MacRumors

Apple has gone to unusual lengths to thoroughly and definitively refute a Bloomberg Businessweek article that today suggested Chinese spies had planted microchips in the Chinese-made Supermicro server motherboards that Apple uses in its facilities.

Following the publishing of the article, Apple released a strongly worded statement calling Businessweek's report inaccurate with no evidence to support the claims, and this afternoon, Apple went further and published an entire rebuttal on its website.

Apple's press release includes the same statement that was initially provided to Bloomberg Businessweek, along with additional information that the company says it shared with Bloomberg Businessweek ahead of when the server article was released.

While Bloomberg Businessweek's report claims that Apple reported the alleged microchip incident to the FBI in 2015, Apple told the news site in no uncertain terms that no one from Apple ever reached out to the FBI, nor had Apple ever heard from the FBI about an investigation.

Apple also told Bloomberg Businessweek that despite "numerous discussions" across teams and organizations, no one at Apple had heard anything about the supposed microchip investigation.

Apple's updated statement clarifies that Apple is not under any kind of gag order or held to a confidentiality obligation, and it says clearly that the report is "completely untrue" and that no malicious chips have been found in Apple servers. The full additional statement is below:

The published Businessweek story also claims that Apple "reported the incident to the FBI but kept details about what it had detected tightly held, even internally." In November 2017, after we had first been presented with this allegation, we provided the following information to Bloomberg as part of a lengthy and detailed, on-the-record response. It first addresses their reporters' unsubstantiated claims about a supposed internal investigation:

Despite numerous discussions across multiple teams and organizations, no one at Apple has ever heard of this investigation. Businessweek has refused to provide us with any information to track down the supposed proceedings or findings. Nor have they demonstrated any understanding of the standard procedures which were supposedly circumvented.

No one from Apple ever reached out to the FBI about anything like this, and we have never heard from the FBI about an investigation of this kind -- much less tried to restrict it.

In an appearance this morning on Bloomberg Television, reporter Jordan Robertson made further claims about the supposed discovery of malicious chips, saying, "In Apple's case, our understanding is it was a random spot check of some problematic servers that led to this detection."

As we have previously informed Bloomberg, this is completely untrue. Apple has never found malicious chips in our servers.
Finally, in response to questions we have received from other news organizations since Businessweek published its story, we are not under any kind of gag order or other confidentiality obligations.

Apple's initial statement, available below, was shared this morning after Bloomberg Businessweek published its article claiming Apple discovered illicit microchips in its Supermicro server motherboards that were able to inject code or provide instruction to the CPU with the ultimate goal of providing the Chinese government with access to "high-value corporate secrets and sensitive government networks."

Bloomberg Businessweek claimed to have spoken to officials with knowledge of the investigation, which Apple says did not happen at all.

Over the course of the past year, Bloomberg has contacted us multiple times with claims, sometimes vague and sometimes elaborate, of an alleged security incident at Apple. Each time, we have conducted rigorous internal investigations based on their inquiries and each time we have found absolutely no evidence to support any of them. We have repeatedly and consistently offered factual responses, on the record, refuting virtually every aspect of Bloomberg's story relating to Apple.

On this we can be very clear: Apple has never found malicious chips, "hardware manipulations" or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server. Apple never had any contact with the FBI or any other agency about such an incident. We are not aware of any investigation by the FBI, nor are our contacts in law enforcement.

In response to Bloomberg's latest version of the narrative, we present the following facts: Siri and Topsy never shared servers; Siri has never been deployed on servers sold to us by Super Micro; and Topsy data was limited to approximately 2,000 Super Micro servers, not 7,000. None of those servers have ever been found to hold malicious chips.

As a matter of practice, before servers are put into production at Apple they are inspected for security vulnerabilities and we update all firmware and software with the latest protections. We did not uncover any unusual vulnerabilities in the servers we purchased from Super Micro when we updated the firmware and software according to our standard procedures.

We are deeply disappointed that in their dealings with us, Bloomberg's reporters have not been open to the possibility that they or their sources might be wrong or misinformed. Our best guess is that they are confusing their story with a previously-reported 2016 incident in which we discovered an infected driver on a single Super Micro server in one of our labs. That one-time event was determined to be accidental and not a targeted attack against Apple.

While there has been no claim that customer data was involved, we take these allegations seriously and we want users to know that we do everything possible to safeguard the personal information they entrust to us. We also want them to know that what Bloomberg is reporting about Apple is inaccurate.

Apple has always believed in being transparent about the ways we handle and protect data. If there were ever such an event as Bloomberg News has claimed, we would be forthcoming about it and we would work closely with law enforcement. Apple engineers conduct regular and rigorous security screenings to ensure that our systems are safe. We know that security is an endless race and that's why we constantly fortify our systems against increasingly sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals who want to steal our data.

Along with Apple, Bloomberg Businessweek claimed that other companies, such as Amazon, were also affected. Amazon has also issued a similarly worded denial. According to Amazon, the report is untrue and Amazon has never found any issues "relating to modified hardware or malicious chips in Supermicro motherboards" nor has Amazon participated in an investigation with the government.

Supermicro has also denied all reports and says it is not aware of any investigation regarding the topic.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

A little over two weeks after launch, iOS 12 is installed on 46 percent of iOS devices, according to data collected by analytics company Mixpanel.

iOS 12 adoption will soon overtake iOS 11 adoption, as iOS 11 is also installed on just over 46 percent of devices in Mixpanel's daily iOS 12 adoption calculation.

At the time this article was written, iOS 12 was installed on 46.25 percent of devices, while iOS 11 was installed on 46.57 percent of devices. 7.18 percent of devices continue to run an older version of iOS.

It's worth noting that Apple has not yet released official iOS 12 installation numbers. Mixpanel's data has historically overestimated iOS adoption rates compared to Apple's own numbers, but the data is not usually too far off. Even if there's a discrepancy between Mixpanel and actual installation rates calculated by Apple, Mixpanel's data still offers solid insight into adoption rates comparative to the adoption rates of earlier versions of iOS.

iOS 12 adoption rates have outpaced iOS 11 adoption rates at the same time last year. On October 3, 2017, which was two weeks after the launch of iOS 11, the operating system was installed on 38.5 percent of devices, according to Mixpanel data, almost 8 percent less than the 46 percent of devices running iOS 12 at the two week mark.

Customers are adopting iOS 12 at rates that are similar to the adoption rates of iOS 10 in 2016, which was installed on 48.16 percent of devices two weeks after it launched.

It's not surprising that customers are choosing to install iOS 12 at a more rapid pace given the significant speed improvements introduced with the update. On older devices, performance enhancements can make iPhones and iPads feel much faster.

On the iPhone 6 Plus, for example, apps launch up to 40 percent faster, while the keyboard can appear up to 50 percent faster. Opening the camera on the Lock screen to take a photo can be done 70 percent faster.

iOS 12 also includes optimizations for when the operating system is under load. Apps launch up to twice as fast under a heavy load, as does the Share Sheet.

MacRumors readers in particular were heavy early adopters, and in a Twitter poll conducted shortly after the launch of the operating system, 85 percent of those surveyed had already installed the update.

Due to advanced security features of the Apple T2 chip, iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro models must pass Apple diagnostics for certain repairs to be completed, according to an internal document from Apple obtained by MacRumors.

For the 2018 MacBook Pro, the requirement applies to repairs involving the display, logic board, Touch ID, and top case, which includes the keyboard, battery, trackpad, and speakers, according to the document. For the iMac Pro, the requirement only applies to logic board and flash storage repairs.

If any of these parts are repaired in an iMac Pro or 2018 MacBook Pro, and the Apple diagnostics are not run, this will result in an inoperative system and an incomplete repair, according to Apple's directive to service providers.

Apple's diagnostic suite is limited to internal use by Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, as part of what is called the Apple Service Toolkit. As a result, independent repair shops without Apple certification may be unable to repair certain parts on the iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro.

Moreover, when the iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro are eventually classified as vintage products, meaning they are no longer eligible for hardware service from Apple, repairs through alternative channels might not be possible.

MacRumors has reached out to Apple for comment.

This requirement is a result of the T2 chip, which integrates several previously separate components, including the system management controller, image signal processor, audio controller, and SSD controller. It also features a Secure Enclave coprocessor for secure boot, encrypted storage, and authenticating Touch ID.

To initiate a Mac repair, visit the Get Support page on Apple.com.

Update: Despite the specific wording of Apple's document, which says failure to run Apple diagnostics after certain parts are replaced in T2-equipped Macs "will result in an inoperative system," the repair experts at iFixit swapped out the display and logic board on a 2018 MacBook Pro, and it remained operational without passing diagnostics.

iFixit is not an Apple Authorized Service Provider, so at this time, it appears that independent repair shops should be able to repair the iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro without issue. It's unclear why Apple's document suggests otherwise.

Bloomberg Businessweek today reports that around three years ago, the Chinese military began inserting microchips on Supermicro server motherboards while they were being manufactured in China, providing the Chinese government with a stealth doorway into any network that used the tampered hardware.

The report cites an official who said investigators found the attack eventually affected nearly 30 companies, including Apple and Amazon, along with a major bank and government contractors in the United States.

The microchip was placed on the motherboards in a way that allowed it to inject its own code or alter the order of the instructions the CPU was meant to follow, according to the report. One government official said China's goal was "long-term access to high-value corporate secrets and sensitive government networks."

No consumer data is known to have been stolen, according to the report, but the extent of the attack appears to be unclear.

Apple was a longtime Supermicro customer, with plans to order more than 30,000 of its server motherboards in two years for its global network of data centers, which power services like the App Store and Siri.

Documents seen by Businessweek show that in 2014, Apple planned to order more than 6,000 Supermicro servers for installation in 17 locations, including Amsterdam, Chicago, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York, San Jose, Singapore, and Tokyo, plus 4,000 servers for its existing North Carolina and Oregon data centers. Those orders were supposed to double, to 20,000, by 2015.

The report claims Apple had around 7,000 of the motherboards in its data centers when its security team came across the microchips.

Apple reportedly discovered the suspicious chips on the motherboards around May 2015, after detecting odd network activity and firmware problems. Two senior Apple insiders were cited as saying the company reported the incident to the FBI, but kept details about what it had detected tightly held.

The insiders cited in the report said in the summer of 2015, a few weeks after Apple identified the malicious chips, the company started removing all Supermicro servers from its data centers. Every one of the 7,000 or so Supermicro servers was replaced in a matter of weeks, according to one of the insiders.

In a strongly-worded statement, Apple denied Bloomberg Businessweek's report:

Over the course of the past year, Bloomberg has contacted us multiple times with claims, sometimes vague and sometimes elaborate, of an alleged security incident at Apple. Each time, we have conducted rigorous internal investigations based on their inquiries and each time we have found absolutely no evidence to support any of them. We have repeatedly and consistently offered factual responses, on the record, refuting virtually every aspect of Bloomberg's story relating to Apple.

On this we can be very clear: Apple has never found malicious chips, "hardware manipulations" or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server. Apple never had any contact with the FBI or any other agency about such an incident. We are not aware of any investigation by the FBI, nor are our contacts in law enforcement.

In response to Bloomberg's latest version of the narrative, we present the following facts: Siri and Topsy never shared servers; Siri has never been deployed on servers sold to us by Super Micro; and Topsy data was limited to approximately 2,000 Super Micro servers, not 7,000. None of those servers has ever been found to hold malicious chips.

As a matter of practice, before servers are put into production at Apple they are inspected for security vulnerabilities and we update all firmware and software with the latest protections. We did not uncover any unusual vulnerabilities in the servers we purchased from Super Micro when we updated the firmware and software according to our standard procedures.

We are deeply disappointed that in their dealings with us, Bloomberg's reporters have not been open to the possibility that they or their sources might be wrong or misinformed. Our best guess is that they are confusing their story with a previously-reported 2016 incident in which we discovered an infected driver on a single Super Micro server in one of our labs. That one-time event was determined to be accidental and not a targeted attack against Apple.

While there has been no claim that customer data was involved, we take these allegations seriously and we want users to know that we do everything possible to safeguard the personal information they entrust to us. We also want them to know that what Bloomberg is reporting about Apple is inaccurate.

Apple has always believed in being transparent about the ways we handle and protect data. If there were ever such an event as Bloomberg News has claimed, we would be forthcoming about it and we would work closely with law enforcement. Apple engineers conduct regular and rigorous security screenings to ensure that our systems are safe. We know that security is an endless race and that's why we constantly fortify our systems against increasingly sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals who want to steal our data.

Amazon also denied the report, while Supermicro said it remains unaware of any such investigation. Chinese officials did not directly address the report, stating that "supply chain safety in cyberspace is an issue of common concern, and China is also a victim."

However, in addition to the three Apple insiders, the report says four of six U.S. officials confirmed that Apple was a victim.

Apple did acknowledge a 2016 incident in which it discovered an infected driver on a single Supermicro server in one of its labs. Apple said that one-time event was determined to be accidental and not a targeted attack.

Early last year, The Information reported that Apple cut ties with Supermicro in 2016 after unearthing a security vulnerability in at least one of its servers, which seems to be the incident that Apple is referring to in its statement. Apple has since moved on to other server suppliers, including ZT Systems and Inspur.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple remained the world's most valuable brand this year, according to Interbrand's Best Global Brands Report for 2018. With its position at the #1 spot again, Apple has topped Interbrand's annual rankings for the sixth consecutive year.

Apple's brand value grew by about 15 percent and increased to $214.5 billion, up from $184.1 billion in 2017. Apple beat out Google ($155.5 billion), Amazon ($100.7 billion), Microsoft ($92.7 billion), and Coca-Cola ($66.3 billion), rounding out the top five spots. Apple and Google have remained the #1 and #2 spots for several years, and this year Amazon rose from #5 to #3 on the rankings.

“A decade after the global financial crisis, the brands that are growing fastest are those that intuitively understand their customers and make brave iconic moves that delight and deliver in new ways,” said Charles Trevail, Global Chief Executive Officer of Interbrand.

Because of this, Amazon led the Top Growing Brands category with 56 percent growth, followed by Netflix (45 percent), Gucci (30 percent), Salseforce.com (23 percent), and Louis Vuitton (23 percent). Facebook held the #1 spot as the Top Growing Brand for five years in a row, until this year, as it declined six percent and disappeared from this category.

On the main list of 100 most valuable brands, other companies include Samsung (#6), Facebook (#9), Disney (#14), Philips (#42), Netflix (#66), PayPal (#73), Spotify (#92), and Nintendo (#99).

To determine a brand's cumulative value, Interbrand considers the financial performance of branded products products and services, the role the brand plays in purchase decisions, the brand's competitive strength, its ability to create loyalty, and sustainability for demand and profit into the future.

LG today debuted its next-generation smartphone, the LG V40 ThinQ, equipped with an all glass body and a display notch for housing camera equipment, much like the iPhone XS and XS Max.

We were able to get one of LG's new V40 ThinQ smartphones ahead of their launch, and we've got the first V40 ThinQ vs. iPhone XS Max comparison that highlights the differences between Apple's flagship device and LG's new flagship device.

In the hand, the LG V40 ThinQ feels lighter than the iPhone XS Max, but due to the size, it's still a two-handed device.

The V40 measures in at 6.4 inches with a high-quality HDR OLED display that is as sharp and vibrant as the 6.5-inch HDR OLED display of the iPhone XS Max.

Both devices have a front-facing notch, and while the V40's notch is somewhat less obtrusive, it's also housing lesser equipment. The V40 ThinQ features two front-facing cameras, one with 8 megapixels and the second with 5 megapixels. The cameras enable a fast and efficient facial recognition feature for unlocking the device, but as with most Android implementations, it's not using 3D facial mapping and is less secure.

Because of the weaker facial recognition implementation, LG's new device continues to offer a fingerprint sensor at the back.

The back of the LG V40 ThinQ is outfitted with three horizontal cameras, while the iPhone XS Max uses a dual camera system. In the V40, there's a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 16-megapixel wide-angle lens.

The three cameras enable a range of useful features like Triple Shot for three photos at once from different angles, a Cine Shot for creating a photo with one part of the image in motion, and slow motion and portrait features similar to what you'll find in the iPhone XS Max.

We think the LG V40 is a solid iPhone XS Max competitor with its light weight and its impressive camera equipment, and in a future video, we'll delve further into the triple-lens camera system as rumors have suggested it's something we might see in next year's iPhones.

What do you think of the new LG V40 ThinQ? Does it measure up to the iPhone XS Max? Let us know in the comments.

Apple is looking into reports that some customers are experiencing LTE connectivity issues with the newly released iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

According to one iPhone XS Max owner, Apple is conducting an outreach program with some customers who have a new device that is experiencing LTE problems.

Apple has asked him to install a baseband logger to track his cellular connection, presumably to figure out if there are any serious issues that need to be resolved. We've heard similar reports from MacRumors readers who have been asked to provide device logs to engineers when troubleshooting the issue.

Affected users have noticed fewer bars and poorer signal on iPhone XS and XS Max compared to older devices, but it doesn't appear to be a universal problem. While some people have complained of weak connectivity and slow speeds, others have noticed LTE improvements, which confuses the issue.

Many of the early complaints came from Verizon users, suggesting there are perhaps carrier firmware issues that need to be resolved, but it's unclear if carrier firmware is the full extent of the problem.

In the most recent iOS 12.1 beta, Apple updated the modem firmware in the iPhone to version 1.01.20-1, up from 1.01.12 in iOS 12.1 beta 1. On the Verizon network, the iOS 12.1 update also introduces new 33.5.6 carrier firmware.

Early reports on the MacRumors forums have, however, suggested that iOS 12.1 does indeed bring some improvements. MacRumors archer75, for example, says the update has doubled his LTE speeds. Other users, though, have said the update does not address LTE problems.

Regardless of whether a fix has been bundled into the iOS 12.1 update, Apple is taking reports of LTE problems seriously and investigating what might be going on, so should this be a software-related issue, a resolution is likely in the works.