Year: 2012

Apple suspends Apple ID password resets over the phone

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 8, 2012

You've no doubt heard about a scandalous security oversight which has enabled hackers to break into former Gizmodo writer Mat Honan's iCloud account to remotely wipe his MacBook Air, iPhone and iPad. He was easily hacked because Amazon used to publish the last four digit of users' credit card on the web, which happens to be exactly what Apple's customer support reps need to reset one's Apple ID password over the phone (in addition to your name and billing address).

Reacting to the security outbreak, Amazon has stepped up its battle to prevent this kind of social engineering. The online retailer on Monday closed a privacy hole that could allow anyone to access to Amazon accounts over the phone using just a name, email address and mailing address.

Amazon also promised to no longer allow adding new credit cards to accounts over the phone. Today, Apple reportedly sent a notice to its support staff, temporarily halting Apple ID password resets over the phone...

Steve Jobs’s marketing whiz on what makes Apple tick

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 8, 2012

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Ken Segall is the guy who dreamed up the iMac name and one of Steve Jobs's most-trusted ad men who advised Apple's late mercurial CEO on advertising concepts since the NeXT days, which includes work on the famous Think Different campaign. Segall is also the author of Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success, a book on Apple that focuses on the company's Simplicity mantra.

Segall sat with TIME’s Editor-at-large Harry McCracken to talk for more than an hour about the ingredients that made Apple such a success, the company's DNA, leadership tips, marketing, advertising and much more...

Internal Samsung report says Galaxy should be more like the iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

The high-profile court battle between Apple and Samsung has already yielded several interesting documents and secrets from both companies, and another morsel just surfaced.

This time it's a 132-page internal report from Samsung, submitted into evidence by Apple in its ongoing effort to prove the company copied its smartphone and tablet designs...

Conan O’Brien pokes fun at Apple-Samsung trial

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

With billions of dollars hanging in the balance, and both companies' reputations at stake, the Samsung-Apple trial is one of the most high-profile in history.

But you wouldn't know any of this unless you frequently visited tech sites, like iDB, or you happened to be watching tonight's episode of Conan O'Brien...

Apple rolls out new “All on iPad” commercial

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple has posted a new TV commercial for the new iPad this evening. Entitled "All on iPad," the spot is extremely similar to the "Do it All" ad that Apple started airing back in June.

Once again, the Retina display is the highlight of the commercial, as a narrator runs down several tasks one can do on Apple's latest tablet including FaceTime calls and more...

Apple’s attention to detail extends to ads

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 7, 2012

If you're subscribed to Apple's official YouTube channel and have email notifications for new uploads enabled, an alert may have hit your inbox today saying Apple just uploaded the Siri ad starring film director Martin Scorsese (go here for a parody treatment).

And just like that, because the video has replaced the original clip, a bunch of web pages that have the original embed code in place now show empty boxes (don't worry, I already updated our article with a new code).

At first glance, the commercial is exactly the same as the original ad from two weeks ago. At closer inspection, the new version removes the AT&T branding and fixes a minuscule editing error that only the pickiest of eyes would catch. That's attention to detail for you...

This is how thin the new iPhone might be

Jeff Benjamin ∙ August 7, 2012

We've heard the rumors that the new iPhone will be 7.6mm thick, but what does that actually mean? Obviously, it will be thinner than the outgoing iPhone 4S, but exactly how thin will it be?

Is there anything that we can use to get a good picture of how thin the new iPhone will be, before it's officially unveiled in September? Well, actually, yes. And the good news is that you probably already have one in your possession.

The next iPhone could be 7.6mm thin

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 7, 2012

Last week, a video made rounds depicting a 0.1mm thinner front glass part said to belong to Apple's upcoming iPhone, in addition to a smaller home button and other interesting tidbits. Today, a new report out of Asia asserts that the next iPhone's enclosure is going to be just 7.6mm thick.

That's a marked improvement over the iPhone 4/4S that measures 9.3mm deep. So much about Tim Cook promising that "We're doubling down on security. I mean it"...

This is what holding the iPhone 5 in your hand might look like

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 7, 2012

There is no shortage of iPhone 5 mockups these days as the big launch draws nearer with each passing day. Like all the other concept renders before it, this one's also based on leaked components, engineering samples, case molds and cases we've seen so far.

What's unusual about this particular set of renders is that the images depict what holding an iPhone 5 in one's hand may look like...

FireCore releases aTV Flash 4.5 for Apple TV

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

FireCore has today released a significant update for its first-generation Apple TV software known as aTV Flash. The app installs on jailbroken ATVs and adds a number of new features.

Among the changes in the update are Mountain Lion (or OS X 10.8) compatibility and some major performance enhancements. We've got the full change log after the break...

Apple now accounts for 8.8% of Samsung’s revenue

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 7, 2012

Despite a massive legal spat between Apple and Samsung over who copied whose tablets and smartphones, the two frenemies remain dependent on each other's business. Samsung makes Apple's in-house designed mobile processors and supplies the iPhone maker with massive amounts of displays and flash memory chips for iOS devices.

A new report suggests the Apple account is worth a whopping 8.8 percent of Samsung's revenue, making Apple Samsung's largest customer and perhaps giving Cupertino some added leverage in its business and legal dealings with the South Korea-headquartered conglomerate. The next biggest Samsung client? Read on...

Apple granted iWallet shopping app patent

Cody Lee ∙ August 7, 2012

Apple has been granted an interesting new patent today that covers a personal shopping application. The app provides retail and pricing information based on user location and scanned barcodes.

The patent was published this morning by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. And if it's any indication of what Apple's working on, it could mean we're in for some nice surprises on the iWallet front...