RSA filed a lawsuit against Apple and Visa over the weekend claiming the iPhone maker’s Apple Pay feature infringes on patents it owns. The company says it holds 13 patents covering Apple Pay technology, and hasn’t been able to get Apple or Visa to pay for licensing.
News
Data Forensics Company Recovers Notes Data Apple Claims is Deleted
Files deleted from Apple’s Notes app shouldn’t be recoverable after 30 days, but the security and data forensics company Elcomsoft found they could access records that were deleted months—or even more than a year—ago. That sounds pretty bad, but recovering those files requires some pretty specific elements, including knowing your iCloud login and password.
Dr. Mac Says He Can Save You an Hour a Day for Life (for Free)
Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus has a free course he says will save you an hour a day for the rest of your life. And it’s free. It’s a promotion for his new book, Working Smarter for Mac Users, a book about beating procrastination and being much more efficient with your Mac.
NFC on iPhone Can Be Unlocked, but Should You Care?
While NFC might always be limited to Apple Pay officially, more advanced users have been hoping the technology will be unlocked for other purposes. A popular jailbreak developer has done that, and Jeff Butts thinks it’s great for some and unimportant for most people.
Ford CarPlay is Here for 2016 Models Via Software Update
Ford just announced that CarPlay is coming to all of its 2016 model vehicles with a new software update. CarPlay requires an iPhone 5 or later, and running iOS 7.1 or later. You can either take your car to the nearest Ford dealer for the Ford CarPlay update, or do it yourself.
Apple Increasing 10.5-inch iPad Pro Production Ahead of Launch
Apple is reportedly ramping up production of the rumored 10.5-inch iPad Pro and expects to ship up to 6 million by the end of 2017. The company apparently started in the March/April window with 500,000 units a month, and has now bumped that up to 600,000.
Privacy: Twitter Giveth and Taketh Away
Twitter has updated its privacy policy and tools, but it isn’t necessarily for the better. Jeff Butts finds some things to like about the changes, but the social media network ditching Do Not Track and beginning to share more of your data is a recipe for trouble.
Jimmy Iovine Says Free Streaming Music is Bad Business
Jimmy Iovine says Apple Music could have a lot more subscribers if it had a free streaming tier, but that’s not a path Apple is willing to go down. Musicians need to get paid, he says, and free streaming doesn’t allow for that.
Gmail Smart Reply Comes to iOS
One of the features announced today at Google I/O 2017 is Gmail Smart Reply. It was first released in the web in 2015, as a way to let people send short, canned messages in email, similar to iMessage on the Apple Watch. Andrew Orr tells us it’s finally coming to the Gmail app on iOS.
Sal Soghoian Launches CMD-D: Masters of Automation Conference
Sal Soghoian, who is the master of automation on the Mac, is hosting his own conference called CMD-D: Masters of Automation Conference. The day-long event will cover AppleScript, Automator, JavaScript for Automation, Workflow, and more.
Apple Goes 'Beyond WWDC' with Third Party Events
Apple has posted some of the third party events that take place during its own World Wide Developer Conference. The Apple Developer Connection has a new Beyond WWDC list that includes events like AltConf 2017, The Talk Show with John Gruber Live, CocoaConf Next Door, Layers, the App Camp for Girls benefit with James Dempsey and the Breakpoints. and one of our favorites, Jim Dalrymple’s Beard Bash.
New Report Says iPad mini to be Discontinued Soon
A new report backs up what we’ve been saying since March: the iPad mini is a dead man walking. The iPhone 7 Plus has apparently usurped the iPad mini’s place in Apple’s tablet lineup, but there isn’t any word yet on when it’ll be retired.
Apple Seeds First Developer Releases of iOS 10.3.3, watchOS 3.2.3, tvOS 10.2.2
In addition to a new developer release of Sierra, Apple also seeded developer releases of iOS 10.3.3, watchOS 3.2.3, tvOS 10.2.2. All three releases are most likely going to be bug releases, and they come just one day after final versions of their predecessors.
Apple Seeds First Developer Release of macOS Sierra 10.12.6
Apple released the first developer release of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 on Tuesday, just one day after shipping macOS Sierra 10.12.5. The company didn’t announce any new features in the release, and it’s likely to be another maintenance release ahead of Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference in June.
Starting June 15, iCloud Will Require App Specific Passwords
Starting on June 15, Apple will require third-party apps that use iCloud to use app specific passwords that the user sets up. This also means that you must be using two-factor authentication for your Apple ID. Andrew Orr tells us what this means for you.
Apple Courts Michael Lombardo to Head Original TV Programming
Apple is apparently courting former HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo to head up its original TV programming for Apple Music. He’s the guy who was responsible for shows such as The Newsroom, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, and Game of Thrones, and Apple no doubt wants to replicate that success with its own streaming shows.
Apple May Put Blood Glucose Sensors in Apple Watch Smart Band
Apple reportedly has plans to bring blood glucose monitoring to the Apple Watch, and the company wants to launch a line of specialized function smart watchbands for the device, too. Details—like when the new features will come—are pretty scarce right now, but the idea is interesting.
Apple Squashes 30 Security Holes in macOS Sierra, Plus Standalone Updates for El Cap and Yosemite
Apple squashed 30 security holes in macOS Sierra with the release of macOS 10.12.5 on Monday. The company’s security notes indicate the update addressed a wide variety of issues in its Mac operating system, many of which are serious. Apple included the same fixes in separate security updates for El Capitan and Yosemite.
Apple Releases iTunes 12.6.1, Calls it 'Minor'
Apple released iTunes 12.6.1 on Monday. The patch notes were sparse, noting only that, “This update includes minor app and performance improvements.”
Apple Watch watchOS 3.2.2 Released with Bug Fixes and Security Patches
Apple released watchOS 3.2.2 Monday. Apple’s patch notes for the release are scant, noting only that it “includes improvements and bug fixes.”
Apple Releases macOS 10.12.5 with USB Headphone Bug Fix, More RAW Formats
Apple released macOS 10.12.5 Monday. This update includes a fix for a USB headphone bug and other bug fixes, support for more RAW formats, and as-yet-unspecified security patches.
Apple Releases iOS 10.3.2 with Bug Fixes and Security Patches
Apple released iOS 10.3.2 Monday. The patch notes for the updates indicate it is entirely a maintenance update, noting that it “includes bug fixes and improves the security of your iPhone and iPad.”
Apple Aims to Make Siri Smarter with Lattice Data Purchase
Apple has another tool to help make Siri smarter thanks to its recent purchase of Lattice Data. The company specializes in artificial intelligence and dark data, which ultimately could turn out to be as cool as it sounds.
Apple Launches 16 'Shoot with iPhone' Videos on Dedicated Website
Apple has launched a site dedicated to its Shoot with iPhone 7 instructional videos. Those videos were launched on YouTube Thursday evening. On Friday, Apple published a subsite on the apple.com domain with 16 videos from the series. Bryan Chaffin explains.