MacRumors

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit digital rights group, today released its annual "Who Has Your Back" report, ranking companies on their efforts to protect user privacy and resist government data demands.

Apple was awarded a full six stars in all of the categories the EFF measures, including requiring a warrant for content; telling users about government data requests; publishing transparency reports; publishing law enforcement guidelines; and fighting for users' privacy rights in courts and in Congress.

The EFF notes in its report that Apple has made a "remarkable" improvement over the course of the last year when it comes to user privacy policies, as it only earned a single star in past years. The report, which is based on publicly available information, does not include secret surveillance orders.

Apple earned credit in all 6 categories in this year's Who Has Your Back report. Apple's rating is particularly striking because it had lagged behind industry competitors in prior years, earning just one star in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Apple shows remarkable improvement in its commitments to transparency and privacy.

After the public revelation of PRISM, a top secret intelligence gathering program run by the U.S. National Security Agency, Apple made several moves towards increasing transparency about data requests to assure users it was not participating in the program.

The company issued a "Commitment to Customer Privacy" statement and began disclosing information on government data requests and its own policies, which include asking for warrants for information. It also released a "Report on Government Information Requests" back in November, and has pledged to implement a policy to notify users of information requests from law enforcement.

In addition to its new transparency policies, Apple also joined the Government Surveillance Coalition to urge the U.S. government to agree to greater transparency over demands for user data and Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Barack Obama and other tech executives to discuss government surveillance in August of 2013. In March, Apple hired Sabrina Ross to oversee the protection of consumer data and in May, the company released guidelines for law enforcement requests, specifying what information the company can and cannot retrieve from devices after receiving a search warrant.

In an interview with ABC, Cook publicly discussed the NSA's surveillance operations and once again assured users that the Government does not have access to Apple's servers. "They would have to cart us out in a box for that. And that just will not happen," he said. "I've been pushing very, very hard to open the books and be totally transparent."

Along with Apple, Dropbox, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Yahoo also received a full six star rating from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

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.

Apple appears to be allowing developers to create promo codes for in-app purchases, a useful feature that makes it far easier to test and promote freemium games and apps with content that can only be purchased within an app once it has been downloaded.

Promo codes for apps have long been available, but were previously limited to initial app downloads and were not available for in-app purchases. This change will make it easier for developers to give early app testers, reviewers, and other users access to the full content available within freemium apps.

While it is unclear if the feature is currently available to all developers, Jeff Scott of 148apps.com shared a screenshot on Twitter of an in-app purchase promo code for Real Racing 3, from major developer EA. EA is using the promotion to give customers 10 free gold within the app, which has an in-app value of $1.99. The gold can be obtained by visiting this link on an iOS device.

Entering the promo code provides users with gold in the app, and if the app is not installed, it will automatically download before redeeming the in-app purchase code.

Apple has not yet updated its developer site to reflect the availability of in-app promo codes and its rules still state "Promo codes don't work for In-App purchase products, including Newsstand issues."

Apple today released OS X 10.9.3, after two months of developer testing. The last 10.9.3 developer beta, build 13D61, was released just over a week ago.

The update, which is recommended for all Mavericks users, improves 4K display support on the late 2013 Mac Pro and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. According to the release notes, it also re-adds the ability to sync contacts and calendars between Macs and iOS devices using a USB connection and it improves the reliability of VPN connections using IPSec.

Today's update also includes Safari 7.0.3, and Apple has released iTunes 11.2 as well.

The OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 Update is recommended for all Mavericks users. It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.
This update:

- Improves 4K display support on Mac Pro (Late 2013) and MacBook Pro with 15-inch Retina Display (Late 2013)
- Adds the ability to sync contacts and calendars between a Mac and iOS device using a USB connection
- Improves the reliability of VPN connections using IPsec
- Includes Safari 7.0.3

For detailed information about this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6228
For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

First outlined after the initial 10.9.3 beta, the improved 4K support enables HiDPI Retina scaling on 4K displays for the 2013 Mac Pro and Retina MacBook Pro with DisplayPort 1.2, which improves the size and readability of text and other on-screen elements. 10.9.3 also includes 60Hz 4K output for the 2013 Retina Macbook Pros and the higher refresh rates will improve response times for smoother game playing, video editing, and more.

OS X 10.9.3 can be downloaded through the software update function in the Mac App Store or through the following links:

- OS X Mavericks Update v10.9.3 (461.7 MB)
- OS X Mavericks Update v10.9.3 (Combo) (947.2 MB)

Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry has made a number of outlandish predictions when it comes to Apple, and his latest claim is that Apple is preparing to enter the 3D printer market. Chowdhry shared his thoughts with Benzinga, outlining his belief that Google is pursuing a 3D printer project based on its expectations that Apple will be making a similar move.

Chowdhry provides little to no details on Apple's 3D printing plans, citing only the company's experience in hardware and its intellectual property covering the technology as substantiation for his prediction.

"It's either Apple or Microsoft [that inspired Google]," Chowdhry told Benzinga. "But developers feel that Apple is probably the focus for Google because Google considers Apple to be its prime competitor, not Microsoft. And Google really sees Apple to be a strong competitor, not Microsoft, because Microsoft has a lot of issues to worry about." [...]

"Apple does have intellectual property [in that space]," said Chowdhry. "And they often have more expertise in hardware development than, say, Microsoft has."

Chowdhry also points to Apple's acquisition of PrimeSense last year, with that firm's 3D sensors made famous for their role in the original Microsoft Kinect perhaps playing a role in Apple's 3D printing ambitions.

As for timing, Chowdhry doesn't specify anything for Apple but speculates that Google could announce its 3D printing intentions this June or October with product launches coming a full 12-18 months later.

As if the unsubstantiated claims and seemingly nonsensical predictions weren't enough to essentially dismiss the report as fanciful thinking, Chowdhry has a history of making grandiose claims. Freshest in many people's memories is his claim earlier this year that Apple had 60 days to introduce the iWatch or the company "will disappear" as it proves itself unable to innovate in the post-Jobs era. Chowdhry's deadline comes next Monday, with no sign of an imminent iWatch announcement.

In a world where mobile devices are becoming thinner and thinner and in some cases being worn on the wrist or other parts of the body, graphene may be the wonder material of the future, with properties that make it stronger than steel, more flexible than rubber and more conductive than most metals. As a result, the material could initiate a new wave of innovation in hardware design and manufacturing that may lead to incredibly thin and flexible devices. According to Bloomberg, it also may become the next battlefield for Apple and Samsung.

Graphene is graphite, the material in pencils, arranged in a layer that is one atom thick. The arrangement of the carbon molecules makes the material stronger than steel and even diamonds. It also is flexible, conductive and so transparent that is nearly invisible to the naked eye. It can be applied to other materials, potentially allowing for the creation of flexible displays and bendable devices.

Apple, Samsung and Google are allegedly in an arms race to acquire patents and other intellectual property to cover the design and use of the material in both mobile and wearable devices. With global mobile device sales predicted to reach $847 billion by 2016 and wearable technology to explode to a $19 billion business in the next five years, the development of graphene may be critical to a company's ability to compete in the future electronics marketplace.

The biggest hurdle for the widespread adoption of graphene is the high cost of production. These technological and manufacturing issues are being addressed by Seoul National University professor Hong Byung Hee, who owns a patent for mass-producing graphene-based displays.

To unlock that potential, the world’s biggest electronics makers are turning to researchers such as Hong Byung Hee, a professor at Seoul National University, who’s developed a patent for mass-producing graphene-based displays.

"Global technology companies are facing innovation limits in hardware and design, and in order to step over to the next level, they need to adopt new materials like graphene," Hong said in an interview. “Our key graphene technology is receiving considerable interest from firms including Apple, Samsung and even Google."

Apple has been silent on its own research into the use of graphene, with Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet declining to comment to Bloomberg on Hong's patent and the company's interest in the material. Unlike Samsung, Apple's own publicly available patents and applications addressing graphene are scant, but it seems the company is at least exploring what the material might be used for.

Following reports last week that Apple had purchased Beats Electronics, it was thought the deal would be finalized and announced this week. However, Re/code is reporting the deal may not be finalized until next week.

Apple’s planned deal to buy Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion may not be finalized until next week, according to people familiar with the transaction. That’s a longer timetable than some people expected as recently as a few days ago.

Once the deal is completed, Beats co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are expected to take on senior roles at Apple, with Iovine potentially becoming Apple's new music chief. In addition, Iovine and Dre's first official appearance as Apple employees is expected to take place at June's Worldwide Developer Conference.

With the next iPhone widely expected to be available in larger screen sizes, Canalys reports that a third of all smartphones sold worldwide in the first quarter had screen sizes larger than five inches, a full inch larger than Apple's 4" iPhone 5s screen. The five-inch market -- some 90 million units in the quarter -- was the fastest growing portion of the smartphone market in the first quarter.

Internal documents released during the Apple v. Samsung trial show how Apple has been aware of consumer interest in larger screened smartphones for quite some time, and the iPhone 6 is expected to have 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch options to compete in this market.

Smart phones with 5" and larger screens grew 369% - a substantially greater rate of growth than the overall market. Worldwide, they represented just over a third of shipments (34%), and in Greater China the figure hit 39%, and 43% in Asia Pacific.

"This is still a market segment led by Samsung, but the trend is unmistakably toward larger-screen handsets at the high end of the market. It held a 44% share of devices with displays of 5" and above, and 53% if the view is narrowed to look at 5.5"-plus displays," said Canalys Analyst Jessica Kwee.

[...]

Consumers now expect high-end devices to have large displays, and Apple’s absence in this market will clearly not last long. It is notable that 5" and above displays featured on almost half (47%) of smart phones with an unlocked retail price of US$500 or more. Of the remaining 53% of high-end smart phones, 87% were iPhones.

Only 12 percent of smartphones sold had screens of 5.5-inches or larger, with 22% between 5 and 5.4-inches and the rest smaller than 5-inches, including all iPhones.

The iPhone 6 is widely expected to be launched this fall with a a 4.7-inch option, perhaps at 1704x960 pixels, and a larger 5.5-inch version that may launch later due to supply constraints.

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen today announced plans to return Flappy Bird to the App Store in August in a new interview with CNBC's Kelly Evans. According to Nguyen, the new version of Flappy Bird will be a multiplayer title that is "less addictive."

Back in February, Nguyen unexpectedly pulled Flappy Bird from the App Store after it became wildly popular, due in part to the attention he was receiving. "Please give me peace," he tweeted just a week before removing the app from the App Store. At the height of its popularity, the game was generating approximately $50,000 per day in revenue from in-app ads, causing a media frenzy.

In a March interview with Rolling Stone, Nguyen confessed that the reason he pulled the app was in part due to the overwhelming amount of attention he garnered from the media, but also because of troubling messages he received from Flappy Bird players about the game's addictiveness. One woman told him he was "distracting the children of the world."

Nguyen noted that he had trouble in school in his own youth because of an addiction to video games, and admitted to feeling guilty that Flappy Bird was an "addictive product."

After Flappy Bird was removed from the App Store, hundreds of other Flappy-style apps flooded the App Store as developers attempted to clone some of Nguyen's success, and at one point towards the end of February, one-third of new games released over a 24-hour period were heavily influenced by Flappy Bird.

Though the prominence of Flappy Bird clones has died down in recent weeks, fans will likely welcome the return of the original game. As Nguyen has said, "People can clone the app because of its simplicity, but they will never make another Flappy Bird." While Nyugen has mentioned multiplayer as one new aspect of the game, it is unclear how he plans to make it "less addictive."

During today's interview, Nguyen also relayed some details about his next game, which is said to be a jumping game where players control a character that leaps from building to building.

There is a long-standing problem with lost iMessages for select users when they switch from an iPhone to another device. Apple allegedly is aware of the problem and not able to provide a fix, claims former Lifehacker editor-in-chief Adam Pash, whose iPhone was affected by this message delivery problem.

After disabling their iPhones, some users experience an issue where iMessages sent from other iPhone owners are routed to the now-disabled iPhone and not forwarded as a text message to the active phone. The recipient never receives the text message, creating a situation that is frustrating for both people involved in the conversation.

Pash spoke to Apple's customer support after he stopped receiving messages from iPhone-owning friends when he switched to an Android phone. The support personnel confirmed "this is a problem a lot of people are facing" and "added that engineering team is working on it but is apparently clueless as to how to fix it."

In the meantime, Apple has completely hijacked my text messaging and my phone number portability (portability between devices, not networks). No one can fix this but Apple because it’s a problem at the device level, which means people in my position have no recourse but to wait for Apple to figure out what the problem is. But Apple isn’t offering any public support on the issue that I’ve been able to find (and it’s worth repeating that proper support is behind a $20 paywall for most people who’ve switched devices, who would also be the most commonly affected by this problem)

This issue with iMessage has been reported as far back as 2011, shortly after the messaging service debuted as a flagship feature of iOS 5. iPhone owners are advised to disable iMessages before they deactivate their phone in order to remove the device from Apple's system and allow messages to be forwarded properly as text messages to their new handset. This precautionary step of disabling iMessage apparently works for some, but not all iPhone owners who switch to another smartphone platform.