At IFA Berlin in August, ZENS revealed three new Qi-compatible wireless chargers, including a Single Aluminum Wireless Charger, Dual Aluminum Wireless Charger, and Dual + Watch Wireless Charger. ZENS sent me the MFi certified Dual + Watch charger for the purpose of this review, and I've been using it as my main iPhone X and Apple Watch charging dock for the past week.
The charger has a mat with support for up to two Qi-enabled smartphones, including the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, and later devices. Each section of the mat has a max total output of 10W, so the Dual + Watch Charger does support Apple's 7.5W fast charging feature for the iPhone. Sitting above the mat is a perch for Apple Watch with a built-in inductive charging puck, which supports all models of Apple Watch.
Daily Use
In my testing, the ZENS Dual + Watch dock has performed just as well as other wireless chargers I've owned over the past few months from Belkin, RAVPower, and Mophie, with a few pros in comparison to those brands, and some cons. To start with pros, I've found the ZENS stand to be quite lenient in regards to positioning of my iPhone on the mat.
Of course, a nice symmetrical position over the designated power logos is ideal, but even when I threw my iPhone on the stand off-kilter a charge was registered. I mostly use Belkin's Boost UP wireless charger, which is one of the more finicky Qi mats and requires a very specific iPhone position for charging, so I was happy that ZENS allowed for a bit of a messier approach.
Nearly one year after Apple announced its acquisition of music recognition service Shazam, and one month since the acquisition was completed, Shazam has now begun informing users of Apple's plans with their data (via iGeneration). You can see the new splash screen if you have a Shazam account and open up the app.
If you've created a Shazam account in the past, which allows you to share Shazams between devices, this data will now move to Apple and fall under the protection of Apple's Privacy Policy. This has been expected since Apple completed the acquisition, but now we're one step closer to Apple's overhaul of Shazam, which will remove all ads from the app.
Shazam explains that if you don't want your data to be automatically transferred, you can delete your Shazam account within the app. This will erase all personal data associated with Shazam, including your email address and connected Facebook account. Shazams will remain in the app but they will no longer sync between devices and they will be gone if you delete and reinstall Shazam.
The company points out that analytics logs and how you used Shazam won't be erased even if you delete your account, but the logs will no longer be personally identifiable at that time. If you never created a Shazam account and continue to use Shazam under Apple's ownership, any Shazams recorded will not be associated with you.
At the time of the acquisition announcement, Apple said that it was "thrilled" for the Shazam team to be joining Apple. Down the line, the company hinted that users can expect more integration with Apple Music and Shazam: "Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today's agreement."
In a new report by The New York Times today, Apple let a reporter take a glimpse inside the human curation process of its Apple News service. The article looks into Apple's news strategy (which is focusing less on algorithm-led news curation like its rivals), the service's future integration with Texture magazine subscriptions, and its issues with ad revenue.
Providing context, the NYT explains how the rise of Google and Facebook came with news delivery that was driven in part by algorithms. While this enabled the companies to point users towards millions of articles, boosting clicks and shares and driving traffic to various sites, the process ended up sometimes emphasizing articles that were sensational, misleading, highly partisan, or simply false. Although both Facebook and Google have now highlighted methods to fight back against "fake news," some view it as too little too late, and now Apple is taking a different approach.
With Apple News, users can select the publishers they like the most, as well as interests like tech or entertainment, and Apple will surface relevant articles every day. The human curation aspect of Apple News comes on the app's main screen: every top article you see is hand selected every day by the company's editors. According to Apple News editor in chief Lauren Kern, "There is this deep understanding that a thriving free press is critical for an informed public, and an informed public is critical for a functioning democracy, and that Apple News can play a part in that."
Following the events of the 2016 presidential election and revelations about Russian spies using algorithm-focused news curation sites to spread misinformation, Apple "remained convinced of the benefits of people."
“We are responsible for what’s in there,” Roger Rosner, Apple’s chief of apps and Ms. Kern’s boss, said about Apple News. “We’re not just going to let it be a total crazy land.”
Kern joined Apple from New York Magazine, and now leads around 30 journalists located across Sydney, London, New York, and Silicon Valley. Among hundreds of pitches from various publishers, the team picks five stories that sit atop Apple News every day, the top two of which also appear in the Apple News widget.
In the interview, Kern explains that there are just some stories that don't pass "the smell test," which has led Apple to avoid covering certain events that were heavily shared across Google News, Facebook, and Twitter. In one example, Apple News did not run a story posted by ABC News concerning the Robert Mueller investigation. As an explanation, Kern explained that the Apple News team's methods can't be "baked into an algorithm."
The main concern brought up in regards to human editors are their potential bias toward certain political coverage. In response, Kern says that bias can be baked into an algorithm's code, and that humans offer far more subtly in the decision making process of sharing the news.
Ms. Kern criticized the argument that algorithms are the sole way to avoid prejudice because bias can be baked into the algorithm’s code, such as whether it labels news organizations liberal or conservative. She argued that humans — with all their biases — are the only way to avoid bias.
“We’re so much more subtly following the news cycle and what’s important,” she said. “That’s really the only legitimate way to do it at this point.”
Some publishers remain concerned with Apple News' future, particularly because of Apple's ad revenue policies. For one, readers on Apple News stay inside of Apple's app for the most part, curbing ad revenue for the publisher of the article and limiting data from direct clicks to the sites. While publishers can sell ads on their stories in Apple News, most say the process is complicated and that advertiser interest was low because of the lack of consumer data.
Some were optimistic that Apple could be a better partner than other tech giants, but were leery of making the company the portal to their readers. “What Apple giveth, Apple can taketh away,” said Bill Grueskin, a Columbia University journalism professor and a former editor at The Journal, Bloomberg and other publications. Once readers are trained to get their news from Apple, he said, news organizations will realize: “You’re at the mercy of Apple.”
Looking to the future, Apple next plans to integrate a magazine subscription service -- acquired through Texture -- into Apple News. When asked about Apple potentially reporting the news itself and not just curating it, Apple's chief of apps Roger Rosner said, "We don't talk about future plans, but that's certainly not what we set out to do." Asked for further clarification, Rosner responded, "Who knows?"
While concerns over ad revenue and the app's future remain, many publishers were positive about Apple News when asked about their opinion of the service. New York Magazine chief product officer Daniel Hallac noted that traffic from Apple News had doubled since last December, as Facebook dropped and Google remained the dominant source of the site's traffic. Looking at the growth, Hallac said that he's "optimistic about Apple News."
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
MacRumors traveled to New York City this week to spend some time with the iPhone XR ahead of its release. While there, we spent the day testing its camera and Portrait Mode with Depth Control with help from some volunteer New Yorkers.
Behind the scenes of shooting with the iPhone XR (not taken with iPhone XR)
The photos below were shot with the iPhone XR's default Camera app on iOS 12, and are unedited beyond being resized for this gallery. For some photos, we took advantage of standard features of the Camera app, such as Depth Control and manually adjusting the exposure of photos by tapping on a focus point.
While the iPhone XR does not have a telephoto lens like the iPhone XS and XS Max, the single wide-angle lens captures an impressive amount of detail. And with Depth Control, Apple has taken Portrait Mode to a whole new level, resulting in photos of people that are comparable to those shot with a DSLR camera.
We'll have more impressions about the iPhone XR cameras in the days to come, but after one day of testing, we can safely say that most people should be more than happy with the quality of photos shot on this device.
iPhone XR launches tomorrow, Friday, October 26. Stay tuned to MacRumors for continued coverage of the device.
A few notable sales have kicked off today, starting with eBay's latest sitewide coupon that's offering shoppers 10 percent off nearly everything on eBay, excluding as usual: warranties and protection plans, coins and paper money, gift cards and coupons, and real estate.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The sale lasts for 24 hours and expires at 8 a.m. ET Friday morning, so you can shop around eBay today for any applicable items, add them to your cart (this time, no minimum purchase is necessary), and enter the promo code PICKUPTEN during checkout. The discount will be capped at a maximum value of $100 and apply to the purchase price of eligible items, excluding shipping, handling, and taxes.
The coupon has to be used during a single transaction (which can include multiple items), so each customer only has one chance to get 10 percent off sitewide today. As always, eBay's sitewide coupon is a great chance to save a bit of money on a vast assortment of products, with essentially all MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, HomePods and more falling under the eligible item list. A good place to start your shopping and check out ideas is on eBay's Daily Deals tech page.
In another timed sale, Best Buy has opened up a new 2-day sale in early access for My Best Buy members today. Early access for the event lasts until tonight at 11:59 p.m. CT, and afterwards the discounts will be available to all shoppers on Friday.
There are a few Apple-related items in the sale, as well as discounts on 4K TVs, Philips Hue lights, and more. Check out some of the notable deals in the list below, and be sure to head to Best Buy to shop the online-only sale before it ends tomorrow night.
MacBook Air - Save up to $150 on select models / as low as $824.99 with Student Deals
10.5-inch iPad Pro - Save $100 on select models / as low as $499.99 for 64GB with Student Deals
iPhone 6s/6s Plus - Save $50 on a prepaid iPhone 6s model, when you also purchase a Simple Mobile prepaid phone card
Insignia - Save $70 on a 55-inch 4K UHD TV / $379.99, down from $449.99
Philips Hue - Save 20 percent on select lights / White and Color Ambiance A19 for $39.99, down from $49.99
Sony - Save $50 on Extra Bass Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones / $199.99, down from $249.99
You can head to our full Deals Roundup for even more information on the latest sales happening this week.
Apple today provided updates on a few retail stores opening soon, including locations in Thailand and Texas (via Storeteller.de). In Thailand, Apple will open a store in the Iconsiam mall, which is described as a mixed-use development that will include two malls, multiple hotels, and residences when it opens on November 9.
Apple Iconsiam will open one day later on November 10 at 10 a.m. local time. The new Bangkok location sits directly on the banks of the Chao Phraya river. This marks Apple's first retail store in Thailand, and its second in Southeast Asia, following its Singapore location that opened in May.
In the United States, Apple Southlake Town Square in Texas is planned for a grand reopening on November 3 at 10 a.m. local time. The location has been under renovation since April, and when it opens in early November it will gain all of the modernization updates that Apple has been rolling out to many of its older retail locations.
As a few other quick mentions, Apple will have two grand reopenings taking place tomorrow, October 26 in Tokyo and London. Apple Shibuya in Tokyo has been closed for nearly a year for renovations, while Apple Covent Garden in London has been closed for about four months.
The Covent Garden store will open at 10 a.m. local time Friday morning, while Apple Shibuya will open its doors at 8 a.m. local time. Both locations are seeing grand reopenings just in time for the worldwide launch of the new iPhone XR.
Apple has updated its Maps app to include transit information for Switzerland, including indoor maps for the country's busiest airport in Zurich.
Apple has yet to update its official list of locations for which Maps offers Transit data, but several tipsters contacted MacRumors to confirm the information is already live.
Switzerland is renowned for its integrated country-wide transport network, and Apple appears to have taken advantage of the Swiss government's open API initiative, making comprehensive data available for all train, tram, bus, and boat, and other funicular connections around the country.
Swiss connections to nearby connections abroad also feature in Apple's coverage, while indoor maps for Zurich airport provide location information for passport controls, security checks, toilets, shops, and more.
Google Maps has supported transit directions for several years now, but Apple Maps has been adding transit data since 2015 and is steadily catching up with detailed routing information.
The Siri Remote that comes with the Apple TV certainly has its critics. Some users find the glass Touch surface over-sensitive in the way it registers directional taps and swipes, which can make navigating onscreen menus a slalom-like experience where you're constantly having to correct for overshoot.
Not only that, the minimalist design of the Siri Remote isn't very tactile and there's no button backlighting, which means once you've dimmed the lights it's almost impossible to know whether you're even holding it the right way round.
Thankfully, there are alternative (and easier) ways to control your Apple TV. One solution is to use your iPhone, which we've written about previously. Another is to use an Apple Watch. Here's how it's done.
How to Link Your Apple Watch to your Apple TV
The steps below assume your Apple Watch is running watchOS 5 and that your Apple TV has tvOS 12 installed.
Before you start, make sure your Apple TV and Apple Watch are on the same Wi-Fi network. To do this on Apple TV, launch the Settings app and navigate to Network -> Wi-Fi. Similarly on Apple Watch, launch the Settings app and tap Wi-Fi.
Make sure you're in the same room as your Apple TV, your Apple TV is on, and you can see the screen on your TV output.
On your Apple Watch, launch the Remote app.
Tap Add Device.
On your Apple Watch, enter the passcode that appears on your Apple TV's display.
You should now see the Remote interface for controlling your Apple TV on your Apple Watch screen.
How to Control Apple TV Using Your Apple Watch
Swipe up, down, left, or right to move through the Apple TV menu.
Tap to choose the selected item.
Tap Menu to go back.
Touch and hold Menu to return to the Home screen.
Swipe left or right to scrub through media.
Tap to pause or resume playback.
If you're anything like us, you'll find that swiping your Apple Watch to navigate Apple TV menus is much easier than using the Siri Remote – and you'll be able to see what you're doing in the dark. Just remember that as long as your Apple TV is on, you can return to the remote interface on your Apple Watch at any time simply by launching the Remote app.
The iPhone XR is set to launch on Friday, October 26, and ahead of its release date, we were able to get our hands on a review unit from Apple.
We spent the day with the iPhone XR in New York City, checking out its feature set and doing a quick comparison with the higher-priced iPhone XS for all of our readers who are thinking of picking up Apple's most affordable flagship smartphone later this week.
The iPhone XR in our video is the black version, which looks fantastic with the glass body and matching aluminum frame, but it's worth noting the XR comes in several colors that are a bit more fun: white, yellow, coral, blue, and PRODUCT(RED).
Apple's iPhone XS features a higher-end sturdier stainless steel frame instead of the lower-cost aluminum frame in the XR, but the XR doesn't feel cheap. It's a premium device, just like the iPhone 8 and other older aluminum iPhones.
Size wise, at 6.1-inches, the iPhone XR is a little bit bigger than the iPhone XS (5.8 inches) and a little bit smaller than the iPhone XS Max (6.5 inches), which makes it the perfect size for those who want a middle ground between the two XS options.
iPhone XR in the center
Like the iPhone XS, the iPhone XR features an edge-to-edge display with no Home button so there's plenty of screen real estate, but the bezels at the sides, top, and bottom are noticeably thicker, which is one downside.
The iPhone XR uses the exact same TrueDepth camera system with Face ID that's in the iPhone XS, which means there's still a notch at the top. Overall, though, the visible display is much larger than what you get with the iPhone 8 and it's almost the same as the XS and XS Max.
iPhone XR on left, iPhone XS Max on right
One of the most notable differences between the XR and the XS is the XR's "Liquid Retina" LCD display compared the OLED display of the XS. If you have both phones side by side, you're going to notice the lower 1792 x 828 resolution, but on its own, the XR's display is perfectly adequate. Basically, it looks totally fine for an LCD display, and, in fact, better than previous Apple LCDs.
There is no 3D Touch in the iPhone XR due to the technicalities associated with implementing an edge-to-edge LCD display, and Apple has replaced it with a Haptic Touch feature. Haptic Touch provides haptic feedback when long pressing on buttons like the camera or the flashlight, but it is in no way as fleshed out as 3D Touch and can't be used in as many places.
For frequent 3D Touch users, there's good news -- Apple plans to make Haptic Touch work with more gestures in the future.
At the back of the XR, there's a single-lens camera which is available in lieu of the dual-lens camera system in the iPhone XS. It features a single wide-angle camera lens, but it can still do much of what the dual-lens camera in the XS can do thanks to some software magic.
The iPhone XR's camera works with Smart HDR, Portrait Mode, and Depth Control, but there are some differences to be aware of. With Portrait Mode, some of the low light photos can look even better than with the iPhone XR because it's using the larger f/1.8 aperture wide-angle lens to capture the image instead of the smaller f/2.4 telephoto lens like the iPhone XS, which lets in more light.
That means Portrait Mode photos in lower lighting on the XR are potentially going to look better than those on the XS, but there's one major caveat - you can only take Portrait Mode photos of people on the XR.
Because there's no multiple camera system to use to calculate depth between the background and foreground for blurring purposes, Apple uses a person's face to determine what to blur and what to keep sharp. That means no rear-facing iPhone XR Portrait Mode images of pets, flowers, food, etc. You'll also get fewer Portrait Lighting options.
Smart HDR is similar between the two cameras, though the feature is a bit more hit or miss when it comes to the handling of highlights and complex lighting situations.
As for the front-facing camera, since it's exactly the same as the camera in the iPhone XS, you can do all of the same things and you have full access to Memoji and Animoji.
Inside, the iPhone XR is using the same A12 Bionic chip as the iPhone XS, which means it's just as fast. And since that chip isn't driving an OLED display, the XR gets way more battery life. In fact, the iPhone XR has the highest battery life of any of the three new flagship iPhones, XS Max included. One thing to note, though: the iPhone XR has 3GB RAM, while the XS has 4GB for the OLED display.
There are a few other differences to be aware of between the XS and the XR: the XR has a slower LTE Advanced connection instead of a Gigabit LTE connection like the iPhone XS, it has an IP67 water resistance rating instead of IP68, and it maxes out at 256GB of storage.
All in all, the LCD display, the aluminum frame, Haptic Touch, and the single-lens camera are the major differentiators between the two devices, and we don't feel like the iPhone XR's shortcomings are going to be a big deal for most consumers.
With the super fast A12 chip, Face ID, edge-to-edge display, glass body for wireless charging, the color options, the lower price tag, the XR is a great smartphone that's going to be an ideal choice for many people.
The question isn't whether the iPhone XR is as good as the iPhone XS -- it's whether the iPhone XS's OLED display and camera features are worth the extra $250 over the XR. Pricing on the iPhone XR, by the way, starts at $749, while the XS is priced starting at $999 and the XS Max is priced starting at $1,099.
Do you have an iPhone XR coming on Friday? Why did you choose it over the XS? Let us know in the comments.
We're going to have in-depth iPhone XR coverage coming next week, including a deep dive into the iPhone XR camera compared to the iPhone XS camera, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors for more.
Apple today updated its Events app for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV in preparation for the October 30th event that's expected to see the debut of new iPad Pro models and several new Macs.
The updated Events app can be downloaded from the tvOS App Store, and it features artwork from the media invites that were sent out last week.
Apple's Events app, along with the Events section of Apple's website, will be used to live stream the unveiling of the new products. This event is being held in New York City, which means it will start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time rather than 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
The Events app on the Apple TV will list the start time relevant to your own location, listing 10:00 a.m. for people on the East Coast and 7:00 a.m. for people on the West Coast.
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple has also listed several Today at Apple sessions to allow customers to sign up to watch the unveiling at a local Apple Store. These events are available in several stores in the UK, Dubai, and Toronto.
For those who are unable to watch Apple's live stream, MacRumors will have live coverage of the event on MacRumors.com and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
On these devices, law enforcement agencies are limited to a partial extraction that provides unencrypted files and metadata like file size and folder structure.
It is not clear what method Apple used to block GrayKey access to iPhones running iOS 12 and later. Vladimir Katalov, CEO of ElcomSoft, said Apple's method is unknown.
"No idea. It could be everything from better kernel protection to stronger configuration-profile installation restrictions," he suggested. The kernel is the core part of the operating system, from which the rest of iOS launches. Configuration profiles typically allow individuals and companies to customize the ways in which iOS apps work.
Details about the GrayKey box, made by a company called Grayshift, first leaked in March of this year. Provided to law enforcement agencies, the GrayKey box connects to an iPhone and then installs proprietary software that's designed to crack the passcode of the device.
It can take as little as 6.5 minutes for the box to crack a 4-digit passcode, while a 6-digit passcode can be calculated in approximately 11 hours.
Apple in an iOS 11 update introduced a new USB Restricted Mode feature that prevents USB accessories like the GrayKey box from connecting to an iPhone or iPad if it's been more than an hour since the device was last unlocked.
It was believed that this would prevent the GrayKey device from working, but after details on USB Restricted Mode were released, forensic experts said that it had already been defeated.
It's not known if USB Restricted Mode had an impact or if Apple implemented another method for blocking the GrayKey box, but companies like Grayshift are likely to find a workaround or a new method for cracking the iPhone.
As Rochester Police Department Captain John Sherwin told Forbes, there's always a new method in the works. "Give it time and I am sure a 'workaround' will be developed ... and then the cycle will repeat," he said. Someone is always building a better mousetrap, whether it's Apple or someone trying to defeat device security."
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
For its upcoming October 30th event, Apple sent out unique media invites this year, with a different Apple logo on each and every one. The artwork for the Apple logos varies from the abstract to the classic, with Apple tapping multiple artists for the design.
As it turns out, there were more than 350 one-of-a-kind Apple logos created for the event invites, which we're sharing in high resolution today.
A MacRumors reader was able to download the full collection of logos from Apple's site, and we've added them all to an Imgur album where they can be viewed and downloaded.
Apple's event is likely to explain where these logos came from, and there is speculation that they were designed using the upcoming iPad Pro and the rumored second-generation Apple Pencil, both of which are expected to be introduced at the October 30 event alongside new Mac models.
The October 30th event is being held in New York City, which means it will start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time instead of the standard 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time used for West Coast events.
Apple is planning to live stream the event on its website and through the Events app on the Apple TV, but for those unable to watch, MacRumors will have live coverage here on the site and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
Apple today highlighted a series of photographs that were captured using the Portrait Mode and Depth Control features of the iPhone XS, sharing the images in an Apple Newsroom article.
Apple focused on images that were shared from users around the world on social networks that include Twitter and Instagram. To find the images, Apple used the #ShotoniPhone hashtag.
Portrait Mode is designed to blur the background when capturing a subject in the foreground, while Depth Control allows you to adjust the amount of blur in the photograph for a customized look.
On the iPhone XS, Portrait Mode images with Depth Control can feature any subject, including pets, flowers, food, and more because there are two cameras to pull depth information from.
On the iPhone XR, however, it's worth noting that Portrait Mode images must include a human subject because the feature does not work unless a face can be detected.
The full range of photos Apple thought were worthy of sharing can be found in the Apple Newsroom article.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced over two years ago in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 68 includes bug fixes and feature improvements for Web API, WebRTC, Media, CSS, Rendering, JavaScript, Web Inspector, WebDriver, Payment Request, Apple Pay, Web Animations, and WebCrypto.
The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave, the newest version of the Mac operating system that was released to the public in September.
Apple’s aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sat down for an interview with CNN, where he discussed privacy, the controversial Bloomberg story claiming Apple was hacked via tiny chips embedded in server motherboards, and why he opted to come out as gay.
On privacy law, Cook said that while he's "not a pro regulation kind of person," there are instances when the free market doesn't work and it's necessary to "take an action." Privacy, says Cook, is one of the top issues of this century, and if we don't address it now, "the problem gets so large it may be impossible to fix.
In this case, it's clear that the amount of things that can be collected about you, without your knowledge, maybe with your consent -- although it's a 70 page legal piece of paper -- isn't reasonable. And these things can be used for such nefarious things. We've seen examples of this over the last several years. We think it's time now to take this thing and put it under control.
Cook went on to say that this is an issue that's much broader than the tech industry because there are many firms out there collecting data. Privacy law is "critical to every country in the world."
According to Cook, his position is that the user should be completely in control of their data in a very transparent manner. "Your data is yours," said Cook.
On the topic of Bloomberg, Cook once again called on the news site to retract its story suggesting the Chinese government planted microchips in the Supermicro servers that it used in its data centers.
I want to be unequivocal on this. That article, the part about Apple, is 100 percent a lie. It is completely inaccurate, there is no truth behind it. We never found a malicious chip in any servers, we never reported something like that to the FBI, the FBI never contacted us about anything like that.
Cook said that the fact that the Apple portion of the article is untrue "casts doubt on the broader story," and he pointed out that Amazon has also made comments denying the truth of what Bloomberg reported.
My view is they need to retract that article because this is not doing anybody any good to have fake information out there. It doesn't do them any good, it doesn't do the cause any good. Cybersecurity is an important topic. A really important topic. We should put all of our energies into protecting the companies, the country, but not chasing a ghost.
On the topic of being gay and the Trump Administration's plan to introduce narrow definitions for gender at birth that would impact transgender rights, Cook said that he strongly believes everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, a statement he's repeated time and time again.
Cook said that he himself came out as being gay several years ago to inspire young people who were bullied and mistreated for their sexual orientation.
I was public because I began to receive stories from kids who read something online that I was gay and they were going through being bullied, feeling like their family didn't love them, being pushed out of their home, very close to suicide, things that really pulled my heart.
And started saying you know, I am a private person and so I've kept me to my small circle. And I started thinking that is a selfish thing to do at this point. I need to be bigger than that. I need to do something for them and show them that you can be gay and still go on to do some big jobs in life. That there's a path there. And that is the reason I did it.
Cook's interview with CNN followed his appearance at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, where he spoke passionately on the need for strong data protection laws in the United States.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
The data breach that affected all 3 billion Yahoo accounts beginning in 2013 is getting a bit of closure this week, with a settlement agreement between Yahoo and the Northern District Court of California (via Engadget). In the settlement, Yahoo has agreed to put $50 million into a fund for victims of the breach, provide two years of credit monitoring from AllClear, and a few other benefits for victims. The settlement is still awaiting court approval.
Those users who spent time addressing the damage from the breach, and can show documentation that they were affected, will be able to file a complaint. The filing requires users to prove documented losses of time measured in hours, and victims can be awarded $25 per hour for up to 15 hours at a maximum of $375. If the user does not have proof of lost time, they are eligible for up to five hours of compensation reaching $125. Those who paid for a premium Yahoo email account will be able to request a 25 percent refund.
In September 2016, Yahoo first disclosed a 2014 hack in which "at least" 500 million Yahoo accounts were compromised. In December 2016, Yahoo then disclosed a second major hack that affected more than one billion accounts in August 2013 -- the case that this settlement is addressing. Yahoo's new parent company Verizon then explained in October 2017 that all three billion Yahoo accounts that existed at the time were affected in the 2013 hack.
Information stolen from affected accounts in the 2013 data breach included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates, hashed passwords, and both encrypted and unencrypted security questions and answers. Clear text passwords, bank account information, and credit/debit card information were not believed to have been accessed in the attack.
Verizon said in a statement last year, "We proactively work to ensure the safety and security of our users and networks in an evolving landscape of online threats," further iterating that Yahoo will now "benefit from Verizon's experience and resources" in the field of privacy and security.
Nuance this week announced that it is discontinuing Dragon Professional Individual for Mac, effective two days ago on Monday, October 22, 2018. The software is no longer available for purchase, but customers who purchased version 6 of the software and have a perpetual license will be able to keep using Dragon Professional Individual.
As of now, Nuance will no longer provide updates for the software. Customers will still be able to receive telephone support for up to 90 days from the date of activating the software in North America, and up to 180 days from activation in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. They can also visit the Nuance Dragon Knowledgebase for online resources.
Nuances says its reason for discontinuing Dragon Professional Individual for Mac comes from "constantly evaluating its product portfolio to see how we can best meet the needs of our customers and business." The software allowed Mac users to gain access to powerful dictation and transcription tools with an emphasis on streamlining user workflows, allowing users to dictate reports, spreadsheets, and emails, which Dragon converted to text.
Now, users will be able to buy Dragon Professional Individual for Windows, Dragon Legal Individual for Windows, and Dragon Anywhere for Android and iOS. Dragon Medical for Mac was also discontinued back in August.
Google this week announced that it will now automatically upgrade all previously purchased films from participating Hollywood studios to 4K, even if those movies were originally bought in SD or HD. The company is also reducing the price of new 4K movies on its Google Play store to match SD/HD prices of $19.99 and below. Previously, 4K films on Google Play rose to as much as $30.
These new updates match numerous practices that Apple has implemented on the iTunes Movies store starting with the launch of the Apple TV 4K in September 2017. With the rollout of 4K support in iTunes, customers' back catalog of HD movies were automatically upgraded to 4K where applicable, and Apple promised all new 4K releases would remain at a competitive price of $19.99.
Apple never specified that SD movies were getting a boost to 4K, but some users have noted that select films upgraded from SD to HD to 4K over time. Still, other users have not seen any updates to their SD iTunes movies, perhaps due to missing rights from certain movie studios, so Google's promise of both SD and HD upgrades to 4K should be an easier transition for those with a bunch of old movies in the Google ecosystem.
Google will also notify users when their movies are upgraded to 4K, and point out which ones were upgraded in the Play Movies and TV app, which is a feature that iTunes lacks at this point. For Apple users curious about this aspect of their film collections, the third-party Cheap Charts iOS app [Direct Link] has an "Upgraded to 4K" section with a reverse chronological list of films that recently received the picture quality update in iTunes.
Apple struggled to get Hollywood's major studios to support 4K films at $19.99 -- and Disney still remains notably absent from any 4K support on iTunes Movies -- but eventually many of the major studios backed Apple's decision. The same appears true for Google Play, with new films from studios like Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. available in 4K at $19.99 and under, but new Disney films like Incredibles 2 are only listed as HD compatible.
Additionally, Google announced that users can now watch content in 4K using the Play Movies and TV app on most 4K Samsung Smart TVs (in addition to previous support for 4K Sony Bravia TVs). The company says it's working on adding support for LG TVs as well. Lastly, the smart TV app for Samsung, LG, and Vizio TVs has been updated with a modern look and feel for an overall "better experience," according to Google.
Google has been expanding its Play Movies and TV app throughout the year, in March introducing a feature that accumulated content from numerous streaming services into one centralized watchlist. Similar to Apple's TV app, Play Movies and TV now lets users discover new shows and movies, and find which streaming service to watch them on, adding all of the content into their watchlist. In this area, Google notifies users when content is available to buy and rent, if the price has dropped, and if it's now available to stream.
Nearly one year after Apple 
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The Siri Remote that comes with the Apple TV certainly has its critics. Some users find the glass Touch surface over-sensitive in the way it registers directional taps and swipes, which can make navigating onscreen menus a slalom-like experience where you're constantly having to correct for overshoot. 
Apple today 
Nuance this week 
