iOS 12.1.2 fixes eSIM and cellular issues for Apple’s 2018 iPhones and provides unspecified security fixes, but the main reason for its existence may be to work around a ban on selling some iPhone models in China due to alleged infringement of Qualcomm patents.

In keeping with our tradition, we’re going to take off the last few weeks of the year to spend with family and friends, so look for the next email issue of TidBITS on 7 January 2019. Thanks for your attention in 2018, and we hope you’ve enjoyed both our content and our site redesign this year!

If you set up an automatically renewing TidBITS membership before April 2018, our new membership system will require a one-time restart from you. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Apple isn’t possessive of Portrait mode, the iPhone photography feature for creating shots with blurred backgrounds; it allows third parties to integrate the capability into their iOS apps. Google and Facebook are the latest to do it, each in their own way.

Apple has released a third generation of its iPad Pro line with a top-to-bottom redesign and high ambitions to set the tablet in competition with notebooks. Unfortunately, although a revised Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio provide added flexibility, the iPad Pro remains hobbled at times by software limitations.