Essential activities like banking, shopping and sending emails can all be achieved from the palm of our hands through a device that fits snugly in a trouser pocket. But with all that power comes an increased level of responsibility to protect ourselves and the people we communicate with online. Malicious groups that have previously attempted to target Apple ID holders through official looking phishing scams are at it again with a new "account validation" scam.
After being showcased to the world from the hand of a gleeful Steve Jobs back in 2007, the Apple iPhone certainly changed everything. It completely altered the way the smartphone market operated, how consumers interacted with mobile devices, and has had a very lasting and sustained impact on mobile software. From the developers of apps in the App Store to companies built around the coveted handset, the impact of the iPhone is much broader than many would supposed, and this point is elaborated upon nicely thanks to a rather beautiful infographic created by Rand Group.
Apple's WWDC event has been confirmed by the company itself, and will commence from the week beginning June 2nd. Tickets will be drawn in the format of a lottery, with developers able to apply up until next Monday, 7th April via the official WWDC site. Thereafter, tickets will be randomly drawn.
Apple and Samsung are two of the mobile industry's biggest names, and as such, are the fiercest of rivals. But whereas competition is healthy in the ongoing battle for supremacy, the story of this particular pairing is marred by ill feeling and bad taste. If you've been following the goings-on of the digital world over the past couple of years, you'll know that these two have had their fair share of court battles and patent disputes, and in the latest, Apple is seeking damages over five specific iOS-related infringements. Thanks to a neat compilation, here's a concise look at what exactly has got the Cupertino's back up.
Often, when hitting certain milestones, Apple likes to make a bit of fanfare about its achievements. But while the 50 billionth iTunes download prompted a countdown that resulted in some great prizes for one lucky individual, Apple recently sold its 500 million iPhone without so much as a press release.
Yesterday, it became apparent that actor Christian Bale may well be in the running to play Steve Jobs in the upcoming biopic, written by Aaron Sorkin. Rumor has it that Sorkin will team up once again with director David Fincher, with whom he made The Social Network, and with the script ready, the process of arranging the cast and crew looks well under way. To give us an idea of how Bale might look as Jobs, one image editing wiz has superimposed his face into the famous pose of the late Apple co-founder from the front cover of his official biography, and in all honesty, he pulls off the look plausibly.
Apple has, without too much fanfare, decided to cut down its iPhone returns policy from 30 days to just 14, meaning that new purchasers now have only a two-week grace period after which they can no longer change their mind. The move is part of a wider play aimed at offering a more coherent, uniform returns policy across the company's range of products, while also tying in with similar systems offered by mobile carriers.
In the ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Samsung, it has now emerged that the Cupertino-based company has demanded, in front of a jury, that its Korean competitor stumps up the almighty sum of $40 per infringing device. The total, which Apple has arrived at by highlighting five separate patents per device (around $8 a pop), would equate to an eye-watering total sum, and even FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller - a guy that tends to see these matters from Apple's side - seems to think this is a step too far.
Apple may not have fallen apart following the death of Steve Jobs, but that doesn't mean that the company isn't missing its talismanic leader. Today, February 24th would have been Jobs' 59th birthday had he survived his battle with cancer, and there are plenty of people remembering him.
By now I am sure most of you will be aware of iOS 7.0.6 which was released by Apple only a few days ago to patch critical SSL connection verification vulnerability that can expose your device to man-in-the-middle attacks. All versions below 7.0.6 are affected by this bug.

