Apple put on a good show for its WWDC keynote, but realistically it was a lot of hype without much substance. Dark Mode for macOS Mojave and Memojis for iOS 12 was about as exciting as it got. And you know what, that’s a good thing.
Both these operating systems have serious problems, and it’s far more important for Apple to spend a few months fixing them than adding new bells and whistles.
The just-released beta of iOS 12 can be set to partially deactivate the Lightning port after an iPhone hasn’t been used for an hour. This is a clear attempt to make useless the unlocking tools employed by law enforcement.
Police across the country are purchasing a tool called GrayKey. When hooked to an iPhone’s Lightning port, this swiftly enters thousands of passcodes until the correct one is reached. Deactivating the Lightning port would block its use.
The first iOS 12 developer beta debuted after today’s WWDC keynote. Intrepid souls who’ve already installed this early version on their iPhone X noticed that Face ID can be trained to recognize more than one person.
This removes one of the significant limitations of Apple’s new biometric security system.
Just about everyone agrees that Apple is prepping three iPhone models for release this fall. Analysts don’t agree on what these will cost.
Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a long history of being generally correct about Apple’s plans, said today that these devices will have lower prices than some might fear.
The winners of scholarships to Apple’s worldwide developers conference got a special bonus: the opportunity to meet CEO Tim Cook.
These students used their coding skills to demonstrate that they belong at this year’s WWDC. In return they receive free admission, free lodging, and help with travel expenses if needed.
Thinking perhaps that third time’s the charm, another lawsuit has been filed claiming that the keyboard used in the MacBook Pro is defective. Like the two prior ones filed last month, this seeks to become a class action.
All of these suits claim that the keys in Apple’s laptop can become permanently jammed, and a very expensive fix requires replacing the entire keyboard and other components.
A digital artist created a device that combines the best features of a MacBook and iPad Pro. The 2-in-1 can be used as giant tablet, folded into a clamshell laptop, or even configured into a smaller tablet or desktop.
The first phones with flexible screens are expected to be released this fall, and this device shows what might be possible when foldable displays go mainstream.
A locked iPhone can’t be accessed without the passcode, and even Apple can’t unlock it. But Apple has to comply with government requests for iCloud information.
And there are a lot of them. The company received 3,358 requests to access personal data in the second-half of 2017, with about half of these coming from the United States.
Apple began offering 4G-enabled smartwatches last fall, but it seems people don’t return them very often. It’s taken this long to build up a large enough supply of refurbished Apple Watch LTE units that they can finally be offered to the public.
Those who don’t mind a refurb can get this wearable at 15 percent off the regular price.
Got your eye on the powerful iMac Pro but don’t want to pay full price? Apple just began selling refurbished units for 15 percent off.
iMac Pro is Apple’s first all-in-one machine for professionals who need serious capabilities. The only problem? It starts at $5,000.
The look of iPhone ads is familiar. A cool song blares while the device sleekly moves before the camera. An artist has used that formula to create an ad for the iPhone SE 2, a smartphone not yet released.
The look of the phone matches the latest rumors of this upcoming budget model. It seems almost real.
All President Donald Trump’s many tweets come from his trusty iPhone, and he’s not shy about blocking people who use this social network platform to respond to his comments.
Today, however, a federal judge ruled that blocking anyone from accessing the president’s Twitter feed is a violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Apple was the top wearables vendor in Q1 according to market analysis firm Canalys. A rival analyst from Asymco also placed Apple at the top, but with a higher total of devices shipped. Canalys put the number at 3.8 million. the other at just over 4 million.
Disagreements like this are possible because Apple itself doesn’t reveal how many smartwatches it sells. Still, both groups of analysts agree that Apple Watch leads the market.
The iPhone X is the world’s best-selling smartphone, but it’s an older Apple model that scored highest on the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
The iPhone 7 Plus beat out all of the newer iOS models, and solidly outscored the iPhone X. Naturally, it also trounced every Android device.
FBI director Christopher Wray has said multiple times that his agency has 7,775 locked phones involved in investigations that it can’t access. Now, the law enforcement agency admits the number is far smaller.
Previously, Wray argued that the large number of unlockable devices is why Apple needs to build a ‘backdoor’ into iOS for police.
The Apple A12 processor, the heart of the 2018 iPhone, is reportedly already being manufactured. It’s being produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which has made Apple’s chips for years.
Even though the next iPhone isn’t expected until fall, TSMC isn’t getting a head start. It takes about three months to convert silicon into a microprocessor.
T-Mobile uses the self-bestowed accolade ‘Best Unlimited Network’ in its ads. But now an advertising regulatory body told the carrier to knock it off.
To be clear, this recommendation by the National Advertising Division (NAD) isn’t binding. But it’s significant enough that T-Mobile is appealing the decision.
1Password 7 for Mac notifes users of breaches, warn of bad habits, and highlights vulnerable passwords. 1Password mini has a new look, and there’s a new sidebar with a dark theme.
It’s the first really significant update in over two years.
A group of 4.4 million Brits accuse Google of illegally collecting and selling their personal information. They want a court to award them $1000 (£750) each in compensation.
The group, which calls itself Google You Owe Us, was in court today asking to be made a representative action, the British equivalent of a class action.
Possibly everyone on Earth knows that President Donald Trump uses Twitter, but you might not know that his many tweets are coming from an iPhone. The commander in chief actually has at least two: one that’s just for Twitter, and one or more others only for voice calls.
While Apple makes devices that are unusually hard to hack, there are questions about whether the president is hampering White House efforts to keep the Trump iPhone secure.
The price of a USB-C Lightning cable dropped 24 percent. That’s good news to almost every iPhone and iPad user.
This cable really should be bundled with Apple’s phone and tablet. It offers faster charging, and is required for connectivity with the latest macOS devices.
Google’s founders tried to define their corporate philosophy with a single phrase: “Don’t be evil.” Now that phrase has all but disappeared from the company’s official code of conduct.
But there are questions about whether Google could be anything but evil, given that its entire business model is violating the privacy of its users.
Facebook and Qualcomm are working together to provide high-speed connectivity to urban areas. They’ll use Facebook Terragraph technology to build a multi-node wireless system based on 60GHz technology from Qualcomm.
The goal is to provide multi-gigabytes per second speed at a lower cost.
Rumors indicate Apple’s working on a cheaper version of the HomePod. And now there’s a new wrinkle: this device might be sold under the Beats brand name.
This would let the HomePod name stand as a premier product, while still allowing Apple to make a more affordable smartspeaker.
It would be going too far to say that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wouldn’t be married today if it weren’t for an iPad. But one of Apple’s tablets did have an important role to play in the royal wedding.
Bishop Michael Curry delivered a sermon halfway through the ceremony. The good prelate read from notes displayed on his trusty iPad during his address.