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Apple Loop: Stunning New iPhone, Safari Defeated, iPhone 14’s Ugly Upgrade – Forbes

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Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes all the news from the Peek Performance event, the new iPhone SE 5G, the M1 powered iPad Air, the impressive Mac Studio, Apple’s newest display, the iPhone 14’s ugly upgrade, Safari defeated by Chrome, and why suppliers never mention Apple.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).

A Colourful iPhone Joins A Small Superstar

Let’s start with Apple’s two new iPhone moves. I’ll gloss over the “iPhone now available in green” because that pretty much covers that base, and look at the iPhone SE 5G. The third-generation of Apple’s entry point into iOS and Apple services, the SE continues to use the design language introduced by the iPhone 6 in 2014.

Apple has bumped up the price of the lowest model with the 64 GB at $429. The single lens camera remains, as does TouchID for biometric recognition. The biggest update though is in the chipset, with the iPhone SE sporting the same A15 chip as the iPhone 13, which brings with it more software capabilities, especially in imaging:

“The SE sticks with just one 12-megapixel f/1.8 camera on the rear panel, but it gains some software-based photography improvements, thanks to the newer processor. Deep Fusion and HDR 4 are now included, which offer better handling of high-contrast scenes and noise reduction, and they are both included on the iPhone 13.”

(The Verge).

iPad Air Challenges MacBook Air

The chipset choice is also one of the headline features of the new iPad Air. With the iPad Pro already sporting the same M1 chip as the MacBook Air and entry-level MacBook Pro, many were wondering if the Air would stay on the Mxx series of the iPhone, or move to the Mxx series of the Mac. It’s the latter, no doubt blurring the lines between the MacBook and the iPad/Keboard combination:

“The iPad Air comes in both 64GB and 256GB configurations, and there will be Wi-Fi and cellular models available. iPad engineering program manager Angelina Kyazike said the new iPad Air will have the M1 chip, which is already in the iPad Pro . Kyazike said the design delivers up to 60% faster performance over the A14 in the previous generations of iPad Air .”

(ZDNet).

The Not So mini Mac, Mac Studio

Everyone waiting for a new MacBook Pro, you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer for the next macOS laptop. Instead, Apple offered up the Mac Studio. Styled similarly to a mac Mini, albeit much taller, the Mac Studio comes with the latest suffix to the M1 chipset and is designed to give creatives even more power on tap. This M1 Ultra is effectively two M1 Max chips working as a single unit, offering 16 high-performance CPU cores, four efficient cores, and a 64-core integrated GPU.

“The more powerful chips allow the Studio to offer a dramatically upgraded array of ports, compared to the M1 Mac mini. On the back, you get four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 10GB Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, HDMI, and a headphone jack. Those ports allow it to drive up to four of Apple’s 6K ProDisplay XDR screens at once, plus a 4K screen using the HDM”

(Ars Technica).

Something New To Look At

Also on show at the launch event was a new monitor. The Apple Studio Display picks up a wide angle webcam, a multiple microphone array, and six speakers. The price is significantly cheaper than the only Apple Monitor available last week, the Pro Display XDR at $4,999.

“The company bills the new monitor, which starts at $1,599 (£1,499, AU$2,499), as part of what it calls the “Ultimate Studio Experience.” The aluminum design is almost all screen, with narrow borders; it can tilt 30 degrees, and there’s an optional $400 stand that lets you adjust height. The monitor has 5K resolution (14.7 million pixels) and can reach up to 600 nits in brightness, Apple says. A premium nanotexture glass option, said to further reduce glare, adds $300 to the price tag.”

(CNet).

The Ugly Notch Replacement Will Be Everywhere

Apple’s plan to remove the notch and replace it with a dual pill-shaped cutout next to a round selfie camera punch out is expected on the high-end iPhone 14 models. But it’s not going to stop there. Apple’s inelegant solution is going to come to every iPhone in 2023:

“Yes, there is no escaping Apple’s polarizing design decision, which manages to both follow the trend set by Android handsets for several years yet also look worse. The good news is [industry analyst Ross] Young does state Apple will try and reduce the size of the new cutouts in the 2023 models while also working on more discrete options.”

(Forbes).

Chrome vs Safari Has A New Winner

Google is rather proud of a small win over Apple this week, as the macOS version of its popular Google Chrome web browser has overhauled Safari in Apple’s own speedometer browser benchmarked, marking it out as the fastest web browser:

“Version 100 of Google Chrome will launch within the next few weeks, but even after all of this time, there’s still some room for speeding up the browser. As Google announced today, version 99 of Chrome on macOS manages to score 300 points on the Speedometer benchmark, which was originally developed by Apple’s WebKit team. This, Google points out, is the fastest performance of any browser yet.”

(TechCrunch).

And Finally…

Why do Apple’s suppliers rarely mention Apple in any of their reports? Yang Jie has been on the hunt, and while phrases such as “the fruit company”, “the three-trillion-dollar company”, or “the honored North American customer” are dominante, the phrase “Apple” is curiously absent:

“In contrast to Lord Voldemort of the Harry Potter series, the Client Who Must Not Be Named doesn’t cast deadly spells or converse with serpents. Its powers, nonetheless, are fearsome. It can award—or take away—contracts for electronic parts and services worth hundreds of millions of dollars. That is why suppliers’ public presentations and even private conversations hardly ever include the name of the company they’re discussing, for fear of offending someone or accidentally revealing competitive information.”

And the kicker?

“A spokeswoman for Apple Inc. declined to comment.”

(Wall Street Journal).

Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here, or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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