Bing down for many; Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and ChatGPT search too
Microsoft’s search engine Bing is down for many, with Copilot similarly unavailable for affected users. DuckDuckGo and ChatGPT search are also impacted, as they use the Bing API. The issue appears to have started in the early hours of the morning ET, and was partially acknowledged by Microsoft a few hours later … more…

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9-core vs. 10-core M4: Is it worth paying more for the iPad Pro?
Macworld Apple did an interesting thing when it revealed its new M4 iPad Pro: of the four storage options available, the 1TB and 2TB models come with an M4 chip with 10 CPU cores. The lower-priced 256GB and 512GB iPad Pros have a CPU with nine processing cores, one fewer than the higher-storage models. It’s the first time Apple has offered an M-series CPU with an odd number of cores. Tying the additional CPU core to higher storage tiers is something of an up-sell. Someone who might not not want to pay Apple’s high storage prices might be swayed by the more powerful chip. It’s an intriguing tactic, but the question is, how much improvement does that single additional core provide? Well, that’s what benchmark tools are for. Using Geekbench 6, we gathered numbers for the 9- and 10-core M4 and compared the results. What we found is that the additional core offers a nice little bonus, especially if you’re doing heavy-duty multi-core processing tasks. But for daily, mundane jobs, you won’t feel the difference. M4: 9-core vs. 10-core CPU Geekbench 6.3

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Japan could be next to force third-party app stores on Apple
The Japanese Parliament is debating a proposed law that would effectively emulate the EU's Digital Markets Act and require Apple to open up the App Store.An Apple Store in JapanOriginally proposed in 2023, the new bill is now being officially deliberated by Parliament. According to The Japan Times, the bill is expected to be passed by both chambers of the country's Parliament.If the bill passes into law, the intention is that it will facilitate competition and reduce app prices. Japan's government reportedly believes that Apple and Google are a duopoly, and that they charge developers high fees that are then passed on to users. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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T-Mobile to raise prices of some older U.S. plans starting in June
If you have an older T-Mobile plan, the monthly price might be able to go up a bit. The wireless carrier on Wednesday revealed that it will be raising the monthly prices of some of its older plans in the U.S. by $2 to $5 per line. Affected customers will receive a message from T-Mobile […] Source

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Memorial Day is your chance to get Windows 11 Pro for $24.97
Macworld Whether you want to improve your cybersecurity or change how your user interface looks, upgrading your operating system is a great way to change how you use your computer. Normally, getting Windows 11 Pro can cost up to $199, but this Memorial Day sale is a chance to get it for just $24.97.  The 11 Pro version comes with upgrades to basic operations, security, and more. Between the snap layouts, desktops, seamless redocking, and improved voice typing, you can fully customize how you use your computer.  When it comes to security, 11 Pro doesn’t skimp. tools like encrypted authentication, enhanced antivirus, support for biometric login, and BitLocker device encryption bolster your cyber defenses without needing other tools like a VPN.  This license gives you Windows 11 Pro for life on up to two devices for a one-time payment. Hardware requirements are basic, including 4GB RAM and at least 64GB local storage.  May 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT is the deadline to get this price drop for Microsoft Windows 11 Pro at $24.97 (reg. $199). No coupon is needed.    Microsoft Windows 11 Pro – $24.97 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.  Accessories

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Little Snitch 6.0 released, offers expanded DNS encryption, easier network visualization, other new features
One of the coolest bits of shareware just got a hefty update. Little Snitch, which monitors Mac network traffic for suspicious activity, has reached version 6.0, remains focused around the easy blacklisting and whitelisting of apps and services, and offers the following of new fixes and features: Little Snitch 6 retails for $59 as a […] Source

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Code better with an extra $5 off MS Visual Studio Pro through May 31
Macworld The right development platform can make a world of difference on any project, and now programmers can be working with one of the best by Memorial Day. Through May 31, Macworld readers can get an extra $5 off the already low sale price on the Windows edition of Visual Studio Pro 2022 at just $39.97. This time-tested dev environment isn’t just a place to type and test. You can use features like CodeLens to keep up with changes over time, collaborate through Live Share without leaving the platform, or code faster with line or block code suggestions with IntelliCode. It all adds up to more time savings and cleaner apps overall, and the lifetime license comes with all future updates. Through May 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT, get a lifetime license to Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 on one Windows device for $39.97 (reg. $499).   Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 for Windows – $39.97 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories

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Macworld Podcast: What to expect from Apple in 2025
Macworld Technology is all about what’s coming next, and in this episode of the Macworld Podcast, we’re talking about what we can see from Apple in 2025 Technology is all about what’s coming next, and in this episode of the Macworld Podcast, we’re talking about what we can see from Apple in 2025! A super thin iPhone, a new Mac Studio, updated AirTags and more! Find out more on the show! This is episode 885 with Jason Cross, Michael Simon, and Roman Loyola. Click here to go to the Macworld Podcast Episode 885 on Apple Podcasts Listen to episode 885 on Spotify Get info  Click on the links below for more information on what was discussed on the show.  Next year’s iPhone could feature a thin, redesigned ultra high-end model  Don’t expect the Mac Studio and Mac Pro to be updated at WWDC–or in 2024  A new AirTag is coming next year but not much is changing  The long wait for the next iPad mini might be even longer  Subscribe to the Macworld Podcast You can subscribe to the Macworld Podcast—or leave us a review!—right here in the Podcasts app. The Macworld Podcast is also available on Spotify. Or you can point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader at: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/macworld To find previous episodes, visit Macworld’s podcast page or our home on MegaPhone. Apple Apple Apple iPad, iPhone, Mac, Mobile Phone Accessories

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How to answer and end phone and FaceTime calls using Siri
In addition to initiating phone calls, you can use Siri to answer incoming phone and FaceTime calls. When the call is over, you can also use Siri to end the call as well — with an important caveat.Use Siri to accept, make, and end phone calls.By leveraging some lesser-used features of Siri, you can use it to make calls, answer incoming calls, and end phone calls as well. This can be done hands-free using the speaker, or with headphones.It's worth noting that these features will work on the iPhone 11 or newer, as well as the Apple Watch. Some features will only work with older iPhones if you are using either AirPods or Beats headphones that have Siri functionality. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Bluesky now finally lets users send and receive DMs
The Bluesky microblogging platform, launched last year, is getting a major update this week. Starting today, users can finally send and receive direct messages (DMs) – a long-awaited feature for those who use Bluesky every day. more…

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Why Your Wi-Fi Router Doubles As an Apple AirTag
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Krebs On Security: Apple and the satellite-based broadband service Starlink each recently took steps to address new research into the potential security and privacy implications of how their services geo-locate devices. Researchers from the University of Maryland say they relied on publicly available data from Apple to track the location of billions of devices globally -- including non-Apple devices like Starlink systems -- and found they could use this data to monitor the destruction of Gaza, as well as the movements and in many cases identities of Russian and Ukrainian troops. At issue is the way that Apple collects and publicly shares information about the precise location of all Wi-Fi access points seen by its devices. Apple collects this location data to give Apple devices a crowdsourced, low-power alternative to constantly requesting global positioning system (GPS) coordinates. Both Apple and Google operate their own Wi-Fi-based Positioning Systems (WPS) that obtain certain hardware identifiers from all wireless access points that come within range of their mobile devices. Both record the Media Access Control (MAC) address that a Wi-FI access point uses, known as a Basic Service Set Identifier or BSSID. Periodically, Apple and Google mobile devices will forward their locations -- by querying GPS and/or by using cellular towers as landmarks -- along with any nearby BSSIDs. This combination of data allows Apple and Google devices to figure out where they are within a few feet or meters, and it's what allows your mobile phone to continue displaying your planned route even when the device can't get a fix on GPS. With Google's WPS, a wireless device submits a list of nearby Wi-Fi access point BSSIDs and their signal strengths -- via an application programming interface (API) request to Google -- whose WPS responds with the device's computed position. Google's WPS requires at least two BSSIDs to calculate a device's approximate position. Apple's WPS also accepts a list of nearby BSSIDs, but instead of computing the device's location based off the set of observed access points and their received signal strengths and then reporting that result to the user, Apple's API will return the geolocations of up to 400 hundred more BSSIDs that are nearby the one requested. It then uses approximately eight of those BSSIDs to work out the user's location based on known landmarks. In essence, Google's WPS computes the user's location and shares it with the device. Apple's WPS gives its devices a large enough amount of data about the location of known access points in the area that the devices can do that estimation on their own. That's according to two researchers at the University of Maryland, who theorized they could use the verbosity of Apple's API to map the movement of individual devices into and out of virtually any defined area of the world. The UMD pair said they spent a month early in their research continuously querying the API, asking it for the location of more than a billion BSSIDs generated at random. They learned that while only about three million of those randomly generated BSSIDs were known to Apple's Wi-Fi geolocation API, Apple also returned an additional 488 million BSSID locations already stored in its WPS from other lookups. "Plotting the locations returned by Apple's WPS between November 2022 and November 2023, Levin and Rye saw they had a near global view of the locations tied to more than two billion Wi-Fi access points," the report adds. "The map showed geolocated access points in nearly every corner of the globe, apart from almost the entirety of China, vast stretches of desert wilderness in central Australia and Africa, and deep in the rainforests of South America." The researchers wrote: "We observe routers move between cities and countries, potentially representing their owner's relocation or a business transaction between an old and new owner. While there is not necessarily a 1-to-1 relationship between Wi-Fi routers and users, home routers typically only have several. If these users are vulnerable populations, such as those fleeing intimate partner violence or a stalker, their router simply being online can disclose their new location." A copy of the UMD research is available here (PDF). Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Apple’s Wi-Fi-based Positioning System Reveals Access Point Locations
University of Maryland security researchers used a clever approach to querying Apple’s location API to determine the locations of more than two billion Wi-Fi access points worldwide. You can opt out.Read original article

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New Beats Pill speaker hits the FCC ahead of launch
At this point, it’s pretty much confirmed that Apple will announce a new generation of the Beats Pill speaker, as many celebrities have been spotted walking around with it – not to mention that the iOS 17.5 RC files confirm the existence of the product. And it seems that the launch will be soon, as the new Beats Pill has just appeared in FCC filings. more…

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New Apple Accessibility Features Coming Later This Year
To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple revealed a slew of new accessibility features slated for the next versions of its operating systems.

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New Apple feature will revolutionize using iPhone, iPad in the car: ‘Transformative’
Coming in iOS 18 this fall, Apple's "Vehicle Motion Cues" is a new experience for iPhone and iPad that can help reduce motion sickness… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple hires Cynthia Bowman as new VP of diversity
Apple this week announced the hiring of Cynthia Bowman, a banking veteran, as its new Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity. She’s taking over the role from Barbara Whye, who joined the company in 2021 after leaving Intel. more…

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Apple granted patent for foldable iPhone with ‘self-healing’ screen
A new U.S. patent granted to Apple describes a foldable iPhone with a “self-healing” layer on the screen that will automatically fill… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple Fellow Phil Schiller defends 27% App Store fee in court
Apple Fellow Phil Schiller told a U.S. judge that the company’s new 27% fee on purchases made outside its App Store are… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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9to5Mac Daily: May 22, 2024 – New Xfinity bundle, Vision Pro Paris experience, more
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Subscribe to support Chance directly with 9to5Mac Daily Plus and unlock: Ad-free versions of every episode Bonus content more…

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American homes are full of old, obsolete iPads
Unlike iPhone or even Mac users, iPad owners are more likely to repurposes older, technically obsolete tablets for myriad uses… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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