Bryan Chaffin and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple’s release of a an iPhone in 2020 (or not), and Apple’s acquisition of weather app Dark Sky.
Apple to Pay Contract Workers Previously Told They'd Lose Work
Apple has committed to paying contract workers unable to conduct their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.
New 'Share to Instagram Stories' Feature Seen in iOS 13.4.5 Beta
Apple Music users are going to be able to share music they’re listening to on Instagram and Facebook Stories. That’s according to an iOS 13.4.5 beta, which 9to5Mac had a look into. There’s also a lovely Twitter thread from Emily Ross who, as an intern, helped start the process that made this happen.
Sharing a song on Stories with iOS 13.4.5 is very simple. You just have to open the Music app on your iPhone or iPad, choose a song, and then tap the share option. If you select Instagram, for example, it will automatically generate a vertical image with the album cover, the name of the song, and an animated blurred background. From there, you can also share these Stories directly to Facebook. After sharing a song on Instagram Stories, other people can listen to it on Apple Music with just a tap. Apple continues to improve Apple Music to make it more attractive to users. Recently, the company introduced several new curated playlists, including the “Get Up! Mix”.
iOS 14 Adds iCloud Keychain Two-Factor Authentication Codes
According to an early build of iOS 14, the code suggests new changes are coming to iCloud Keychain, like support for two-factor authentication codes.
Apple Doubling COVID-19 Recovery Donation to China
Apple has doubled its donation towards China’s COVID-19 recovery donations. The money is being focussed on aiding long-term recovery efforts.
Apple more than doubled its donation to China’s efforts to fight COVID-19 to over 50 million yuan ($7 million), CEO Tim Cook posted on Weibo on Wednesday, weeks after the iPhone maker said it had opened all its 42 stores in one of its largest markets. Apple will contribute the rest of the money to support longer-term public health recovery efforts, he said. “China has shown incredible spirit and resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak and we are grateful to our teams, partners and customers for their support during these challenging times,” Cook said in a message on China’s Twitter equivalent Weibo.
New Zoom Bug Can Be Used to Steal Passwords, Access Your Webcam, Microphone
Security researcher Patrick Wardle disclosed two Zoom bugs today. They can be used to steal Windows passwords and access your webcam and microphone. They do however require physical access to the machine.
In this blog post, we’ll start by briefly looking at recent security and privacy flaws that affected Zoom. Following this, we’ll transition into discussing several new security issues that affect the latest version of Zoom’s macOS client.
At this point, Zoom should just rewrite its software completely.
Cloudflare’s WARP VPN Enters Beta for macOS, Windows
Continuing its tradition of April product announcements, today Cloudflare announced that its WARP VPN is entering beta for macOS and Windows.
iWork for iOS Updated to Support Trackpads, Mice
Following yesterday’s update to iWork for macOS, today Apple updated iWork for iOS to support trackpads and mice, along with other features.
The UK Limit on Contactless Payments is Now £45
The UK has upped the limit on contactless payments to £45 to both hep retailers and reduce the need for contact with in-store surfaces.
OpenWRT is Vulnerable to Remote Code Execution Attacks
For three years, router firmware OpenWRT has been vulnerable to remote code execution attacks.
The researcher also found that it was trivial for attackers with moderate experience to bypass digital-signature checks that verify a downloaded update as the legitimate one offered by OpenWTR maintainers. The combination of those two lapses makes it possible to send a malicious update that vulnerable devices will automatically install.
This is especially concerning because OpenWRT is commonly recommend by privacy advocates as an alternative to built-in proprietary router firmware.
SiriusXM Premier is Free Through May 15
Announced by Howard Stern, Sirius XM is giving people free access to Premier content through May 15, starting today.
Listeners will have free access to more than 300 channels of dynamic programming, featuring the acclaimed The Howard Stern Show , hundreds of exclusive ad-free music channels, and vital news and information sources. SiriusXM is also adding entirely new curated content, and bringing back some beloved music channels by top artists.
iWork for Mac Updated With iCloud Folder Sharing
Apple updated Keynote, Numbers, and Pages on the Mac today. It includes support for iCloud Folder sharing and other features.
Apple Partners With AI Startup ‘Dent Reality’ With Apple Maps
Apple is partnering with an AR startup called Dent Reality, specifically to work on indoor mapping and navigation based on AR.
Blocking Texts on macOS, Alternative Private Apps – TMO Daily Observations 2020-03-31
John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss blocking unwanted messages on your Mac, and some private alternatives to the iOS apps Apple gives you.
Zoom Meetings Aren’t Encrypted End-to-End, Despite Marketing
Along with recent news that Zoom sent your data to Facebook (although it stopped) now we learn that its video calls don’t use end-to-end encryption, despite the company marketing it as such.
…But despite this misleading marketing, the service actually does not support end-to-end encryption for video and audio content, at least as the term is commonly understood. Instead it offers what is usually called transport encryption, explained further below.
It just keeps getting worse for Zoom. It’s unfortunate the company has chosen such tactics, because it really is one of the better video calling apps out there.
The Premium DJing and Music Production Bootcamp Featuring Ableton + Logic Pro X: $49.99
We have a deal the Premium DJing & Music Production Bootcamp, a tutorial bundle that focuses on Ableton and Logic Pro X. It includes 9 different tutorials with 56 hours of content covering a wide variety of DJ and music production topics for both apps, and more. This bundle is $49.99 through our deal.
Apple Acquires Weather App ‘Dark Sky’
On its blog today, Dark Sky announced that it has been purchased by Apple. The iOS app will continue to be available in the App Store.
Office 365 is Becoming Microsoft 365
From April 21, Office 365 will be knowns as Microsoft 365, and the suite of apps will contain a variety of new features.
Epic Games offering $1 Million Bounty for Proof of Houseparty "Smear Campaign"
Houseparty owner Epic Games is offering $1 million for information on what it describes as a “smear campaign” against the app.
The 'iPhone 9' Could Launch on April 5
Accessories for the “iPhone 9” have reportedly started appearing in shops with instructions for them not to be made available until April 5.
Marriott Hit by Second Data Breach Affecting up to 5.2M People
Hotel chain Marriott International has suffered a second data breach, exposing the personal data of up to 5.2 million guests.
The breach, which began in mid-January 2020 and was discovered at the end of February 2020, saw contact details, including names, addresses, birth dates, gender, email addresses and telephone numbers exposed. Employer name, gender, room stay preferences and loyalty account numbers were also exposed.
Marriott has also said that at present it does not believe passports, payment details or passwords were exposed in the data breach.
It sounds like login credentials of two employees were stolen, likely through a social engineering attack.
Russia Postponing Introduction of Rules Forcing iPhones to Have State-Approved Apps
Russia has postponed the introduction of new legislation that required devices, including iPhones, to have state-approved apps pre-installed. AppleInsider reported that this is likely due to the current coronavirus outbreak. The legislation is now slated to come into force on January 31, 2021.
“When we buy complex electronic devices, they already have individual applications, mostly Western ones, pre-installed on them,” co-author of Russia’s legislation, Oleg Nikolayev said at the time. “Naturally, when a person sees them, they might think that there are no domestic alternatives available. And if, alongside pre-installed applications, we will also offer the Russian ones to users, then they will have a right to choose.”
Key Apple Supplier Raising $200 Million From Unknown 'Customer'
A key Apple supplier, Japan Display, has raised $200 million from a “customer”, Reuters reported. There is speculation that the unknown source of cash was, in fact, Apple itself.
The $200 [sic] fund will come in the form of the customer purchasing equipment at Japan Display’s main smartphone screen factory in central Japan, the company said in a statement. As Japan Display owed Apple more than $800 million as of last year for the $1.5 billion cost of building the plant, the fund to be raised would be used for repayment, the sources have said.
TMO UK Associate Editor Charlotte Henry (#5) - TMO BGM Interview
Charlotte Henry is a London-based technical journalist. A self-described media junkie, she writes about Apple — and now for the Mac Observer as well as our UK Associate Editor. She has also written for City A.M., Computer Business Review, the Independent on Sunday and CapX. Her new book is: Not Buying It.
In this episode, Charlotte and I discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the TV entertainment and streaming industry. We look at the diversion of theatrical releases to streaming, whether indoor theaters will ever return to normal, possible changes to production methods, throttling of streaming speeds, a possible return to more feel-good movies, the impact on binge watching, series vs. movie watching during lock-down, and Charlotte’s reaction to Disney+. Plus, John reveals a very personal secret!