President Trump piled raised onto Tim Cook and said the Apple CEO called him “whenever there is a problem.”
Articles by Charlotte Henry
Facebook Document Sheds Light on Cambridge Analytica Scandal
NBC’s Dylan Byers had a fantastic scoop this morning. He got hold of an internal Facebook document that indicated Facebook learned about the potential Cambridge Analytica issue in September 2015. That is contrary to what Mark Zuckerberg said in his testimony.
The document reveals that Facebook first learned about unconfirmed reports of a potential data violation in September 2015 and sought to address the issue but was not made aware of the full scope of the problem until a Guardian report was published in December 2015. Mark Zuckerberg has testified that Facebook learned from The Guardian report that developer Aleksandr Kogan sold user data to Cambridge Analytica, a violation of Facebook’s policy prohibiting researchers from selling or sharing data with third parties.
Bose Launches Home Speaker With Air Play 2 Support
Bose unveiled a new portable Home Speaker with AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect support, set for release in September in two colors.
Video: A conversation with TMO Senior Editor John Martellaro
Charlotte talks with TMO Senior Editor John Martellaro, and discusses his career and his love of Apple products. Subscribe to the MacObserver’s YouTube channel and never miss a video.
The Effect of Apple TV+ on Apple's Bottom Line
For every 10 million subscribers Apple TV+ gets, 20 to 25 cents could be added to earnings per share, according to an analyst.
Uber and Lift Drivers Heading Across California Protesting
A protest caravan of Uber and Lyft drivers is preparing to make its way across California, Techcrunch reported. It will launch in SoCal Monday, August 26, before finishing in Sacramento on August 28.
Yesterday, California-based advocacy organizations Gig Workers Rising and Mobile Workers Alliance announced that a caravan of Uber and Lyft drivers will drive from SoCal through San Francisco to Sacramento, next Monday, August 26 through Wednesday, August 28th. Over 200 drivers in more than 75 cars plan to drive south to north, with more drivers joining along the way, to take dramatic action in advocating for California State Legislature bill AB5, and for a drivers union. With AB5 almost certain to pass the CA Senate, this coming week presents a crucial moment in the history of gig work and tech more broadly: an opportunity for drivers to demonstrate the efficacy of 21st century labor modes of organizing, even as Uber and Lyft continue ramping up efforts to kill AB5, drop pay rates, and generally mistreat drivers.
5G Could Revolutionize Home Broadband
Most of use are excited about what 5G will enable us to do on a smartphone, and how fast it will enable to us to do it. However, as CNET noted, the effect could be just as significant in the home broadband space.
Consumers often see prices rise in areas where there’s only one provider, yet many Americans continue to lack competitive home internet options. Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint have all hyped up home broadband as one of the many uses of 5G to solve this problem by offering a viable and speedy alternative. Verizon’s first 5G network rollout focused on the home, while T-Mobile CEO John Legere railed against “big cable” while pitching regulators on his company’s $26.5 billion merger with Sprint.
Bug Hunter Complains About Lack of Steam Bounty
A bug-hunter revealed details of two flaws with gaming platform Steam but parent company Valve angered him by refusing to pay a bounty.
Spotify Offering Three Months of Premium for Free, Matching Apple Music
Spotify is giving users the first three months of a Premium plan for free, bringing it in-line with Apple Music’s offer.
The Demise of Apple Music Connect And What Might Have Been
In June 2015 Apple unveiled its music social network, to great fanfare. However, it killed-off the service in December 2018. Music Business Worldwide looked at what might have been.
In a world where every streaming service is desperate to differentiate itself, Apple had something really unique. Connect could have been hugely influential… At its core, Apple Music Connect was a social media platform embedded into the Apple Music ecosystem. Artists could use it to share lyrics, exclusive photos, videos or even release their latest song directly to fan followers from their iPhone. As such, Connect was sort of an Instagram-SoundCloud-Facebook-Twitter-YouTube hybrid. This is why Jimmy Iovine, Apple’s former Head of Music Operations, described Connect at the time as one of Apple Music’s three key differentiating elements, alongside human-curated music streaming and the 24-hour Beats 1 radio station.
The iOS 12.4 Jailbreak is a Big Deal
It emerged a few days ago that in iOS 12.4 Apple accidentally reintroduced a way to jailbreak the iPhone. This brought with it a number of associated vulnerabilities. Will Bedingfield, writing at Wired, explained why this is a big deal.
Apple first fixed the problem in iOS 12.3 but reintroduced it in the latest version of its code, iOS 12.4, which was released in June. In doing so, Apple has inadvertently made it easier to jailbreak and hack its own product. This weakness let an attacker corrupt the phone’s kernel memory, allowing a security researcher, called Pwn20wnd, to develop and publish an iPhone jailbreak. This is a big deal for Apple, which offers a restricted user experience – apps on its app store are subject to rigorous testing and restrictions, for instance – in return for high security. The last time the newest version of iOS was open to a jailbreak vulnerability was back in 2015, when iOS 9 was prominent, and only for seven days.
Apple Card Transforming Goldman Sachs into Consumer Powerhouse
Apple Card is a key part of Goldman Sach’s work to become a key player in the consumer market, its CEO said. David Solomon made the comments in an interview with CNBC.
“Apple Card is big, but it’s also a beginning,” Solomon said Tuesday in an internal memo obtained by CNBC. “In the decades to come, I expect us to be a leader in our consumer business, just like we are in our institutional and corporate businesses, with customer-centricity at the core of everything we do.” The co-branded credit card rolled out Tuesday to all U.S. customers, featuring a cash-back policy of up to 3% as well as a titanium, laser-etched physical card. “Apple Card makes a typically frustrating application process easy; it provides an interface with more useful information for the customer; and it places greater importance on customer privacy and security,” Solomon said.
iPhone Users Have Most Brand Loyalty
iPhone users had significantly more brand loyalty than Android customers, with over 90 percent planning to stick with an Apple smartphone.
Girls Who Code Announce New Swift Tutorial
Girls Who Code announced a new tutorial in Apple’s coding language, Swift which will be available at its Clubs for 6th to 12th graders.
Jamf Now Gets Custom Profiles
Mobile device management tool Jamf Now made Custom Profiles available to be added to Blueprints, giving users increased flexibility..
Student Studying Disinformation Has Twitter Account Suspended as Part of China Crackdown
On Monday, Twitter suspended over 900 accounts it said were involved in a Chinese disinformation campaign in Hong Kong. One of those people who had their account suspended, 24-year-old Luka Ivezic, told the BBC his account should not have bee amongst those flagged by the social media firm.
Mr Ivezic, who was born in Croatia and says he has never been to China, recently completed his thesis. The subject? “Disinformation, and how artificial intelligence can empower the tools that China and Russia have to misinform us.” “It is a bit ironic that something like this would happen to me,” he said after I contacted him about the list. According to documents released by Twitter on Monday, four of Mr Ivezic’s tweets were flagged, all of which discussed Artificial Intelligence, bitcoin and other related tech subjects. Tweets, which he says, he posted himself… “It doesn’t make any logical sense,” said Marin Ivezic, Luka’s father, a partner with consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, working on cybersecurity.
Twitter Suspends Hundreds of Accounts Spreading Hong Kong Disinformation
Twitter suspended 936 accounts involved in “a significant state-backed information operation” to spread disinformation in Hong Kong.
YouTube is Embracing Philosophy, Science, History
YouTube creators are known for makeup tips and stunts. But the i looked into how the platform is aiming to offer content looking at philosophy, science, and history, in partnerships involving its creators and influencers.
YouTube executive Luke Hyams describes the platform as “the biggest video library and resource in the history of civilisation”. It is also a media giant competing in an increasingly crowded video entertainment market. Whereas rival streaming services throw their budgets at star directors, scriptwriters and acting talent, YouTube’s content focus is on its own “YouTubers’”, the creators and influencers who have used the platform to build channels that attract millions of visitors each day. Hyams, who is head of YouTube Originals for Europe, Middle East and Africa, will look to harness this homegrown talent in making a series of ambitious UK-commissioned shows which he hopes will become global hits.
Huawei CEO Expects no Sanctions Relief
In an interesting in-depth interview with the Associated Press, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei said he expected U.S. sanction against the company to go ahead. He said the firm is planning assuming they will happen. His daughter, the company’s CFO, is fighting extradition from Canada to the U.S. where she faces a number charges.
In an interview with The Associated Press at Huawei’s sprawling, leafy headquarters campus in the southern city of Shenzhen, the 74-year-old Ren said Huawei expects U.S. curbs on most technology sales to go ahead despite Monday’s announcement of a second 90-day delay. He said no one in Washington would risk standing up for the company. The biggest impact will be on American vendors that sell chips and other components to Huawei, the biggest maker of network gear for phone companies, he said. Washington has placed Huawei on an “entity list” of foreign companies that require official permission to buy American technology.
Microsoft Hires Former Siri Boss Bill Stasior
Bill Stasior, who previously oversaw Siri, is joining Microsoft as a corporate vice president of technology leading an AI group
Apple TV+ Set for November Launch
Apple TV+ is set to launch by November costing $9.99 a month after a free trial, and Apple may have put up to $6bn into original content.
Chicago Music Summit Coming to Apple Store Michigan Avenue
The Apple Store on Michigan Avenue will host the second Chicago Music Summit it emerged Monday. 9to5Mac outlined some of the details of the event, which which will run for the second time this September. Details of the first two weeks of sessions also appeared as part of the Today at Apple program.
Apple describes the Chicago Music Industry Summit as a time to “connect with others and tap into creative resources to help further your career in music and the arts.” The month-long event collection is a collaboration with Apple Music and organized under the umbrella of Today at Apple, the program of daily creative sessions held in every Apple Store. Like all Today at Apple sessions, Chicago Music Industry Summit events are free to attend and generally take the form of hands-on labs, discussions, and live performances.
'The Morning Show' Full Trailer Lands: Drama and Strife and Tension
A full trailer for the Apple TV+ original series The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell.
Apple Watch Series 5 Could Have Ceramic and Titanium Casing Options
The Apple Watch Series 5 could come with ceramic and titanium casing options and the Series 4 might be updated with the new materials too.