Luke Dormehl - page 26

Tim Cook reportedly shocked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg when, during a July 2019 meeting, he told the social media magnate that he should delete all user data Facebook had gathered outside of its core apps.

According to The New York Times, the meeting between the two had been called to try and restore peace between the Silicon Valley tech giants. Zuck had asked cook how he should respond to the then-current Cambridge Analytica scandal, during which many users had had data gathered about them without express permission.

Apple came up short at Sunday night’s Oscars, losing its Best Animated Feature nomination (for the great animated movie Wolfwalkers) to Pixar’s Soul.

As brilliant as it was (and Cult of Mac‘s resident reviewer hailed it as the best animated flick of the year) Wolfwalkers was very much a long shot. This would have been Apple TV+’s first Oscar. Instead, it was scuppered by Pixar winning its 11th (!!) award in the Best Animated Feature category.

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro boasts a swanky mini-LED display, making it the first Apple tablet without a traditional LCD screen.

Apple calls the mini-LED screen in the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro a “Liquid Retina XDR display.” The new technology brings a welcome boost to the iPad’s display quality. And it seems likely that mini-LEDs will show up in MacBook Pros and other Apple gear in the near future.

“This is the display you have to see to believe,” said iPad marketing manager Raja Bose during Apple’s mind-blowing “Spring Loaded” event on Tuesday.

But what exactly are mini-LED displays, and how do they differ from LCD or even OLED or micro-LED screens? Don’t worry: We’ve got the answers to your questions.

Strangers can see the email address and other personal info of AirDrop users due to a security flaw in Apple’s file-sharing system, security researchers say. All that is required for this exploit to take place is physical proximity to an AirDrop user and a Wi-Fi device.

The researchers reportedly disclosed the flaw to Apple in May 2019, but it remains unfixed. That potentially leaves more than 1.5 billion Apple devices vulnerable.

Earlier this week, Apple opened up its Podcasts service to subscriptions, calling it a “global marketplace for listeners to discover premium subscriptions offered by their favorite creators.” Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that Spotify is set to jump in with a rival premium podcast feature.

However, unlike Apple, Spotify supposedly won’t take a cut of podcasters’ subscription revenues.

The redesigned Siri Remote that comes with the next-gen Apple TV 4K won’t work with certain games available on tvOS.

Since it doesn’t come with an accelerometer or gyroscope sensor, it won’t be compatible with games that rely on spatial positioning data from the controller as an input.

Nintendo’s mobile game Mario Kart Tour has surpassed 200 million downloads and $200 million in lifetime revenue, a new report from app analytics firm Sensor Tower says.

The United States remains the biggest market for Mario Kart Tour, representing 37.4 million downloads and $76 million in revenue across iOS and Android. According to Sensor Tower, Google Play makes up 56.2% of global installs, compared to 43.8% on iOS. However, the App Store comes out on top in generating revenue — making up a whopping 63.4% of total lifetime spending.

The first AirTags reviews and unboxing videos paint a pretty positive picture of Apple’s new tracking tags. After a short time using AirTags, reviewers praise the tiny trackers’ design as “classic Apple” and their precise finding capabilities as “utility-driven augmented reality.”

However, they also point out some limitations — including surprising scuffability!

Today is Earth Day and, to celebrate the occasion, Apple’s introduced a plethora of “Earth Day programming” across its various platforms, including the App Store, Apple TV+, and Apple Watch. For today, at least, no matter where you go for your Earth Day reminders, Apple’s got you covered.

iOS 15 will include tweaked user notifications, an updated Lock Screen, an iMessage overhaul, additional privacy features and a redesigned iPad Home Screen, according to Bloomberg.

Until now, little has been reported about iOS/iPadOS 15 ahead of its likely debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this June. Thursday’s report says Apple refers to the upcoming upgrade internally as “Sky.”

Apple is ramping up the advertising side of its App Store business, according to the Financial Times.

The company currently sells App Store ads, allowing developers to pay for top spots. But soon Apple will roll out another advertising spot for sale in the “Suggested” apps section. This will allow developers to more widely promote their apps, rather than having them show up only in response to certain search terms.

Ninety-four-year-old David Attenborough is a beloved institution — and he may have helped Apple rack up one of its biggest viewership wins for Apple TV+ thus far.

According to Deadline, the Attenborough-narrated The Year Earth Changed documentary special is the most-viewed documentary currently on Apple TV+ in the United States. That’s ahead of high profile titles like Beastie Boys Story, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, and Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You.

AliveCor, a company which makes Apple device-compatible, FDA-cleared ECG devices, has sued Apple for allegedly infringing on three of its patents with the Apple Watch. An ECG — or electrocardiogram — records the rhythm, the rate, and the electrical activity of the heart.

The health-conscious startup claims, in a press release, that Apple is trying to “eliminate” it as competition in this space. Until the matter is settled, it wants a judge to stop Apple from importing the Apple Watch into the United States. That would, in essence, stop Apple from selling the Apple Watch in its biggest market.

Foxconn’s promised $10 billion LCD plant in Wisconsin isn’t happening. At least, not on anywhere close to the same level that was promised back in the summer of 2017.

The Apple contract manufacturer previously received a “record-setting incentives package” for a plant that would create 13,000 jobs. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports, Foxconn has renegotiated the deal — and will invest a total of $672 million by 2025 and create just 1,454 jobs in the region.

Prolific criminal ransomware group REvil its trying to extort money from Apple, following a data-stealing cyberattack on one of its Mac suppliers. It wants Apple to pay an undisclosed sum by May 1 if it doesn’t want its proprietary data made public.

Quanta, one of Apple’s larger suppliers, confirmed Wednesday that it had been hit with a ransomware attack. The company said that it was doing its best to recover the missing data.

The trailer for season 2 of Ted Lasso is now available to watch online, following its debut during yesterday’s “Spring Loaded” Apple event.

The new season is set to debut July 23 on Apple TV+, with Jason Sudeikis — unsurprisingly — returning to the role of lovable football underdog coach Ted Lasso for more fish-out-of-water hijinks. Check it out below.

Apple took the wraps off the new sixth-generation Apple TV 4K on Tuesday. The upgraded set-top box boasts Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, which should bring a welcome performance boost. But perhaps more importantly, Apple redesigned the controversial Siri Remote.

The upgraded remote packs a new clickpad control system, a touch-sensitive ring that makes it easy to jog video backward and forward, and dedicated power and mute buttons.

Apple announced some changes to its Apple Podcasts app at Tuesday’s Spring Loaded event. While not quite the dedicated Podcasts+ subscription service some were expecting, the update will allow individual creators to easily disseminate paid podcasts. From the sound of things, it’s a bit like an App Store for podcasts.

Apple describes Apple Podcasts Subscriptions as a “global marketplace for listeners to discover premium subscriptions offered by their favorite creators,” alongside offering millions of free shows.

You know it’s a special day at Apple when the company whips out its rainbow stage. Designed by Apple’s industrial design team, back when Jony Ive was in charge, the rainbow stage — adorned in Apple’s classic logo colors — made its debut in May 2019. That year, it was used for a concert by Lady Gaga for Apple employees.

With many Apple employees currently working from home, a concert after today’s event seems unlikely. Nonetheless, Tim Cook — who tweeted out a picture of the rainbow stage — is clearly in a party mood.

A pair of swallowed AirPods, still inside their charging case, were successfully extracted from a puppy — without damage to either dog or hearables.

UK-based owner Rachel Hick, from Hull, rushed her golden retriever Jimmy to the vets after it swallowed the wireless earbuds and charging case on Easter Sunday.

Is Apple finally getting serious about podcasting? With a premium podcast service reportedly in the works, and several exclusive shows already online, it looks like Apple might be ready to defend its turf when it comes to the increasingly popular medium.

It’s about time. The company that was so strongly identified with podcasts from the start is rapidly losing its dominance as competitors come on strong. Here’s how Apple could regain its podcasting edge.

Update: The Apple Online Store is down as well now. Expect it to go back up following the conclusion of today’s Apple event.

The Apple Online Store sitemap page is down ahead of today’s “Spring Loaded” event.

Usually, Apple takes the entire Apple Online Store down ahead of its special events. Today that doesn’t appear to have happened. (Although this could change as the day progresses.)

Nonetheless, this highlights that Apple is expecting to make some changes to the products on offer — likely including a new iPad Pro, iMac, and possible other products like Apple’s location-tracking AirTags. There may also be more information about Apple’s rumored Podcasts+ service.

Adobe co-founder Charles “Chuck” Geschke passed away Friday at the age of 81, Adobe has confirmed. During his career, Geschke oversaw Adobe’s operations as it released game-changing innovations include Photoshop, along with ubiquitous file formats such as PDF.

Adobe’s history has long been entwined with Apple — including a $2.5 million investment from Apple in 1985 that led to the creation of a PostScript controller for the Apple LaserWriter.

The iPhone 13 will introduce the ultra-fast 5G mmWave to more countries, TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims. This could include rollouts in places likes Canada, Japan, Europe, and elsewhere.

Apple could debut a premium podcast service at Tuesday’s “Spring Loaded” event, according to Recode reporter Peter Kafka.

“Pretty sure Apple is prepping its own podcast plan – a paid subscription service – on Tuesday,” Kafka tweeted Sunday.

No additional details are known about the possible podcast initiative, which presumably would join paid subscription services Apple News+, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and Apple Fitness+. The possibility of a paid podcasting service from Apple was rumored earlier this year.