Apple

New York judge rules in favor of Apple in separate iPhone unlock case

Cody Lee ∙ February 29, 2016

A Brooklyn judge has ruled in favor of Apple in a New York iPhone case, reports TechCrunch. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein of the US District Court has denied a U.S. government request to compel Apple to unlock an iPhone that has been deemed evidence in a drug case.

This is a separate case from the one going on in California involving an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardinho shooters, that has garnered so much attention in recent weeks. But the circumstances are similar enough that the judge's ruling is sure to help Apple in its FBI battle.

Dual-lens iPhone 7 to be called iPhone 7 Pro?

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

My Drivers, a Chinese website that covers IT industry, is reporting today that Apple's next smartphone refresh will come with a tweaked naming scheme. A high-end iPhone 7 Plus model with dual cameras will be reportedly getting a 'Pro' moniker in order to better distinguish itself from the regular iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models.

Apple's product naming scheme is currently all over the place.

The upcoming four-inch iPhone, for example, is said to be marketed as 'iPhone SE,' marking the first iPhone upgrade without a number in its name. And, of course, we now have the iPad Pro, in addition to the iPad Air and iPad mini lineups.

Purported iPhone 7 frame has leaked, but it’s 5.2 inches and has a hole for the headphone jack

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

A batch of images have been leaked on the web by an Apple supplier, potentially giving us a look at a purported chassis for Apple's upcoming iPhone 7.

Published by French blog NowhereElse.fr, which does due diligence before posting part leaks, the photos show what looks like a Unibody frame handled by a factory worker, resembling Apple's design style for the iPhone 6/6s series.

Reality checks, however, lead us to the conclusion that this likely is not a genuine iPhone 7 part, but a frame belonging to another handset.

How to restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup in Recovery Mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2024

Suppose a software update or an app you installed has corrupted system files and as a result your Mac refuses to start up properly, what do you do?

Those who have planned ahead and created a bootable USB install disk for El Capitan can do a clean install of macOS, and then restore their Mac from the most recent Time Machine backup.

But there's a better way to deal with such situations. In this tutorial, we'll educate you on booting into macOS' Recovery Mode and using the built-in recovery tools to restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup.

How a journalist convinced Jobs to bring iTunes to PCs and other tidbits from Tony Fadell interview

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

It was The Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walt Mossberg, one of Steve Jobs's favorite reviewers, of all people who has finally managed to persuade then Apple CEO to expand the addressable market for iPods by bringing iTunes to Windows PCs.

Jobs, Nest founder Tony Fadell and then Apple executive charged with iPod and iPhone development recalls, long insisted that the iPod be used as a vehicle to increase Mac sales. “Steve, the iPod is $399. But really it’s not. Because you have to buy a Mac!” We had to give people a taste,” Fadell recalls telling Jobs, to no avail.

He eventually relented and agreed that Apple should bring iTunes to Windows, under one condition: the software was to be tested by journalist Walt Mossberg. “We’re going to build these and run it by Mossberg,” Jobs reportedly said. “And if Mossberg says it’s good enough to ship, then we’ll ship it.”

Walt reportedly said, “Not bad. I’d ship it,” and the rest is history.

Here’s what Apple’s chief lawyer will tell Congress tomorrow regarding FBI’s controversial request

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

As you know, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has obtained a court order demanding that Apple produce a special version of iOS with decreased security to help government spooks brute-force their way into an iPhone 5c which belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.

Following the interview that Apple CEO Tim Cook gave to ABC News, in which he said that the government is asking for “the software equivalent of cancer,” Apple's Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Bruce Sewell, will testify before the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow.

Here's his opening statement in which he challenges the government's request and argues that the FBI should have no say over the products American companies create.

Microsoft opens pre-orders for $3,000 development edition of the HoloLens headset

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Back in January 2015, Microsoft took the wraps off an ambitiously conceived augmented reality headset, the HoloLens. Today, the Windows maker announced it is opening pre-orders for a pricey development edition of the HoloLens, which costs $3,000 a pop.

Developed in partnership with NASA and billed as the first and only fully untethered holographic computer, the HoloLens runs a version of Windows 10 called Windows Holographic and features see-through lenses that project interactive holographic images into the view of the user.

Transmission for Mac gets its first major update in nearly two years

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

The popular open-source, cross-platform BitTorrent client, Transmission, today received its first major update in more than a year and a half. As first noted by Softpedia, the surprise update makes the free of charge app fully compatible with the user interface on Macs running OS X 10.9 Mavericks and later.

Transmission can now trim potential URIs from clipboard and supports downloading from HTTP servers on OS X El Capitan. Transmission's daemon, web client, Qt client and GTK+ client have also received various fixes. All told, there are over 50 changes in this release of Transmission.

Google Maps for iOS now lets you add pit stops to your trips without leaving navigation mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

Internet giant Google on Monday announced that an upcoming update to its native, free of charge Maps application in the App Store has a brand new feature that will let you add pit stops onto your trips without leaving navigation mode. The feature was added to Google Maps for Android last October and starting today will begin rolling out on iOS in more than a hundred countries worldwide where Google Maps offer navigation.

Samsung’s celebrity-studded Galaxy S7 ad is smart and subtle with anti-Apple digs

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

Samsung's Galaxy advertising campaigns typically are not the subtlest of digs at Apple, but the new star-studded commercial for the latest Galaxy S7 smartphones is different.

Featuring actors William Macy and Wesley Snipes, hip-hop artist Lil Wayne and other celebrities, the commercial focuses on the features that differentiate the Galaxy S7 from the iPhone 6s.

The highlighted features that the ad poses as the Galaxy S7's competitive advantage over Apple's smartphone include waterproofing, two times better lowlight performance, a longer-lasting battery, support for Samsung's virtual reality headset, Samsung's mobile payment system that works anywhere credit cards are accepted, the phone's expandable memory and more.

WhatsApp now lets you share media from other apps like Dropbox and Google Drive

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

The popular mobile messaging service WhatsApp today received a pretty cool update in the App Store which adds the ability to share photos or videos from other apps installed on your iPhone via a new option exposed after tapping the Photo/Video Library button.

In addition, WhatsApp has gained a pair of new shortcuts in the 3D Touch menu on the Home screen and now supports solid colors as chat backgrounds.

Oh, and you can now zoom in on videos while they're playing.

New Microsoft ads for Windows 10 focus on things Macs can’t do

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

Microsoft this weekend published four new commercials for its Windows 10 operating system that showcase things “Macs can't do”. The ads feature Kristie and Jess, AKA The Bug Chicks, the two women who are apparently trying to change the way kids think about bugs.

The two characters, one of whom is a Mac fan jealous of Windows 10 features, explore competitive advantages of Microsoft's operating system like the built-in Cortana personal assistant, support for inking and drawing on notebooks with built-in touchscreens, the ability to log in to Windows 10 with one's face and more.

As each Windows 10 feature is highlighted, the other woman responds with a variation of the “I don’t have a touchscreen on my Mac, I’m jealous of that” theme.