Apple working to address remaining CIA exploits, but many additional vulnerabilities exist

Apple said yesterday that “many” CIA exploits revealed in WikiLeaks' dump codenamed “Vault 7” are already patched in the latest version of iOS. As for the remaining exploits, Apple engineers are working to address them as well, according to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

A person familiar with the situation told the paper that Apple engineers have been coordinating the company’s response to this new security threat.

Alto makes a top-contending leather case for most iPhone models

Over the last few weeks, we have shown you a number of the top leather case brands for iPhones, but another that we feel deserves attention is Alto.

Hand-crafted with fine Italian leather, Alto cases are subtly formed out of what feels like surreal perfection. If you’re one to judge products closely, and every bit of quality matters to you, then Alto’s attention to detail is likely to impress.

PreferMyFi 2 lets you designate preferred Wi-Fi networks

A lot of times, there might be more than one Wi-Fi network in a given location. Sometimes one wireless router is broadcasting multiple channels on a guest/private basis, and other times there are simply more than one wireless network. In any case, you likely have a personal preference in terms of which one you like to connect to.

For anyone in this kind of predicament, a new free jailbreak tweak called PreferMyFi 2 by DillanCodez can be very useful in ensuring you’re always connected to your network of preference whenever possible.

Apple-backed Didi Chuxing opens self-driving lab near Cupertino

Didi Chuxing, the leading ride-hailing company in China, has opened an artificial intelligence lab near Apple's Cupertino headquarters, reports Recode. The lab is located in Mountain View, CA and it will focus on "intelligent driving systems."

Apple last May invested $1 billion in Didi, which earned it a seat on the company's board, and given that it's rumored to be working on its own self-driving system, the location of the new R&D lab—6 miles from Cupertino—is interesting.

iOS 11 concept imagines Dark Mode, Split View on iPhone, FaceTime group calling & more

Unused resources for a dark theme in apps like Messages and Settings were discovered previously in iOS 10 code, fueling speculation that Apple could be laying the groundwork for a full Dark Mode in iOS 11 to coincide with an upcoming iPhone 8 release. A dark interface should help iPhone 8 conserve power because the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology illuminates the individual pixels and doesn't require a power-hungry backlight.

Polish blog My Apple has put together a stunning video concept that attempts to imagine what a system-wide Dark Mode and some other sought-after rumored features of iOS 11 might look like.

iOS 9.3.5 downgrade tool for 32-bit devices coming soon

As some of you may have seen from my tweet yesterday, there is some exciting news afoot for owners of 32-bit devices on iOS 9.

A group of developers including alitek12, ee_csw and Trevor Schmitt have stated that they are working on a downgrade solution which will allow users of legacy devices to escape from iOS 9.3.5 and return to a jailbreakable iOS 9 firmware.

Apple seeds fifth betas of iOS 10.3, watchOS 3.2 and tvOS 10.2

Following yesterday's release of macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta 5, Apple on Wednesday issued fifth betas of iOS 10.3, watchOS 3.2 and tvOS 10.2. Registered developers and members of the Apple Developer Program can install iOS 10.3 beta 5 (build 14E5269a), watchOS 3.2 beta 5 (build 14V5243a) and tvOS 10.2 beta 5 (build 14W5260a) over-the-air through the Software Update mechanism provided their devices have a special configuration profile, available on Apple's portal for developers.

Apple says many exploits revealed in WikiLeaks dump are already patched

Yesterday, WikiLeaks stunned the world by publishing a cache of 8,761 secret documents detailing dirty tactics that organizations like the CIA leverage in order to hack not just iOS and Android devices, but also computers, routers and televisions. In a statement issued to news outlets like TechCrunch, and subsequently posted to Twitter by BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski, a company spokesperson confirmed that Apple had already patched many of the fourteen exploits mentioned in the WikiLeaks dump, codenamed “Vault 7”.

STMicroelectronics tapped as supplier for iPhone 8’s rumored 3D camera sensor

Franco-Italian company STMicroelectronics used to be the sole supplier of accelerometers, gyroscopes and motion sensors for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices before Apple started dual-sourcing these microscopic components from both STMicroelectronics and Bosch Sensortec.

According to a report Wednesday by French blog iGeneration, the Cupertino company has tapped STMicroelectronics as a supplier for iPhone 8's 3D camera sensor that should support exciting capabilities such as 3D sensing and mapping, 3D selfies, augmented reality features, advanced facial recognition and more.

Shift to OLED screens said to necessitate thin film solution for iPhone 8’s 3D Touch

Without mentioning sources, DigiTimes reported Wednesday that the widely expected shift from LCD to OLED screens will necessitate a thin-film solution for iPhone 8's 3D Touch module instead of the older glass solution adopted for 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s/7 series. Suppliers behind the new 3D Touch modules are dropping big bucks on advanced factories to retain the precision that Apple demands.