SIM iPhone? Filings Suggest It's Possible" Forbes 12/16
"Replacing a lost AirPod will cost you $69" Mashable 12/16
"Apple will charge £65 to replace one lost Airpod" BBC 12/16
"Apple's AirPods Will Cost $69 to Replace" Investopedia 12/16
"Apple's Penalty Charge For A Lost AirPod" Forbes 12/16
"Apple AirPods to become available in retail stores Monday, report says" Mashable 12/16
"AirPods Available in Apple's Retail Stores on Dec 19" The Mac Observer 12/16
AppleCare/Helps
"Video freezes on Mac Pro: Video card replacement required" Betalogue 8:33 PM
"I purchased an Early 2011 MacBook Pro and the logic board/GPU was replaced in 2015 while under AppleCare after getting solid blue screen freezes after running videos. Now the computer is freezing again with the solid blue screen after running videos. I took the MacBook Pro into the Apple Store and they say their test suite shows no issues. They also say that the extended warranty that expires at end of Dec 2016 does not cover units with the logic board replaced. When I asked what could cause this problem to reoccur, they said a loose cable could be the cause. The Apple Store said they would fix the loose cable, but made no promises about doing anything more." MacInTouch 12/17
"Spilled coffee, soda or water on your laptop? Here's what you need to do" BetaNews 12/16
"Some Users Don't Have Star Ratings in iOS 10.2: Here's a Workaround" The Mac Observer 12/16
Price Trackers/Deals
"Apple's iPad Pro is on sale at Target for up to $250 off" The Verge 12/16
"Google Pixel XL Vs. iPhone 7 Plus: If A Design Could Kill" Forbes 10:50 AM
"iPad Mini 4 vs Huawei MediaPad M3" DailyTech 7:42 AM
"Patchworks Level Review (and Level Clear) - iPhone 7 and 7 Plus cases" Mobile Reviews Eh 8:40 PM
"Untangling the mesh: Everything you need to know about Wi-Fi systems/CNET editor Dong Ngo explains the good and the bad of Wi-Fi systems (aka mesh networks) and their alternatives that will make your home Wi-Fi great." CNET 10:20 AM
"Sennheiser GSP 300 Gaming Headset Review: Great Sound, Great Price, and Not Ugly" Wired 9:56 AM
"Ticwatch 2 hands-on: Forget expensive Apple and Google watches, this $200 smartwatch packs it all in" ZDNet 8:32 AM
"Review: Using LG's UltraFine 4K Display with Apple's USB-C MacBooks is as simple as can be" AppleInsider 12/17
"Cassandra: Apple AirPods in Bangkok -The First Few Hours out of the Box" eXtensions 12/17
"Bragi Headphone Wireless Earbuds Review: They're Good, But Not Yet Truly Great" Wired 12/17
"UA Sport Wireless Heart Rate Review: Innovative, But Uncomfortable to Wear" Wired 12/17
"Apple AirPods" ["Bottom Line: The Apple AirPods feel like a big step for wireless in-ear audio—but it's more about innovations and features and less about audio performance."] PC Magazine 12/16
"Apple AirPods are top of my wireless headphones picks" Financial Times [Paid Membership Required] 12/16
"The Decibullz models make for great molded earphones" Apple World Today 12/16
"Review: Gamevice MFi controller transforms iPad and iPhone into a handheld game console" 9to5Mac 12/16
"Review: Thermacell Proflex Heavy Duty Heated Insoles" ["The whole affair is operated via Bluetooth, courtesy of a rudimentary smartphone app."] Wired 12/16
"Super Mario Run brings Nintendo's classic fun to iOS—and yes, it's totally worth $10: Mario's iPhone and iPad debut is streamlined, but still plenty Super indeed." Macworld 12/16
"Tips To Fix Super Mario Run Crashing On Non-Jailbroken Devices" Redmond Pie 12/16
"Choosing a Child's First Smartphone: Q. In regard to parental supervision, which mobile platform is best for a child's first smartphone — Android or iOS?" New York Times [Free Registration Required] 12/16
"The best tablets that aren't the Apple iPad: The Apple iPad isn't the only tablet worth buying. Here are the other models you should consider." CNET 12/16
"6 tips to make your holiday photos sparkle: How to make your holiday photos merry and bright." Macworld 12/16
"Top 22 Tips and Tricks for Super Mario Run" iPhone Hacks 12/16
"I Still Hate My Apple Watch, So I Want to Trash It Before Christmas" ["In short, I have grown to secretly hate my Apple Watch while still begrudgingly wearing it to work each day. It's limiting in what it does even after recent software updates by Apple."] TheStreet 12/17
"Dear Tim Cook: 'I about wept with frustration and rage.' Who broke iBooks? What were they thinking?" Apple 3.0 12/17
"If Trump Is Kennedy, Apple's Cook Is Steve Jobs" Mac360 12/16
"Apple, Amazon, And Drone Deliveries From The Sky (what could go wrong?)" BohemianBoomer 12/16
"Explaining the battery life problems with the new MacBook Pros: And offering up a few fixes that affected users can try." Ars Technica 12/16
"Using Amazon's Alexa voice assistant on the iPhone" The Loop 12/16
"Apple's 'Amazon Echo' Is Everywhere" Mac360 12/16
"Mac NoteBook Battery Life: Can We Handle the Truth?" The Tech Night Owl 12/16
"iOS 10.2: Apple gets it right, finally/It's taken Apple three months, but iOS 10.2 now brings back the performance and stability that iOS 10 previously took away." ZDNet 12/16
"If I had to ditch my iPhone for Android, these are the only two phones I'd consider" BGR 12/16
"How the Internet is reacting to Super Mario Run's release!" iMore 12/16
"Super Mario Run: Players ask 'Is the app worth it?'" BBC 12/16
"When is Apple going to pay FaceTime the attention it deserves?" iDownload Blog 12/16
Non-Apple
"Yahoo security problems a story of too little, too late" Reuters 4:39 PM
"As illness shrinks my dad's world, tech expands it/Commentary: When a loved one suffers a traumatic brain injury, video brings the world, and lots of smiles, to intensive care." CNET 7:44 AM
"Updates and more on the Netgear router vulnerability" Computerworld 12/17
"Love Your Macbook, Lust For Windows 10: Choose Your Next Gorgeous Ultrabook" Forbes 12/17
"Why Trump's assertion that hackers can't be caught after an attack is wrong" Business Insider 12/17
"Google Home Vs. Amazon Echo Vs. Microsoft Home Hub: The Smart Home Battle Intensifies" MobiPicker 12/17
"2016's five best internet media streaming devices" ZDNet 12/16
"Opinion: Two months later, Google Pixel is still a worthy iPhone alternative for normal people" 9to5Google 12/16
"When Will 'Super Mario Run' Come Out On Android?" Forbes 10:20 AM
"AppAdvice's Ultimate Wireless Headphone Gift Guide" AppAdvice 7:10 AM
"Reports Of Pokemon Go Apple Watch App's Death Are Greatly Exaggerated" Redmond Pie 7:10 AM
"Niantic shelves plans for Pokémon Go app for Apple Watch" 9to5Mac 12/17
"15 Cool Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 Accessories" Popular Mechanics 12/17
"This mouth guard could show your concussion risk immediately after a nasty hit" VentureBeat 12/17
"Astra Brings Power Of Amazon Echo, Alexa Skills To iPhone" Redmond Pie 12/17
"Vine to live on as camera app, existing content to migrate online" AppleInsider 12/16
"Coming December 17: Gene Steinberg meets columnist and podcaster Kirk McElhearn, and The Mac Observer's Bryan Chaffin, this week on The Tech Night Owl LIVE!" The Tech Night Owl LIVE 12/16
"Apple Gifts Employees With T-Shirt and Printed Credo for the Holidays" MacRumors 12/16
"Where is Microsoft Corporation Headed Now?" Consumer Eagle 12/17
"Intel And Microsoft Partnered With Project Evo And VR For PC" Gigjets 12/17
"Intel Core i7-7700 Delidding Reveals Poor Quality TIM That May Lead To Overheating" MobiPicker 12/17
"Lenovo planning Chrome OS edition of its Yoga Book hybrid tablet/laptop" ZDNet 12/17
"HP's OMEN X is a powerful and mostly satisfying gaming cube" TechCrunch 12/17
"Light, powerful and skinny: HP's latest laptop, the Spectre, stands out within the ultra-thin category as a sturdy, gamer-compatible, wallet-friendly replacement for Apple's MacBook." Bangkok Post 12/17
"Largest BDS mobilization ever: Boycott Hewlett Packard!" Workers World 12/17
"Millard Public Schools to issue each high school student a laptop" ["After trying out devices and getting input from students, the district chose the HP 360. It is a conventional Windows laptop with a solid-state hard drive, Intel processor and touch screen. ... The laptop can fold into a tablet, a configuration many students find comfortable for reading and searching, he said. When it's time to write a paper, it converts to the laptop with a keyboard."] Omaha World-Herald 12/17
"Tech Infrastructure Will Rule: The year ahead will be slow for consumer tech, but Internet infrastructure stocks will boom." Barron's 12/17
"Speaking of Business: After biggest hack ever, no one's shouting Yahoo" Seattle Times 12/17
"Final Thoughts: Gene Munster Concludes His Coverage Of Apple" Benzinga 7:04 AM
"Laura Martin: The Street doesn't get Apple" Apple 3.0 [Subscription Required for Full Article] 12:31 PM
"Apple: Piper Analyst Olson Picks Up Baton, Agrees Services is the Question" Barron's 12/16
"How a Trump Tax Holiday Could Help Cisco, Apple, Microsoft and Others Lighten Their Debt Loads" TheStreet 12/16
"Katy Huberty: How Trump's tax cuts help Apple, hurt HP" Apple 3.0 12/16
Industry News
"Stock market closes lower after China seizes U.S. underwater drone: Dow industrials manage to log a sixth week of gains" MarketWatch 12/16
"Dow Eyes 20,000 as Stocks Drift Higher: Stocks rise on Friday, putting the Dow Jones Industrial Average one step closer to the psychologically important 20,000 level." TheStreet 12/16
"Dow ends flat, 157 points short of 20,000" Associated Press 12/16
"Wall St Loses Ground as Tech Stocks Weigh" Reuters 12/16
"U.S. Stocks Largely Steady: Dow posts sixth straight week of gains, though ascent slows; the dollar was also stable Friday" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/16
"Nikkei reaches 1-year high as Asian markets get back on track: Asian shares steadied Friday, tracking U.S. gains, with financials leading the Japan stock market to a fresh high for the year." MarketWatch 12/16
"European stocks close at 2016 highs as drugmakers gain: European stocks gained Friday, with drugmaker shares showing strength, as the Stoxx Europe 600 notched its highest close of the year." MarketWatch 12/16
MacSurfer Headline News Staff
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: P. Pearson
Managing & Weekday Editor: D. Mahaffy
Evening Editors: S. Siegling and
D. Mahaffy
Weekend Editors: S. Siegling , A. Spaulding and
D. Mahaffy
CEO: T. Jefferson
CFO: K. Midas
Editor Emeritus: W. Shakespeare
Writers Emeritus: W. Lewis, R. Chandler, W. Morris, G. Simenon, C. Vallejo, F. Garcia Lorca,
P. White, R. Adams, P. Valery, C. Aiken, R. Bradbury, F. Pessoa, S. Bellow, F. O'Connor
Art Directors: V. Van Gogh, C. Monet
Advertising Managers: C. Chaplin, H. Marx
Public Relations Firm: Bits & Bytes
Bomb Squad: Type 11 Errors
Chief Scientists: I. Asimov, S. Hawking
Road Crew: R. Petty, J. Cooper
Mechanics: Tom and Ray
Fishing Crew: A. Lindner, D. Stange, K. VanDam
Head Chef: Mom
Head Travel Guru: D. Pearson
Mascots: Cyberdog, Clarus the Dogcow
General Counsel: #%@*$$$$!