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Luke Dormehl - page 245

Apple Watch’s biggest competitor is running into problems

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Photo: Fitbit
Fitbit's in the s**t.
Photo: Fitbit

We still don’t have exact sales numbers on the Apple Watch, but something is clearly having a big impact on Fitbit, Apple’s biggest rival in the fitness wearables category.

Fitbit stock dropped 19 percent today after its forecasts missed estimates, and analysts downgraded the stock as a result. Fitbit shares have declined 44 percent this year so far.

And the Apple Watch? By all accounts we’ve heard, it’s doing pretty darn well.

Apple’s fight with the FBI does nothing to harm its brand

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Apple takes second spot in list of UK's best employers
Apple's brand value is safe and sound.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

People may be split over whether or not Apple is doing the right thing by defying the FBI by refusing to create an iPhone backdoor, but according to a new report, Apple’s squabble over privacy isn’t likely to have much of an impact on its brand appeal — however much Donald Trump wants people to boycott the company’s products.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster this morning revealed the results of a survey of 1,0002 Americans — suggesting that an equal number of people are more or less enamored of the brand as a result of the recent news, while the majority of respondees claim not to know anything about the story.

Pro-Apple privacy protests are planned for 50 cities around the U.S. today

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Encryption protest San Francisco
Protests will take place at 5.30pm today.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac (via Apple and protestsign.org)

Grassroots protests against the government’s attempts to hack the iPhone are set to take place today in nearly 50 cities around the United States, beginning at 5.30pm local time.

“FBI Director [James] Comey has been repeatedly asking the White House and Congress for a backdoor to encrypted phones for the past year,” privacy advocates Fight for the Future representative Holmes Wilson tells Cult of Mac. “If he says he doesn’t want this kind of access going forward, he’s just lying, and you can see it in the public record.”

According to Wilson, this is why this story is such a big deal — and what Cult of Mac readers can do to get involved:

No precedent, eh? Justice Department wants Apple to unlock 12 more iPhones

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iPhone 6s
Did anyone seriously believe this wasn't going to happen?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

FBI director James Comey and his supporters suggest that making Apple break its iPhone encryption for the San Bernardino shooter case would be a one-off event, and not the start of a slippery slope into unwanted surveillance.

Well, it seems that someone needs to tell the Department of Justice that, because the D.O.J. is reportedly salivating at the thought of being able to hack iPhones for criminal investigations — with court orders being filed for Apple to help extract iPhone data in a further dozen cases around the U.S.

Bill Gates insists Apple should help the FBI unlock iPhone

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Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, rivals and friends.
On this occasion, it's Bill Gates who is thinking different.
Photo: AllThingsD

We’re decades removed from Bill Gates’ vicious battle against Steve Jobs, but Gates isn’t quite as ready as some of his contemporaries to side with Apple concerning one of tech’s biggest stories of 2016.

In a new interview, Gates defies Silicon Valley consensus, arguing that Apple should create an FBI backdoor for the iPhone — and siding with FBI director James Comey by suggesting that this wouldn’t, in fact, set a dangerous precedent for the possibility of future snooping.

Steve Campus? Apple working with Jobs’ family on special tribute

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Apple Campus 2 Rendered
The Steve Jobs Campus, anyone?
Photo: Apple

According to Tim Cook, Apple is working alongside Steve Jobs’ family to come up with an idea for the “right way” to pay tribute to him with Apple’s upcoming “spaceship campus.”

In an interview with Fortune, Cook confirmed that, “We will definitely honor [Steve] in the right kind of way,” with the new campus — whose opening has reportedly been delayed from 2016 until early 2017.

Tim Cook doubles down on Apple’s battle against FBI backdoor

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook isn't backing down from a fight.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook sent out an email to all Apple employees this morning, thanking them for their support and outlining the reasons why the FBI’s court order needs to be dropped.

“This case is about much more than a single phone or a single investigation, so when we received the government’s order we knew we had to speak out,” Cook wrote. “At stake is the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people, and setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties.”

Umberto Eco: There is something religious about Macs

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Umberto Eco died on Friday.
Photo: Università Reggio Calabria/Wikipedia CC

Author of brainy best-sellers The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum died late last week, and was heavily eulogized over the weekend in pretty much every major newspaper around the world.

But while most people (understandably) focused on his status was one of Italy’s best-known literary exports, did you know that Eco also once wrote an essay about the benefits of Mac OS versus MS-DOS? It’s pretty much the academic’s answer to those classic Mac vs. PC TV commercials.

Apple Pay only makes half as much per transaction in China

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple blinked first in negotiations.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay may have finally launched in China, but it seems that Apple flinched first in its negotiations with Chinese banks over their adoption of the service.

At least, that’s according to a new report — citing “people with knowledge of the matter” — which claims that Apple will only earn about half of what it does in the U.S. for every Apple Pay transaction in China.

FBI: iPhone backdoor would not set dangerous precedent, we promise

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Apple's muckin' with a G here, pal!
Photo: Paramount Pictures

The director of the FBI has written an impassioned open letter to Apple, asking it to go along with the recent court order to unlock the iPhone at the center of the San Bernardino shooting investigation.

James Comey writes that the FBI, “isn’t about trying to set a precedent or send any kind of message. It is about the victims and justice.”

Check out the rest of his open letter below:

Clever translation, a great tennis game, and other apps of the week

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appsoftheweek_1024
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The weekend is halfway over and — if the weather in your area is anything as dismal as it is in mine — thoughts naturally turn to amusing ourselves with the latest apps.

But which ones to sample? Whether you’re looking for a clever translation app, one of the best games of the year so far, or a nifty tool for blasting music from any Bluetooth speaker in your house, we’ve got something for you.

Check out our picks below.

Why John Sculley doesn’t wear an Apple Watch (and regrets booting Steve Jobs)

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Fremont, California, 1990.
John Sculley, photographed in 1990 when he was Apple CEO.
Photo: Doug Menuez

John Sculley may be best known to a generation of Apple fans as the CEO who made the company choose between him and Steve Jobs. But he’s also a successful investor, mentor and entrepreneur — as well as the person who increased Apple’s sales from $800 million to $8 billion during his decade at the top.

In an interview with Cult of Mac, Sculley, who ran Apple from 1983 to 1993, tells why he doesn’t wear an Apple Watch, makes the case that AAPL stock is undervalued, explains how the Steve Jobs movie twisted facts, and talks about his new book Moonshot and the future of entrepreneurism.

Mom uses Find My iPhone to track down her kidnapped daughter

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The iPhone isn't ditching LCD screens.
Find My iPhone may have just saved a life.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A mother used Apple’s Find My iPhone feature to track down her kidnapped daughter, tracing the teenager to a McDonald’s parking lot more than 150 miles from her home in Pittsburgh.

The unnamed daughter was being held against her will by her ex-boyfriend, who allegedly kidnapped her and bound her hands, feet and mouth with duct tape — but apparently (thankfully!) forgot to remove the victim’s iPhone.

Apple Pay runs into problem for its China launch

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Apple Pay iPhone
Apple Pay's China launch didn't go smoothly.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay made its debut in China this Thursday, but things didn’t go quite as smoothly as hoped — largely thanks to the sheer number of users trying to register with the service.

According to local reports, many users were faced with system errors after struggling to link their credit cards to their Apple Pay accounts.

Woz: Don’t trust the government with your privacy

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Steve Wozniak. Photo:
Steve Wozniak believes that Apple's 100 percent in the right.
Photo: HigherEdWeb/Flickr CC

Steve Wozniak may not have been directly involved with Apple for years, but there’s no doubting where his allegiances lie concerning the current Apple vs. FBI skirmish concerning whether or not Apple should help unlock the iPhone at the heart of a criminal investigation.

Speaking with CNET, Woz made clear his opinion that, “You can’t trust who is in power,” and argues that, “Terrorism is just a phony word being used” to try and justify the potential unwarranted snooping in our lives.

Apple Watch helps smartwatches overtake Swiss watch shipments

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Apple Watch
The Apple Watch accounts for a 63 percent share of the smartwatch business.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Jony Ive memorably (allegedly) claimed that Swiss watchmakers were “f**ked” due to the arrival of the Apple Watch, and almost 18 months later it seems his prediction is a whole lot closer to coming true.

That’s because, according to new research from Strategy Analytics, global smartwatch shipments have overtaken Swiss watch shipments on a global basis for the first time ever.

See? This is why it’s a bad idea to bet against Jony!

One way to keep iPhones secure: Let Apple look inside, not the FBI

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john-sculley
Former Apple CEO John Sculley has an interesting idea about how Apple might approach the FBI's request.
Photo: Web Summit/Flickr CC

There are plenty of opposing views about how Apple should handle the FBI’s demand to create a backdoor to unlock a dead terrorist’s iPhone.

One idea we haven’t heard before, however, is a concept put forward by former Apple CEO John Sculley: Cupertino could help provide the desired information, but Apple (not the government) could be in charge of reading the messages.

Family of murdered soldier object to Apple’s fight against FBI

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iphone run better
Does Apple's pro-privacy stance pose a risk to people's lives?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Big tech companies might be supporting Apple’s pro-privacy stance when it comes to creating a backdoor for the iPhone, but not everyone is in complete agreement.

Specifically, the family of British soldier Lee Rigby — who was murdered by Islamic extremists in 2013 — has spoken out about Apple’s decision to refuse a court order to break into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. Rigby’s family says Apple’s stance is “protecting a murderer’s privacy at the cost of public safety.”

Companies line up to support Apple’s pro-privacy stance

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iPhone 6s
Apple is definitely on the side of the angels, according to many.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple might be a rival to other Silicon Valley tech giants, but that’s not stopping the likes of Microsoft, WhatsApp and Google defending Cupertino’s stance against helping the FBI hack an iPhone.

Check out the privacy-minded Apple lovefest from these big companies, as well as groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Amnesty International.

Meet the exec behind Apple’s game-changing A-series chips

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johny_hero
Johny Srouji, Apple's new senior VP for hardware technologies.
Photo: Apple

Johny Srouji isn’t one of the best-known Apple executives, but a new feature profile by Bloomberg makes a case that he is one of the most important: being the senior VP for hardware technologies in charge of Apple’s A-series chips.

Srouji was promoted to the role back in December, and the new article (which features an exclusive interview with him) fills in some of the details about one of Apple’s lesser-known leaders — as well as revealing some of the challenges he faces with Apple’s internal components.

Your next iPhone may be able to read sign language

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The cameras on the iPhone 6s has a 12-megapixel sensor and 4K video.
Finally, a chance to use 'jazz hands' to unlock our iPhones.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Future iPhone software and cameras could support sign language recognition, alongside a range of other in-air interface gestures, according to a patent application published today.

Titled “Three-Dimensional Hand Tracking Using Depth Sequences,” Apple’s patent application describes how devices would be able to locate and follow the location of hands through three-dimensional space in video streams, similar to the face-tracking technology Apple already employs for its Photo Booth app.

Crowd at San Francisco Apple Store protests FBI’s iPhone backdoor request

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Screen Shot 2016-02-18 at 10.25.15
Protestors show their support for Apple.
Photo: DocPop CC

A crowd of several dozen protesters gathered in front of Apple’s flagship retail store in Francisco last night to protest the U.S. government’s attempt to force Apple to aid the FBI in hacking into an iPhone.

Ranging from privacy advocates to casual iPhone owners, the crowd argued that such a move sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the safety and security of millions of iOS users around the world.

iPhone 5se could deliver an extra 10 million sales for Apple

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4inch
A 4-inch iPhone could mean big things for Apple.
Photo: Martin Hajek

iPhone sales may be beginning to slow, but the addition of a 4-inch “iPhone 5se” handset could net Apple an extra 10 million+ units — or the equivalent of an extra 23 cents per share for Apple’s earnings — according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani.

Donald Trump slams Apple for refusing to unlock gunman’s iPhone

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Trump has chimed in on the encryption issue.
Photo: Michael Vadon/Flickr CC

Donald Trump has slammed Apple for its refusal to unlock gunman Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone 5c after being requested to do so by the FBI.

“Who do [Apple] think they are? They have to open it up,” Trump told Fox and Friends when asked about Apple’s responsibility to help with the investigation following the attack in San Bernardino, California, which killed 14 people.