Apple and the FBI have been fighting very publicly for the last month about national security, iPhones, and the intersection of privacy and encryption with those things. Their legal battle was supposed to be heard in court in California this afternoon — except the FBI has asked for a delay, saying that actually, maybe they don’t need Apple to create a backdoor to get what they want after all. [More]
iphone
Yup, Apple Has Gone And Made A Smaller iPhone For $399; Smaller iPad Pro For $599
By 3.21.16
After riding the trend of blurring the line between phone and tablet with its iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus, Apple is going the other way with the iPhone SE — a device with a screen the same size as the iPhone 5S, but with the same chip as the 6S. [More]
Apple CEO Tim Cook: Nation Needs To Decide How Much Power Government Has Over Data, Privacy
By 3.21.16
Apple CEO Tim Cook used today’s press event for the new iPhone to once again make his case against court orders trying compel Apple to aid law enforcement in unlocking iPhones belonging to criminal suspects. [More]
Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Samsung V. Apple Patent Case
By 3.21.16
The ongoing patent battle between smartphone standouts Samsung and Apple will get its day before the Supreme Court this year, as the nation’s highest court has decided to hear arguments about one facet of the long-simmering dispute. [More]
Apple Engineers Might Resist Court Order To Weaken iPhone Encryption
By 3.18.16
A federal court in California is currently weighing whether or not Apple could be compelled to aid the FBI in unlocking an iPhone that belonged to one of the terrorists behind the Dec. 2, 2015 shootings in San Bernardino, CA. But even if the court rules that Apple must assist the government in opening the device, some engineers at the company are reportedly considering resistance. [More]
John Oliver Rewrites Apple Ads To Make Them More Honest About Encryption
By 3.14.16
On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver looked at length at the ongoing, complicated legal battle between Apple and the FBI, which has asked a court to compel the tech company to rewrite its software to allow authorities to search crime suspects’ locked iPhones. And while Oliver ultimately came down in defense of Apple’s position in the matter, he also believes the company could be more direct about presenting the reality of the situation. [More]
Force-Quitting All Your Apps Won’t Actually Extend Your iPhone’s Battery Life
By 3.11.16
Battery on your iPhone running low? If you’re the kind of person who rushes to force quit apps you aren’t using in an attempt to conserve what precious power you have, you’re not alone… but your method is basically useless at extending your phone’s battery life, according to a senior executive at Apple who knows about these things. [More]
Dozens Of Tech Experts Ask Court To Not Force Apple To Unlock iPhone
By 3.3.16
The day after Apple filed its formal objection to a Feb. 16 court order compelling the company to assist the FBI in unlocking an iPhone that belonged to one of the terrorists who killed 14 people last December in California, a group of nearly four dozen tech industry experts have asked the court to rethink its decision. [More]
Apple “Formally Objects” To Court Order To Unlock San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone
By 3.2.16
Hours after Apple and the FBI faced off before a Congressional panel on the matters of encryption, privacy, and law enforcement, the company officially filed its objection to a court order directing it to assist the FBI in unlocking an iPhone that belonged to one of the terrorists who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, CA, on Dec. 2, 2015. [More]
Apple Working On iPhone That Even It Wouldn’t Be Able To Hack
By 2.25.16
While Apple and federal law enforcement officials argue over whether or not the company should aid in the hacking of a terrorist’s locked iPhone, the company has reportedly begun work on a version of the device that even its creators would not be able to unlock. [More]
Apple Now Offering Its Own Program To Buy iPhone On Installments
By 2.18.16
With the release of the latest version of the iPhone last fall, Apple introduced a program that follows current trends in the mobile phone industry. Like some mobile carriers, they’ll rent you a phone, letting you trade it in every year if you want. Now they’re also offering a program where you can pay in installments and keep the phone rather than leasing. [More]
Do Not Set The Date On Your iPhone To Jan. 1, 1970
By 2.12.16
While it might be tempting to take a “wild ride” into the past, do not set the date on your iPhone to Jan. 1, 1970, despite what a hoax image circulating recently says. That is, unless your idea of a wild ride is having a phone you can’t use anymore. [More]
Report: Apple To Accept Newer iPhone Trade-Ins With Cracked Screens, Other Dings
By 2.5.16
For years the owners of iPhones with broken screens or damaged buttons looking to trade in their older device for a new one through Apple’s Reuse and Recycle trade-in program have been out of luck, unless they shelled out the cash to repair the smartphone first. That’s reportedly set to change with an upcoming revamp of the program. [More]
Fake Apple Stores Becoming Less Popular In China Again
By 1.26.16
At times, the thirst for new Apple products is so great in China that fake Apple Stores selling real Apple products pop up, with helpful uniformed employees ready to sell you any gray-market iThingy you might want. Now Reuters reports that some of those stores have switched over to selling local Chinese phone brands like Huawei. [More]
Google Paid Apple $1 Billion In 2014 For Privilege Of Search Bar On iPhone
By 1.22.16
When you go to perform a Web search on an iPhone, the phone automatically chooses Google for you. Why? There are other fine search engines out there, and the iPhone could direct you to use any of them. However, the public learned from a copyright lawsuit against Google that the two companies have a revenue-sharing agreement that keeps iPhones performing Google searches, and in 2014 the revenue that Apple received was $1 billion. [More]
Apple Promises To Fix Bug Causing Misleading Battery Meter On iPhone 6S, 6S Plus
By 1.18.16
If you’ve been confused by the battery meter on your iPhone 6S or 6S Plus that shows you having plenty of power, only to shut down while still showing a full charge, you’re not alone: Apple says a bug with the phones is showing some users a higher charge than the phone actually has. [More]
Samsung Galaxy S7 Will Reportedly Charge Faster, Have Pressure-Sensitive Screen
By 12.14.15
Back in September, Apple unveiled its more responsive “3D Touch” display for the iPhone 6S, so it should come as little surprise that Samsung may have something similar in its back pocket for the upcoming launch of its flagship Galaxy phone. [More]
Apple Reminds Users That Their 2-Year-Old iPhones Are Totally Ancient
By 12.11.15
Sure, when we buy electronics, we acknowledge that they could become obsolete mere minutes after purchase. However, some iPhone fans who are committing acts of consumer endurance by using a mobile device released more than two years ago aren’t pleased with a reminder that Apple added to the App Store that’s nagging them to get a new phone already. [More]
