"Apple and Google can help power the switch to renewable energy: Big tech firms want their global operations to be clean and green. In 2019, their demands will drive the expansion of solar and wind" Wired UK 12/31
"Apple Music catching up in streaming wars" ["'The longer-term role for Apple Music is about how can it start really driving concrete revenue impact on the rest of the business,' Mr. Mulligan says. Apple doesn't share country breakdowns, but according to an analysis by Mr. Mulligan's firm Midia Research, Apple Music pulled ahead of Spotify in the United States, the No. 1 recorded music market, in 2018 – with Apple at 26.3 million users and Spotify at 25.5 million."] The Globe and Mail [Free Registration Required] 12/31
"Netflix Exits App Store, Apple as a Service Theme Intact" Loup Ventures 12/31
"Netflix stops paying the 'Apple tax' on its $853M in annual iOS revenue" TechCrunch 12/31
"Netflix quietly made a change to its iPhone app that should spook Apple" Business Insider 12/31
"Apple begins 2019 in Japan with one-day shopping event offering gift cards with select purchases" 9to5Mac 11:01 AM
"Apple's iPhone continues its domination of the premium smartphone market" AppleInsider 12/31
"Florida stores: Apple Altamonte closing for renovations January 13th, Aventura and Dadeland expansions planned" 9to5Mac 12/31
"Netflix removes iTunes billing for all new users" iDownload Blog 12/31
"Exploding Phone Story Proves Sometimes Women's Jeans are Better" Gizmodo 12/31
"Austria to implement digital tax for tech giants/Austria has vowed to tax tech giants, following France's new levy on the so-called GAFA companies: Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. The EU has been trying to implement a bloc-wide policy on the matter." AFP/Reuters 12/30
"Austria is the next country working to impose a tech tax on companies like Apple" 9to5Mac 12/30
"Austria plans its own tax for tech giants like Apple and Google: It's not waiting on the EU to make companies pay." Engadget 12/30
"The Biggest Tech Fails of 2018: Facebook, Amazon, and Apple had big years, but they also make our list of the biggest tech fails of 2018. Here's what they (and others) did to earn a Silicon Valley facepalm." PC Magazine 12/30
"Apple Pulls Christian App After LGBQT Complaints" The Western Journal 12/30
"The Patent used by SpeakWare to sue Apple with for Patent Infringement in July is now being challenged to invalidate it" Patently Apple 12/30
Non-Apple News
"The Government Shutdown Will Hit the FCC on Thursday If It Continues" Gizmodo 7:58 PM
"Nokia's Next Android Flagship Features Five Cameras" Thurrott 5:14 PM
"NVIDIA Slapped With Class Action Lawsuit Tied To Cryptocurrency Implosion" HotHardware 3:49 PM
"Consumer AT&T 5G speedtest is similar to 4G speedtest ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" Android Authority 11:00 AM
"AT&T's 5G network speeds feel a lot like 4G LTE right now" BGR 8:47 AM
"Breaking: Could Samsung kill the Apple Watch with this new wearable revolution? Samsung Smart Shoes are in the making and they could be a runner's dream" T3 7:56 AM
"Google is primed to go big at CES again" CNET 7:40 AM
"What is Ryuk, the malware believed to have hit the Los Angeles Times" Los Angeles Times [Paid Membership Required] 7:38 AM
"This clever AI hid data from its creators to cheat at its appointed task" TechCrunch 12/31
"FCC to suspend operations January 3rd unless funding resumes" Engadget 12/31
"AT&T's first 5G speed tests are here, and they're not great" Android Police 12/31
"Popsugar's Twinning app was leaking everyone's uploaded photos" TechCrunch 12/31
"Software teaches robots to respect ownership: Researchers at Yale University have developed a robotic system that helps robots be more polite (and more importantly, more useful)." ZDNet 12/31
"Here's why telephones and calculators use different numeric keypads" The Next Web 12/31
"Net's founding father Dr Larry Roberts dies aged 81" BBC 12/31
"Larry Roberts, Grandfather of the Internet, Dies at 81" Gizmodo 12/31
"Hackers use a fake wax hand to fool vein authentication security" The Verge 12/31
Publications/Podcasts
"Let's Talk iOS 272: Looking towards 2019" iDownload Blog 8:08 AM
"The journey continues: Apple Watch, positivity, and improving mental health" 9to5Mac 7:50 AM
"iPad Pro 2018 Long-Term Review: Beauty Meets Brains As Apple Gets Creative" Forbes 7:16 AM
"Soundcast VG5 Bluetooth speaker review: Large and in charge in the great outdoors" TechHive 7:42 AM
"Dell 27 USB-C Ultrathin Monitor (S2719DC) review" Digital Trends 8:10 AM
"Better together: Why Apple Watch owners should buy AirPods" AppleInsider 12/31
"Review: 802.11ac Synology RT2600ac router is the best AirPort replacement we've found yet" AppleInsider 12/31
"Stryd running power meter hands-on: Trying focused power training in the new year" ["I recently committed myself to using the Apple Watch Series 4 as my smartwatch and was very pleased to find a Stryd app for the Apple Watch. The Stryd app is actually one of the best running apps for the Apple Watch with the ability to have up to three screens of data consisting of four to seven metrics per screen. Metrics available include time, power, pace, distance, heart rate, cadence, ground contact time, VO, and gain."] ZDNet 12/31
"Motiv's Ring With Built-in 2FA Would Be Nicer If It Worked Consistently" Gizmodo 12/31
"2018 Year in Review: The most popular stories in 2018 as chosen by the AppleInsider audience" AppleInsider 12/31
"475 days since Apple announced AirPower" The Apple Post 12/31
"What to Expect From Apple in 2019: New iPhones, Modular Mac Pro, iPad mini 5, Updated AirPods and More" MacRumors 12/31
"Apple wish-list for 2019: hardware and software" 9to5Mac 12/31
"Apple's 'Color Flood': like Picasso said" ["This is quite an accomplishment, really. I don't remember any ad in Apple history leading so many writers to totally miss the message. That's an especially grievous failing, given the size, expense and importance of this effort."] Ken Segall's Observatory 12/31
"Three new iPhones and Apple Watch Series 4 — Apple's September 2018 in review" AppleInsider 12/31
"Roughly Half of Microsoft's Acquisitions in 2018 Were Video Game Studios: The world's most valuable company quietly gobbled up 7 game developers last year." SludgeFeed 7:48 AM
"What to expect from Microsoft in 2019" MSPoweruser 10:35 AM
"Report: Windows 10 Takes Over Windows 7" Thurrott 8:01 AM
"Xbox One news: Microsoft working on surprise new hardware for Xbox One X and Windows 10? XBOX ONE news this week includes reports of Microsoft's plans to offer surprise new hardware to Xbox One X and Windows 10 gamers." Express UK 2:29 PM
"Is 2019 the Year of Azure for Microsoft? It is for OnMSFT.com!" OnMSFT 9:28 AM
"Netmarketshare: Windows 10 finally overtakes Windows 7" MSPoweruser 7:50 AM
"Microsoft Surface Book 3: What to Expect (And What We Want)" LAPTOP Magazine 7:48 AM
"Edge Review: Microsoft's browser moves forward in search of users/Microsoft Edge browser for Windows is a leap forward from the outdated but still available Internet Explorer. With more leaps to go." Download 7:48 AM
"AMD Threadripper 2920X 12-Core 24-Thread Processor Review" eTeknix 7:43 AM
"Tesla adds Walgreens' Wilson-Thompson, Oracle's Ellison to board" The Hilltop Monitor 7:49 AM
"Curbs on A.I. Exports? Silicon Valley Fears Losing Its Edge: The Commerce Department is considering national security restrictions on artificial intelligence. Some worry they could stunt the industry in the U.S." New York Times [Free Registration Required] 9:19 PM
"Microsoft predicts ten years ago what 2019 will be like" Mashable 12/31
"This was Microsoft's 2009 vision of computing in 2019" MSPoweruser 12/31
"Microsoft closes out 2018 as the top public company" CNBC 12/31
"Microsoft Surface Go finally arrives in India at Rs 38,599, available exclusively on Flipkart" The Economic Times 12/31
"Behind the Computer: A Look at the History of IBM" TheStreet 12/31
"It's Interesting How IBM's AI Debater Sways Opinions, But Who Wins — Man Or Machine?" Forbes 12/31
"Dell completes buy-out, lists shares on NYSE" Telecompaper 12/31
"Intel May Be Killing Custom Fab Business" eTeknix 12/31
"Pfizer and Intel are working on supply chain visibility" Business Insider 12/31
"Intel: The 15 Plus Year Breakout - Part 3" Seeking Alpha 12/31
"With NFL Playoffs On Tap, Intel Moves Closer To Offering 3-D Technology In Real-Time" Forbes 12/31
"AMD in 2018: impressive leaps forward with many, many stumbles" TechRadar UK 12/31
"AMD vs Nvidia – how AMD can combat Nvidia's RTX graphics cards" PCGamesN 12/31
"Microsoft may be planning to release more audio hardware" MSPoweruser 12/30
"Microsoft patents innovative magnetic USB-C Surface connector" TechRadar UK 12/30
"Microsoft Edge Once Again Surpasses Chrome & Firefox In Battery Efficiency" Fossbytes 12/30
"Microsoft predicts ten years ago what 2019 will be like" Mashable 12/30
"Intel Coffee Lake Refresh Enthusiast Core i9 CPUs With 8 And 6-Core Variants Break Cover" HotHardware 12/30
"Cisco Stock Rose in 2018 by Avoiding Drama" Barron's 12/30
"U.S. stocks log worst year since 2008: Equities enjoy lift in final session of year but S&P ends 2018 down more than 6%" MarketWatch 12/31
"Stocks Today Brush Off The Bears; Will These 4 Lead The Dow Jones In 2019?" Investor's Business Daily 12/31
"Markets Right Now: Stocks end dismal year on a bright note" Associated Press 12/31
"Corporate Profit Crunch Looms as Stocks Slide: Investors worry that the moneymaking outlook for companies will deteriorate further" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 7:36 AM
"U.S. Indexes Close With Worst Yearly Losses Since 2008: Stocks rise on the year's final trading day, but not enough to offset bruising last few weeks of selling" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/31
"Hong Kong stocks rise in abbreviated Asian trading day: Most markets closed for New Year's Eve" MarketWatch 12/31
"European stocks finish higher on last day of a dismal year for investors: French stocks lead with 1.1% gain on final day of trade" MarketWatch 7:37 AM
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: #%@*$$$$!