ExtraBITS for 14 March 2016
We have just two ExtraBITS this week, since all the stories about Apple and the FBI were merely speculation or opinion on one side or the other. In solid news, Apple is holding an event on 21 March 2016 and we get a look at how growing up in Alabama shaped Tim Cook.
Apple to Hold Event on 21 March 2016 — Apple would like to “loop” reporters in on an event to be held 21 March 2016 at 10 AM PDT on Apple’s Infinite Loop campus. However, if you’re out of the invite loop, you can watch a live stream on Apple’s Web site (or on an Apple TV, natch) at that time. Rumored announcements include a smaller iPhone SE, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, new Apple Watch bands, and software updates for OS X, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. It’s going to be a long Monday for us.
How Rural Alabama Inspired Tim Cook’s Activism — Unlike late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who saw his work as activism itself, Jobs’s successor Tim Cook has been outspoken on issues related to civil liberties. Todd Frankel, writing for The Washington Post, traces the origins of Cook’s activist spirit back to his upbringing in rural Alabama, where as a young gay man, Cook encountered segregation and the Ku Klux Klan. Cook often returns to his hometown, but he’s rarely celebrated there.