Apple

FT: Apple stepping up efforts in augmented reality eyewear

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 27, 2017

The Financial Times ran a paywall'd story Monday, in which it reported that Apple is “stepping up” its augmented reality efforts across the company, especially in augmented reality eyewear, with the ultimate goal of releasing a consumer-facing accessory. Augmented reality is now reportedly the most important development project within Apple, after iPhone.

The report notes that both Apple with its yet-to-be-announced product and Facebook with its tethered Oculus headset are gearing up to challenge the secretive Florida-based startup Magic Leap and Microsoft, which more than two years ago debuted its praised augmented reality accessory, called HoloLens.

Rumor: iOS 11’s Siri will learn from user behaviors, gain iMessage integration & iCloud syncing

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 27, 2017

A sketchy rumor released Monday by the Israeli outlet The Verified claims that Siri will gain some interesting new capabilities when iOS 11 launches this fall. For starters, Apple's personal digital assistant will tap into machine learning deeper than ever before to learn from user behaviors within the context of individual apps. Moreover, Siri will integrate with Apple's iMessage service and sync data via iCloud.

Apple releases annual Supplier Responsibility report, here are the highlights

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 27, 2017

Apple today said its eleventh Supplier Responsibility report is now available, highlighting how its supply chain companies are treating workers and what they're doing to improve working conditions at their facilities. In 2016, Apple trained more than 2.4 million workers on their rights. Since 2008, over two million people have participated in its Supplier Employee Education and Development (SEED) program.

The company audited 705 suppliers last year, saying that compliance with 60-hour maximum work week for employees has reached 98 percent, the highest ever.

T-Mobile’s JUMP! upgrade program now includes free AppleCare+ services

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 27, 2017

T-Mobile said today that its JUMP! upgrade program and Premium Device Protection now include free AppleCare+ for iPhone and iPad because “the best devices in the world deserve the best protection and care.”

Both T-Mobile’s Premium Device Protection (formerly known as Premium Handset Protection) and the JUMP! upgrade program now come with AppleCare services for eligible customers who recently purchased a new device.

Revised version of iTunes 12.6 removes non-functional “Show on Profile Page” toggle

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 24, 2017

iTunes 12.6 was released alongside a slew of Apple product refreshes three days ago, bringing the ability to watch iTunes movies rented in the app on your other devices, and vice versa. Interestingly, the app shipped with a new Show on Profile Page toggle that a Reddit user discovered on the Playlist Edit page. Late yesterday, Apple issued a revised build of iTunes which, as first spotted by MacRumors, removes that option.

T-Mobile unveils two anti-scam network features, here’s how to enable them

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 24, 2017

Wireless carrier T-Mobile on Friday announced a pair of new anti-scam features aimed at blocking robocalls and scam calls on your iPhone or other smartphone. Called Scam ID and Scam Block, the new tools were designed to either automatically block incoming calls identified by the system as scam (Scam Block) or warn you that a call is coming from a mobile phone number possibly related to spammers (Scam ID).

Apple: iPhone and Mac vulnerabilities detailed in WikiLeaks CIA dump were fixed years ago

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 24, 2017

WikiLeaks yesterday published a new batch of internal CIA documents which highlighted some of the hacks and programs that the spy organization has been developing internally for years. Those tools were specifically designed to infest Apple’s all-in-one iMac desktop and MacBook notebooks if an agent was able to gain physical access to the device.

One of the methods involved utilized patched Thunderbolt EFI exploit. Apple told TechCrunch that the documents detail old exploits fixed years ago.

Red iPhone 7, new 9.7″ iPad & updated iPhone SE now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 24, 2017

Apple's new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition, a new 9.7-inch iPad model (called simply “iPad”) and iPhone SE with twice the storage are now available to order. The red iPhone can be purchased worldwide via Apple's online stores and brick-and-mortar locations. The new iPad can be ordered from apple.com and starts delivering to customers and arriving next week in Apple Stores, through select carriers and Apple Authorized Resellers.

How to use Wish List to track iOS apps and games

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 8, 2023

Wish List is one of the lesser-known features of App Store. Your Wish List is accessible in App Store on mobile and iTunes on desktop. As the feature's title suggests, you can add iPhone, iPad and iPod touch apps and games to your Wish List that you might want to explore or purchase later.

With this tutorial, you'll learn how to add, remove and downloads items on your Wish List on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC devices.

Apple patent envisions a MacBook powered by your iPhone or iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 23, 2017

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Thursday published Apple's patent application for an “Electronic accessory device” acting as a dock that would turn your iPhone or iPad into a touchscreen-enabled Mac notebook, something many people have been craving for. The patent application outlines an ultra-portable MacBook of sorts with a special dock into which an iOS device could be inserted to provide compute power, software, storage and other features.

As with many other Apple patents, there's no telling when this particular invention might see the light of day, if ever.

Instagram unveils blurred posts, Two-Factor Authentication now available to everyone

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 23, 2017

Facebook-owned Instagram is continuing to build a safer, kinder community for all its customers by introducing helpful features aimed at increasing user security and privacy on the service. Thursday, the company announced a pair of important updates in the form of a Two-Factor Authentication security feature, now available to everyone, and blurred posts aimed at reducing “unwanted experiences” in the app, a free download from App Store.

Barclays: iPhone 8 to launch in September, but will be hard to come by

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 23, 2017

According to the latest research from Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Thomas O'Malley and Jerry Zhang, obtained by MacRumors, Apple may still launch iPhone 8 in September alongside the iterative iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus series, albeit in limited quantity. However, the majority of iPhone 8 stock may not be available until much later in the fourth quarter.

In other words, the company's Tenth Anniversary iPhone aka “iPhone Edition” may be hard to come by when it debuts in September (like Jet Black iPhone 7 models last year).