MacRumors:

The policy change basically means that users who want to continue using third-party apps with their iCloud account will have to enable two-factor authentication and generate individual passwords for each app.

If you don't already have two-factor authentication enabled on iCloud, do it. Yes, it can be a slight inconvenience at times, but when you weigh that against the value of all the personal data you probably have stored on iCloud, it should be an obvious choice.

Think about what an attacker could do if he gained access to your iCloud account: send and receive messages, view all your photos, or lock you out of your devices, just to name a few possibilities.

So, turn on two-factor authentication.

Natasha Singer writing for The New York Times:

In 2016, Chromebooks accounted for 58 percent of mobile devices shipped to primary and secondary schools in the United States, up from less than 1 percent in 2012, according to Futuresource Consulting, the research firm.

When I was in school, it was the Apple IIe, and later, various Macintosh and eMate 300 machines. But it was all Apple, and it helped prepare me for the work I've been doing now my entire adult life.

Just this week, our district announced they were transitioning away from iPads.

Of course, all this raises concerns about Google's motives in this market. Apple wants to sell computers and devices to schools, and has traditionally done so at a discounted rate. But Google and its Chromebooks are nearly free by comparison, and Google's objectives do not end at the point of sale.

Google declined to provide a breakdown of the exact details the company collects from student use of its services.

There is computer aptitude, and there is Google dependency. Google wants to be the primary (if not the only) place kids go for knowledge and answers. I'm inclined to think children need as diverse a skill set as possible, and Google taking on an outsized role in education feels troubling to me. But whether this represents a benign shift in learning or an insidious grab for personal data on children, I truly do not know.

Trevor Daugherty at 9to5Mac:

Here’s what we love about Nike’s new iPhone cases. Because these come direct from the manufacturer, you’re getting the same imprint that you’ll find on the shoes themselves. This is literally an exact reproduction.

Of course. Because when I look at the bottom of my shoe, I think, "This is what my phone should be."

I'm not sure what Twitch and Mister Rogers have in common, but Twitch will be streaming over 800 episodes of Mister Rogersʼ Neighborhood in a marathon beginning Monday at noon PDT.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Episodes will air without commercial breaks though there will be some spots encouraging support for local PBS stations. Twitch also will encourage viewers to make donations that will support local PBS stations through a donation panel on the site.

It's nice to see an Internet media company like Twitch promoting and raising money for PBS, especially at this important time. Mister Rogersʼ Neighborhood is a perfect example of the kind of thoughtful and educational programming that public broadcasting has made possible.

The Verge:

From the looks of it, Microsoft is experimenting with the design of a new email client, file system, and desktop, among other things.

Microsoft has long made interesting proofs of concept, but has been inconsistent on execution. I wonder how far they'll see this through.

It's hard not to see this, as well as Google's material design, as both a response to and an attempt to differentiate from Apple on design. Apple has helped make design into popular art, but concepts like these (including Apple's own iOS 7 introduction video) feel like attempts to justify a visual style by associating it with better usability, instead of starting with usability and allowing that inform the look and feel.

For example, translucency can look great but I don't think it does much for usability. Yet we hear rationales for it using terms like depth and context. What usability really needs is contrast: definition between objects, clearly delineated buttons, and visible UI that is not hidden behind gestures or collapsing application frames.

In many ways, so-called "flat" design has moved us away from usability in pursuit of aesthetics. Microsoft seems late to arrive at this style as I'm starting to feel the pendulum moving back towards more substantive, usable design.