MacRumors

TikTok is working on a plan to better safeguard the data of its U.S. users, the company said in an open letter [PDF] to several U.S. Senators that have expressed concern that the China-based app is a national security risk.

Shared by The New York Times, the letter outlines a multi-pronged undertaking called "Project Texas," aimed at strengthening data security. TikTok says that 100 percent of U.S. user data is stored in an Oracle cloud environment located in the U.S., and it is working with Oracle on more advanced data security controls that will be finalized "in the near future."

TikTok is planning to delete U.S. data from its servers and store information with Oracle exclusively. The company says all data sharing outside of the United States will be pursuant to "protocols and terms approved by the U.S. government."

The broad goal for Project Texas is to help build trust with users and key stakeholders by improving our systems and controls, but it is also to make substantive progress toward compliance with a final agreement with the U.S. Government that will fully safeguard user data and U.S. national security interests. We have not spoken publicly about these plans out of respect for the confidentiality of the engagement with the U.S. Government, but circumstances now require that we share some of that information publicly to clear up the errors and misconceptions in the article and some ongoing concerns related to other aspects of our business.

Concerns over TikTok have heightened over the last two weeks following a BuzzFeed News report that suggested TikTok engineers in China had access to the data of U.S. users between September 2021 and January 2022. "Everything is seen in China," said one TikTok employee in recordings reviewed by BuzzFeed, with the recordings also referencing a "Master Admin" engineer in China who "has access to everything."

Given the concerns over U.S. data access, the United States Federal Communications Commission earlier this week asked Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores because of a "pattern of surreptitious data practices."

TikTok in its letter confirmed that some China-based employees are indeed able to access data from U.S. TikTok users, "subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls" overseen by a U.S.-based security team. TikTok says that it has an internal data classification system and approval process in place that assign levels of access based on the sensitivity of the data. It will work with the Biden Administration going forward to continue to limit data access.

In response to a question on why TikTok does not plan to block all U.S. user data from the view of employees in China, TikTok said that "certain China-based employees will have access to a narrow, non-sensitive set of TikTok U.S. user data" in order to ensure global interoperability. Employees will also be able to develop the TikTok video recommendation algorithm using U.S. data, though training of the algorithm will be limited to Oracle's servers.

TikTok promises that access will be "very limited" and will not include "private TikTok U.S. user information." TikTok says that it has not been asked to provide data to the Chinese government, and would not provide data if the CCP requested information.

Apple and Google have not as of yet responded to the FCC's request to remove the TikTok app from their app stores.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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 co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is to be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House today announced.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the United States' highest civilian honor, presented to individuals "who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors."

President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities. These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith. They have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities – and across the world – while blazing trails for generations to come.

[...]

Steve Jobs (d. 2011) was the co-founder, chief executive, and chair of Apple, Inc., CEO of Pixar and held a leading role at the Walt Disney Company. His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have, and continue to, change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries.

The presidential honor for Jobs comes alongside sixteen other recipients, including Simone Biles, Sister Simone Campbell, Julieta García, Gabrielle Giffords, Fred Gray, Father Alexander Karloutsos, Khizr Khan, Sandra Lindsay, John McCain (posthumous), Diane Nash, Megan Rapinoe, Alan Simpson, Richard Trumka (posthumous), Wilma Vaught, Denzel Washington, and Raúl Yzaguirre. The awards will be presented at the White House on Thursday, July 7.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.

Monday is Independence Day in the U.S., and stores and online retailers nationwide are celebrating with deals on a wide variety of products. Of particular note for Apple fans, Amazon has several good deals on Apple products, while third-party accessories are also on sale at various retailers.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Amazon Deals on Apple Products

• 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are currently $200 off at Amazon. These aren't quite the best prices we've ever seen on these models, but they're still excellent deals: 14-inch 8-core M1 Pro ($1799), 14-inch 10-core M1 Pro ($2299), 16-inch 10-core M1 Pro 512GB ($2299), 16-inch 10-core M1 Pro 1TB ($2499).
• AirPods Max in Space Gray are currently available for $429, their lowest price ever, but other colors are higher.
• Apple Watch Series 7 models in many colors are at their lowest prices ever with 41mm GPS models priced at $329 and 45mm GPS models priced at $359 (both $70 off). Cellular models are similarly $70 off in most colors with 41mm priced at $429 and 45mm priced at $459, although the 45mm Midnight model is even cheaper at just $436.
• 256GB Wi-Fi models of the regular iPad are currently available for $429, a discount of $50.

Third-Party Accessories

• Belkin is offering 15% off select chargers and earbuds with discount code 4JULY2022.
• Sonos is offering 15%–40% off a variety of refurbished speakers. All refurbished Sonos products come with the same one-year warranty as brand-new units and come in "pristine" packaging with all manuals and accessories.
• Brydge is currently running a sale on several models of iPad keyboards, MacBook docks, cases, cables, and more, including extra deep discounts on open-box units.
• Satechi is running a summer sale with discounts on several USB-C hubs chargers, and more.
• Twelve South has discounted a broad array of its Apple-focused accessories including stands, BookBook cases, AirFly, and more.
• eBay is offering an extra 20% off a variety of tech, home, and other products with discount code JULYSAVINGS (max discount $250).
• Hyper is taking 20% off select USB-C hubs, battery packs, and more with discount code JULY2022, while other products are up to 50% off.
• Anker has a "Power Deals" promotion going on right now that offers up to 30% off of various chargers, power strips, cables, and more. Many of the deals are also available through Amazon.

Apple today increased the price of iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch models in Japan by up to 25 percent.

The price hikes, first reported by Nikkei Asia, have been triggered by a fall in the value of the yen and a widening interest rate gap between Japan and the United States.

The ‌iPhone‌ 13 previously started at 98,800 yen (~$730) in Japan, but now costs 117,800 yen (~$870), an increase of almost 20 percent. The latest ‌iPhone‌ SE with 64GB of storage now costs 5,000 yen (~$37) more than before at 62,800 yen (~$464). The 128GB ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro now costs 22,000 yen (~$162) more than before at 144,800 yen (~$1,069).

Apple raised the prices of Macs in Japan last month by over 10 percent alongside the launch of the M2 MacBook Pro, so no Mac product lines were further increased in price today, although ‌iPad‌ and iPad Air models increased by 10,000 yen (~$74) each.

Apple today released a new ad for Apple Watch Series 7 highlighting the device's durability when exposed to various wearing conditions.

In the ad titled "Hard Knocks," a number of scenarios are played out involving people either intentionally or accidentally exposing their Apple Watch to various weather conditions, liquids, and physical impacts.

Some examples include someone diving into a pool from a height, someone running for a bus and getting their wrist caught in the door, and a person falling while ice skating.

"The most durable Apple Watch ever," reads the tagline of the ad, which runs for 1 minute and 38 seconds, and features music by Jack White, "Power of My Love."

According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on a version of the Apple Watch "with a rugged casing" that's aimed at athletes, hikers, and others who use the watch in more extreme conditions than day to day wear. It will feature the same functionality as a standard Apple Watch, but with improved impact resistance and protection. Apple is expected to launch the rugged Apple Watch in 2022.

Citizens of European Union countries can keep avoiding mobile roaming fees when using their devices across borders within the bloc, after lawmakers extended the regulation to last until at least 2032.

Mobile customers generally haven't had to worry about roaming charges when using their phones in the EU, with most phone tariffs counting calls, texts, and data used in EU countries as equivalent to domestic use since 2017.

The regulation was due to end on July 1, so the EU has extended it for a decade. That means European consumers can keep avoiding most extra fees when traveling within another of the 27 EU Member States, but there are also some new additions to the regulation, including a requirement that citizens have access to the same services abroad in the EU as at home when the same networks and technologies are available.

As TechCrunch notes, while this quality of service provision covers 5G, it doesn't guarantee the same mobile network speed when roaming (network speeds can vary), but the Commission says the new rules "aim to ensure that when similar quality or speeds are available in the visited network, the domestic operator should ensure the same quality of the roaming service."

In addition, the updated regulation aims to increase transparency by requiring network providers to better inform customers about the types of services that can still incur additional costs when roaming, such as calling customer service numbers, help desks, and insurance companies. Customers should receive an SMS text regarding any additional roaming charges.

In case it isn't already clear by now, this regulation won't apply to mobile customers based in the United Kingdom, as a result of the country's exit from the European Union. With the exception of Virgin Media O2, most networks in the U.K. have since reintroduced roaming charges when traveling in the EU, and most charges are around £2 per day.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.

Former Apple vice president of corporate law Gene Levoff has pleaded guilty to six counts of securities fraud for insider trading, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release (via The Verge).

The former Apple lawyer "misappropriated material, nonpublic information about Apple's financial results and then executed trades involving the company's stock" from February 2011 to April 2016, says the release.

Levoff also served on Apple's Disclosure Committee from September 2008 to July 2018. In this position, he was supposed to be responsible for ensuring that other Apple employees were compliant with Apple's insider trading policies, including enforcement of "blackout periods" around the time of Apple's earnings reports.

Instead, he allegedly secured profits for himself worth approximately $227,000 and avoided losses of around $377,000. Apple terminated his employment in September 2018. The SEC previously filed a civil complaint against Levoff based on the same conduct.

The six securities fraud counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Levoff's sentencing is scheduled for November 10.

After briefly taking down the Apple Store, Apple today began offering U.S. customers a $50 gift card with every Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD purchase made through its online store.

The promotion runs for the next two weeks from July 1 to July 14, and the gift card can only be used for a future Apple purchase. In other words, customers can't use it to knock $50 off the Apple TV they are buying. The Apple TV must be bought through Apple's online store, and the promotion is only open to individual customers.

Apple doesn't regularly offer promotions of this kind, but the company may be clearing inventory to make way for a new Apple TV model. Apple is working on a refreshed version of the Apple TV with an updated A14 chip and 4GB RAM, with the device set to be launched as soon as 2022, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also said that Apple is working on a 2022 refresh of the Apple TV. Kuo believes that the new Apple TV will have an improved cost structure, which suggests a lower price point that is more competitive with other streaming media players.

Apple today began selling refurbished Mac Studio models for the first time in the United States, Canada, and select European countries, such as Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

In the United States, two refurbished Mac Studio configurations are currently available, including one with the M1 Max chip (10-core CPU and 24-core GPU) for $1,799 (down from $1,999 brand new) and one with the M1 Ultra chip (20-core CPU and 48-core GPU) for $3,599 (down from $3,999 brand new). Inventory on Apple's refurbished store fluctuates often, with additional configurations likely to be added over time.

Apple says every certified refurbished Mac undergoes full functionality testing, is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection, and is repackaged in a new box with manuals and a power cord. Apple's refurbished products are covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty and 14-day return policy, and are eligible for AppleCare+ coverage. AppleCare+ for the Mac Studio is priced at $169 or $59.99 per year on a rolling basis.

Released in March 2022, the Mac Studio resembles a taller Mac mini, with holes on the back and bottom of the enclosure for airflow. Available with up to a 20-core CPU and up to a 64-core GPU, the Mac Studio is the fastest Mac ever based on benchmarks.

On the back of the Mac Studio, connectivity options include four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one 10-Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones. On the front, there is an SD card slot, along with two USB-C ports or two Thunderbolt 4 ports depending on the configuration.

Apple last week launched the first M2 Mac, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and repair site iFixit picked up the new machine to do a traditional device teardown.

Design wise, there's not a lot for iFixit to say about the ‌M2‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ because aside from the ‌M2‌ chip, it is identical to the prior-generation ‌MacBook Pro‌. It features the same chassis, Touch Bar, and display, with updates focused under-the-hood.

As expected, iFixit found almost every component to be the same, and couldn't identify any outward-facing changes. Inside, some of the chips and smaller components have been updated, but the rest of the interior is identical.

iFixit was able to pull the M1 and ‌M2‌ boards out, fitting the ‌M2‌ board in the ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ case. Though the boards could be swapped, the ‌M2‌ chip would not function in the ‌M1‌ chassis because of the component swap. The trackpad, keyboard, and Touch ID sensor fail to function when the ‌M1‌ and ‌M2‌ chips are changed out.

As the ‌‌M2‌‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ components physically fit inside the ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌, iFixit claims that Apple is making a "blatant attempt to block repairs and replacements through software locks."

Previous arguments for the lack of upgradeability between generations have centered around size considerations within the chassis or cost considerations or manufacturing limitations. So how do we explain this?

iFixit confirmed the design of the SSD, which has led to slower SSD benchmark performance on the 256GB ‌M2‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ compared to the 256GB ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌. Apple is indeed using a single 256GB SSD chip in the ‌M2‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌, while the ‌M1‌ used two 128GB SSD chips. Two SSD chips allow the system to read and write up to twice as fast because operations can be performed at the same time. It's not clear why Apple made this change, but iFixit speculates that it is the direct result of component shortages.

All in all, iFixit says that Apple missed an opportunity to introduce its first upgradeable device in a good long time, and that the company also missed the chance to set the tone for repairability and eco-friendly design by restricting interoperability.

Comcast today released its long-awaited Xfinity Stream app on the Apple TV, allowing ‌Apple TV‌ HD and ‌Apple TV‌ 4K owners who subscribe to Xfinity TV to access live TV shows and on-demand content on their set-top boxes.

According to Comcast, the app supports more than 250 live TV channels and DVR recordings that can be accessed from any device. There are also thousands of movies and shows that can be streamed on demand.

The ‌Apple TV‌ app provides access to the same content that is available through the iPhone and iPad apps, which in turn is identical to what's accessible through the Xfinity box.

Xfinity TV customers can log in with their credentials to access content through the new ‌Apple TV‌ app.

Instagram this week implemented support for a new option that allows an Instagram account to be deleted directly within the Instagram app. Instagram is now in compliance with an updated App Store Guideline that requires all apps that offer account creation to also offer account deletion.

Apple told developers that apps offering account creation must also support account deletion starting on June 30, 2022, so Instagram waited for the deadline to add the feature.

According to Apple's guidelines, apps must make it easy for users to find the account deletion option, and it is insufficient for an app to offer to temporarily disable or deactivate an account. An account must be able to be deleted, along with all personal data.

As noted by TechCrunch, prior to now Instagram users had to log into a web browser on a desktop computer or a mobile device to delete their accounts. There was also an in-app option for deactivating account, but as mentioned up above, Apple is requiring full account deletion options.

Instagram accounts can be deleted in the Instagram app by opening up the settings, selecting account, and choosing the delete account option. Instagram lets users choose between deleting or deactivating their account, with the delete option removing all content permanently.

There is a 30-day period in which you can change your mind about deleting your account because Apple's guidelines allow for a delay before an account is permanently removed. Those who log back into Instagram after requesting deletion will be able to stop the deletion.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Instagram said that it wanted to "give people more ways to control their experience and time spent on Instagram," without mentioning that it is an Apple requirement.

Delivery startup Enjoy today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), less than one year after raising over $250 million in growth capital and going public on the stock market.

Founded by Apple's former retail chief Ron Johnson, Enjoy provided what it called a "commerce-at-home experience" with at-home delivery and setup of tech products. In select U.S. cities, customers ordering Apple products through Apple's online store or the Apple Store app could choose "Delivery with Setup" during checkout and have an Enjoy employee deliver and set up the products at their home, free of charge.

In an earlier SEC filing, Enjoy said it would be pausing at-home delivery and setup of Apple products in the U.S. beginning July 1 in order to "focus on its business priorities." Given the bankruptcy filing, it is unclear if or when the partnership will resume.

Johnson joined Apple as Senior Vice President of Retail Operations in 2000 and helped to pioneer the concept of the Apple Store and the Genius Bar. He left Apple in 2011 to become CEO of retail chain JCPenney, but the company struggled financially under his leadership and he was fired in 2013, one year before he founded Enjoy.

Drivers will be able to preauthorize fuel purchases directly within Apple CarPlay starting this fall (via Reuters).

The feature, first mentioned in a developer session at WWDC earlier this month, will allow ‌CarPlay‌ users to use apps to navigate to a pump and preauthorize a fuel purchase. Fuel companies will offer individual apps that users will need to install on their iPhone to be available in Apple ‌CarPlay‌. Entering payment credentials in the ‌iPhone‌ app ahead of time will allow users to activate a pump and quickly purchase fuel directly from the ‌CarPlay‌ UI.

Gasoline firm HF Sinclair told Reuters that it plans to adopt the new ‌CarPlay‌ functionality. "We are excited by the idea that consumers could navigate to a Sinclair station and purchase fuel from their vehicle navigation screen," Jack Barger, the company's senior vice president of marketing said. Likewise, P97 Networks CEO Donald Frieden told Reuters that he has taken calls from oil companies that want to make their apps available in ‌CarPlay‌.

Apple has opened up more app categories for ‌CarPlay‌ over time, such as parking, electric vehicle charging, and food ordering. Driving task apps for logging business trip mileages will also become available alongside fuel apps later this year. Fuel purchase apps will be available in Apple ‌CarPlay‌ when iOS 16 officially launches in the fall.

Apple suppliers are already working on display panels for second-generation OLED iPad models, The Elec reports.

Samsung Display is said to be in the process of negotiating prices for new Gen 8.5 OLED deposition equipment designed to make OLED display panels for devices like tablets. Samsung is reportedly planning to use the equipment to mass-produce Gen 8.5 OLED panels in late 2024 for the second-generation version of Apple's OLED ‌iPad‌.

Apple has begun transitioning its ‌iPad‌ and MacBook lines to mini-LED displays over the last year, and OLED would be the next step after that. Unlike mini-LED displays, OLED panels use self-emitting pixels and do not require backlighting, which could improve contrast ratio and contribute to longer battery life on future ‌iPad‌ and MacBook models. Apple already uses OLED displays for its latest iPhones and all Apple Watch models.

The first-generation OLED iPad models, consisting of an 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, are expected to use displays supplied by LG Display and Samsung, using existing Gen 6 OLED production lines. Moving to Gen 8.5 OLED panels for the second-generation of OLED iPads is more economical for larger devices than using Gen 6, which is better for smaller devices like smartphones, because it can yield more OLED panels per substrate.

The first OLED ‌iPad‌ models are purportedly scheduled to launch in 2024, so a late 2024 mass-production date for displays destined for second-generation models could situate their launch sometime in 2025.

Various Apple devices with Gen 8.5 OLED displays are expected to launch after the debut of the first OLED ‌iPad‌. For example, a previous report placed the launch of the first MacBook with an OLED display in 2025, depending on the success of new 11- and 12.9-inch OLED ‌iPad Pro‌ models from the previous year.

Apple has informed App Store developers in South Korea that they can now begin offering users alternative payment systems in their apps. The change comes after the country passed a law that bans app store operators from requiring developers to use their own in-app purchase systems.

Apple's developer update on apps distributed in South Korea begins with Apple saying that the ‌App Store‌ was designed "to be a safe and trusted place to discover and download apps," but continues by explaining that the change is simply to ensure that the company is complying with local law:

The Telecommunications Business Act in South Korea was recently amended to mandate that apps distributed by app market operators in South Korea be allowed to offer an alternative payment processing option within their apps. To comply with this law, developers can use the StoreKit External Purchase Entitlement. This entitlement allows apps distributed on the App Store solely in South Korea the ability to provide an alternative in-app payment processing option. Developers who want to continue using Apple's in-app purchase system may do so and no further action is needed.

Apple goes on to caution developers that using the entitlement will cause some ‌App Store‌ features like Ask to Buy and Family Sharing to be unavailable to their users. The reason for this, Apple explains, is because payments that take place outside of the ‌App Store‌'s own payment system cannot be validated. As such:

"Apple will not be able to assist users with refunds, purchase history, subscription management, and other issues encountered when purchasing digital goods and services through an alternative purchasing method."

Apple provides developers with a list of pre-approved payment service providers (PCPs) in South Korea that includes KCP, Incise, Toss, and NICE. Developers can still use a different PSP, but it must meet the same criteria of having a secure payment processing system and an established track record of protecting user privacy. Notably, Apple will earn a 26% commission on all processed sales, despite the Korean regulator's misgivings about commissions taken on third-party payment systems.

Developers interested in using the StoreKit External Purchase Entitlement for apps in South Korea can get started by submitting an entitlement request form.

The redesigned MacBook Air with the all-new M2 Apple silicon chip will be available for customers starting Friday, July 15, MacRumors has learned from a retail source.

The new ‌MacBook Air‌ was announced and previewed during WWDC earlier this month, with Apple stating availability will begin in July. The ‌MacBook Air‌ features a redesigned body that is thinner and lighter than the previous model. Thanks to the ‌M2‌ chip, the ‌MacBook Air‌ features up to 18 hours of battery life, according to Apple. With a launch planned for July 15, pre-orders can be expected to go live on Friday, July 8.

The new ‌MacBook Air‌ starts at $1199, with the highest configuration costing $2499. The previous M1-powered ‌MacBook Air‌ remains in Apple's lineup for $999 for customers looking for a cheaper option.