Amid rumors suggesting the larger-screened iPhone 7 Plus will be differentiated from the iPhone 7 with a dual-lens camera system, multiple images depicting a dual-camera part that could be used in the device have surfaced.
This morning, Taiwanese site Apple.club.tw [Google Translate] shared images of a dual-camera module potentially destined for the iPhone 7 Plus, which matches earlier images of a dual-camera module shared in January by Chinese site Chuansong.me [Google Translate] and highlighted over the weekend by French website Nowhereelse.fr. Similar camera module photos have also been spotted on Chinese social networking site Weibo (login required).
Image via Chuansong
All of the images appear to depict the same camera module, featuring a dual-lens setup with a narrower lens in a larger enclosure on the left and a wider lens in a smaller enclosure on the right, along with two cables that would allow it to attach to the logic board of an electronic device.
Image via Weibo
Because images of the module first started showing up in January, it might be easy to dismiss it as a part for another smartphone, but January is also the month we got our first look at an alleged iPhone 7 backlight component, suggesting early parts have perhaps been in production for several months already.
We can't confirm this is a component that will be used in the iPhone 7 Plus, but in addition to lining up with dual-camera rumors, it is labeled with an "821" part number, which Apple has used in the past. With rumors suggesting Apple has been experimenting with dual-camera modules from several manufacturers, there's a good chance this is a genuine part.
Image via Apple.club.tw
Apple is said to be preparing to introduce a dual-lens setup in at least one version of the iPhone 7 Plus. Current rumors point towards the launch of an iPhone 7 and two variants of the iPhone 7 Plus, one with a single camera and one with two cameras. It isn't known if this is just a prototyping phase or if Apple actually intends to release two versions of the iPhone 7 Plus, but rumors do agree that while we may see dual cameras in the iPhone 7 Plus, the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 will continue to use a standard single-lens camera.
Apple's dual-lens camera system is said to take advantage of technology acquired from LinX Imaging, introducing 2-3x optical zoom capabilities for images that are clearer, brighter, and with more detail, especially in low light conditions. Apple will likely launch the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in September of 2016.
Apple, Google, McDonald's, and IKEA representatives will be in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss their tax deals in Europe, reports Reuters.
The hearing will be hosted by the European Parliament's tax committee, but the lawmakers do not have the power to order any changes, according to the report. Nevertheless, the meeting should raise some important questions about each company's compliance with EU tax rules in the past and present.
Apple is one of several multinational corporations that have been targeted for possible corporate tax avoidance in Europe. In September 2014, the European Commission formally accused the iPhone maker of receiving illegal state aid from Ireland, where it has reportedly paid a reduced tax rate of around 1.8% on it overseas profits.
Apple operates multiple subsidiaries in Ireland to pay significantly less tax outside of the U.S., where it earns up to 60% of its revenue. The company's $64.1 billion in profits generated from 2004 to 2012 could be subject to a higher 12.5% tax rate, in which case it would owe more than $8 billion in back taxes.
A decision in the tax probe was originally expected in late 2015, but the European Commission's request for additional information has pushed the investigation into 2016. Last week, EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager told reporters "don't hold your breath" in terms of when the commission will make a decision.
Apple previously said it pays all of its taxes and added that it would appeal any decision made against the company.
Update: While Reuters says the hearing will take place on Wednesday, the European Parliament's website states the meeting will start on Tuesday at 15:00 CET.
Update 2: Apple provided the following statement on Tuesday during its meeting with the European Parliament's tax committee:
"Apple is the largest taxpayer in the world. In 2015 we paid 13.2 billion dollars in taxes worldwide, which is an effective tax rate of 36.4%", its representatives said when asked about the company's tax structures in Europe and the state aid investigation launched by competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. However, they were not prepared to disclose its EU and Irish tax figures. "Those are confidential. When country-by-country reporting will become mandatory, we will of course follow". Apple, like Google, pays most of its taxes in the US, where most of its employees are based and its research is done.
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.
Microsoft recently updated the iOS version of its email client Outlook [Direct Link] with the ability for users to enable Touch ID when accessing the app. Outlook is the first of the major email apps on iOS -- including Gmail and Apple's own stock Mail app -- to support the fingerprint security features of Touch ID.
To set up Touch ID in Outlook, navigate to the "Settings" tab within the app, and then toggle on "Require Touch ID." In addition to basic email features, Outlook provides a calendar feature and the ability to send and view documents via sharing apps like OneDrive and Dropbox, without having to actually leave the app. All of these features can now be guarded by Touch ID as well.
You can now protect your inbox with Touch ID and get the privacy you deserve. Keep your messages away from prying eyes by requiring your fingerprint or device passcode in order to access your Outlook account. To enable Touch ID, take a look at the app Settings under Preferences. (iOS 9 users) Your inbox – and dare we say it, the world – is now at your fingertips.
For anyone looking to switch to Outlook to try out the Touch ID enhancement, the Microsoft app does support other email services including Yahoo! Mail, iCloud, and Gmail. Other basic updates in version 2.2.2 of the app introduce profile photos of event attendees in agenda view and a shortcut in the day and 3-day view that lets users create a new event by simply tapping and holding.
Philips is extending the capabilities of its Hue lighting system even further with the Philips Hue White Ambiance kit, which will give fans of the smart lighting system access to every shade of white light (via SlashGear). The new bulbs are a more robust version of the Philips Hue Lux system, which is limited to dimmable white light rather than the full array of colors available with the standard Hue bulbs.
The White Ambiance bulbs are billed as a natural companion to the day/night light cycle of the sun, encouraging users to wake up in the mornings and then dimming the light temperature to a low-level of light before bed. The low light mode is similar in theory to Apple's upcoming Night Shift feature in iOS 9.3, which cuts down on the amount of blue light users interact with in the evening hours to facilitate a better night's sleep.
In fact, the Ambience bulb supports anything from 6,500 K, the equivalent of cool daylight, all the way to 2,200 K, which is a warmer, almost golden light. Philips' light recipes are supported, which use different light temperatures to promote concentration, relaxation, or other moods.
To help with this, Philips is introducing a feature called "Routines" with the launch of the White Ambiance bulbs. Comparable to the alarms and timers of the current Hue app, Routines will allow users to customize instances that gradually increase white light levels ahead of a pre-set time in the morning, and dim lights as bed time draws near in the evening. It should be noted, as with the lower-cost Lux bulbs, the White Ambiance kit will not support the ability to change to any colors besides variations of white.
Philips will sell the new bulbs individually at a price not yet disclosed by the company, along with a starter kit that will come with a wall switch, two ambiance bulbs, and the new HomeKit-enabled Hue Bridge 2.0. It will launch "in the spring," with more information trickling out closer to launch day. The company also hinted that this fall it will be launching a line of lamps with the same white color spectrum capabilities as the ambiance bulbs.
Adobe today announced the launch of its newest Creative Cloud app, Adobe Experience Design, otherwise known as Adobe XD. Previously referred to as "Project Comet," Adobe XD is designed to address the pain points in creative workflows with an end-to-end experience for designers that encompasses designing, prototyping, and sharing.
With Adobe XD, designers can create, test, and share mockups with simple, intuitive tools. XD aims to make design the focus of the UX creation process by simplifying tools for designers and eliminating the need to work with multiple third-party apps.
The app includes art boards that are available in standard sizes for devices like the iPhone or iPad, as well as custom sizes. Multiple art boards can be included in a single document, so designs for a range of devices can be mocked up in the same document. Built-in UI kits for iOS and Android give designers quick access to UI elements like panels, icons, controls, and more, so apps and other projects can be mocked up within minutes.
There are clever tools for things like adding vector artwork and icons, such as a repeat grid tool for adding lists of repeated items and a masking option for quick image insertion. Prototyping a design can be done by switching to an interactive prototype mode, which allows designers to use "wires" to connect different art boards together to replicate how a user experience might work in an app.
Assets from Adobe XD can be exported into apps like Muse and Dreamweaver, as well as third-party tools for creating native iOS and Android applications. There are also sharing tools for getting quick feedback on design elements.
Adobe XD is available for Mac users starting today as part of a public preview. The software has been in closed testing with 5,000 designers who have provided feedback for feature adjustments, and Adobe is now ready to open it up to additional users. Public preview users will be able to request features and submit bug reports, with Adobe using that information to determine the features and updates that get added to the software each month.
While Adobe XD is limited to Mac users at the current time, Adobe has plans to expand it to other platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows in the future. Additional integration with other Creative Cloud apps is also planned. Adobe XD is free to anyone with an Adobe ID and more information is available on Adobe's website.
Technology firms operating in the UK will be forced to install backdoors in their products and services for state surveillance purposes under proposed new laws, reports The Sunday Times.
The new powers come under the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB), referred to by critics as the "Snooper's Charter", which was published by Home Secretary Theresa May on March 1 and is due to get its second reading in parliament tomorrow. The bill is backed by a draft code of practice that would also ban companies from revealing if they had been asked to install the backdoor technology.
The accompanying draft document states that the British Home Secretary has the power to force firms to provide the "technical capability" to allow the security services to access communication data as well as undertake "interception" and "equipment interference".
The bill itself grants the Home Secretary the power to order the removal of "electronic protection", which technology experts say is another word for encryption. Internet service providers would also have to keep records of the online browsing history of everyone for a period of 12 months and enable intelligence agencies to access the data unhindered, allowing them to see every website a person has visited.
The UK opposition Labour party has warned the British government that it will derail the bill by abstaining to vote it through in its current form, which critics have called an invasion of privacy on a massive scale and a huge security risk if passed.
"The Home Secretary's Bill requires substantial changes before it will be acceptable to us," said Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham. "It must start with a presumption of privacy, as recommended by the Intelligence and Security Committee, include a clearer definition of the information that can be held in an internet connection record and set a higher threshold to justify access to them."
According to a 2016 Consumer Openness Index consumer survey, only 12 percent of British people said that they had a good understanding of what the bill involves.
"There are widespread doubts over the definition, not to mention the definability, of a number of the terms used in the draft bill," Nicola Blackwood MP, chair of the Science & Technology Committee, told TechRadar. "The government must urgently review the legislation so that the obligations on the industry are clear and proportionate."
In the same survey, half of respondents believed that "making personal data easier for government officials to access will also make it easier for criminals to access that data as well", while only 6 percent disagreed.
The bill's progress through the UK parliament comes at a time when Apple is engaged in a high-profile dispute with the FBI, which wants its own backdoor into the company's software to unlock the iPhone at the center of the San Bernardino shooter investigation.
Apple believes complying with the demand would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to the overall weakening of encryption on smartphones and other electronic devices. Apple is scheduled to appear in court to fight the order on March 22.
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 came under fire over the weekend for an apparent failure of its App Store algorithm to rank app categories using any meaningful criteria.
Several users took to Twitter to voice their displeasure after subcategories in the App Store Games section were shown to be displaying multiple variations of similarly named apps spanning several pages.
More examples quickly followed, and apps with almost identical titles consisting of numbers were shown to dominate several "New", "Featured" and "What's Hot" sections in categories around the world, suggesting a complete breakdown in the way the algorithm processes certain content in the App Store database.
The issue was reported by users in several countries, including New Zealand, Spain and the UK, but users in the U.S. were apparently unable to replicate the problem.
Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller, who took over App Store leadership in December, responded to the criticism via his Twitter account, promising to investigate the issue.
Back in November, Apple reportedly made significant improvements to the algorithm that ranks apps in the App Store, although those changes focused on returning more useful results following a specific keyword search.
Apple often hand-picks apps for promotion on the App Store landing page based purely on merit, but the bulk of the store's organization is automated. Apple has not revealed specifics about how its algorithm usually sorts listed categories, however it is generally accepted among developers that install frequency, reviews, star ratings, engagement and sales play a combined role.
Last Week Tonight host John Oliver tackled Apple and the FBI's duel over encryption as the main segment on his show last night. He played out cases for both sides before siding with Apple and creating a comical ad for the Cupertino company in its signature style explaining why encryption is important.
Oliver starts the segment by explaining what encryption is, what it protects and how it can be hacked before diving into the debate between Apple and the FBI, which centers around San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone. The segment first lays out the case for law enforcement, touching on Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposed Apple boycott, before spending a significant amount of time explaining why creating a backdoor for the government would be a bad idea.
The Last Week Tonight host explains that many critics of Apple's stance on encryption don't seem to understand how modern technology works and that Apple creating a key for this one case is a slippery slope, allowing government officials to approach Apple for other cases. Oliver notes that the encryption debate was waged two decades ago with the Clipper Chip, which allowed for encrypted communication with a backdoor for authorities. The project was abandoned after hacker Matt Blaze figured out how to shut down the authorities' backdoor. "But decades later [authorities] seem to have convinced themselves that it can be done," Oliver said.
Oliver then takes on Apple critics who say the company can figure it out due to its success at innovation, noting they may feel that way about "Apple's magic powers" due to the way the Cupertino company markets it products. He points out that thinking Apple could create a backdoor and then have the ability to police that backdoor is unrealistic, mentioning that the company has had trouble with hackers in the past. Additionally, he says that Apple bending their encryption standards doesn't matter due to the numerous third-party encryption alternatives that exist.
The host closes by saying that other countries, like Russia and China, are watching the debate play out, hoping that they, too, would be allowed a similar level of access to devices. Oliver says that the "legal tenuousness" of the FBI's argument, the security risks, the impossibility of Apple enforcing backdoor-equipped encryption, the international fallout and the existence of third-party encryption apps is enough to "sway the most strident opinion." Oliver then closes by showing a comical encryption ad the show made for Apple in the style of the company's iPhone 6s ads.
Last Week Tonight's segment comes the week after the feud between Apple and the FBI stepped up a notch, with the FBI accusing Apple of "deliberately" raising barriers to prevent law enforcement to access data on Apple devices. Apple lawyer Bruce Sewell called the claim an "unsupported, unsubstantiated effort to vilify Apple." On Friday, President Barack Obama cautioned against taking an "absolutist" view on encryption.
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.
The first purported leak of the case design for the iPhone 7 appeared yesterday on French blog Nowhereelse.fr.
The alleged images from Taiwanese phone case manufacturer Catcher Technology depict a subtle chassis redesign for the iPhone 7, which is expected to be released by Apple this coming September.
Photo allegedly depicting new iPhone 7 chassis design (Image: Nowhereelse.fr)
The renders are consistent with information obtained by MacRumors last month from a previously reliable source claiming that the handset will lack antenna bands across the rear. As expected, the images show antenna bands are limited to the sides and around the top and bottom edges of the chassis.
In addition to the cleaner all-metal look, the images of the rear of the case depict a larger hole for the camera. The orifice is described as closer to the edges of the chassis and forming a "slight bulging outgrowth", a phrasing which doesn't appear entirely consistent with our earlier source's claim that the camera sits flush with the rear casing.
iPhone 7 mock-up by Steve Hemmerstoffer (Image: Nowhereelse.fr)
The chassis leaker adds that the design "seems slightly thinner than the iPhone 6s, confirming in passing the lack of a headphone jack port". That would appear to support last week's leak of the first protective case prepared for the iPhone 7 showing two openings for stereo speakers in lieu of the 3.5mm headphone jack on current iPhones. However, the purported change is difficult to confirm one way or the other based on these latest renders.
Earlier yesterday, Nowhereelse.fr also posted images allegedly showing dual-lens camera component parts for the iPhone 7 Plus, however these were later revealed to be identical to images that surfaced in early January.
Some rumors claim the dual-camera setup may be exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus, which reportedly may be called the iPhone Pro.
United States President Barack Obama today spoke with Texas Tribune editor Evan Smith at South by Southwest (SXSW), where he indirectly addressed Apple's dispute with the FBI. While Obama said he could not comment specifically on the ongoing encryption battle between the two, he spoke on larger issues of privacy and security.
Obama cautioned against taking an "absolutist" view on encryption and said American citizens already make concessions to balance privacy with security in other aspects of their lives. He used warrants to search homes and possessions, something the public agrees is necessary, as a parallel to accessing data on a smartphone.
He also pointed towards airport security as an example of a compromise made between security and privacy. "It's not fun going through security," he said, "but we recognize it as important." He went on to say that the notion that data can be "walled off" from those "other tradeoffs we make" is incorrect.
The question we have to ask is if technologically it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system where the encryption is so strong there's no key, there's no door, at all, then how do we apprehend the child pornographer? How do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot? What mechanisms do we have available to even do simple things like tax enforcement if in fact you cant crack that at all. If the government can't get in, everyone is walking around with a swiss bank account in their pocket.
There has to be some concession to the need to get that information somehow. Folks who are on the encryption side will argue that any key whatsoever, even if it starts off directed at one device, could end up being used on every device. That's just the nature of these systems. That is a technical question. I am not a software engineer. It is technically true, but it can be overstated.
Obama said that while he wants to make sure the government cannot "willy-nilly" get into everyone's iPhones without oversight and probable cause, there are "constraints we impose" to make sure we live in a safe and civilized society. He advocated for finding a balance between encryption and privacy and the government's need to investigate crimes.
My conclusion so far is that you cannot take an absolutist view on this. So if your argument is strong encryption no matter what, and we can and should, in fact, create black boxes, that I think does not strike the kind of balance that we have lived with for 200, 300 years and it is fetishizing our phones above every other value. That can't be the right answer.
I suspect that the answer is going to come down to how do we create a system where the encryption is as strong as possible, the key is as secure as possible, is accessible by the smallest number of people possible for a subset of issues that we agree are important.
Obama went on to call on software engineers and technology companies to help the government solve the problem, and he said a thorough, well-formed encryption solution should be established before it's desperately needed. He cautioned against the tech community disengaging or taking a position that "is not sustainable for the general public as a whole over time," as it could lead to a stalemate that will ultimately lead to "sloppy" legislation should the political climate change after something "really bad happens." Apple, too, has urged for the issue to be solved in Congress instead of the courts.
The president's comments come as Apple is facing off against the U.S. government in a fierce public battle over the order that would require Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook by creating new software to circumvent passcode restrictions on the device. Apple believes complying with the demand would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to the overall weakening of encryption on smartphones and other electronic devices.
The Department of Justice has dismissed Apple's concerns, calling its fears overblown and insisting the request will not result in a universal "master key." Just yesterday, a government filing accused Apple of "deliberately" raising technological barriers preventing law enforcement from accessing data on Apple devices, something Apple lawyer Bruce Sewell went on to call an "unsupported, unsubstantiated effort to vilify Apple."
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.
Last summer, Intel announced 3D Xpoint, a new class of memory labeled as a "major breakthrough in memory process technology." 3D Xpoint is 1,000 times faster and more durable than NAND Flash storage, as well as 10 times denser than the DRAM chips used in computers.
The innovative, transistor-less cross point architecture creates a three-dimensional checkerboard where memory cells sit at the intersection of word lines and bit lines, allowing the cells to be addressed individually. As a result, data can be written and read in small sizes, leading to faster and more efficient read/write processes.
Intel has promised that the first 3D Xpoint (pronounced "crosspoint") product will be coming in early 2016 in the form of its Optane solid state drives, which may be of interest to Apple. According to Macworld, 3D Xpoint is compatible with NVM Express (NVMe), an SSD protocol that offers improved latency and performance over the older AHCI protocol.
Apple's Retina MacBooks already use NVMe technology, and it's likely Skylake Macs set to be released across 2016 will also support NVMe. With NVMe compatibility built into 3D Xpoint, Apple could adopt Intel's Optane solid state drives for super fast performance speeds that significantly outpace what's possible with current SSDs. As Macworld points out, Apple is often an early adopter of emerging technology, having been the first company to implement Thunderbolt and chip technology from Intel.
While Intel is planning to make its Optane SSDs available in 2016, the technology is unlikely to see widespread adoption right away. 3D Xpoint storage solutions will likely exist alongside NAND Flash options until prices become affordable enough for use in mass-produced products. Intel is also working on Optane memory DIMMs.
If Apple does choose to use Intel's Optane SSDs in future Macs, it could be some time before Optane-equipped machines are available. Upgraded Macs that are expected in 2016 will likely continue to use NAND Flash, but as mentioned previously, speed improvements could come in the form of wider NVMe adoption.
Skylake chips appropriate for many of Apple's Macs are currently available or will be available in the near future, so we may begin seeing the the first Mac upgrades in the next few months, perhaps at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference.
Alien Blue is the most popular Reddit app for iPhone and iPad, developed by Jase Morrissey and acquired by Reddit in October 2014. The universal iOS app is free on the App Store, and a Pro tier was previously offered as a $1.99 in-app purchase.
However, Reddit has since decided to focus its efforts on developing an official Reddit for iOS app, and Alien Blue will be removed from the App Store once the new app is released. Reddit for iOS is currently in closed beta testing.
Alien Blue will remain accessible by users that already downloaded the app, but Pro features will likely require a Gold subscription going forward. Reddit's free four-year Gold subscription should help bridge the transition for existing Pro users.
Reddit Gold is a membership program that provides perks such as turning off ads, custom themes, custom avatars, new comment highlighting, subreddit filtering, saved posts and comments categorization, and more. Reddit Gold is $3.99/month or $29.99/year.
Alien Blue [Direct Link] remains available for free on the App Store in the short term.
With the court date for the iPhone unlocking case between Apple and the FBI just over a week away, United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch decided to speak on the issue during an episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night (via TechCrunch). After Colbert asked about her likely stance on the topic, Lynch said that she has "had a number of great conversations with Tim Cook on issues of privacy," and remarked on the sensitivity of the issue.
"Well, you know, we've disagreed publicly in court and I've had a number of great conversations with Tim Cook on issues of privacy. What I'll say about this, though, is I understand why this is important to everybody, because privacy is an important issue for everyone. It's important to me, as the Attorney General, it's important to me as a citizen."
As it has been heavily reported since mid-February, the case revolves around the FBI's request for Apple to unlock the iPhone 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken a stance against the court order, which Colbert brought up to Lynch in last night's interview. The host noted Cook's belief that creating such a backdoor into the iPhone could lead to a "slippery slope" into privacy concerns for all Apple device users.
Lynch's defense lies in Cook's alleged misrepresentation of what the FBI wants the company to do in regards to Farook's iPhone. In the interview, she claims that they are "not asking for a backdoor," and that the court order filed requesting Apple's compliance is "very narrow," suggesting Cook's fear of an anti-privacy precedent is unwarranted.
"Well you know, first of all, we're not asking for a backdoor, and nor are we asking for him to turn anything on to spy on anyone. We're asking them to do what their customer wants. The real owner of the phone is the county, the employer of one of the terrorists who's now dead. What we're asking them to do is to help us disable the password erase function that basically wipes the phone if you guess the password wrong after ten times. We will try to get into the phone, we will extract the evidence under the court order that we have gotten that's very narrow, it's very focused."
Lynch's comments support a recent document released by the prosecutors representing the United States government in the case against Apple, in which they refer to the original filing for Apple's participation a "modest" request that would never lead to a "master key" that could unlock all iPhones against the will of their owners. Nevertheless, Apple will appear in court to fight the order on March 22, following the recently confirmed March 21 date of its "Let Us Loop You In" media event.
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.
Adobe has released security updates for Flash Player that address critical vulnerabilities that "could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system." Adobe is aware of "limited, targeted attacks" on OS X, Windows, and Linux.
Adobe lists the affected Flash Player and AIR versions in a security bulletin on its website. Mac or PC users running an affected version should immediately uninstall the web plugin or update their installation to the newest version outlined on Adobe's website.
Apple blocks many older or vulnerable versions of web plugins from functioning, including Adobe Flash and Java, to help limit exposure to potential "zero day" exploits. The web plugins remain blocked in Safari until you install the latest updates. Chrome, Firefox, and most other modern web browser also have web plugin safeguards in place due to the high number of past security risks.
Wireless audio company and Apple Music partner Sonos has announced it will lay off employees as it restructures the business towards a new focus on music streaming and voice control.
The reasoning behind the move came in a blog post yesterday by Sonos CEO John MacFarlane, who called it an "investment in the future of music" that would allow the company to remain profitable, but which came with "very difficult" consequences. No details were given on the extent of the job cuts.
MacFarlane said the change would first see Sonos "lean into" the area of paid streaming services, following an irreversible shift in the music ecosystem, led by Apple.
This past year, when Apple announced its entry with Apple Music, we saw and helped drive a dramatic acceleration of paid music subscriptions. With Apple's influence, the entire ecosystem – labels, artists, management – began to embrace and advance streaming all over the world.
Now, this shift is irreversibly started, and everyone in the ecosystem is adjusting to a world of streaming services. The Beatles library, now available on all the streaming services, is a perfect example of how labels are leaning into streaming.
MacFarlane said the path forward for the music industry and for Sonos is "crystal clear" as he announced it was "doubling down" on streaming music, with an aim to build "incredibly rich experiences" as consumers inevitably grew dissatisfied with existing solutions for listening at home.
The CEO offered few details on the products or services that would be at the center of such experiences, but identified voice control as the way forward, calling the company "fans" of Amazon's Alexa personal assistant and Echo hardware.
Voice recognition isn't new; today it's nearly ubiquitous with Siri, OK Google, and Cortana. But the Echo found a sweet spot in the home and will impact how we navigate music, weather, and many, many other things as developers bring new ideas and more content to the Alexa platform.
Alexa/Echo is the first product to really showcase the power of voice control in the home. Its popularity with consumers will accelerate innovation across the entire industry. What is novel today will become standard tomorrow. Here again, Sonos is taking the long view in how best to bring voice-enabled music experiences into the home. Voice is a big change for us, so we'll invest what's required to bring it to market in a wonderful way.
Sonos made a name for itself by offering wireless sound systems that connect to an app which integrates third-party music streaming services including Spotify and SoundCloud. Apple Music content became available on Sonos wireless speakers in February after extensive beta testing by hundreds of thousands of listeners.
Sonos faces increasingly stiff competition as companies like Google, Samsung and Bose continue to expand their own wireless home audio solutions. However, while Amazon announced two new voice-activated audio products just last week, it also released accompanying SDKs and APIs which enable any device to respond to voice commands, opening the door for potential Sonos speaker integrations in the future.
Wikipedia yesterday released a major update to its iOS app, offering an all-new interface and several new features designed to enhance content discovery.
Wikipedia Mobile 5.0 brings several optimizations to devices running iOS 9, featuring Spotlight Search integration, Handoff support, and 3D Touch enhancements for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 Plus users.
Previous updates to the app added features like offline access and mobile editing, but with the latest version Wikipedia has changed tack by aiming to make navigation simpler and developing an interface that's more focused on personalization and tailored content.
The Explore feed now populates based on previous interests, local surroundings, and featured articles and images, with support for navigating using a wider range of multi-touch gestures.
3D Touch support has also been extended to the Wikipedia icon, with Quick Actions like "Random article" and "Nearby articles" accessible from the home screen.
Prosecutors representing the United States government today filed another document (via The Verge) to support the motion to compel Apple to unlock the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, calling the original order a "modest" request that would not result in a universal "master key" and dismissing many of Apple's legal arguments.
The document says Apple's rhetoric is false and "corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights." Apple's efforts, and those of its supporters, to highlight the wider issues the order could have on encryption, are a "diversion," says the government.
Apple and its amici try to alarm this Court with issues of network security, encryption, back doors, and privacy, invoking larger debates before Congress and in the news media. That is a diversion. Apple desperately wants--desperately needs--this case not to be "about one isolated iPhone." But there is probable cause to believe there is evidence of a terrorist attack on that phone, and our legal system gives this Court the authority to see that it can be searched pursuant to a lawful warrant. And under the compelling circumstances here, the Court should exercise that authority, even if Apple would rather its products be warrant-proof.
Unsurprisingly, the government argues that the All Writs Act does, in fact, give the courts the power to compel Apple to unlock the iPhone, disagreeing with Apple's argument that Congress' choice not to expand on the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act serves as evidence Congress has limited the assistance companies must provide to law enforcement.
It also walks through several prior court cases in an effort to challenge many of Apple's claims, including that no company has been conscripted to produce code for the government and that it would be an undue burden for Apple to create new software for the FBI.
Apple is accused of "deliberately" raising technological barriers preventing the government from obtaining the data on the iPhone through a lawful warrant. "Apple alone can remove those barriers so the FBI can search the phone," reads the document, "and it can do so without undue burden." Apple is "one of the richest and most tech-savvy companies in the world," and is "more than able to comply with the AWA order." The government goes on to suggest that there's no evidence a narrow order could apply to additional devices in the future, but if it does, Apple is "more than able to comply with a large volume of law-enforcement requests."
Next, contrary to Apple’s stated fears, there is no reason to think that the code Apple writes in compliance with the Order will ever leave Apple’s possession. Nothing in the Order requires Apple to provide that code to the government or to explain to the government how it works. And Apple has shown it is amply capable of protecting code that could compromise its security. [...]
Far from being a master key, the software simply disarms a booby trap affixed to one door: Farook’s.
Several sections in the motion also disagree with the notion that the software could be used on other devices and could fall into the hands of hackers or lead to Apple being forced to comply with data requests from foreign governments.
Apple speculates that if it submits to a lawful order to assist with a constitutional, warranted search of a consenting customer's phone in America, Apple will have no choice but to help totalitarian regimes suppress dissidents around the globe, and "hackers, criminals, and foreign agents" will have access to the data on millions of iPhones. This putative public burden, Apple argues, is a basis to relieve it from the Order. Apple's fears are overblown for reasons both factual and legal.
Apple and the U.S. government have been engaged in a fierce public battle over the order that would require Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook by creating new software to circumvent passcode restrictions on the device. Apple believes complying with the demand would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to the overall weakening of encryption on smartphones and other electronic devices.
Apple executives, including Tim Cook, Eddy Cue, and Craig Federighi have all given public interviews in recent weeks explaining Apple's stance, positioning the government's request as an overreach of power that could snowball into a continual stream of invasive demands impacting the privacy rights of its customers across the world.
Apple is scheduled to appear in court to fight the order on March 22, the day after its planned March 21 event that will see the debut of the iPhone SE and the new 9.7-inch iPad.
Update: Apple legal chief Bruce Sewell spoke with reporters following the government's filing, and a transcript of what he had to say has been shared by Business Insider.
In the statement, Sewell says the "cheap shot" brief's tone "reads like an indictment." He says it is an "unsupported, unsubstantiated effort to vilify Apple" rather than an effort to cover the issues in the case.
In 30 years of practice I don't think I've seen a legal brief that was more intended to smear the other side with false accusations and innuendo, and less intended to focus on the real merits of the case. [...]
We add security features to protect our customers from hackers and criminals. And the FBI should be supporting us in this because it keeps everyone safe. To suggest otherwise is demeaning. It cheapens the debate and it tries to mask the real and serious issues. I can only conclude that the DoJ is so desperate at this point that it has thrown all decorum to the winds....
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Apple recently updated its policy on audiobooks, allowing customers who have purchased audiobooks directly from Apple to re-download them using iTunes in the Cloud through iBooks on iOS devices or through iTunes on a Mac or PC. Audiobooks are now listed in a customer's iBooks purchase history and can be re-downloaded just like standard e-books.
According to a support document on downloading past purchases, the change was made on March 3. Prior to that date, audiobooks could not be re-downloaded through iCloud and were only available if they were included in a backup made on a Mac or PC.
A second support document outlining which iTunes purchases can be downloaded again by country has also been updated to reflect the change. In 22 countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and much of Europe, purchased audiobooks can be accessed at any time through a user's Purchased history.
In iOS 9.3, audiobooks are also available to be automatically downloaded to all iOS devices when purchased. In the Settings app under iTunes & App Store, "Books & Audiobooks" is now an option under Automatic Downloads. Previously, this section listed only books, leaving out audiobooks.
iOS 9.3 will also streamline the iBooks "Purchased" tab with deeper organizational options that sort books by category and it enables Family Sharing for audiobooks.
Apple has been gradually improving support for its selection of audiobooks. In iOS 8.4, audiobooks became available to purchase and listen to through the iBooks app, making them much more accessible. Prior to that date, audiobooks had to be purchased through the iTunes store and listened to using the Music app.
Audiobooks can be re-downloaded on all iOS devices immediately. Automatic Downloads of audiobooks will be enabled with iOS 9.3, set to be released to the public in the near future.
Apple, Google, McDonald's, and IKEA representatives will be in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss their tax deals in Europe, reports 
Technology firms operating in the UK will be forced to install backdoors in their products and services for state surveillance purposes under proposed new laws, reports 
Adobe has released 
