A group of hackers are trying to extort Apple with the threat of wiping out thousands of iCloud accounts and remotely resetting iPhones. They say they’ll follow through if Apple doesn’t pay up US$75,000 in Bitcoin or Ethereum by April 7th.
News
iPads, other Electronics Banned on Flights to US from Several Islamic Countries
If you’re planning on working on that big project on a flight to the U.S. from several airports in Muslim-dominant countries, think again because the Trump administration just banned anything larger than a smartphone in the passenger cabin. The ban restricts iPads and other tablets, Kindle ebook readers, laptops, and other larger electronic devices to checked luggage over terrorism concerns.
iTunes 12.6 Lets You Watch Rental Movies Across All Your Devices
While Apple was painting iPhones red and rolling out new iPads on Tuesday, it also released an update for iTunes that lets you watch movie rentals on any of your devices. iTunes 12.6 for the Mac adds what Apple dubbed “rent once, watch anywhere” which is exactly what it sounds like: You can watch a movie on any of your devices, not just the one where you made the rental.
Here Are 14 New Apple Watch Bands Announced Tuesday
Apple launched several new Apple Watch bands Tuesday for Spring 2017. The collection includes new Striped Woven Nylon and Sport bands, standalone Nike Sport bands, and new flavors of Apple Watch Hermès bands. At the same time, Apple has sharply limited the number of out-of-the-box choices for new Apple Watch Series 2 purchases. Here’s what they look like.
Podcasts
Farewell iPad Air, iPad mini 2
Apple introduced the new 9.7-inch iPad on Tuesday, and quietly discontinued the iPad Air 2 along with the iPad mini 2. The new iPad replaces the Air 2 and offers a newer processor along with lower pricing.
Apple Targets Social Media Crowd with New Clips App
Apple teased a new video capture and editing app called Clips on Tuesday that targets social media app users. The app lets users snap videos, apply effects and edits, and upload their creations to popular social networks and video sharing sites.
Apple Unveils New 9.7-inch iPad Starting at $329
Apple introduced an updated 9.7-inch iPad on Tuesday with an A9 processor starting at US$329. The update was one of two new products and came after scheduled down time at Apple’s online store.
Drake Crushes Apple Music Record with 89.9 Million Streams, Beating Spotify
Drake set a new record for first-day streams with his new album, More Life, which was streamed 89.9 million times on the first day. That was not only a record-setting debut, it crushed Spotify’s first-day totals for the album of 61.3 million streams. That’s significant, because that was itself a record for the larger streaming service.
Podcasts
Lorek The Robot And The Future Of AI
Lorek the robot represents a big step in robotics because it can understand human language, as well as the gestures we make in conversations. Researchers from Brown University pulled off this feat of understanding by programming uncertainty into the robot. Andrew Orr explains why this is a big deal.
Planned Tuesday Morning Down Time for Apple Store has the Internet Flipping Over New Product Possibilities
Apple’s online store will be unavailable Tuesday morning until 8:30 AM eastern time, leading to speculation that a product refresh is about to happen. The company’s own System Status webpage was the tip-off, and since Apple always takes its store offline ahead of product releases the interent is flipping out over the possibility of something new showing up on the page.
For Your Next Coffee Table, How About a Smart Table?
Coffee tables are usually boring, but one company has developed a prototype that is far from it. Jeff Butts has discovered a “smart coffee table” that merges aesthetics with modern conveniences, including USB ports, electrical outlets, and more.
Mystery Device A1844 Is a lock for Apple Park, Not an Apple TV or Siri Box
Apple’s mysterious wireless device awaiting Federal Communications Commission approval turned out to be a door lock system for Apple Park, the company’s new campus that’s opening in April. That pretty much kills the idea that Apple was about to release a Siri-based Amazon Echo and Google Home competitor.
Cool Stuff Found
Apple Recruits UK Students With Music Ambassador Program
Apple has started an Apple Music Ambassador program this week to enlist the help of college students. In exchange for promoting Apple Music, students receive perks based on how many people they can sign up.
Amazon Shopping App on iPhone gets Alexa Support
If you use the Amazon app on your iPhone to shop you can use it to talk to Alexa, too, even if you don’t own an Echo or Echo Dot. The online retailer is rolling out in-app Alexa support for iPhone users over the next week which means pretty much everything you do with an Echo or Echo Dot can happen right on your smartphone.
Soverain Software Hits Apple with Patent Lawsuit over Device Security and Online Transactions
Apple has a new patent infringement lawsuit on its hands. This time it’s from the patent holding company Soverain Software and it targets pretty much every product Apple makes involving internet-related services.
McDonald's Is Testing Mobile Orders from an App
Fast food chain McDonalds is testing a fancy new way to order using your smartphone, because, you know, that’s what we’re looking for from McDonald’s. Customers in Monterey and Salinas, California can use the McDonalds mobile app to order food from home and have it ready when they get there. Andrew Orr explains.
Cool Stuff Found
Pwn2Own Hackers Found Two Safari Zero Day Exploits
Yesterday was the annual Pwn2Own hacking contest, and also marks the contest’s 10th anniversary. Hackers compete in challenges to find security holes in popular software and mobile devices. This year, two Safari zero days were found by the white-hat hackers.