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Today β€” 23 December 2024Main stream

M5 Pro chip could separate CPU and GPU in β€˜server grade’ chips

23 December 2024 at 07:03

One of the key elements of Apple’s A-series and M-series chips is the System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design which tightly integrates all the components within a single package. This includes both CPU and GPU.

But a new report suggests that the M5 Pro chip may take a different approach of having more separated CPU and GPU in order to improve performance and boost production yields …

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Kuo reiterates variable aperture lens coming to iPhone 18, not 17

23 December 2024 at 06:24

There have been consistent reports that we can expect a future iPhone to offer a variable aperture lens within a year or two, but there’s been disagreement about whether the new feature will launch in the iPhone 17 or iPhone 18.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said the major camera upgrade was coming to the iPhone 18, while The Information pointed instead to the iPhone 17. Kuo has now doubled-down on his earlier prediction …

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An Apple smart doorbell would be a sure-fire winner – for all of us

23 December 2024 at 05:34

A report over the weekend suggested an Apple smart home doorbell with support for Face ID is in development. It follows an earlier report of an Apple smart home camera next year.

While it could be argued that both are commodity products, and that Apple’s most important contribution is the HomeKit platform rather than the hardware, there seems little doubt about the opportunity here …

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App Store has hundreds of β€˜risky’ apps rated as appropriate for kids, says report

23 December 2024 at 04:15

Even a brief review of the App Store revealed more than 200 β€œrisky or inappropriate” apps rated as ok for children, according to a new report. They had collectively notched up more than 550 million downloads.

Two child safety groups say that more than 25% of the child-rated apps they reviewed gave cause for concern, suggesting that the total number of problematic apps is very much higher …

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Before yesterdayMain stream

How to use AirTag sharing when travelling with family and friends

20 December 2024 at 05:27

I didn’t waste any time when AirTags first came out, immediately buying eight of them: for five bags, keys, a videography rig, and a bicycle. But I’ve also repurposed some of them during trips for some AirTag sharingwith friends, and iOS 18.2 makes this option even better.

I’ve confessed before to being something of a bagaholic, so the first thing I did was to slip an AirTag into each of my main bags, where they live almost permanently …

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Bluesky extortion problem gets first response; Mentions tab added

20 December 2024 at 04:36

We learned earlier this week of a Bluesky extortion issue, emerging after the social network said that it would use domain name ownership as a way to verify the identity of public figures.

Bluesky hasn’t fully addressed the issue, but has taken one step toward reducing the problem of scammers impersonating well-known people on the platform …

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AI video editing coming to Instagram next year, using text prompts

20 December 2024 at 04:00

AI video editing based on text prompts is coming to Instagram next year, with the company’s head showing off the ability to do things like change your clothing and video background, as well as some funkier stuff like adding animated characters.

The company had earlier shown a demo video (below) of completely AI-generated video, stating that it was just a research project, but it seems the first practical application of the tech is arriving sooner than expected …

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Apple’s Vision Pro strategy will succeed in creating a two-tier market – TrendForce

19 December 2024 at 07:31

Apple’s Vision Pro strategy of launching a very high-end professional product first, and a more affordable consumer version second, is likely to prove successful in the long-run, predicts market intelligence company TrendForce.

The company says that although many have criticized the very high price tag, the device has still captured a respectable 5% of the market, and has created expectations which competitor brands will need to meet …

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Almost half of developer revenue now comes from subscriptions

19 December 2024 at 06:17

Analytics data suggests that we’re downloading fewer iPhone apps this year than last, but spending significantly more money on them. That’s because almost half of developer revenue now comes from subscriptions.

App Store downloads declined slightly in the past 12 months, but the total spend increased dramatically from $73.7B last year to $91.6B this year …

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Apple Intelligence Chinese launch remains problematic as talks continue

19 December 2024 at 05:52

An Apple Intelligence Chinese launch isn’t looking much closer, as the company continues forced talks with local companies about partnerships.

Apple reportedly wanted to use its own generative AI models in China, but that would require government approval which – it has been strongly implied – would not be forthcoming …

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macOS 15.2 Sequoia backup bug(s) affecting Time Machine, CCC, and more

19 December 2024 at 05:25

One or more backup bugs in macOS 15.2 Sequoia is affecting Apple’s own Time Machine utility, as well as third-party apps SuperDuper and CarbonCopyCloner.

Initially the problem appeared to affect bootable backups only, but it now appears that it is either more general than this, or there is more than one bug affecting Mac backups …

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Call to ban Apple Intelligence summary feature after Luigi Mangione error

19 December 2024 at 04:39

The Apple Intelligence summary feature should be banned after it falsely claimed that Luigi Mangione had shot himself, says Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF).

The non-profit body advises the United Nations, Council of Europe, and other governmental agencies on issues relating to journalism and freedom of information …

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One in five AirTags to be made in Indonesia to resolve iPhone 16 sales ban

19 December 2024 at 04:10

AirTags will be made in Indonesia for the first time, and production will ramp up to 20% of global production over time, according to a new report.

The plan is Apple’s way to meet a government requirement for a billion dollar investment in the economy in order to reverse a ban on the sale of iPhones in the country …

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Astonishing 32TB hard drive uses lasers to heat and cool platters within a nanosecond

18 December 2024 at 07:17

Seagate is finally offering its largest-ever hard drive – a staggering 32TB in a single drive, made possible by tech which uses lasers to heat and cool tiny sections of a platter in a nanosecond …

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Huge growth in AI usage could cause electricity blackouts in US from next year

18 December 2024 at 05:46

Electricity regulators are concerned that the huge growth in AI usage could lead to power blackouts in the US and Canada as early as next year. The prediction was published shortly after the public release of iOS 18.2 brought many more Apple Intelligence features online.

Artificial intelligence services like ChatGPT and Apple’s own Private Cloud Compute servers will see data center power usage double in the course of just four years, and power grids will likely struggle to keep up with this demand …

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Hidden fees banned from hotel and concert apps & websites

18 December 2024 at 05:13

The Federal Trade CommissionΒ (FTC) has today announced a new rule which will ban apps and websites in the hotel and event industries from using hidden fees to engage in bait-and-switch pricing.

The agency found it was common practice for companies to show a misleading price, which was then inflated by hidden costs like booking and resort fees, only revealed during the checkout process …

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Most popular home internet routers in US may be banned as national security risk

18 December 2024 at 04:39

The most popular home internet router brand in the US may be banned from sale in the country over fears that it represents a threat to national security.

Three separate US agencies have opened investigations into TP-Link routers, which account for 65% of the US market, in part because badged versions are supplied to customers by more than 300 ISPs …

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Leakers clash over iPhone 17 camera layout – triangular versus horizontal

18 December 2024 at 04:09

Two leakers, each with enough of a track record to give them some credibility, are clashing over the iPhone 17 camera layout.

The first says that the iPhone 17 Pro will adopt a horizontal layout in a module with a similar shape to the Dynamic Island, while the other says that the design of the camera module is indeed changing but the triangular arrangement remains …

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Apple’s foldable iPad is likely a test-bed for a future MacBook

17 December 2024 at 07:22

Bloomberg this weekend reported that Apple has made prototypes of a foldable iPad, and plans to release it in 2028. The device is said to open out into a screen with a size approaching 20 inches.

The report is intriguing, because it describes a product that might seem almost as niche as Vision Pro, but it may be that Apple will launch it for similar reasons …

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Apple faces criminal complaints over Congo conflict minerals and customer deception

17 December 2024 at 05:12

Apple is facing criminal complaints by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which accuses the company of illegally using conflict minerals, also known as β€œblood minerals.” The terms refer to minerals sourced from illegal sources who employ child labor and use the proceeds to buy weapons for armed conflicts.

The charges have been filed in Belgium and France because those countries have a strong judicial record in corporate accountability cases …

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