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ExtraBITS for 24 April 2017

In ExtraBITS this week, Apple has apologized for erroneous email messages saying that iCloud storage or Apple Music subscriptions were discontinued, and Apple CEO Tim Cook chastised ride-sharing company Uber for spying on iPhone users.

Apple Acknowledges Weird “Discontinued” Email Messages — If you subscribe to iCloud storage or Apple Music, you may have received an odd email message from Apple saying that your subscription was discontinued last week. There was speculation at the time that the messages were sent by mistake due to a server hiccup, and that now seems likely. A few days later, Apple apologized to affected users, acknowledged that it had sent the messages in error, and confirmed that no changes to iCloud storage or Apple Music subscriptions were made. Mistakes happen — what matters is that Apple took
responsibility for it.

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Tim Cook Dressed Down Uber for Spying on iPhone Users — Ride-sharing company Uber has had a rough 2017 so far, getting caught in one sleazy business practice after another. But Mike Isaac’s report in the New York Times may be the last straw for many Apple users. It turns out that Uber was using its popular app to secretly identify and track iPhones, even after the app had been deleted and the phone erased. Uber went so far as to hide that code for anyone inside a geofence surrounding Apple’s headquarters. In early 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook summoned
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to his office to order him to stop. Uber did, but as you’ll read in this lengthy biography of Uber founder and CEO Travis Kalanick, there have been plenty of other shenanigans since.

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