Apple has two very different things on its agenda this week: changing how advertisers track people online and preparing its next generation of computers.
And both could affect how we use our devices.
First, privacy.
Apple has explained new restrictions designed to prevent advertising companies from secretly connecting people’s activity across different websites and devices.
The changes focus on a tracking technique known as identity resolution.
Here’s how it works.
When someone enters an email address to log into a website or subscribe to a newsletter, some advertising companies attempt to use that information to recognize the same person elsewhere online.
Apple argues that users shouldn’t have their identities connected across unrelated websites without their knowledge or consent.
The company is strengthening restrictions within WebKit, the browser technology behind Safari, to block infrastructure associated with this form of tracking.
The decision has frustrated parts of the advertising industry, which rely on data to measure campaigns and target potential customers.
Meanwhile, Apple has another announcement coming.
The company has scheduled a product presentation called Pro and Tell for October 28 in Los Angeles.
And one of the biggest rumors involves a MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen.
Yes, an actual touchscreen MacBook.
For years, Apple has kept its MacBook computers separate from the touch-focused experience of the iPad.
But reports suggest the upcoming models could introduce touch controls, a redesigned screen and an interface adapted to gestures.
Apple hasn’t officially confirmed those features, so the touchscreen remains a reported expectation rather than a guaranteed announcement.
Still, the combination of stronger privacy protections and potentially redesigned laptops suggests Apple is preparing changes on two fronts.
One is about protecting what happens behind your screen.
The other could change how you interact with it.
