Apple has filed a lawsuit against a former employee, accusing the ex-iOS software engineer of breaching confidentiality agreements by leaking details of the Journal app before its launch.


Gavel in a courtroom
The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara on March 18, pits Apple against the defendant Andrew Aude. Apple has three complaints against Aude, all surrounding alleged actions where he shared details about Apple products, services, and policies to the media.

Aude "repeatedly flouted his promise to keep Apple's information confidential," the complaint reads, violating an intellectual property agreement (IPA) that prevented his sharing of confidential information with non-Apple employees.


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The Android website has added a new landing page for Google Messages that talks about the first-party messaging experience, while also noting that RCS on the iPhone is coming in fall 2024.

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Apple has filed a lawsuit against Andrew Aude, a former iOS Software Engineer, accusing him of leaking “information about more than a half-dozen different Apple policies and products.” The leaks included details about Apple’s then-unreleased Journal app, Apple’s “development of products within the spatial computing space,” and more.

“Mr. Aude often took and saved screenshots of his communications on his Apple-issued work iPhone to preserve them for posterity,” the lawsuit alleges.

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A drastic $1,800 price drop has been issued on Apple's M1 Ultra Mac Studio at Amazon-owned Woot. Units are in new condition with Apple's 1-year warranty.


Save $1,800 on Apple's M1 Ultra Mac Studio.
In a move to capture your business before the end of the quarter, Amazon-owned Woot has issued an exceptionally steep $1,800 discount on Apple's M1 Ultra Mac Studio.

Save $1,800


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If you've ever wanted to unleash your inner Bob Ross, you may be soon able to make your own happy accidents in Apple Vision Pro.


Become a virtual Bob Ross or Monet with Apple's new technology.
We recently reported on rumors that it is testing the Apple Pencil for AR and VR, but it looks like the company hopes to eventually ditch the stylus entirely.



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Thursday’s best deals have AirTags down to just $19 each when you score a 4-pack at an all-time low. The very first chance to save on Apple Vision Pro has also arrived alongside a $400 off clearance offer on the 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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One of the latest attacks on iPhone sees malicious parties abuse the Apple ID password reset system to inundate users with iOS prompts to take over their accounts. Here’s how you can protect against iPhone password reset attacks (often called “MFA bombing”).

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Cybersecurity experts recently uncovered a sophisticated scheme where attackers disguise malware as CleanMyMac to steal Mac users' data.


MacPaw team finds malware disguised as CleanMyMac
MacPaw, the creator of CleanMyMac and other utilities, has a cybersecurity division called Moonlock. During one of their investigations, they discovered a malware sample labeled CleanMyMac, pretending to be the legitimate version.

The malware used various methods to infiltrate computers, hide its presence, and steal information. It could trick a computer into running harmful code by pretending to be a helpful app, then cover its tracks to avoid being spotted by security tools.


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There was a surprise upgrade for some in iOS 17.4: tests reveal that it enabled iPhone 12 Qi2 charging, at the full 15W speed.

Support for 15W Qi2 charging was first announced for the iPhone 15, and then extended to the iPhone 13 and 14 through the iOS 17.2 update back in December of last year – and is now available for the iPhone 12 too …

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As 2024 looks like the year that Apple makes its big push into generative AI, the federal government is also encouraging the use of AI by its own agencies …

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Forty years after it popularized the mouse, Apple is researching a replacement that users can tilt or take off the desk entirely to move their cursor around.


Future Magic Mouse designs could include the ability to tilt in order to control further functions
The mouse came into its own with the original Mac in 1984, and then Apple made trackballs the thing to have with the PowerBook range in 1991. Three years later, those were old hat, and trackpads were in.

After decades of use, mice and trackpads still rule, and trackballs have only become a little niche. We're covered for input devices, but that isn't stopping Apple from looking for new ones.


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A new supply-chain report reiterates earlier reports that some engineers previously working on Vision Pro have been moved to working a folding iPhone or iPad project.

It also claims that the planned launch of a foldable iPhone has been delayed from 2026 to 2027, but that suppliers have been told to stick to their existing schedules …

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If you're already wondering when the next generation of the Apple Vision Pro will arrive, and what features it may have, the history of the Apple Watch might yield some clues.


Given the complexity of the Apple Vision Pro, it's very unlikely that a revamped second-gen model will arrive on the original's one-year anniversary. Apple has presented its technical take on the product, but the sales and feedback of users will help shape the next one.

The Apple Vision Pro, like the Apple Watch, is a product that was entirely developed in the Tim Cook era of the company's history. Apple has been conservative about launching all-new products, preferring to iterate on its existing and popular...

Apple last week released its iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 updates to iPhone and iPad users, releasing two important security patches in the process. For a reason that has yet to be declared, the company quietly released a revised build of the iOS 17.4.1 update. The new build number is 21E237, while the previous one […]

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B&H's exclusive flash deals knock $170 off Apple's new M3 MacBook Air in the popular 10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD spec, delivering the lowest price on record.


To snap up the exclusive $170 discount, shop through this activation link from a desktop or laptop computer (not valid through mobile apps) and look for the $1,329 price.

Buy for $1,329

The special price is valid on the 13-inch Midnight and Space Gray models with a bump up to the 10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB of storage. This is one of the most popular specs, as it...

An anonymous reader quotes a report from KrebsOnSecurity: Several Apple customers recently reported being targeted in elaborate phishing attacks that involve what appears to be a bug in Apple's password reset feature. In this scenario, a target's Apple devices are forced to display dozens of system-level prompts that prevent the devices from being used until the recipient responds "Allow" or "Don't Allow" to each prompt. Assuming the user manages not to fat-finger the wrong button on the umpteenth password reset request, the scammers will then call the victim while spoofing Apple support in the caller ID, saying the user's account is under attack and that Apple support needs to "verify" a one-time code. [...]

What sanely designed authentication system would send dozens of requests for a password change in the span of a few moments, when the first requests haven't even been acted on by the user? Could this be the result of a bug in Apple's systems? Kishan Bagaria is a...

Enlarge / Oregon's repair bill prohibits companies from implementing software locks that prohibit aftermarket or used parts from being installed in their devices.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek today signed the state's Right to Repair Act, which will push manufacturers to provide more repair options for their products than any other state so far.

The law, like those passed in New York,...

The Apple Vision Pro is now $200 off at Amazon-owned Woot, reflecting the first material discount we've seen on the headset.


Apple Vision Pro is on sale, but the only while supplies last.
Amazon-owned Woot initially launched a $150 price drop on the Apple Vision Pro earlier today, but the retailer has since increased the discount to $200 off, bringing the price for the 256GB model down to $3,299.

Save $200 at Woot


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Phil Schiller is Apple's biggest defender of Apple's ecosystem, a profile into the Apple Fellow declares, with the executive publicly beating the drum to maintain the vision of co-founder Steve Jobs.


Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow
Apple's many regulatory and legal scrapes about the App Store, including its long-running battle against Epic Games and having to deal with the EU's Digital Markets Act, often had the company defending its policies and ways of working. At the forefront of that has been Phil Schiller, who is painted as a long-time defender of the ecosystem.

In a...

There are many known phishing attacks that target users of Apple devices to gain access to their Apple ID. However, a new “elaborate” attack uses a bug in the Apple ID password reset feature with “push bombing” or “MFA fatigue” techniques to flood Apple devices with password reset requests.

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A lawsuit against Apple complaining about instant transfer fees and the company's alleged distrust in cryptocurrency has been dismissed by the case's judge, with major flaws sending the suit back to the drawing board.


A Bitcoin coin
In November 2023, a group of Venmo and Square Cash users attempted to take on Apple, alleging that Apple was violating U.S. antitrust laws due to its App Store guidelines.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria struck down the attempted class-action lawsuit, giving the plaintiff 21 days to fix the complaint or to give up entirely. In the ruling, Reuters reports, the judge said...

Canva's recent acquisition of the company behind the Affinity line of photography and design tools will directly challenge Adobe's stranglehold on the market and subscription pricing model. Here's how, and why it's a good thing.


Affinity's design tools are known for their power and simplicity
By integrating Canva with Affinity, the company will leverage both its web-based offerings and stand-alone apps. Canva users will gain full-featured tools for the professional, while Affinity users will likely gain web-based AI-driven tools.

Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher are affordable choices for photographers and designers and are some of the few creator apps that offer perpetual licensing. The buy-once-and-use forever model was the norm in the design world, and Affinity is popular partially because it bucks the trend of monthly fees.


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Apple has been considering an Apple Ring for almost a decade. Here's how we know, and a glimpse of what they may have planned.


An Oura smart ring
During Samsung's Unpacked event for 2024, which saw the launch of new Galaxy S24 smartphones, the South Korean electronics giant also teased an entry into a relatively small market. Going beyond smartwatches, Samsung declared it was working on a smart ring, the Galaxy Ring, that could be released later in 2024.

Smart rings have been around for a while, with the most well-known model being the Oura Ring. The wearable, which appears like discrete jewelry, is lined with...

Following the US Department of Justice's comprehensive antitrust lawsuit against Apple, new insights have emerged that shed light on Apple's influence within the market.


New report reveals numbers on Apple's market dominance
The DOJ filed the lawsuit on Thursday, March 21, accusing Apple of violating antitrust law and saying the company is a monopoly abusing its market dominance.

One aspect of the DOJ's case highlights how Apple allegedly limits the capabilities of smartwatches from competitors, particularly those running on Android when used with its own devices.


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Update, March 27: In an email, Apple confirmed that these three games will launch on Apple Arcade on March 28.

Apple Arcade brings high quality games to Apple Vision Pro on day one. Apple highlights that over 250 titles are available with 12 specifically designed for a spatial experience on visionOS. Apple Vision Pro will soon gain three more games through Arcade including Spire Blast in spatial.

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For 36 hours only, grab the lowest price ever on Apple's M2 MacBook Air in Midnight, now on sale for $849 with free 2-day shipping.


Grab the lowest M2 MacBook Air price on record.
This model in the popular Midnight finish features Apple's M2 chip with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU. It also has 8GB of memory and 256GB storage, making it an affordable option at just $849 to add to your home as a family computer or integrate into your workflow as a lightweight alternative to your main workstation. Use it to check email, stream content and peruse the latest AppleInsider headlines, all while saving $150 off Apple's recently reduced MSRP.

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Apple last week released iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 to iPhone and iPad users. Although the updates don’t add any new features, they do bring two important security patches. For some unknown reason, Apple has now quietly released a revised build of iOS 17.4.1.

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Apple users are becoming the target of a new wave of phishing attacks called "MFA Bombing" that relies on user impatience, and a bug in Apple's password reset mechanism.


An example of the Apple ID password reset notification
Phishing attacks often rely on users supplying information to an attacker or allowing them to do something to their account, often via an email, text message, or other messaging means. A recently discovered phishing attack has used a new route to make victims fall for it, by using Apple's password reset system.

Dubbed "MFA Bombing," "MFA Fatigue," or "Push Bombing," the attack detailed by Krebs on Security is an elaborate phishing attack that appears to revolve around a bug in the password reset feature. Victims are inundated by "Reset Password" notifications, including the text "Use this iPhone to reset your Apple ID...

The Grok AI chatbot, which was previously going to be exclusive to X’s top-tier Premium+ subscribers, will instead be coming to all premium subscribers this week.

The move is likely geared to boosting revenue in the face of falling usage and an exodus of advertisers, but it’s leading some Premium+ subscribers to question what they are now getting for their money …

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The head of an international gang behind return fraud of 10,000 counterfeit iPhones and iPads, has been sentenced to prison for 51 months.


Apple UTC in San Deigo, whose local police force worked on the international case
Some 14 people were involved in the international organization, which ultimately defrauded Apple of at least $6 million. Two of the key figures, brothers Zhimin and Zhiting Liao (aka "Jimmy" and "Tim"), were sentenced in October 2023 to 41 months jail time.

Now according to Justice.gov another brother, Zhiwei Liao (aka "Allen"), was sentenced to...

The iPhone SE 4 could have its displays produced by BOE, with Samsung Display allegedly out of the running over pricing issues.


Previous iPhone SE models
The display of Apple's iPhone lineup is an important but expensive component of the entire smartphone, with Apple relying on a small number of screen suppliers for its needs. If a Wednesday report is to be believed, a three-horse-race has become a two-horse battle after one pulled out of negotiations.

According to a ZDNet Korea report seen by IT Home, the Chinese display maker BOE has become the most likely supplier of displays for the iPhone SE 4. The change is due to long-time Apple screen partner Samsung Display exiting talks over the part.


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New figures from China's authorities says that iPhone sales were down one third in February 2024, much more than it dropped in the same period in 2023.


Apple's iPhone 15
Recent reports that sales of the iPhone is now stabilizing in China were based on extrapolations for the whole of 2024 and even 2025. Nonetheless, new figures for February 2023 from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) show a marked decline year over year.

According to a note to investors from JP Morgan analysts, as seen by AppleInsider, February's iPhone sales were down 33% compared to February 2023. The decline from January to February was 56%.


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Oddities in Apple's software updates are continuing, as now it has quietly shipped an iOS and iPadOS revision whose version number and a lack of an "over the air" update path suggests has only the most minor release.


iPadOS on an iPad
There was already a mystery around how Apple was announcing iPadOS 17.4.1 as coming on March 26, 2024, even though it was already out alongside iOS 17.4.1 as of March 21. That could have been just two parts of Apple not checking with each other, but now there is a little more.

For Apple has now issued a new update for both iOS and iPadOS, with a build number of 21E237. The one that came out on March 21 was build number 21E236.


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It never hurts to run a security update. Following up on its recently released iOS 17.4.1, iPadOS 17.4.1, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, and macOS Ventura 13.6.6 software updates, Apple has now released a standalone update for Safari, its own web browser, with the same patches included with macOS 14.4.1. As detailed on Apple’s website, Safari 17.4.1 […]

Source

The US Department of Justice claims Apple has violated antitrust law on multiple fronts — and Apple has fired back by refuting every claim made in the lawsuit.


Apple Park
After years of promising a lawsuit, the US Department of Justice has finally brought an antitrust suit against Apple. Nearly a week of pundits and analysts have dissected the claims, and now Apple has weighed in publicly.

The DOJ lawsuit accuses Apple of violating section two of the Sherman Antitrust Act in five ways. Apple has refuted each of the claims, stating they are either based on outdated information or misrepresentations of the company's business model.


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If you’re looking to take your desk setup to the next level, this is the guide for you. Head below for some of my favorite products that can improve your working setup, ranging from accessories to decorations and more. All of the things on this list are things I’ve personally used and can vouch for.

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Apple last month opened applications for the 2024 Swift Student Challenge. The annual competition encourages developers to show off their coding skills by creating playground projects. This year, Swift Student Challenge winners will be invited to attend the WWDC 2024 kick-off event at Apple Park.

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Apple today confirmed that WWDC 2024 will kick off on June 10, where we expect iOS 18 and major new AI features. In a new report today, Bloomberg reiterates that iOS 18 will be “the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone’s software in its history.”

One thing we shouldn’t expect at WWDC, however, is Apple’s own generative AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

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Brian Krebs covers an attack that exploits a vulnerability in the Apple ID password reset process to deluge users with requests to reset the password. Consider yourself forewarned.

Read original article

Mark your calendars—Apple has announced that its Worldwide Developer Conference will kick off on 10 June 2024. Will the keynote bring an AI-powered version of Siri?

WWDC 2024 is just a few months away, and the company is gearing up to discuss artificial intelligence — but one key Apple-made feature may not make its debut in iOS 18.


A Siri icon superimposed on Apple Park
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is set to kick off on June 10, with the company planning to unveil its strategy for artificial intelligence. We're expecting to see AI improvements to Siri, though the company hasn't divulged many of its plans yet.

However, Bloomberg notes that while iOS 18 is expected to be an ambitious overhaul, the ...

Following the confirmation that WWDC 2024 will be held from June 10, Apple SVP of Marketing Greg Joswiak has given a reasonably obvious hint that the event will feature AI.


Siri logo inside a WWDC 2024 graphic
On March 26, Apple announced that its Worldwide Developer Conference for 2024 will run from June 10 to June 14. While Apple hasn't offered any real clues about what it will be showing off during the week-long event, one executive has been less than cryptic in his hinting.

In an X post shortly after the official announcement,...

Alongside the WWDC 2024 announcement, Apple has refreshed the apple.com homepage. The updated look features a minor design change with the use of rounded rectangle shapes for the ‘learn more’ and ‘buy’ buttons on the various product tiles.

More significantly, there’s an entirely new row at the bottom of the featured products grid. Below the carousel for TV+ originals, there’s a new slider featuring content from Apple’s other content services: Apple Music, Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness+.

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Apple officially set the dates for WWDC 2024 today, revealing that the event will take place from June 10 through June 14. As if there were any doubts that artificial intelligence will be a key part of WWDC this year, Apple’s marketing boss Greg Joswiak says the event will be “Absolutely Incredible.”

Get it? (A)bsolutely (I)ncredible…

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Apple has revealed that the 2024 Worldwide Developer Conference will run from June 10 until June 14, which will introduce the upcoming releases of iOS 18 and other operating systems.


Apple's 2024 WWDC is June 10
Usually held in the first week of June, Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference or WWDC is Apple's week-long event aimed at showing developers what's on the horizon for the company.

Along with providing coding-related information and assistance, WWDC is also the venue for Apple to introduce its next generation of operating systems. It has also been used to launch some new hardware.


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Apple changed the charging port from Lightning to USB-C with the iPhone 15. A USB-C charging cable comes in the box, but upgraders may need to purchase a separate cable to continue using CarPlay.

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Tuesday’s best deals are all about Apple Silicon. The just-released 13-inch M3 MacBook Air is down to a new all-time low at $1,024 and comes joined by another one of Apple’s latest machines – the new 24-inch M3 iMac at $100 off. Plus, you could just go with the 13-inch M1 MacBook Air as B&H joins in on offering it at just $699. Hit the jump for all...

If you're a fan of the Apple TV+ workplace thriller "Severance," you can rest assured that season two is on the way — but you'll still need to hold out a little bit longer.


Season two of 'Severence' is coming — eventually
In a new interview on The Roommates Show, series creator Ben Stiller says that the show is still in production. The team behind "Severance" is still filming the show, and he anticipates that shooting will continue through April. Unfortunately, not even Stiller knows when "Severance" will return to Apple TV+.

"We're shooting it now, it's coming soon," Stiller said. "We don't have an actual date,"


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