As 2016 winds down, Matthew Roberts has uploaded one last update on Apple Campus 2 for the year, providing fans with the usual coverage on progress made to the central spaceship building and the land surrounding it. The video, representing the work on Apple Campus 2 for December 2016, was taken yesterday on Christmas.
Solar panel installation is believed to be 65 percent complete now, up from 60 percent in November and 50 percent in October. Elsewhere on the main building, the atrium of Apple Campus 2 has seen "major progress" in the last month. A month ago, the atrium was just receiving its glass installation.
Walkways are also sprouting up around the campus, making it possible for employees to get to and from the various sites Apple is building. Among the walkways, the landscaping on the campus has seen its usual iterative progress, and now "many different types of trees" are noted to have been planted in December.
A few other buildings nearby have made notable progress as well, including the reception area for the underground auditorium, and some work being done on the local R&D center is said to be mostly centered inside of the building. Recent rains have left most of the campus in mud, and it's clear that construction will continue well into 2017.
iTunes gift cards are a common gift for the tech enthusiast during the holidays. The cards can be used to purchase apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, books, and more, making it difficult to decide what to buy with your freshly unwrapped gift. We're here to help with some hand-picked recommendations.
Didn't get an iTunes gift card under the tree? PayPal is offering 10% off iTunes e-gift cards through December 30 in the United States for use on U.S. storefronts only. Available denominations include $25, $50, and $100 for $22.50, $45, and $90 respectively. PayPal is also offering a $50 iTunes e-gift card for $42.50 via eBay in the United States for a limited time. While iTunes gift cards can occasionally be found for 15% off, these are a few of the best deals currently available.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the script for a two-part play based on a new original story J.K. Rowling helped to write. The book was released in July as the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, nearly a decade after the final Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book was released.
The story begins 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Harry Potter is now an overworked Ministry of Magic employee, a husband, and father of three school-aged children, including his youngest son Albus, who struggles with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted.
Texture is an iPhone and iPad app that provides unlimited access to over 200 of the world's most popular magazines for $9.99 per month. New users who purchase a subscription as an in-app purchase get a 7-day full trial.
Some of the magazines available include People, Vogue, Rolling Stone, National Geographic, GQ, Sports Illustrated, Wired, Maxim, Men's Health, GQ, Bloomberg Businessweek, ESPN, Entertainment Weekly, and many others.
Magazines can be read on up to five devices per subscription, including offline by tapping download on a specific issue. Both new issues and a searchable archive of over 5000 past issues are available. A full catalog of available magazines, additional details, and sign-up promotions can be found on the Texture website.
Super Mario Run launched on the App Store for iPhone and iPad ten days ago, becoming the first official smartphone and tablet game featuring the iconic Nintendo character. The game is free to try for the first three courses, while unlocking all 24 courses in the World Tour requires a one-time $10 in-app purchase.
The game is a timed runner designed for one-handed gameplay. Mario runs forward automatically as players tap to jump, collect coins, pounce on Goombas, avoid obstacles, and reach the flagpole at the end of each course before the timer runs out. In the end, Mario must rescue Princess Peach from Bowser.
A challenge mode called Toad Rally allows players to compete with friends or strangers to see who can obtain the highest score while performing stylish moves. Toad Rally requires Rally Tickets, which can be acquired in a variety of ways, such as clearing worlds or through bonus games in your own kingdom.
Meanwhile, a Kingdom Builder mode enables players to create their own kingdom and customize it using coins and toads gathered in Toad Rally. Super Mario Run has since gained a new Friendly Run mode similar to Toad Rally, but items, coins, or new toads collected do count toward a player's public totals in this mode.
Super Mario Run has been downloaded over 40 million times, but some players have criticized the $10 cost to unlock the full game due to limited gameplay. But, in the game's defense, there are technically 72 courses given players have to collect pink, purple, and black challenge coins on each of the 24 courses.
A number of popular iPhone and iPad apps are on sale through the holidays, including Day One, Tweetbot, Alto's Adventure, Byword, djay Pro, Duet Display, NBA 2K17, Limbo, SteamWorld Heist, Severed, Battleheart Legacy, PCalc, Pennies, Drafts, Don't Starve: Pocket Edition, Broken Age, and many others.
iTunes gift cards can be used to pay for an Apple Music subscription, which costs $9.99 per month for individuals, $14.99 per month for families with up to six people, and $4.99 per month for students in the United States and Canada. Prices and student plan availability vary in other countries.
Those looking for a slightly better deal on an annual Apple Music subscription should consider a 12-month Apple Music gift card, which Apple sells for $99. A 12-month subscription to Apple Music normally costs $120 when paying for the service directly with iTunes credit or another form of payment, so you can save $20.
Minecraft for Apple TV
Minecraft for Apple TV launched last week, giving players the familiar task of venturing into a randomly generated world and customizing it to their liking.
Minecraft: Apple TV Edition is $19.99 and can be purchased directly from the tvOS App Store on the fourth-generation Apple TV.
Holiday Movies
With the holidays and winter weather upon us in the northern half of the world, now is a better time than ever to snug up on the couch and relax. Apple is offering a wide range of holiday movies in HD for $10 or less in the United States for a limited time, so this may be a good way to spend some iTunes credit.
• Elf • National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation • Home Alone • Home Alone 2: Lost in New York • Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas • The Polar Express • A Christmas Story • It's a Wonderful Life • Love Actually • The Night Before • Mickey's Christmas Carol • The Muppet Christmas Carol • A Christmas Carol (2009) • A Christmas Carol (1984) • Tyler Perry's a Madea Christmas: The Movie • Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994) • The Santa Clause • Bad Santa • The Holiday • This Christmas • The Family Stone • Last Holiday • Jingle All the Way • A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas • Scrooged • The Best Man Holiday • The Family Man • Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights • Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas • Black Nativity • Fred Claus • The Perfect Holiday
PayPal is offering 10% off iTunes e-gift cards until December 30 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Available denominations include a $25 iTunes e-gift card for $22.50, $50 iTunes e-gift card for $45, and a $100 iTunes e-gift card for $90. The gift cards are not physical but instead delivered electronically via email.
iTunes gift cards can be used to purchase apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, books, and more on the App Store, iTunes Store, the iBooks Store, and the Mac App Store. The credit can also be used towards an Apple Music subscription. The gift cards can be used on iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Mac, or PC.
Here's the fine print summarized: Valid U.S. PayPal and iTunes accounts are required. The deal is valid only on purchases made in the United States from the U.S. iTunes Store. The offer is valid while supplies last. Limited quantity is available. Electronic delivery only. No returns or refunds are accepted.
While iTunes gift cards can occasionally be found for 15% off, this is one of the best deals currently available.
For those lucky enough to find a new iPhone, iPad, or AirPods under the tree today, now is the perfect time to outfit your home, car, work desk, bedside table, or elsewhere with extra Lightning charging cables.
The cable qualifies for free two-day shipping in the United States for Amazon Prime members. Without a Prime membership, free standard 6-8 days shipping in the U.S. is available on orders over $49 in total.
While counterfeit Apple cables and chargers on Amazon are common, and potentially dangerous, Anker claims its cable is certified by Apple under its MFi Program. MFi-certified products have been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards. The Wirecutter, owned by The New York Times, said Anker has the best Lightning cable.
This article is not affiliated with Anker, but MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and may get paid if you click one of the above links and make a purchase. Thank you to our readers for their continued support this year.
Google's Santa Tracker finally went live today, allowing anyone with Google Maps installed on an iOS device to keep up with Santa's mythical journey across the world in real time.
Users can type 'track santa' into the Google Maps search field to view the area in which Santa can be currently found dispensing gifts. Tapping the blue Santa icon in the bottom right of the screen offers up more details about the region, including a live video feed and an arrival time for Santa's next stop as well as the user's current location.
We've received this special preview from one of Santa's many developer elves, who are hard at work in the North Pole helping Santa prepare for his big day. Santa's dashboard – featuring the latest and greatest in Google Maps technology and sleigh engineering – will allow you to follow his progress around the world, and also learn a little about some of his stops along the way.
Further down the screen are options to play a selection of festive mini games, watch videos of Santa going about his business, and access a portal to Santa's village.
Friendly elves have invited younger Google Maps users to explore the village, where they can learn about holiday traditions around the world, play games like Present Bounce and Penguin Dash, visit North Pole airport, code a snowflake, and take a Santa selfie, as well as other fun activities.
Google's Santa Tracker continues a 12-year tradition for the company, allowing excited children and parents to keep up with the jolly gift-giver's travels throughout December 24.
As of writing, Santa was last seen in Urup, in the Kuril Islands, with his next scheduled stop being Onekotan.
Yesterday Consumer Reports revealed that Apple's 2016 MacBook Pro became the first MacBook to fail to achieve a recommendation due to inconsistent battery life. Apple SVP Phil Schiller today tweeted that the Cupertino company is working with Consumer Reports to understand the battery tests.
"Working with [Consumer Reports] to understand their battery tests, " Schiller tweeted. "Results do not match our extensive lab tests or field data." Apple claims its internal testing has seen the new MacBook Pro providing up to 10 hours of battery life when watching iTunes movies or browsing the web.
Working with CR to understand their battery tests. Results do not match our extensive lab tests or field data. https://t.co/IWtfsmBwpO
— Philip Schiller (@pschiller) December 24, 2016
Consumer Reports' test has come under scrutiny since publication of the non-recommendation. The tests were conducted by opening a series of 10 web pages sequentially on Safari. This tests' inconsistency had the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar registering 16 hours, 12.75 hours and 3.75 hours of battery life. A 15-inch MacBook Pro ranged from 18.5 hours to 8 hours of battery life.
When Consumer Reports tried the test with Chrome rather than Safari, it found consistently high battery life. "For this exercise, we ran two trials on each of the laptops, and found battery life to be consistently high on all six runs," the report said. Consumer Reports did not think it was enough data to draw a conclusion, though they also point out their test results only take default browsers into consideration.
Critics, like iMore's Rene Ritchie, argue that inconsistent test results require more testing to ferret out whether the issue is easily fixable, like a Safari glitch. Consumer Reports noted in its report that if Apple issues a software update that it claims will fix battery life inconsistency, they will conduct fresh tests.
In the wake of its legal dispute with Nokia, Apple has pulled all Withings-branded accessories from its online store and presumably from all of its retail stores around the world.
Apple appears to have pulled the accessories in the last day or two, eliminating Withings products like the Body Cardio Scale, the Smart Body Analyzer, and the Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor. When searching for these products on Apple's site, they are no longer listed as available for purchase.
Apple has stopped offering all Withings products because Withings is owned by Nokia following a spring 2016 purchase worth an estimated $192 million. The Withings brand has been integrated into Nokia's Digital Health unit and is led by Cedric Hutchings, formerly the CEO of Withings.
A cached version of the listing for the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor, no longer available from Apple.com
Earlier this week, Apple filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Nokia and several patent assertion entities of illegally transferring patents to attempt to extort excessive royalty fees from the Cupertino company. Apple had established FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) deals with Nokia, but by transferring patents to patent holding companies, additional royalties can be demanded.
In response, Nokia filed 40 patent infringement lawsuits against Apple across 11 countries, accusing the Cupertino company of failing to establish licensing deals for Nokia patents that cover displays, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets, and video coding.
According to Apple, Nokia has been conspiring with patent assertion entities (Acacia Research and Conversant Property Management) in an "illegal patent transfer scheme" to wring money out of Apple because Nokia's cell phone business is failing. Nokia, meanwhile, says that it has not been able to reach a licensing agreement with Apple and must defend its rights.
While the LG UltraFine 5K Displaywent on sale earlier this week, it was actually the second time it became available for purchase. Apple very briefly accepted orders for the display in late November, possibly by mistake, and some lucky customers who bought one received six to eight week shipping estimates.
Apple emailed some of those first-wave customers earlier this week to let them know their order would be shipping sooner than expected, typically with an expected delivery date of December 28 to December 29. But, in the United Kingdom at least, at least a few lucky customers received their displays today.
LG UltraFine 5K Display delivered to a lucky customer in the United Kingdom
"I ordered literally within seconds of them going on sale, with estimated delivery of December 28-30," said MacRumors forum member Stealth66, who ordered two LG UltraFine 5K displays. "I received a shipping email out of the blue yesterday afternoon, and they were delivered today by UK Mail."
"I've used Apple's Thunderbolt Displays for a few years and I must say these LG 5Ks are awesome," he added. "Very bright, incredibly sharp, and worked flawlessly out of the box, just like an Apple product! It works fine with the Belkin Ethernet adapter plugged into the back of the display."
The forum member noted the Thunderbolt 3 cable included in the box with one of the displays was defective, prompting him to make a Genius Bar appointment to obtain a replacement cable.
MacRumors forum member iBrooker, located in Wales, said his LG UltraFine 5K Display coincidentally arrived today at the same time as his new MacBook Pro, with the deliveries handled separately by couriers DHL and DPD.
"I've spent a couple of hours setting it all up and have to say the display itself is stunning," said iBrooker. "However, I'm still a bit peed that there is no headphone out—so I will have to waste one USB-C port for that. I am not fussed on the built in speakers, and didn't really want/need a camera."
LG's UltraFine 5K Display, designed in partnership with Apple, connects to the new 15-inch MacBook Pro with a single Thunderbolt 3 cable, which provides up to 85W of power to charge the notebook. The 27-inch IPS LED display has peak brightness of 500 nits and a wide DCI-P3 color gamut for more accurate and vivid colors.
The display has an adjustable and removable stand with VESA mount, built-in camera, microphone, stereo speakers, and three downstream USB-C ports at 5 Gbps speeds. It has a 60Hz refresh rate and 217 PPI. The display can be purchased from Apple for $974 until March 31, when it increases to $1,299.95.
The majority of orders placed in late November should begin arriving to customers in the United States and elsewhere next week. Orders placed this week were initially estimated to ship in as few as 3-5 business days, but orders quickly became backlogged and shipping estimates slipped to 2-4 weeks.
MacRumors is holding a series of software giveaways in celebration of the holidays, and for today's giveaway, we've partnered with AgileBits to give MacRumors readers a chance to win a three-year subscription to 1Password for Families.
For those unfamiliar with 1Password, it is password management software, which is essential in an era where critical website hacks occur on a near-daily basis. With 1Password, you can store all of your passwords, credit cards, and other sensitive information, all protected in a vault by a master password.
1Password generates complicated, secure single-use passwords for each website or service you use, so in the event that a hack does happen, there will be no compromised shared passwords. The software even alerts you when a password has potentially been compromised so you can change it right away.
With a 1Password for Families subscription, which is priced at $5 per month, a family of five can access the 1Password service for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices, with 1GB of document storage and unlimited passwords, notes, credit cards, and more. Password information syncs between devices so your passwords are always right at hand regardless of whether you're using a Mac or an iPhone.
1Password for Families also gives families a safe way to share the passwords and logins for bills and other shared services with both personal and shared vaults.
AgileBits is giving 25 MacRumors readers a three-year subscription to 1Password for Families. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (December 23) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on December 30. The winners will be chosen randomly on December 30 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Today marks the first day of Apple's annual iTunes Connect holiday shutdown, meaning the App Store will be void of any new or updated apps between now and Tuesday, December 27. In the meantime, iPhone and iPad users have plenty of time to capitalize on holiday sales for a number of popular apps.
Editor's Note: A popular Twitter app with granular mute filters, support for multiple accounts, timeline syncing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and more.
Editor's Note: The latest iPhone version of the popular NBA 2K franchise.
More deals can be found on AppShopper and through the ongoing App Santa promotion, which in addition to some of the apps above, includes discounts on Vee, Screens, Soulver, Pennies, Launch Center Pro, Drafts 4, Interact, Deliveries, Castro, Group Text+, Star Walk, Rando Emoji, and PCalc.
Target today is having a sale on a collection of iPad models, including the most recent Wi-Fi versions of the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. For the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Target has taken off $150, marking the 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB iPad down to $449.99, $549.99, and $649.99, respectively.
Not every version of the iPad is available to ship, however. At the time of writing, for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro only the 32GB Rose Gold, 32GB Space Gray, and 32GB and 128GB Gold models are able to be added to the user's cart to ship, with December 27 being the earliest estimated delivery date. Every other model can be picked up at a nearby Target, but stock is likely to be sparse so close to Christmas.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has received a similar markdown today, with the 32GB and 128GB editions priced at $649.99 and $749.99, respectively. Unfortunately, Target has not included the 256GB 12.9-inch model in its iPad sale. The larger-screened iPad appears to be completely out of stock for online orders, so users will have to check local stores to take advantage of the discounts.
Wi-Fi + Cellular editions for both the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro are also discounted by $150 today at Target, with similar stock shortages facing the 12.9-inch tablet. Check out the rest of the iPad deals at Target.com, including sales on products like the iPad mini 4 and iPad Air 2.
The team over at our sister site TouchArcade plays, reviews, and highlights thousands of mobile games every year, making them experts on the best iOS titles out there.
Now that the App Store freeze is in place and no additional apps will be coming out in 2016, TouchArcade has compiled its list of the top 100 mobile games of the year.
TouchArcade's list, which is alphabetical, spans multiple genres and covers both mobile exclusives and games that are available on multiple platforms. It was compiled by all of the TA staff and includes commentary from each of the TA writers. From TouchArcade Editor-in-Chief Eli Hodapp:
We tried to provide a good list that represents all of the best things the App Store had to offer in 2016, covering as many genres as possible and aiming for an even mix of exclusive games and great multi-platform ports.
Instead of just sorting our reviews by the highest rated, which anyone can do just by looking at our top reviews, we aimed to build a list of games that would have something for everyone regardless of whether you love simple one-button games or in-depth point and click adventure games.
TouchArcade's list includes a huge range of titles, from in-depth RPGs like Crashlands to independent platformers like Mikey Jumps to free games like Rodeo Stampede. Check out TouchArcade's top 100 games over at the TouchArcade website.
Sources in Apple's supply chain are suggesting that "lower-than-expected" yield rates for the 10-nanometer manufacturing process could "disrupt the schedule" of next year's iPad launch, previously rumored to be coming in March 2017 (via DigiTimes). Specifically, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Samsung are said to be facing the biggest issues with their 10nm processes, and TSMC's in turn has the potential to delay production for the A10X chips in the next-generation of iPads.
Apple typically sticks to the same manufacturing process for "X" labeled chips, and the current-generation A10 chip was crafted using the 16-nanometer process. The move to a more efficient 10nm chip in a new iPad line, while still unconfirmed, would go towards making the tablet more power efficient and able to fuel a speedier operating system experience for users.
TSMC has reportedly obtained 10nm chip orders from Apple, HiSilicon and MediaTek, with volume production set to kick off in the first quarter of 2017. Nevertheless, yield rates for TSMC's 10nm process technology are not what the foundry expected, the sources said.
TSMC is scheduled to start making Apple's A10X chips for the next-generation iPad series slated for launch in March 2017. Unsatisfactory yields for the foundry's 10nm process could disrupt the schedule, the sources indicated.
Recent rumors suggest that the 2017 line of iPads will include three models: refreshed 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch versions, along with an all-new bezel-free 10.9-inch model. The new bezel-free model is said to be a thicker iPad at 7.5mm (the current 9.7-inch iPad Pro measures 6.1mm) and not include a Home Button. The specific size of the new iPad has varied in reports, including rumors that it will be 10.1 inches, 10.5 inches, and -- most recently -- 10.9 inches.
In the same report, DigiTimes mentioned that TSMC is also gearing up to produce A11 chips in the upcoming "iPhone 8." According to supply chain sources, volume production for those chips is expected to begin in Q2 2017, which aligns with Apple's annual September iPhone launch schedule.
The Spotify Mac app was recently updated with support for the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro. Now, when Spotify is open users will be able to search, shuffle and repeat tracks, use traditional play/pause/skip controls, and adjust the app's volume. When in the background, the Touch Bar will update with a Spotify playback scrubbing tool as well as play and pause buttons similar to iTunes.
Users have discovered that auto-pause on connected AirPods works as well, so when one AirPod is removed from the ear while a song on Spotify is playing, the track will automatically stop. Just like with iTunes and Apple Music, when placed back within the ear, Spotify's music will resume automatically. Automatic resuming of music doesn't work when both AirPods are taken out, or when users are only using one AirPod to begin with.
With many Spotify users on the new MacBook Pro, the addition of Touch Bar support should make listening to the streaming music service a more integrated experience with Apple's laptop. Many users are still waiting for Spotify to announce support for other Apple devices, including apps for the Apple Watch and fourth-generation Apple TV. Neither platform is expected to be supported by the company 'anytime soon.'
For those who want to gain the most out of music listening on Apple's products, Apple Music has been the streaming service of choice. Spotify is still the industry leader with 40 million subscribers as of September 2016, but Apple Music is gaining ground on its rival with a reported 20 million paid subscribers now listening to the service.
Uber responded on Friday to concerns surrounding its app's background tracking behavior by explaining that the issue is being caused by an update to iOS itself, not the company's ride-hailing app (via TechCrunch).
Concerns were first raised about Uber's use of location services when the company announced it would track customers' whereabouts for a few minutes after their trip ends and the app is no longer open, in order to improve its service. Privacy advocates' main complaint was that the app offered no opt-out. However, since that time many users have reported that the app goes much further and appears to track them for days or even weeks after they last used the ride-hailing service, even when the app is closed.
Uber now says the unintentional behavior is being triggered by the iOS Maps extension that Apple added to its mobile operating system in September, not due to a bug in the Uber app or because of its recent location services update.
In iOS 10, Apple opened up Maps to third-party apps, allowing developers to create extensions that can be integrated into the search result of Maps. When an app is installed that features an extension for Apple Maps, it is automatically integrated, but the extension is disabled by default to prevent search results from getting too crowded.
According to an Uber spokesperson: "For people who choose to integrate ride sharing apps with iOS Maps, location data must be shared in order for you to request a ride inside the Maps app. Map extensions are disabled by default and you can choose to turn them on in your iOS settings," they said.
The confusion appears to lie in the way iOS 10 shows which apps use location services (Settings -> Privacy -> Location Services). The arrow icons are making users think third-party apps have silently been tracking them, when in fact it's due to the way Apple's Maps extension works in the background to provide location-based search results on request.
To make things clearer for users, TechCrunch suggests Apple adopts another color-coded arrow icon in the Location Services screen in order to distinguish between when an app directly accesses location data, and when its Maps extension does so.
Israeli mobile software developer Cellebrite gained media attention earlier this year when rumors suggested the FBI recruited the company to unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone. While the FBI did not enlist Cellebrite's help, the company does have technology licensed by governments that can extract iPhone data. ZDNethas obtained documents that reveal the scope of this technology.
The leaked files are "extraction reports," which are organized to allow investigators to easily see and analyze data from a phone. Extraction is conducted by plugging the phone into a Cellebrite UFED device. While the device is primarily for extracting information currently on the phone it can, in some cases, extract recently deleted items. The phone at the heart of ZDNet's extraction report was an non-passcode protected iPhone 5 running iOS 8.
The first couple pages of the report include case numbers and unique identifying information for the device, including phone number, IMEI numbers and Apple ID. In these first pages, the report also divulges which plugins the software used to extract information from the device. These plugins can help the software extract data from QuickTime and iPhone backups.
The report compiles geolocation data from every photo taken on the device and visualizes it on a map, allowing an investigator to easily see when and where a person was. Text messages are organized in chronological order, which makes it easier for investigators to track conversations. The wireless networks a device has connected to are also logged, including the MAC address of the router, encryption type and the time last connected to the network.
Call log information includes whether the call is incoming or outgoing, the time, date, the other number on the call, and the duration of the call. Contacts, installed apps and user accounts on the device are also collected. Configurations and databases from apps, which include settings and cache data, are included in collection. Notes and voice mails are also extracted.
Finally, Cellebrite's technology includes an analytics engine that can figure out how many actions have taken place per phone number. For instance, it can tell investigators how many calls and text messages have occurred with each contact.
Cellebrite notes that its UFED device cannot crack passcodes on iPhone 4s and later. iPhone 5s and later come with a secure enclave co-processor that makes it even more difficult to crack for information. In November, Cellebrite signed a deal with the Indian government to provide technology to bypass locked iPhones.
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.
On its YouTube channel, Apple today shared three videos promoting iBooks exclusive enhanced versions of titles from George R.R. Martin's popular "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.
Each video features Martin talking about one of the books in the series, starting with "A Game of Thrones," which is the first book. In the two minute video, which is accompanied by artwork, Martin speaks about one of the first scenes he wrote, which involved the direwolf pups owned by the Starks. It also covers the iron throne and Daenerys Targaryen.
The videos on "A Clash of Kings" and "A Storm of Swords," are shorter in length at 30 seconds and feature Martin talking about the themes that are included in each book.
The Enhanced Editions of "A Game of Thrones," "A Clash of Kings," "A Storm of Swords," "A Feast for Crows" and "A Dance of Dragons" are available from the iBooks Store for $8.99 to $11.99.
Enhanced versions, exclusive to iBooks, include annotations, glossaries, family trees, interactive maps, and more.
Apple's 2016 MacBook Pro has failed to receive a purchase recommendation from Consumer Reports due to battery life issues that were encountered during testing. Battery life reportedly "varied dramatically" from one trial to another.
According to a new report that covers the new MacBook Pro, the machine is the first of Apple's MacBooks that has not received a Consumer Reports recommendation.
The MacBook Pro battery life results were highly inconsistent from one trial to the next.
For instance, in a series of three consecutive tests, the 13-inch model with the Touch Bar ran for 16 hours in the first trial, 12.75 hours in the second, and just 3.75 hours in the third. The 13-inch model without the Touch Bar worked for 19.5 hours in one trial but only 4.5 hours in the next. And the numbers for the 15-inch laptop ranged from 18.5 down to 8 hours.
Consumer Reports says that a laptop's battery generally varies by less than five percent from test to test, but because of the "disparate figures" found in the MacBook Pro test, an average battery life consumers might expect to see could not be determined.
For that reason, Consumer Reports used the lowest battery score, which prevented the MacBook Pro from getting a recommendation. "Consumer Reports finds that all three MacBook Pro laptops fail to meet our standards for recommended models," reads the report.
Some customers who bought a 2016 MacBook Pro began complaining of ongoing battery life issues with the machine shortly after purchasing, which ultimately led Apple to remove the "Time Remaining" battery life estimate in the macOS Sierra 10.12.2 update.
While removing the indicator didn't fix battery life issues, some other tweaks may have been implemented at the same time, as there have been reports of better battery life following the update.
Apple claims that its own internal testing has seen the MacBook Pro performing up to the company's standards, providing up to 10 hours of battery life when watching iTunes movies or browsing the web.
Apple declined to provide a comment to Consumer Reports, but had this to say: "Any customer who has a question about their Mac or its operation should contact AppleCare."
iTunes gift cards are a common gift for the tech enthusiast during the holidays. The cards can be used to purchase apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, books, and more, making it difficult to decide what to buy with your freshly unwrapped gift. We're here to help with some hand-picked recommendations.
Texture is an iPhone and iPad app that provides unlimited access to over 200 of the world's most popular magazines for $9.99 per month. New users who purchase a subscription as an in-app purchase get a 7-day full trial.
For those lucky enough to find a new iPhone, iPad, or AirPods under the tree today, now is the perfect time to outfit your home, car, work desk, bedside table, or elsewhere with extra Lightning charging cables.
Alto's Adventure
Day One
Tweetbot
djay Pro for iPad
Byword
Duet Display
Don't Starve: Pocket Edition
Broken Age
Pandemic: The Board Game
Out There: Ω Edition
NBA 2K17
The team over at our sister site 
