9 Tim Cook bets that paid off and 2 big flops that didn’t
Macworld After 15 years leading one of the world’s largest companies, Tim Cook is heading towards the exit door. By the time he steps down as Apple’s CEO on September 1 and helps ease John Ternus into the hot seat, he’ll be able to look back on one of the most successful decade-and-a-half stints in corporate history. But while everyone knows about the headline triumphs – the iPhone X, the Apple Watch, AirPods, MacBook Neo – Cook has had a hand in a vast array of more understated achievements. Here, we take a look at some of the most underrated Apple products that came to fruition during Tim Cook’s tenure – and a couple he’d probably rather forget. Services Under Steve Jobs, Apple was primarily a hardware company. Sure, it introduced a smattering of applications and Internet services—iTunes, iWork and MobileMe (ahem) being a few notable examples—but the focus was far and away on physical devices. When Tim Cook ascended to the throne, however, he threw Apple headfirst into the digital era. But it wasn’t just about selling software to customers, as Cook made a specific pivot towards services – that is, apps and electronic products that often featured ongoing subscriptions and recurring payments. That includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, AppleCare+, and more. Instead of hoping to sell a device to a user and collecting a one-time fee, Apple has expanded its sources of ongoing revenue to the tune of $109.16 billion for the 2025 fiscal year. That’s a whole heap of cash. Health and fitness One of the services offered under Cook’s guidance is Fitness+, but that’s just one small way the outgoing CEO has put health and wellbeing at the forefront of what Apple does. Indeed, thanks to Cook, Apple is now one of the world’s leading fitness companies. For one thing, there’s the Apple Watch, first revealed in 2014 and initially framed largely as a fashion accessory. When that angle failed to take off, Cook quickly pivoted the device towards health and fitness, expanding activity tracking and health metrics, adding the specialized Apple Watch Ultra model for athletes and explorers, and linking up with Nike to offer exclusive bands, faces and training plans. The Apple Watch has become one of the leading health and fitness devices under Tim Cook’s watch.Britta O’Boyle On the wellbeing side, Apple has continually added features to its devices, particularly the Apple Watch. It can now alert you to potentially dangerous conditions and call emergency services on your behalf if you need assistance. There’s also Hearing Protection on AirPods that can turn them into hearing aids when not listening to music. Thanks to Cook’s decision, the Apple Watch has become one of the best fitness wearables on the market, while services like Apple Fitness+ have helped to bring in additional revenue on a continuing basis. And without the health and wellbeing pivot, the Apple Watch might not have made it through its bumpy first year. Apple Pay and Apple Card The best Apple products are so simple and seamless to use that you quickly forget what life was like without them. For many people, that’s the case with Apple Pay. You no longer need to remember your credit cards or fumble with cash – just tap your iPhone on a payment terminal and you’re good to go. Apple Pay is so good because it combines two things that have defined Apple under Tim Cook: simplicity and security. All it takes is two clicks of your iPhone’s side button and a quick Face ID or Touch ID verification. Your payment data is safely stored and protected without ever inconveniencing you or slowing you down. And that’s helped it become a much-loved feature that’s often overlooked. A few years after Apple Pay, Apple introduced its own credit card designed for iPhone users with no fees and daily cash back. Oh, and the coolest physical card ever made. The Apple Pencil has taken the iPad in a whole new direction.Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Apple Pencil If you’re a tablet user, Apple’s iPad obviously gets all the limelight. But it would be a travesty to pass over the impact of the Apple Pencil and the way it’s proven to be an enduring, if underappreciated, success story of the Tim Cook era. There are many pens and styli out there, but none come close to the Apple Pencil. Its strength comes from the way it can adapt to exactly what you need to do: it’s incredibly easy to get started with but incorporates advanced, innovative features like the barrel roll gesture and hover functionality. One of its best aspects is the way the Pro model magnetically snaps to your iPad, which not only keeps it safely stowed but charges it up, too. Interestingly, this feature was reportedly the brainchild of John Ternus, making the Apple Pencil a collaborative project of both the current and forthcoming Apple CEOs. Pre-recorded events It’s something of an understatement to say that the Covid-19 pandemic completely upended the world. One small effect it had on Apple was the way the company could no longer invite people to in-person events whenever it wanted to announce new products. Instead, Apple was forced to adapt and prepare pre-recorded shows when launch day rolled around. And in the end, I think that was a massive improvement. No longer do we have to sit through slightly awkward presenters fumbling their lines or listen to that one overenthusiastic fan cheering Craig Federighi’s every utterance. Now, we get slickly produced videos that are gorgeously shot and get straight to the point. Freed from the constraints of a physical conference hall, Apple has been able to spread its wings and turn its launch events into the kind of polished presentations that its rivals can only dream of emulating. Apple events went from simple stage presentations to slick, prerecorded videos.Apple AirTag One of Apple’s cheapest products is also one of its most useful, with AirTag proving that mini can often mean mighty. This little item tracker might appear to exist outside Apple’s core range of iPhones, iPads and Macs, but it sits alongside them as a device that improves users’ lives and ties in effortlessly with their existing Apple gear. As with so many Apple products, the difference between AirTag and rival devices is the way it integrates into your iPhone. Go looking for an AirTag and its Precision Finding feature will guide you there using your iPhone, while it also provides a straightforward way to locate all your AirTags on a map. It’s an incredibly intuitive way to find what’s lost quickly and easily. Continuity and Handoff We’ve already covered how well Apple products work together, and one of the purest examples of this is Continuity and Handoff. This software system covers a range of features, all of which bring your Apple devices ever-closer together, and they’ve truly thrived under the watch of Tim Cook. Take Universal Control, for example, which lets you use a single mouse and keyboard across multiple Macs and iPads. Or consider how Universal Clipboard allows you to copy a file on one Apple device and then paste it on another, winging the text or picture across the airwaves as if by magic. Or Continuity Camera, which lets you seamlessly use your iPhone as a webcam. It’s that Continuity and Handoff magic that demonstrates Apple’s ethos in its purest form and it’s one reason why Apple insists on controlling the whole widget, as Steve Jobs would say. Universal Control is just one of the ways Apple’s devices work seamlessly together thanks to Tim Cook’s vision.Willis Lai/IDG Privacy One of Tim Cook’s most underrated contributions to Apple is not a product at all, but instead a set of beliefs and principles. Namely, the commitment to privacy and security that he has instilled in the company and that guides every decision it makes. This isn’t just some marketing spin either – Apple has taken real risks here, such as when it refused to build an iPhone backdoor for the FBI or pulled Advanced Data Protection from the U.K. rather than compromise the system for everyone. Sure, Apple could do better–its kowtowing to censorship laws in China and Russia is a privacy black eye–but Tim Cook has been far more committed than most to the ideals of privacy and security. If you care about these concepts, Apple’s work has been encouraging. Environmental action Another key principle that has flourished under Tim Cook is Apple’s dedication to environmental action. The company has led the way in minimizing its environmental impact and improving its record in this area. Given the size of Apple, that’s no meaningless feat. Unlike some companies, this isn’t simple “virtue signaling” – Apple actually takes this stuff seriously. It’s insisting that not only should its own properties and products be entirely carbon neutral by 2030, but those of its suppliers must too. It’s significantly reduced the size of its packaging so more products can fit on every transit truck and thus fewer journeys are required, and has all-but eliminated toxic chemicals and compounds from its devices. There’s more to do, but Apple’s efforts are laudable. Siri Of course, not everything Tim Cook worked on was a success. In some cases, the opposite was true: Apple put out products that overpromised and underdelivered. And perhaps the most egregious example of that is the new version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. Siri has long been the butt of tech jokes that claimed it was so underpowered that it couldn’t organize a booze up in a brewery, and comments like that were sadly often on the money. So when Apple demoed a next-gen revamp of the virtual assistant at WWDC 2024 that was powered by Apple Intelligence, the tech world’s collective ears pricked up. Siri was supposed to get an upgrade in 2024 but we’re still waiting for it to arrive.Foundry And yet here we are, two years later, with almost nothing to show for it. Siri has been tangled up in the broader mess that is Apple Intelligence, and in March 2025 Apple was forced to admit that things hadn’t gone well with the Siri overhaul. With the firm throwing up its hands and asking Google Gemini for help powering Siri’s upcoming features, it now looks like Apple’s 2024 Siri reveal was nothing more than a speculative tech demo – one that prompted prominent Apple loyalist and pundit John Gruber to post an expletive-laden rant claiming that “something is rotten in the state of Cupertino.” Vision Pro While Siri might be a software failure, over on the hardware side, perhaps the most egregious example of an overhyped product during Tim Cook’s tenure has been the Vision Pro headset. Far from revolutionizing the world in the way Apple promised, the Vision Pro has been a letdown from start to finish. For one thing, there’s the $3,499 price tag, a sticker shock so profound that it prompted audible gasps from the WWDC crowd when it was revealed in 2023. Then there’s the weight, which has been significant enough to cause neck pain in many of the people who have used the device. Throw in a lackluster selection of apps and experiences, and there’s little reason to plump for the device. While Apple didn’t overpromise in terms of the Vision Pro’s features – it’s undoubtedly one of the most high-end headsets on the market – those same features pushed its price tag well out of reach for most people. And because of that, it failed to take off in the way Apple had hoped, leading it to become an expensive and disappointing dud under Tim Cook’s stewardship.

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How AI is working to make your iPhone and Mac nearly impervious to attacks
Macworld Software security is a nightmare. You’ve probably noticed that every few weeks, there’s an update for your Apple devices that patches dozens of vulnerabilities, and it never seems to stop. Modern software is so complex and so interconnected with other software that it’s almost impossible to keep up with the threats. The “attack surface” of any system is the total amount of potential areas of attack. It’s all the code a hacker could find a hole in to compromise your device, program, software, or service. And with the growing size and scope of code, together with expanded libraries, APIs, and middleware, the attack surface of modern code is vast. It’s the job of security engineers at companies like Apple to find and fix all the potential security flaws, but it’s a job too big. Hackers only have to find a single unknown flaw, while the security engineers have to find and fix all of them. This gives the attackers a major advantage. It has meant that software security has become less about an attempt to close every hole than it is about raising the bar for attackers–making exploits so difficult and expensive that they at least become rare. But all that is about to change. AI coding agents are changing the rules AI coding agents have gotten really good. In fact, in many areas, they’re better than your average programmer, and in some areas better than all but the best experts. Anthropic’s AI model Opus and the Claude Code tool are considered among the best. The folks at Mozilla used Opus 4.6 to scan through the Firefox codebase and found 22 security-sensitive bugs. Think about that. This is a browser company with a team of experts whose job is to find and fix vulnerabilities, and this AI agent was able to find problems that led to 22 more. Anthropic has let some developers test an early version of Mythos.Anthropic It goes further. Anthropic’s next model is Mythos. It’s not released yet, but the company says it’s much better at code analysis and generating the current Opus 4.7 model. So Anthropic put it to the test. Dubbed Project Glasswing, Anthropic gave security researchers at Apple, Google, Microsoft, Cisco, the Linux Foundation, Amazon Web Services, and a few others early access to the Mythos model, along with a fund to spend on finding and fixing security holes. How good is Glasswing? That same team that used Opus 4.6 to find and fix 22 security bugs in Firefox then got access to the Mythos preview. Firefox version 150 has fixes for 271 vulnerabilities found by it. That’s right, after Opus found 22 security bugs, Mythos found 271 more! Firefox says “just one such bug” would have been cause for serious alarm in 2025, and “so many at once make you stop to wonder whether it’s even possible to keep up.” Leveling the playing field The Mythos AI model is such a good coder that Anthropic is making sure critical companies get a chance to use it before it is released, specifically to test its ability to find and fix software security vulnerabilities. It’s so good, in fact, that it could be dangerous. Bad actors can already use public tools on code repositories like GitHub to find vulnerabilities and exploit them, rather than fix them. Imagine them having access to a much, much better AI agent. You can see why Anthropic feels Mythos is too dangerous to release to the public right now, and why it’s working with a limited number of critical companies to provide access so they can shore up their software first. Soon, iOS updates could patch hundreds of security vulnerabilities before hackers get a chance to exploit them.Foundry Eventually, AI coding agents as good as Mythos, or better, will be widely available. That’s a security nightmare, right? Quite the opposite. It means security engineers at the world’s biggest companies are no longer at a massive disadvantage. Currently, there is so much code and so much software interoperability in all our devices that it’s impossible to secure them all. Hackers have all the time in the world and only have to find one flaw. Security researchers are limited in number and have to fix problems before they’re exploited. But AI agents can operate at scale. They can give the world’s biggest software vendors the equivalent of thousands of expert security programmers with the capacity to scrutinize everything before it is released to the public. Yes, advanced AI coding agents let the bad guys operate at a greater scale, but they also let the good guys find and fix problems just as efficiently. It’s an advantage they’ve never had before, and with the ability to work on code before it is released, the “defense” in the cybersecurity race may actually gain a big advantage over the “offense” for once. Combine this with the ability for security researchers to work with the handful of companies capable of making AI coding agents this advanced, to build in safeguards that make their public versions less useful for bad actors, and we could be entering a golden age of cybersecurity. AI could help Apple make the iPhone safer than ever.Britta O’Boyle What’s next for Apple users The last few major OS updates from Apple have been loaded with security updates. There were dozens of fixes in iOS 26.3 and dozens more in 26.4. In the short term, we can expect the OS 27 updates this fall to close more security holes than ever before, and probably some OS 26 updates to bring these fixes to older devices. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that, sometime in the next six months, we get an OS update from Apple that has 100 or more security fixes. We’re in a scary transition period where AI is helping the hackers as much as it’s helping the software creators. But this transition will be fleeting as old software libraries, the foundation for so much modern software, is shored up. Within a year or two, our devices, software, and the services we use should be safer than ever, at least on a technical level. Now if we could just get people to stop using “123456” and “admin” as their passwords.

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Apple Watch Series 11 46mm GPS is $100 Off
The Apple Watch is made to last, built with a superdurable glass display capable of 2x more scratch resistance, rated IP6X dust resistant, and has a water resistance rating of 50m. The smart watch is a versatile fitness partner providing you with metrics from your workout with features such as Heart Rate zones, training load, […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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AirPods Pro with Infrared Camera Releasing as Early as This Year
Apple is reportedly manufacturing a new version of the AirPods Pro, potentially releasing it as early as this year. It is anticipated to be a different version of the current AirPods Pro and will not be given the name AirPods Pro 4. Many reports suggest that Apple is creating an AirPods Pro with small infrared […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Revamped Siri Confirmed to be Released This Year By Google
Google has made comments about its partnership with Apple, solidifying that Gemini will be powering the new, revamped version of Siri, releasing later this year. Thomas Kurian, chief of Google Cloud, talked about their partnership with Apple during this year’s Google Cloud Next. Apple said last year that Siri is receiving an update sometime this […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Miami Grand Prix 3D Experience on Apple Maps
The guide for the 2026 Formula 1 Tracks around the world has been updated by Apple in Apple Maps, providing the user with an experience dedicated to the upcoming Miami Grand Prix streamed in the United States on Apple TV on May 3, after a long break that had both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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JENNIE and Beats Collaborate to Release Beats Solo 4 Headphones in Onyx Black
In September 2025, Beats and JENNIE, a singer from South Korea, collaborated and released a Ruby Red special edition of the Solo 4 headphones selling out in less than 24 hours.  JENNIE and Beats are again collaborating, announcing an Onyx Black version of the Solo 4 headphones. It features attachable bows that come in black […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Tim Cook Moves to Executive Chairman
Following his stepping down as Apple CEO, Tim Cook is looking to transition to executive chairman of the company, as he plans to stay with Apple for a long time. Cook said that he has high energy and he is healthy. Cook will be supporting John Ternus as needed, as he takes over the CEO […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple Unlikely to Have 200MP Telephoto Lens for iPhone before 2028
It is unlikely that Apple will be integrating a 200MP telephoto camera on iPhones before 2028, even as the company has already done tests on a sensor on prototypes. The company has evaluated a 200MP sensor for a camera of a periscope type. There is no reason why the timeframe won’t come before 2028, but […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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14-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro 24GB 1TB Is $151 Off
The device is powered by the M5 Pro chip for strong and fast performances having a faster GPU and a Neural Accelerator built into each core of the device. Apple Silicon and significant components of the device allow you to handle AI workloads such as LLM training and inference. The device features a 14.2-inch Liquid […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Johny Srouji Takes a Larger Role At Apple
As John Ternus transitions to Apple CEO with Tim Cook stepping down, Johny Srouji, Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies at Apple, is going to take on a larger role as the Chief Hardware Officer at the company. Srouji has been fundamental in the company as it transitioned to Apple silicon. Johny Srouji is famous […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Cut Cost Result in the Downgrading of the iPhone 18
Apple is reportedly going to downgrade certain specs planned for the base iPhone 18 to reduce costs; these downgrades will make it similar to the iPhone 18e. New cost control strategies have been implemented with downgrades in memory, chips, manufacturing processes, and other things. The difference between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e is the […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Tim Cook Stepping Down As Apple CEO
Apple has announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as the Apple CEO, with the widely viewed prospect John Ternus taking over as the CEO of Apple. Tim will remain CEO until September 1 as he is looking to move to executive chairman, where he will help in specific aspects at Apple. Tim Cook […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Your Mac is hiding hundreds of settings — this $39.99 tool lets you actually use them
Macworld TL;DR: Take full control of your Mac with MacPilot — unlock hidden settings and system tweaks with lifetime access for $39.99. There’s a lot going on beneath macOS that most people never see. Apple keeps things simple on the surface, but that also means many useful settings and controls stay buried. MacPilot brings those features to the front, letting you adjust, customize, and fine-tune your system without touching Terminal or hunting through menus. Right now, you can grab lifetime access for $39.99 (MSRP $99). Access deeper Mac controls without the learning curve MacPilot is like having a hacker mode for your Mac without needing a coding degree. With a few clicks, you can: Reveal hidden system settings: Show hidden files in Finder, disable the startup chime, and tweak icon animations Supercharge your Dock: Add spacers, smart stacks, and hidden menu options Optimize performance: Run maintenance tools, clear cache, and repair system files Get deep system insights: View detailed specs on hardware, RAM speeds, network ports, and more Whether you’re a developer, creative pro, or just someone who wants their Mac running at peak efficiency, MacPilot puts advanced customization at your fingertips — without the headache of Terminal commands. Squander your Mac’s potential no longer and get a lifetime license to MacPilot for just $39.99. MacPilot Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Lowest price ever: Apple's 2026 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro plunges to $1,949
A bonus in-cart coupon brings the M5 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro down to a record low $1,949, but supply is limited at the reduced price.Save $250 on Apple's new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro - Image credit: AppleApple Authorized Reseller B&H Photo is beating Amazon's price this Friday on the new 14-inch MacBook Pro that was released in March 2026.The standard model, which is on sale for $1,949 in Space Black after a $200 cash discount stacked with a $50 in-cart coupon, features Apple's M5 chip with a 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU. The laptop is also equipped with 24GB of unified memory and 1TB of storage (up from the standard 512GB found in the M4 Pro line). Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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LincPlus LincStation E1 review: Compact, entry-level, and fast enough
The LincPlus LincStation E1 is a compact NAS that promises speed, capacity, and some smart features. Prosumers and above should skip this one, but for everyday users, it's a pretty decent package.LincPlus LincStation E1A typical network-attached storage (NAS) device is, as the name implies, a bunch of drives in a purpose-made computer, optimized to serve files. There's a big range that falls under that umbrella though, with many models able to provide services that rival a rack-mounted server.When it comes to making a NAS for a typical computer user rather than those with greater needs, things tighten up a bit. We've been fond of LincStation's approach to that market. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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'Pluribus' & 'Come See Me In The Good Light' win Peabody awards for Apple TV
Of the five nominations for the 86th Peabody Awards, Apple TV scored two wins. "Pluribus" won in the entertainment category, while "Come See Me In the Good Light" won in the documentary category.'Pluribus' brings home a Peabody award for Apple TVApple continues to rake in the awards with its original programming. At last count, Apple TV has 3,431 award nominations and 797 wins.The results from the Peabody Awards are in, and Apple TV can add two more wins to its list. Five of its shows were nominated. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Proposed mandatory clean energy guidelines could mean less participation, Apple argues
Apple has come out against a new proposal that would impact how companies report emissions and clean energy use. The guidance could have the opposite of the intended effect.Apple leads the way in green energy implementation, but it fears mandatory participation could hurt implementationJust over a week after releasing its 2025 environmental report, Apple has signed a joint statement criticizing a proposed change to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP). The GHGP, established in 1998, is effectively the global standard for managing, recording, and reporting greenhouse gas emissions.Apple, along with its supply chain partners Luxshare, BYD, and BOE, as well as companies the likes of General Motors, eBay, and others, opposes revisions to the GHGP's Scope 2 guidance. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple Stops Weirdly Storing Data That Let Cops Spy On Signal Chats
Apple has fixed a bug that could cause parts of Signal notifications to remain stored on iPhones even after messages disappeared and the app was deleted. "Affected users concerned about push notifications can update their devices to stop what Apple characterized as 'notifications marked for deletion' that 'could be unexpectedly retained on the device,'" reports Ars Technica. "According to Apple, the push notifications should never have been stored, but a 'logging issue' failed to redact data." From the report: Vulnerable users hoping to evade law enforcement surveillance often use encrypted apps like Signal to communicate sensitive information. That's why users felt blindsided when 404 Media reported that Apple was unexpectedly storing push notifications displaying parts of encrypted messages for up to a month. This occurred even after the message was set to disappear and the app itself was deleted from the device. 404 Media flagged the issue after speaking to multiple people who attended a hearing where the FBI testified that it "was able to forensically extract copies of incoming Signal messages from a defendant's iPhone, even after the app was deleted, because copies of the content were saved in the device's push notification database." The shocking revelation came in a case that 404 Media noted was "the first time authorities charged people for alleged 'Antifa' activities after President Trump designated the umbrella term a terrorist organization." "We're grateful to Apple for the quick action here, and for understanding and acting on the stakes of this kind of issue," Signal's post said. "It takes an ecosystem to preserve the fundamental human right to private communication." In their post, Signal confirmed that after users update their devices, "no action is needed for this fix to protect Signal users on iOS. Once you install the patch, all inadvertently-preserved notifications will be deleted and no forthcoming notifications will be preserved for deleted applications." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Cut the cable from your CarPlay life with this tiny wireless adapter
Plug in this Mini Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter and your phone wirelessly connects automatically, every time you start the car. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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