Apple may have patched most of the security flaws that Wikileaks revealed the CIA is exploiting, but not all of them. Apple has been scrambling trying to learn more about the remaining exploits and it looks like the help it needs is coming directly from Wikileaks. The organization said it plans to share everything it knows about the hacks with Apple, and it’s going to do the same for other tech companies the CIA targeted, too.
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Apple Support Forums Down, Possibly for Update
Apple’s support forums are down. The company didn’t specify what it was doing, but the graphic put in place of the forums says, “We are busy updating Apple Support Communities for you and will be back shortly.” [Update: the forums are back up.]
Laurene Powell Jobs Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss Education and Immigration
Laurene Powell Jobs—billionaire, philanthropist, widow of Steve Jobs, and mega-donor to Hillary Clinton’s Super PAC—met with President Donald Trump this week. White House spokesperson Sean Spicer confirmed the meeting Wednesday, and a spokesperson for Ms. Powell Jobs said the two discussed education and immigration.
Apple Already Patched Most CIA Hacks From Wikileaks Report
According to the Wikileaks Vault 7 information dump, the CIA has been hard at work developing hacks to get into the data on our iPhones. Most of the exploits listed in the report, however, are already patched and Apple is working on taking care of the remaining few.
Watch Out Samsung, Foxconn Wants to Buy Toshiba's Memory Business
Foxconn and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are teaming up in a move to buy Toshiba Memory. Assuming the two companies can make the deal come together, they’ll be in a strong position to steal Apple’s memory business away from Samsung.
Apple Pay Comes to Ireland, Launching in Italy Soon
Apple Pay officially launched in Ireland on Tuesday, and the contactless payment system is heading to Italy soon, too. Currently, Apple Pay is available for Ireland’s boon, Ulster Bank and KBC customers.
Here’s Your Chance to Buy a Steve Jobs Autographed NexTWORLD Poster
Here’s your chance to get something autographed by Steve Jobs, but you’ll need to bring your wallet. An auction for a NeXTWORLD poster autographed by Steve Jobs currently has 31 bids and stands at US$11,000. The poster, which was autographed by Steve Jobs in 1992, is part of an online auction by RR Auction. Bidding ends on March 8th.
WWDC 2017 Student Scholarships Open on March 27
Applications for 2017’s Worldwide Developer Conference student scholarships opens on Monday, March 27th. Apple offers WWDC scholarships for students coding apps for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and travel assistance is available for qualifying applicants, too.
Get Ready for Faster Charging, Longer Life iPhone Batteries
Lithium-ion batter co-inventor John Goodenough just invented what could be the next generation in mobile device batteries. His new solid state battery design can hold three times as much power compared to current li-on batteries, charges faster, and doesn’t pose any risk of exploding—a problem Samsung is all too familiar with.
New Report Backs Up 5.8-inch iPhone 8
Apple’s iPhone 8 may sport a 5.8-inch OLED display, according to a new report. Just like other reports, this one says Apple plans to release two LED screen iPhones.
Apple Says You Can Take Better Notes with iPad Pro in New Commercial
A new Apple commercial makes the case that students can take better notes with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. The spot is a continuation of Apple’s iPad Pro commercials that directly respond to real tweets from real people. There’s also a second spot called iPad Pro — Need less stuff.
No, Apple Isn't Dropping Lighting for USB-C on the iPhone 8
A report from earlier this week said Apple is abandoning the iPhone’s Lightning port in favor of USB-C, and now we’re hearing that’s not the case. Instead, Apple will stick with the Lightning conector and add support for USB Type-C power delivery for faster charging.
New Touch ID Tech Pushing iPhone 8 Production to September
Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint technology is getting a major revamp in the iPhone 8, and that’s pushing the start of production out to September. The later production date means Apple won’t hit the usual September shipping window for its flagship model.
Kelly Guimont Talks IoT and More on MacVoices
The Mac Observer’s Kelly Guimont, who you can hear regularly on TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, joined Chuck Joiner this week on MacVoices. Chuck quizzed her about Internet of Things, backup strategies, upgrading your tech gear, favorite iOS apps, and more. MacVoices is a video podcast, but there’s an audio version available, too. You can check out Chuck’s interview with Kelly at the MacVoices website, or on Apple’s iTunes Store as audio or video.
Apple Updates HomeKit Automation Webpage
Apple updated its HomeKit page with a fresh, new look. It includes a brief video that shows the power of HomeKit automation with iOS 10. Examples in the video include lights, window shades, coffee makers, door locks and thermostats. Apple also has several sections that give details of different areas of the Home app.
![Improve Your iPhone Screen With ProtectPax Liquid on Indiegogo [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Image-1.webp)
Improve Your iPhone Screen With ProtectPax Liquid on Indiegogo [Update]
A company called ProtectPax is crowdfunding a special liquid that can strengthen your iPhone screen. It’s a goo made with titanium nanoparticles, and ProtectPax says it can make your iPhone screen as “hard as sapphire or ruby.” Andrew Orr explains what the company is offering on Indiegogo.
Appellate Court Rules Smartflash Patents Invalid, Saving Apple $533 Million
Apple won a significant victory in court this week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. That court ruled three patents owned by Smartflash LLC were invalid, according to Reuters, a ruling that saves Apple US$532.9 million by negating a damage award.
Be More Productive: Try a Different Keyboard
Last week Dr. Mac showed you how you could improve your typing skills for free at www.typingtest.com. But that’s only half the story. He also types significantly faster on his third-party keyboard than any keyboard Apple has made in the last decade…
iOS 10 Spying Possible With iCloud Backups
A scary piece from Motherboard brings to attention a tool for iOS 10 spying. A company called Mobistealth sells a special monitoring tool that can pull data from iCloud backups. And the device doesn’t need to be jailbroken to work.
Apple's System Status Page Updated With Last Known Outages
Whenever Apple’s online services go down, the company provides basic information on its System Status page. In the past it just gave information on which service was down, with a brief timeline of the outage. Now, Apple updated the page to replace the timeline with something better.
YouTube Is Taking A Step Into the Live TV Business
If you’re frustrated with your cable or satellite service’s huge bundle (and cost), but want the convenience of a DVR, you’re about to have another option. Google just announced YouTube TV, a live TV service that will include all-you-can-eat DVR storage and more.
Get Your Photography Airborne With ROVA, the Flying Selfie Camera
If you’re tired of selfie sticks and other gimmicks, here’s a cool alternative. A tech startup from Sydney, Australia, The IoT Group, a has just announced ROVA. This is flying selfie camera that you control from your iPhone.
9 New Facts about Apple Park
We learned some new factoids about Apple Park—formerly known as Apple Campus 2.0—courtesy of The San Jose Mercury News. In coverage to the South Bay Transportation Officials Association, Cupertino public works director Timm Borden and senior civil engineer David Stillman offered up nine things I didn’t know about Apple Park.
Apple gets the Upper Hand on Qualcomm Thanks to Intel's CDMA Chips
Now that Intel is making cell phone radio chips that support CDMA as well as GSM, Apple can source more than just Qualcomm for CDMA-compatible iPhones. That doesn’t, however, mean Qualcomm is about to lose its Apple contract. Instead, Apple has two suppliers it can rely on.