Epic vs. Apple lurches on, this time about antisteering compliance
Epic Games has convinced a US District Court to order a hearing over its assertion that Apple is failing to comply with the games company's one App Store victory.Fortnite on an iPhoneThe long-running legal case of Fortnite developer Epic Games versus Apple appeared to suddenly resolve in December 2023, but legal cases don't seem to ever end completely. While Apple won on practically every count, it lost over an anti-steering accusation, the issue that it prevented developers from informing customers of alternative payment options.Apple formally told the court in January 2024 that it was complying with the order and would now allow developers to inform users. The company has been criticized, however, for imposing stipulations that mean the new rules are little better than the original ones. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple releases new family of Open-source Efficient Language Models as AI work progresses
Ahead of iOS 18’s debut at WWDC in June, Apple has released a family of open-source large language models. Called OpenELM, Apple describes these as: a family of Open-source Efficient Language Models. In its testing, Apple says that OpenELM offers similar performance to other open language models, but with less training data. more…

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Today in Apple history: It’s time for Apple Watch
On April 24, 2015, Cupertino releases the Apple Watch, the wearable device Tim Cook describes as the "next chapter in Apple history." (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple launches ‘Made for Business’ in select stores around the world
Beginning in May, a special "Today at Apple" series titled “Made for Business” will offer small business owners and entrepreneurs free… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple's four new open-source models could help make future AI more accurate
Apple has publicly shared four open-source models boasting of enhanced accuracy for queries, which could help the development of future AI models.A Siri icon superimposed on Apple ParkAs the tech industry continues to race forward with AI developments, Apple has continued to offer more glimpses into the technology it is working on. In the latest public release, Apple has released a quartet of open-source models.Referred to as Open Source Efficient LLMs, or OpenELMs, the instruct models are hosted on collaborative platform Hugging Face. Hugging Face is used to host AI models, as well as to train them and to work with others to make improvements. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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California man uses AirTag to confront thief who stole his BMW
A man in California was able to use an Apple AirTag and dash cam footage to recover his stolen BMW, though we don't advise following his method.Apple AirTagPhilip Obando awoke one morning to find that his BMW was missing. Fortunately for Obando, he had previously hidden an Apple AirTag inside his car in case something like this happened.Using the Find My app, Obando was able to track the thief as he drove through long beach. The thief slept in the car, swapped out the license plate, and even took it through a car wash. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Small business owners are getting a special 'Today at Apple' training
Apple is launching a "Made for Business" series of Today at Apple sessions about Apple technology for small business owners — and led by small business owners.A "Today at Apple" session in an Apple Store (Source: Apple)"Today at Apple" is a series of free training workshops that began in 2017, and now take place in Apple Stores worldwide. Following special series of events for creatives, "Today at Apple" is now launching ongoing events for small business owners and entrepreneurs."At Apple, we know small businesses are the backbone of local communities," said Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail in a statement, "which is why we are constantly innovating to help at every stage of their growth." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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This solar flashlight doubles as a power bank (and looks flamin’ hot!)
This solar flashlight doubles as a 2,400mAh power bank. Plus, it's a fireplace simulator! Now just $39.99 (36% off regular price of $62.99). (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Snapdragon X Plus will bring ARM to ‘even more’ Windows laptops, still said to beat Apple M3
While it’s still yet to debut, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite is looking like a big deal for ARM-powered Windows machines and, now, it’s getting a more affordable cousin in the Snapdragon X Plus. more…

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Apple launching new ‘Made for Business’ sessions at retail stores next month
Starting in May, Apple is launching a new Today at Apple series at its retail stores focused on small business owners and entrepreneurs. Apple says that these sessions will offer “free opportunities to learn how Apple products and services can support their growth and success.” more…

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Apple @ Work: Over 52% of workers try to memorize and reuse the same password across multiple apps at work
Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kolide by 1Password, the device trust solution that ensures that if a device isn’t secure, it can’t access your apps. Close the Zero Trust access gap for Okta. Learn more or watch the demo. World Password Day is coming on May 2, 2024, and Bitwarden is releasing its 4th annual survey looking at how password management has evolved. The company surveyed 2,400 people from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, and Japan to explore contemporary password practices among users. This survey looks at password security behaviors at home and in professional settings, evaluates how phishing and AI affect online security, and gauges users’ feelings about adopting passkeys as a new authentication method. more…

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California man recovers stolen BMW thanks to AirTag and dashcam videos
Another stolen car has been recovered thanks to a hidden AirTag, this time in California. Speaking to NBC News, Philip Obando said that he woke up and walked out of his house to find that his BMW was gone. Thanks to the hidden AirTag and dashcam video, Obando was able to get a pretty clear idea of when the car was stolen, who stole it, and what the thief did with it. more…

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Telegram CEO: Apple’s ‘walled garden’ will cause it to lose Chinese iPhone users to Android
Pavel Durov, billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, said Apple's move last week to remove the messaging app from its China App Store… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Beats Fit Pro vs. AirPods Pro 2: Which earbuds are better?
Discover key differences, from design to performance, to pick the ideal wireless earbuds with our Beats Fit Pro vs. AirPods Pro 2 guide. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple's generative AI may be the only one that was trained legally & ethically
As copyright concerns plague the field of generative AI, Apple seeks to preserve privacy and legality through innovative training methods for language learning methods, all while avoiding controversy.Apple's AI may be the only legally-trained one on the marketIn recent years, the question of generative AI in relation to copyright law has remained a relatively important and complex issue. As language learning models (LLMs) and generative AI apps increase in popularity, copyright issues have continued to pile up without any kind of meaningful resolution.Problems arise when companies use copyrighted works in training their generative AI software, and when the outputs of said AI software contain sections of works under copyright protection. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Brute Force Password Cracking Takes Longer, But Celebration May Be Premature
Brute force cracking of passwords takes longer now than in the past, but the good news is not a cause for celebration, according to the latest annual audit of password cracking times released Tuesday by Hive Systems. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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Apple won't have to do that much to comply with EU's new right to repair law
A new EU law means Apple will have to extend its iPhone warranty, and offer all users the same kind of repair or replace service it currently sells as AppleCare.The EU wants to make it easier to repair damaged smartphonesSince 2020, the EU has been debating right to repair legislation, and it has been steadily progressing through the system. Now the EU has formally adopted the rules, after a vote saw 584 in favor, 3 against, and 14 abstentions."Consumers' right to repair products will now become a reality," said EU spokesperson Rene Repasi. "It will be easier and cheaper to repair instead of purchase new, expensive items." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Why you need a fake online identity
Macworld The danger of using an unprotected identity Venturing online can be a dangerous business. Bad actors want your personal data, and will go to almost any lengths to get hold of it for their own benefit, and at your cost. If you use an unprotected identity online, and the wrong person gets hold of your email address, for example, the very least you can expect is an avalanche of spam and phishing messages. And it can get a lot worse than that. Let’s say you’re trying to get a discount code, and the codes site asks you to enter your email address. And then you use the discount code to buy from an ecommerce website, and this too requires the use of an email address. Maybe it’s a site you’ve not used before, or one with a sketchy reputation, or a data protection policy that’s alarmingly vague. In these scenarios, how confident are you that your email address will be kept securely and used responsibly, rather than being sold on to a data broker who will add it to dozens of marketing subscription lists? You’re probably familiar with the annoying way that buying from a website, even if you carefully tick all the boxes saying “please don’t send me marketing messages,” still seems to generate a ton of spam afterwards. But it could be worse. If your email address ends up in particularly unscrupulous hands, you may start to receive phishing emails. These are sometimes easy to spot, but get this wrong just once and you may find yourself the victim of identity theft, financial harm or a wrecked credit score, the leaking of embarrassing personal information and more. And that’s before we get to the frightening dangers presented by online stalkers. Some of these scenarios are predictable–such as after buying from an obviously dodgy website. But even reputable sites get it wrong some of the time, or may end up losing your data in the event of a breach. And there are many other seemingly innocuous interactions that can spell trouble if your identity isn’t protected. Subscribing to an email newsletter can keep you entertained and informed, but who knows what else you’ll be signed up to? When applying for jobs, entering competitions, dating, or pursuing social activities, are you always certain that the person you’re contacting is who they say they are, and can be trusted with your details? Any time you send an email or tell a person or business your contact details, there is a danger that the information will be scraped and put to nefarious purposes. The advantages of multiple identities In many online interactions, particularly those with a contact and business with whom you haven’t yet built up a relationship of trust, it makes sense to use a secondary identity: one based around a backup email address you don’t normally use but which you can access if needed. Many of us have second or third email addresses we habitually use when a business insists we provide one; and then, when the spam starts to arrive, we’re not bothered by it. Indeed, having a large number of addresses can help identify where the spam is coming from and help you to hold the sources accountable. The problem with this method is that it can be cumbersome and inconvenient. Remembering the username and password for many different accounts is difficult, while re-using the same details, or recording them in an insecure location, is a security red flag. Break into one account and you may find you’ve been frozen out of them all. So what’s the solution? Your options compared There are several routes you can take here. Burner email: A method specifically created to handle this issue. The service generates an entirely new email account for you, which you enter while buying from a website or signing up to a competition, and then vanishes a prescribed time later. Such services generally lack a transparent privacy policy, however, and are limited in scope to email addresses only. If you need a full online identity, or a long-term solution, this isn’t for you. Creating a second, throwaway email account: Why not keep things simple and create a second email address for those moments when you’re unsure the recipient is trustworthy? This is the impromptu method many of us have used for years to evade the worst attentions of spammers, but it’s hardly convenient: you need to manage multiple inboxes and passwords, and it can be time-consuming to set them up. Not to mention that the email provider you’re signing up with is still likely to be collecting your data, which means you’re avoiding one privacy headache by submitting to another. Fake name generator: Such services can help if you’re reluctant to provide your real name, but again, they often have questionable privacy policies of their own. If the service is free, it is likely to be supported by data collection or irritating adverts; if not, that’s an extra expense to worry about for something very limited. Creating an entire fake identity for yourself: The nuclear option. You can create a fake name, a postal address, and all the other aspects of an identity for yourself, and then use these when interacting with potentially suspect contacts. The problem is that (aside from being time-consuming) this is tremendously difficult: simply passing US address validation, for example, is a challenge, while most sites are wise to this method and will be set up to reject obvious or common default names. And aside from everything else, it’s surprisingly tricky to come up with convincing local names! How Surfshark Alternative ID can help Okay, so those four methods each have problems and limitations. But there’s a fifth option that we’d suggest is a better choice for most Macworld readers, and that’s Surfshark’s Alternative ID. Alternative ID is a feature designed to help protect your privacy and security by generating a brand-new online identity for you, with none of the hassle of the previously discussed approaches. Simply tell Surfshark any key details you wish to apply to the identity, and the company will do all the rest of the work. You’ll be presented with an entire online persona, including an email address you can use when signing up to codes websites or shopping online, and your real identity will be protected. Surfshark Surfshark Surfshark There’s none of the cumbersome management involved in juggling multiple email accounts. Emails to the new address will be safely forwarded to your real inbox, enabling you to click verification links or access any information that’s worth having, but it’s easy to divert these into a separate folder if spam starts to predominate. And unlike with burner emails, the identity is good for as long as you need it. This feature is available via the company’s browser extension, together with a VPN and ad blocker. It’s the best and safest way to keep your data out of the hands of brokers, spammers, and scammers. And right now, there’s a fantastic deal: 81% off + two free months. Sign up today. sign up now Security Software and Services

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How to find 3D movies to watch on Apple Vision Pro
The introduction of the Apple Vision Pro has reintroduced 3D content after nearly a decade of absence. Here's where to find 3D movies for purchase from any Apple device that has a TV app.How to watch 3D movies on Apple Vision ProThe Apple Vision Pro is not just any other headset, it's a gateway to a whole new level of film experience. Before immersing yourself in the world of 3D content, it's crucial to set up your device correctly.Apple offers comprehensive support through its website and in-store experts, ensuring you get the most out of your Apple Vision Pro. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Forget the iPhone 16, Apple’s best new feature in 2024 will be for older iPhones too
Macworld The iPhone 16 lineup will bring in more money for Apple than anything else this year. As many other parts of the company (namely services) are growing, the overall fortunes of Apple still rise and fall on iPhone sales. You would think that would make the iPhone 16 Apple’s most important product this year, but no. That distinction belongs to iOS 18; or more specifically, the on-device AI features it is expected to bring to our pockets this fall. For better or worse, it’s all about AI these days. Every tech company has to have a “leader in AI” story to satisfy investors, even if users are starting to get bored with AI chatbots already. And Apple, though the company has used lots of AI and ML (machine learning) in many of its products for years, has been really slow to release anything that could be considered competitive in the white-hot “generative AI” space. You know: image/video/music creation, smart chatbots that can write and hold natural conversations, code generation, and so on. While some gen-AI tools out there are little more than a gimmick or fad, others are being used by millions every day. Whether it’s using AI to turn your selfie into a Monet for your avatar image or removing an unwanted person in the background of your favorite beach photo with a single tap…the tech world is racing toward gen-AI, and Apple needs to deliver. Apple’s big selling point: On-device privacy We expect Apple to release a suite of gen-AI tools with iOS 18. Rumors say to expect many of the features you would imagine, centered on a smarter, more capable, and more natural Siri that can do more of what ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot can instead of just sometimes setting timers or telling you the weather correctly. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are expected to get gen-AI features to help you more easily create great documents, Xcode could get code generation features, Safari may get AI-powered page summaries, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see enhanced photo or even video editing that leverages advanced AI features. The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year. The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year.Jason Snell / Foundry The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year.Jason Snell / Foundry Jason Snell / Foundry But Apple’s big hook, according to Mark Gurman’s tipsters, is that it will use an LLM (Large Language Model, the core intelligence of many types of generative AI) that runs entirely on-device. Some of Apple’s recent AI company acquisitions like Datakalab and DarwinAI have specialized in creating AI models that run on limited hardware. Recent research papers like LLM in a Flash focus on taking big AI models that notoriously require lots of RAM and compute power and finding new optimization methods to let them run efficiently on devices with less resources (like an iPhone). It all makes sense, of course. Apple is the “what happens on iPhone stays on iPhone” company. Faced with premium Android phones that arguably take photos just as well or better, and phone hardware that long since passed the point of being “fast enough,” Apple has to find something that really distinguishes itself from its competitors, and that’s privacy and security. The best way to ensure neither Apple nor any third-party can scoop up all your data is to keep everything on your phone in the first place, and end-to-end encrypt everything that leaves it. So that’s going to be Apple’s big play: With iOS 18, your iPhone has AI features just like all those other guys, but with Apple, it’s private and secure. Privacy is not enough Privacy is a good thing. When it comes to accessing your personal data—either that which you create deliberately like photos and calendar appointments or those you generate automatically like your location and browsing history—it’s best to ensure that nothing has to go up into the cloud to be processed by some computer you don’t control. The thing is, most people just don’t seem to care. Apple has been on a big privacy marketing push for quite a while now and there’s no real indication that it’s making people choose iPhone over other alternatives. In fact, iPhone sales were down almost 10 percent last quarter compared to the year before and they could be in for a steeper drop when earnings are announced next month. Sure, some people really care about privacy, and they’ll be sure to tell you all about it on social media. But the market at large—more than a billion smartphone users—seems perfectly happy to let a giant megacorp scoop up, sift through, monetize, bundle up, and sell off literally everything about them as long as they deliver a cool product. Apple doesn’t have to have every single AI feature everyone else does (like OpenAI’s Sora video generation), but what it has better be good enough to make people want to buy an iPhone to use it. We expect iOS 18 to be announced and make waves at WWDC in June, but it’s not going to be released to the billion iPhone users of the world until September. That’s an eternity in AI development time. Apple is competing not with what is out there today but with what Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google will have in users’ hands by the end of the year. The new Siri, or Photos features, or Music features, or whatever else Apple has up its sleeve, has got to at least be competitive with that stuff, while operating under the difficult restrictions of operating entirely on-device. If not, the iPhone will earn a reputation for being “not a phone you want if you like AI” and be stuck with it until iOS 19 in September 2025. Great AI in iOS will sell the iPhone 16 We’re at the point where the new iPhones every year are just predictably good and a modest improvement over the year before. We expect the same with the iPhone 16 line–faster, some little features like solid-state buttons, and the camera’s a little better… the entire premium smartphone world is in that same boat. Transformative experiences that make you run out and buy a new device don’t come from hardware that is 15 percent better, it comes from amazing software that your four-year-old phone can’t run. iOS 18 is rumored to be compatible with the same iPhones as iOS 17, which would include all models going back to the iPhone XR. But just because your iPhone from 2018 can get iOS 18 doesn’t mean it will get all of the new features, especially the AI ones. In recent years, Apple has held back numerous features from older phones due to the ability of the hardware to run them properly. Some iOS 18 features might be unavailable on older phones, so they need to be compelling enough to get people to upgrade. Some iOS 18 features might be unavailable on older phones, so they need to be compelling enough to get people to upgrade.Onur Binay/Unsplash Some iOS 18 features might be unavailable on older phones, so they need to be compelling enough to get people to upgrade.Onur Binay/Unsplash Onur Binay/Unsplash Outside of the small enthusiast market, most people don’t care to run out and buy the new iPhone just because it’s got Titanium or a 5x zoom or a little bit faster processor. They buy it because it’s the new iPhone and their old iPhone is getting old. The ecosystem and strength of the brand are what drive iPhone sales, along with pricing. If Apple wants to sell a lot of new iPhones, it needs to hype up the idea of the iPhone more than the iPhone 16 specifically. And this year, that means making the iPhone operating system something that really gets people talking. Something meme-worthy (in a good way). Apple needs people to post “I just said this to Siri and I can’t believe what it did” stories to their social media feeds. And that means making iOS 18’s private, safe, on-device AI impressive enough to make regular people say “wow.” Wow moments are all about performance, not privacy. Nobody has ever posted to their socials, “Wow, I can’t believe how private this feature is!” Making must-have AI features the defining characteristic of “iPhones” with iOS 18 will not only please the investor class that is willing to throw unlimited money at all things AI right now, but it will elevate the most famous smartphone brand in the world, and that is how Apple sells more iPhones. Apple Inc, iOS, iPhone

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