Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2017/02/wednesday-morning-news080217/
OK, first things first: Apple’s Ultra Accessory Connector, or UAC, wasn’t made by Apple, and it isn’t new. Although the UAC port is smaller than both Lightning and USB-C, it already exists on some digital cameras. Ars Technica says the UAC is just another regular connector for the USB spec, even though it isn’t as widely used as some alternatives. The reason it’s being added to the Made for iPhone program is because licensees want it, not because Apple wants to move away from Lightning or USB-C.
Some 76 popular iOS apps are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle TLS attacks. The severity of the exposed information ranges from mostly harmless analytics data to usernames, passwords, and session tokens. Apple’s recently introduced App Transport Security requirement is a step in the right direction towards securing user data transmitted to and from apps in the App Store, but even it isn’t enough — according to Ars Technica, it could be enforcing more stringent security conditions for data communications.
Variety’s interview with Jimmy Iovine reveals the head of Apple Music has no official title. Instead, he’s known as Jimmy, and so far, Apple Music’s experiments with music exclusives and now video content paint a promising picture for the future of the music streaming service. But perhaps there’s more to the record industry than just making music — which is where bigger tech companies like Apple come into the picture.
Reuters has a report on how Apple’s fanatical attention to detail is delaying completion of the Apple Campus, or “spaceship”. Guidelines for the wood used throughout the building ran to 30 pages, the target tolerances for materials was much less than the standard eighth of an inch, even for surfaces and materials that wouldn’t be seen once the building was completed.
References to new models of MacBook Pros have been discovered in the latest macOS Sierra beta. There’s a good chance these models will be powered by Intel’s latest Kaby Lake chips, cross-referencing available Kaby Lake processors to come up with a plausible set of specs for the upcoming speed bump.
Following delays, the W1-equipped BeatsX will go on sale starting this Friday, February 10th. Apple added blue and grey to the existing lineup of black and white, with the headphones themselves retailing for $199.
The good news is, LG’s upgraded shielding allows the UltraFine 5K display to be used in close proximity to Wi-Fi routers. Unfortunately, the process for getting additional shielding installed on your monitor is still unclear — LG appears to be examining the issue on a case-by-case basis, but either way you’ll probably have to lug your display into an Apple Store, at the very least.
Apple has been granted a patent for a set of headphones that double as speakers. The patent envisions headphones that can then lay flat or otherwise convert into a wired or wireless speaker system, depending on its orientation.
As predicted, the second public beta of iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4 is now out, coinciding with the second developer beta released yesterday.
Max Rudberg tells us about the neglected touch-down state in iOS. Many iOS controls and buttons don’t provide much in the way of user feedback when things are tapped on.