Items tagged with (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Well, that was incredibly fast. Apple released its AirTag trackers to retail less than two weeks ago, and someone has already hacked the tiny gadget. Security researcher Thomas Roth did the deed, as he managed to crack into the microcontroller and re-flash it with his own custom firmware, essentially resulting in a jailbroken AirTag. The tiny devices are clever and affordable ways of keeping track of items you really do not want to lose. They sell for $29 a pop (or $99 for a four-pack), and provide a private and secure way of finding lost items by leveraging Apple's immense Find My ecosystem. Users can see a lost item's last known location on a map, then when they are within Bluetooth range,...
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While Qualcomm and Apple buried the [legal] hatchet in 2019 concerning lawsuits regarding licensing and copyright infringement over 4G LTE modems, the latter is still far along with the development of its own next-generation hardware. In years past, Apple used a mixture of Intel and Qualcomm modems (its current iPhones and iPads exclusively use Qualcomm hardware). But we all know that Apple is quickly bringing major component design in-house, and the modem is a pricey piece of the smartphone puzzle. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple's first in-house 5G modems will debut in 2023 iPhones. That means that Qualcomm will have just two more years of exclusivity before Apple charts its...
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When people think of tracking someone, they may imagine someone stealthy walking up to a car and plonking a hefty magnet with a tracker attached on the undercarriage. However, that is not always the case, as all it takes to track someone within a couple of hundred feet is a $29 Apple AirTag. Back in April, Apple grew the Find My lineup with the AirTag, an “iPhone accessory that provides a private and secure way to easily locate the items that matter most.” The device leverages the billion-device Find My network to help users located any lost item if an AirTag is separated from its owner and leaves Bluetooth range. The issue with this comes into play when someone tries to track another...
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The antitrust trial pitting Epic Games versus Apple got off to an explosive start, with lawyers for each company issuing passionate opening remarks on why they think their clients should prevail. As part of her opening statement, Apple lawyer Karen Dunn accused Epic Games of wanting Apple to be like Android, which is something Tim Cook and the gang have no interest in becoming. "Epic wants us to be Android, but we don't want to be. And our consumers don't want that either. They want the choice," Dunn said, according to CNBC. The statement was in reference to being able to install apps from outside Google's Play Store onto Android devices, a practice known as side-loading. This is not something...
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Once again, word from the rumor mill is that Apple is working on a foldable version of its popular iPhone, though it will not be ready for release this year or even next year. Instead, it bound for a launch sometime in 2023, according to notorious Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. No announcement has been made, but Kuo has been somewhat reliable in the past. Folding smartphones are a new concept, though the segment is in its relative infancy. They can also be tricky to build, as Samsung discovered with its first attempt at making one—issues plagued the original Galaxy Fold, prompting Samsung CEO DJ Koh to admit, "I pushed it through before it was ready." The Galaxy Z Fold 2 was a better attempt....
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A preliminary investigation into a complaint raised by Spotify over Apple's App Store polices has led the European Commission to issue a 'Statement of Objections' against Apple, saying the company "is in breach of EU competition law." It essentially amounts to an antitrust violation, with Apple having 12 weeks to issue a response to the charges. These charges come a little over two years after Spotify filed an antitrust complaint with the European Union. The streaming music service cried foul over Apple's 30 percent royalty rate for purchases made through its payment system, including when users upgrade from Spotify's free tier to a premium subscription. That was not the only gripe, however....
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The Apple Watch Series 6 launched during the fall of 2020 alongside the iPhone 12 family. It brought the latest advancements in the Apple Watch progression and started at $399 for the 40nm Wi-Fi model with an aluminum casing. In recent days, that price dropped to just $299 at various retailers, which is a stellar deal by itself for a current-generation Apple product. However, Apple and its retail partners are at it again with an even deeper discount on the Apple Watch Series 6. Right now, Amazon and Best Buy are selling the Apple Watch Series 6 (Product) Red 40mm for just $249. That's a savings of $150 off the regular price or a 38 percent discount. Apple Watch Series 6 (Product) RED 40mm w/Sport...
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Last week, the CEO of messaging app Signal got his hands on Cellebrite software, which is typically used for extracting data from mobile devices. Several security vulnerabilities were discovered with this acquisition, leading to Signal including files in its app that would corrupt all present and future data collected by the Cellebrite utility. Now, the Cellebrite Physical Analyzer, or “the most intrusive phone cracking tool offered by the company,” is no longer fully supporting iPhones. Cellebrite is an Israeli digital forensics and intelligence company that provides both hardware and software to crack phones. These products are used by law enforcement agencies around the world and...
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Apple's M1 "Apple Silicon" hit the market with a big splash in late 2020 when it launched inside the refreshed MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the Mac mini. The SoC is currently available in an 8-core CPU configuration with either a 7- or 8-core GPU onboard paired with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. The M1 has since found its way to the all-new Mac mini and even the new 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. However, a new report coming out of Japan alleges that second-generation Apple Silicon is already in production. The next-generation SoC is reportedly called the M2 and will be based on TSMC's 5-nanometer plus (N5P) process node. The M1 is currently in use in everything from the iPad Pro to the new iMac....
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It seems as though Microsoft isn't done with ripping Apple's popular line of devices, as the MacBook Air is now in the Redmond giant's crosshairs. The MacBook Air is one of Apple's best-selling Macs and was refreshed late last year with the much-ballyhooed M1 SoC. With its ideal balance of performance and efficiency, the MacBook Air is a potent go-to for mobile warriors. However, Microsoft just launched its refreshed Surface Laptop 4, which means that it is coming out with guns blasting. The new Surface Laptop 4 is available with either 11th generation Intel Tiger Lake-U or AMD's Ryzen 4000 mobile processors. The actors in the ad start right out of the gate praising the Surface Laptop 4's touch...
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From time to time, malware will pop up that affects Apple devices which are typically touted as the superior option to other PCs for their security. This happened earlier this year with the mysterious Silver Sparrow malware that caught thousands of M1 Macs. Now, Mac users are being urged to patch again to prevent actively used malware, bypassing many of Apple’s core security measures with ease. File quarantine, Gatekeeper, and Application Notarization are three utilities that have been introduced over the years to help protect users. Effectively, these tools make it so Apple must essentially sign off on all software that could make it to a Mac. If some software somehow managed to sneak...
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As part of an effort to accelerate its investments in the United States, Apple announced it is committing more than $430 billion over the next five years towards different projects across the country, including a new high-tech campus being built in North Carolina. According to Apple, these investments will lead to the creation of 20,000 jobs across the country. It is a massive commitment of funds for sure, though Apple is in position to do it. At the end of December, Apple posted record revenue of a little over $111.4 billion, resulting in a profit of $28.7 billion for the quarter. And at present, the company's market capitalization sits at $2.25 trillion, based on its current share price of...
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We're closing out the workweek, and just in time for the weekend fun-rush comes some excellent tech deals for those in need. Amazon is currently running some hot promotions on Apple's AirPods Pro, the current-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and the Lenovo Flex 5 2-in-1 convertible. Apple AirPods Pro The AirPods Pro are pricey, with a $249 MSRP. Luckily, the wireless earbuds regularly go on sale for much less. Such is the case today, where Amazon is selling the accessories for a low $197. That's not as low as the $190 price that we saw over the holidays, but it's pretty darn close. If you do decide to pick up the AirPods Pro, you'll receive excellent active noise cancellation, 3D spatial audio...
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Apple's AirDrop can be an incredibly useful utility or just something to send memes to friends sitting nearby. Either way, it is possible that you could be sending more than you bargained for, as researchers have found that an attacker could glean the phone number and email of AirDrop users. Evidently, the researchers reported this privacy issue in 2019, but a reported 1.5 billion users are still vulnerable as Apple has seemingly done nothing. Earlier this week, researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt published a blog outlining their findings about AirDrop. To preface, AirDrop allows users to share files with address book contacts. To verify that someone is in an address book, AirDrop...
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When Apple announced the iPad Pro earlier this week, the company gave it a significant internal upgrade with an M1 Apple Silicon processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 2TB of internal storage. The M1 is already used in devices like the Mac mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and even the all-new iMac. It is a potent processor offering performance comparable to recent mobile processors from Intel and AMD while drawing comparatively little power. The iPad Pro's hardware is quite capable of running macOS, so many people wonder why Apple isn't giving users the option of installing its Mac-centric operating system. "On the one hand, people say that they are in conflict with each other. That somebody has to...
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Apple is bringing some color into people's lives with a new line of M1-powered iMac systems, available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. As to what other changes Apple plans on making to its product lines, a hacking group is threatening to reveal them, after infiltrating servers belonging to one of the company's main suppliers. The hacking group goes by REvil, and it is the same one that recently breached Acer and stole files that included financial spreadsheets, bank balances, and bank communications, all of which it posted on its website called Happy Blog. The group is known for using ransomware in its attacks, and in the case of Acer, it had demanded $50 million. REvil...
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Yesterday, Apple announced a refresh of its 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablets. Last year's 2020 refresh was relatively minor with a slightly more powerful GPU in the A12Z Bionic processor and upgraded cameras, but Apple put more effort into the 2021 update. The new iPad Pros now feature the same M1 Apple Silicon that graces the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and the all-new iMac. The M1 SoC also means that the iPad Pro is available in 8GB and 16GB RAM configurations with up to 2TB of internal storage space. Both tablets now support Thunderbolt 4 connectivity and optional 5G wireless connectivity via a Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G modem. Finally, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro gets a stunning...
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Today, Apple brought the power of its new M1 SoC to the completely redesigned iMac, and now the chip is leaping the iPad Pro. With the M1 onboard, this is now the most powerful iPad Pro ever, with a 50 percent uplift in CPU performance combined with a 40 percent boost in GPU performance. While the move from A-Series SoCs to M1 is big news, perhaps the most significant addition is a new Liquid Retina XDR Display on the 12.9-inch model. The display uses 10,000 mini-LEDs for precise local dimming, offering a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 1,600 nits peak brightness. Unfortunately, the new 11-inch iPad Pro is stuck with the same display technology as the previous generation model. Other features...
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Apple today announced its all-new iMac, which is the “next big step” in the design evolution for the company’s all-in-one desktop. This time around, the iMac is much thinner than before, measuring just 11.5mm thick, and is entirely flat (rather than having a curved back). But what will most likely stand out most of all is the right colors that are now available across the iMac lineup. The back features bold colors like blue, red, and green. The color is mirrored on the front of the device, albeit in a lighter shade to not be too distracting. The display bezels are also thinner, although there is still a sizable “chin” at the bottom of the device. Speaking of the...
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No platform is 100 percent secure, and lest anyone need reminding of that, a Mac malware campaign with Xcode developers in its sights has been modified to infect systems outfitted with Apple's fancy new M1 silicon. The end goal of this particular malware is to rob Mac uses of their cryptocurrencies, by stealing login information related to cryptocurrency apps. The malware is called XCSSET, and it gained prominence in August 2020, when Trend Micro warned of its existence. "This scenario is quite unusual; in this case, malicious code is injected into local Xcode projects so that when the project is built, the malicious code is run. This poses a risk for Xcode developers in particular. The threat...
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After a lengthy technical preview, Parallels has officially released Parallels Desktop version 16.5 which includes official support for Apple's latest Macs. That includes support for the 2020 Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro which all bear the Apple Silicon M1 processor. Supported guests include Windows 10's Insider Preview for Arm 64 and multiple Linux distributions. During the preview period, we discovered that the Arm version of Windows ran pretty well, even when the guest OS is limited to just 4 GB of RAM and four CPU of the M1's eight CPU cores. Not only did the four-core VM outrun a Snapdragon 8cx in single- and multi-threaded Geekbench, it also more than doubled up performance...
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After Siri spilled the beans earlier this morning regarding an upcoming April 20th special event, Apple today confirmed the news. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event, called "Spring Loaded," will be prerecorded and posted on the Apple Event page for all to see next Wednesday. As usual, the event will start at 1 pm EST, and you can expect to hear from Apple CEO Tim Cook, Craig Federighi, and other Apple executives as they wax poetic about the next generation of "magical" products that will be available to consumers. Speaking of new products, here's a rundown of what could be announced next week. Fifth-Generation iPad Pros Might Adopt Mini-LED Display Tech The fourth-generation iPad...
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