Considering Apple’s steely grip on the distribution of apps for iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, it’s small wonder that only a very small number of malicious apps have slipped through the company’s screening process over the years. But researchers at Georgia Tech say they have figured out a way to create an app that looks fine when being vetted but can wreak havoc once it’s up and running. [More]
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Report: Apple Asked Supplier To Ship Two Kinds Of iPhones, Which Means Double The Hype
By 8.20.13
What’s more fun than getting all worked up about the new iPhone? Getting worked up about two new iPhones, of course! It’s been whispered, buzzed and otherwise fervently discussed that perhaps Apple was working on a lower cost iPhone in order to broaden its appeal in certain markets. Now comes the fact that one of Apple’s suppliers was reportedly asked to ship not one, but two kinds of iPhones. [More]
This Is How The Ubiquitous iPhone Default Text Message Alert Came To Be
By 8.13.13
Contrary to popular belief, the default text message chime on an iPhone is not the sound Steve Jobs made when he sprung forth fully-formed from his mother’s womb. Sorry to dash your dreams into dust, but really the whole thing was the work of an audio/visual producer who played with a number of options before settling on the now familiar tri-tone that means someone has something to tell you. [More]
It’s That Time Of The Year When The New iPhone Rumor Mill Gets To Spinning
By 8.12.13
Doesn’t it feel like the only time people aren’t breathlessly guessing when the next iPhone is coming out is perhaps the minute after an announcement is made as to when the next iPhone is coming out. Heck, even though the newest iteration of Apple phoneage is rumored to thwack us in the faces on Sept. 10, we’re sure someone is already wondering when the one after that will arrive. Such is the world we live in. [More]
Publishers: Proposal To Punish Apple Hurts Us Instead
By 8.8.13
Last week, the Justice Dept. offered its first proposal of how Apple should be punished now that it’s been found to have colluded with publishers to fix e-book prices. Among those suggestions is that Apple cancel its existing pricing arrangement with the publishers in question and that it not enter into similar arrangements for another five years. But publishers claim that this ultimately hurts the content providers and not the retailer. [More]
Apple Offering $10 Discount To Customers Trading In Third-Party USB Adapters
By 8.6.13
After reports surfaced that iPhone chargers have been shocking, and in one case, killing a customer who answered her phone while it was charging, Apple is offering a discount to customers who trade in third-party chargers. In an announcement on the company site, Apple says third-party adpaters and counterfeit versions might not be designed correctly, so in the interest of customer safety, it’ll dispose of those adapters and set you up with an authentic one. [More]
Scammer Sells iPhone Boxes With Actual Apples In Them
By 8.2.13
If you’re going to buy an expensive electronic device from someone you met online or in a gas station parking lot, don’t close the deal until you’ve opened up the boxes and made sure that they really contain an iPhone, and not rocks, pieces of wood, or… fruit. There’s a report out of Australia that a woman bought two iPhones and opened the boxes to find apples instead. [More]
DOJ Proposal: Apple Must Let Amazon, Barnes & Noble Sell E-Books Through iOS Apps
By 8.2.13
Though there are Kindle and Nook apps for iPhone and iPad, restrictions put in place by Apple prevent users from actually making e-book purchases via those apps without those companies having to pay a hefty commission to Apple. You can’t even see the prices Amazon and Barnes & Noble charge for e-books, thus making it difficult to comparison shop. But as part of the proposed remedies following Apple’s loss in the recent e-book price-fixing case, the Justice Dept. says consumers should have the option of buying e-books on iOS devices from Apple’s competition. [More]
Apple Store Employees Claim They Lost Wages While Proving They Weren’t Stealing On The Job
By 7.31.13
Former employees at Apple stores who worked on an hourly basis in New York and Los Angeles have filed a class action suit against the company, claiming they had to submit to off-the-clock searches to prove they hadn’t pilfered products after every shift. That time spent waiting in line for bag checks means they lost about $1,500 per year in wages, alleges the lawsuit. [More]
Amazon Wriggles Its Way Around Apple’s Restrictions With Update To Kindle iOS App
By 7.31.13
It’s kind of like that song lyric, “Do a little dance, make a little love/get down tonight.” Except in this case the little dance is Amazon’s tricky runaround of Apple’s app restrictions, the love-making is a free sample of an e-book and getting down tonight is well, reading, I suppose. Amazon has pulled off a neat trick with its latest update to the Kindle iOS app in order to skirt Apple’s rules about in-app purchases.
Apple To Refund $6,000 Spent By 8-Year-Old On In-Game Purchases
By 7.22.13
Another day, another story of a youngster racking up a massive bill on some unlucky adults’ iPad. This time, it’s an 8-year-old in England who tallied up £4,000 (around $6,100) on in-game purchases over the last few months — half of it in just a six-day period. The girl’s dad thought he’d have to sell his car to pay the bill, but Apple says it has decided to refund the money. [More]
Apple, Google, Facebook & Other Tech Giants Pen Letter Asking For NSA Transparency
By 7.18.13
In the wake of that whole thing where the National Security Agency is reportedly snooping on people, a whole bunch of tech industry giants have banded together with privacy advocates to send a letter to the lawmakers and President Barack Obama asking for some transparency when it comes to government surveillance. [More]
Apple Investigating Death Of Woman Who Died Answering iPhone 5 While It Was Charging
By 7.15.13
An unfortunate reality of electronic devices is that once in a while, those consumer contraptions can malfunction in the worst of ways. It’s not clear yet exactly what went wrong in the case of a Chinese woman who was electrocuted and died while answering a call on her Iphone 5 while it was charging, but Apple says it’s looking into the matter. [More]
Judge: Apple Conspired With Publishers To Hike E-Book Prices
By 7.10.13
It’s been an up and down sort of day for Apple — while it managed to make peace with its rival Amazon in the App Store vs. Appstore debate, it also suffered a pretty big hit by way of a guilty verdict in the antitrust civil trial over e-book price-fixing. A U.S. District judge ruled today that Apple broke antitrust laws and conspired with publishers to hike up the prices of e-books. [More]
Our Long National Nightmare Is Over: Apple, Amazon Halt War Over “App Store” Name
By 7.10.13
More than two years ago, Apple launched a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the online retailer was violating Apple’s trademark by selling smartphone and tablet apps under via its Appstore, which sounds an awful lot like Apple’s App Store. Now, after years of bloodshed and families torn asunder by this nasty dispute, both sides have agreed to lay down their arms and agree to peace terms. [More]
The iWatch Is Apparently A Real Thing In That Apple Applied For A Trademark In Japan
By 7.1.13
In a highly technological world where it seems like there’s nothing new to get excited about — Flying cars? Whatever. Holograms? Yawn! — one thing that has a consistent buzz around it is the oft-rumored iWatch. An iPad for your wrist, a stylish accessory for the techiest techie! In other words, what digital dreams are made of. But before now, there wasn’t much solid evidence that Apple was working on such a thing…. (dramatic pause) until now. [More]
How Much Does A Songwriter Earn When Pandora Plays His Song 1.16 Million Times? Hint: It’s Not Much
By 6.24.13
The music industry has experienced multiple earth-shifting changes in the last 15 years. Widespread Internet use brought us the era of free-for-all sharing with Napster and LimeWire. Then Apple’s iTunes legitimized digital music downloads as a viable distribution model, but also showed that record companies are not always needed to have a hit. Streaming services like Pandora now give users free access to virtually every available song, but at what cost to both the artist and the webcaster? [More]
Did Your Kid Make In-App Purchases On Your iPhone Without Asking? You Might Be Due Some Cash From Apple
By 6.24.13
A couple years back, Apple came under fire from parents and regulators after reports that kids were making in-app purchases, sometimes to the tune of four figures, on their folks’ iPhones and iPads. The company has since changed its policy to prevent children from draining their parents’ wallets in this fashion, but that didn’t stop the class-action lawsuit from the people who’d lost money before the policy change. [More]
