Apple wants everyone to know how to code for the Mac, iPhone and iPad, so new training resources are rolling out today.
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Samsung Galaxy S8 Iris Scanner Already Hacked
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 smartphone iris recognition biometric security feature is surprisingly easy to hack.
IKEA is Making HomeKit Smart Lights Affordable for Everyone
IKEA’s reputation for budget priced furniture carried over into smart lights last year, and now it’s about to do the same for HomeKit, too.
Apple and Nokia Reach Agreement in Patent Licensing Dispute
Apple and Nokia settled their patent licensing dispute on Monday and are besties again.
Supreme Court Just Killed Marshall Texas Patent Troll Business
A patent battle over flavored water may turn into a win for iPhone and Mac maker Apple, and a big loss for patent trolls. Thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Monday, patent infringement cases must be filed in the jurisdiction where the offending company is incorporated, which will greatly limit the court choices open to patent trolls.
Apple's New Switcher Campaign — for iPhone
Apple launched a new advertising campaign called Switch to iPhone at apple.com/switch. The campaign trades the white of the company’s original I’m a PC campaign for dark pastels and simple, compelling imagery. The message is that it’s simple to switch to iPhone, which is faster, that your music will sound better, and that moving your photos is easy. Watch the four videos that make that argument in our full story.
Leaked Pics Compare iPhone 8 Size to iPhone 7s and 7s Plus
It’s a pretty safe bet we know what the still unconfirmed iPhone 8 will look like when it’s unveiled this fall, and now we have a better idea of how it stacks up size-wise with the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. Reports so far say the iPhone 8 will be about the same size as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7s, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing in the leaked phone mold photos.
Nike Unveils VaporMax Flyknit Apple Watch Bands
Nike wants your Apple Watch to match your shoes, so the company is launching a new line Nike+ of sport bands. The “Day to Night” line match the company’s Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit running shoes with color coordinated Apple Watch Nike+ bands.
RSA Sues Apple Claiming Apple Pay Patent Infringement
RSA filed a lawsuit against Apple and Visa over the weekend claiming the iPhone maker’s Apple Pay feature infringes on patents it owns. The company says it holds 13 patents covering Apple Pay technology, and hasn’t been able to get Apple or Visa to pay for licensing.
Data Forensics Company Recovers Notes Data Apple Claims is Deleted
Files deleted from Apple’s Notes app shouldn’t be recoverable after 30 days, but the security and data forensics company Elcomsoft found they could access records that were deleted months—or even more than a year—ago. That sounds pretty bad, but recovering those files requires some pretty specific elements, including knowing your iCloud login and password.
Dr. Mac Says He Can Save You an Hour a Day for Life (for Free)
Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus has a free course he says will save you an hour a day for the rest of your life. And it’s free. It’s a promotion for his new book, Working Smarter for Mac Users, a book about beating procrastination and being much more efficient with your Mac.
NFC on iPhone Can Be Unlocked, but Should You Care?
While NFC might always be limited to Apple Pay officially, more advanced users have been hoping the technology will be unlocked for other purposes. A popular jailbreak developer has done that, and Jeff Butts thinks it’s great for some and unimportant for most people.
Ford CarPlay is Here for 2016 Models Via Software Update
Ford just announced that CarPlay is coming to all of its 2016 model vehicles with a new software update. CarPlay requires an iPhone 5 or later, and running iOS 7.1 or later. You can either take your car to the nearest Ford dealer for the Ford CarPlay update, or do it yourself.
Apple Increasing 10.5-inch iPad Pro Production Ahead of Launch
Apple is reportedly ramping up production of the rumored 10.5-inch iPad Pro and expects to ship up to 6 million by the end of 2017. The company apparently started in the March/April window with 500,000 units a month, and has now bumped that up to 600,000.
Privacy: Twitter Giveth and Taketh Away
Twitter has updated its privacy policy and tools, but it isn’t necessarily for the better. Jeff Butts finds some things to like about the changes, but the social media network ditching Do Not Track and beginning to share more of your data is a recipe for trouble.
Jimmy Iovine Says Free Streaming Music is Bad Business
Jimmy Iovine says Apple Music could have a lot more subscribers if it had a free streaming tier, but that’s not a path Apple is willing to go down. Musicians need to get paid, he says, and free streaming doesn’t allow for that.
Gmail Smart Reply Comes to iOS
One of the features announced today at Google I/O 2017 is Gmail Smart Reply. It was first released in the web in 2015, as a way to let people send short, canned messages in email, similar to iMessage on the Apple Watch. Andrew Orr tells us it’s finally coming to the Gmail app on iOS.
Sal Soghoian Launches CMD-D: Masters of Automation Conference
Sal Soghoian, who is the master of automation on the Mac, is hosting his own conference called CMD-D: Masters of Automation Conference. The day-long event will cover AppleScript, Automator, JavaScript for Automation, Workflow, and more.
Apple Goes 'Beyond WWDC' with Third Party Events
Apple has posted some of the third party events that take place during its own World Wide Developer Conference. The Apple Developer Connection has a new Beyond WWDC list that includes events like AltConf 2017, The Talk Show with John Gruber Live, CocoaConf Next Door, Layers, the App Camp for Girls benefit with James Dempsey and the Breakpoints. and one of our favorites, Jim Dalrymple’s Beard Bash.
New Report Says iPad mini to be Discontinued Soon
A new report backs up what we’ve been saying since March: the iPad mini is a dead man walking. The iPhone 7 Plus has apparently usurped the iPad mini’s place in Apple’s tablet lineup, but there isn’t any word yet on when it’ll be retired.
Apple Seeds First Developer Releases of iOS 10.3.3, watchOS 3.2.3, tvOS 10.2.2
In addition to a new developer release of Sierra, Apple also seeded developer releases of iOS 10.3.3, watchOS 3.2.3, tvOS 10.2.2. All three releases are most likely going to be bug releases, and they come just one day after final versions of their predecessors.
Apple Seeds First Developer Release of macOS Sierra 10.12.6
Apple released the first developer release of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 on Tuesday, just one day after shipping macOS Sierra 10.12.5. The company didn’t announce any new features in the release, and it’s likely to be another maintenance release ahead of Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference in June.
Starting June 15, iCloud Will Require App Specific Passwords
Starting on June 15, Apple will require third-party apps that use iCloud to use app specific passwords that the user sets up. This also means that you must be using two-factor authentication for your Apple ID. Andrew Orr tells us what this means for you.
Apple Courts Michael Lombardo to Head Original TV Programming
Apple is apparently courting former HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo to head up its original TV programming for Apple Music. He’s the guy who was responsible for shows such as The Newsroom, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, and Game of Thrones, and Apple no doubt wants to replicate that success with its own streaming shows.