Apple finally pulls generative AI nude apps from the App Store
Apple has removed apps from the App Store that claimed to make nonconsensual nude imagery, a move that demonstrates Apple is now more willing to tackle the hazardous app category.App Store iconThe capabilities of generative AI to create images based on prompts has become a very useful tool in photography and design. However, the technology also has been misused in the creation of deep fakes — and nonconsensual pornography.Despite the danger, Apple has been remarkably hands-off from the problem. Prior to the recent move, it hadn't done much to fix a potentially major problem. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple could launch its own cellular network – analyst
The growing popularity of eSIMs could allow Apple and other phone manufacturers to launch their own cellular networks, a telecoms analyst… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple Removes Nonconsensual AI Nude Apps From App Store
404 Media: Apple has removed a number of AI image generation apps from the App Store after 404 Media found these apps advertised the ability to create nonconsensual nude images, a sign that app store operators are starting to take more action against these types of apps. Overall, Apple removed three apps from the App Store, but only after we provided the company with links to the specific apps and their related ads, indicating the company was not able to find the apps that violated its policy itself. Apple's action comes after we reported on Monday that Instagram advertises nonconsensual AI nude apps. By browsing Meta's Ad Library, which archives ads on its platform, when they ran, on what platforms, and who paid for them, we were able to find ads for five different apps, each with dozens of ads. Two of the ads were for web-based services, and three were for apps on the Apple App Store. Meta deleted the ads when we flagged them. Apple did not initially respond to a request for comment on that story, but reached out to me after it was published asking for more information. On Tuesday, Apple told us it removed the three apps on its App Store. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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These rechargeable batteries can save you hundreds
Save 67% on a four-pack of rechargeable batteries that use an included micro-USB cable to charge. AA and AAA sizes are available. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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ByteDance would rather shut down US TikTok than sell it
TikTok owner ByteDance reportedly will not sell to a US firm if it is unable to convince a court to overturn President Biden's day-old law forcing a sale or ban.TikTok may be cease to be available in the USAccording to the bill signed into law by President Biden on April 24, 2024, TikTok owner ByteDance must either sell the platform to a US firm, or face a ban. The company has nine months to comply, with a possible three-month extension if a deal is in progress.According to Reuters, four unspecified sources say that ByteDance will not either sell TikTok or divest itself from the platform. The sources say that key to the issue is that selling the platform would require ByteDance to also sell the algorithms that power both TikTok and the company's other businesses. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple pulls AI image apps from the App Store after learning they could generate nude images
Apple is cracking down on a category of AI image generation apps that “advertised the ability to create nonconsensual nude images.” According to a new report from 404 Media, Apple has removed multiple AI apps from the App Store that claimed they could “create nonconsensual nude images.” more…

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Amazon drops Apple's M3 MacBook Air to record low $989
Apple's recently released M3 MacBook Air has dropped to an all-time low of $989 at Amazon while supplies last.The month-end $989 promotion applies to Apple's standard 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip — and every color is eligible for the $110 instant rebate.Buy for $989This particular configuration has the M3 8-core GPU, along with 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. Continue Reading on AppleInsider

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How to check iPad battery health
Learn how to check the battery health and maximum capacity of your iPad. Knowing this can help you determine if it's time for an upgrade. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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iPhone sales spiral 25% in China as Apple drops from first place to fifth
Apple’s struggles in China continue, according to new data from research firm Canalys. This data indicates that not only did Apple fall out of first place in China for smartphone shipments in Q1 2024, it fell all the way to fifth place. more…

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Unistellar Odyssey Pro review: Unlock pro-level astronomy with your iPhone from your backyard
Unistellar's Odyssey Pro smart telescope delivers amazing results even from a light-polluted backyard — and we have the photographic evidence to prove it.Unistellar Odyssey Pro review: pro-level astronomy from your backyard.Not only is the Unistellar Odyssey Pro an excellent platform for amateur astronomy, but it's also a robust scientific platform. It's one that co-founder and professional astronomer Frank Marchis uses himself, and we were lucky enough to speak with him about the Odyssey Pro as we tested it for ourselves.If you're a stargazer, professional astronomer, astrophotographer, or educator, the Unistellar Odyssey Pro offers a comprehensive package that sets up in minutes and can focus on thousands of cosmic bodies right from your iPhone or iPad. Despite its high price, you'll pull the Odyssey Pro out nightly to discover another portion of the universe hidden from the naked eye. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Microsoft results top Wall Street targets; world’s most valuable company driven by AI investment
Microsoft beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter revenue and profit on Thursday, driven by gains from adoption of AI… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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iPad Air screens, Spotify complaints, and a TikTok ban on the AppleInsider Podcast
On this week's episode of the AppleInsider Podcast, the US is looking out for its companies, the EU is looking out for Spotify, and Korea wants to help Samsung. And, we've got new iPads to look forward to, plus FineWoven cases to collect while we still can.You may never see so many FineWoven cases againIt's a week of nations looking out for themselves and their companies, it's a week of global politics — and it's also been a week of comings and goings. Such as the 12.9-inch iPad Air which could be doing both, as rumors say the size is still correct, but the promised screen display improvements could be months away.Listen to the new episode here. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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How to delete photos from iPhone but not from iCloud
Macworld If you are running out of space on your iPhone you may be looking at the huge amount of space being attributed to Photos and thinking that deleting all the photos from your iPhone would be an easy way to increase your storage. You may have heard of iCloud Photos and wondered if that would be a way to back up your photos so you can delete them from the iPhone. Or you may already be using iCloud Photos and think they are all backed up in iCloud and can be deleted from your iPhone. But you’d be very wrong! iCloud can be a little confusing: it’s not a backup it’s more of a sync. So rather than being a way to free up space on your iPhone, it’s more of a way to make everything available on all your devices. That’s not to say you can’t use iCloud to make more space on your iPhone, you can, but probably not in the way you think. So, in this article, we will explain how you can reduce the amount of space photos take up on your iPhone using iCloud and how you can delete photos from your iPhone and not iCloud. Find out how to save space on your device without accidentally trashing your digital memories. We look at the following elsewhere: How to delete photos from iCloud How to delete photos from an iPhone How to backup iPhone photos If I delete photos from my iPhone are they deleted from iCloud? iCloud Photos is a sync. It allows you to see all your images on all your Apple devices (and at the iCloud.com website). If you delete a photo on your iPhone it will be removed from the iCloud sync. However, you do have a period of 30 days to recover it from the Recently Items folder. To find the Deleted Items folder in Photos on you iPhone follow these steps: Tap on the Albums tab in the Photos app. Swipe down to the Utilities section and find Recently Deleted. Unlock the folder. Find the photo select it. (If you want to recover more than one image tap on Select and tap on all the images you wish to restore.) If you have selected just one image that photo will open on your screen. Tap on Recover. If you select more than one image tap on the three dots at the bottom right of the screen and choose Recover. How to use iCloud Photos to save space on your iPhone This doesn’t mean that iCloud can’t help you save space on your iPhone. If you use iCloud Photos and choose Optimise iPhone Storage you can reduce the amount of space taken by the photos stored on your iPhone. Also read: How to move photos to iCloud to save space on an iPhone. Apple explains: “If your iPhone is low on space, full-resolution photos and videos are automatically replaced with smaller, device-sized versions.” This should significantly reduce the amount of space being taken up by your photos. The only limit is the amount of space you have available in iCloud. We run through the iCloud storage plans and the other features of iCloud separately, but essentially Apple offers the following: 5GB free (this won’t be enough for all your photos) 50GB 99c/99p 200GB $2.99/£2.99 2TB $9.99/£8.99 6TB $29.99/£26.99 12TB $59.99/£54.99 If you take a lot of photos you might need to consider 2TB or more, but you will be able to share the space with members of your family if you turn on Family Sharing. How to turn on iCloud Photos To use iCloud Photos follow these steps: Open Settings on your iPhone. Tap on the Apple ID section at the top of the screen. Tap on iCloud. Tap on Photos. Switch the slider beside Sync this iPhone on. How to optimize iPhone storage with iCloud Photos. As we explained above if you want to reduce the amount of space being taken up by photos on your iPhone you need to turn on Optimize iPhone Storage. Once you have iCloud Photos turned on you can choose for high-res versions of your images and videos to be saved in iCloud, but only small versions on your iPhone. Go to Settings and tap on your Apple ID. Tap on iCloud. Tap on Photos. Now make sure that Optimise iPhone Storage is selected rather than Download and Keep Originals. Once you have turned on iCloud Photos and Optimise iPhone Storage there should be no need to delete photos from your iPhone. What happens if I turn off iCloud photo sharing? If you go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Photos you will see that it is possible to stop syncing your iPhone by switching the slider beside Sync this iPhone to off. If you do this, and have Optimize iPhone Storage on, you will see the option to remove photos from your iPhone or download the photos and videos to your iPhone. Assuming you don’t have space on your iPhone to download everything, you might consider the Remove from iPhone option. At this point, you are likely wondering: “If I choose the Remove from iPhone option will all my photos be deleted from iCloud?” If you never connect that iPhone to iCloud again your photos will remain in iCloud. But, crucially, if you later decide to connect that iPhone to iCloud using the same Apple ID to do so, the iCloud sync will result in all your photos being removed from iCloud to match your iPhone. How to backup photos so you can delete them from iPhone If you want to remove the photos from your iPhone and still have them backed up there are some ways to do this. We cover various ways to back up photos on iPhone in another article, but here are a few options to consider. Option 1: Use Google Photos One option is to use Google Photos to back up your iPhone photos. We run through how to do this in another article, but the steps are as follows: Download the Google Photos app on your iPhone. Allow Google Photos to access your iPhone. Choose the option to Back Up and Sync. Google offers free unlimited photo and video storage, but the files will be compressed. Luckily for typical users this shouldn’t affect image quality. If you choose to maintain the original image quality you will need to pay for storage. With Google Photos up and running all the photos you take on the iPhone will be backed up. This should mean that if you delete photos from your iPhone they will remain in Google Photos. Option 2: Back up to a Mac You could save all the images synced in iCloud Photos to your Mac. Assuming you have enough space on your Mac this may be an option. Open Photos on your Mac. Click on Photos in the menu bar. Choose Settings. Click on iCloud. Choose Download Originals to this Mac. With this option selected high res versions of all the images in iCloud will be downloaded to the Mac. Expect it to take some time! Note that unless you turn off iCloud Photos your entire library will still be synced via iCloud, so if you delete something from your Mac it will be removed from iCloud. There are other ways to import your photos from your iPhone to your Mac. You can import images directly to Photos on a Mac. To do this: Plug your iPhone into your Mac. Open Photos. Click on your iPhone in Devices. Wait while your Mac prepares to import from your iPhone. Once you can see previews of the Photos on your iPhone you can choose which ones you want to import. Click on Import. You can also use Image Capture to import photos to a folder on your Mac. Both of these options will take a long time if you have a lot of photos stored on your iPhone. Once you have backed up your photos from your iPhone to your Mac you might want to consider backing up your Mac, or moving your Photos library to an external drive. We also have group tests of the best SSDs and best External hard drives. For other ideas on getting the most from your iPhone’s storage, read How to free up space on an iPhone. Backup Software, iOS, iPhone, Storage

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TSMC’s shrinking silicon roadmap could mean big things for your Apple devices
Macworld Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) just held its 2024 North America Technology Symposium, where it filled in attendees and investors on its technology roadmap for the future. You may rightly ask: okay but what does this have to do with me, a user of Apple products? Well, TSMC is a chip fabrication company, and likely the most advanced one in the world. They’ve been Apple’s partner for nearly all of its chips major chips—the A series for iPhones and iPads, the M series for Macs, and more. And Apple is often first in line for new manufacturing processes from TSMC, paying a premium to be the first customer to get to use 5nm or 3nm technologies, for example. Here’s a summary of the TSMC roadmap and what it might mean for future Apple silicon, and therefore future iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more. What’s a nanometer? Before we talk about TSMC’s future technologies, let’s have a quick reminder on what a “nanometer” is in this context. Technically, it’s one billionth of a meter. A human hair is between 50,000 and 100,000nm thick. Most bacteria are between 1,000 and 10,000 nanometers. In silicon process technology, the “nanometer” measurement is how big some of the features of the chip are. Different companies measure different features–it used to be the length between the source and drain parts of a field-effect transistor (FET), but these days different parts are measured by different companies. The A17 Pro chip was Apple’s first 3nm processor, followed by the M3. The A17 Pro chip was Apple’s first 3nm processor, followed by the M3.Apple The A17 Pro chip was Apple’s first 3nm processor, followed by the M3.Apple Apple In other words, 5nm means some specific parts of the chip are only 5 nanometers big, but TSMC’s 5nm is not the same as Intel’s 5nm, is not the same as Samsung’s 5nm, and so on. A smaller nanometer number means you can fit more chip logic or cache or whatever in the same amount of space, which can lead to more powerful chips, lower power consumption, smaller chips that fit into smaller devices, and so on. Think of it a bit like looking at a city in Apple Maps–zooming out makes everything smaller, putting more buildings, streets, and land on the same amount of screen. That’s what moving to a smaller nanometer process is like more “city” in the same space. There are many other important aspects of a microprocessor, including the way transistors are insulated, materials used, and so much more, but the “nanometer” measurement has stuck as a way of differentiating one major manufacturing generation from another. 3nm progress Apple was first with TSMC’s initial 3nm process, which was called N3. The company has now refined that with the N3E process, which is what we think Apple will use in its most advanced products this fall (A18 and M4). While it might seem significant, the main focus of N3E is to make the chips more affordable. There are some slight differences in density and performance but it’s not a major generational change. TSMC TSMC TSMC 2nm coming next year The next major change is the shift to 2nm, which is expected to happen in 2025. Apple is once again expected to be the first major (and possibly only) customer, so it’s possible that the A19 or other chips (maybe an M5?) that ship in late 2025 will use this process. It all comes down to TSMC’s ability to work out the kinks in manufacturing and yields and such in time to produce tens of millions of chips with it. Compared to the N3E process, the N2 process is expected to reduce power consumption by 25-30 percent (for a chip of the same complexity and frequency) or to improve performance by 10-15 percent at the same power consumption. Chip density (how much stuff fits into a single area) is expected to increase by 15 percent. An interesting change to this generation of chips, besides simply being smaller/denser/faster, is something TSMC calls “NanoFlex.” It will allow chip designers to use cells from different chip libraries all on the same wafer. Usually, a chip designer has to use all blocks from a “low power,” “high density,” or “high performance” library, depending on the most important needs of the chip. By letting designs use different parts from different libraries, chips can fine-tune different areas to their needs. For example, Apple could decide it is most important to make the video and audio encoders and decoders part of the chip as small as possible and lay out that part of the chip using the high-density design libraries while using the energy-efficient libraries for the low-power CPU cores and the high-performance libraries for the performance CPU cores. For the chips Apple produces, the limiting factor tends to be power and thermal dissipation. So you can probably expect chips made with the N2 process to have more “stuff” in them (cores, cache, bigger and more complex video encoders, etc) to the tune of 15-20 percent, with slightly higher clock speeds and therefore performance, compared to chips from the year before. However, the ability to optimize specific parts of the chip with tools from different chip libraries has the potential to pay off big in terms of higher “peak” performance or lower idle power. The year after N2 is released, TSMC will have two enhanced versions of the process: N2P which is focused on top performance, and N2X focused on lower voltages and power consumption. It’s unclear whether Apple will adopt one of those for the chips that come in 2026. A16—we’re doing angstroms now? The major shift after 2nm (N2) is a process TSMC calls A16 (no relation to the A16 Bionic). It’s a 1.6-nanometer process but now that things are getting so small, they’re sort of getting off “nanometers” and switching to “angstroms.” An angstrom is a ten-billionth of a meter, or 10 times smaller than a nanometer. This one is not coming until late 2026, almost certainly too late for Apple to use that year. We’ll see chips made with the A16 process from Apple in 2027, most likely. TSMC gave some early estimates compared to the coming N2P process, where A16 is expected to improve performance by 8-10 percent at the same voltage and complexity or reduce power by 15-20 percent at the same frequency and transistor count. The big innovation in the A16 generation will be backside power delivery, something TSMC calls “Super Power Rail.” This runs a network for power distribution on the back side of the silicon wafer, connected to the transistors through little tunnels through it. This improves density and potentially reliability, as power doesn’t have to be routed around with all the signal and clock distribution lines on the top side of the chip. Other chip manufacturers are pursuing similar technologies (Intel’s PowerVia comes to mind)—basically different approaches to the same idea. TSMC TSMC TSMC TSMC may be a little later than competitors like Intel with this kind of technology, as it has been pushed back a little. It was originally expected to debut in the N2P process, and now will be first introduced in A16 instead. Chips in Apple products that use the A16 process will be able to have even more stuff (more cores, bigger caches) than the N2 process while maintaining the same power profile. Having chips with more density or a better power profile earlier than others is one of Apple’s big advantages, but the real magic comes from excellent chip design and software development that optimizes Apple’s software specifically for the chips they produce. Apple Inc, CPUs and Processors

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Following a great launch quarter, China iPhone sales are pretty bad so far in 2024
After the second-best iPhone launch quarter Apple has ever had in China, new sales estimates claim that Apple also had the biggest quarterly drop it has ever had.iPhone 15 ProFigures from Counterpoint Research have already claimed that Apple's iPhone sales for Q1 2024 in China were down 19.1% year over year. Now Canalys says that sales were significantly worse with a 25% drop.Apple's decline was the worst amongst the top five vendors, selling 10 million iPhones, dropping from a 20% market share to a 15% one. That compares to the top reseller, Huawei, which shipped 11.7 million smartphones, rising to 17% share from 10% in Q1 2023. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The ridiculously long wait for iPads has reached 18 months
Macworld Earlier this week we got some surprising news out of Cupertino. After weeks of reported delays, Apple announced that it will be holding an event on May 7 with the tagline Let Loose that will presumably feature new iPads. That would make a whopping 559 days since the announcement of the 10th-gen iPad and M2 iPad Pros and even longer since the M1 iPad Air arrived at the Peek Performance event (March 2022). That’s an extremely long wait for new iPads; the longest ever, in fact. Apple had never gone a full calendar year without launching a new iPad or an update, let alone nearly halfway through the second year. So to say there is tremendous anticipation for the new iPads is an understatement. We’re expecting several new tablets and accessories to appear at the event, including: Updated iPad Air with a 10.9-inch screen and an M2 processor New 12.9-inch iPad Air with an M2 processor Updated 11-inch iPad Pro with an M3 processor and an OLED display Updated 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an M3 processor and an OLED display A new Apple Pencil with a squeeze gesture A new Magic Keyboard There may—and likely will—be other surprises, but we’re not expecting the iPad mini or entry-level iPad to get an update at the event.  Based on the invitation and cheeky post from Tim Cook, Apple is going to lean into the iPad’s creative side, with a heavy focus on drawing and painting, the new things the Apple Pencil can do, and the color benefits of the iPad Pro’s new OLED screen. But when the fanfare fades away, the new iPad line could be very similar to the existing one, with higher prices. It’s possible that Apple delivers a refined design, exciting accessories, and new features that make the updates worth waiting more than 18 months to get. But more likely, they’re just gonna be the same old iPads that we just waited a long time to get. You can catch up on all of the latest rumors in our iPad Air and iPad Pro roundups ahead of the event. iPad

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Peloton producer says Apple Watch saved her life
Peloton's Jessie Malone is running a marathon to mark one year since her Apple Watch saved her life by revealing a heart condition she was completely unaware she had.Malone is not just a young and fit woman who exercises regularly, she's a producer for Peloton in New York. Yet as she was cycling home in May 2023, her Apple Watch alerted her that she might have atrial fibrillation."It was saying you need to seek medical attention immediately," she told Today.com, . "It was red and vibrating. I was like, 'Oh my God.'"Her heart rate while she was cycling had risen to 160 beats per minute, but she says she hadn't felt anything other than a little nausea. Following her Apple Watch "blaring that my resting heart rate was elevated and also that I had gone into Afib," she says she dumped the electric bike and went to an emergency room. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Verizon offers upgrades to its Home Device Protect plan, which now covers almost all devices and second residence items
It never hurts to have insurance for all your devices and Verizon may have just upped its game in this department. The wireless carrier announced an update for its Home Device Protect plan that repairs or replaces an unlimited number of devices from computers, game consoles, smart home devices, TVs, and now robot vacuums, healthcare […] Source

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This $80 OneAir plan uses AI to land you the best airline tickets available
Macworld While travel costs continue to rise steadily, that doesn’t mean you have to ditch your vacation dreams. With OneAir, a members-only travel app, you can save on your travel planning by letting this platform’s AI find the best airfare deals. Through April 30, you can grab lifetime access to the OneAir Elite Plan for only $79.97 (reg. $790). By leveraging cutting-edge AI technology, OneAir can scan and tracks millions of fares across business, first, premium, and economy class, ensuring members secure the best flight deals and mistake fares when they hit themarket.  Elite members can choose up to 10 departure airports they wish to receive deals for, as well as gain 1-on-1 business and first class flight planning support Meanwhile, OneAir’s mobile app for iOS and Android making booking your next flight a breeze. Unlike other platforms that redirect customers to different outlets for ticket purchases, OneAir’s app allows you to spring into action immediately.  If you find deals on the OneAir app, you can search and book on the same interface — no redirects needed. Plus, users can set up personalized deal alerts to get a better chance of finding discounts for their desired destinations. Save on future flights for life with a lifetime subscription to the OneAir Elite Plan, now just $79.97 through April 30 at 11:59 PM Pacific.   OneAir Elite Plan: Lifetime Subscription Only $79.97 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change. Entertainment

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TSMC outlines 1.6-nanometer production process, other elements for next-gen chips
TSMC’s next-generation Apple silicon chips are only going to get smaller and more powerful. The chipmaker on Thursday announced plans to create 1.6-nanometer chips that could be used in future generations of Apple silicon processors. TSMC yesterday unveiled a series of technologies, including the “A16” process, which is a 1.6nm node. The new technology significantly […] Source

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