News

A new beta of macOS Sierra has been seeded to developers and public beta testers

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 29, 2016

Seven days following the release of a seventh beta of macOS Sierra, Apple today seeded an eighth beta of the upcoming software to its registered developers and public beta testers. Both macOS Sierra beta 7 for members of the Apple Developer Program and macOS Sierra beta 7 for members of the Apple Beta Software Program are now available through the Mac App Store on computers with an appropriate configuration profile and as standalone downloads on Dev Center.

European Commission to reportedly rule against Apple’s sweetheart tax deal with Ireland

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 1, 2017

According to a 130-page judgment seen by The Financial Times, the European Commission (EC) is set to rule Tuesday against Apple's sweetheart tax deal it struck with the government of Ireland back in 1999.

The Commission is reportedly set to demand that Ireland recoup over 1 billion euros in back taxes from the iPhone maker, or circa $1.12 billion.

“Apple will on Tuesday be hit with Europe’s largest tax penalty after Brussels ruled that the company received illegal state aid from Ireland,” warns the financial newspaper.

“Hey Siri, see you on the seventh!”

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 29, 2016

Siri giving witty responses ahead of major Apple events has become something of a tradition for Apple and part of the festivities by its eager fans. The just-announced September 7 iPhone 7 press conference is no exception. Thanks to a silent backend update, Siri now serves up a variety of amusing responses when asked about the iPhone 7 event.

Best thing you check them out for yourself.

Verizon rolls out LTE Advanced with 50% faster peak speeds in 461 U.S. cities

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Verizon, the nation's leading telecommunications company, today said that mobile users in 461 cities across the United States now get fifty percent faster peak wireless data speeds thanks to LTE Advanced, the next generation of wireless technology.

A major enhancement of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, LTE Advanced uses existing cell towers and a software technique called carrier aggregation which combines multiple channels to transfer data more quickly than with LTE.

Steven Levy confirms that some of the data in Apple iBrain can be restored to a new phone

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 29, 2016

Journalist Steven Levy's excellent in-depth look at Apple's machine learning and artificial intelligence systems used throughout iOS and its other products have left some people wondering about transferring the so-called iBrain database to a new device. Apple told Levy that iBrain is local to a device and doesn't get sent to the cloud.

The explanation promoted some people to wonder if that means that iBrain has to start all over again after getting a new phone, and lose all memory of what it learned in the process. As it turns out, some of the information in that “brain” can indeed be restored and moved to a new device in a safe manner.

T-Mobile’s new ONE add-ons bring unlimited LTE tethering, daily HD passes & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 29, 2016

When T-Mobile announced its upcoming ONE service that'll give all customers “unlimited” 4G LTE data, eagled-eyed readers discovered in the fine print that mobile tethering is limited to sluggish 2G speeds, with 5GB of 4G LTE tethering sold as a $15 add-on. Today, the carrier clarified that ONE would include unlimited tethering at 3G speeds at no additional cost after all while unveiling ONE Plus upgrades with unlimited 4G LTE tethering, daily HD passes and more.

Claimed iPhone 7 specs detail screen resolutions, cameras, chips, batteries & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 29, 2016

Alleged specifications of Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus refresh were leaked this morning on the Chinese social network Weibo by an unknown source. The document appears to detail several technical aspects of the forthcoming devices, including display resolutions, next-generation cameras, chips, batteries and other features.

Amazon to take aim at Apple with $9.99 a month music service, due in September

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 29, 2016

Amazon already has a music store, but its catalog of songs is limited and streaming is only available to those subscribed to the company's $99 per year Prime service. As Re/code said, the online retail giant has also considered a bargain-priced music service that would only work on Echo hardware and be priced at $4 to $5 per month.

Monday, The Financial Times newspaper reported that Amazon has a third offering in the works, a $9.99 per month music-streaming service that would offer the full catalogue of songs that Spotify and Apple offer.

New Surface Pro 4 ad calls MacBook Air “less useful, like a hat for your cat”

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 29, 2016

Following its recent iPad Pro-dissing commercial, Microsoft today released another nicely done Surface Pro 4 ad which takes aim at the MacBook Air, calling it “less useful, like a hat for your cat”. Surface ads have successfully promoted competitive advantages of the hybrid device, which comes with a detachable keyboard, pen, touchscreen and more. And thanks to an Intel chip, it runs the full Office suite and most other Windows programs, like Photoshop.

Apple Watch 2 could offer a few hours of additional run time via a stronger 334 mAh battery

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 28, 2016

Prolific leakster @The_Malignant today republished a pair of claimed images of a purported battery pack believed to have been designed for a 42mm second-generation Apple Watch. Originally posted by an unnamed source on the Chinese social network Weibo, the tiny battery shows an increased capacity of 334 mAh. By comparison, the original Apple Watch is outfitted with a 245 mAh battery (42mm version) so it's entirely conceivable that the Apple Watch 2 could offer a few hours of additional battery life—assuming the leaked photo is genuine.

The top stories of the week on iDB

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Like every Sunday, we get to take a look at some of the most popular posts that were published on iDB during the week that just ended. Whether it is a news item, a new jailbreak tweak, a tutorial, or an app review, we sum it all up in one convenient place for you.

As always, if you like what you're reading, please feel free to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network.

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Spotify punishing artists who sign exclusivity deals with competitors

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 1, 2018

Spotify has been punishing musicians who introduce new material exclusively on other streaming services, reports Bloomberg. Artists who have given Apple premier access to new music have been told that their songs won't be placed on featured playlists.

The Swedish music company has been using such practices for about a year, say sources, and the efforts have escalated during the past few months. Artists who have given exclusives to Jay-Z's Tidal streaming service have seen similar forms of retaliation.