Downgrades no longer possible as Apple stops signing iOS 9.3 for some devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 18, 2016

On Monday, Apple has pulled the signing plug on its iOS 9.3 firmware for its lineup of iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads.

As a result, downgrades through iTunes to iOS 9.3 are no longer possible, and there's no way to upgrade specifically to iOS 9.3 from an earlier firmware.

Instead, users will be directed to install iOS 9.3.1 when restoring or updating their devices through iTunes.

Update: It seems that not all versions of iOS 9.3 have stopped being signed. It appears that iOS 9.3 is not being any longer for newer devices (i.e. iPhone 6s, iPad Air 2), but it is still being signed for older devices (ie. iPhone 5s).

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True Silicon Valley icon and former longtime Apple board member Bill Campbell dies at age 75

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 18, 2016

Silicon Valley has lost its coach: longtime Apple board member and true Silicon Valley icon, Bill Campbell, has died today at the age of 76 after a long battle with cancer, Re/code reported Monday. Best-known as simply “The Coach” for his business acumen and coaching skills, he coached many big name Silicon Valley executives, including Google’s Larry Page and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.

He, of course, acted as an unofficial adviser to Apple’s executive team and coached Apple's own Steve Jobs. “News of his passing popped up on Facebook early this morning and many prominent tech players also confirmed the death to me, wrote reporter Kara Swisher.

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WWDC 2016 will run from June 13 through June 17, Siri has it on good authority

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 18, 2016

Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac has discovered that asking Siri about Apple's summer developers conference has now started to produce a more concrete answer than before. Whereas asking Siri about the WWDC 2016 schedule would yield a “WWDC is not yet announced” response just earlier in the day, a backend change has updated that answer with the June 13-17 date.

“The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will be held June 13 through June 17 in San Francisco. Can't wait!,” reads Siri's response.

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Apple Maps gains Transit data for Seattle

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 18, 2016

After adding transit data last week for public transportation in Portland, Oregon and Montreal, the second-largest city in Canada, Apple on Monday brought Apple Maps' Transit feature to Seattle in Washington.

First spotted by MacRumors, the most recent Transit expansion lets Apple's customers in the city incorporate public transportation options like the Link Light Rail, Monorail, buses and more into Maps when seeking turn-by-turn directions.

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How to increase your privacy by removing location from Diagnostic & Usage Data logs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Apple collects anonymous information about how you use your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and other devices so that it can improve its products in future releases. End users can easily opt in and out of diagnostic collection in the Settings → Privacy → Diagnostics & Usage section.

I have this enabled to help Apple improve their products, but privacy-minded people might opt out of diagnostic collection on the grounds that the logs include their approximate location.

In this tutorial, we'll explore increasing your privacy on iOS by having your location excluded from diagnostic data that iOS creates.

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Pod Pro review: the portable Apple Watch & iPhone battery dock

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 18, 2016

Those who need a portable battery pack for the Apple Watch that aren't so keen on just plugging the USB end into the receiver of a battery pack and letting the magnetic end dangle around everywhere are going to be hard-pressed to find a good portable battery pack made specifically for the Apple Watch's proprietary charging platform.

Fortunately, Nomad has the Pod Pro, which can be had on Amazon for $85, and is a great solution for on-the-go Apple Watch charging, and even includes a built-in Lightning cable for charging your device, whether it's an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. We'll show you what the Pod Pro is all about in this review.

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KGI: major iPhone redesign due in 2017 with all-glass enclosure, AMOLED Retina screen and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 18, 2016

An iPhone 7, which we expect will launch this fall, won't differ much from the existing iPhone 6/6s design style because Apple is saving a major visual refresh of its smartphone for 2017, according to a research note Sunday by well-informed KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

The note, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, quotes the analyst as saying that a 2107 iPhone refresh will bring not only the rumored jump to the superior AMOLED display technology but a whole new design language for the iconic smartphone that will ditch the all-metal appearance in favor of an all-glass enclosure.

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Amazon takes on Netflix with standalone $9 per month Prime Video subscription

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 18, 2016

Online retailer Amazon announced this morning that it has started to offer its Prime Video service as a standalone subscription independent of its $99.99 annual Prime membership, which includes things like free two-day shipping, unlimited streaming of music, movies and television shows and other perks.

In an effort to step up its challenge to Netflix, the e-commerce giant has priced its standalone offering at $8.99 per month—a dollar more than Netflix's entry-level $7.99 plan in the United States.

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Apple rumored to be running a secret vehicle research and development lab in Germany

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 18, 2016

Influential German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung this morning ran a story on Apple's rumored electric car, code-named Project Titan, claiming that the iPhone maker is running a secret vehicle research and development lab in the heart of Berlin.

Apple's 15-20 person “top class” team at the site is mostly comprised of engineers hired away from several German car manufacturers, who are described as “progressive thinkers” in their respective fields. The report adds that Apple is said to be planning to use Austria-based automotive contract manufacturer Magna to build its electric vehicle.

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Quickly and easily record animated GIFs with Giphy Cam

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 18, 2016

Animated GIFs are fun, the only thing is, creating them generally requires a computer and either some fancy GIF-making software, or a website that can convert video files to animated GIFs.

Fortunately, for those of you that spend most of your time mobile, rather than at a computer, the free GiphyCam app from the App Store provides an all-in-one experience for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users.

We'll talk about GiphyCam in this piece and show you how you can use it to record your own animated GIFs right from your mobile device.

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