Mac users are seeing something they’ve never, ever seen before: Apple is pushing its first-ever automated security update to Mac computers this week, to address a flaw that could allow attackers to remotely access Mac computers. [More]
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Apple Supplier Pegatron Promises To Investigate BBC Claims Of Poor Employee Treatment
By 12.22.14
While Apple was the company that drew headlines after a report on electronics factories in China, the company that was one of the subjects of a recent BBC documentary was Pegatron, one of Apple’s partners that does the actual assembly of Apple’s iPhones. Apple countered that its own audits show that its partners’ workers aren’t mistreated, but Pegatron filed a statement with the Taiwan Stock Exchange that it plans to investigate the BBC’s claims. [More]
Apple Condemns BBC Reports About Factory And Tin Supplier Conditions
By 12.19.14
Earlier this week, the BBC aired an hourlong documentary program on conditions for workers in factories assembling Apple products in China, and conditions in tin mines in Indonesia that supply Apple. Factory footage showed iPhone assemblers begging for time off and dozing off on the assembly line, and an illegal tin mine in Indonesia that is purportedly part of Apple’s supply chain. [More]
Jury: Apple iTunes, iPod Restrictions Don’t Constitute Monopoly
By 12.16.14
A long-running court battle over alleged antitrust issues involving Apple’s iPod and iTunes store came to an end today after a jury determined that the company did not act improperly when it restricted music purchases starting in 2006. [More]
Apple’s Appeal Of E-Book Price-Fixing Verdict May Hinge On Court’s View Of Amazon
By 12.15.14
While all of its alleged co-conspirators have settled and begun the process of atoning for the price-fixing sins they have not legally admitted to committing, and even though it was found guilty of its part in the arrangement in 2013, Apple is still fighting to clear its name. Today, the electronics company once again squared off against federal prosecutors, trying to make the claim that Apple was actually trying to help break up Amazon’s monopoly on e-book pricing. [More]
Walmart Slashes Prices On iPhone 6 To $129, 6 Plus To $229
By 12.11.14
If you have been meaning to buy yourself or a loved one a new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus but haven’t managed to get around to plunking down the cash for it, your procrastination has paid off. Walmart has cut prices on these devices to $129 and $229, respectively, for customers willing to sign up for a two-year contract with AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. [More]
Someone Just Paid $25K For A Pair Of First Generation 8GB iPhones
By 12.11.14
Can you remember a time when you couldn’t whip out your phone during an argument over who played that one guy in that one movie, or find out how many miles it was between you and a cheese store? Seems like the Dark Ages now, but for those who thrive on nostalgia and have deep pockets, you just missed out on spending a boatload of cash on a blast from the past — a pair of original, first generation iPhones that recently went for more than $25,000 on eBay. [More]
Roku, Apple TV Losing Ground To Chromecast & Amazon Fire TV Streaming Devices
By 12.3.14
A year ago, Roku and Apple TV dominated the market for streaming video devices, accounting for nearly 75% of all video streaming products sold in the U.S. in 2013. But in the last 16 months, Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV devices have stolen a significant chunk of Apple and Roku’s business. [More]
Apple Patents System To Prevent Dropped iPhones From Landing Face-Down
By 12.2.14
Most of us have been there, watching in horror as a pricey smartphone falls toward the ground, doomed to be dented, cracked and damaged by the force of impact. A newly awarded Apple patent details how a small vibrating motor could possibly be used to minimize the damage when that device goes into freefall. [More]
United Airlines Expands In-Flight Entertainment To Android Devices
By 11.24.14
Travelers who use Android devices hoping to catch a movie on their next United Airlines flight finally have the same opportunity already afforded to their Apple counterparts. [More]
Apple No Longer Labeling Apps As “Free” In The App Store, Though They’re Still Free
By 11.20.14
A successful marketer knows that part of the big sell to customers is all in the language — and it seems Apple doesn’t want to use that dirty “F” word in its App Store to push apps anymore. Customers started noticing recently that on most applications that don’t cost a penny, the button to download them has changed from “FREE” to “GET.” [More]
Apple Reportedly Pushing Beats Music App To Everyone’s iPhone, iPad With Next iOS Update
By 11.19.14
Apple’s first big move after purchasing Beats earlier this year – aside from firing people and removing competing products from its stores – reportedly involves pushing the subscription music service to all iPhones and iPads during an iOS update early next year. [More]
Apple Will Go To Court After Judge Gives Disappearing iMessage Lawsuit The Green Light
By 11.12.14
The first of two lawsuits aimed at Apple over the issue of disappearing iMessages that don’t make it to the Android phones of former iPhone users has been given the go-ahead by a judge, which means Apple will have to respond to the allegations in court. [More]
Apple Removes Fitbit Products From Online Store For Real
By 11.11.14
A few weeks ago, we shared an interesting piece of news with you: there were reports that Apple would stop selling Fitbit wearable devices in its stores in the coming months. This prediction has come true, but only partway: while Fitbit trackers disappeared from the company’s website last Friday, they remain on the shelves of real-life Apple Stores. For now. [More]
Guy Ends Up With 99 iPhones Worth Of Rejection After Girlfriend Turns Down Elaborate Marriage Proposal
By 11.11.14
At this point, we must acknowledge that everyone would like to allude to Jay Z’s song about having 99 problems but a difficult, cranky woman isn’t one of them. That’s because some guy in China bought not one iPhone 6, not two, but exactly 99 iPhones as part of an elaborate, public proposal of marriage. Spoiler alert: He’ll only have those phones to curl up with at night from now on. [More]
Researchers: iOS Bug Allows Malware To Replace Your Phone’s Real Apps
By 11.10.14
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — don’t download apps from third-party sites, or do so at your phone’s peril. Security researchers say they’ve found a particularly sneaky bug in Apple’s iOS that allows hackers to replace real apps with fakes, that can then steal log-in credentials and gain access to a treasure trove of your information. [More]
Secure Messaging Scorecard Shows Just How Unprotected Your Online Chats Are
By 11.5.14
The Internet is a place where hundreds of millions of people go to write things they wouldn’t — or can’t — say in public, and many of the most private and secretive communications occur via the many instant messaging services available to consumers. But what you may not realize when sharing your personal thoughts (and images) with someone online is that the level of privacy and security on these services varies wildly from one to the next. [More]
Can Police Force You To Unlock Your Phone With Fingerprint?
By 11.5.14
While the Supreme Court recently made it very clear that police can’t look at the contents of a suspect’s phone without a warrant, what remains unresolved is whether or not authorities with a warrant can then compel a suspect to unlock his/her phone. And does it make a difference if that unlocking involves a fingerprint instead of a passcode? [More]
