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   ExtraBITS for 16 February 2015

   TidBITS Staff

   In ExtraBITS this week, Aperture is leaving the Mac App Store, The New
   Yorker profiles Apple design head Jony Ive, Managing Editor Josh
   Centers chats with the Tech Night Owl, U.S. carriers now have to unlock
   your paid-off smartphone, and Apple's Activation Lock is preventing
   iPhone thefts.

   [1]Aperture to Depart the Mac App Store -- Apple has confirmed that it
   will be removing Aperture for sale from the Mac App Store after Photos
   for OS X launches in a few months. Regardless, previous purchasers will
   still be able to redownload it as necessary. If you've never used
   Aperture, now would not be a good time to start, but if you need to
   purchase an extra copy to tide you over for a while, it's now or never.

   [2]Read/post comments

   [3]Jony Ive Profiled by The New Yorker -- The New Yorker's Ian Parker
   has written an exhaustive profile of Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple's head of
   design. Set aside some time for this one, as it's the very definition
   of a long read, but if you're at all interested in Apple's design
   process, it's worth it. Two tidbits of note: Ive gave director J.J.
   Abrams some ideas for lightsaber designs for the upcoming Star Wars
   movie, and Ive goes on at length about car design, adding fuel to the
   rumors that Apple is working on one of its own.

   [4]Read/post comments

   [5]Josh Centers Discusses Net Neutrality, Apple Pen with the Tech Night
   Owl -- Managing Editor Josh Centers joined the Tech Night Owl podcast
   to explain his take on net neutrality, why Apple may be working on an
   Apple Pen, and ponder the possibility of an Apple Car.

   [6]Read/post comments

   [7]U.S. Carriers Required to Unlock Paid-off Smartphones -- If you've
   paid off your cellular contract, your carrier is now required to unlock
   your mobile phone upon request. This is part of a 2013 agreement
   between the FCC and the carriers. The carriers must also unlock prepaid
   devices after one year of activation, assuming reasonable time,
   payment, or usage requirements. Contact your carrier for details.

   [8]Read/post comments

   [9]Smartphone Kill Switches Are Preventing Thefts -- So-called 'kill
   switches,' such as the Activation Lock feature in iOS 7 and 8, are
   making real progress in preventing smartphone thefts. After Apple added
   the feature in September 2013, iPhone thefts dropped by 25 percent in
   New York City, 40 percent in San Francisco, and 50 percent in London in
   the following 12 months. Be sure to enable it if you haven't already
   done so by turning on Find My iPhone in Settings > iCloud.

   [10]Read/post comments

References

   1. http://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/11/apple-aperture-removed-from-app-store/
   2. http://tidbits.com/article/15411#comments
   3. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/23/shape-things-come
   4. http://tidbits.com/article/15419#comments
   5. http://www.technightowl.com/radio/podcast/now-playing-february-14-2014-josh-centers-and-avram-pitch/
   6. http://tidbits.com/article/15418#comments
   7. http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/02/starting-today-wireless-carriers-have-to-unlock-your-phone/
   8. http://tidbits.com/article/15410#comments
   9. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/11/us-usa-smartphone-killswitch-idUSKBN0LF09520150211
  10. http://tidbits.com/article/15409#comments

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