Report: ‘iPhone 8’ to include upgraded water resistance
A new report from The Korea Herald claims that Apple is planning to add the highest possible level of dust and water resistance to next year’s iPhone. Citing “multiple sources,” the report indicates that the “iPhone 8” will feature an IP68 rating similar to Samsung’s current Galaxy S7, allowing it to handle submersion in about 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. The iPhone 7 was certified with an IP67 rating, which makes it certified for only about 3 feet of water for the same amount of time, by comparison. The report notes that, according to an industry source, the higher rating will be one of the “drastic upgrades marking the 10th anniversary of the iPhone this year.”
U.S. appeals court resurrects App Store antitrust lawsuit against Apple
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that iPhone users are free to sue Apple for its alleged App Store monopoly on iPhone apps, Reuters reports. This latest ruling resurrects a legal challenge that was originally filed back in 2012, which accused Apple of engaging in anticompetitive behavior by restricting iPhones to only run apps purchased from Apple’s own App Store, thereby artificially inflating the prices of apps by stifling market competition. In response, Apple argued that users did not have any standing to sue Apple because apps are sold by individual developers, and that Apple simply provides the storefront for developers, in return for a cut of app sales. A lower court originally sided with Apple on the matter, however, Judge William A. Fletcher of the appellate court ruled this week that since iPhone users purchase apps directly from Apple, iPhone users have a right to bring a legal challenge against Apple.
Apple increases maximum tvOS app size to 4GB
Apple has announced to developers that the size limit for tvOS app bundles has been significantly increased, with the new maximum size going up to 4GB from the prior 200MB limit. This change will allow developers to include more media content bundled in their app package so that it installs at the same time the user installs the app on their Apple TV, which should minimize the number of games and other apps that need to download additional content when first opened. tvOS apps can also now host up to 20GB of additional content on the App Store using On-Demand Resources.
This is likely to have an impact on users’ Apple TV storage capacities, meaning users with a lot of larger apps and the lower capacity 32GB Apple TV model may find themselves constrained for space as their apps are updated to include media content within the app bundles. The prior 200MB limit kept the apps small and allowed storage on the Apple TV to be optimized by discarding on-demand data from apps when the Apple TV ran low on space; this will not be an option for an app that stores a large amount of media content within the app bundle itself. This could also be a sign that Apple is preparing to release higher-capacity Apple TV models in the near future.
Apple releases fourth iOS 10.2.1 beta
Apple quietly released a fourth beta of iOS 10.2.1 to registered developers late in the day on Thursday. The new beta features a build number of 14D27 and eliminates virtually all of the “known issues” in the release notes, suggesting that a public release is imminent. The single listed issue remaining simply notes that the Emergency SOS feature which debuted in iOS 10.2 continues to only be supported in India, which appears to be a test area that Apple is using for the new feature. watchOS 3.1.3 and tvOS 10.1.1 have not received new beta updates, and there also still appears to be no sign of the iOS 10.3 beta that was rumored to appear this week.
Daily Deal: VPNSecure, Lifetime Subscription
Today in iLounge Deals, we’re offering a lifetime subscription to VPNSecure for only $39 — that’s 91% off the regular price. This “Internet Safety Vest” will protect all of your online activity by wrapping it up in a fully encrypted tunnel while allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions with its Smart DNS component. VPNSecure hides your location and IP address, fully supports torrents, and uses its own “Stealth VPN” technology to render your VPN traffic unrecognizable. You can connect up to five devices simultaneously with this single subscription, and choose your preferred Data Cipher for better control over your own security. Plus, VPNSecure proudly assures that none of your activity is ever logged for any reason.
Review: Revogi Smart Lightbulb, Smart Lightstrip, Smart Candle + Smart Meter Plug
Although HomeKit continues to gain traction, not all home automation developers have bought into Apple's new home automation platform, preferring to develop their own proprietary solutions and apps. While it's hard to imagine iPhone and iPad users having much interest in non-HomeKit accessories at this point, some of these companies are selling their solutions for lower prices that might make them more appealing to the budget conscious consumer. And of course, users also gain cross-compatibility with platforms such as Android that naturally do not support HomeKit. Revogi's new lineup of lighting and outlet products seem clearly designed to appeal to this category of user, with its new Delite 2 Smart LED Lightbulb ($35), Smart Color Lightstrip ($60), Smart Color Lightstrip (USB Version) ($50), Smart Candle Light ($20), and Smart Meter Plug ($30) all coming in at lower prices than their HomeKit alternatives. The question, of course, is whether the cheaper price of admission justifies the tradeoff of losing HomeKit compatibility — an important consideration as almost everything in the Apple ecosystem is moving toward HomeKit with the promise of multi-vendor interoperable solutions.
Apple looking to produce original TV content for Apple Music subscribers
A new report in The Wall Street Journal has resurrected speculation from last year that Apple is still working on creating original television — and movie content — to offer as part of a subscription service. Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ report indicates that Apple is looking to “build a significant new business” in the area to make it a bigger player in Hollywood to offset slowing sales of its iPhone and iPad devices. Sources suggest that Apple would offer this programming to existing Apple Music subscribers to give it a competitive edge over rival streaming music services.
Daily Deal: HyperDrive USB Type-C 5-in-1 Hub
In our iLounge Deal for today, you can get the HyperDrive USB Type-C 5-in-1 Hub for only $39.95 — that’s 20% off the regular price. This compact and portable hub lets you easily expand your new MacBook Pro’s USB-C ports, adding two standard USB 3.0 type-A ports, along with SDXC, microSDXC, and an extra USB-C port. Pass-through charging also means you can leave everything at your desk connected to the hub and easily “dock in” with a single connection to one of your USB-C ports.
Get the HyperDrive USB Type-C 5-in-1 Hub now for only $39.95
FBI releases heavily redacted information about cracking iPhone
The FBI has released 100 pages of documents related to its efforts to break into a locked iPhone owned by terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook, but most of the useful information has been redacted, The Associated Press reports. The release excludes the name of the group paid to unlock the phone, the cost of the services rendered, and the method used to unlock the phone, essentially shedding very little light on how the government gained access to the device. The documents do reveal that the FBI signed a nondisclosure agreement with the vendor who finally unlocked the phone, and show that at least three other companies expressed interest in the job but couldn’t deliver a solution fast enough.
Apple partners with Tresorit to offer encryption option to CareKit developers
After launching its CareKit platform in April of last year, Apple has announced a new partnership with Tresorit to offer that company’s ZeroKit to app developers looking to offer more secure data encryption. CareKit apps allow users to track their health information and keep that data encrypted on the user’s iPhone, but when the data is shared with servers, it’s up to developers to provide security for that transmission. Tresorit’s ZeroKit framework provides a shortcut for those looking to add “zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption” to their apps without doing all the leg work. Tresorit’s website claims their authentication service can guard against many of the most common methods used in data breaches, including “pass the hash,” dictionary, and brute force attacks. Some companies, like Dr.near.me and The Diary Corporation, are already using ZeroKit to secure their apps. [via Apple Insider]
