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Tim Cook - page 36

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.

ā€œThis 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,ā€ Cook wrote. ā€œAt stake is the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people, and setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties.ā€

iPhone user Donald Trump calls for Apple boycott

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Yeah, we're pretty incredulous about your ideas, too, Mr. Trump.
The brief has been successful despite support from big companies.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Donald Trump has threaten to permanently switch to Samsung if Apple doesn’t give in to the federal government’s demands, and he’s calling on all his followers to do the same.

At a rally in South Carolina this morning the US presidential candidate says that citizens should boycott Apple products until the company hands over the PIN to one of the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone 5c. Trump neglected to mention though that nearly all his tweets come from an iPhone.

Our Android guy says Apple should help the FBI [Friday Night Fight]

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fnf-fbi
Just hear me out.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s fight against the FBI continues to dominate headlines, with the company standing firm to protect its beliefs and the privacy of its users. But should itĀ really be doing more toĀ helpĀ law enforcement agencies?

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2No one who uses Apple products wants itĀ to compromise the security of iOS by creating dangerous backdoors, but should it be working to findĀ a safer solution that would provide the FBI with information when it’s needed?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of AndroidĀ andĀ Cult of MacĀ as we battle it out over this hot topic — and be sure to weigh in at the end with your opinion!

Apple hires high-profile free speech lawyer to take on FBI

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Ted Olson is one of the top legal minds in the country.
Ted Olson is one of the top legal minds in the country.
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Apple is planning to fight the FBI’s terror probe by invoking the right of free-speech and they’ve hired the most legendary free-speech lawyer in the country to help them win.

Theodore Olson, famous for successfully arguing before the Supreme Court that money is a form of free speech in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, is joining Apple’s fight against the FBI’s order to build a backdoor into San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone 5c.

Snowden says Apple security case is most important issue in a decade

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Edward Snowden.
Edward Snowden.
Photo: Laura Poitras / Praxis Films

Internet privacy activist and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has come out in favor of Tim Cook’s decision to deny a federal court judge’s request that Apple help the FBI hack the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone 5c.

Snowden is calling Apple’s battle over security the most important tech case in a decade, and has called out Google for not coming to the public’s side on the issue. In a series of tweets expounding on the issues, Snowden said the FBI’s efforts to force Apple to give them a key bypasses citizen’s ability to defend their rights.

How Apple could hack terrorist’s iPhone for FBI (if it wanted to)

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This tool can unlock any iPhone's PIN.
Open up! The FBI wants in.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A federal judge has ordered Apple to comply with the FBI’s demands to unlock the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone 5c. Apple CEO Tim Cook has boldly and politely refused. However, his reason has nothing to do with whether Apple has the ability to hack the iPhone.

It simply doesn’t want to.

Apple has spent the past few years making its devices more secure by adding Touch ID and a secure element. The iPhone 5c doesn’t have Touch ID, though, so the FBI wants to brute-force unlock it by guessing the terrorist’s PIN. The problem is, iOS will automatically wipe the device after too many unsuccessful attempts — and iOS also delays how often you can guess a passcode. So the FBI created a plan for how Apple can help the bureau get around it.

Poll: Should Apple create an iPhone backdoor for FBI?

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A new iOS 8 update is here.
The iPhone's security is under threat.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

If Apple had any common sense, they would just succumb to the FBI’s demands and unlock the San Bernardino terrorist iPhone, claims the all-wise and powerful Donald Trump. However, in his bold letter refusing to comply with a court order to create a backdoor to iOS, Apple CEO Tim Cook argues that doing so would set a dangerous precedence and leave customers vulnerable to hackers.

This is the biggest challenge Apple’s ever faced when it comes to iPhone security. The company has made iOS devices impossible for even it to hack, but that could be coming to an end if the federal government has its way.

So, who’s right?

Vote in our poll below and share your thoughts in the comments:

Tim Cook and Jony Ive are secretly fashionistas

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The glass walls of Apple's spaceship are nearly complete.
The glass walls of Apple's spaceship are nearly complete.
Photo: Mario Testino/Vogue, March 2016

Jony Ive and Tim Cook graced the pages of fashion bible Vogue this week in a brief and slightly odd interview talking about everything from the new spaceship campusĀ destined to open at the end of the year, toĀ the iPhone-maker’s new status as a fashion icon.

ā€œIn what we do,ā€ TimĀ Cook observed, ā€œdesign is crucial, as it is in fashion.ā€

Apple’s been steering its ship deeper into the water of the fashion world ever by launching the Apple Watch and hiringĀ a bevy ofĀ fashion house talent, and based on Jony Ive’s remarks, it sounds like Apple plans to dive much deeper into wearable tech.

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

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20724666936_32e70d7b9a_k
Trump has chimed in on the encryption issue.
Photo: Michael Vadon/Flickr CC

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

ā€œWho do [Apple] think they are? They have to open it up,ā€ 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.

What you need to know about Apple’s privacy battle with FBI

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Apple Security Jacket
This case is highlighting a major issue concerning iOS security.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The case involving San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone 5c and whether Apple should help unlock it has brought the company’s stance regarding strong encryption to the forefront.

Since this privacy-versus-security debate isn’t going away anytime soon, here’s what you need to know about it so far — and why it’s a much, much bigger issue than just one legal case.

Tim Cook: Apple will fight to stop the FBI accessing your data

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook wants the public to be aware of the importance of this issue.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has posted an open letter, signed by Tim Cook, in response to the FBI’s request that Apple unlock the iPhone at the center of a San Bernardino court case.

While United States magistrated judge Sheri Pym wants Apple to hand the FBI a custom firmware file that would allow the unlocking ofĀ the handset in question, Apple argues that this represents an, ā€œunprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers.ā€

And Cook wants the public to be aware of all the details.

Tim Cook gets as many votes as Bobby Jindal in presidential primary

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Tim Cook
"Tim Cook" racks up some votes in New Hampshire's Republican primary.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

If Tim Cook ever parts with Apple, his resume for becoming a politician is looking pretty strong.

Not only has Cook become one of the most prominent campaigners for human rights and environmentalism in corporate America, he also just scored some legit political cred by getting as many votes in the New Hampshire GOP primary as former 2016 presidential candidate Bobby Jindal … kind of.

Tim Cook gets sacked by Twitter for blurry Super Bowl photo

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Twitter is not impressed with Tim Cook's photography skills.
Twitter is not impressed with Tim Cook's photography skills.
Photo: Tim CookTwitter

Apple didn’t shell out for a super-expensive Super Bowl commercial last night, but CEO Tim Cook still managed to bring tons of attention to the iPhone — just not in the way he intended.

Celebrating the Bronco’s ugly victory over the Panthers last night, Cook tweeted a picture of the post-game festivities from the 20 yard line. It’s a position millions of people would’ve died to be in, but the only thing Twitter seemed to care about was how horribly blurry Tim’s photo turned out, leading to a flood of ā€œshot on iPhoneā€ jokes.

Apple is spending lots of time at Stanford’s VR lab

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VR may be happening soon, and Apple might want to jump in.
VR may be happening soon, and Apple might want to jump in.
Photo: Sergey Galyonkin/Wikipedia CC

Apple may not have shown much interest in diving into virtual reality over the past few years, but the director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab says the company has shown some intense interest in the space recently.

Speaking at a technology conference this week, Jeremy Bailenson revealed that Apple employees have become regulars in his lab recently — and they won’t say why.

The 5 biggest takeaways from Apple’s biggest quarter ever

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It's a veritable tornado of cash!
It's a veritable tornado of cash!
Photo: PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay

Apple reported record revenue during its earnings call Tuesday, but Tim Cook almost sounded like he was channeling Game of Thrones characters. He didn’t actually say ā€œwinter is coming,ā€ but he might as well have.

Revenue is high for now, but iPhone sales are slowing down, the iPad continues to underperform and — most troublesome of all — the global economy will continue to play havoc with Apple’s bottom line.

Still, Cook and Co. remain optimistic about Apple’s ability to continue its world-beating performance. Here are five of the biggest takeaways we got from Apple’s Q1 2016 earnings call today with Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri.

Liveblog: Apple’s make-or-break earnings call

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LOVELOUD
Apple CEO Tim Cook will introduce the band Imagine Dragons Satuday at the LOVELOUD Festival in Utah.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The stakes couldn’t be higher today for Apple’s first earnings report of 2016.

Depending on how well Apple’s holiday season went, the company could set new records for the most profits in a quarter by any company ever as well as total number of iPhones sold in any quarter.

Apple racks up largest quarterly profit in history

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Apple's back on top again.
Apple's back on top again.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s earnings for Q1 2016 have broken the world record for the most profit made by a company in one quarter.

With total revenue hitting $75.9 billion, Apple managed to rake in a record $18.48 billion in profit. The company managed to increase iPhone sales to 74.8 million despite predictions from Wall Street that the company would see decline. However, Apple did warn investors in its guidance that next quarter may be the the first time growth drops.

Despite missing on some numbers, Tim Cook praise Apple’s team calling Q1 2016 ā€œApple’s biggest quarter ever.ā€

Apple puts the brakes on struggling electric car project

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Apple car concept art shows what Cupertino might put on the road.
Apple car concept art shows what Cupertino might put on the road.
Photo: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

Jony Ive is apparently not pleased with progress on the secret Apple car project.

Apple has more than 1,000 employees working on its electric car, dubbed Project Titan, but the company reportedly has put a hiring freeze in place after a post-holiday progress review revealed the Apple car isn’t on the right track.

AT&T CEO thinks Apple should give up on protecting encryption

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Should Apple cave when it comes to encryption?
Should Apple cave when it comes to encryption?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is a fierce defender of its customers’ privacy, which is why every iPhone and iPad has its data encrypted by default. But according to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, Apple and CEO Tim Cook should show their bellies and let Congress decide whether encrypted data should be accessible through backdoors by government agencies.

Tim Cook meets with Pope Francis during whirlwind tour of Europe

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CZUJc-lWwAAYN4j
No, my Friday schedule doesn't look so exciting either.
Photo: Carol Glatz

Tim Cook met with Pope Francis today. The 15-minute appointmentĀ reportedly took place from 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. local time, as can be seen fromĀ viewingĀ the pope’s daily schedule, which describes a meeting between the Holy Father and ā€œSignor Timothy Donald Cook, Amministratore Delegato di Apple.ā€

Jeb Bush has a radical strategy to change Tim Cook’s mind on encryption

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"Tim? Are you still there?"
Photo: Des Moines Register

Cybersecurity and civilian data become a hot topic at the end of last night’s GOP debate with Apple getting caught in the crossfire. Candidates criticized the company for its decision to keep customer data private, but Apple fanboy Jeb Bush revealed he has a radical strategy that will get Tim Cook to change his stance on encryption: ask really nicely.

Tim Cook: White House should be against software ā€˜backdoors’

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook thinks the government needs to be strong in its pro-encryption message.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook reportedly hit out during a meeting of White House officials with tech leaders in San Jose last week, slating the White House for its lack of leadership and insisting that the Obama administration should issue a strong public statement defending anti-encryption software.

Tim Cook only made $10.3 million last year

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Tim Cook
Don't worry, he's still rich.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook madeĀ approximately $10.3 million inĀ 2015 — $10,281,327 to be exact. ThatĀ is up only a tad from the $9.2 million he earnedĀ in 2014. The other executives at Apple all made around $25 million each for the year. Sure, it’s rough to place the word ā€œonlyā€ in front of a ten million dollar check, but in Cook’s case, he is making significantly less than the other execs.

Why 2015 was Apple’s most important year since original iPhone’s unveiling

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
2015 was a crucial year for Apple, and it looks like it's paying off.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

ā€˜Tis the season to be jolly — or, if you’re a tech writer hoping to score enough clicks to help pay off the post-Christmas credit card, ’tis the season to label this the worst year for Apple since records began.

From Gizmodo’s restrained ā€œEverything Apple Introduced This Year Kinda Sucked,ā€ to The Verge calling this the year Apple spent in beta, to Bloomberg banging the ā€œlemon of the yearā€ gong for the Apple Watch, pundits aren’t exactly being kind to Cupertino as 2015 draws to a close.

But, you know what? They’re dead wrong. This was the most important year for Apple since 2007, when Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone.

Inside Apple’s super-secret design lab, plus the best movies of 2015 on The CultCast

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The inner sanctum, aka, the Apple design lab
The inner sanctum, aka, the Apple design lab
Photo: CBS

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We venture into very heart of Apple, inside Jony Ive’s super-secret design lab, and what we find is amazing. Plus: the best holiday iOS App Store deals and our favorite movies of 2015!

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