MacRumors

Bloomberg Businessweek has published an in-depth profile of Apple senior vice president Johny Srouji that reveals how the iPad Pro was originally planned for a spring 2015 launch with the same A8X chip powering the iPad Air 2. The 12.9-inch tablet was running behind schedule, however, and Apple ultimately decided to delay announcing the device until late 2015 at its annual iPhone event.

Apple realized the 12.9-inch tablet would seem lacking alongside the A9-based iPhone 6s, so Srouji and his team were challenged to fast-track development of the A9X chip by half a year. The chip was ultimately finished on time, and Srouji was rewarded with a promotion to Apple's executive team as Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies and 90,000 RSUs in December.

Apple-designed chipsets allow the company to deeply integrate hardware and software on iPhones and iPads, but Srouji admitted that silicon development is not easy.

If there’s a bug in software, you simply release a corrected version. It’s different with hardware. “You get one transistor wrong, it’s done, game over,” Srouji says. “Each one of those transistors has to work. Silicon is very unforgiving.” Among computer and smartphone makers, industry practice is to leave the processors to specialists such as Intel, Qualcomm, or Samsung, which sink billions into getting the chips right and making them inexpensively.

Apple did not always develop its own chips, as the profile explains. The original iPhone, for example, used components from different vendors, including a Samsung chip used in DVD players.

“Steve came to the conclusion that the only way for Apple to really differentiate and deliver something truly unique and truly great, you have to own your own silicon,” Srouji says. “You have to control and own it.”

The feature-length interview provides detailed background on Srouji, from his beginnings in Israel to his current years at Apple. It also corroborates rumors that Apple will launch a new A9-based 4-inch iPhone and A9X-based iPad Air 3 at its March 15 event.

An internet rights advocacy group has held a rally outside a San Francisco Apple Store to support Apple's fight against government backdoors in its software.

The small group of supporters stood outside Apple's downtown retail store on Wednesday and held iPhones that bore stickers reading, "I do not consent to the search of this device," reports The Guardian.

The protest was organized by digital rights group Fight for the Future (FFTF) to protest the U.S. government's demand that Apple aids the FBI in hacking into an iPhone recovered from one of the attackers in the San Bernardino shooting that killed 14 people.

Apple CEO Tim Cook quickly responded to the federal court order in a letter published on the company's website, stating that the demand demonstrated "government overreach" and set "a dangerous precedent."

FFTF campaign manager Charlie Furman said he organized the event to bring the privacy community's appreciation of Apple off the internet and into the real world. "It's really important that we hold companies accountable when they're doing something wrong, but stand in support of them when they're doing something right," he said.

Cindy Cohen, executive director of digital liberties group The Electronic Frontier Foundation, was also in attendance. "We want to show Apple that people are standing with them," she said. "Once Apple does it, other people are going to come and say, 'Apple, do it for me.' How do they say no the next time?"

FFTF is planning national rallies to take place on Tuesday. The show of support follows comments from several tech company leaders backing Apple's stance on the issue, with members of the media and government officials both for and against Apple also weighing in.

Under Tim Cook's reign, Apple has staunchly defended privacy rights and has urged the U.S. government to make a stand and support "no backdoors" in encryption, stating that creating a backdoor for law enforcement also creates a backdoor for "bad guys."

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 today shared two new videos promoting the iPhone 6s and its unique features, 3D Touch and Live Photos. In the first video, focusing on Live Photos, the Live Photos feature is shown in action and described with a humorous voiceover that explains that it's "more" than a photo, allowing users to "relive the moment."

The iPhone 6s shoots photos that come alive when you touch them. And when they do, you get much more than just a picture.

The second video is similar, showing off the 3D Touch feature on the iPhone 6s with a voiceover that explains how it works. Quick Actions are shown off, as are some in-app uses for "Peek" and "Pop." Apple's 3D Touch video also has a humorous note, featuring Aubrey Plaza getting so wrapped up in Peeking at her flight information that she misses the flight.

With 3D Touch on iPhone 6s you can do a ton of stuff in a lot less time.

Apple has released several iPhone 6s ads since the phone debuted in September, focusing on the tagline "The only thing that's changed is everything." Previous ads have starred celebrities like Jamie Foxx and Bill Hader and have highlighted Live Photos, 3D Touch, always-on Hey Siri, the A9 processor, and more.

This morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook published an open letter declaring the company's intention to oppose an order from a U.S. federal judge that would require Apple to give the FBI the tools to bypass the passcode on an iPhone owned by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.

Since then, dozens of government officials, members of the media, and tech company leaders have weighed in on the issue, including Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO. In a series of tweets shared this afternoon, Pichai seemingly sided with Apple, saying the FBI's request to enable a backdoor "could compromise users' privacy."

He went on to say that while Google understands the challenges law enforcement faces and supports providing access to data based on valid legal orders, that's "wholly different" than ordering companies to "enable hacking of customer devices & data," something he says "could be a troubling precedent."

As the company behind Android, the other major operating system widely used by smartphone owners, Google's opinion on the issue carries some weight. People have been waiting to see what stance Google would take and whether the company would back Apple. Other tech company CEOs, including those from Twitter and Facebook, have yet to share an opinion, but WhatsApp CEO and founder Jan Koum wrote a strong statement supporting Apple this morning. "We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set," he penned. "Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake.

At issue is a U.S. federal judge's order requiring Apple to build a new version of iOS that would disable certain passcode security features on the iPhone in question.

The FBI wants Apple to eliminate the auto-erase function that wipes an iPhone if the wrong passcode is entered too many times, it wants the delay between wrong passcode inputs removed, and it wants the ability to electronically input a passcode. With the passcode disabling features, the FBI would have the tools to potentially gain brute force access to the shooter's locked iPhone.

In his open letter, Tim Cook said Apple believes the government's intentions "are good," but such a tool is "too dangerous to create." Such software, "in the wrong hands" could "have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession."

The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.

Under Tim Cook's reign, Apple has taken an unbendable stance on privacy and has urged the United States government to make a stand and support "no backdoors" in encryption. He has repeatedly stated that creating a backdoor for law enforcement also creates a backdoor for "bad guys."

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.

It's now February 18 in China, and as was rumored earlier this week, the country is now the fifth location where Apple Pay is officially available. Implemented through a partnership with UnionPay, China's state-run interbank network, Apple Pay in China can be used by iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch owners with an eligible China UnionPay debit or credit card.

"We think China could be our largest Apple Pay market," Apple's vice president of Apple Pay, Jennifer Bailey, told Reuters. China is Apple's second largest market when it comes to revenue after the americas and it has become an increasingly important area of growth for Apple. The company has inked deals with 19 of the biggest lenders in China, which will see 80 percent of credit and debit cards in China eligible for use with Apple Pay.

In retail locations in China, Apple Pay is available on the iPhone 6 and later and the Apple Watch at any location that has a UnionPay-compatible point-of-sale system. Within apps, Apple Pay purchases can be made using an iPhone or iPad that supports NFC, which includes the iPhone 6 and later and the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, and iPad Pro.

Apple initially announced its intention to launch Apple Pay in China in December of 2015, with plans to make the service available in early 2016 following the "relevant tests and certification" required by Chinese regulators. The first signs of Apple Pay in the country came in January, with several UnionPay users demonstrating Apple Pay in stores and in apps on YouTube, and the official launch followed today.

Apple Pay is also available in the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia, with plans to extend it to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Spain later in the year. In Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Spain, Apple Pay is available or being made available through a partnership with American Express.

Apple Pay availability has grown steadily in the United States since its October 2014 debut, and the service is now accepted at more than two million retail locations across the country.

Apple executives Tim Cook and Jony Ive sat down with Vogue this week to discuss a range of design-oriented topics, from the company's spaceship-shaped second campus to the Apple Watch.

On Apple's second campus, which is under development in Cupertino, Tim Cook shared some details on the giant pile of dirt that's been building up in the center of the site as construction has progressed. According to Cook, none of that dirt will be removed, as Apple plans to use it all for the landscaping that will support more than 7,000 trees. "Hard to know which is more beautiful, the building or that pile of dirt," he told Vogue.

When Steve Jobs envisioned the second Apple camps, he pictured large swathes of greenery, which have been included in campus plans since the idea was first pitched to the Cupertino City council in 2011. Apple is planning on 80 percent green space, with a central garden that offers outdoor dining areas and more than 300 species of trees, including fruit tree orchards that are a throwback to Steve Jobs' childhood in Northern California.

Apple's design partner for the campus, Norman Foster, was on hand to give some color on the building's iconic curved glass windows, which span nearly four miles. "The sheets of glass are so long, so clear, that you don't feel that there is a wall between you and the landscape," Foster said.

Vogue also spoke to Jony Ive about the Apple Watch, his position as co-chair for the upcoming Met Gala Exhibition, "Manus x Machina," and Apple's growing connection to the world of fashion. According to Ive, technology has reached a point where Apple can achieve "the dream of the company," making technology personal. "So personal that you can wear it," Ive said, going on to highlight the ever evolving modernization of fashion.

"Both the hand and the machine can produce things with exquisite care or with no care at all," says Ive. "But it's important to remember that what was seen at one time as the most sophisticated technology eventually becomes tradition. There was a time when even the metal needle would have been seen as shocking and profoundly new."

Tim Cook and Jony Ive's full interview, which includes additional information on the Apple Campus, the Apple Watch, its partnership with Hermès, and comments from designer Tom Ford on the relationship between Apple devices and fashion, can be read over at Vogue.

Donald Trump, a leading Republican candidate in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, has spoken out against Apple's refusal to help the FBI access data on an iPhone 5c used by shooter Syed Farook in the 2015 San Bernardino attacks.

Trump, who appeared on the morning news show Fox and Friends this morning, said he agrees "100 percent with the courts" about the matter, as reported by Politico. "Who do [Apple] think they are? They have to open it up," he said.

“I agree 100 percent with the courts. In that case, we should open it up." […] "I think security, overall, we have to open it up and we have to use our heads. We have to use common sense," Trump continued, echoing his recent common refrain. Somebody the other day called me a common-sense conservative. We have to use common sense."

Apple published an open letter earlier today stating that the company will oppose an order from a U.S. federal judge that demands the company create a new version of iOS that circumvents several important security features, allowing access to encrypted smartphone data to assist the FBI's investigation.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that while the company is "shocked and outraged" by the San Bernardino attacks last December, and presumes "the FBI’s intentions are good," the company strongly believes that building a "backdoor" for U.S. government or law enforcement would be "too dangerous to create."

Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government.

We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications.

While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.

Apple has routinely encouraged the U.S. government to embrace its "no backdoors" encryption policy. In June 2015, Cook spoke about the importance of privacy at the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Champions of Freedom event in Washington D.C., and he has made several other privacy-centric speeches as chief executive.

Apple stopped storing encryption keys for devices running iOS 8 or later, making it impossible for the iPhone maker to unlock content requested by U.S. authorities on passcode-protected devices. iOS also has an optional Touch ID setting that erases all data after 10 failed passcode attempts.

California and New York assemblymen have introduced bills that aim to ban sales of devices with such strong levels of encryption, with a $2,500 fine per phone sold in violation, but bipartisan legislation was subsequently introduced in U.S. Congress that could block these state-level efforts. None of the bills have yet to be signed into law.

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 will ship 9.8 million iPads in the first quarter of 2016, potentially its lowest quarterly tablet sales since the iPad 2 in mid 2011, according to Taiwan-based DigiTimes Research. The research note claims Apple will account for 21% of global tablet shipments, trailed by Samsung Electronics with 14% market share.

If the sales prediction proves to be accurate, 9.8 million iPad sales would represent a 39.1 percent quarter-over-quarter decline and around 20 percent decline compared to the year-ago quarter, based on iPad sales of 16.12 million in the most recent quarter and 12.62 million in the first calendar quarter of 2015.

Apple has sold less than 10 million tablets in a single quarter six times, but only once since June 2011. That sole time was the recent September 2015 quarter, when iPad sales totaled an uncharacteristically low 9.88 million. The overall tablet market has faced the same decline, with total shipments dropping 10.1% in 2015 over 2014.

iPad sales have declined for eight consecutive quarters year-over-year, partially because consumers upgrade their tablets less frequently than smartphones. Apple also skipped over releasing the iPad Air 3 last October, when it typically refreshes the 9.7-inch tablet, instead focusing its efforts on the introduction of the larger iPad Pro.

Apple is instead expected to debut the iPad Air 3 at its rumored March 15 media event, which could help combat the decline alongside the iPad Pro and iPad mini 4. Most of those sales will fall in the second quarter of 2016, however, so Apple's new tablets are unlikely to have a significant impact on the current quarter.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has posted an open letter to Apple customers announcing that the company would oppose an order from a U.S. Federal judge to help the FBI access data on an iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. Cook says that this moment is one for public discussion, and that the company wants its customers to understand what's at stake.

Cook starts the letter noting that smartphones have become an essential part of people's lives and that many people store private conversations, photos, music, notes, calendars and both financial and health information on their devices. Ultimately, Cook says, encryption helps keep people's data safe, which in turn keeps people's personal safety from being at risk.

He then goes on to say that Apple and its employees were "shocked and outraged" by the San Bernardino attack and that Apple has complied with valid subpoenas and search warrants from federal investigators. Apple has also made engineers available to advise the FBI in addition to providing general advice on how they could go about investigating the case. However, Cook says that's where Apple will draw the line.

We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.

Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.

Cook says that while the government is suggesting that bypassing a feature that disables an iPhone after a certain number of failed password attempts could only be used once and on one device, that suggestion is "simply not true." He says that once created, such a key could be used over and over again. "In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks -- from restaurants and banks to stores and homes," Cook says.

The move, Cook says, would undermine Apple's decades of work on security advancements that keep its customers safe. He notes the irony in asking Apple's security engineers to purposefully weaken the protections they created. Apple says they found no precedent of an American company being forced to expose its customers, therefore putting them at a greater risk of attack. He notes that security experts have warned against weakening encryption as both bad guys and good guys would be able to take advantage of any potential weaknesses.

Finally, Cook says that the FBI is proposing what Apple calls an "unprecedented use" of the All Writs Act of 1789, which authorizes federal courts to issue all orders necessary or appropriate "in aid of their respective jurisdictions and agreeable to the usages and principles of law." The chilling effect of this use, Cook argues, would allow the government power to capture data from any device or to require Apple to create a data collection program to intercept a customer's data, potentially including infringements like using a phone's camera or microphone without user knowledge.

Cook concludes Apple's open letter by saying the company's opposition to the order is not an action they took lightly and that they challenge the request "with the deepest respect for democracy and a love for our country." Ultimately, Apple fears these demands would "undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect."

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.