Archive for November 26, 2018

Monday, November 26, 2018

Apple Emoji Turns 10

Jeremy Burge:

When entering the Japanese market in 2008, one key area of focus for Apple was including emoji support on the newly released iPhone 3G.

This emoji support came in the form of a software update known as iPhone OS 2.2 (iPhone OS is what is now known as iOS) that was released globally, although the emoji keyboard was restricted to the Japanese market only.

[…]

At the time emoji support was first implemented, this was done in a way that was compatible with SoftBank (Apple’s iPhone release partner in Japan), but emoji support had yet to come to Unicode which would make the characters universally interchangable between devices, carriers and software platforms for the first time.

Jeremy Burge:

The font on iOS (nee iPhone OS) that includes all the emoji characters is called Apple Color Emoji and it has been around in various forms since 2008.

Originally containing 471 emojis for the Japanese market only, many of these original designs still largely resemble their modern counterparts.

See also: Swift Tricks: Emoji Flags.

Previously: Former Apple Intern Looks Back at Designing First Apple Emoji in 2008, Apple Color Emoji.

Thank You, Katie Floyd

Katie Floyd (via Jeff Perry, MPU):

After nine years and more than 450 episodes, the time has come for me to say goodbye to Mac Power Users.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the success of this podcast or the opportunities it would create. I would not be where I am today, personally or professionally, without this show. I owe a debt of gratitude to our sponsors, listeners, and most of all, to my co-host David Sparks. You have lived with me through life, loss, new homes, careers, and nearly every other significant milestone. Throughout it all, MPU has been there.

[…]

As I close out the show, I’m going to take the opportunity also to step away from my online presence. Some of you may have noticed I have already started this process by backing away from social media and my website. I want to assure you that all is well. As much as I have enjoyed spending the previous nine years with all of you, I’ve never really been comfortable living so much of my life online. I’ve got some exciting things happening in my offline life, and it’s time for me to turn my attention to other things.

I will miss hearing her perspectives on the show, as I already do on her blog.

Stephen Hackett:

Katie is leaving big shoes to fill, and it’s why I was deeply humbled when David asked me to step in as his new cohost. I am beyond thrilled to announce that I will be taking up the mantle on Mac Power Users starting in January.

Do the iPhone XS and XR Screens Scratch Less?

John Gruber:

Apple describes the glass (front and back) on the iPhone XS as “the most durable glass ever in a smartphone”. I asked, and according to Apple, this means both crack and scratch resistance.

Marco Arment:

My iPhone X had the most scratch-prone screen I’ve ever had on a portable device.

My iPhone XS has zero scratches so far, and seems much more like pre-X iPhones in that regard.

Evgeny Cherpak:

I owned two X iPhones, first one was very scratch prone m, current one no so much. Is it possible they have multiple glass suppliers and some not as good as others. That would mean we have a lottery just like with intel modems but without ability to identify it.

Joe Fabisevich:

Is it just me or is the iPhone XS much more scratchable than previous iPhones?

Hunter Maximillion Monk:

I got two huge scratches after having it for maybe 3 days. Always kept in pocket alone, never dropped

Felix Lapalme:

AFAIK it’s as scratchable as the X (very) to make it less prone to shattering

Pratik Jain:

Apple switched the coating applied since the X for OLED Screens which causes the scratch hell.

Previously: The iPhone XS and Its Camera, Scratched iPhone 8 and iPhone X Screens.

USPS Site Exposed Data on 60 Million Users

Brian Krebs:

U.S. Postal Service just fixed a security weakness that allowed anyone who has an account at usps.com to view account details for some 60 million other users, and in some cases to modify account details on their behalf.

KrebsOnSecurity was contacted last week by a researcher who discovered the problem, but who asked to remain anonymous. The researcher said he informed the USPS about his finding more than a year ago yet never received a response. After confirming his findings, this author contacted the USPS, which promptly addressed the issue.

[…]

In addition to exposing near real-time data about packages and mail being sent by USPS commercial customers, the flaw let any logged-in usps.com user query the system for account details belonging to any other users, such as email address, username, user ID, account number, street address, phone number, authorized users, mailing campaign data and other information.

Amazon Admits It Exposed Customer E-mail Addresses

Zack Whittaker and Josh Constine (via Hacker News):

Amazon emailed users Tuesday, warning them that it exposed an unknown number of customer email addresses after a “technical error” on its website.

[…]

Amazon’s vague and non-specific email also sparked criticism from users — including security experts — who accused the company of withholding information. Some said that the correspondence looked like a phishing email, used to trick customers into turning over account information.

[…]

Amazon, as a Washington-based company, is required to inform the state attorney general of data incidents involving 500 state residents or more. Yet, in Europe, where data protection rules are stronger — even in the wake of the recently introduced General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — it’s less clear if Amazon needs to disclose the incident.