An iCloud sync bug plaguing apps for months is now fixed, Apple’s telling developers. App users shouldn’t get iCloud 503 errors anymore.
ID.me CEO Admits Company Uses '1:Many' Facial Recognition
ID.me CEO Blake Hall wrote in a LinkedIn post that his company uses 1:many facial recognition. Cyber Scoop explains how this contradicts a press release saying ID.me does not use this technology. 1:many means the technology can identify people within mass databases of photos. It’s the opposite of the 1:1 face match proposed in the IRS + ID.me verification.
“We could disable the 1:many face search, but then lose a valuable fraud fighting tool. Or we could change our public stance on using 1:many face search,” an engineer wrote in a message posted to a company Slack channel on Tuesday. “But it seems we can’t keep doing one thing and saying another as that’s bound to land us in hot water.”
Apple M1 Max vs Intel Alder Lake Core i9 - Who Wins?
Benchmarks are out for Intel’s Alder Lake Core i9 chip. The raw numbers look like a win for PC users, even when compared with Apple’s M1 Max. However, as Macworld pointed out, there is a bit more to consider when making comparisons.
Geekbench 5’s OpenCL graphics benchmark results look dramatic. The PC laptops PCWorld tested have expensive discrete GPUs that offer peak performance, and it shows in the results. But a more applicable comparison is to examine the results for the integrated GPUs. In this case, the M1 Max and its 32-core GPU posts a 183 percent increase over the Alder Lake’s integrated GPU, an Iris Xe.
Analysts Confident Apple Ahead of AAPL Earnings Call
Some analysts believe that Apple has managed to deal with supply-chain issues caused by the Covid pandemic better than its rivals at the end of last year. It could also surpass Wall Street growth targets of six percent when it announces its latest earnings on Thursday. Reuter has a nice round-up of analyst opinion.
We expect Apple to reach its highest market share in China since Apple entered the market in 2008,” said analyst Nicole Peng of Canalys. Investment firm Wedbush Securities forecasts record iPhone sales of more than 40 million units during the holiday period from Black Friday to Christmas. Morgan Stanley estimates total holiday quarter iPhone shipments at 83 million, representing a 4% increase from the previous year. Wall Street analysts expect Apple to post about $118.7 billion in revenue, representing 6.48% year-over-year growth, and quarterly earnings per share of $1.89, according to Eikon data as of Tuesday.
Apple Releases watchOS 8.4 With Charging Bug Fix
Including a fix for charging issues on Apple Watch Series 7 devices, watchOS 8.4 is available to download and install now.
Apple TV+: Animated Feature 'Luck' to Premiere August 5
Animated movie ‘Luck’, featuring a star-studded cast that includes Jane Fonda and Whoopi Goldberg, will premiere on Apple TV+ on August 5.
Review: 'Roborock S7+' Robot Has Sonic Vibration Technology
The Roborock S7+ is the company’s latest robotic vacuum. It’s an improved version of its previous model that adds sonic mopping capabilities.
iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 Available Now
Apple released iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3. While it does not appear to be a major release, it is important to keep up with security updates.
Ged Maheux of Iconfactory – TMO Daily Observations 2022-01-26
Ged Maheux of Iconfactory joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss iCloud syncing problems and how Iconfactory is addressing them.
Appeals Court Says Patent Lawsuit Related to iMessage Encryption Can Proceed
A US appeals court says a patent lawsuit against Apple can proceed. It upheld a decision that patents related to end-to-end encryption valid.
A Designer's Perspective on AirPods Annoyances
UI designer Philip Ardeljan wrote a blog post on AirPods annoyances and how they don’t fit Apple’s mantra of “Just Work.”
Annoyance 1: If you have 2 devices, say iMac and iPhone connected to AirPods, when you are using your iMac and unlock your iPhone to check something, sometimes, the AirPods switch to the iPhone. But you didn’t want them to. I get that Apple is trying to be clever and anticipate your moves, which I genuinely appreciate, but when it gets in the way it’s annoying.
This one in particular annoys me too.
Snapchat AR Shopping Upgraded With Real-Time Prices
Snapchat’s AR Shopping Lens have been upgraded with real-time pricing, product details, and more, the company announced on Wednesday.
MultiChain Hack Still Affecting Customers a Week Later
The Multichain hack is still affecting crypto users a week later, despite promises from the company that it had been contained.
Apple to Highlight Black Voices Throughout Black History Month
Apple plans to highlight Black voices throughout Black History Month, including content across Apple Music, Fitness+, and the Podcasts app.
Apple Releases 'Unity Lights' Watch Face for Black History Month
Apple has released a Unity Lights watch face to celebrate Black History Month. In a press release this morning, the company shared all the ways in which it will celebrate this year. Throughout February, Apple Watch users can participate in the Unity Challenge and earn a limited-edition award by closing their Move ring seven days in a row. The Unity Lights watch face will be available today and requires Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 8.3, and iPhone 6s or later running iOS 15.2. The Black Unity Braided Solo Loop is available now at the link below and in the Apple Store app, and will be available in select Apple Store locations beginning Tuesday, February 1 for US$99. The Black Unity Braided Solo Loop is compatible with Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 4 or newer.
China Hacking Group 'APT27' Attack German Companies
A China-based hacking group known as APT27 has been targeting German companies in areas such as technology and pharmaceuticals.
AirGuard Lets You Detect AirTags on Android Smartphones
Android owners, this one is for you. AirGuard lets you detect AirTags on Android so you won’t get secretly tracked like we’ve been hearing about in the news. You can download it from Google Play, F-Droid, or straight from the GitHub page linked below. From the page: “With AirGuard you get the anti-tracking protection you deserve! The app periodically scans your surroundings for potential tracking devices, like AirTags or other Find My devices. If a devices follows you, you will get a notification in less than an hour. With the app you can play a sound on AirTags and find it easily. Afterward, you can view at which locations the device has tracked you. If no one is trying to track you, the app will never bother you.“
Dropbox 'Actively Working' on Full macOS Monterey 12.3 Support
Dropbox is “actively working on full support” for macOS 12.3 in order to fix an issue that affects online-only files.
Apple Safety Guide: What You Need to Know About Device Access
An Apple safety guide has appeared to give customers information on how to protect themselves if their personal safety is at risk.
ProtonMail 1.15.11 Update Fixes Bugs With Push Notifications
The ProtonMail 1.15.11 update for iOS fixes a slew of bugs that users were experiencing. From the version notes: Fixed a bug where push notifications where not received properly. Fixed an occasional bug where swipe actions in the inbox were applied to the wrong message. Fixed an occasional bug where the reply, reply all and forward option did not work on some messages. Fixed an occasional bug during signup where the prompt for captcha was not fully visible. Fixed a bug where contacts migrated through the Proton Easy Switch functionality were not properly displayed. Preparation for upcoming change to exclude embedded images from counting towards attachments. Technical improvements behind the scenes (including updates to the cryptographic library, improvements related to key management and password changes and more).
'Succession' Actor Dagmara Dominczyk Joining Billy Crudup in 'Hello Tomorrow' on Apple TV+
Dagmara Dominczyk, who plays Karolina Novotney in ‘Succession’, is set to join Billy Crudup in the upcoming Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow!.
Mac Accessory Picks – TMO Daily Observations 2022-01-25
Jeff Butts joins host Kelly Guimont to share some Mac accessories (Maccessories?) for both desktop and laptop users.
How to Rearrange Your Home Screens on iOS and iPadOS
You finally have one of your Home Screens just how you want it, but it’s hard to get to. Luckily, it’s easy to rearrange your Home Screens.
A Crypto Wallet Crack Recovered $2 Million in Tokens
The Verge had a fascinating story out yesterday about a crypto wallet crack that helped two friends get their tokens back. It’s a long-ish read but not overly technical.
Reich gave up and wrote off the money in his mind. He was willing to take the loss — until the price started to rise again. From a low of around $12,000, the value of their tokens started to skyrocket. By the end of 2020, it would be worth more than $400,000, rising briefly to over $3 million. It would be hard to get into the wallet without the PIN — but it wasn’t impossible. And with potentially millions on the line, Reich and his friend vowed to find a way inside.