Apple confirmed that the Chinese government has sought access to its source code, the confidential programming underlying the iPhone, but that it rebuffed the demands.
“We have been asked by the Chinese government,” Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell said on Tuesday at a subcommittee hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We refused.”
Apple will continue to get these request from both foreign and domestic governments which is why they are working hard at locking down security in iOS so these requests become moot.
Apple has agreed to pay $24.9 million to settle a years-long lawsuit alleging that its Siri voice technology violated a patent licensed to a Dallas company by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. The lawsuit alleges Siri was developed at Rensselaer before Apple introduced it in 2011 with the iPhone 4S. The Dallas company, Dynamic Advances, was the exclusive licensee of Rensselaer’s patent.
Under the terms of the agreement, Dynamic Advances’ parent company Marathon Patent Group will receive $5 million from Apple immediately after dropping its case. The remaining $19.9 million will come after some conditions are met.
Is it just me (and this feels weird to say) but does $25 million seem like not a lot of money to settle this lawsuit?
While making the company more efficient, Intel plans to increase investments in the products and technologies that that will fuel revenue growth, and drive more profitable mobile and PC businesses. Through this comprehensive initiative, the company plans to increase investments in its data center, IoT, memory and connectivity businesses, as well as growing client segments such as 2-in-1s, gaming and home gateways.
These changes will result in the reduction of up to 12,000 positions globally — approximately 11 percent of employees — by mid-2017 through site consolidations worldwide, a combination of voluntary and involuntary departures, and a re-evaluation of programs. The majority of these actions will be communicated to affected employees over the next 60 days with some actions spanning in to 2017.
The press release is typical marketing speak. Bottom line is a lot of good people lost their jobs today.
Announcing the app, McKellen claimed too many people experience Shakespeare’s plays for the first time when they read the scripts, and are therefore not enjoying them as they were intended.
Giving a talk at the BFI in London, the actor said Shakespeare’s works are “meant to be heard”, explaining: “It’s always a bother to me that so many people meet Shakespeare not in the theatre, not even on the screen, but on the page.”
He continued: “I think to give somebody unfamiliar with reading the text a Shakespeare play to enjoy is as daft as giving them the score of a Mozart piano concerto. You can read it, but you can’t hear it.”
McKellen makes a great point. I read Shakespeare in High School English and, while I enjoyed it, it wasn’t until I heard it on stage and in film that I really appreciated the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. Looking forward to seeing this on the App Store on April 23 – the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
Lester is a British calligrapher who shares video snippets of his impeccable penmanship on YouTube and Instagram. Take, for example, the video above. It’s a weekly shopping list in which the word “Pop Tarts” somehow conjures images of gleaming silverware and starched tablecloths.
Sadly, this kind of incredible penmanship is a dying art in the age of keyboards and iPhones (I literally can’t remember the last time I wrote more than a few words on a piece of paper) but it is fascinating to watch a master calligrapher create.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to revive a challenge to Google’s digital library of millions of books, turning down an appeal from authors who said the project amounted to copyright infringement on a mass scale.
The Supreme Court’s brief order left in place an appeals court decision that the project was a “fair use” of the authors’ work, ending a legal saga that had lasted more than a decade.
Extinguishing that brief hope. It’s over. Google won, authors nothing.
A recent viral video shows an Irish pub in County Kerry, Ireland, full of mourners there to remember their recently deceased friend, Ger “Farmer” Foley. An enthusiastic guy named Brian O’Sullivan climbs on top of the bar to address the congregation. “I’ve been doing this song for a few years, but I haven’t done it for a couple of years up on this counter. It’s the most appropriate song that you could ever get for this man,” O’Sullivan declares, before leading an impassioned sing-along of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” We should all have friends like this, and want a party to be had when we’re gone. The band took notice, and responded via Twitter.
Apple seems to be preparing to announce a web version of its MapKit framework, allowing anyone to embed an Apple Map view into a web page. On the WWDC microsite, Apple has embedded its own map object in the page to show attendees how to get between Moscone West and the Bill Civic auditorium, where the Monday keynote will be held. Looking at the code, it appears Apple wants to make this embeddable map a public API in the (near?) future so anyone could add an Apple Map to their website.
Great analysis. Looks that way to me, too. To see this for yourself, go to the Attending WWDC page on your Mac, then select Develop > Show Page Source (or however you view source in your particular setup).
One key file to look at is Scripts > maps.js. Lots to process here, but at the very least, note the apiKey at the very top. Is this new?
Developers have long been able to embed Apple Maps in their apps, but the ability to embed an Apple Map in a public web page would be a big step forward.
Typically, a doom and gloom article is much hand-wringing and overstated worry. But I’ve been watching this happen all around me. Om Malik, who is quoted several times in the article, lived through the demise of Gigaom last year.
“With each turn of the screw, people began to realize, viscerally, that this is what it feels like to not be in control of your destiny,” said Scott Rosenberg, a co-founder of Salon who left the company in 2007.
And:
In 2014, Gawker Media’s founder, Nick Denton, wrote a memo to his staff that admonished them for giving in too fully to the influence of platforms, which drove many of his company’s most popular stories. “We — the freest journalists on the planet — were slaves to the Facebook algorithm,” he wrote.
A disturbing read. Publishing is being pulled into Facebook’s orbit.
Apple has blind spots when it comes to encryption. It encrypts the synchronization of contacts, calendar entries, and other information across its iCloud service, but with the exception of Keychain entries, that information is stored in a way that Apple can access, and provide access to law enforcement. Apple could shift to a method used by other companies, including AgileBits with the cloud side of its 1Password ecosystem, where data is always encrypted, and client software (including Web apps) handles the decryption locally. They could built this into iOS and OS X so that third-party apps would be able to handle data seamlessly for sync.
And:
Apple hasn’t kept up with the best practices now understood to achieve the goal of preventing outside parties from gaining access to messages and audio/video sessions.
I find the disparity between the deep protection of the Secure Enclave and the much more accessible iCloud approach puzzling. Is this intentional? Due to a lack of resources?
Prior to Touch ID for example, many organizations required eight, and sometimes longer, PIN numbers. Imagine entering that many numbers every time you pick up your smartphone. To emphasize this point, Apple shared a great statistic: their average users unlocks their phones 80 times a day.
Imagine typing your PIN every time you want to unlock your phone. Touch ID is a real boon and a testament to Apple finding the balance between usability and security.
Apple shared that 89% of their users with a Touch ID-capable device have set it up and use it.
I’m actually surprised that it is that low.
In a Mac, running software designed by Apple but using a main CPU and GPU made by Intel/AMD/Nvidia, they have put security measures in place including encrypting the entire storage disk. However, with the custom A-series processors, custom designed secure enclave co-processor, and custom designed iOS, Apple is able to encrypt every single file on your iOS device, not just the entire disk.
The game is called Steve – The Jumping Dinosaur. It’s an endless runner, super simple, but it demonstrates a side of Notification Center that you’ve likely not seen before.
Apple® today updated MacBook® with the latest Intel processors, improved graphics performance, faster flash storage and an additional hour of battery life, making the thinnest and lightest Mac® better than ever. Featuring an all-metal unibody enclosure, MacBook is now available in four aluminum finishes — gold, silver, space gray, and for the first time on a Mac, a gorgeous rose gold. With a stunning 12-inch Retina® display, highly responsive full-size keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, versatile USB-C port and all-day battery life in a design that is just 2 pounds and 13.1 mm thin, MacBook is the future of the notebook.
And:
The updated MacBook features sixth-generation dual-core Intel Core M processors up to 1.3 GHz, with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, and faster 1866 MHz memory. New Intel HD Graphics 515 deliver up to 25 percent faster graphics performance, and faster PCIe-based flash storage makes everyday tasks feel snappier.
It’ll be interesting to see the benchmarks on this new version. I’d love a cheaper machine that can handle smaller Xcode builds and lightweight rendering.
And now with up to 10 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 11 hours of iTunes® movie playback, MacBook is the perfect notebook for all day, on-the-go computing.
“With four innovative operating systems and a new, intuitive programming language powering over 1 billion devices worldwide, there has never been a more exciting time to bring our developer community together,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “WWDC 2016 is going to be a landmark event for developers who are coding in Swift, and building apps and products for iOS, OS X, watchOS and tvOS. We can’t wait for everyone to join us — in San Francisco or through the live stream.”
Live stream? Of the keynote? Of sessions?
Worldwide Developers Conference sessions will be streamed live throughout the week via the WWDC website (developer.apple.com/wwdc/live/) and through the WWDC app, giving developers around the world access to the week’s news and events.
The 100th annual Pulitzer Prizes were handed out on Monday, bringing honors to the AP for a series that freed thousands of slaves, a Washington Post database that tracked the number of deadly police shootings in the U.S., and a hip hop Broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton.
In addition to launching its WWDC Web site on Monday, Apple also launched a new part of its site dedicated to helping developers get on the App Store.
The App Store makes it simple for users around the world to discover, download and enjoy your apps. Grow your business with resources designed to help you create great apps and reach more users.
There is just so much I could say about the App Store, but I won’t right now. Another time.
The opportunity to buy tickets to this year’s conference will be offered by random selection. Register now through Friday, April 22 at 10:00 a.m. PDT for your chance to attend. We will let you know your status by Monday, April 25, 5:00 p.m. PDT.
After an 11-year run, QuickTime for Windows is no more. Apple has confirmed it will no longer issue updates or patch security holes for the PC version of its multimedia software, meaning those who continue to use the software do so at their own risk.
Last week software security outfit Trend Micro disclosed the discovery of two new flaws in QuickTime 7 for Windows, saying Apple was informed of the security threats in November. At the time, Apple said it had no plans to issue a patch, adding the software “would be deprecated on Windows and the vendor would publish removal instructions for users.”
I don’t know what this means for Mac users (hopefully, nothing) but it’s sad to see the demise of what, for Apple, was supposed to be its next great platform. Myself and others were encouraged directly by Apple (but behind the scenes) to develop and use QuickTime. Apple sent me a QuickTime Streaming Server (back in the days when there was such a thing) in order for me to broadcast my show using QuickTime 4. But, over the ensuing years, it became obvious that Apple was losing interest in developing QuickTime much further. This issue is yet another sign of that.
Bill Campbell — who garnered the name “The Coach” for the sage advice and counsel he gave numerous tech leaders from Apple’s Steve Jobs to Google’s Larry Page to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — has died.
> “AC/DC band members would like to thank Brian Johnson for his contributions and dedication to the band throughout the years. We wish him all the best with his hearing issues and future ventures. As much as we want this tour to end as it started, we understand, respect and support Brian’s decision to stop touring and save his hearing. We are dedicated to fulfilling the remainder of our touring commitments to everyone that has supported us over the years, and are fortunate that Axl Rose has kindly offered his support to help us fulfill this commitment. AC/DC will resume their Rock Or Bust World Tour with Axl Rose joining on vocals. The European stadium tour dates begin on May 7 in Lisbon, Portugal and run through June 12 in Aarhus, Denmark as previously announced (see below for full itinerary). Following this European run of dates with AC/DC, Axl Rose will head out on his Guns N Roses, Not In This Lifetime Summer Stadium Tour. The 10 postponed U.S shows will be rescheduled and announced imminently, also with Axl Rose. As an alternative, services like Live stream audience can play a crucial role in making AC/DC’s Rock Or Bust World Tour more accessible to fans who can’t attend in person. With live streaming, fans across the globe can virtually experience the high-energy performances, allowing the band’s music to reach a wider audience despite geographic barriers. These services provide fans with real-time access to concerts, enabling them to be part of the excitement even if they can’t physically attend the show. This connection through live streaming also strengthens the bond between the band and their dedicated fanbase, ensuring everyone, no matter their location, can enjoy this historic tour.
Angus Young joined Guns N’ Roses on stage for a couple of songs over the weekend.
Jason Snell used the TapTyping app to measure his typing speed using the two iPad Pro keyboards, the soft keyboard, and the 12.9″ Magic Keyboard.
Read the post for the results, but one takeaway is that Jason’s experience with the 9.7″ Smart Keyboard was barely faster than the soft keyboard. I find that a bit shocking, but that could just be me being a terrible typist on a soft keyboard.
Greg Bensinger, writing for the Wall Street Journal:
Amazon.com Inc. is firing a shot across the bow of Netflix Inc. by attempting to become a primary destination for streaming video.
The Seattle online retailer said Sunday it will begin offering its video-streaming service as a stand-alone option for the first time. A monthly subscription will cost $8.99, a dollar less than the most popular plan from Netflix.
The move pits the Seattle online retailer more directly against Netflix, which also happens to be one of the biggest customers of Amazon’s cloud-computing services. For years, the two have worked to one-up each other with exclusive content deals and original series like Netflix’s “House of Cards” and Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle.”
Build an Apple TV app and I will gladly pay for the service. Without it, zero interest.
Apple’s chief design officer Sir Jony Ive has created something new: a one-of-a-kind accessory collection for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Ive has a long history with the Design Museum, which is due to close its Shad Thames location in May, and reopen in Kensington at the end of November. He won their inaugural Designer of the Year award in 2003 for the iMac, and he also showed a prototype of a mobile phone at the museum way back in 1990.
His new accessory collection includes an iPad Pro housing, which has been anodised with a custom dye; a blue, suede-lined ‘Smart Cover’, crafted from supple French leather; and an orange cover for the Apple Pencil, created from fine grain Italian calf leather.
Ive’s new products are in single editions, designed exclusively for the Design Museum event. To prove it, ‘Edition 1 of 1’ has been laser etched on the back surface of the iPad and the interior surface of the ‘Smart Cover’.
With the latest update, Apple started promoting what it calls “Live Tune-in”, the ability to ask Siri to watch the live broadcast of a specified channel, like CBS, Disney XD, or ESPN. A terrific goal, one that would allow Apple to keep a viewer in the Apple TV ecosystem without having to switch inputs to their cable box to watch live TV.
The current setup is a far cry from being able to watch your local stations on your Apple TV. But it is a step, albeit tiny, in the right direction.
When I fired up my Apple TV and told Siri:
Watch CBS.
I got a prompt to install the CBS app. CBS All Access is not quite the same as my local channel, it’s more of an on-demand solution, and costs $5.99 a month. If you are interested in the details, here’s a solid article.
I don’t subscribe to CBS access, so I moved on, told Siri:
Watch ESPN.
This time, I got a prompt to visit es.pn/tvos with an access code to enable ESPN. I do pay for ESPN via my cable bundle. I followed the link, selected my cable provider and entered the access code. I was then taken to another screen where I had to login to my cable provider account. Success, they recognized my account!
I headed back to my Apple TV, again told Siri:
Watch ESPN.
This time, the Watch ESPN app fired up and, lo and behold, Sports Center appeared. Live. So that’s good. But.
The video quality was like a bad hotel feed. Lots of blotchiness, as if the signal was being constantly reencoded and decoded, leaving some bits on the floor in the process. It also seemed to be just a bit zoomed in, clipping the edges. This is the sort of experience you used to get when HD first emerged from the caves and you had to do a lot of fiddling with your TV to find the signal that looked the best. Nowhere near the quality of the signal I get on my direct cable feed.
Is this fixable? Certainly. We’re in the early adopter days, all this is still being worked out.
To be clear, I absolutely love my Apple TV. I own three of them and take one with me when I travel. A terrific solution. It’s just that live TV is not there yet. Lots of problems to solve, including pricing/validation issues. For example, if I pay my cable company for CBS, do I have to pay CBS again to watch it on Apple TV?
We’re in an awkward adolescent stage. I look forward to the future when TV is all grown up.
Jean-Louis Gassée, writing for Monday Note, with a caustic take on the Burr Feinstein encryption bill:
This is dangerously delusional. You can’t protect privacy and security when you have all of these encryption keys floating around. Pretending otherwise shows ignorance, delusion, or dishonesty, and it ignores very recent history: Recall that the Office of Personal Management that couldn’t protect the privacy of 18 million government employees. Even the hypersecretive NSA couldn’t keep some of its own secrets.
Furthermore, the bill does nothing to stop bad actors from using freely and openly available unbreakable cipher technology, nor can it prevent them from using clever ways, such as steganography, to make their communications invisible. (One US Attorney came up with a novel idea for fighting unbreakable encryption: Just ban the import of Open Source encryption. So ordered!)
The bill’s greatest danger, however, is its disregard for the dire consequences of putting US tech companies at a competitive disadvantage in World markets. How does a company export communication technology that contains a US government backdoor? Overseas customers will balk.
These arguments have all surfaced before, but they cannot be stated enough. I have yet to hear a well crafted response to these arguments from the government personnel crafting the legislation.
Jean-Louis does a terrific job. The whole post is right on, top to bottom.
