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Jacob Kastrenakes at The Verge:

Epic says that Apple has threatened to cut off its access to all iOS and Mac developer tools as retaliation for sneaking a new payment option into Fortnite last week — a stunt that ended in the app being banned from the App Store and Epic filing a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Apple, claiming it places illegal restrictions on the distribution of iOS apps.

Apple will terminate Epic’s inclusion in the Apple Developer Program, a membership that’s necessary to distribute apps on iOS devices or use Apple developer tools, if the company does not “cure your breaches” to the agreement within two weeks, according to a letter from Apple that was shared by Epic. Epic won’t be able to notarize Mac apps either, a process that could make installing Epic’s software more difficult or block it altogether. Apple requires that all apps are notarized before they can be run on newer versions of macOS, even if they’re distributed outside the App Store.

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Mark Gurman:

Apple Inc. on Monday told retail and customer-support employees that the company is expanding the time period when customers can subscribe to its AppleCare+ service.

Consumers currently have a chance to sign up to the warranty-and-support program within 60 days of buying an Apple product. This subscription window is increasing to up to a year now in the U.S. and Canada.

“This gives customers another opportunity to protect their device and have access to all the AppleCare+ benefits,” Apple wrote in a memo to staff seen by Bloomberg News. The company told employees the offer is available to customers who pay for AppleCare+ in full versus monthly payments, or for those that subscribe via installments on the Apple Card credit card.

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David Shayer, writing at TidBITS:

It was a gray day in late 2005. I was sitting at my desk, writing code for the next year’s iPod. Without knocking, the director of iPod Software—my boss’s boss—abruptly entered and closed the door behind him. He cut to the chase. “I have a special assignment for you. Your boss doesn’t know about it. You’ll help two engineers from the US Department of Energy build a special iPod. Report only to me.”

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TextExpander removes the repetition out of work so you can focus on what matters most. Say goodbye to repetitive text entry, spelling and message errors, and trying to remember the right thing to say. TextExpander can be used in any platform, any app, anywhere you type.

Take your time back and increase your productivity. 512 Pixels readers get 20% off their first year.

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This week on MPU, Brett Terpstra returns to the show to talk about the Touch Bar, regular expressions, Markdown and what Apple Silicon Macs will mean for macOS applications and utilities.

On More Power Users, David talks about this Oculus Quest and getting his work done in VR. It was weird.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
• Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to boost your job post.

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My thanks to SheetPlanner for sponsoring 512 Pixels this week. SheetPlanner helps you organize information, manage your projects, and schedule your tasks and activities with unparalleled power and flexibility.

You can download it from the Mac App Store, where a 21-day trial is available.

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I was offline for much of the day, re-opened Twitter and saw that all hell had broken loose.

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This week on Connected:

Federico talks about watchOS 7 and Stephen takes the group down a trip of old Apple press releases, causing Myke to be relieved about his Apple Newsroom reading habits. Also: a pre-announcement and some peer-pressure about a purchase.

Here is a chart that will prove helpful in the last segment of the show:

On Connected Pro, I pop off, Myke has things to build and Federico describes a future business plan based on MySpace Tom.

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Some notable fixes in the update:

• Addresses an issue where unneeded system data files might not be automatically deleted when available storage is low
• Fixes a thermal management issue that caused some displays to exhibit a green tint
• Fixes an issue where Exposure Notifications could be disabled for some users

That second note is important to me. I’ve been talking about this on Connected for a while, and my two co-hosts refused to agree it was a real issue.

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This update is in Software Update now:

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 supplemental update includes bug fixes for your Mac.

• Fixes a stability issue that could occur when running virtualization apps
• Resolves an issue where an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) may appear washed out after waking from sleep

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This week on Liftoff:

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have splashed down after their historic mission to the ISS, and SpaceX’s finally gotten a Starship test article to hop in Texas and the OSIRIS-REx team is gearing up for their sample return flight. Also: Ceres’ bright spots, government contracts and an update on the SLS.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code LIFTOFF at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
• Tuparev Technologies: Introducing StarBrush: Modern astronomical imaging tool for everyone.

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This time on Ungeniused:

Rock Paper Scissors is an ancient way of solving problems and owning your friends.

My thanks to Adina Hurley for joining us this time.

This episode was sponsored by:

• Mint Mobile: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month.

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