Multiple leaks confirm that Apple Pay is launching soon in Malaysia! Here is what you need to know…
Leaks Confirm Apple Pay Is Launching Soon In Malaysia!
Multiple leaks have more or less let the cat out of the bag – that Apple Pay is ready to launch in Malaysia very soon!
This would make Malaysia the second country in Southeast Asia to support Apple Pay, and the 10th territory in Asia, after Australia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand and Singapore.
AmBank Sent Apple Pay SMS
The first to leak was AmBank, when they sent out an SMS to their customers in July 2022, prematurely telling them that they can now use Apple Pay.
It appeared to have been a test run that ran awry, as their Apple Pay website was not yet ready. But it alerted everyone to the fact that Apple Pay is coming to Malaysia.
Shopee Added Apple Pay As Payment Option
The second to leak was Shopee, which released an Apple Pay option in version 2.91.28 of their app on 2 August 2022.
If you tap on it, you will simply be asked to “ensure there’s an active card in your Apple Pay wallet to proceed“.
Of course, you can’t actually add any credit / debit card to your Apple Pay wallet yet, but you can see that it is listed as a payment option.
Maxis Accidentally Promotes Apple Pay As Payment Option
On 5 August 2022, a Maxis Centre accidentally put out a cardboard sign announcing “Apple Pay accepted here“.
The tweet was deleted by its poster, but the cardboard sign was traced to the Sri Muda Maxis Centre in Shah Alam.
sorry guys had to delete the tweets atas permintaan pihak tertentu. but don’t worry cuz apple pay is coming soon to Malaysia!
AmBank Released Their Apple Pay Portal!
On 8 August 2022, AmBank (accidentally?) released their Apple Pay portal, confirming that the contactless payment system is ready to launch in Malaysia!
The AmBank Apple Pay portal has now been removed, but here are some of the details it revealed :
There is no transaction limit for Apple Pay, as opposed to a transaction limit of RM250 per purchase, with a RM750 daily limit, for other contactless payment platforms.
There is also no transaction limit for online purchases using Apple Pay through your iPhone, iPad or Mac computer.
AmBank also offered some promotions, including cash back for the first purchase using Apple Pay.
There were two unlisted YouTube videos (now removed) showing how to pay for your purchases using Apple Pay. Basically:
a) Look for the Apple Pay and EMV contactless payment logos at the retailer
b) Simply tap your iPhone or Apple Watch on the credit card terminal to pay
c) Use either Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to verify the payment
Apple Pay Likely To Launch In Malaysia With Next iOS Update
You would have thought that AmBank would have learned from their July 2022 SMS mistake, but no… they didn’t.
Then again, they may have “accidentally” leaked the Apple Pay website to drum up some hype ahead of the official launch.
These “accidents” have a habit of happening…
In any case, it now seems certain that Apple Pay will very, very soon be launched in Malaysia.
Rumours have it that Apple Pay will actually launch TOMORROW – 9 August 2022. Whether that’s true, well, we will find out very soon!
Most likely, Apple will roll it out in Malaysia with the next iOS update – probably iOS 15.6.1.
Currently iOS 15.6 does not support Apple Pay in Malaysia. When you try to add a debit / credit card to the Wallet app, you get this pop-up :
To add cards, keys, tickets and passes to Wallet, look for the Add to Wallet button in apps, emails and websites.
Until Apple adds this functionality through an iOS update for Malaysia, there is simply no way to add any card to the Wallet app.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Apple just agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class action lawsuit over the controversial butterfly keyboard used in its MacBook laptops!
Apple Sued For Controversial Butterfly Keyboard!
Apple introduced the controversial butterfly keyboard mechanism to their MacBook laptops from 2015 to 2019, to make them slimmer.
The butterfly mechanism uses mirrored switches that expand like wings, unlike the typical scissor mechanism used in laptop keyboards which uses two interlocking switches that click together when the key is pressed.
While the butterfly mechanism made the keys thinner, they also made the keyboard prone to trapping dust and debris, resulting in sticky and/or easily broken keys.
Apple added a membrane to the butterfly mechanism, in an effort to make it quieter while keeping debris out; but it didn’t help. Small design changes in 2019 also did little to improve the keyboard.
The Wall Street Journal even printed a famous typo-ridden column to demonstrate the butterfly mechanism’s issues in 2019.
Two law firms – Girard Sharp LLP, and Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP – then bought on a class action lawsuit, claiming that Apple was aware of the problem but failed to rectify the problem and do enough in supporting customers who experienced the problem.
Apple Settles Butterfly Keyboard Lawsuit For $50 million!
On July 18, 2022, Apple filed a $50 million settlement in San Jose, California, to settle the class action lawsuit over its butterfly keyboard.
If approved by a judge, the law firms can claim up to $15 million out of the $50 million settlement, for legal fees. Apple denied any wrongdoing, and did not offer any comments.
The rest of the settlement would be used to pay customers who bought a MacBook, MacBook Air, and most MacBook Pro laptops between 2015 and 2019 in seven US states :
California
Florida
Michigan
New Jersey
New York
Washington
Under the proposed settlement, customers who had issues with their butterfly keyboards in those states will receive :
up to $395, for those who had to replace multiple keyboards
$125 for those who had a single keyboard replacement
$50 for those who had to replace key caps
Apple dumped the butterfly keyboard for the more traditional scissor mechanism keyboard in 2019, with the introduction of the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the Magic Keyboard.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr just publicly asked Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores!
Here is what you need to know about the renewed heat on TikTok!
FCC Commissioner Asks Apple + Google To Remove TikTok!
On June 29, 2022, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr publicly called on Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores.
This move came after leaked TikTok audio recordings obtained by Buzzfeed News revealed that ByteDance staff in China (and possibly the Chinese government) retained extensive access to data on US citizens.
In his public letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the FCC Commissioner asked that TikTok be removed for “its pattern of surreptitious data practices”.
It is clear that TikTok poses an unacceptable national security risk due to its extensive data harvesting being combined with Beijing’s apparently unchecked access to that sensitive data.
But it is also clear that TikTok’s pattern of conduct and misrepresentations regarding the unfettered access that persons in Beijing have to sensitive U.S. user data – just some of which is detailed below – puts it out of compliance with the policies that both of your companies require every app to adhere to as a condition of remaining available on your app stores.
Therefore, I am requesting that you apply the plain text of your app store policies to TikTok and remove it from your app stores for failure to abide by those terms.
FCC Commissioner Carr also labelled TikTok as a “sophisticated surveillance tool” that is designed to harvest “personal and sensitive data“.
At its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data.
Indeed, TikTok collects everything from search and browsing histories to keystroke patterns and biometric identifiers, including faceprints – which researchers have said might be used in unrelated facial recognition technology – and voiceprints.
It collects location data as well as draft messages and metadata, plus it has collected the text, images, and videos that are stored on a device’s clipboard. The list of personal and sensitive data it collects goes on from there.
This should come as no surprise, however. Within its own borders, the PRC has developed some of the most invasive and omnipresent surveillance capabilities in the world to maintain authoritarian control.
Carr ended his letter with an “ultimatum” of sorts – if Apple and Google do not remove TikTok from their app stores, they need to provide “separate responses” to him by July 8, 2022, explaining why TikTok does not contravene their App Store policies.
As of June 30, 2022, TikTok is still available to download in the US app stores of both Apple and Google.
If Apple and Google acts on the FCC Commissioner’s request, TikTok will only be removed from their US app stores. It won’t affect downloads in other countries.
Neither would it prevent users in the US from continuing to use TikTok. They just won’t be able to download it any longer, or update to newer versions.
FCC Commissioner Lists History Of TikTok Data Practices!
While the leaked TikTok audio recordings may have precipitated this open letter to Apple and Google, FCC Commissioner Carr pointed to a list of questionable data practices by TikTok in the past.
The list makes for really interesting reading, especially for those who are not up to date on TikTok’s privacy and data security issues :
In August 2020, TikTok circumvented a privacy safeguard in Google’s Android operating system to obtain data that allowed it to track users online.
In March 2020, researchers discovered that TikTok, through its app in the Apple App Store, was accessing users’ most sensitive data, including passwords, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, and personal messages.
In 2021, TikTok agreed to pay $92 million to settle lawsuits alleging that the app “clandestinely vacuumed up and transferred to servers in China (and to other servers accessible from within China) vast quantities of private and personally identifiable user data and content that could be employed to identify, profile, and track the physical and digital location and activities of United States users now and in the future.”
In March 2022, a report included current and former TikTok employees stating in interviews that TikTok delegates key decisions to ByteDance officials in Beijing and that an employee was asked to enter sensitive information into a.cn domain, which is the top-level domain operated by the Chinese government’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Earlier, in 2019, TikTok paid $5.7 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that its predecessor app illegally collected personal data on children under the age of 13.
India- the world’s largest democracy–has already banned TikTok on national security grounds for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user data in an unauthorized manner.
Multiple U.S. military branches have also banned TikTok from government-issued devices due to national security risks, including the Navy, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps.
U.S. government officials have also urged troops and their dependents to erase the app from their personal phones.
U.S. national security agencies have similarly banned TikTok from official devices citing national security risks, including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the TSA.
The RNC and DNC have warned campaigns about using TikTok based on security concerns and the threat of officials in Beijing accessing sensitive data.
Citing data security concerns, private U.S. business operations have also banned TikTok from company devices, including Wells Fargo.
Once accessed by personnel in Beijing, there is no check on the CCP using the extensive, private, and sensitive data about U.S. users for espionage activities because compliance with the PC’s 2017 National Intelligence law is mandatory in China.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Apple just launched the M2 – their second-generation M-series system-on-a-chip (SoC) for Mac computers!
Let’s compare the new M2 against the last-generation M1 series SoCs!
Apple Silicon M1 vs. M2 Comparison
On 6 June 2022, Apple unveiled their second-generation M-series system-on-a-chip (SoC) for Mac computers – the Apple Silicon M2!
Built on an improved 5 nm process technology, the Apple M2 has 20 billion transistors – 25% more transistors than the M1.
All those transistors allow the Apple M2 to deliver better performance than the last-generation M1 :
Faster Performance cores with a larger cache
18% faster CPU performance
35% more powerful GPU at max. power
40% faster Neural Engine
50% more memory bandwidth
up to 24 GB of unified memory
a new image signal processor (ISP) for better image noise reduction
The new M2 no doubt offers a significant boost in performance and capabilities over the M1.
On top of that, it partially addressed the limited Unified Memory capacity offered by the M1, by offering a 24 MB option.
The new M2 will debut in the 2022 MacBook Air, and the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 laptops.
To give you a better idea of how they compare, here is our direct comparison b between the Apple M1 and the Apple M2 :
Specifications
M1
M2
Difference
Fab Tech
5nm (N5)
5 nm (N5P)
–
Transistor
Count
16 billion
20 billion
+25%
Die Size
120 mm²
NA
–
CPU Cores
(Performance)
4 x Firestorm
@ 3.2 GHz
4 x Avalanche cores
@ NA GHz
–
CPU Cores
(Efficiency)
4 x Icestorm cores
@ 2.06 GHz
4 Blizzard cores
@ NA GHz
–
L2 Cache
P-core : 12 MB
E-core : 4 MB
P-core : 16 MB
E-core : 4 MB
P-core : +33%
SLC
16 MB
32 MB
+100%
GPU Cores
7 / 8 cores
1278 MHz
8 / 10 cores
NA MHz
+1 / +2 cores
Neural Engine
16 cores
(11 TOPS)
16 cores
(15.8 TOPS)
+44%
Memory Options
8 GB / 16 GB
8 GB / 16 GB / 24 GB
–
Memory Type
LPDDR4X
LPDDR5
–
Memory Speed
2133 MHz
3200 MHz
+50%
Memory Bus
128-bit
128-bit
–
Memory
Bandwidth
68.2 GB/s
102.4 GB/s
50%
Apple Silicon M1 Series vs. M2 Comparison
While the M2 may offer significant improvements over the M1, Apple has been careful in not letting it cannibalise sales of the higher-performing M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips.
Even without testing the new M2, its specifications show that it slots in between the M1 and the M1 Pro.
M2 has 8 cores like M1, with 2-4 fewer Performance cores than the M1 Pro.
Its Performance cores have L2 cache size of 16 MB, right between M1 (8 MB) and M1 Pro (24 MB).
Its 8-10 GPU core count is right between M1 (7-8 cores) and M1 Pro (14-16 cores).
Its maximum Unified Memory option is 24 GB, right between M1 (16 GB) and M1 Pro (32 GB).
It retains the M1’s narrower 128-bit memory bus, but uses the M1 Pro’s faster LPDDR5 memory.
To show you what I mean, here is a table I created comparing the key specifications of the M1 series against the new M2 :
Specifications
M1
M1 Pro
M1 Max
M1 Ultra
M2
Fab Tech
5nm (N5)
5 nm (N5P)
Transistor Count
16 billion
33.7 billion
57 billion
114 billion
20 billion
Die Size
120 mm²
245 mm²
432 mm²
864 mm²
NA
CPU Cores
(Performance)
4 cores
(Firestorm)
3.2 GHz
6 / 8 cores
(Firestorm)
3.23 GHz
8 cores
(Firestorm)
3.23 GHz
16 cores
(Firestorm)
3.23 GHz
4 cores
(Avalanche)
NA GHz
CPU Cores
(Efficiency)
4 cores
(Icestorm)
2.06 GHz
2 cores
(Icestorm)
2.06 GHz
2 cores
(Icestorm)
2.06 GHz
4 cores
(Icestorm)
2.06 GHz
4 cores
(Blizzard)
NA GHz
L2 Cache
P-core : 12 MB
E-core : 4 MB
P-core : 24 MB
E-core : 4 MB
P-core : 48 MB
E-core : 8 MB
P-core : 16 MB
E-core : 4 MB
SLC
16 MB
32 MB
64 MB
128 MB
32 MB
GPU Cores
7 / 8 cores
1278 MHz
14 / 16 cores
1296 MHz
24 / 32 cores
1296 MHz
48 / 64 cores
1296 MHz
8 / 10 cores
NA MHz
Neural Engine
16 cores
32 cores
16 cores
Memory Options
8 / 16 GB
16 / 32 GB
32 / 64 GB
64 / 128 GB
8 / 16 / 24 GB
Memory Type
LPDDR4X
LPDDR5
Memory Speed
2133 MHz
3200 MHz
Memory Bus
128-bit
256-bit
512-bit
1024-bit
128-bit
Memory
Bandwidth
68.2 GB/s
204.8 GB/s
409.6 GB/s
819.2 GB/s
102.4 GB/s
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Apple has gotten so exasperated that they shifted some iPad production out of China for the first time!
Here is what we know so far…
Exasperated Apple Shifts Some iPad Production Out Of China!
Apple has reportedly shifted some of its iPad production out of China, over the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Shanghai.
Strict lockdowns in and around Shanghai after a surge in COVID-19 cases have led to months of supply chain disruptions for Apple, even though their factories operated in a closed loop.
Apple built production lines in Vietnam with the help of China’s BYD, and will “soon start to produce” some iPads there.
Apple had asked Foxconn to move iPad and MacBook Pro production from China to Vietnam in 2020, with plans to manufacture a significant proportion of iPads there. However, a COVID-19 surge in 2021 delayed those plans.
Even though China has started to lift their Zero COVID restrictions in Shanghai, Apple is unlikely to reverse these plans to shift production to Vietnam.
This will be the second major production line to shift to Vietnam. Apple shifted almost 30% of AirPods production to Vietnam in the second quarter of 2020.
Apple Also Asked Suppliers To Build Up Inventories
Apple also asked multiple component suppliers to build up their inventories, to prevent supply chain disruptions from affecting production.
One of the people with direct knowledge of this issue said :
For example, component supplier X has a 40% share of Apple’s business in Jiangsu Province, which is a risky region of supply chain disruption, and supplier Y in another city accounts for the remaining 60% share.
Apple would want supplier Y to build enough additional components to match supplier X’s 40% share in the coming months in case production in Jiangsu is shut down again.
If China continues with its Zero COVID policy, it is likely that Apple and other companies will seriously look at shifting more of their production to other countries.
Supplies of electronics from China’s factories have been severely impacted by their strict COVID-19 lockdowns, even though some factories are allowed to use a closed loop system.
There is also worker welfare to consider – there is only so much they can tolerate the closed loop system, where workers are restricted to factory campuses for weeks on end.
In early May, workers at the Quanta factory producing MacBook laptops in Shanghai rioted over the closed loop system, and fled the factory.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Touch ‘n Go eWallet app was quietly restored to the Apple App Store, as quietly as it was removed earlier!
Here is what we know so far…
Touch ‘n Go eWallet Is Now Back On Apple App Store!
Apple quietly removed the Touch ‘n Go eWallet (TNG eWallet) from the App Store in the first week of May 2022.
The TNG eWallet download page earlier stated “App Not Available – The app is currently not available in your country or region“.
It was also removed from the App Store search listing. The Boost eWallet now appears, instead of the TNG eWallet.
Even though the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app is no longer available in the Apple App Store, you can continue to use it if you had already installed it earlier.
The TNG Digital team stated that they are working to resolve the issue with Apple, and confirmed that the app that is installed in your iPhone will continue to work with all features fully-functioning.
Fortunately, the Touch ‘n Go eWallet (TNG eWallet) app was quietly restored to the Apple App Store on 11 May 2022.
Was Touch ‘n Go eWallet NFC Feature Removed For Apple Users?
Neither Apple nor Touch ‘n Go eWallet stated why the TNG eWallet app was removed from the App Store.
At that time, believed Apple removed it because of the recently-added NFC top-up feature for physical Touch ‘n Go cards.
That’s because Apple Pay is the only mobile wallet / eWallet allowed to use the iPhone and iPad’s NFC capabilities for contactless payments.
That limitation has resulted in an antitrust charge by the European Union :
The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that it abused its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets on iOS devices. By limiting access to a standard technology used for contactless payments with mobile devices in stores (‘Near-Field Communication (NFC)’ or ‘tap and go’), Apple restricts competition in the mobile wallets market on iOS.
The Commission takes issue with the decision by Apple to prevent mobile wallets app developers, from accessing the necessary hardware and software (‘NFC input’) on its devices, to the benefit of its own solution, Apple Pay.
However, the newly-approved Touch ‘n Go eWallet version 1.7.73 continued to feature the NFC reload option.
Therefore, it seems more likely that Apple removed the app earlier due to the Face Verification feature in the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app.
In fact, the new Touch ‘n Go eWallet version 1.7.73 now lacks the Face Verification feature. Their FAQ also stated that :
Face verification is being upgraded for iOS users, this feature will be temporarily disabled. Kindly use your PIN as alternate authentication.
The previous version of Touch ‘n Go eWallet could have contravened this App Store Review Guidelines rule :
2.5.13 Apps using facial recognition for account authentication must use LocalAuthentication (and not ARKit or other facial recognition technology) where possible, and must use an alternate authentication method for users under 13 years old.
But at least Apple iPhone users can rest assured that they will continue to get the latest Touch ‘n Go eWallet app. They just have to live without the Face Verification feature for now…
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Touch ‘n Go eWallet app was just removed from the Apple App Store!
Here is what we know so far…
Touch ‘n Go eWallet Removed From Apple App Store!
Apple quietly removed the Touch ‘n Go eWallet (TNG eWallet) from the App Store a few days ago.
The TNG eWallet download page now states “App Not Available – The app is currently not available in your country or region“.
It was also removed from the App Store search listing. The Boost eWallet now appears, instead of the TNG eWallet.
Interestingly, the download page in the official Touch ‘n Go eWallet website is also not functioning, with a 404 error – Page not found.
It is however still available in the Google Play Store, so Android users can still download it just fine.
Even though the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app is no longer available in the Apple App Store, you can continue to use it if you had already installed it earlier.
The TNG Digital team stated that they are working to resolve the issue with Apple, and confirmed that the app that is installed in your iPhone will continue to work with all features fully-functioning.
This does not mean the removal is to be taken lightly. Until the app is restored to the App Store, you will no longer be able to update the app.
Over time, you may lose out on new features. But more importantly, you will no longer receive security and fixes.
Why Was Touch ‘n Go eWallet Removed From App Store?!
Neither Apple nor Touch ‘n Go eWallet stated why the TNG eWallet app was removed from the App Store.
However, I believe Apple removed it because of the recently-added NFC top-up feature for physical Touch ‘n Go cards.
That’s because Apple Pay is the only mobile wallet / eWallet allowed to use the iPhone and iPad’s NFC capabilities for contactless payments.
That limitation has resulted in an antitrust charge by the European Union :
The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that it abused its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets on iOS devices. By limiting access to a standard technology used for contactless payments with mobile devices in stores (‘Near-Field Communication (NFC)’ or ‘tap and go’), Apple restricts competition in the mobile wallets market on iOS.
The Commission takes issue with the decision by Apple to prevent mobile wallets app developers, from accessing the necessary hardware and software (‘NFC input’) on its devices, to the benefit of its own solution, Apple Pay.
If this was the reason for the TNG eWallet app’s removal, it will be yet another example of Apple’s egregious anti-competitive nature, and yet another strike against their walled garden.
If they continue to lock down the NFC feature on the iPhone / iPad to force the use of Apple Pay, they will invite more anti-trust actions, and possibly turn people to the Android platform.
Unfortunately, there’s really nothing much Apple users can do.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did China lock down Shanghai, not to fight COVID-19, but to spite US companies over the Ukraine war?
Take a look at the viral article, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : China Locked Down Shanghai To Spite US Over Ukraine War!
People are sharing an article by Kanthan Pillay, which claimed that China locked down Shanghai not to fight COVID-19 but to spite US companies over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It’s a rather long post, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…
Shanghai Lockdown Not Because Of Covid -19!!
Two weeks after Russia’s forces moved into Ukraine, China locked down Shanghai.
Let me hit you with some bullet points:
More than 800 multinational corporations have regional headquarters in Shanghai . Among them, 121 are Fortune Global 500 companies, including Apple, Qualcomm, General Motors, Pepsico.
More than 70 000 foreign companies have offices in Shanghai. More than 24 000 of these are Japanese.
The shutdown of Tesla’s operation in Shanghai because of the lockdown has set the company back with lost production of 40 000 units of electric vehicles. That’s just one car company. Volkswagen and General Motors both have factories in Shanghai.
Ford has a global design center in Shanghai.
Let’s talk about Apple: iPhone supplier Pegatron has its major factory in Shanghai and another in nearby Kunshan. Both have been shut by the lockdown.
TSMC , the world’s most valuable manufacturer of semiconductors, has a major production facility in Shanghai. (TSMC makes 7-nanometre and 5-nanometre chips used by the Apple A14 and M1 SoC .)
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has a global R&D centre in Shanghai.
To top this off, Shanghai is the world’s biggest container port moving more than 47 million shipping containers per year. Shutting down the city for more than a month means 4 million of those have potentially been impacted.
As can be seen, the simple act of shutting down Shanghai has delivered a body blow to global giants in the US sphere of influence at a time when they are already scrambling to reset their economies after their disastrous sanctions against Russia.
Now I know that correlation does not imply causation.
But it is a fact that Russia and China laid out the parameters for a new world order in February…
And it is a fact that their respective actions over the next weeks have brought the economies of the western powers to a grinding halt…
“When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true.”
Truth : China Did NOT Lock Down Shanghai To Spite US Over Ukraine War!
I have read many conspiracy theories about China and the Ukraine War, but this has to be one of the stupidest I have read to date.
I cannot believe I have to actually explain why China did not lock down Shanghai just to spite US companies over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But here we go…
Fact #1 : China Has Been Locking Down Cities Since 2020
First, I should point out that China has been locking down cities since the COVID-19 pandemic started in Wuhan.
This isn’t a new tactic. China locks down entire cities as part of their COVID Zero policy.
In fact, China locked down 4 additional cities in the first two months of 2022, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine :
4 January : Yuzhou, Henan province
11 January : Anyang and Zhengzhou, Henan province
7 February : Baise, Jilin province
It is therefore ridiculous for Kanthan Pillay to claim that China locked down Shanghai to spite US companies.
Fact #2 : Shanghai’s COVID-19 Outbreak Began On 28 February
Ironically, Shanghai’s COVID-19 outbreak began on the same day Russia chose to invade Ukraine – 28 February 2022.
I’m surprised Kanthan Pillay did not suggest that the Chinese introduced the Shanghai outbreak as part of a false flag operation to spite US companies. LOL!
Fact #3 : Shanghai Lockdown Only Started A Month Later
Kanthan Pillay falsely claimed that China locked down Shanghai two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. Why two weeks? Why not immediately?
In any case, Shanghai only adopted “area-separated and batch-separated control” on 28 March 2022 – a month after their COVID-19 outbreak started, and a month after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Only a week later – on 5 April 2022, did Shanghai put the entire city under lockdown.
Fact #4 : Hong Kong Has More Regional HQs Than Shanghai
In his first “bullet point”, Kanthan Pillay said that more than 800 multinational corporations have their regional headquarters in Shanghai.
What he does not point out to you is that Hong Kong has almost twice as many regional headquarters as Shanghai – 1,457 as of 2021.
If the Chinese wanted to “attack” US companies by targeting their regional headquarters, they would do better to lock down Hong Kong.
But wait – Hong Kong is still NOT under lockdown, even with a massive surge of Omicron cases.
Fact #5 : Regional HQ Not As Important As Factories
Kanthan Pillay does not seem to understand that regional headquarters are not as critical to US companies as the factories that produce goods for them.
Many employees of these regional headquarters can conduct their work from home, even hold meetings virtually from anywhere in the world. So using regional headquarters and design centres as examples of Chinese sabotage is stupid.
Factories, on the other hand, cannot produce goods virtually. Hence, factories that produce goods for US companies are far more important than regional HQs and design centres.
Fact #6 : Shanghai Lockdown Affects All Companies
Kanthan Pillay is apparently unaware thatChina’s lockdown of Shanghai is not limited to US citizens or companies.
The Shanghai lockdown affects all residents, whether they are Chinese citizens or foreigners. Similarly, Chinese companies are affected just as badly as their Western counterparts.
Even more importantly – there are far more Chinese companies in Shanghai than Western companies. More Chinese citizens are being employed by Chinese companies in Shanghai, than Western companies.
If China intentionally locked down Shanghai to spite US companies, they would be sacrificing their own economy to do that.
The Chinese are not quite so stupid as to cut off their noses, just to spite their own faces.
Kanthan Pillay also seems to be unaware that the TSMC plant in China is not state of the art, and does not manufacture 7 nm or 5 nm chips as he alleged.
The TSMC Fab 10 foundry in Shanghai was completed around the end of 2004, and produces 8-inch wafers using old 0.25 micron and 0.35 micron processes from the 1990s.
Fact #8 : Shanghai Semiconductor Companies Not Affected By Lockdown
Despite the entire city of Shanghai being under strict lockdown, its semiconductor companies continued to maintain full production.
They managed to achieve this through closed-loop systems, where most employees work on-site while others work remotely from home.
Both TSMC and SMIC say that they are maintaining full production in Shanghai using such closed-loop systems.
Fact #9 : Companies Can Shift To Other Countries
Kanthan Pillay ludicrously believe that China shut down Shanghai to deliver “a body blow to global giants in the US sphere of influence“.
Multinational companies, especially those from the West, can and have shifted to other countries or states, if conditions become unfavourable.
Some have already started shifted production from China to Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
If China did really do this just to spite US companies, it would be one more reason to shift their operations to other countries. It’s not like they can only build factories in China.
Fact #10 : Chinese Sacrifice Will Not Help Russia
What Kanthan Pillay does not explain is WHY on Earth would China sacrifice its own people and economy to help Russia?
And how does crippling Shanghai’s economy help Russia? Sure, Tesla will miss its production target… again, but so what?
These are public-listed companies, not the US government. Whatever happens to these companies won’t have a material effect on the US government, only its shareholders.
Needless to say – it won’t sway Western sanctions on Russia, and it certainly won’t help Russia in any way.
Kanthan Pillay ended his article by claiming that such actions by Russia and China have “brought the economies of the Western powers to a grinding halt“.
I have no idea what he has been smoking, but it must be some fantastic shit, because none of the Western economies are remotely close to collapsing!
In fact, the US Fed just made the biggest interest rate increase in 22 years, announcing a 0.5% interest rate hike to tackle inflation.
Other Western economies are poised to similarly raise their interest rates. They would not be raising interest rates if their economies were collapsing as Pillay alleged.
The Kanthan Pillay article is nothing more than a meaningless self-masturbatory fantasy.
Unfortunately, it’s being widely shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
People are sharing a post by Li Guangman on what China should worry about the Russia-Ukraine War.
Take a look at the viral post, and find out what the facts really are!
Li Guangman : What China Should Worry About Russia Invading Ukraine!
Chinese and pro-China netizens have been sharing this post by Chinese blogger Li Guangman on what lessons China should learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It’s a very long post, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…
Some worries brought about by the Russia-Ukraine war (says Li Guangman)
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the robbery behavior in the entire Western world broke many Chinese people’s perceptions, which made me feel a strong and deep worry.
First, in the past, the Chinese generally believed that all public platforms were neutral and would not be interrupted no matter what happened. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, some so-called public platforms immediately announced their participation in sanctions against Russia. First, a large number of foreign Internet service operators headed by the United States announced sanctions against Russia and launched a “disconnection action” against Russia. The second is the removal of major Russian banks from the U.S.-controlled SWIFT system, making it impossible for major Russian banks to conduct global transactions and settlements. Both the network root directory system and the U.S. dollar settlement system are so-called public platforms controlled by the United States. Once a war breaks out, all of them will become weapons of war, and even become a key factor in determining the victory of the war. The greater the reliance on these systems, the more victims will suffer, the deeper the degree.
Second, some previous propaganda told us that satellites in space are safe and will not be attacked, and space wars will not break out. However, immediately after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a mysterious hacker group (obviously the cyber army behavior of some government organizations) attacked the Russian space control center, and claimed to have shut down the Russian space center and successfully made all Russian satellites out of control. The Russian space control center said it was indeed attacked, but the security system automatically obscured the attack and repelled it. Does this suggest that warfare has extended into space? Are space battles going on all the time?
Third, the Chinese generally believe that banks in Western countries are safer than domestic banks, and Western countries attach great importance to the sacrosanctity of private property. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War, the entire Western countries immediately erupted with ferocity like hungry wolves, killing Russia. All the assets of the government and private individuals overseas were looted, not only the bank assets were frozen, but even the luxury yachts and private residences of the Russians overseas were taken away. According to preliminary statistics, the total amount of Russian overseas assets frozen by Western groups this time is about 8 trillion US dollars. Li Ka-shing, who had previously cashed out hundreds of billions of yuan from China and switched to the UK, has recently started selling grid assets worth more than 100 billion yuan in the UK. What does that mean? These capital tycoons who have no motherland and no conscience are finally starting to feel unsafe to invest overseas. What is China’s total overseas assets? Some people estimate that the total overseas assets of the Chinese government, enterprises and individuals are about 16 trillion US dollars, which is roughly equivalent to China’s annual GDP. To freeze US Treasury bonds purchased by China. Once a conflict breaks out between China and the United States or between China and Western countries, the United States and Western countries will definitely take action against China’s overseas assets, which is certain.
Fourth, in the consciousness of the Chinese, Switzerland is a neutral country, and it is absolutely safe to store money in Switzerland. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Switzerland immediately gave up its neutral position, announced its participation in sanctions against Russia, and froze all Russian funds in Swiss banks thus uncovering the hypocrisy that Switzerland is a pure financial land. How much assets do Chinese people deposit in Switzerland? These assets are probably no longer safe now.
Fifth, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, almost all high-tech companies in the United States and Western groups announced their participation in sanctions against Russia. They cut off the supply of chips and all high-tech products to Russia. Musk’s Starlink also participated in the sanctions against Russia. Sanctions and support for Ukraine, Apple is also involved in sanctions, the depth and breadth of the technology sanctions imposed on Russia by the entire West are beyond our imagination, sanctions are imposed on anything that can sting or kill Russia, and the methods are used to the extreme. What science without borders is just bullshit. In this regard, the United States has already used China’s Huawei. In the future, once a conflict between China and the United States breaks out, the United States and the West will definitely impose the most severe sanctions and embargoes on all high-tech products, materials and technologies in China. There is no doubt about this.
Sixth, many Chinese believe that Western public opinion is the freest, and Western news is the most authentic. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the entire Western public opinion has become a public opinion war machine launched against Russia, and the major Internet platforms in the United States and Europe. They have closed Russia’s external communication channels, they control the entire public opinion dissemination, guide public opinion in a direction that is beneficial to the United States and the West, and they continue to create fake news. Once a conflict between China and the United States breaks out, the United States will definitely launch a war of public opinion against China. On the one hand, it strictly seals the voice of China, preventing China from speaking in the world, and on the other hand, it amplifies the negative news that attacks and smears China.
Seventh, there are many other sanctions. For example, the sports, cultural, artistic, and music industries have imposed sanctions on Russia, and even Russian cats and Russian trees have been sanctioned. It looks funny, but it is not funny. A true manifestation of Western political and cultural hegemony, which allows us to see how deep and wide the influence and control of Western hegemony are. These areas that do not seem to belong to politics have suddenly become weapons of war. It has become a tool of war that kills people without blood. This is probably the first time we have such a deep feeling.
The above points should give us a sense of sudden awakening. Now we will truly realize that the Russian-Ukrainian war is actually a real all-out war waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia. In addition to providing arms and funds to Ukraine, the Western bloc is also waging an all-out war against Russia in all fields. These The means of participating in the war are either open or covert, but they are all aimed at the key points of Russia, and both are fatal. If the United States and the Western bloc were not afraid of Russia’s thousands of nuclear bombs, and not afraid of Putin’s strongman character as he said and did, they must have already rushed to bite them directly.
In my opinion, the contradictions between China and the United States and the group of Western countries are irreconcilable and inevitable. All the means and weapons used by the United States and Western groups on Russia today will be used on China, and they will only be more vicious and barbaric, with no exceptions.
There will definitely be conflicts between China and the United States. The United States and Western blocs will definitely cut off China’s Internet connection with the world. They will definitely launch attacks on China’s space satellites and satellite navigation systems. They will definitely drive China out of SWIFT and make China like Russia and Iran. Launching an unprecedented financial war against China will definitely impose stricter and more comprehensive sanctions and blockades on China’s high-tech and high-end manufacturing industries, it will definitely cut off China’s energy transportation channels, and it will definitely launch a war of public opinion against China. To launch a color revolution, it will definitely try to isolate China from the so-called “mainstream” of world politics in all fields. The war will be carried out with unimaginable cruelty and brutality, there will be no so-called morality, and there will be no so-called rules, in addition to life and death, there is no way out.
This comprehensive war launched by the United States and the Western bloc against Russia is a realistic version of the sand table exercise for us, and it is a bloody teaching. We must start to act now, start the layout, and be fully prepared to deal with a comprehensive war that is bound to happen in the future, which is related to the fate of the country and to life and death.
The situation is getting more and more serious, not the storm is coming, but the storm is coming, we must act now, act now, act now, because the hatred of the United States and the entire Western bloc against China is deeper than that of Russia, destroying and the will and impulse to loot China is stronger.
Therefore, the coming war will be more tragic and bloody, there will be no mercy, there will be no reinforcements, everything can only depend on ourselves, on our own strength, on our own preparations, on our own will.”
PS. I have no idea who Li Guangman is, but apparently, some Community Party folks think he’s important, and have been sharing his posts.
Li Guangman Is Wrong About Why China Should Worry About Russia Invading Ukraine
I have no idea if Li Guangman actually wrote that post, but one thing is for sure – it is full of misinformation.
I’m not going to focus on what lessons China should learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but I will show you what can be easily and factually proven false in that viral post.
Fact #1 : Corporations Do Not Sanction Countries
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Internet service providers and social media platforms announced sanctions against Russia after they invaded Ukraine.
That never happened, because corporations don’t issue sanctions. Those corporations only decided to stop working with Russia, after Western countries announced sanctions against Russia.
Cogent Communications, which is the second-largest Internet connectivity provider in Russia, terminated their contracts there on 4 March 2022 to comply with EU Regulation 2022/350.
Fact #2 : Corporations Chose To Stop Doing Business In Russia
Many corporations decided to stop doing business in Russia, mainly because they are public-listed companies that are answerable to their shareholders, and their customers worldwide.
For many, the limited Russian business they conduct is not worth risking their worldwide business, especially when the rest of the world is stridently against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Automotive : Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen and Nissan
Aviation : Boeing and Airbus
Finance : Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Western Union, Moody’s, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup
Big Tech : Airbnb, Amazon Web Services, Apple, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Nintendo, Sony, Spotify, TikTok
Hotels : Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott
There is also the issue of sanctions – Western sanctions may also prohibit them from selling their products and services to Russia and/or Belarus.
Fact #3 : US Did Not Launch “Disconnection Action” Against Russia
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that the US launched disconnection action against Russia. That never happened.
The easiest way to do that would be to get ICANN to remove Russian domains from the Internet, which would prevent anyone from accessing any server in Russia.
However, the United States never made such a request. Only Ukraine asked ICANN to do this, but ICANN refused their request.
It is also a very silly claim to make, because it actually benefits the US and Western nations to maintain Internet connectivity to Russia, which allows them to reach out to Russian citizens with the truth.
Fact #4 : Russia Blocked Western Social Media
In fact, Li Guangman (intentionally?) left out the fact that the Russian government itself blocked or restricted access to Western social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The truth is – it does not benefit Russia to let their citizens access uncensored information about their invasion of Ukraine. That’s why they blocked access to Western social media platforms.
This is where Russia is attempting to mimic China in its control of what information citizens can access. China is the undisputed leader in Internet censorship.
Fact #5 : Russia Prepared To Cut Itself Off The Internet
Li Guangman also (intentionally?) left out the fact that Russia was more than prepared to cut itself from the Internet.
The Russians started working on the ability to cut themselves from the Internet in the early 2010s, testing that ability in 2019 and in subsequent years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also signed into law, a set of 2019 amendments called the Sovereign Internet Law (Закон о «суверенном интернете»), that lets the government cut Russia off the rest of the Internet.
Fact #6 : SWIFT Is Controlled By EU, Not US
SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) messaging network is not American, but Belgian, based in La Hulpe, Belgium.
As a cooperative society under Belgian law, SWIFT is owned by its members – financial institutions, not countries. In fact, its current chairman is Yawar Shah of Pakistan, while its CEO is Javier Pérez-Tasso of Spain.
Li Guangman (intentionally?) forgot to point out that the United States and Britain had been pushing for Russia to be banned from SWIFT, but EU nations refused earlier.
In the end, the European Union agreed to remove seven Russian banks from SWIFT, instead of the entire country.
The EU also excluded Sberbank (largest bank in Russia) and Gazprombank from the SWIFT removal, so they could still buy oil from Russia.
All proof that SWIFT is controlled by the EU, not the US.
Fact #7 : SWIFT Is Just A Messaging Service
SWIFT is a messaging system that securely transfers “messages containing the payment instructions between financial institutions involved in a transaction“.
It is not a payment system, and therefore, does not hold any funds. Neither does it perform cleaning or settlement services.
After a payment instruction has been initiated through SWIFT, the corresponding financial institutions must then “settle” the transaction through a payment system, like TARGET2 in Europe.
Fact #8 : SWIFT Removal Is Only An Inconvenience
While removal from SWIFT is a big deal, it is not the end of the world for those seven Russian banks, because it is merely a messaging system.
Banks can use alternative methods like faxes (yes, they still exist!) or alternative messaging systems like Russia’s own SPFS, China’s CIPS and India’s SFMS.
VEB is largely focused on domestic projects, and uses SPFS for overseas transactions
Sovcombank says that other sanctions already block it from making overseas payments, so the SWIFT removal has no impact
Promsvyazbank said that it had prepared for SWIFT removal, so it will not have a significant impact
VTB and Otkritie said that they would not be impacted
So Li Guangman’s claim that SWIFT removal is a weapon of war is… absurd and melodramatic.
Fact #9 : No One Ever Said Satellites Are Safe From Attacks
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Western nations had earlier claimed that “satellites are safe and will not be attacked“.
No country ever said that. In fact, the United States Space Force was formed, in part, to protect US satellite communications.
The US Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations, General David Thompson even shared in November 2021 that :
“Both China and Russia are regularly attacking US satellites with non-kinetic means, including lasers, radio frequency jammers, and cyber attacks… every single day“
Li Guangman seems incredibly naive and ignorant about daily attacks on satellites, because the alternative explanation would be that he knew but intentionally chose to mislead you.
Fact #10 : Anonymous Is Not A Government Organisation
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Anonymous is “some government organisations”.
Anonymous is a decentralised collective of anonymous hactivists… hence, its name.
It is not a government organisation.
It has previously attacked several Western governments, including the United States
Dozens of people associated with Anonymous cyberattacks have been arrested in the US, UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, India and Turkey.
This is common knowledge, so it is peculiar that Li Guangman is so ignorant about Anonymous… or believes that people are stupid enough to believe him.
Fact #11 : Anonymous Did Not Hack Russian Space Agency
They never shut down the Russian space control centre, or took any Russian satellite out of control. All those are lies that Li Guangman apparently concocted.
Roscosmos Chief Executive, Dmitry Rogozin also denied the claim, saying that “The information of these scammers and petty swindlers is not true. All our space activity control centers are operating normally.‘
So you have to ask yourself – why would Li Guangman lie about this? These are all on public record. Does he believe that you are so gullible that you would believe everything he says?
Fact #12 : Sanctioned Assets Were Frozen, Not Seized
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that the assets of Russian government and private individuals were looted (stolen) by Western banks / governments.
As part of sanctions against the Russian government, Western countries also sanctioned certain Russian individuals, including the super-rich Russian oligarchs.
However, their assets were frozen, not seized. At least, not yet.
All individuals sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, for example, will have their assets frozen. Those assets would be locked up, and cannot be sold or accessed in any way.
The owner has to get a licence from the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to do anything – even to just pay property taxes, or fix a leaking roof.
That’s different from the government actually seizing the frozen assets – this requires the government to first prove that they are linked to a crime. Until that happens, the assets have not been “looted”.
According to Michael Parker, head of the anti-money laundering and sanctions practice at Ferrari & Associates :
These cases need to be built, there has to be a showing of some sort of underlying theory of forfeiture, there has to be a reason that they are forfeited. The mere fact that somebody the United States has said is a target owns this asset isn’t enough to form a basis of seizure under U.S. law.
Fact #13 : Only Assets Of Sanctioned Individuals Were Frozen
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that ALL assets belonging to the Russian government and private individuals were stolen by Western banks / government.
Not only were they not stolen, only assets belonging to sanctioned individuals and the Russian government were frozen. The assets of other Russian individuals were not affected.
Chinese netizens need not be overly concerned about their money stashed in Western banks.
Even if China decides to do something similarly evil like Russia, and invade another country, Western banks will only be forced to freeze the assets of those in power, like Chinese President Xi Jinping, for example.
Fact #14 : Less Than US$1 Trillion Frozen So Far
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Western countries froze US$8 trillion worth of assets.
On 5 March, UK Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg tweeted a chart that showed the value of Russian bank assets that were being sanctioned. That was actually criticised as being overly optimistic, but let’s assume it’s true.
That’s a total of £537.6 billion pounds, or US$703.7 billion. Even if you add US$15 billion of assets targeted by sanctioning seven Russian oligarchs, the total is still under US$719 billion.
So Li Guangman overstated the amount of sanctioned Russian assets by some 11X… if not more.
The City of London leads the way in the effects of sanctioning Russian banks. pic.twitter.com/WAgFV64ghy
Fact #15 : Switzerland Only Adopts Military Neutrality
Li Guangman appears to be confused by the concept of “Swiss neutrality”, which refers to military neutrality – Switzerland will not be involved in armed or political conflicts between other states.
Switzerland, however, pursues an active foreign policy, and is frequently involved in peace-building processes globally.
Fact #16 : Switzerland Has Adopted EU Sanctions Since 1998
Li Guangman appears to be living in the past, claiming that Switzerland abandoned its neutrality to sanction Russia.
While Switzerland declined to be part of EU, it has been adopting EU-only sanctions for the past 24 years!
1998 : EU sanctions against Yugoslavia
2000 : EU sanctions against Myanmar
2002 : EU sanctions against Zimbabwe
2006 : EU sanctions against Uzbekistan and Belarus
2022 : EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus
Fact #17 : Tech Companies Have To Comply With Sanctions
Li Guangman appears to be surprised that tech companies are complying with sanctions.
Of course, tech companies have to comply with sanctions. If they don’t, they would be legally liable and punished with fines and other legal actions.
In fact, Russia just announced sanctions against a wide range of American officials, including US President Joe Biden. They are expecting companies to comply with those sanctions as well.
We should also remember that China imposed sanctions of her own on US individuals and organisations, and expected companies to comply with their sanctions.
Did he expect companies to only comply with Russian and Chinese sanctions, but not those from Western countries?
Fact #18 : Russia Started The Conflict
Li Guangman claimed that Russia invading of Ukraine is “a real all-out war waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia“. What utter nonsense.
Western nations have repeatedly warned the world that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine since November 2021, even as Russia and pro-Russia forces derided them.
As early as December 2021, US President Joe Biden even threatened Russia with sweeping Western economic sanctions if it invaded Ukraine.
Russia repeatedly denied it was going to invade Ukraine, dismissing those warnings as “hysteria”. But they were lying, and ultimately invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
So let me be clear to Li Guangman and his supporters – the invasion of Ukraine was a war that Russia actively chose to initiate.
This was not a war “waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia“. This was a war that Russia waged against Ukraine.
Until today, the United States and NATO have repeatedly refused to directly defend Ukraine against attacks by Russia. So to call it an “all-out war” is also ludicrous.
This fake news appears to be part of the disinformation campaign conducted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check out!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Find out how to add your MySejahtera vaccine certificate to Apple Wallet and Apple Health!
Here is what you need to know!
Apple Wallet + Health Now Support MySJ Vaccine Certificate!
When Apple released iOS 15.4, it included support for the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) in both Apple Wallet and Apple Health.
This allows you to store your EUDCC in Apple Wallet, and verifiable versions of your COVID-19 vaccinations, lab results and recovery records in Apple Health.
Happily, the EU officially accepted the MySejahtera digital COVID-19 certificate, connecting Malaysia to the EUDCC trust framework on 4 April 2022.
Now that’s done, you can add your MySejahtera vaccine certificate to both Apple Wallet and Apple Health!
For those who prefer a pictorial guide, here are the steps :
Step 1 : Please make sure you update to iOS 15.4 or newer. We highly recommend upgrading to the latest iOS 15.4.1.
Step 2 : Open MySejahtera and look for the QR codes :
a) Go to MySejahtera > Profile
b) Scroll down to your digital COVID-19 certificate
c) Tap on the Show QR button
d) Take screenshots of the QR codes, or photos of them using another phone. Please make sure each screenshot or photo only has a single QR code.
You can also find these QR codes in the PDF version of your vaccine certificate.
Step 3 : You will now need to scan the QR codes. There are three ways to do it.
Option A : Use Camera App
Use this method if you took photos of the QR codes using a different phone, or you printed the QR codes.
Open the Camera app.
Aim the rear camera at one of the QR codes in your MySejahtera vaccine certificate.
The Camera app will recognise the QR code and ask you if you wish to add to Wallet & Health.
Tap on the notification.
Tap on the Add to Wallet & Health option.
Tap Done.
Option B : Use Photos
Use this method if you took screenshots of the QR codes. But please make sure each screenshot only has one QR code.
Open the Photos app.
Tap on the screenshot of your QR code to open it.
Tap on the QR code in the image, and hold.
Tap on the notification “Open in Health“.
Tap on the Add to Wallet & Health option.
Tap Done.
Option C : Use Wallet
Use this method if you took photos of the QR codes using a different phone, or you printed the QR codes.
Open the Wallet app.
Tap on the Get button.
Tap on the Scan Code option to launch the Camera app.
Aim the rear camera at one of the QR codes in your MySejahtera vaccine certificate.
The Camera app will recognise the QR code and ask you if you wish to add to Wallet & Health.
Tap on the notification.
Tap on the Add to Wallet & Health option.
Tap Done.
Step 4 : Repeat Step 3 for all of the QR codes in your MySejahtera vaccine certificate, and you are done!
You should now see all of your MySejahtera vaccine certificate QR codes in your Apple Wallet. If you have three QR codes, all three should appear.
This will allow any health authority to quickly check and verify all of your COVID-19 vaccinations.
This is similar to showing them your digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate in MySejahtera.
You will also find your MySejahtera vaccination details in Apple Health, under Immunisations.
If you tap on Immunisations, you will see a list of your COVID-19 vaccinations, including the type of vaccine and when you received them.
I hope you found my guide useful. Please feel free to share it out!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Find out why you should cancel your Spotify Free or Spotify Premium account, and how to do it!
PS. Cancelling your free account isn’t as easy as you’d think! But cancel it, you must…
Why Cancel Your Spotify Free / Premium Account?
Spotify has long been the giant of music streaming services, but there will come a time when you want to cancel your Spotify Free or Spotify Premium account.
Most notably, Spotify is now being cancelled because they chose to allow Joe Rogan to continue spreading misinformation on their platform.
But even if you don’t care about Joe Rogan and fake news, Spotify has been slacking against the competition, namely Apple Music and Amazon :
its Premium account still does not offer lossless quality
its Premium account still does not offer spatial audio
Spotify still does not support 16-bit CD-quality audio
Spotify has rested on their laurels for way too long, and you – the customer- have the option of cancelling your free or premium account to show your displeasure and hopefully wake them up from their slumber…
Even if you are using a free ad-supported Spotify account, you should still cancel it. Your cancellation matters, because Spotify relies on user base numbers to hype up their popularity to please shareholders and negotiate with artists, record labels, etc.
Under the Update Details button, click on the “cancel your subscription” option.
Credit : Luke Filipowicz, iMore
Your Premium account will stay active until your next billing date, then your account switches to free. Please go to the next section to completely remove your Spotify free account.
Note : Due to a tremendous number of people requesting to cancel their accounts, Spotify may tell you that you are not allowed to cancel at the moment.
If that happens, simply remove your credit card in your Spotify profile settings. This will prevent them from charging your credit card, and extending your Premium subscription.
How To Cancel Your Spotify Free Account?
Here is how you can cancel your Spotify Free account. It is important to do this, even if you had already cancelled your Premium account.
Remember – as long as you maintain your Spotify Free account, you still count in their statistics of subscribers and listeners.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The little loophole is now closed – Apple education discount now requires UNiDAYS verification!
Here is what you need to know…
Apple Education Discount : Formerly Based On Trust + Audit
For many years now, savvy parents and techies have counted on the Apple education discount to get some financial relief on Mac computers and iPad tablets.
Ostensibly limited to teachers and staff of educational facilities, as well as college and university students, the Apple education discount programme was based on trust.
Anyone can go to the Apple Education page, and order a Mac computer or iPad tablet with (usually) a 10% discount. Apple doesn’t even ask you to prove your qualification for the education discount.
Instead, Apple performs random audits. If you cannot prove that you are an educator, or a college/university student, then they have the right to charge your credit card for the education discount you (illegally) received earlier.
Apple Education Discount Now Requires UNiDAYS Verification!
Sadly, it appears that Apple is moving away from the trust system, and is requiring verification through UNiDAYS in certain countries.
France
Germany
India
Italy
South Korea
Spain
Malaysia : Started on 15 December 2021
United Kingdom
Unlike the earlier Apple education discount programme, UNiDAYS verification greatly limits those who qualify for discounted Apple Mac computers and iPad tablets :
Students who are 16 years and above
Must be currently enrolled in the Sixth Form, a college or a university
Must have a personal institution email address (.edu email, for example), or a credit card-style student ID, issued by the school / college / university
The Good
Signing up for UNiDAYS has some advantages. It gives you access to discount programmes for other companies.
And students who sign up for UNiDAYS will get a free Apple Music student subscription in certain countries, which may even include Apple TV+ access!
The Bad
Parents cannot sign up and purchase for their children. Each student must sign up for their own UNiDAYS account.
If UNiDAYS cannot automatically verify your student credentials, it has a manual process but that could mean several days of delay to verify your account.
The Ugly
The UNiDAYS verification process blocks parents of younger students from getting the education discount.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are forced to purchase tablets and laptops for their children’s online classes. While not entirely legit, the Apple education discount has helped many parents alleviate the high cost of providing each child with a tablet or computer.
While this verification process will help Apple cut down on fraud, I wish they would take the opportunity to open up the education discount programme to younger students.
That would really be a win-win situation – parents get a small but much appreciated discount, and Apple gets a head start on developing the next-generation of Apple users.
Until then, parents of younger children can “work around” this limitation, by asking a college / university student to help them make the purchase.
Countries Where Apple Education Discount Do Not Require UNiDAYS!
This switch to UNiDAYS verification for the Apple Education Discount programme appears to be a gradual process.
For now, these countries still do not require UNiDAYS verification :
Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
Hong Kong
Ireland
Japan
Mexico
New Zealand
Philippines
Russia
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
United States
So parents of younger children in those countries can still get the Apple Education discount, without jumping through the UNiDAYS hoop.
Pro Tip : When purchasing any Mac computer or iPad with the Apple Education discount, make sure you grab all the accessories you need at the same time, to get the discount as well.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
macOS Monterey continues to be plagued by an insidious memory leak problem that Apple does not seem able to fix.
So here are a few workarounds that you can try!
macOS Monterey Memory Leak : What’s Going On?
Ever since it was released on 25 October 2021, macOS Monterey has been plaguing users with an insidious memory leak problem.
And even as Christmas approaches, Apple is still unable to fix the problem. Here is what we know so far…
It Gobbles Up Insane Amounts Of Memory
The memory leak quietly eats up insane amounts of memory, creeping up on users without warning.
A single affected app like Firefox can gobble up almost 80 GB of memory. Even a critical macOS process like WindowServer can end up using 24 GB of memory, while the Mail app can use more than 100 GB of memory!
Unless you have been keeping an eye on memory usage, you will only realise this is happening when you get the warning that “Your system has run out of application memory” with a request to Force Quit apps you are not using.
It Appears To Be An OS Issue
This Monterey memory leak affects many different apps with no obvious culprit in sight :
Internet browsers like Firefox and Safari
Apps like Tweetbot and Final Cut Pro
macOS features like Control Center, Mail and Finder
macOS processes like WindowsServer
That strongly suggests that it is an operating system issue, and not a bug in any particular app.
It Affects Intel + Apple Silicon Models
This Monterey memory leak problem is not platform-specific, and affects both Intel and Apple Silicon models.
So you are not going to be able to “escape” this memory leak problem by upgrading to the new M1 Pro / Max-powered MacBook Pro laptops.
macOS Monterey Memory Leak : Possible Solutions
Unfortunately, Apple still does not seem to be able to plug this insidious macOS Monterey memory leak. So here are some solutions that may work for you…
Revert To Standard Mouse Pointer
One of the new features macOS Monterey is the ability to change the mouse pointer’s size, as well as its outline and fill colours.
However, the developers at Mozilla discovered that using a non-standard mouse pointer in macOS Monterey causes a large memory leak!
This memory leak is not limited to Firefox, but occurs anytime the non-standard mouse pointer changes its look, like when you mouse over a button or a text field.
To fix this, you will need to revert to a standard mouse pointer, and here’s how to do that :
Step 1 : Go to Settings and select Accessibility.
Step 2 : Tap on the Display option, and select the Pointer tab.
Step 3 : Move the Pointer size all the way to the left (Normal).
Step 4 : Click on the Reset button to the right of Pointer outline colour and Pointer fill colour.
Step 5 : Restart your Mac, and fingers crossed – this fixes your Monterey memory leak problem!
Relaunch Finder
If you notice Finder using a prodigious amount of memory, that memory leak happens when you use the Find (⌘ F) feature in to search for files.
The easiest way to prevent this memory leak is to avoid using Finder’s Find feature. Try using the Search option on the upper right corner.
But once you get a Finder memory leak, you must relaunch it to release the leaked memory…
Option A : While in the Finder window, click on the Apple menu. Then press and hold the Shift key and click on Force Quit Finder.
Option B : Click on the Apple menu. Click Force Quit (Command + Option + Escape). Then select Finder and click on Relaunch.
Limit Use Of Control Center
Some users have reported that the Control Center can use upwards of 20GB of RAM, but most users fortunately do not encounter such terrible waste of memory.
This memory leak is easily reproducible – every time you use a control, it uses a little more RAM but does not release it.
Unfortunately, there is no way to release the leaked memory short of restarting the computer. So the best way to avoid this memory leak is to limit the use of Control Center.
Restart Apps Whenever Memory Use Is Too Much
Well, this seems obvious, but I have to throw it in anyway.
If any app, whether it’s Safari or Final Cut Pro starts using way too much memory, just close and reopen it. That should quickly recover the leaked memory.
Of course, this is only a stopgap solution until Apple releases a fix for this truly pesky memory problem in macOS Monterey…
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The 2021 MacBook Pro restored four great features that famed designer, Jony Ive threw out!
Well, isn’t it fortunate that he left Apple?
2021 MacBook Pro Restores 4 Features Jony Ive Threw Out!
Famed designed Jony Ive did many things right, but he also screwed up the MacBook Pro for many years.
In his obsessive quest for ever THINNER form factors, Sir Jony dumped four great features that MacBook Pro users loved.
Physical function keys
SDXC card reader
MagSafe charging port
HDMI port
The good news is – the 2021 MacBook Pro restores all four features that Jony threw out!
Magic Keyboard With Physical Function Keys!
Jony Ive introduced the butterfly keyboard mechanism because it was THINNER. However, it has less key travel (of course) and was prone to failure.
Apple finally gave up on the butterfly keyboard after Jony left, when they introduced the Magic Keyboard with a scissor mechanism in the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019).
But it was with this new 2021 MacBook Pro that nailed the coffin shut for the Touch Bar, which many MBP users considered an expensive boondoggle.
FINALLY, MacBook Pro users have a proper keyboard with physical function keys that provide tactile feedback!
SDXC Card Reader + HDMI Port Are Back!
Many MacBook Pro users are photographers who loved how their MBPs had an integrated SDXC card reader. They can just slot in their SD cards and get to work.
Many users also loved the convenience of an integrated HDMI port, which allowed quick and easy video output to an external monitor or even a projector.
Unfortunately, Jony Ive sacrificed both the SDXC card reader and the HDMI port on the altar of a THINNER profile, forcing users to use USB card readers and dongles.
Well, the good news is the 2021 MacBook Pro restored both the SDXC card reader and the HDMI port!
MagSafe 3 Charging!
Another stupid decision Apple made with their 4th Gen MacBook Pro was to remove the MagSafe charging connector.
Not only does the MagSafe prevent damage if anyone trips over the cable, it also has a very nifty indicator light that quickly tells you its charging status.
Fortunately, Apple just introduced MagSafe 3 in the 2021 MacBook Pro. It is now slimmer, and can support up to 140 watts of power delivery!
Don’t worry – you can still use USB-C charging if you want to.
2021 MacBook Pro So Much Better After Jony Ive Left
Now, I do not mean to disparage Sir Jony Ive’s excellent design work. I just think he went overboard with his obsession with THINNESS.
How much functionality is worth trading away to shave off an extra millimetre or two? Never enough in Jony’s book, from what I can tell.
Even with all that gone, he couldn’t even get the MacBook Pro to be thinner or lighter than the Dell XPS 13… so what was the point of removing them???
Hence, it is fortuitous for MacBook Pro users that he is no longer in charge of the design work at Apple.
The restoration of these four long-missed features arguably makes the 2021 MacBook Pro far more functional than its fancy mini LED display or M1 Pro / Max processor could achieve.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Back in February 2021, we gave you all a sneak peek at what the 2021 Apple MBP would offer in terms of connectivity.
We said back then that “Apple will not only introduce a new MagSafe 3 connector in the upcoming 2021 MacBook Pro, they will also bring back the SD card slot!”
Take a look at what we revealed back then, and what Apple just revealed earlier today!
We Were Right About MagSafe 3 In 2021 MBP!
In our February 2021 sneak peek of the 2021 MBP’s connectivity options, we shared that Apple will bring back their long-missed MagSafe connector.
It would be a brand new connector with a slimmer profile called MagSafe 3, which would be bidirectional with 5 pins, and have a slimmer profile.
Take a look at the picture we shared in February, showing MagSafe 3, next to two Thunderbolt ports and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
And take a look at the connectors on the left side of the actual 2021 MacBook Pro. Pretty much the same, right?
We Were Right About SDXC Card Reader + HDMI 2.0 In 2021 MBP!
In our February 2021 sneak peek, we also shared that Apple would bring back the sorely-missed SDXC card reader, as well as the HDMI 2.0 port.
Here was the picture we shared in February, showing the SDXC card reader, together with the HDMI 2.0 port.
Doesn’t it look EXACTLY like the actual right side of the 2021 MacBook Pro?
We also revealed back then that the OLED Touch Bar would finally be banished… hopefully for good. It was an expensive boondoggle that MBP users were forced to pay for.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
People keep sharing the wisdom in the Steve Jobs’ Last Words, but guess what – they are all LIES!
Take a look at the famous last words that Steve Jobs allegedly said, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Steve Jobs’ Last Words : Pinnacle Of Fake News!
This is the famous Steve Jobs’ Last Words that have been shared by hundreds of thousands of people on websites, social media and email chain letters.
It’s a very long article, so just skip to the next section for the facts!
Steve Jobs’ Last Words
I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success.
However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to.
At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.
In the darkness, I look at the green lights from the life supporting machines and hear the humming mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of god of death drawing closer…
Now I know, when we have accumulated sufficient wealth to last our lifetime, we should pursue other matters that are unrelated to wealth…
Should be something that is more important: Perhaps relationships, perhaps art, perhaps a dream from younger days
Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me.
God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth.
The wealth I have won in my life I cannot bring with me. What I can bring is only the memories precipitated by love.
That’s the true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on.
Love can travel a thousand miles. Life has no limit. Go where you want to go. Reach the height you want to reach. It is all in your heart and in your hands.
What is the most expensive bed in the world? Sick bed… You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you.
Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life.
When a person goes into the operating room, he will realize that there is one book that he has yet to finish reading – Book of Healthy Life.
Whichever stage in life we are at right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.
Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.
The truth is – this is a fake story probably created by a fan to lionise Steve Jobs, or a fake news website to make money off his name.
Fact #1 : Those Were Not Steve Jobs’ Last Words
It is really not possible for a dying Steve Jobs to wax lyrical and say so much.
At the end, he just muttered monosyllables, repeated three times – OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW. That’s it.
This was what his sister, Mona Simpson, revealed in her New York Times eulogy :
Steve’s final words, hours earlier, were monosyllables, repeated three times.
Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them.
Steve’s final words were: OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.
Fact #2 : Steve Jobs Was Not On Life Support
Steve Jobs was not on any life support. Although his family has been very private about his final days, we do know that he was not being kept alive by a mechanical ventilator.
If he was being kept alive by a mechanical ventilator, he wouldn’t be able to say “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” as his sister revealed were his true last words.
In fact, on August 11, 2011 – less than two months before he died, Steve Jobs asked Tim Cook to visit him. As recounted in Tim Cook’s book – Becoming Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs was more than capable of talking lucidly even then :
He told me he had decided that I should be CEO. I thought then that he thought he was going to live a lot longer when he said this, because we got into a whole level of discussion about what would it mean for me to be CEO with him as a chairman. I asked him, ‘What do you really not want to do that you’re doing?’
“It was an interesting conversation,” Cook says, with a wistful laugh. “He says, ‘You make all the decisions.’ I go, ‘Wait. Let me ask you a question.’ I tried to pick something that would incite him. So I said, ‘You mean that if I review an ad and I like it, it should just run without your okay?’ And he laughed and said, ‘Well, I hope you’d at least ask me!’
I asked him two or three times, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ because I saw him getting better at that point in time. I went over there often during the week, and sometimes on the weekends. Every time I saw him he seemed to be getting better. He felt that way as well. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.”
Finally, if he was really kept alive by a mechanical ventilator, it would have kept him alive. He wouldn’t have died of respiratory arrest, which was the immediate cause of death.
The fact that he did indeed die of respiratory arrest is evidence that he was not on artificial respiration.
Fact #3 : Steve Jobs Did Not Die In A Hospital
Steve Jobs died at home, not in a hospital. The New York Times noted :
In his final months, Mr. Jobs’s home — a large and comfortable but relatively modest brick house in a residential neighborhood — was surrounded by security guards. His driveway’s gate was flanked by two black S.U.V.’s.
We don’t have an exact date for when he was confined to his home for his last days, but we do know that by August 11, 2011, he was permanently at home :
“He said, ‘I want to talk to you about something,’ ” remembers Cook. “This was when he was home all the time, and I asked when, and he said, ‘Now.’”
Fact #4 : Steve Jobs’ Last Words Was Never Mentioned In Any Biography
Steve Jobs had an official biography written by Walter Isaacson (Steve Jobs, ISBN 978-1501127625), who was given unprecedented access to his personal life, including over 40 interviews with Steve Jobs himself.
If Steve Jobs wanted to pass along such a message, he would have done it in that book. There is no mention of such a message in that biography.
The fake quote refers to God twice, which Steve would never do because he did not believe in God.
He was a Zen Buddhist, not the Lutheran Christian he was brought up to be.
Buddhism is a religion, but their adherents do not believe in God or gods.
Fact #6 : Steve Jobs Was A Perfectionist
The fake story is replete with bad grammar. That is something Steve Jobs would never condone, being the perfectionist that he was. Needless to say, the writing style was not his either.
Fact #7 : Steve Jobs Was Not Afraid Of Death
The fake story claimed that Steve Jobs regretted spending his life in the pursuit of success at the expense of his family.
This cannot be further from the truth. Steve Jobs not only embraced his impending demise, he used it to spur him to make the most of his time left.
During his famous commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, he said that “Death is very likely the single best invention of life“.
He then expounded on using that knowledge that our impending deaths to spur ourselves to greater heights, and to do what we really want to do in life :
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Fact #8 : Steve Jobs Did Not Pursue Wealth
The Steve Jobs’ Last Words story alluded to a mindless pursuit of wealth.
This cannot be further from the truth, because Steve Jobs earned a cool annual salary of $1 since he returned to a struggling Apple in 1997.
He was not the only corporate executive to do this, of course, as they can be compensated through alternate means like bonuses, stock options, etc.
Steve Jobs was notable, though, for not taking any alternative form of compensation since 2003.
He took virtually nothing in compensation for his time and effort at Apple because he was not pursuing wealth, but his vision.
His wealth, and his position at Apple, were the means to the end, not the goal itself.
Steve Jobs’ Last Words : Help Us Kill This Fake Story!
No matter whether you are a Steve Jobs fan, or just someone who loves an inspirational story, help us kill this fake story!
Many people tell us that it’s okay to create fake stories like that, because “the message is more important than the truth“.
Do we really want to teach our children that it’s moral to tell lies about other people, as long as if it’s for a good reason?
The truth is – these fake stories are being propagated by clickbait websites to generate money. Stop funding the creation of fake news.
STOP SHARING THIS FAKE NEWS! SHARE THIS FACT CHECK INSTEAD!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
vivo is now a top 5 smartphone brand globally in Q2 2021!
Find out what this means for one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in the world!
vivo Is Top 5 Smartphone Brand Globally In Q2 2021!
On 28 July 2021, Canalys announced that vivo ranked fifth in global smartphone shipments, with a market share of 10% in the second quarter of 2021!
Despite the challenging business climate brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, vivo actually increased their smartphone shipments 27% year-on-year!
Thanks to this strong growth, vivo remains firmly one of the top 5 smartphone brands globally.
How vivo Achieved Its Position As Top 5 Brand
vivo gave us some insights into how they achieved their present-day success as a top 5 smartphone brand globally.
vivo leveraged the local mindset with an understanding of the local culture and management as they steadily expanded globally.
Today, vivo has a global sales network that stretches across more than 50 countries and regions, with over 400 million users worldwide.
vivo also maintained a strong lead in telecommunications technology, applying for over 3,000 5G patents and submitting over 5,000 5G proposals to the telecommunications standard development organisations of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
They have even started research of 6G technology, which is expected to be launched in 2030. They currently have a network of 10 R&D centres in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi’an, Taipei, Tokyo and San Diego.
You can now register your maid / domestic helper for the free COVID-19 vaccine programme in Malaysia!
Find out how to register your maid / domestic helper for the free COVID-19 vaccine on MySejahtera!
You Can Now Register Your Maid For FREE COVID-19 Vaccine!
On 11 February 2021, the Malaysian government announced that the COVID-19 vaccine will be offered for FREE to all foreign residents in Malaysia.
This includes maids, domestic helpers, blue collar and white collar workers and even their spouses.
On 24 March 2021, the Malaysia Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, confirmed that you can start registering your maid as a dependent in MySejahtera :
Yes, foreign domestic helpers are eligible and can be registered as dependents under MySj. https://t.co/KatEhHLBRr
Your maid is considered as a dependent, for the purpose of registering for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here is our video guide on how to register for COVID-19 vaccination for your dependents using MySejahtera.
It’s the same process, whether you are using an Apple iPhone, or an Android smartphone.
Don’t worry about making mistakes. You can redo the registration, to correct for mistakes.
For those who prefer pictures and text, here is our step-by-step pictorial guide :
Make sure you update to MySejahtera 1.0.30 or laterbefore you proceed.
Open MySejahtera.
Tap on the Close button on the upper right corner of the default Check-in screen.
You should see the MySejahtera main screen, and it should show you a new COVID-19 Vaccination option.
Tap on the COVID-19 Vaccination option and it will show you this information display.
Tap on the second option – Add Vaccine Dependent.
You will be shown a screen with your registered dependents.
If you did not add any dependents yet, you can do so by tapping on the Add Vaccination Dependent option at the bottom.
Otherwise, skip to Step 12.
Key in your maid’s details – Full name, Relationship with you, NRIC / Passport number, Age, Gender, Current Address and Post Code, and State.
Check the details and tap Save when you are done.
Your newly-added dependent will now appear in the list of dependents.
Tap on the Add as vaccine dependent option of the dependent you wish to register.
You will be asked to confirm that you have the authority to manage the vaccination process for your maid.
You are also asked to note that once this maid is registered to your MySejahtera account, she cannot be registered for the COVID-19 vaccine programme with a different MySejahtera account.
Tap on Yes, Proceed to proceed with the registration.
You will be asked to verify your maid’s name and Passport number; as well as confirm that she is over 18 years old.
Technically, it should state 18 years old and older, because the COVID-19 vaccine programme is open to those who are 18 years of age too.
If you notice any mistake, tap Edit to change the name and IC / Passport number.
Otherwise, tap the I confirm that my dependent is over 18 years old check box, and tap Submit.
You will be asked to answer four simple questions, to determine whether she should be classed under Phase 2 or Phase 3 of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program, as well as your location.
The address search option may not work. If that happens, tap on the Location finder to let MySejahtera use your GPS location.
Please BE HONEST in this assessment. It will, after all, be verified by the Ministry of Health.When it comes to Question no. 2 – Do you have any comorbities? – that refers to any medical condition you have that may put you at greater risk of dying from COVID-19.For your reference, this includes :
Diabetes mellitus
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Heart disease
Asthma
Cancer
Chronic lung disease
Kidney disease
Liver disease
Stroke
Low Immunity (Immunocompromised)
Obesity
Others
Once you are done, tap Submit, and your dependent will have a green checkmark next to it.
If you made any mistake, you can tap on Remove vaccine dependent, and begin the process all over again, from Step 12.
Then all you have to do is wait for the Malaysia Ministry of Health to contact you when it is your maid’s turn to be vaccinated against COVID-19!
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Exclusive on Tech ARP – the first look at the 2021 MacBook Pro ports, including a brand new MagSafe 3 port and an SD card slot!
Here is the first ever look at the MagSafe 3 connector, the SD card slot, and other ports that will ship with the 2021 MacBook Pro!
First Look : 2021 MacBook Pro MagSafe 3 + SD Card Slot!
Apple fans who miss the MagSafe port and the SD card reader in their MacBook laptops will have something to cheer for this year!
Apple will not only introduce a new MagSafe 3 connector in the upcoming 2021 MacBook Pro, they will also bring back the SD card slot!
New Apple MagSafe 3 Connector!
The new MagSafe 3 connector is bidirectional and has 5 pins, and will lock and detach magnetically like the previous two generations.
The MagSafe 3 connector is not compatible with older MacBook computers, and has a pill-shaped design with a thinner profile.
The MagSafe 3 port is located on the left side of the 2021 MBP, next to two Thunderbolt 3 (USB4) ports, and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
Ports on the left side of the 2021 Apple MBP | Copyright : Tech ARP (www.techarp.com)
Return Of The SD Card Reader!
We are also glad to report that Apple will (finally) bring back the SD card reader that many photographers LOVED, and bemoaned when Phil Schiller killed it in 2016.
Now that Schiller is out of Apple, it looks like it’s been resurrected for the 2021 MacBook Pro. Utility finally trumped cumbersome!
The SD card reader is located on the right side, together with a third Thunderbolt 3 (USB4) port and a HDMI 2.0 port.
Ports on the right side of the 2021 Apple MBP | Copyright : Tech ARP (www.techarp.com)
2021 Apple MacBook Pro : What Else Is New?
So what else is new in the 2021 MacBook Pro, other than MagSafe 3 and the resurrected SD card reader?
14-inch + 16-inch Models
There will be two 2021 MacBook Pro models – with 14-inch and 16-inch displays.
Apple M1X SoC
There will no longer be Intel CPU options, only the Apple M1X SoC.
Nothing much is known about the Apple M1X, other than it is a more powerful version of the M1 that has stunned many with its performance.
But rumours have it that it will have 12 processor cores, split into two performance clusters :
P Cluster (Performance) : 8 x Firestorm (?) cores
E Cluster (Efficient) : 4 x Icestorm (?) cores
It will have a more powerful GPU than Apple M1‘s 8-core GPU.
Memory
The Apple M1X will use the same unified memory design as the M1, built directly onto the package for near-instantaneous access.
However, it will offer larger memory options – 24 GB and 32 GB are possible – in addition to 16 GB currently available with the M1.
External Display Support
A big limitation of the Apple M1 is its support for just one external display of up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz.
The 2021 MacBook Pro will support at least two external displays, if not more, via its Thunderbolt 3 and HDMI ports.
OLED Touch Bar Gone!
Good riddance to the pointless OLED Touch Bar. That’s gone for the 2021 MacBook Pro models.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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If you own an Apple iPhone or use an Apple MagSafe charger, please make sure you keep them away from medical devices!
Find out why you need to be careful about putting them in close proximity with medical devices!
iPhone 12 + MagSafe : As Safe As Older iPhone Models
On 23 January 2021, Apple updated their safety guidance on the magnets in their iPhones and MagSafe chargers.
It addressed the concerns about the radios and larger number of magnets used in their latest devices :
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
MagSafe Charger
MagSafe Duo
Apple claims even though they contain more magnets than prior iPhone models, they are “not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than prior iPhone models“.
Keep Your iPhone + MagSafe Away From Medical Devices!
While Apple does not believe that the risk is higher in these newer iPhone 12 models and MagSafe chargers, they also noted that the magnets and radios could pose a risk to medical devices in close proximity.
Medical devices such as implanted pacemakers and defibrillators might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact.
These magnets and electromagnetic fields might interfere with medical devices.
Therefore, Apple recommends that you keep ALL iPhone models and MagSafe chargers away from medical devices, like pacemakers and defibrillators.
more than 6 inches or 15 cm apart, or
more than 12 inches or 30 cm apart if wirelessly charging
They also advised all users to stop using their iPhone or MagSafe accessories, if they suspect that they may be interfering with medical devices.
Note : This does NOT mean that the magnetic fields or wireless emissions of your iPhone or MagSafe accessories are dangerous to your health. They only pose a risk to medical devices.
Safety Guidance On iPhone + MagSafe Magnets + Radios
Here is Apple’s latest safety guidance on iPhone and MagSafe magnets and radios :
iPhone contains magnets as well as components and radios that emit electromagnetic fields. All MagSafe accessories (each sold separately) also contain magnets—and MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger contain radios. These magnets and electromagnetic fields might interfere with medical devices.
Though all iPhone 12 models contain more magnets than prior iPhone models, they’re not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than prior iPhone models.
Medical devices such as implanted pacemakers and defibrillators might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact. To avoid any potential interactions with these devices, keep your iPhone and MagSafe accessories a safe distance away from your device (more than 6 inches / 15 cm apart or more than 12 inches / 30 cm apart if wirelessly charging). But consult with your physician and your device manufacturer for specific guidelines.
Consult your physician and medical device manufacturer for information specific to your medical device and whether you need to maintain a safe distance of separation between your medical device and iPhone or any MagSafe accessories. Manufacturers often provide recommendations on the safe use of their devices around wireless or magnetic products to prevent possible interference. If you suspect iPhone or any MagSafe accessories are interfering with your medical device, stop using your iPhone or MagSafe accessories.
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Xiaomi CEO just announced that the Mi 11 will NOT come with a charger. Instead, he hints at something better.
Is that a good decision, or a bad one for Xiaomi? What do YOU think?
Confirmed : Xiaomi Mi 11 Will Ship Without In-Box Charger
Not everything Apple does should be copied, but Xiaomi appears to be following their lead in dropping the in-box charger.
The upcoming Mi 11 smartphone will be the first Xiaomi smartphone to ship without a charger in the box. As the picture below shows, the Mi 11 box is very thin.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced this, citing “environmental protection”, and saying that they are well aware that this decision may not be popular with their customers.
The picture of the box also gives sharp-eyed Xiaomi fans a preview of the Mi 11’s key features :
108 MP AI Super Camera
Super AMOLED Display with HDR10+ support
Sound by Harman / Kardon
Xiaomi Mi 11 : Good Or Bad To Ship Without Charger?
Echoing Apple’s words, he said that everyone has a lot of idle charges which is both a hassle for users to keep track of, and a burden to the environment.
Apple may be correct in that assessment since they have been using the same, piddling slow 5 watt charger for umpteen years until they introduced the 18 watt fast charger for the iPhone 11.
So iPhone users can use their old chargers from years ago without any change in charging experience.
But Android smartphones, including those from Xiaomi, have long provided much faster charging :
All those fast charging capabilities require new in-box chargers that support their higher charging speeds.
While you can use the old 5 watt or 10 watt chargers from years ago, they will not deliver the charging performance Xiaomi is quoting for their smartphones.
Xiaomi Mi 11 : A Better Solution Than In-Box Charger?
Lei Jun cryptically suggested that there may be a better solution for both the industry and the environment, which he will reveal at the Mi 11 press conference on 28 December 2020.
This is quite possibly some form of fast wireless charging technology, of which Xiaomi recently demonstrated an 80 watt prototype.
But it will doubtless be offered as a separate upgrade, although it is possible that Xiaomi may bundle a fast wireless charger with the Mi 11 as a sweetener during these difficult times.
If Xiaomi ends up doing that, the talk won’t be about how they screwed their fans out of an in-box charger, but how they generously ushered in a new world of wireless charging.
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Packing 16 billion transistors, it is the first chip to be manufactured on the new 5 nm TSMC process technology.
As an SoC, it combines 8 CPU cores, an 8-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, an image signal processor (ISP), an NVMe storage controller, a Thunderbolt 4 controller and a Secure Enclave – all in a single chip.
The Apple M1 is paired with either 8 GB or 16 GB of LPDDR4X memory using a system-in-a-package design.
8-Core CPU : ARM big.LITTLE Design
The Apple M1 uses the ARM big.LITTLE design for the CPU. Its 8-core CPU is divided into two performance clusters :
P Cluster (Performance) : 4 x Firestorm cores (up to 3.2 GHz)
E Cluster (Efficient) : 4 x Icestorm cores (up to 2.06 GHz)
The P Cluster is designed for high-performance, with a power consumption of 13.8 watts. It has a large 12 MB shared L2 cache, with a 128 KB dedicated L1 cache for each Firestorm core.
The E Cluster, on the other hand, is designed for a low power consumption of just 1.3 watts. It has a smaller 4 MB shared L2 cache, with a 64 KB dedicated L1 cache for each Icestorm core.
8-Core GPU : Mysterious Indeed!
The M1 uses an Apple-designed 8-core GPU, of which very little is known. Apple only says that it can handle up to 25,000 concurrent threads.
But from what we can tell, it has 128 execution units with an FP32 performance of 2.6 teraflops per second, a 82 GT/s texture fill rate, and a 41 GP/s pixel fill rate.
16-Core Neural Engine
The Apple M1 features a 16-core Neural Engine, which is capable of executing 11 trillion operations per second.
LPDDR4X Unified Memory
The Apple M1 uses a unified memory design, which means the CPU and GPU share the same memory.
Apple offers 8 GB and 16 GB LPDDR4X SDRAM options, built directly onto the package for near-instantaneous access.
Rosetta 2 Translation
As most Mac apps are compiled for x86 processors, they need to be translated to work with the Apple M1, which uses the totally different ARM architecture.
That’s where Apple Rosetta 2 comes in – introduced in macOS Big Sur, it translates or emulates x86 apps so that they can run properly on the M1 processor.
Certain apps, especially games, may require third-party software like Wine or CrossOver to work properly, like this example of The Witcher 3 running on the Apple M1.
Apple M1 : Specifications
Apple is hardly the most transparent company in the world, but here is what we know so far about the M1 chip’s specifications :
Specifications
Apple M1 (APL1102)
Fab Process
5 nm TSMC
Transistor Count
16 Billion
Die Size
120 mm²
CPU Cores
P Cluster : 4 x Firestorm cores
E Cluster : 4 x Icestorm cores
L1 Caches
Firestorm : 128 KB per core
Icestorm : 64 KB per core
L2 Caches
P Cluster : 12 MB shared
E Cluster : 4 MB shared
Clock Speed
P Cluster : 0.6~3.204 GHz
E Cluster : 0.6~2.064 GHz
CPU Power
Consumption
P Cluster : 13.8 W
E Cluster : 1.3 W
GPU Cores
8 Cores, 128 Execution Units
GPU FP32 Performance
2.6 TFLOPS
GPU Texture Fillrate
82 GT/s
GPU Pixel Fillrate
41 GP/s
Memory Size
8 GB / 16 GB
Memory Type
LPDDR4x-4266
Memory Interface
128-bit
Memory Bandwidth
68.27 GB/s
Neural Engine
16 Cores
Neural Engine
Performance
11 Trillion Ops / Second
TDP
10 watts (MacBook Air)
Apple M1 : How Fast Are Its CPU + GPU?
Unfortunately, we do not have access to the Apple M1, but Ars Technica tested it in the 2020 Mac mini. Take a look at some of the results they posted :
Note : While Ars Technica listed the M1 as a 10 watt part, this is only what Apple claims for the MacBook Air. It is likely to be clocked higher, with a higher TDP in the Mac mini and MacBook Pro.
Geekbench 5 : Single-Threaded CPU Test
Will you look at that? The Apple M1’s Firestorm cluster has really good single-core performance!
It was 7% faster than the Core i7-1185G7, in both 28W and 15W TDP modes; and 53% faster than the Ryzen 7 4700U!
Geekbench 5 : Multi-Threaded CPU Test
This is even more astounding! The Apple M1 is even faster in the multi-threaded test!
In the multi-threaded test, the Apple M1 was 22% faster and 54% faster than the Core i7-1185G7 in 28W and 15W modes, respectively. It was also 52% faster than the Ryzen 7 4700U!
Geekbench 5 : GPU Test
Even its 8-core GPU did very well, beating the Core i7-1185G7‘s integrated Iris Xe by 26%, and Ryzen 7 4700U‘s integrated Vega 7 by 65%.
Cinebench R23 : Single-Threaded Test
The Apple M1 was as fast as the 28-watt Core i7-1185G7 in the single-threaded test, and was 28% faster than the Ryzen 7 4700U. And it was only 6.5% slower than the Ryzen 9 5950X.
Cinebench R23 : Multi-Threaded Test
In the multi-threaded test, the Ars Technica team set a limit of 8 threads for a level-playing field.
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Windows gaming on the ARM-based Apple M1 is possible!
Watch how well the Apple M1 runs The Witcher 3 using CrossOver 20!
Apple M1 Gaming : Watch It Run The Witcher 3 On CrossOver 20!
MrMacRight successfully ran The Witcher 3 on CrossOver 20, using the 2020 Apple MacBook Pro with the new ARM-based Apple M1 SoC.
Here was his recorded gameplay of The Witcher 3 at the 1080p resolution, with the Medium graphics and post-processing presets, and VSync enabled.
He could not get the FPS counter to work, but it looks smooth and very playable, albeit with some visual artefacts.
Basically – Apple M1 gaming is not only possible, it is possible to play Windows games!
Video Credit : MrMacRight
Windows Gaming On Apple M1 : Rosetta 2 + Windows API Translation!
That quick gameplay showcase of The Witcher 3 shows that Windows gaming is possible on the Apple M1.
The ability to run The Witcher 3 on CrossOver 20, and at such playable frame rates, is important for two reasons.
Windows App Compatibility
The Witcher 3 is a 64-bit Windows-only game, so you wouldn’t expect it to run well on the ARM-based Apple M1, right?
Running it on the Apple M1 involves translating Windows API calls using CrossOver, and then translating x86 instructions to ARM instructions using Rossetta 2.
Yet it not only worked, it ran pretty well on the Apple M1!
Performance
While AppleGamers was not able to obtain a frame rate, The Witcher 3 appears to run pretty well at the 1080p resolution.
That shows that the Apple M1’s integrated 8-core GPU is fast, and will have no problem handling native ARM games at 1080p, and likely 1440p as well.
Apple M1 : A Quick Primer
The Apple M1 is the first ARM-based SoC (System on a Chip) designed by Apple for use in Mac computers.
Packing 16 billion transistors, it is the first chip to be manufactured on the new 5 nm TSMC process technology.
It comes with 4 high-performance Firestorm CPU cores, 4 power-efficient Icestorm cores, an 8-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine.
As the M1 is based on the ARM architecture, you can natively run iPhone and iPad apps on it. However, existing macOS apps will have to be ported over, or translated on-the-fly using Rosetta 2.
It is currently available in these Apple Mac computers :
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Machines just announced the closure of their Northpoint Service Centre after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
Find out what happened, and if you need to be concerned about this new development!
Machines Northpoint : One Employee Positive For COVID-19
On 26 October 2020, Machines announced that an employee at their Northpoint service centre tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee, who last worked at the Mid Valley outlet on 16 October 2020, was summoned by the Malaysia Ministry of Health for testing, after close contact with a COVID-19 positive case.
The employee went for the test on 23 October 2020, and it came back positive today, 26 October 2020.
Machines immediately close their Northpoint service centre outlet for disinfection and cleaning, and it will remain closed until further notice.
They are now working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to identify close contacts for COVID-19 testing and quarantine.
This is the second COVID-19 incident involving Machines. On 12 October, they shut down the Machines Mid Valley retail outlet, after an employee there tested positive.
Machines Northpoint : Official Statement On COVID-19 Case
Here is the official Machines announcement on the COVID-19 positive case at their Northpoint service centre :
Dear Valued Customers
We would like to confirm that an employee in our Machines Service Centre at Northpoint Office Mid Valley KL received a positive Covid-19 test result on 26 October 2020.
The employee has not been at work since clocking out on 16 October 2020. Following close contact with another Covid positive case outside of work, the employee was summoned to KKM for testing on 23 October 2020 and received her test result today.
We are working closely with KKM to identify contacts for testing and quarantine. We shall be conducting wider precautionary testing in the interest of the safety of our employees and customers. Our Northpoint Service Centre is closed for disinfection and cleaning until further notice.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to adhere to KKM’s and MKN’s guidelines and SOPs to deter the spread of the disease and keep our community safe.
Thank you.
Machines Northpoint COVID-19 : Should You Be Concerned?
These shopping mall infections reinforce the importance of contact tracing, and the MySejahtera mobile app which logs the movements of its users.
While shopping malls and all other public premises offer physical logbooks, we highly recommend that you use MySejahtera, because it allows for easier and faster contact tracing.
Using the MySejahtera mobile app also obviates the need to sign a physical logbook, which usually means using a shared pen – an unnecessary risk factor.
If you happen to be in close contact with this Machines employee at their Northpoint service centre, you will be contacted and asked to self-quarantine and undergo a COVID-19 screening test.
COVID-19 is easily destroyed by soap, so the deep cleaning operation will definitely clean the branch of any infectious particles.
More importantly, face masks greatly reduce the risk of infection. That’s why it is critical for everyone to wear a face mask in public.
COVID-19 : How To Keep Safe!
Here are a few simple steps to stay safe from COVID-19 :
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Just after Apple introduced their 15W MagSafe wireless charger, Xiaomi unveils the 80W Mi Wireless Charger!
Take a look at how fast a modified Mi 10 Pro recharged wirelessly using this new 80W wireless charger!
Xiaomi Disses 15W MagSafe With 80W Mi Wireless Charger!
Apple may have wowed their fans with the new 15W MagSafe wireless charger, but Xiaomi just showed us the future of wireless charging.
Introducing the new 80W Mi Wireless Charging Technology by Xiaomi!
As this video showed, the 80W Mi Wireless Charging Technology recharges the 4,000 mAh battery of a modified Mi 10 Pro astoundingly quickly :
0% to 10% : 1 minute
0% to 50% : 8 minutes
0% to 100% : 19 minutes
In comparison, last year’s 30W Mi Wireless Charging Technology took much longer to recharge a similar battery :
0% to 50% : 25 minutes
0% to 100% : 69 minutes
80W Mi Wireless Charging : May It Come Soon!
Xiaomi has not announced when they will actually introduce 80W Mi Wireless Charging in a production smartphone, or offer the charger for sale.
However, based on the fact that they recently introduced the Mi 10 Ultra with 50W wireless charging capability, we could see 80W wireless charging introduced as early as next year!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The HUAWEI Watch Fit comes in a nice white retail box, which we unboxed in this video.
Inside, you will find the following items :
HUAWEI Watch Fit smartwatch
Charging Cable + Dock
Quick Start Guide
HUAWEI Watch Fit : Hands-On Experience!
The HUAWEI Watch Fit seems designed to take on the new Apple Watch SE, offering a more rectangular design, at a fraction of the cost.
Its 1.64-inch AMOLED display is slightly smaller than the Apple Watch SE, with a slightly lower resolution of 280 x 456 pixels. But it has the same pixel density of 326 ppi as the Apple Watch SE.
HUAWEI does not state what protection they offer the display, only that it has a 2.5D curved glass cover. It also features a polymer fibre body, instead of an aluminium chassis.
But like the Watch SE, the Watch Fit is 5 ATM-rated (ISO 22810) for water-resistance. That means you can take it swimming, or a run in the rain.
Instead of a digital crown, it uses a single button on the right side. But it is mainly controlled by tapping and swiping on its touch display.
In addition to recording your daily steps, active hours and the intensity of your activities, the HUAWEI Watch Fit offers 24/7 real-time monitoring of your heart rate and stress levels.
It also offers the capability to measure your SpO2 blood oxygen saturation levels, as well as recording and tracking your sleep state for sleep quality analysis.
The HUAWEI Watch Fit is powered by the DK3.5+ST chipset, with a 180 mAh battery that delivers up to 10 days of battery life. That is significantly longer than the Apple Watch SE.
It offers Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, with built-in GPS. However, it does not support LTE or Wi-Fi connectivity or wireless charging, relying on a magnetic charging thimble design instead.
Now, you cannot answer calls on the Watch Fit, but it will provide you with notifications about incoming calls, messages, and calendar events.
It can also offers the ability to control your phone’s music player and trigger its camera shutter, or locate your phone.
HUAWEI Watch Fit : Our Verdict
The HUAWEI Watch Fit is no Apple Watch SE, that’s for sure. Even on paper, it is superior in many ways. But the question is – do you really need all those extra features?
The Watch Fit is really for those with the “good enough” philosophy. It does away with nice-to-have, but not necessary features, like Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity, call and walkie-talkie capabilities, or NFC for mobile payments.
Instead, it just offers core features like fitness and health monitoring, 5 ATM water-resistance and a long battery life.
Now, we only got 5.5 days of battery life (continuous use) with Bluetooth connected, but that’s 7X longer than the Apple Watch SE’s paltry 18 hours.
That means sleep analysis and around-the-clock health monitoring is really possible with the Watch Fit. Not just something to check off the feature list.
One problem we encountered – try as we might, we can’t replace its default watch face with some pretty nice watch faces HUAWEI offers for free. Hope they fix that soon!
But overall, the value is pretty unbeatable – it costs less than half of the Apple Watch SE.
If you are not an Apple fan boy, and you don’t need those extra features the Watch SE offers, it’s worth considering the Watch Fit.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Machines Mid Valley just announced their closure after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
Find out what happened, and if you need to be concerned about this new development!
Machines Mid Valley : One Employee Positive For COVID-19
At around 3:30 PM today (12 October 2020), Machines announced the immediate closure of their Mid Valley retail store, after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee, who last worked at the Mid Valley outlet on 8 October 2020, informed Machines about COVID-19 positive cases in the flats where he lived on 10 October 2020.
They made arrangements for his self-quarantine and COVID-19 screening test, which came back positive today, Monday, 12 October 2020.
Machines Mid Valley : Closed After COVID-19 Exposure!
Machines immediately close their Mid Valley outlet for disinfection and cleaning, and it will remain closed until further notice.
They are now working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to identify close contacts for COVID-19 testing and quarantine.
This incident only affects their Mid Valley outlet (G-063, Ground Floor), and does not involve their outlet in the adjoining Gardens Mall.
Machines Mid Valley COVID-19 : Should You Be Concerned?
These shopping mall infections reinforce the importance of contact tracing, and the MySejahtera app which logs the movements of its users.
While shopping malls and all other public premises offer physical logbooks, we highly recommend that you use MySejahtera, because it allows for easier and faster contact tracing.
Using MySejahtera also obviates the need to sign a physical logbook, which usually means using a shared pen – an unnecessary risk factor.
If you happen to be in close contact with this Machines employee at their Mid Valley outlet, you will be contacted and asked to self-quarantine and undergo a COVID-19 screening test.
COVID-19 is easily destroyed by soap, so the deep cleaning operation will definitely clean the branch of any infectious particles.
More importantly, face masks greatly reduce the risk of infection. That’s why it is critical for everyone to wear a face mask in public.
COVID-19 : How To Keep Safe!
Here are a few simple steps to stay safe from COVID-19 :
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Apple recently advised everyone not to cover the camera of their Mac laptops, and rely instead on the camera indicator light.
Find out why Apple is WRONG, and why you need to physically cover your Mac computer’s camera!
Mac Camera Cover : What Is It For?
Cybersecurity specialists have long advocated covering the built-in camera of your computers, not just MacBook laptops or Mac desktops, with a camera cover of some sort.
This prevents hackers from taking over that camera, and secretly recording you. This has implications beyond just recording your embarrassing moments for blackmail.
With access to your laptop camera, hackers can determine when you are away from home, who lives at your home, who you are working with, and even where you currently are.
Apple : Don’t Use A Camera Cover For Your Mac
In their recent HT211148 tech advisory, they asked Mac laptop (MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro) users not to use any camera cover.
Instead, they recommended that you use these two built-in features for your privacy :
A. The Green Camera Indicator Light
Apple points out that your Mac computer has a camera indicator light that glows green whenever the camera is active.
They also claimed that the camera is designed not to activate unless its indicator light is also turned on.
B. The Camera Access Control
As an additional measure built into macOS Mojave or later, you must give an app permission before it can use your Mac computer’s camera.
To view which apps has access to your Mac computer’s camera, and to revoke any app’s access :
On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Security & Privacy, then click Privacy.
Select Camera.
Select the tickbox next to an app to allow it to access your camera.Deselect the tickbox to turn off access for that app.If you turn off access for an app, you’re asked to turn it on again the next time that app tries to use your camera.
Why Apple Is Wrong, And You Need To Cover Your Mac Camera!
Apple fans may hate us for this, but they are wrong. You must physically cover your Mac computer’s camera to protect yourself.
Hackers Always Disable The Indicator Light
Mac computers are not the only ones to feature an indicator light for their built-in cameras. Most computers with a built-in webcam have such an indicator light.
It is, therefore, SOP for hackers to disable the indicator light after gaining control of the camera. Camfecting attacks won’t work if you are aware that the camera is turned on…
Apple asserts that the camera and its indicator light on Mac computers are wired in series, so the camera won’t work if the indicator light is turned off.
However, a 2013 Johns Hopkins University paper showed how it was possible to disable the indicator light of a Mac computer’s webcam, even though the camera module had a “hardware interlock”.
This isn’t just an obscure research subject. The FBI has the capability to covertly activate a computer’s camera without triggering the indicator light, according to Marcus Thomas, the former assistant director of FBI’s Operational Technology Division.
The only ways to prevent such attacks would be to either turn off your computer, or physically cover the camera.
Hackers Won’t Ask You For Permission
Security researcher Ryan Pickren showed in April 2020 how seven flaws in Apple Safari can let malicious websites hijack your camera and microphone to spy on you.
All you have to do is click on a link, and it lets the malicious website gain access to your webcam without asking for permission.
So much for the Mac Camera Access Control feature…
You May Not Notice The Light
Even if the camera indicator light is not disabled, it doesn’t mean you will immediately realise when the light turns on.
By the time you realise the green light is actually glowing, it may already be too late.
This is partly because it emits a steady glow, and doesn’t blink. Of course, a blinking light is bloody irritating, but we are more likely to notice it than a static green glow.
The only way to prevent that is to physically cover the camera.
Hackers Can Turn On Sleeping Or Hibernating Computers
Don’t assume that just because your Mac computer is sleeping or hibernating, hackers cannot access its camera.
They can potentially wake your computer, turn on the camera and record from it, with the indicator light turned off.
Security researcher Pedro Vilaça showed in 2015 how it was possible to remotely “root” and take over a Mac computer after it wakes up from sleep mode of 30 seconds or longer.
Irrespective of the method used, once hackers gain control of your computer, they can turn on its Wake On LAN (WOL) feature to remotely wake up your computer, like what the Ryuk ransomware does.
The only way to prevent that is to turn off your computer, or physically cover the camera.
Cybercriminals Can Trick You With A Fake Blackmail
Even if cybercriminals are unable to access your camera, they can still trick you into believing they somehow took compromising photos or videos from it.
They send out thousands of spam emails every day to trick people into believing they have been caught on camera.
People who don’t use a camera cover can be convinced into believing that their webcams were somehow compromised, and tricked into paying up to avoid exposure.
The only way to prevent that is to physically cover the camera.
The Best Way To Cover Your Mac Computer Camera
While we strongly advise you to cover your Mac computer camera, that does not mean you should risk damaging your display.
According to Apple, we should not use any camera cover that is more than 0.1 mm thick. That basically rules out any camera cover, because it is impossible to make one that thin.
They also advise again using anything that leaves an adhesive residue. So that means cellophane tape (Scotch tape) and packaging tape should be avoided.
So here are the best options for you to consider, based on your requirements :
If you don’t intend to use the camera at all
a) Use your laptop in clamshell mode, with a separate monitor, keyboard and mouse
b) Cover the camera with masking tape, which is gentle and leaves no residue
If you plan to use the camera
– Cut a small piece of sticky note, so that there is an adhesive part and a non-adhesive part.
– Alternatively, cut a piece of masking tape, and fold part of it to create a non-adhesive portion.
– Cover the camera with the adhesive part
– You can then use the non-adhesive portion to pull it off whenever you need to use the camera
Desktop Computers (iMac, iMac Pro)
Desktop computers like the iMac or iMac Pro don’t have to worry about damaging their displays with camera covers of any thickness.
We therefore recommend using a proper camera cover that slides to let you use the camera whenever you want to, and physically cover it whenever you don’t.
Just make sure the camera cover does not use excessively strong adhesive, or leaves a residue that will require using solvent to remove, which could damage the display coating!
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After years of letting third-party companies sell camera covers, Apple just issued a warning that using a camera cover can damage your MacBook laptop!
Find out what’s going on, and why using a camera cover may be critical for your privacy, but can damage your MacBook!
Warning : Using A Camera Cover Can Damage Your MacBook!
In a new technical advisory, Apple warns that closing your MacBook laptop with a camera cover attached could physically damage the display, due to the limited clearance between the display and the chassis.
In addition, installing a camera cover can block the ambient light sensor located next to the camera. This will prevent features like automatic brightness and True Tone from working properly.
If you close your Mac notebook with a camera cover installed, you might damage your display because the clearance between the display and keyboard is designed to very tight tolerances.
Covering the built-in camera might also interfere with the ambient light sensor and prevent features like automatic brightness and technical advisory from working.
Instead of using a camera cover, Apple recommends relying on the camera indicator light to tell you when it is actively recording you.
If your organisation or work requires you to use a camera cover, Apple issued these recommendations :
Make sure the camera cover is not thicker than 0.1 mm.
Avoid using a camera cover that leaves adhesive residue.
If you install a camera cover that is thicker than 0.1 mm, remove the camera cover before closing your computer.
For Americans and anyone else still stuck with Imperial measurements, 0.1 mm = 0.00393 inch.
This example of an ultra-thin camera cover designed for the MacBook is 8X too thick, according to Apple.
It is physically impossible to create a camera cover that thin. In other words, Apple is telling you yet again NOT to use an actual camera cover!
Instead, try using a tiny piece of sticky note. It is not only thin, it is also soft. Just make sure it covers only the camera, and not the ambient light sensor.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
