News round-up: refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pros, bad guys don’t use iPhones, more

Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, we’ll frequently offer a wrap-up news items you should check out

As noted by MacRumors, Apple is now selling certified refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pros internationally. This is the first time since the laptop was released in  November 2019 (though refurbished models have been available in the U.S. for some time).

In an interview with Vanity Fair, director Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”) said Apple allows iPhones to be used in movies, but only by the good guys. Bad guys need not apply.

AppleInsider has a good report on today’s Apple shareholder meeting. Read it here.

Ars Technica notes that billions of devices—many of them already patched—are affected by a Wi-Fi vulnerability that allows nearby attackers to decrypt sensitive data sent over the air, researchers said on Wednesday at the RSA security conference.

Driven by paid streaming, U.S. recorded music revenues grew by 13% to $11.1 billion in 2019, at estimated retail value, according to new data from the Recording Industry Association of America. Total revenues from streaming grew 20% to $8.8 billion, accounting for nearly 80% of all recorded music revenues.

Though the Coronavirus is still having a big impact on China iPhone production, and the smartphone market as a whole, Morgan Stanley sees the impacts as mostly timing problems for Apple, and are buyers, maintaining a $368 stock price target, according to AppleInsider.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is going to Birmingham, Alabama, on , Thursday, Feb. 27.  He’ll join TechAlabama and Mayor Randall Woodfin for a news conference announcing a new Birmingham education initiative, per WBRC.