Articles about Apple

If you opted to replace your iPhone battery on the cheap -- avoiding Apple and opting for a third-party instead -- on a subsequent trip to your nearest Genius Bar you will have found that you were ineligible for repairs.

It did not matter if your problem was in no way related to the battery, Apple took a hard line: if you had replaced the battery yourself, you were getting no further help. But leaked internal documents show that the company is softening. Genius Bar and Apple Authorized Service Provider technicians are now permitted to carry out work on phones with non-Apple batteries.

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Google's Project Zero has gone public about a "high severity" flaw in the macOS kernel after Apple failed to patch it 90 days after being told about the problem.

A security researcher discovered a problem in XNU that means it is possible to perform malicious activities. The security bug related to copy-on-write (COW) behavior, enabling an attacker to manipulate filesystem images without the operating system being notified. Apple was informed of the vulnerability back in November, but has failed to release a patch.

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iPhones are renown for their security -- to the point that even law enforcement agencies have trouble accessing their contents. An Israeli firm, Cellebrite, became well-known when it transpired that hacking tools it made were used by the US government to crack locked iPhones… and now its hacking tools are available to buy on eBay.

For as little as $100-$1000, you can get your hands on a second-hand piece of Cellebrite equipment (a fraction of its usual selling price). For just a few Benjamins, you could get a Cellebrite UFED (Universal Forensic Extraction Device) and use it for whatever you might fancy.

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People -- well, investors and financial analysts -- seem to worry a lot about Apple. They tend to see Apple as either wonderful or terrible, bound for further greatness or doomed. What Apple actually is is huge -- a super tanker of a company. And, like a super tanker, it’s hard to quickly change Apple’s direction or to make it go appreciably faster or slower. Those who see Apple as doomed, especially, should remember they are worrying about the most profitable enterprise in the modern history of business. Those who see Apple as immortal should remember that’s impossible.

The worry about Apple in 2019 seems to be that the smart phone market may have peaked, or maybe that Apple has made the mistake of building its products so well that they last too long. Then there’s the concern that Steve Jobs is gone and why isn’t Apple reinventing itself and the world yet again through another new product category?

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Nostalgia is a powerful thing. The 1990s are popular at the moment -- as the new 90s-set Captain Marvel movie shows -- and Windows 95 is suddenly making a comeback of sorts, partially fueled by people's interest in that decade.

If you’ve ever wondered what a modern version of the OS would look like, you can find out here, and you can now run an app version of the original Windows 95 on Windows 10, macOS and Linux. Own an iPhone? You can replace iOS 12 with iOS95 -- here's how.

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While Apple reigns supreme on mobile from both a hardware and operating system perspective (iPhone and iOS are best in class), Google is still king of apps and services. Things like Google Maps, Chrome, and Gmail are used by many iPhone and iPad users. Why do Apple fans opt for these Google solutions? They simply work well and are extremely dependable. Apple Maps, for instance, is good, but Google Maps is great. The search giant provides reliable tools that people enjoy using.

Today, Google announces that its Maps app for iOS is getting even better. You see, users can now "follow" their favorite locations, such as theaters, restaurants, and museums to name a few. As a result of following these places, you will be provided with interesting information about them, such as discounts, holiday hours, or dinner specials, for example.

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Having a "smart home" is all the rage these days, with people installing Wi-Fi cameras, locks, and security systems. Not to mention, voice assistant hardware from companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple allow you to interact with those aforementioned smart devices. Understandably, however, some people are wary of installing such things due to privacy concerns and hacking. These folks shouldn't feel bad about being cautious -- there is absolutely nothing wrong with being hesitant to allow major corporations into your home.

With all of that said, even if you don't trust having cameras or microphones in your home, smart lighting is a less risky option that you should still consider. It is very convenient to turn on a lamp, for instance, using your smartphone. Today, a company called Eve Systems launches a really cool such lamp. Called "Eve Flare," it is compatible with Apple HomeKit and features the ability to change the lighting color using your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. You can even charge the lamp wirelessly.

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Apple's iPad remains the best tablet on the market. Many companies have tried to compete, but all have largely failed. Sure, there are some decent Android models on the market -- from a hardware perspective -- but the underlying operating system cannot compare to the excellent iOS. There are countless Android tablets that get abandoned by manufacturers, getting stuck on outdated OS versions chock full of exploits -- which means they simply aren't safe.

If you buy an iPad, you can be confident that Apple will support it for many years, making it a very wise investment. Regardless of which model iPad you choose, it is smart to protect it with a case. If you opted for one of the non-pro 9.7-inch iPad tablets (2017 or 2018), for instance, Urban Armor Gear has a new case that will safeguard the device with military grade protection while also being fashionable. Since the rear is translucent, you can still see Apple's design -- an important thing to some consumers. It even has a loop holder for an Apple Pencil or other stylus.

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We won’t get a proper look at iOS 13 until Apple reveals it later in the year, but that isn’t going to stop people from coming up with some ideas of how the mobile operating system should look.

Just a couple of weeks ago we saw one iOS 13 concept video, and now another has surfaced. A collaboration between AppleiDesigner and Skyline News, this latest concept is packed with ideas to get excited about for iPhone and iPad users alike -- a redesigned status bar, system-wide dark mode, some great-looking wallpapers, and customizable lock screen elements.

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United States veterans often don't get the respect they deserve. Once they rejoin civilian life, it isn't uncommon to hear horror stories about how they are treated in regards to medical care. Veterans Health Administration facilities can sometimes have long waits, poor service, and terrible hygiene conditions. Don't get me wrong, not all of the VA hospitals are bad, but some are. And these brave people should never have deficient care.

Today, Apple announces that it is aiming to improve the medical care for these heroes with its "Health Records on iPhone" feature. This will allow veterans to safely and securely access medical records with an iPhone. This should be both a tremendous benefit and convenience for these heroic men and women, ultimately leading to an improved medical care experience.

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A disgruntled security researcher has revealed a one-click exploit that takes advantage of a macOS vulnerability to reveal all of the passwords stored in a Mac's keychain.

Linus Henze developed an exploit tool called KeySteal that uses a 0-day bug to extract keychain passwords on macOS Mojave and older. He stresses that neither root access nor administrator privileges are required, and no password prompts are generated by the tool. Henze is not going to help Apple to fix the problem because the company does not offer a bug bounty program for macOS.

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The roll out of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has changed the face of privacy and data protection for millions of people across Europe. The regulation not only grants people access to the personal data companies hold about them, but also controls how this data can be used and transferred.

Apple's Tim Cook has already voiced his support for GDPR and said that the rest of the world should implement similar regulation. Now he has been joined by Cisco in calling for data laws to be embraced by the US as they have been in Europe.

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Apple has issued an apology for the recently-discovered bug that made it possible to eavesdrop on people via FaceTime.

The company had promised that a software update would be delivered later this week, but the interim solution was to simply disable the group FaceTime feature server-side. Apple now says that the problem has been fully fixed, but a software update that re-enables the group function will not be issued until next week.

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By now you have probably heard about the bug that's been discovered in Apple's FaceTime. In short it is an exploit that lets you connect a call you have placed rather than waiting for the recipient to pick up -- so you can then listen to audio and watch video.

Apple is working on a fix, and it you want to be sure that you don't fall victim to eavesdropping, you should think about disabling FaceTime on your iOS device. Here's how to do just that.

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Apple is scrambling to fix a serious bug that has been discovered in its FaceTime messaging services. The bug makes it possible to spy on the people being called, even if the call is not picked up.

This is a serious privacy issue, as it gives someone the ability to secretly eavesdrop on someone -- or even watch them -- without their knowledge. At the moment, Apple does not have a fix but the company says it is working on the problem and will address it by the end of the week. In the meantime, you may want to consider disabling FaceTime on your iOS device.

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