Articles about Apple

As technology firms around the world try to mop up the mess that the Meltdown and Spectre chip bugs are making, Intel has been keen to stress that the impact patches will have on performance will be minimal. The company has already released benchmark results that show the hardest hit will be older computers. Now new benchmarks show that iPhone users may notice slowdowns too.

One iPhone 6 owner decided to benchmark his phone and found that the performance hit is significant. So significant, in fact, that some tasks see a performance degradation of more than 50 percent.

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Most of the security vulnerabilities we write about are hard to exploit by the average computer user. I consider myself fairly experienced but, honestly, without a step by step guide I would not be able to "hack" a program or operating system even with the full bug report in front of me. And even then I probably would not know what to do to get any meaningful data from it anyway.

But some security vulnerabilities are so easy to exploit that anyone can do it. Unlocking the App Store menu in System Preferences on macOS High Sierra 10.13 is one of them.

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HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) has completed an "extensive audit" of Apple, and accounts show that the company has been hit with a £136 million ($184 million) back tax bill.

There has been a great deal of interest in the tax arrangement of technology companies in the past couple of years, and the recent Paradise Papers revealed how Apple was structuring its finances. The latest payment in the UK comes after Apple agreed to settle a $15 billion bill in Ireland, and the company says its UK tax bill payments will increase in coming years.

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Following accusations that children are addicted to iPhones, Apple has said that it will introduce improved parental controls in iOS.

At the weekend, an open letter from a group of investors expressed concern about the overuse of Apple devices by children and teenagers. Responding to the letter, Apple says that while it considers itself a leader when it comes to parental controls, it will make the feature even "more robust" in the future.

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There have long been rumors that Apple slows down iPhones in a bid to encourage owners to upgrade to newer models. While not admitting to this precise accusation, the company had said that it reduces performance of iPhones to counteract aging batteries.

Now the French consumer fraud watchdog DGCCRF is launching an investigation into what is described as "planned obsolescence." In France it is illegal to purposely shorten the life of a product to encourage replacement purchases, and the investigation comes after a complaint from a consumer group.

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Following the Meltdown and Spectre revelations, let's just say that 2018 is off to a bad start for many tech companies. Apple is among the biggest players affected by the two security vulnerabilities, with all iOS and Mac users at risk.

The company was quick to patch Meltdown, however, with iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2 and tvOS 11.2 getting mitigations against the vulnerability. And, now, it's tackling Spectre too through new updates for its major operating systems.

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Apple has confirmed that all of its Macs, iPhones and iPads are affected by the recently revealed Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. The company points out that while a huge number of devices are affected, there are "no known exploits impacting customers at this time."

Just as Microsoft has already pushed out an emergency patch for Windows 10 users -- with Windows 7 and 8 to follow soon -- Apple has already rolled out some patches for Meltdown with iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2, and tvOS 11.2. An update to Safari to protect against Spectre is promised in the coming days.

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Apple has a tendency to pride itself on security, but a researcher has released details of a macOS vulnerability that allows for complete system control by an unprivileged user.

A self-described "hobbyist hacker," Siguza, has published details of the exploit which is thought to have existed, undetected and unpatched for at least a decade. As well as details of the security flaw, Suguza has also published proof-of-concept code for the IOHIDeous vulnerability on GitHub.

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After admitting to slowing down older iPhones, Apple subsequently apologized for the lack of transparency about the issue. In addition to the apology, the company also announced that iPhone owners would be able to replace their batteries at a discounted rate of $29 starting in late January.

In an update to the original statement, Apple has now brought forward its replacement program so you can get a new battery for your iPhone 6 (or later) handset starting right now. Alternatively, you can do it yourself, with a discounted iFixit kit.

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iOS is the best mobile operating system on the planet. End of story. Android is a solid choice too, but fragmentation and a lack of device updates makes it a non-starter for many. Pixel and Nexus devices aside, many users of Google's operating system get stranded on phones and tablets with known exploits. It is a mess.

I say all of this to highlight how great a job Apple does with supporting older devices. The company could easily stop issuing OS updates to a device after a couple of years, but instead, it chooses to reward its customers with very long support -- the iPad 2, for instance, was supported for five years. That's why today's Apple apology seems out of place. You see, the company is apologizing for slowing down older iPhone devices in an effort to make aging batteries last longer. The thing is, we shouldn't be forgiving Apple for this -- we should be thanking them!

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We now know for certain what many people have suspected for some time: Apple really is slowing down older iPhones. The phone-maker has finally come clean about what's going on -- it really is purposefully degrading the performance of its phones.

While there has been speculation that the company has been putting the brakes on aging handsets in a bid to encourage people to upgrade to newer models, Apple says that there's actually a different reason for old iPhones performing less impressively in benchmarks. That reason is battery life.

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All-in-one desktops are generally a terrible idea. Outside of saving desk space, there is really no benefit to combining a display and your computer into one unit. Hell, it is quite a negative, as if the display breaks, you have to get the whole damn thing fixed -- and vice versa. Not to mention, you are severely limited regarding upgrades -- it is often non-existent. Let us not forget that these computers typically use less-powerful mobile parts -- including processors and RAM.

With all of that said, today, after 6 months of waiting, Apple finally releases the first-ever iMac Pro -- a super-powerful version of its all-in-one desktop. Despite my aforementioned concerns about all-in-one computers, Mac power-users should probably check it out anyway. Why? Well, unfortunately for macOS fans, Apple really isn't selling a standalone desktop these days. Yeah, you can buy the "Garbage Can" Mac Pro or Mac mini, but those machines are outdated and not worth your money (a new Mac Pro is promised for the future). And so, the iMac Pro is here to hopefully satisfy Mac users with the need for power. There is only one problem -- the starting price is $5,000!

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Today is a huge day for Apple, as its much-anticipated iMac Pro finally goes on sale. While it isn’t a revolutionary product, the computer should placate vocal Mac users that have been clamoring for more power.

If you do decide to spend $5,000 or more on the iMac Pro (yes, that really is the starting price) you may not mind spending additional money on accessories for it. Today, Satechi unveils a new product designed for the iMac Pro, but also the standard iMac models too. Called “Aluminum Type-C Clamp Hub,” it attaches to the computer and delivers front-facing USB ports (Type-C and Type-A), plus both an SD and micro SD card reader. Believe it or not, this is necessary as Apple puts all of the computer’s ports on the rear -- not a great design.

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Apple Pay is amazing. I use it regularly wherever it is accepted. Two stores where it is particularly good are Walgreens and Kohl’s. These two retailers offer loyalty reward cards that can be linked to Apple Pay for added convenience. When you pay with your iPhone, the reward card is entered automatically -- no need to swipe a second card. It’s a small thing, but it really is delightful.

Today, Apple announces a promotion that makes using Apple Pay a no-brainer. You see, the iPhone-maker will pay you $5 just for trying it! The deal starts today and ends on December 21. Of course, there is one catch -- not all stores are eligible for the promotion.

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In an effort to build up hype, and also gauge demand, developers can now make their future apps available for pre-order on the Apple App Store.

If you’re excitedly awaiting the arrival of a new app from your favorite developer, you can now buy it up to 90 days in advance, and it will be downloaded automatically once released.

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