Apple today has announced a new benefit that is meant to help new parents transition back to work after their time off. As reported by Fast Company, Apple is giving new parents a “four-week grace period” when they return from leave. Under the policy and during the four-week grace period, the new parents will be paid like full-time employees, but will have the flexibility to work part-time and set their own hours....
The story starts way back when, when Psystar, a Miami-based company, started advertising its $400 OpenComputer this week. A PC that shipped with Mac OS X installed, and “violated Apple’s terms of use” for the OS. Apple’s End User License Agreement clearly says its OS can only be used on Apple-branded hardware – and soon (in July) slammed an injunction against Psystar for breaking that admonition, accusing the firm of copyright and trademark infringement for pre-installing Leopard on systems, Faced with that lawsuit, Psystar fought back with a legal claim which accused Apple of breaking anti-trust laws by determining that only Macs can run its OS....
iPhone 5 mockup, first published by TechVulture China Mobile’s chairman Wang Jianzhou went on the record (again) to sort of confirm that an iPhone version for their fourth-generation TD-LTE network is coming. Bloomberg has the quote: You may recall China Mobile recently all but confirmed TD-LTE dealings with Apple. Back in January, their boss said in no vague terms that Apple will support TD-LTE. 4G TD-LTE is not to be confused with 4G LTE....
Apple has now blocked the launching of Mac apps infected with WireLurker malware, after earlier revoking security certificates to prevent them being installed on new devices. WireLurker was capable of infecting non-jailbroken iOS devices when connected to a Mac running one of the compromised apps. Over 400 Mac apps in a third-party Chinese app store were affected. In a written statement, an Apple spokesperson said: However, a security researcher says that it would be easy for other attackers to exploit the exact same weakness … We are aware of malicious software available from a download site aimed at users in China, and we’ve blocked the identified apps to prevent them from launching....
Apple CEO Tim Cook spent Friday and Saturday at Duke University during one of the school’s “Real Conversations with Real Leaders” sessions. Cook gave business advice from his perspective as one of the most powerful executives in the world to the crowd at his alma mater. Tim Cook graduated from the Fuqua School of Business in 1988. Other Duke alumni at Apple include Senior Vice President of Internet Services Eddy Cue and Senior Vice President of Operations Jeff Williams…...
It was discovered by Larry Salibra and others that Apple has been disabling its Apple News Service in China. Perhaps most troubling is how Apple is doing this: The New York Times reports that Apple confirmed, off the record, that it is indeed turning off Apple News in Mainland China. China is Apple’s most promising market but unfortunately it is controlled by a government that wields total control over information and the media....
A new report today from The Information shares that Apple found potential security issues with at least one server early last year. Apple purchased the server from Super Micro Computer and was used to help power its web services and also contained customer information. According to Super Micro Computer’s SVP and others familiar with the matter, Apple terminated their long-standing relationship with the supplier and also returned some servers as well....
In an interesting move, Apple has today launched a Tumblr blog for iTunes. The ‘blog’ runs a highly customized theme that more closely reflects Apple’s own website than a typical Tumblr page. The page features music, movies, TV and books content, with individual posts consisting of images, videos and animated GIFs of artists. Tumblr users can reblog these images on their own feeds, for social sharing. On a related note, iTunes also opened an official Instagram account earlier this month....
Ahead of a meeting with government officials later this month to discuss how Apple could prevent increasing smartphone crimes, Apple today introduced a new feature called ‘Activation Lock’ that it says will be “a really powerful theft deterrent” when released later this fall in iOS 7. We told you earlier this month that government officials in the US were calling Apple, Google and others to a “smartphone summit” later this month on June 13 to discuss the increasing amount of smartphone related crime in New York city and the rest of the country....
Along with several other new APIs for developers, Apple has announced HomeKit which allows all home automation accessories/devices to work together. The new API will allow home automation developers to centralize all home automation in iOS without needing separate apps to access each device’s specific features. These devices include locks, lights, cameras, doors, thermostats, plugs, switches, and more. HomeKit allows for secure pairing with devices and the ability to control individual devices....
Just as it did last year on the first day of spring, Apple has announced a new collection of Apple Watch bands with ‘vibrant colors and unique designs.’ The new bands include Sport, Nylon and classic buckle designs as well as special Nike and Hermès models … There are four new bands aimed at all Apple Watch models. Sport Band in Denim Blue, Lemonade and Red Raspberry Woven Nylon in Black Stripe, Blue Stripe, Gray Stripe and Pink Stripe Sport Loop in Flash Light, Hot Pink, Marine Green and Tahoe Blue Classic Buckle in Spring Yellow, Electric Blue and Soft Pink The Nike Sport Loop will for the first time be sold without the watch, along with two new colors....
Following a report earlier this month that Apple started acknowledging a long-standing complaint over a common iMessage bug, Bloomberg (via BI) reports that a customer has filed a lawsuit against Apple and is seeking class action status with a San Jose court. The problem exists with how Apple’s messaging app handles the switch from its iPhone to iPhone iMessaging platform to traditional SMS text messages when contacts switch to new devices....
In this case, future iMac and Mac mini owners will bathe themselves in the advantages brought by the Fusion Drive, which has just been introduced tonight. But how exactly Fusion Drive works? What are the differences between SSD, standard hard drives and Fusion Drive? How come Apple has came up with this idea and what consequences will this technology generate on the market? All of this, and plenty more, below....
Apple’s latest cunning move in its Holy Crusade against Android involves getting a court order to force Google, the maker of Android software, to produce documents detailing the Android roadmap and its proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of handset maker Motorola Mobility. It was not immediately clear what data Apple was exactly seeking to uncover. This is notable, because Apple is actually going after Google with this request. It is the first direct in the ongoing legal war considering Apple fought Google by proxy in the past....
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXKqIr4cjyo] Globes reports that Apple has completed its purchase of PrimeSense, the Israel-based firm behind the technology in Microsoft’s Kinect sensor, and Apple confirmed the acquisition to AllThingsD. As noted earlier this year, the deal will cost Apple somewhere between $300-350 million. PrimeSense previously denied any talks with Apple. The sensor firm is no longer working with Microsoft, as the Xbox manufacturer has moved to all in-house work for its latest Kinect-based technology....
Last week, Google’s Project Zero security research team detailed what it described as “one of the largest attacks against iPhone users ever.” Now, Apple has responded to Google’s findings – taking issue with many of the claims. Google’s findings last week detailed a series of hacked websites, which were randomly distributing malware to iPhone users. Once a user visited one of the malicious websites and the malware was deployed, the implant “primarily focused on stealing files and uploading live location data,” as often as every 60 seconds....
Earlier this week, Tim Cook communicated Apple’s plans for a hybrid working environment beginning in September. This plan, which would require that most Apple employees work in person three days a week, is now facing pushback internally from employees who feel the company is not being flexible enough for those who want to work remotely on a more regular basis. The Verge obtained an internal letter circulating within Apple in which employees write that they have felt “not just unheard, but at times actively ignored” over the last year when it comes to communication about in-person versus remote work....
After making this finding in August last year, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) issued an order for Apple to update its app store policies so dating app providers could use payment systems other than Apple’s one. Last week, Apple made updates to its app store policies in response to the order, but the ACM has since found those changes to be unsatisfactory. According to the ACM, Apple has continued to prevent dating app providers from being able to freely use payment systems other than Apple’s own system....
Apple looks like it is tightening its grip on the “App” and “Mac” naming rights area. Last month, it forced App4mac to change its name. Sure Apple is now in the Mac Apps game but the company in question is six years old and named itself App4Mac two years before iOS turned Applications into apps. Patrice Calligaris, CEO writes to tell us: We complied only for the first case as other two cases are silly....
Apple’s HomePod smart speaker is set to expand to another new country this summer. As first spotted by Gizmodo, HomePod will launch in Japan in the coming weeks for 32,800 yen. HomePod was first rumored to be coming to Japan last year, but that did not come to fruition until now. Apple still hasn’t given an exact launch date for HomePod in the country, but the order page is now live and Apple is teasing a summer release....
