Apple seeds iOS 9.3 beta 4 to developers

Apple on Monday released iOS 9.3 beta 4 to developers. The update is available for members of Apple's develop program either via an over-the-air update, for those already on iOS 9.3, or as a standalone download from Apple's developer center.

Today’s release comes two weeks after the previous beta 3, which added  a new Wi-Fi Calling option for Verizon customers and a cellular fix for T-Mobile customers, and more than a month after the original 9.3 beta was pushed to developers.

Cook: Apple ultimately may decide not to make a car at all

In a Q&A with Adam Lashinsky of Fortune published Monday, Apple's boss Tim Cook suggested that his company ultimately may decide not to make a car at all, but hinted Apple is “exploring” various “technologies” and “products” in general.

He also responded to concerns about peak iPhone, talked about how Apple behaves in a down cycle and how the company’s culture is evolving, revealed that Apple will start moving into its upcoming iSpaceship in 2017 and explained why services are important in Apple’s product mix, among other topics of interest.

Can’t the Feds exploit San Bernardino shooter iPhone’s chips to break into encrypted data?

The world's most powerful government has locked horns with the world's most powerful corporation in a battle that Apple implies has the potential to affect civil rights for a generation. As you know, the Justice Department gave Apple until February 26 to respond to its court order.

In it, the government is asking Apple's engineers to create a special version of iOS that would allow brute-force passcode attacks on the shooter's phone electronically.

Now, some people have suggested that the government's experts could make an exact copy of the phone's flash memory to brute-force its way into encrypted data on a powerful computer without needing to guess the passcode on the phone or demand that Apple create a version of iOS that'd remove passcode entry restrictions.

While this is technically feasible, the so-called de-capping method would be painstakingly slow and extremely risky, here's why.

San Bernardino victims side with FBI in iPhone decryption fight

Lawyers representing families of the victims of the San Bernardino shooting massacre plan to file a legal brief in support of the United States Department of Justice's demand that Apple help unlock the shooter's iPhone 5c by creating a one-off version of iOS to permit brute-force attacks electronically, without the phone slowing down the process or erasing its contents after 10 failed attempts.

According to Reuters, Stephen Larson, a former federal judge who is now in private practice and represents families of the victims, was contacted a week ago by the Justice Department and local prosecutors about representing the victims, prior to the dispute becoming public.

Apple posts public Q&A on FBI request

FBI and Apple logos

In addition to an all-hands memo issued to troops Monday about the government's demand that it create what would basically be an 'FBiOS,' a software backdoor to help unlock San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, Apple has also posted a public Q&A on its website this morning, showing a company unwavering in its position that fulfilling the request would constitute a dangerous precedent.

Titled “Answers to your questions about Apple and security,” the webpage details the case and provides some more technical information about the government's request, while also answering some of the burning questions such as whether Apple has unlocked iPhones for law enforcement in the past.

Tim Cook writes memo to employees reiterating Apple’s stance on FBI request

After issuing an open letter to Apple users regarding the FBI's request to create an iPhone backdoor to help hack into the San Bernardino shooter's locked iPhone 5c, CEO Tim Cook on Monday reinforced his company's position in an internal memo to troops.

According to the all-hands memo, a copy of which was obtained by John Paczkowski of Buzz Feed, Apple wants the Justice Department to withdraw a court order that would force it to create a special version of iOS with decreased security measures.

Add some protection to your MacBook Pro with the Incipio Feather case

If you travel abroad with your MacBook Pro and don't want to scuff up the factory aluminum finish as you go through every day wear and tear, you should consider adding some protection to it.

Although the slimness of modern MacBook Pro models is one of the nicest features of the notebook, Incipio's Feather cases are beautifully crafted to not only give it a splash of color, but also to protect all of its most sensitive edges from friction and shock that might occur when a notebook is stored in a laptop bag or backpack.

In this review, we'll be taking you through the case's features and show you how it looks on a 15-inch MacBook Pro with retina display from every angle.