JB

A closer look at Differential Privacy in iOS 10 and macOS Sierra

Making Apple services even smarter and more personalized entails processing troves of information because intelligence is driven by big data. The fact that iOS 9's proactive features don't tap into the cloud has served Apple well thus far. But since Google Assistant came to light, people have been wondering if Apple can compete without resorting to raw data collection Google is infamous for.

iOS 10 and macOS Sierra represent Apple's refined approach to privacy, which revolves around new techniques collectively known as Differential Privacy. An en vogue statistical method, Differential Privacy helps Apple deliver smarter services without compromising privacy of their users.

It's a relatively unproven technique with lots of potential which hasn’t been used to boost Apple's services before iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. Here's a closer look at Differential Privacy, how it powers intelligence and proactiveness and why it should serve Apple better than Google's bulk data collection and analysis.

Next-gen Apple display with integrated graphics card reportedly remains in the works

Since yesterday's official news that the 27-inch Thunderbolt Display is dead, pundits have been wondering if the move signals Apple's exited the external display business altogether. Not so fast. According to John Paczkowski, Managing Editor with BuzzFeed News, Apple isn't done with the Thunderbolt Display and is continuing work on a brand new display with a rumored integrated graphics card.

Sharp to begin producing OLED screens for a future iPhone before 2018

In addition to LG Display and Samsung's mobile display arm, both of which are now pouring significant resources into ramping up OLED panel production ahead of Apple's switch from LCDs to OLEDs for iPhones, Japanese outlet Nikkei is reporting today that Sharp is expected to do the same before 2018.

Apple is widely expected to make a switch to OLED screens in time for a tenth anniversary iPhone, due in 2017.

2017 Apple Watch could use power-sipping micro-LED panels

Apple is reportedly prepping to switch from flexible OLED screens utilized on the current Apple Watch to a more power-efficient micro-LED display technology that could be used for an Apple Watch hardware update in 2017, DigiTimes reported Friday. The Taiwanese trade publication said Apple could replace OLED displays in the Apple Watch with micro-LED panels as early as the second half of 2017.

macOS Sierra preview: Universal Clipboard + Desktop & Documents sync

Our ongoing macOS Sierra previews continue unabated as Andrew and I take a closer look at two new useful features in Sierra: Universal Clipboard and shared Desktop. You're definitely going to use Universal Clipboard quite a bit: in addition to being a great time-saver, it “just works”.

Universal Clipboard lets you copy and paste items across your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch devices and Mac computers like a boss. Sierra also puts your iCloud storage to good use by keeping any Desktop items along with the files within the Documents folder synchronized across your other devices.

Obstacles to launching Apple Music in Korea reportedly removed

Although Apple had previously attempted to roll out its subscription-based music-streaming service in Korea, the Cupertino firm ultimately failed to reach a consensus with local music copyright associations. But as of recently, Tim Cook & Co. have apparently managed to cut deals with local right holders and copyright associations.

As a result, the service could launch in South Korea, a 50 million people market, sooner than later, according to a news report today by The Korea Herald. No firm date for the launch was given at post time.

Purported iPhone 7 pricing leaks: 256GB version across all models, ‘iPhone 7 Pro’ mentioned

Citing a post on Chinese social network Weibo, PocketNow reported this morning that the flagship 256-gigabyte version of the iPhone 7 Plus could price-match the top-of-the-line 128-gigabyte iPhone 6s Plus model. According to the leaked pricing, the next iPhone lineup would include 32/64/256GB models for the 4.7-inch iPhone 7.

Its bigger brother, the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, somewhat strangely gets listed with 32/128/256GB storage choices. The Chinese price list also mentions a brand new model for the upcoming iPhone refresh, referred to as 'iPhone 7 Pro'.

The new Music app in iOS 10: a big bold confusing mess

Apple Music is a great service, but the confusing and bloated user interface of the application has been criticized since the app was first released about a year ago. So when rumors started popping up that Apple had been working on simplifying the app, many got really excited, myself included.

Yet, when Apple showed off the new Music app on stage at WWDC a little over a week ago, I didn’t see anything simpler or more streamlined about the app. It’s only when I started using iOS 10 beta and the new Music app that my fears were confirmed.

Now that I’ve been playing with the Music app for a few days, I feel I have enough feedback to share a few quick thoughts with you. Don’t worry, it’s not all bad.

This tweak lets you send images via direct message in Tweetbot

There are a lot of people who choose to stick with the stock Twitter app because of Tweetbot 4's price, but it is, without a doubt, one of the most popular third-party Twitter client apps out there for iOS devices.

Nevertheless, its popularity doesn't make it perfect; there is one major downfall to Tweetbot 4 that many users find a little upsetting, and it's that you can't send photos in a direct message.

In comes a new jailbreak tweak dubbed Delen for Tweetbot, which now enables the feature for Tweetbot 4 users.

tvOS 10 tidbit: download prompt for companion apps for your Bluetooth accessories

In addition to helping you manage your HomeKit accessories remotely through the fourth-generation Apple TV, tvOS 10 beta also packs in expanded support for a wider variety of Bluetooth accessories. It's interesting that after connecting an accessory to the Apple TV, tvOS 10 puts up a prompt offering a user to download a companion App Store app.

The same hardware accessories download prompt first appeared on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch following the iOS 3 software update back in September 2009, but this is the first time we've seen it implemented on tvOS.

Emulate the CarPlay experience on your iPhone or iPad with CarPlay iOS 2.0

Two years ago, we showed you a jailbreak tweak called CarPlay iOS, which allowed you to emulate the CarPlay head unit user interface directly on your jailbroken iPhone or iPad.

Although the tweak was limited due the nature of the features that come bundled in the CarPlay interface, the developer has been working on a treat for those who liked playing with the original tweak; CarPlay iOS 2.0 is now available in Cydia.