Angry Birds Stella, the latest entry in Rovio's highly successful Angry Birds series, today launched for iOS devices. The game puts players in the role of lead character Stella and five of her bird friends as they protect their home of Golden Island from piggies through more than 120 playable levels.
Notable gameplay features include a new tap-to-hold mechanic to target attacks and the ability to scan Hasbro's interactive "Telepod" toys to bring different birds into play. Rovio will also be launching a new cartoon, animations, books and toys to complement the launch of Angry Birds Stella on iOS.
Ahead of Apple's September 9 event, in which the company is expected to finally show off the much-rumored iWatch, an Apple designer told the New York Times (via 9to5Mac), in a larger piece about fashion and technology, that Jony Ive is bragging that the iWatch could endanger traditional watchmakers.
According to a designer who works at Apple, Jonathan Ive, Apple’s design chief, in bragging about how cool he thought the iWatch was shaping up to be, gleefully said Switzerland is in trouble — though he chose a much bolder term for “trouble” to express how he thought the watchmaking nation might be in a tough predicament when Apple’s watch comes out.
While part leaks for the device have been nonexistent and solid information about the device's capabilities have been hard to come by, rumors have indicated the wearable may have NFC capabilities, tight integration with iOS 8, features related to health and fitness and that it would serve as an accessory device to the iPhone.
Rumors have suggested the iWatch will be introduced at Apple's September 9 event and will likely launch in early 2015.
Mobee, a company that makes a range of chargers for Apple's peripherals, today unveiled its new Magic Hub at Berlin's IFA trade show. The Magic Hub is designed to attach to the back of an iMac or Apple Thunderbolt Display, housing four separate USB 3.0 hubs.
The Magic Hub, which matches the finish of Apple's own products, does not require an external wall adapter because it gets its power from the main power cord of the iMac or Apple Display. It's also able to recharge devices through USB when the iMac or display is powered off.
The Magic Hub features: - 4 Ports USB 3.0 Hub. - 2.1 Amps power output on each USB port. - Directly powered by the Apple iMac or Apple monitor, doesn't require any additional wall adaptor. - Remains powered while your Apple iMac or Apple monitor is turned off. - Matches perfectly with the design and finish of Apple products. - Doesn't restrict the swivel of your Apple display.
The Magic Hub will retail for €50, which is just over $65. The product is expected to ship in October, and should be listed for pre-order on the Mobee website shortly.
Communications chip maker Broadcom today announced a new 5G 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip designed for smartphones.
Capable of data throughput speeds of up to 650 Mbps, the BC4358 is Broadcom's second chip to use 2x2 MIMO (multiple input multiple output), bringing up to twice the Wi-Fi performance with 25 percent more power efficiency than 1x1 MIMO chips.
MIMO is a technology that utilizes multiple antennas for both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. Apple has adopted MIMO technology in the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display.
Today's content-centric consumer spends an average of 4–5 hours a day on Wi-Fi1. With 650 Mbps Wi-Fi data throughput and 50 percent better coexistence performance with Bluetooth, consumers can download content two times faster, stream videos with less buffering and connect to multiple Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices concurrently (e.g. listen to music while playing a game) without interference issues.
According to Broadcom, the new chips are already in production and will begin shipping in smartphones during the third quarter of 2014, which means the timing could possibly be right for inclusion in the iPhone 6.
According to Broadcom, its BCM4358 chip includes improved location accuracy that's accurate "down to one meter" for better indoor location-based services, which aligns with Apple's own indoor mapping aspirations. It's also the first chip that enables Angle-of-Arrival direction finding technology, another feature Apple could make use of. Rumors have suggested Apple is working on indoor mapping features for a future iOS 8 update.
It isn't known if Apple's iPhone 6 will use this specific chip, but Broadcom is one of Apple's partners, supplying chips for both its desktop and mobile devices. Apple uses Broadcom chips in its line of Macs that support 802.11ac, including the MacBook Air, Retina MacBook Pro, and iMac.
Rumors have suggested that the iPhone 6 will likely support 802.11ac, which has been included in Apple's Macs since 2013. 802.11ac Wi-Fi is designed to offer speeds up to three times as fast as existing 802.11n wireless networks.
Several rumors circulating today have suggested that Apple might be planning to somehow involve U2 in the upcoming launch of the iPhone 6. A tipster told MacRumors that the iPhone 6 will come preloaded with the new U2 album, and there's also been some unverified chatter on Twitter from reporters in Ireland pointing towards that possibility.
Most of the rumors seem to come from a recent video shoot U2 did in Dublin, which was conducted in secrecy with "black sheets strategically placed to obscure what was happening from public view." Music promoter Stephen Browne managed to snap a blurry photo of the shoot, and he says the "focus of the 'video' on the bridge last week was a phone." It is impossible to tell what device is depicted in the photo, however, or if the shoot revolved around the iPhone.
Looks like @U2 new album maybe preloaded on to iPhone6. The focus of the "video" on the bridge last week was a phone pic.twitter.com/CUY4rKTSM9
— Stephen Browne (@Stephenbrow) September 3, 2014
A U2 fan site pointed out by a Reddit user may also be a source of the rumors, as Julian Lennon, son of late Beatles frontman John Lennon and friend to U2, reportedly told the site "I think they are shooting an Apple commercial."
According to CNET's Shara Tibken, it's also possible that Bono might be a "special musical guest" at Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 event on September 9. The event will be held at the Flint Center at De Anza College in Cupertino, and Apple is in the midst of constructing a massive structure on site.
Adding to iPhone 6 U2 rumors, I hear Bono may be special musical guest on 9-9-14. #iPhone6
— Shara Tibken (@sharatibken) September 3, 2014
It is unknown what the structure is, but some have suggested it could be a stage. San Jose Mercury News interviewed a Cupertino resident who had been observing the ongoing construction and said "It looked like a sound stage going up for a rock concert behind Flint Center."
Apple and U2 have had a long partnership, as Steve Jobs and Bono were good friends. Starting in 2004, Apple released several special edition U2 iPods, which included the band's signatures and U2's music. Apple has also been a longtime partner of (Product) RED, a charity founded by Bono.
It is unknown if these whispers and hints of a U2 iPhone 6 tie-in and possible performance are accurate, but it appears to be a possibility given all of the circumstantial evidence. Apple has plans to debut its iPhone 6 on September 9, which is, coincidentally, the same day that the first single for U2's newest album is rumored to debut.
Despite the fact that there are still five days to go until Apple's September 9 media event, customers hoping to purchase one of Apple's new devices have already begun lining up at the flagship 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City.
Apple is expected to announce the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 at the event, along with its much-rumored wearable device and possibly a mobile payments initiative. Only the iPhone 6 is expected to ship to consumers in September however, and not until later in the month. People camping out now may be waiting more than two weeks to get their hands on one of Apple's new devices.
Campers waiting outside the 5th Avenue Apple Store, via CNBC
As is typical, many of the campers lining up early are participating in publicity stunts to garner recognition for their companies, given the media attention early waiters tend to receive. Campers seem to be arriving earlier and earlier each year in order to outdo past campers. For the launch of the iPhone 5c/5s, campers began showing up on September 6, but people are going to even further extremes this year.
CNBC interviewed several of the campers, some of which arrived before the month of September even began. Brian Ceballo and Joseph Cruz, representing BuyBackWorld, arrived on Sunday, August 31 with the hope of beating a previous record for camping out for an iPhone. They plan to wait for 19 days, a day longer than the 18 day record.
Ceballo and Cruz have already profited, accepting $1,250 to give up the first place in line to Jason and Moon Ray, who are promoting a health app.
Apple's iPhone 6 event will take place on Tuesday, September 9, but it remains unclear which devices will be unveiled and which will be available for shipping in the near future. Both the company's wearable device and its 5.5-inch iPhone may not ship until later in the year or early 2015, leaving campers to pick up a 4.7-inch iPhone 6.
Based on past timelines, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 could become available beginning on Friday, September 19.
After pulling its HERE maps app due to incompatibilities with iOS 7, Nokia is headed back to Apple's mobile platform with a new offline maps application that'll compete with Google Maps and Apple Maps. The app is in the final stages of development and expected to land before the end of the year, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Nokia's previous version of HERE Maps for iOS
Nokia is introducing its new maps app to customers who are tired of their existing navigation apps and are looking for an alternative solution.
"I'm convinced people are looking for alternatives," Mr. Fernback said. "Google Maps is a good solution for many, their maps work very well, but it has looked the same and done the same for a long time."
Nokia will set its maps apart from its competitors by offering offline access to both navigation and searching. The new Nokia maps app will be offered for free in the iOS App Store once it passes through Apple's App Store review process.
Apple's Maps has been heavily criticized since it launched alongside iOS 6. The company slowly has been improving its mapping experience, adding features such as Flyover and expanding the points of interest available to users, but significant changes are still in the works. An overhaul of the underlying maps infrastructure and the addition of major features such as public transit directions may have been bumped from iOS 8 and pushed off to a future iOS version due to internal strife at the company.
Not content to allow Samsung to steal the spotlight, Sony today also kicked off the IFA 2014 conference with its own press event that unveiled new wearable devices, new smartphone photography accessories, and several new mobile devices. Sony's newest hardware is slated to arrive in the coming months with price points that are yet to be determined.
Perhaps most relevant to Apple fans given Apple's impending wearable device announcement is Sony's pair of announcements in that area, starting with the new SmartBand Talk that embeds a low-power, 1.4-inch e-ink display into a fitness tracker. The band also includes a microphone and speaker for phone calls, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 for syncing to a smartphone. Rounding out the feature set is IP68 waterproofing, accelerometer and altimeter sensors, and integration with Sony's Lifelog lifestyle-tracking app.
In the more full-featured watch segment, Sony also introduced its new SmartWatch 3, the successor to the SmartWatch 2 and the first Android Wear smartwatch from the Japanese company. The smartphone companion syncs notifications from a compatible Android device and offers 4 GB of on-the-go music storage. Sony's SmartWatch 3 enters a growing Android Wear marketplace, competing directly with similar smartwatch offerings from Motorola and LG.
Sony also added to its lens-style camera line with the new 30x zoom DSC-QX30 and the E-mount interchangeable lens ILCE-QX1, These lens-style cameras improve mobile photography by combining an image sensor with a compact lens that fits onto an iOS or Android smartphone and communicates with the mobile phone via Wi-Fi. The DSC-QX30 is a 30x optical zoom lens with Sony's Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, while the QX1 allows photographers to use their existing Sony Alpha E-mount lenses on their mobile phone.
Besides its wearables and smartphone photography products, Sony also expanded its Xperia Z-series smartphone and tablet lineup with the new extended-battery life Xperia Z3 smartphone, the Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone, and the Xperia Tablet Z3 Compact. These new Xperia devices are notable as they support PS4 Remote Play, allowing users to pair their mobile device with a DualShock controller and play PS4 games on the phone or tablet.
Ahead of Apple's upcoming press event where it will introduce larger iPhone models, Samsung today kicked off IFA 2014 with a presentation that unveiled several new mobile and wearable devices including the Note 4, Note Edge, Gear S smartwatch and Gear VR headset.
The Note 4 and Note Edge are two new models in Samsung's popular Note series of large smartphones. The Note 4 is the premium model offering a 5.7-inch Quad-ultra HD (2560×1440) Super AMOLED display at 518 pixels per inch and either the 2.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor with support for Category 6 LTE or the 1.9 GHz octo-core Exynos 5433 with Category 4 LTE, depending on geographic location. There's also a 16-megapixel rear camera with image stabilization, a 3.7-megapixel front camera designed for selfies, a heart rate sensor, and a new S-Pen with improved sensitivity that detects pressure, nib tilt, and speed. Design-wise, the Note 4 sports a plastic textured rear housing with metallic edges.
Galaxy Note Edge
As an alternative to the Note 4, Samsung also unveiled the Note Edge, a smartphone that is identical to the Note 4 under the hood, but features a curved display. The curved edge of the display operate separately from the main display providing an app launcher or contextual controls depending on the app that is being used.
Samsung also detailed its Gear VR virtual reality headset that was developed in conjunction with Oculus and is compatible with the Note 4. Finally, the company also re-introduced the recently announced Gear S smart watch. The Gear S is Samsung's latest wearable, featuring a 2-inch, curved AMOLED display, and 3G connectivity. The Tizen-powered device also includes dual-core 1.0 GHz processor, 4 GB of storage, 512 MB of RAM, and sensors such as GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, UV detector, barometer, and heart rate monitor.
Galaxy Gear S
Samsung did not provide pricing or exact launch dates for this new hardware, but the Korean company is expected roll out these products in the coming months. Samsung's latest mobile and wearable devices will compete with Apple's upcoming gear, which will be announced beginning next week. Apple is expected to announce its new iPhone 6 in both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes and its iWatch wearable at a press event scheduled for September 9. This event likely will be followed by a second event in October that Apple may use to unveil its next generation iPad models.
Apple's supply chain partners have ramped up production for components to be used the company's upcoming second-generation iPad Air, reportsDigitimes. Citing sources close to production, the report claims that the device will remained unchanged in terms of size and resolution, but will feature a thinner profile, faster processor, and an improved Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
iPad Air 2 mockup with Touch ID home button
Apple has also called on touch panel suppliers TPK and GIS to manufacture full-lamination units for the device ahead of its launch this fall. The source also notes that Sharp, Japan Display, and LG Display have also seen their orders increase for the iPhone, likely indicating that Apple is now mass producing screens for the iPhone 6.
Previous leaks have also pointed to a thinner profile for the iPad Air 2, along with reports claiming that the device will feature anti-reflective coating, and an improved Touch ID sensor. It is also most certain that Apple will include a faster processor in the iPad Air 2, as the company will likely integrate its new A8 chip in the device.
Apple will likely launch the iPad Air 2 alongside the next-generation iPad mini with Retina display this fall. The company is also said to be preparing to launch a 12.9-inch iPad in early 2015.
Following the launch of Parallels Desktop 10 last month, VMware has launched its new VMWare Fusion 7 virtualization software, bringing support for OS X Yosemite and improving compatibility with Windows 8.1. The release also adds a number of new features, including a new look, improved performance, enhanced connectivity, and optimization for Macs with Retina displays.
- Designed for OS X Yosemite Get a more Mac-like experience when running Windows applications on a Mac. The Fusion 7 updated Yosemite look and feel makes working with your Windows applications feel cleaner and more refined.
- Conquer Yosemite Discover OS X Yosemite by running it in a virtual machine with Fusion 7. Get more from your Mac by running OS X Yosemite and OS X Yosemite Server in virtual machines. Leveraging decades of innovation in leading the virtualization revolution, Fusion 7 is the most reliable way to develop and test new applications for the Mac and iOS.
- Ready for Windows 8.1 Get the most out of Windows 8.1 new features directly on your Mac and run Windows Store apps side-by-side with your Mac applications. With Fusion 7, view Windows Store applications in Launchpad and the Applications folder or put Windows Store Apps in the dock in Unity mode.
- Near-Native Performance With a highly optimized 64-bit engine and multicore processing power that makes the most effective use of the latest Intel Haswell processors, Fusion 7 runs Windows and Mac applications side-by-side faster than ever.
- Retina Display Optimization Windows never looked so good with Retina Display optimization for a crisp and detailed experience of your Windows applications. If your Mac has a native Retina display or is connected to one, Fusion 7 ensures you get a seamless experience when running Windows across Retina and non-Retina displays.
The more advanced VMware Fusion 7 Pro has also been launched, bringing the same features along with dual GPU optimization, virtual network management, enhanced support for cloned virtual machines, and more.
VMware Fusion 7 is available now for $69.99 while VMware Fusion 7 Pro is priced at $149.99. Those upgrading from VMWare Fusion 5 or 6 are also eligible for discounted pricing of $49.99 for VMWare Fusion 7 or $79.99 for VMWare Fusion 7 Pro.
Apple today updated its App Store review guidelines ahead of the launch of iPhone 6 and iOS 8, adding sections for new features such as extensions, HealthKit, HomeKit and TestFlight. Additionally, Apple tweaked its introductory remark to specifically call out "creepy" apps as unwelcome in the App Store.
We have over a million Apps in the App Store. If your App doesn't do something useful, unique or provide some form of lasting entertainment, or if your app is plain creepy, it may not be accepted.
The new guidelines, primarily in sections 25 through 28, outline what use of the new features would get an app rejected from the App Store. For instance, extensions must provide some functionality and must remain functional without network access. Keyboard extensions can only collect user data for improving the functionality of the keyboard and nothing else.
The sections for both HealthKit and HomeKit include guidelines for user data, with apps using HomeKit not allowed to collect any sort of user data for advertising and data mining while HealthKit is only allowed to collect data with a user's permission. TestFlight guidelines include limitations on distribution and compensation for beta testers.
Additionally, Apple added some notes to its Metadata section for the App Store's new app previews feature, noting that apps may only use video screen captures for previews and that app previews cannot display personal information without permission.
iOS 8 will be included on the iPhone 6 reportedly arriving later this month and likely launch a few days earlier for current devices.
Chinese carrier China Mobile has begun taking preorders for the upcoming iPhone 6 ahead of the device's official launch, reports China Daily. Available at China Mobile Beijing, the preorder campaign appears to be aimed at drumming up interest for Apple's new devices.
On a website, China Mobile Beijing allows users to choose between the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6, but the carrier does not offer images of the device or a potential release date. A China Daily source has suggested Chinese customers may receive the iPhone 6 as early as mid-month, however, which would be in line with previous rumors and past device release timelines.
Mockup of 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 depicted with iPhone 5s
China Mobile's preorder campaign also confirmed rumors that Apple will release larger screens for the device as buyers are asked to choose either a 4.7-inch version or a 5.5-inch one. The iPhone 5S has a 4-inch screen.
The program is available only in Beijing and, as of Tuesday evening, had attracted more than 33,000 orders. It remains unclear when the buyers can get the device. A person familiar with the matter told China Daily the first iPhone 6 could be distributed to Chinese customers as early as mid-month.
As of Tuesday evening in China, the campaign had garnered more than 33,000 orders, pointing towards strong interest in the iPhone 6. Analysts have predicted that the launch of the iPhone 6 could see a massive spike in upgraders and Android switchers, due to its larger display and redesigned chassis.
China Mobile, the world's largest mobile carrier with more than 700 million subscribers, first began carrying the iPhone in January of 2014, after extended negotiations with Apple. Apple CEO Tim Cook called inking a deal with China Mobile a "watershed" moment," allowing the company to reach millions of new customers and significantly expand its presence in China.
As it marks an opportunity for significant growth, China has become an increasingly important market for Apple. Tim Cook visited the country multiple times in 2013 and Apple has opened several retail stores in China in 2014, including locations in Wuxi, Chongqing, and Beijing.
Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 6 at a September 9 media event, which may also include the debut of its wearable device and a payment initiative. Though Apple is expected to preview both the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models, it is unclear if both devices will be available to launch at the same time due to production difficulties with the larger phone.
Earlier today, Apple issued a press release stating that an iCloud/Find My iPhone breach had not been responsible for the leak of several private celebrity photos over the weekend, instead pointing towards a "very targeted attack on user names, passwords, and security questions" hackers used to gain access to celebrity accounts.
The company did not divulge specific details on how hackers accessed the iCloud accounts, leading Wired writer Andy Greenberg to investigate the methods that hackers might possibly have used to acquire the stolen media.
Greenberg visited Anon-IB, a popular anonymous image board where some of the celebrity photos first originated, and discovered that hackers openly discuss exploiting software designed for law enforcement and government officials. Called ElcomSoft Phone Password Breaker (EPPB), the software in question lets hackers enter a stolen username and password to obtain a victim's full iPhone/iPad backup.
"Use the script to hack her passwd...use eppb to download the backup," wrote one anonymous user on Anon-IB explaining the process to a less-experienced hacker. "Post your wins here ;-)"
Acquiring just a user name and password allows hackers access to content on iCloud.com, but with the accompaniment of the ElcomSoft software, a complete backup can reportedly be downloaded into easy-to-access folders filled with the device's contents.
According to security researcher Jonathan Zdziarski, who spoke to Wired, metadata from some of the leaked photos is in line with the use of the ElcomSoft software and possibly the iBrute software, which exploited a vulnerability in Find My iPhone to allow hackers unlimited attempts to guess a password. Apple has, however, patched the exploit, and has suggested iBrute was not a factor in the attacks.
As noted by TechCrunch, using ElcomSoft's software to download an iPhone's backup successfully circumvents two-factor verification as the two-factor authentication system does not cover iCloud backups or Photo Stream.
Two-factor verification can make it much more difficult for hackers to acquire a user's login credentials in the first place, preventing many attacks, but an iCloud backup can be installed with just a user name and a password.
The ElcomSoft software does not require any credentials to buy and while it costs $399, it is also available on bittorrent sites. The vulnerability in iCloud backups has been known for some time, with ElcomSoft's own CEO pointing towards the lack of two-factor authentication for iCloud backups back in May of 2013.
Apple has explored expanding two-factor authentication to some iCloud services, but an official expansion of the security feature has not yet been introduced.
Nordstrom may be one of Apple's first merchant partners when Apple launches its upcoming mobile payment initiative, reports Bank Innovation. Apple is said to be in talks with Nordstrom about its payments service, suggesting Nordstrom could be one of the first retailers to support payments via iPhone.
The "talks" Nordstrom and Apple have been engaged are related to payments -- but the extent of those talks is unclear. Apple was looking for a clothing brand with a large physical reach, our source said, but also with an established and high-end brand. With a strong brick-and-mortar presence, but with a focus on digital innovation as well, our source said Nordstrom was a "great" pick for Apple.
Nordstrom is a logical partner for Apple, as its retail stores already use Apple's iPhones and iPads as point-of-sale systems. According to Nordstrom employees, Apple's mobile point-of-sale systems are purchased directly from Apple and were updated to work with 'the most recent iPhones" just a few weeks ago. Bank Innovation suggests that Nordstrom's current point-of-sale systems, which are said to be the same as Apple's own in-store EasyPay systems, may possibly be compatible with Apple's upcoming mobile payment service.
Earlier this year, a report suggested Apple was speaking with several high-profile retail store chains about a mobile payment service, in order to retailer gauge interest and explore possibilities for a unified payment service, and Nordstrom may have been included in these talks.
In addition to partnering with retailers, Apple is also said to have signed deals with American Express, MasterCard, and Visa for its mobile payments initiative, which will likely leverage technologies like NFC, Bluetooth, and iBeacons, in addition to Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint-sensing security technology.
According to reports, Apple's payments service will allow iPhone owners to use their devices to make payments both online and in retail stores. Apple is expected to announce its mobile payments initiative during its September 9 media event.
Adoption of OS X Yosemite is steadily increasing ahead of its fall launch, due to both a system-wide redesign and the introduction of a public beta for the first time. As of August, Yosemite was installed on approximately 2.6 million machines or 3.3 percent of all Macs, according to new numbers from Net Applications (via Computerworld).
For August, Yosemite powered 3.3% of all Macs, according to metrics vendor Net Applications. That was 33 times the user share of its predecessor, OS X Mavericks, in September 2013, one month before its official launch, and nearly one-third of Mavericks' share the following month, when it was first made available to all customers.
In June, adoption rates were at 0.9 percent, jumping up to 1.2 percent in July. The 3.3 percent number comes after the introduction of the public Yosemite beta in late July, which saw as many as 1 million registered beta program members receiving access to the software. Following the launch of the beta, Yosemite's share of global Mac traffic nearly doubled.
Though the public beta has bolstered Yosemite's adoption numbers much higher than Mavericks adoption rates during a similar time frame last year, developer interest in Yosemite has also been high. July adoption numbers from before the public beta release suggested Yosemite beta usage was four times higher than Mavericks usage last year.
Operating system usage metrics can very widely, however, as Yosemite installation numbers from GoSquared are quite a bit different. According to GoSquared, machines running OS X Yosemite have accounted for just one percent of total Mac OS traffic over the past several hours, and 0.58 percent since launch. Though GoSquared points towards lower overall adoption numbers, it does show a fairly steady increase in Yosemite usage.
Last year, seven percent of all Mac users had installed OS X Mavericks just 24 hours after its public launch. Based on public beta numbers and high developer interest, it's likely that Yosemite Adoption will be even more rapid following its public launch. In addition to offering a revamped look, OS X Yosemite includes several features like iCloud Drive and Continuity, allowing Macs to interact with iOS devices in new ways.
OS X Yosemite is currently available only to registered developers and those who signed up for the public beta test. The operating system, which will be provided to consumers at no cost, is expected to see its public release in the fall, possibly in October.
Apple today began sending out invitations to AppleSeed members, inviting them to test the iCloud for Windows beta, which includes access to iCloud Drive. An iOS 8/Yosemite feature, iCloud Drive allows users to store any document in iCloud.
Content stored in iCloud Drive can be accessed from any iOS device, Mac, or PC, via the new iCloud for Windows beta. AppleSeed testers receiving invites to the iCloud for Windows beta must be running Windows 7 or later, and Apple does not recommend installing the pre-release software on "personal-critical and/or business-critical systems."
Ahead of offering an iCloud for Windows beta to AppleSeed members, Apple released a beta version of the software to developers. The latest version of that beta, launched on July 21, noted that iCloud Drive functionality was only available on on OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, so it appears that Windows users may be getting their first functional look at iCloud Drive with the launch of the AppleSeed beta.
iCloud Drive is expected to be officially available with the launch of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. While iOS 8 will likely be released to the public in September following Apple's iPhone event, OS X Yosemite may not be available until later in the year, possibly October.
A breach of Apple's iCloud and Find My iPhone service was not involved in the recent hacking incident that saw the private photos and videos of several celebrities leaked onto the Internet, according to a press release just issued by Apple.
Instead, celebrity iCloud accounts were compromised by a targeted attack on user names, passwords, and security questions.
We wanted to provide an update to our investigation into the theft of photos of certain celebrities. When we learned of the theft, we were outraged and immediately mobilized Apple's engineers to discover the source. Our customers' privacy and security are of utmost importance to us. After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet. None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple's systems including iCloud(R) or Find my iPhone. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved.
Over the weekend, hundreds of nude photos of celebrities were leaked on 4chan before spreading to multiple Internet sites, with one of the involved hackers pointing towards iCloud as the source of the material, which quickly led to accusations of a flaw in iCloud as the reason for the leak.
Apple announced plans to launch an investigation into the matter on Monday, after a tool surfaced on Github that could have potentially allowed hackers to brute force their way into accounts via a security flaw in Find My iPhone. Though this tool allowed for multiple attempts to enter a password without being locked out of an account, it appears that it was not a factor in the recent hacking of celebrity accounts due to Apple's statement that Find My iPhone was not involved.
Apple suggests that all iCloud/Apple ID users should have a strong password and enable two-step verification to avoid similar hacking attempts.
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