Originally published at: https://appletalk.com.au/2019/08/monday-morning-news120819/
At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, Apple announced the launch of the macOS bug bounty program. Apple says its new macOS bug bounty program will run alongside its iOS bug bounty program, applying to Macs as well as the Apple TV and Apple Watch. Apple also said it would be increasing the size of its bug bounty payouts, up from the current maximum of US $200,000 per bug to $1 million, with a 50% bonus also up for grabs if the issue is reported before general availability (i.e. during developer/open beta periods).
Apple also announced the launch of the iOS Security Research Device program, which will provide security researchers with a proven track record for high-quality security research on any platform with special iOS devices that will come with SSH, a root shell, and advanced debugging capabilities to make it easier for security researchers to find bugs. The Verge says that while these devices will allow for much more access than regular production iPhones, they’re still going to be more locked down than internal Apple devices.
A few months on from the launch of Apple News+, Digiday reports that some publishers are seeing traffic and revenue lifts from Apple News. One publication has seen ad impressions triple over the three month period between April and June, while revenue has been up 100% during the same period, and they attribute it all to Apple’s scale, brand safety, and privacy focus, making the risk very low for advertisers.
A new rumour suggests at least one of this year’s iPhones will feature a "pro" moniker, although it’s unclear exactly how this will be applied to the lineup. If this year’s iPhones go with the iPhone 11 numbering scheme, then it’s possible we’ll see the iPhone 11R, along with the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, but anything is possible until Apple starts going to press with the marketing materials.
Rumour also has it we’ll see new iPad Pros before the end of the year, but this time the rumours claim those new iPad Pros will come with multi-camera arrays. It’s possible that the iPad Pro will go to a triple-lens setup like the iPhone, while the regular iPad goes to a dual-lens camera setup like in current iPhones, with both variants set to launch in October, if the rumours are anything to go off.
A silent update to Apple’s USB-C Digital AV adapter now supports the HDMI 2.0 spec, which allows for 4K 3840×2160 video at 60 Hz, as well as HDR in the form of HDR10 as well as Dolby Vision, if supported by the display/projector on the other end. The USB-C and USB-A ports remain the same in terms of functionality, as does the price at $99.
Apple has been granted a patent for Face ID on Macs, which comes with some improvements over the version that exists in iOS devices today. Attention-aware features mean that your laptop won’t go to sleep while you’re in front of it but not actively doing anything, as well as power much more vague presence features that could wake devices from sleep when you appear in front of them.
MacRumors takes us through all the upcoming changes to Reminders as part of iOS 13. There’s a new interface that is more reminiscent of the GTD-methodology, but don’t fret, there are still multiple lists so you can organise and separate your reminders out. A reminders toolbar lets you quick-add things like date/time/location when creating new reminders, and nested reminders, groups, and improvements to Siri round out the changes.
Meanwhile, MacStories says CarPlay in iOS 13 is a big step forward for the platform, with many quality-of-life improvements that make it a big deal for the in-car screen. Besides a plethora of design changes, including the near-ubiquitious dark mode, there’s also serious usability changes like how Siri now doesn’t take over the full screen, and is always just a touch away, so even if you don’t have a dedicated button for it in your car, you can always get access to a voice assistant that can at least handle simple queries like directions.
Mophie has two new wireless charging products, but it’s the 3-in-1 wireless charging pad that we’re interested in. It’s not quite AirPower, but it gets pretty close, letting you charge an iPhone, AirPods, and an Apple Watch simultaneously. But you’ll pay a pretty penny for that wireless charging tech, with the 3-in-1 coming in at $220 Australian pesos.