Earlier this week rumors suggested that an Apple Music overhaul is being prepared for a worldwide reveal at WWDC this June, with a launch in the fall within iOS 10. New details shared today by 9to5Mac indicate that one of the streaming music service's least-used features -- the social network-like section called Connect -- will be "demoted" in the overhaul and removed from the app's tab bar completely.
Although some users have gone through the process of removing Connect already, allowing them a dedicated Playlist tab in its place, iOS 10 will see Apple moving Connect permanently from the bottom tab and into an integrated section of the "For You" page of Apple Music. Because of this, Connect "is unlikely to see notable new features this year," suggesting this section of Apple Music hasn't lived up to the company's plans laid out at WWDC last year.
Overall, the new version of Apple Music is said to focus on black and white backgrounds along with an emphasis on individual album artwork in tracklists. Other basic updates include the introduction of Apple's San Francisco font, a new "Browse" tab, lyrics support, and new 3D Touch shortcut previews. Apple Music's streaming radio network, Beats 1, is believed to remain largely the same as it is currently presented in the app.
Although a number of social networks have introduced scaled-down apps for the Apple Watch, the biggest holdout thus far has been Facebook. Thanks to a third party app called "Littlebook," Facebook users will now be able to browse their news feeds right from Apple's wearable device (via The Next Web).
In addition to basic browsing, Littlebook lets users interact with posts by tapping to like things, and even includes full in-line photos and videos in the news feed. An offline mode lets users save articles to read later, and the app allows for transferring over to the iPhone with Handoff support, if the small size of the Apple Watch isn't enough for lengthy reads. There's also a voice dictation feature that can be used to post full status updates to your friends and family.
Reto Stuber, Littlebook's developer, does remind potential users that the app has its limitations due to the platform, including the fact that posts on the feed are limited to preview samples with no "read more" option, sharing and reactions are not yet supported, and YouTube videos won't work since playback is only supported by embedded Facebook videos at launch. Still, the developer promised that he tried his "best to recreate the Facebook-App experience," and Littlebook will continue to be supported with updates in the future.
Pocket, a popular iOS app that allows users to save, discover, and recommend stories to read later, has been updated this week with the ability to like and repost recommendations from other people they follow.
The new Like and Repost actions can be found next to the Save action within the Recommendations feed on Pocket version 6.3.0 or later.
Pocket users can find out when someone Likes or Reposts their own recommendations by way of push notifications, which can be customized through the Settings app.
The update also contains additional bug fixes and improvements, including a fix for an issue with the "Alex" voice speaking too slowly when listening to articles.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will visit Beijing later in May to meet with high-level government officials as the company looks to counter a series of recent setbacks in the country (via Reuters).
According to sources familiar with the matter, Cook plans to meet senior government and Communist Party leaders to discuss a range of issues, including weakening iPhone sales and the company's loss of control of its smartphone trademark in China, now its second biggest market.
The news comes after Apple's earning call last month revealed sales fell 26 percent in greater China in the second quarter of 2016. Following the earning's call, billionaire Carl Icahn, who has been buying large amounts of Apple stock over the past three years, sold his stake in the company and expressed worries over China's attitude towards Apple.
As part of his visit, Cook will also meet with officials from the Communist Party's propaganda wing, in order to address concerns after Apple fell foul of a state campaign to control online content and enforce strict localization of data storage, according to the Reuters source.
Last month, Apple's iTunes Movies and iBooks stores were reportedly forced offline in the country by the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. One Hong Kong-based news outlet linked the store closures to the release of controversial independent movie Ten Years, which won best picture prize at April’s Hong Kong Film Awards, despite being banned in China. The dystopian film imagines Hong Kong in 2025 with language police, mini Red Guards, radical protest and social alienation rife. News of the store closures broke shortly before the movie became available on iTunes in Hong Kong.
Apple is one of eight companies that China has targeted for being "too deeply established in the country's core industries" according to The New York Times. Other companies on China's list include IBM, Qualcomm and Microsoft.
Last November, when asked whether Apple had run into censorship problems in China, Eddy Cue said that the company had a "great working relationship" with China and that the launch of Apple Music and the iTunes Movies and iBooks stores showed that Apple knew how to work in the country.
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.
Once-banned iOS widget app Launcher received its first major update yesterday, more than a year after its return to the App Store.
Launcher was one of the first apps to take advantage of Notification Center widgets introduced in iOS 8 by letting users add shortcuts to apps and tasks, thereby avoiding the need to swipe through screens or perform a Spotlight Search.
Apple originally approved Launcher in 2014 and allowed it to exist in the App Store for over a week, but then subsequently removed it, calling it a "misuse" of widgets. However, a few months later, Apple reversed course and the fully featured app gained approval.
In addition to app shortcuts, Launcher lets users configure workflows and add one-touch actions to the Notification Center, such as the ability to launch a favorite playlist or call a spouse.
The new version introduces support for multiple widgets that can be grouped together by theme. Widgets can also now be customized to display or become hidden based on day, time and location. This allows users to set a group of specific widgets that only appear when they're at work or at the gym, for example.
A new auto-setup feature means the app can set up contact launchers for the people most important to users as well as their most frequently used apps. The update also includes widget support for 3D Touch Quick Actions, along with the option to backup and restore custom widgets to iCloud.
Launcher is available as a free download on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, with paid upgrades for additional widgets available in-app. [Direct Link]
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has begun to "tape out" the design for Apple's A11 processor built on a 10nm FinFET process, according to industry sources (via DigiTimes). Taping out refers to the initial design of the chip having been completed for creation of the masks that will be used to print the actual chips, although further tweaks are likely as test production is carried out.
Following the final result of the design cycle for the A11, TSMC is expected to achieve certification on its 10nm manufacturing process in the fourth quarter of 2016, and deliver product samples to Apple for validation in the first quarter of 2017. TSMC is expected to obtain about two-thirds of its overall A11 chip orders directly from Cupertino.
The same sources indicate that TSMC could begin small-volume production for Apple's A11 chips as early as the second quarter of 2017, which would generate revenue for the company in the following quarter.
Apple currently operates a two-year upgrade cycle for its smartphones. All things remaining the same, that would mean the A11 would be headed for the "iPhone 7s", the likely successor to the next-generation iPhone 7 which is slated to launch this fall. However, last month Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz speculated Apple will skip its traditional "S" upgrade cycle next year altogether.
Citing industry sources, Moskowitz said the Cupertino company won't debut a spec-bumped, internally upgraded "iPhone 7s" in 2017, but a completely overhauled "iPhone 8" with "major design changes" and new, next-generation features like wireless charging. Either way, the A11-powered iPhone models would therefore be expected to launch in the second half of 2017.
In February, TSMC reached a deal with Apple to be the sole manufacturer for the A10, which is expected to be the processor included in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The deal was thought to have been motivated by TSMC's advanced device packaging techniques capable of higher-width memory buses and lower-power operation, which for consumers means better performance and efficiency.
Apple will today introduce an Apple Music student plan that discounts the streaming service by 50 percent for those who are enrolled in an eligible college or university (via TechCrunch).
The new plan means any academic student in the United States can now pick up an individual Apple Music membership for $4.99 a month, rather than pay the standard $9.99 subscription rate.
U.S. students won't be the only ones to benefit though, as the plan is also open to students in the U.K., Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The actual cost is expected to vary slightly from country to country, but all markets will see 50 percent off the standard subscription rate.
The student discount is offered for up to four continuous or non-continuous years after sign-up, so students are able to take gap years or breaks between semesters and still sign up again when they return to study. Additionally, the plan is open to all students of all ages, regardless of degree.
The membership tier will be available starting today to both new and existing subscribers. Students can sign up or change their membership online, or go through the Apple Music mobile app. Apple is using student verification technology provider, UNiDAY, to ensure that those who are signing up as students are actually enrolled at a supported institution.
News of the student plan comes two days after it was reported that Apple is planning to overhaul its year-old music streaming service to make it more intuitive. The company is set to redesign the user interface, which will be "bolder, yet simpler", with an emphasis on black and white backgrounds and text as well as more of a focus on album art.
Additionally, the "New" tab in Apple Music is being replaced with a "Browse" option with better organizational tools for finding new content, and Apple will encourage users to use a simplified "For You" section. The new Apple Music app will reportedly debut at WWDC in iOS 10 and will be introduced through an iTunes update on the Mac.
Bob Kupbens, Apple's Vice President of Online Retail, has resigned from the company, reports 9to5Mac.
The former Delta Airlines VP was hired by Apple in March 2014 shortly after Angela Ahrendts was confirmed the company's next senior VP. The hires came as Apple sought to beef up its retail division following two years without a retail leader since John Browett's dismissal in 2012.
Kupbens took over from Apple VP Jennifer Bailey – now in charge of Apple Pay – and was directly responsible for all online retail initiatives, such as Apple's recently redesigned online store and its online iPhone upgrade program.
Apple's retail leadership has had a relatively high staff turnover in recent years compared to other divisions in the company. In January 2013, VP Jerry McDougal left Cupertino after playing a key role in the company's retail development for 12 years. Ahrendts' division shake-up later made way for the 2015 retirement of Bob Bridger, the last Apple retail executive of the Steve Jobs and Ron Johnson era.
A former CEO of Burberry, Ahrendts famously revamped the fashion company's entire shopping experience. Apple has aggressively expanded in China under Ahrendts' retail leadership, with stores opening last year in Chongqing, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanjing and Tianjin, and several more on the way throughout 2016.
Apple is looking to purchase "large expanses of real estate" in the San Francisco Bay Area for its much-rumored car project, codenamed Project Titan, according to The Wall Street Journal. Google parent company Alphabet and several car manufacturers, such as Tesla and Mercedes Benz, are also on the hunt for more space, according to Hudson Pacific, one of the Bay Area's largest landlords.
Map of Apple's newly-purchased real estate in San Jose
“We’re seeing the Toyotas of the world, the Teslas of the world, BMWs, Mercedes. Ford now is out in the marketplace looking for space,” [Hudson Pacific Properties CEO Victor Coleman] said on the landlord’s quarterly investor call. “I haven’t even mentioned the 400,000 square feet that Google’s looking to take down and the 800,000 square feet that Apple’s looking to take down for their autonomous cars as well.”
While the size Coleman references is fairly big, car production plants tend to be even larger. Tesla's Fremont, California factory is 5.3 million square feet while Ford's Flat Rock, Michigan plant, one of its smaller factories, is 2.9 million square feet. For comparison, Apple's new headquarters is 2.8 million square feet while Google's Mountain View campus is 4.8 million square feet.
In recent months Apple has been leasing more space repeatedly for its car project in the Bay Area. In March, Apple leased a former Pepsi bottling plant in Sunnyvale, California. The Cupertino company has also leased and purchased several smaller, secret buildings likely being used to develop Apple Car technologies. In January, Apple gained approval from the San Jose city council to develop a 4.15 million-square-foot campus in the city.
The WSJ also notes that Apple is in the process of growing its Apple Car team, which had 600 employees last year. Earlier today, it was reported that Apple had hired a former Google employee with experience in electric vehicle charging.
Google today applied for a patent for an electric vehicle charging system and, as spotted byQuartz, one of the inventors listed on the patent application is Kurt Adelberger, who left Google for Apple in July 2015. The hire marks yet another potential addition to Apple's rumored electric car team.
Adelberger, according to his LinkedIn page, has been serving as a Product Designer at Apple. At Google, he was focused on reducing the Mountain View company's EV charging by 34%, energy storage and energy management. The Google patent he was working on is for a device that would "manage the connections between an electric vehicle and a charging station." This device would communicate with an optimization service that would provide data to allow the device to optimize charge based on outside factors like energy price and grid demands.
While Adelberger has experience working with electric vehicles and their charging systems, he's also experienced in managing electricity use for buildings and working with energy derived from solar panels. He led a team that procured and installed large-scale energy storage for Google's campus. Although Adelberger could be a Product Designer on Apple's Project Titan car project, it's also possible he's working on other projects that need help with energy management.
Multiple Apple hires with automotive backgrounds have been reported in the past month, with Tesla employees David Masiukiewicz and Chris Porritt joining as a "Senior Model Maker" and as a member of Apple's Special Projects group, respectively. Apple also hired Kevin Harvey, who worked at the CNC machine shop at Andretti Autosport.
Immersion, a company that develops and licenses haptic touch feedback technology, today filed a second lawsuit against Apple and AT&T, accusing the MacBook and MacBook Pro of violating one patent and the iPhone 6s of violating three additional patents not mentioned in the original lawsuit.
According to Immersion, iPhone 6s and MacBook features like 3D Touch and the Force Touch trackpad infringe on its intellectual property. The four patents included in today's lawsuit are as follows:
- U.S. Patent No. 8,749,507: "Systems and Methods for Adaptive Interpretation of Input from a Touch-Sensitive Input Device"
- U.S. Patent No. 7,808,488: "Method and Apparatus for Providing Tactile Sensations"
- U.S. Patent No. 8,581,710: "Systems and Methods for Haptic Confirmation of Commands"
- U.S. Patent No. 7,336,260: "Method and Apparatus for Providing Tactile Sensations"
The fourth patent is the one that Immersion accuses the MacBook, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the 15-inch MacBook Pro of violating, and AT&T, while named in the iPhone 6s claim, is not named in the MacBook infringement claim. According to Immersion, the Force Touch trackpad built into these products uses haptic feedback technology belonging to Immersion.
Apple's Force Touch trackpad utilizes haptic feedback to mimic the feeling of pressing on a physical button. The trackpad is able to distinguish between a light press and a harder press, with the pressure-sensitivity used to enable different gestures.
In the original lawsuit filed in February of 2016, Immersion accused Apple and AT&T of infringing on three patents with the iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and Apple Watch Edition. Immersion has added AT&T to the lawsuit because AT&T sells Apple products and offers guides, directions, and other materials that "encourage and facilitate infringing use by others."
Immersion's patent lawsuit, in which the company requests a jury trial and seeks compensatory damages, is accompanied by a second complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission, seeking an inclusion order to prevent the sale of the accused Apple devices in the United States.
Apple CEO Tim Cook's fourth annual CharityBuzz auction ended this afternoon, raising more than $500,000 for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The auction, which garnered more than 40 bids, includes a one hour lunch date with Tim Cook At Apple's Cupertino headquarters along with passes to a forthcoming Apple keynote event.
Two people are able to attend the lunch meeting with Cook, with the experience set to last for approximately one hour. While lunch is included in the price of the auction, travel and accommodations are not. The offer expires on May 5, 2017, and the winner will be able to schedule their appointment on a "mutually agreed upon date."
In the final hours of the auction, bidding ramped up significantly, jumping from $275,000 yesterday afternoon to the more than $500,000 finishing price.
At $515,000, the 2016 CharityBuzz auction brought in more money than it did in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, the auction raised $200,000, while in 2015, it brought in $330,001. In 2013, the first year the auction was held, someone paid $610,000 to have lunch with Cook.
It's possible the auction winner will be able to use the keynote event tickets to attend the keynote for the Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple is expected to debut new versions of iOS, OS X, watchOS, and tvOS, and perhaps new Mac models.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, a charity Tim Cook has supported for several years. Earlier in 2016, Tim Cook was elected to the RFK Center's board of directors.
Apple today announced a new partnership with SAP to "revolutionize" the mobile work experience for its enterprise customers by combining native iPhone and iPad apps with the SAP HANA Cloud Platform. Under the partnership, Apple and SAP will create a new software development kit and training academy to help developers and enterprise customers create tailored business-focused iOS apps.
"This partnership will transform how iPhone and iPad are used in enterprise by bringing together the innovation and security of iOS with SAP's deep expertise in business software," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "As the leader in enterprise software and with 76% of business transactions touching an SAP system, SAP is the ideal partner to help us truly transform how businesses around the world are run on iPhone and iPad. Through the new SDK, we're empowering SAP's more than 2.5 million developers to build powerful native apps that fully leverage SAP HANA Cloud Platform and tap into the incredible capabilities that only iOS devices can deliver."
The new SAP HANA Cloud Platform SDK will be developed exclusively for iOS and will give enterprise customers simple tools for "quickly and efficiently" building apps for iPhone and iPad based on the SAP HANA Cloud Platform. According to the press release, the native apps will provide access to core data and business processes on SAP HANA while also taking advantage of Apple hardware features like Touch ID, Location Services, and Notifications.
Under the partnership, a new SAP Fiori iOS design language will be created, and SAP will also develop a suite of native iOS apps for "critical business operations" built on Apple's Swift programming language.
Streaming company Netflix today introduced a new set of "cellular data controls" that will give its customers control over the quality of video streaming on cellular networks so as to avoid overcharge fees with data-capped plans. The launch follows an admission of throttling video by Netflix earlier in March, when the company also confirmed the data saver feature would debut in May.
According to Netflix, the default control setting will let users stream approximately 3 hours of TV and movies per gigabyte of data, which it determined as the sweet spot setting that "balances good video quality with lower data usage to help avoid exceeding data caps and incurring overage fees." Of course, since the whole point is personal customization, the controls let users on higher data plans up the streaming quality at their will, and vice versa.
Netflix's cellular data controls (left) and new 3D Touch Quick Actions (right)
The cellular data controls can be found in App Settings, with the various customizable controls available once you toggle off "Set Automatically." From there users can choose Low (4 hours per GB), Medium (2 hours per GB), High (1 hour per GB), or Unlimited options for streaming video in the app. An alternative also exists to shut off cellular data playback completely -- and only use Wi-Fi -- within the menu.
In addition to the cellular controls, the 8.4.0 update to Netflix on the App Store also brings 3D Touch support for Quick Actions right from the Home screen, VoiceOver improvements to navigation, and various bug fixes. Those who have yet to do so can download Netflix from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Apple recently updated its online storefront with the addition of a new "Accessibility" category, which is broken up into sections pertaining to the assistance of individuals with impairments related to vision, physical and motor skills, and learning and literacy (via Amvsement).
There are 15 total products broken up into each of the three sections, with further sub-categories allowing users to shop the online store specifically looking for accessories that support the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Some of the products include the HumanWare Brailliant BI 32 Braille Display that sits in front of a Mac's keyboard to allow anyone who is blind the ability to fully navigate OS X -- and even iOS -- with a lightweight, Bluetooth-enabled braille keyboard.
Some of the other accessibility products offer more creative outlets, like the Skoog 2.0 Tactile Musical Interface for iPad, which lets anyone create music using the multi-purpose buttons on each side of the 5-sided cube. Thanks to the Skoog's versatility in tapping, squeezing, or twisting to create responsive sound, the accessory is said to encourage "expressive music making for children, parents, teachers, and musicians."
It was rumored late last year that Apple would begin selling accessibility accessories in its physical retail stores in "early 2016," but it seems the company decided to rollout a few options to its online store first. For anyone close to an Apple Store location, Apple is offering a Personal Pickup option for the new accessories, as well.
The new product category follows Apple's ongoing accessibility efforts that encourage the use of its products by as wide a group of people as possible, including those with physical and mental impairments.
A significant number of users on Reddit and Twitter, corroborated by multiple tips we have received, are affected by an ongoing App Store issue preventing a number of popular iOS apps from showing up in search results unless already installed, including Google, Periscope, Spotify, Tidal, Tumblr, Uber, Vine, Waze, and many others.
The search issues appear to be widespread, affecting iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch customers throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, and elsewhere since early Thursday morning. Apple has yet to update its System Status page with any reported issues as of 6:00 a.m. Pacific, but it has historically been slow in reflecting outages.
Update: The search issues also appear to extend to iTunes and the Mac App Store.
Update 2: Apple is aware that users have been "experiencing a problem with the App Store" since about 2:00 a.m. Pacific. Apple is "investigating and will update the status as more information becomes available."
Update: Apple's System Status page indicates the App Store issues were resolved shortly after 8:00 a.m. Pacific. Search results now appear to be functioning normally.
British luxury car maker Bentley has released an Apple Watch app that treats Bentayga SUV passengers to a bevy of car functions not seen before on a smartwatch.
The app uses "bespoke digital architecture" that synchronizes with the vehicle's Touch Screen Remote (TSR) system, enabling passengers to access in-car climate control and entertainment systems, including the ability to adjust the heating, ventilation, and massage functions of their seats.
Elsewhere, users can also monitor real-time car information from within the app, such as vehicle speed, distance travelled, and outside temperature. Meanwhile, media functions for hi-fi and digital TV include the ability to change volume, adjust playback controls, and switch media sources.
And if the driver seat is too reclined for passengers' liking, this can be adjusted from the app, too.
Los Angeles police investigators have discovered a workable method to bypass the hardened security features of a locked iPhone 5s, according to The Los Angeles Times.
In court documents seen by the newspaper yesterday, LAPD detectives found a "forensic cellphone expert" who could unlock the iPhone 5s belonging to April Jace, the slain wife of "The Shield" actor Michael Jace, who is accused of killing her at their L.A. home in 2014.
The claim appeared in a search warrant filed during the same period that the FBI was demanding Apple unlock the earlier model iPhone 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. In that high-profile case, the FBI eventually unlocked the phone with the help of professional hackers, paying them up to $1 million for a tool exploiting a security vulnerability.
According to FBI director James Comey, the method obtained by the bureau only worked on a "narrow slice of phones", which did not include models of the iPhone 5s and after, presumably because the latter devices are equipped with Apple's proprietary Secure Enclave, a separate security-hardened portion of the core processing chip with its own secure boot and personalized software where private encryption keys are stored and used to secure data.
Prior to the the FBI's acquisition of its hacking method, several security experts warned that the ability the bureau sought from Apple would in fact work on later devices, while Apple claimed back in February that the method the FBI asked it for to unlock an iPhone 5c was also possible on newer devices with the Secure Enclave. According to TechCrunch, Apple said at the time that the technical solutions would be different than they are on the iPhone 5c, but not impossible.
According to The Times, the search warrant filed in the April Jace killing did not detail the method used by the LAPD to open the later-model iPhone 5s, nor did police reveal the identity of the cellphone expert. It's also unclear what operating system April Jace's phone had.
The iPhone 5s has been at the center of the investigation after it was claimed that the actor and his wife argued "about their relationship" via text message shortly before he is alleged to have shot her. Michael Jace's attorneys successfully persuaded a judge to delay his murder trial, arguing that the dead woman's phone should undergo a more exhaustive search than one initially conducted by police.
Shortly after her killing, April Jace's cellphone was locked by a passcode, which "hindered" the investigation. But in January 2015, an Apple technician was ordered by an L.A. judge to help police extract data from the phone, according to the search warrant.
That attempt apparently failed to obtain any information and a second attempt by the L.A. County district attorney's office the same month left the phone "disabled". The following month, authorities tried to inspect the iPhone but it didn't even turn on, the warrant stated.
But in March, investigators learned that a forensic cellphone expert could "override" the security features and let authorities view the phone's contents. A senior investigator with the district attorney's office was apparently then able to examine the phone in April. Jace, 53, is currently awaiting trial in the case.
Last week it was reported that the FBI will not reveal to Apple the method it used to hack into the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter, because it does not have the rights to the technical data about how the method functions. Apple wants details on the flaw so a fix can be implemented. Until it does, the FBI can keep using the vulnerability so long as it remains unpatched.
Amid its dispute with the FBI, reports suggest Apple has already begun work on implementing stronger security measures to protect iOS devices in order to counter the threat of hackers rather than the government. Apple has also said it has revamped its internal security teams.
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.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has begun to "tape out" the design for Apple's A11 processor built on a 10nm FinFET process, according to industry sources (via 
Bob Kupbens, Apple's Vice President of Online Retail, has resigned from the company, reports 
Los Angeles police investigators have discovered a workable method to bypass the hardened security features of a locked iPhone 5s, according to 
