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Apple has answered the question, “Will it release new products during the COVID-19 pandemic?”

Yes, yes it will.

New iPad Pros & Magic Keyboards

Apple PR:

Apple today announced its most advanced iPad Pro. Now with the A12Z Bionic chip, iPad Pro is faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops. The new iPad Pro adds an Ultra Wide camera, studio-quality mics and a breakthrough LiDAR Scanner that delivers cutting-edge depth-sensing capabilities, opening up more pro workflows and supporting pro photo and video apps. The LiDAR Scanner, along with pro cameras, motion sensors, pro performance, pro audio, the stunning Liquid Retina display and powerful apps, extends the lead of iPad Pro as the world’s best device for augmented reality (AR).

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Today is the last day to snag one of this year’s 512 Pixels shirts. If you have already ordered, thank you for your support!

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Apple:

Some Mac OS X v10.6 computers may experience a kernel panic when connecting to an iPhone 3G with Internet tethering via USB enabled.

Update to the latest version of iTunes.

If you continue to encounter this issue with your iPhone 3G, use Bluetooth instead of USB.

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This week on MPU:

Much of computing revolves around writing and text input, but most of us don’t think about how to make that process more productive. This week, David and Stephen explore tools and techniques that make text easier to work with.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• Sanebox: Stop drowning in email!
• Kensington: The Professional’s Choice. Find the right docking solutions for your organization today.
• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
• Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy.

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Apple:

The App Store should always be a safe and trusted place for users to download apps. Now more than ever that commitment takes on special significance as the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities around the world are depending on apps to be credible news sources — helping users understand the latest health innovations, find out where they can get help if needed or provide assistance to their neighbors.

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Tim Cook, writing at Apple Newsroom:

We will be closing all of our retail stores outside of Greater China until March 27. We are committed to providing exceptional service to our customers. Our online stores are open at www.apple.com, or you can download the Apple Store app on the App Store. For service and support, customers can visit support.apple.com. I want to thank our extraordinary Retail teams for their dedication to enriching our customers’ lives. We are all so grateful to you.

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Microsoft PR:

Microsoft Corp. today announced that Co-Founder and Technology Advisor Bill Gates stepped down from the company’s Board of Directors to dedicate more time to his philanthropic priorities including global health, development, education, and his increasing engagement in tackling climate change. He will continue to serve as Technology Advisor to CEO Satya Nadella and other leaders in the company.

On June 27, 2008, Gates transitioned out of a day-to-day role in the company to spend more time on his work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He served as Microsoft’s chairman of the board until February 4, 2014.

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My thanks to Gear.coffee for sponsoring 512 Pixels this week. It’s a great way to upgrade your coffee game with the best hand grinders on the market.

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Today, Apple confirmed that WWDC 2020 will not be taking place in San Jose, following similar announcements from other companies about other events, all in the wake of the COVID-19 virus.

Instead of having thousands of developers fly in from around the world, and having them interact in sessions, labs and evening events, Apple is doing what Google, Facebook, Microsoft and others have done, deciding to play it safe this year:

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A set of rumors about Macs have popped up on MacRumors, posted one minute apart for reasons. First:

Apple plans to release new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with scissor keyboards in the second quarter of 2020, according to a new research note today from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, obtained by MacRumors.

… and second:

In a research note today, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said Apple plans to launch MacBook models with its own custom processors in the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021. Kuo did not indicate whether these will be MacBook Pro or MacBook Air models, or both, nor did he share any further details.

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On this episode of Flashback, my podcast with Quinn Nelson:

Electric cars may seem like a 21st century phenomenon, but they are far from modern invention. Along the winding path to the present was the GM EV1, the first purpose-designed electric vehicle. It went on sale in 1996, but within a decade, General Motors had recalled and crushed almost all of them.

I mean, just look at this thing! It was the future, until GM got all murdery about things:

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This week on the show:

Federico gives a status report about life in Italy, then Stephen tries to cheer people up by talking about the HomePod. After that fails, Myke tells a story and the gang wade through a sea of iOS 14 rumors, including stories on iMessage, PencilKit, iOS wallpaper apps and more.

My thanks to our sponsors this week:

• Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code CONNECTED to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2021.
• Direct Mail: Create and send great looking email newsletters with Direct Mail, an easy-to-use email marketing app designed exclusively for the Mac.
• Indeed: Post your job today and get a free sponsored job upgrade.

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