Husain Sumra
Husain is a former Contributing Editor at MacRumors. When not covering Apple he's writing about movies, watching movies, planning Disneyland trips and dreaming of Back to the Future hover boards for all.
Husain Sumra's Articles
New Legislation Aims to Make it Easier for Customers, Indie Shops to Repair iPhones
Lawmakers in Nebraska, Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Kansas have introduced legislation aiming to legalize "Right to Repair" rules for electronic devices, including Apple's iPhone, reports Motherboard. The laws would require manufacturers to sell replacement parts to independent repair shops and customers, and force them to make service and diagnostic manuals public.
The bills are...
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Facebook Begins Testing Ads in Messenger App
Facebook today announced that it has begun testing ads in the Messenger app. The test will be limited to users in Australia and Thailand and will allow businesses to place ads on the Messenger home screen below favorite users and most recent conversations.
The company says that "no one will see an ad in a conversation without clicking on an ad experience on the Messenger home screen or...
Apple Shares New 'Pairing,' 'Siri' and 'Notes' AirPods Ads
Apple today shared three ads highlighting the newly-released AirPods on its YouTube channel. Two of the ads are focused on AirPod features, like Siri and instant pairing, and star dancer Lil Buck while the third ad is centered on showcasing the device's design.
In "Pairing," Lil Buck simply flips open the AirPods charging case and watches them instantly pair with his iPhone 7. He then...
New Video Pits iPhone Click Wheel Prototype Against Scott Forstall's Icon-Based iPhone Prototype
A couple days ago Sonny Dickson shared a look at one of two early prototypes for the original iPhone, the iPod Click Wheel-based OS that iPod "Godfather" Tony Fadell was working on. Tonight, Dickson has shared a video pitting Fadell's version against Scott Forstall's icon-based iPhone prototype, which went on to become the basis for iOS.
Fadell's prototype was referred to as P1 while...
Russia Forces Apple to Remove LinkedIn From Russian App Store
Russian authorities have required Apple and Google to remove the LinkedIn app from the App Store and Google Play in Russia, reports The New York Times. The move comes a couple weeks after Russia blocked LinkedIn's website.
The demand by Russian authorities to remove LinkedIn in Apple and Google app stores comes weeks after a court blocked the professional networking service for flouting...
Apple's Iconic Fifth Avenue Store Moving to Temporary Location on January 20 During Renovations
In June 2015 it was reported that Apple would renovate its iconic Fifth Avenue retail store, temporarily relocating its operations to the vacated FAO Schwarz toy store in the General Motors Building. A MacRumors reader spotted a new sign in front of the iconic store that reveals the relocation will happen on January 20.
FAO Schwarz vacated its location in the General Motors Building in July...
Instagram Adds Support for Wide Color and Live Photos
At Apple's September 2016 special event, Instagram announced several new features for its app to take advantage of various iPhone capabilities. Today, co-founder Mike Krieger announced that two of the features, wide color support and Live Photos support, are rolling out to users.
Instagram had to revise its photo filters to support the iPhone 7's new camera capabilities. The new photo...
CES 2017: Nvidia's 'GeForce Now' Cloud Service to Bring High-End PC Gaming to Mac
Tonight at its CES 2017 keynote event, Nvidia announced GeForce Now for Mac and PC, a cloud gaming service that allows low-end Mac and PC users to play high-end PC games. The service is similar to an identically-named service for Nvidia Shield users.
Nvidia says that there are an estimated 1 billion PC users who have integrated GPUs that can't play games "to their full potential." GeForce...
CES 2017: Sleep Number Announces Self-Adjusting, Feet-Warming '360' Smart Bed
Today at CES Sleep Number announced the technological follow-up to its iPhone-connected "IT" smart bed from last year. The new bed is the Sleep Number 360, a self-adjusting smart bed that can warm your feet, adjust to your snoring and more.
The bed, which uses Sleep Number's SleepIQ technology, has four new signature features. The bed can self-adjust throughout the night, matching the sleep...
Kanex Announces GoPower Watch Stand and Mini Keychain Battery for Apple Watch
Kanex today announced two additional devices to its line of GoPower Apple Watch accessories: the GoPower Watch Stand and GoPower Watch Mini. The two new accessories join the GoPower Watch Portable Battery, which debuted this past August for $99.95.
The magnetic GoPower Watch Stand charges and displays both 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch variations. There's also an additional USB port on the back...
Rumor Says Apple Will Introduce New 5-Inch 'iPhone 7s' With Dual Vertical Cameras
Apple may introduce a new 5-inch iPhone model that sports a unique vertical dual-camera system that sits alongside the existing 4.7- and 5.5-inch models, according to Japanese blog Mac Okatara. The 5-inch model would act as the medium size in the 2017 lineup.
The report, which comes from a Taiwanese supplier, says that the new models, dubbed the iPhone 7s, would be an updated version of the...
B&H Photo Offering 15-Inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro With $200 Discount and Copy of Parallels 12
Just after the Christmas shopping period, B&H Photo is offering impressive deals on the new 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. B&H is offering $200 off with a free copy of Parallels 12, which is worth $79.95.
2.6 GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar - $2,199, down from $2,399 ($200 off)
2.7 GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar - $2,599, down from $2,799 ($200 off)
B&H is also...
Phil Schiller: Apple Working With Consumer Reports to Understand MacBook Pro Battery Test
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...
Leaked Documents Reveal What Kind of Data Cellebrite Can Extract From iPhones
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. ZDNet has obtained documents that reveal the scope of this technology.
...
AT&T Debuts 'Call Protect' Service to Protect Against Robocalls
AT&T today announced Call Protect, a complimentary service aimed at protecting its users from automated phone calls, also referred to as robocalls. The service debuts five months after the U.S. Federal Communications asked wireless companies to offer free robocall blocking services.
The service offers two solutions to stop robocalls. It can automatically block numbers suspected of fraud at...
Apple to Add Grade Crossings to Maps After Federal Recommendation
Apple will add grade crossings to Apple Maps after a safety recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), reports The New York Times. The recommendation comes after a two year investigation into an accident that occurred after a driver got his truck stuck on railroad tracks while following directions from Google Maps.
Grade crossings are places where the road and...
Apple CEO Tim Cook: ‘We Have Great Desktops in Our Roadmap'
In a post to an employee message board obtained by TechCrunch, Apple CEO Tim Cook assured employees that the company is still committed to the Mac and that "great desktops" are coming. Apple's desktop computers haven't seen an upgrade in at least 433 days.
Some folks in the media have raised the question about whether we’re committed to desktops,” Cook wrote. “If there’s any doubt...
Evernote Will Not Implement Controversial New Privacy Policy
Evernote tonight announced that it no longer plans to implement a controversial new privacy policy that caused some Evernote users to threaten to stop using the service. The policy was scheduled to go into effect on January 23, 2017 and allowed Evernote employees to read users' notes.
After receiving a lot of customer feedback expressing concerns about our upcoming Privacy Policy changes over...
'Apple Support' App Launches in U.S. App Store
One month after debuting in the Netherlands, Apple's specialized Apple Support app has gone live in the U.S. App Store, reports TechCrunch. The app gives Apple users an easy way to get support for their devices on the go.
The app is designed to mimic Apple's dedicated support website, providing a list of Apple devices owned by the user and giving them access to documentation for those...
South Korea Considering Investigation of iPhone 6s Battery Shutdown Issue
South Korea's Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) said it is considering an investigation into whether some iPhone 6s devices experiencing unexpected battery shutdowns is a safety issue, according to The Korea Herald.
"The agency is well aware of recent iPhone issues and is taking a close look at it," an unnamed KATS official told The Herald. While KATS hasn't officially...