Weekly Recap: Apple Event in 9 Minutes, Macs and PCs in the same boat, Galaxy Note 7 recall, etc.
The Apple Event in 9 Minutes
The Verge had the brilliant idea of making a video mash-up of Apple’s presentation, keeping just the most interesting bits. The disappointing thing about the “keynote” speech was that due to chronic leaks to the media, there were almost no surprises left. We already knew just about everything that was going to be said. Mashable’s Lance Ulanoff asked, “If Apple can’t keep secrets, who can?”
If you’ve been living in complete seclusion and this is the first thing you have read for days, and don’t have time to watch the video, here are the highlights: Super Mario is now on iOS (that was probably the best-kept secret), Apple’s Watch Series 2 is more everything-proof and better than ever, the new iPhone is not quite everything-proof but still better than ever (even without an audio “Jack”), the new iPhone comes in a new Scratchable Black colour, and wireless earbuds too easy to lose.
⇨ YouTube, “Apple’s iPhone 7 event in 9 minutes.”
⇨ Mashable, “If Apple can’t keep its secrets, who can?”
⇨ The Verge, “Super Mario creator Miyamoto on why Nintendo turned to iPhone.”
Macs and PCs in the same boat
Twenty seconds and a fifty-dollar device is all it takes to steal Mac and PC users’ login credentials, discovered Rob Fuller, a security engineer at R5 Industries. A mini-computer contained in a USB key emulates an Ethernet adapter, obtaining the password hash allowing authenticating Pass-the-hash-style. This kind of attack requires physical access to the machine, but the time required to execute it is short enough that it easily goes undetected. So always keep an eye on your computer, because you never know…
⇨ Ars Technica, “Stealing login credentials from a locked PC or Mac just got easier.”
Is Apple Store Ageist?
JK Scheinberg, a brilliant engineer, left Apple in 2008, having developed the then-secret Marklar project, which in effect took MacOS on Intel x86 chips by stealth. Now aged 54 years and bored in retirement, he applied for a position of technical support in an Apple Store (“Genius Bar”). Despite his evident desire to support the public at large, his application was rejected with no reason given. Since his competence with Apple technologies is indisputable, one can legitimately suspect ageism on the part of Apple Store.
⇨ The Guardian, “Former high-level Apple engineer turned down for job at Genius Bar.”
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall
Rough week for the Korean company. Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, is prone to exploding. Once the flaw was discovered, Note 7 sales were halted, but that move only came after millions of devices were shipped to consumers and retail outlets. Samsung is now faced with recalling millions of potentially dangerous device. Communicating this to every Note 7 customer is turning into a challenge, as a few days after the recall a Note 7 apparently burned down a customer’s Jeep.
⇨ Ars Technica, “Samsung will recall Galaxy Note 7 because of exploding batteries.”
Raspberry Pi has sold 10 million computers
The mini-single-board Raspberry Pi computer has sold an impressive 10 million units. To celebrate its success, a new £120 official starter kit has been released, which includes the latest Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, an 8 GB NOOBS SD card, official case, power supply, HDMI cable, optical mouse and keyboard, and a copy of the Adventures in Raspberry Pi programming guide book.
⇨ Ars Technica, “Raspberry Pi sells over 10 million computers.”
