### Issue 2179 - Friday 20th September, 2024

## In Today's Issue

- Europe wants Apple to open up iOS to 3rd party hardware equivalent to its own
- FTC confirms that social media companies don't treat user data with respect
- Total Tools got totally pwnd, limited edition PS5 is cool as hell, Harvey Norman class action for dodgy warranties
- Danny Boyle is using an iPhone 15 Pro Max to film 28 Years Later
- Friday Forum Update
- Cheap LG OLED 42" TV, Space Shuttle LEGO, PS5 console, Pixel 8 Pro, HP gaming laptop, Boost Mobile, Edifier headphones, refurb Sony TVs, Corsair PSU, Bose soundbar

## The News

### Europe wants Apple to open up iOS to 3rd party hardware equivalent to its own

Europe is still pissed off with Apple not meeting its Digital Markets Act requirements, in particular "iOS connectivity features and functionalities, predominantly used for and by connected devices" and "the process Apple has set up to address interoperability requests submitted by developers and third parties for iOS and iPadOS". To me it sounds like they want 3rd party devices to have access to the same privileges Apple's accessories do. Sony's or Sennheiser's earbuds should have the same privileges on an iOS device as AirPods. Garmin or Suunto smartwatches should have the same device access as an Apple Watch. The EC will spend 6 months investigating how Apple is complying and/or plans to comply.

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### FTC confirms that social media companies don't treat user data with respect

The USA's FTC dropped a report confirming what anyone paying attention already knows - Amazon/Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter/X, Snapchat, TikTok, Discord, Reddit and WhatsApp "collected and could indefinitely retain troves of data, including information from data brokers, and about both users and non-users of their platforms", "woefully inadequate" data collection, minimization and retention practices and "some companies did not delete all user data in response to user deletion requests". Users have "users and non-users had little or no way to opt out of how their data was used by these automated systems" and that "the business models of many of the companies incentivized mass collection of user data" and that "that those incentives were in tension with user privacy, and therefore posed risks to users’ privacy". Cool, now what?

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### Total Tools got totally pwnd, limited edition PS5 is cool as hell, Harvey Norman class action for dodgy warranties

- Hardware store Total Tools had a cyber incident, with 38,000 customers having their "names, log-on details, email addresses and credit card information" leaked. Could put some tradies at risk of phishing. A cheeky invoice scam here, a little change of bank account details there and boom, some poor fuck doesn't get their kitchen reno or deck built.
- Sony announced limited editions of the PS5 and PS5 Pro in "gray plastic shells and multicolored PlayStation logos, inspired by the gray plastic shells of the original". I like it and would like to buy one, alas, the hypebeasts are probably lining up outside stores right now so they can flog em on eBay for triple the price.
- Harvey Norman is facing a class action lawsuit for selling useless extended warranties, which the plaintiffs claim "offered little or no value, because consumers were already guaranteed the same – or greater – rights under the Australian Consumer Law, for free". If you purchased "Product Care" between Sep 2018 & 2024, register with Echo Law to get some sweet compo.

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Danny Boyle is using an iPhone 15 Pro Max to film 28 Years Later

Wired has confirmed that 28 Years Later, a follow up to one of the best zombie movies ever made, 28 Weeks Later, is being shot "with a bunch of adapted iPhone 15s" as the principal camera system, in "Beast" cages with a depth of field adapter that allows for DSLR lenses and "projects the image from the DSLR lens onto the surface of its screen, and the smartphone records this projection". This isn't a cheap movie either, directed by Danny Boyle and with a budget of $75m, it's the most expensive movie ever shot on a smartphone. Very curious why they've chosen an iPhone as the main camera for a $75m movie.

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## Friday Forum Update

Here's five interesting discussions over on The Sizzle's paid subscriber forum for you to enjoy over the weekend. If you are not a paid subscriber but want to get involved, visit https://thesizzle.com.au/payme to get onboard.

- Katzy's got heaps of 16mm film and wants to know how to go about digitising it themselves
- jonoabroad is buying a new iPhone and wants to know if it's worth getting AppleCare+ for it
- uep is having a bad time with Kayo
- lenjet started a thread to document various tech related upgrades to their new home
- Mikey needs a replacement case for some 1st-gen AirPods Pro and wonders if the non-Apple ones are any good

## Bargains

- 42" LG OLED C4 4K TV & $150 bonus store cash - $1495 from The Good Guys
- LEGO 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery - $269.99 from Myer
- PlaySttion 5 digital slim edition - $589 from Target for OnePass members
- Google Pixel 8 Pro 5G 128GB - $1087 at JB Hi-Fi
- HP Omen 17 gaming laptop (i7-13700HX, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RTX4080 12GB GPU, 17.4" QHD 240Hz) - $2,962 from HP's eBay store
- Boost Mobile 365-day SIM with 260GB data, unlimited calls & SMS - $210 after cashback from TopCashback
- Edifier W830NB wireless noise cancelling headphones - $72 from Edifier
- Seconds/Used/Refurb Sony X90L 4K TVs 98", 75", 65" & 55" - $6,199/$1,649/$1,301.65/$1,046.65 from Sony's eBay store
- Corsair RM1000x Shift modular ATX power supply - $224 from Amazon
- Bose Solo Soundbar 2 - $142 from The Good Guys

## Image Of The Day

Designer's Club 1999 February (Internet Archive / ShivaShaw)

## The End

📻 Fcukers - Bon Bon

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