iPad

iOS background monitoring exploit

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The FireEye blog announced an iOS proof of concept that was able to run in the background and record a user’s actions:

We have created a proof-of-concept “monitoring” app on non-jailbroken iOS 7.0.x devices. This “monitoring” app can record all the user touch/press events in the background, including, touches on the screen, home button press, volume button press and TouchID press, and then this app can send all user events to any remote server, as shown in Fig.1. Potential attackers can use such information to reconstruct every character the victim inputs.

Apple releases security patch via iOS 7.0.6

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This is a security patch for an SSL verification bug. There are three different patches, one for iPhone 4, iPod touch (5th gen) and iPad 2 and later, one for Apple TV, and one for earlier devices. Links in the post.

Lumo Lift: iOS tech that helps your posture

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Another example of the evolution of mobile tech and its interaction with the human body. The Lomo Lift catches you slouching, buzzes to let you know, communicates all this to your iOS device.

Interesting, though not surprising, that this is available for iOS devices at launch, with a promise of Android support in the future.

iPhone, iPad dominate enterprise; iPhone earned 87.4% of global handset profits

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Enterprise mobile services vendor Good Technology reported that Apple’s iPad accounted for more than 91 percent of enterprise tablet deployments, while iPhone represented 54 percent of smartphones activated by the more than 2,000 companies using its services in the fourth quarter, giving iOS an overall 73 percent share of mobile devices in the enterprise.

iPhone earned 87.4% of global handset profits:

Despite efforts seeking to portray Apple as having experienced a disappointing winter quarter, the reality is that Apple brutally dominated the slowing global handset market, syphoning off 87.4 percent of the industry’s global profits.

That’s domination.

Flappy Bird no longer available on the App Store

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Yesterday, we posted about developer Dong Nguyen’s intent to take the wildly successful app Flappy Bird down from the App Store, tweeting:

I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore.

Seems Nguyen followed through on his promise. Flappy Bird is gone.

Tim Cook’s WSJ interview

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I really enjoyed Tim’s interview. What I took from the interview is that Apple still cares about the things it always cared about: Design, building great products, and being the best. I’m glad to see that hasn’t changed. Here are a couple of points I picked out:

There will be new categories and we’re working on some great stuff. We’re not ready to talk about it. We’re really working on some really great stuff. I think no one reasonable would say they’re not a new category.

That seems like a warning that some analysts might consider the new products as being in an existing product category. If that’s the case, I have to think Apple would innovate that existing category similar to what it did with the iPod and iPhone.

We’re still spending an enormous amount on really great talent and people on the Macs of the future.

That’s great to hear. iPad is an amazing product, but not everyone is ready to make that jump yet.

But what we’re not going to do is we’re not going to make junk. We’re not going to put Apple’s brand on something someone else designed.

This is key for Apple. They aren’t worried about throwing out as many products as they can into the market, but rather making the best products and releasing them when they are ready.

Clarity

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When I look at Apple software and hardware, I’m amazed with the simplicity of what sits before me. It’s not simplicity that makes you wonder what to do with it and it’s not simple for the sake of being simple. It immediately makes sense. That sense of wonder is replaced by a need to touch it and interact with it. […]

Apple pledges $100 million to Obama’s ConnectED

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Claiming progress in his campaign to get American schools wired for the future, President Barack Obama is announcing commitments from U.S. companies totaling about $750 million to connect more students to high-speed Internet.

Apple is pledging $100 million in iPads, computers and other tools. AT&T and Sprint are contributing free Internet service through their wireless networks. Verizon is pitching in up to $100 million in cash and in-kind contributions. And Microsoft is making Windows available at discounted prices and offering 12 million free copies of Microsoft Office software.

The making of Apple’s 1.24.14 film

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This is a behind the scenes video that tells the story of the making of Apple’s beautiful film, a film celebrating 30 years of Macintosh and 30 years of people doing amazing things with Apple technology.

Paper the app vs Facebook Paper

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A company named FiftyThree makes an iPad sketching app called Paper. Imagine their surprise last week when Facebook announced their new app, Paper.

Padcaster video accessories frame for iPad

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Yesterday, I mentioned Sony’s new tablet mount for their QX series of lens-based cameras. Loop reader Pat Fauquet pointed me to another, related product, the Padcaster.

The Padcaster has been around for a while now. It’s a frame for your iPad designed to hold accessories, like video lights, microphones, video lenses, and audio interfaces. Most importantly, it allows your iPad to be mounted on a video tripod, giving you everything you need to use your iPad for video production.

The Mac, the iPad and the future

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The Mac has played an important role in paving the way for computing in many areas. I believe the iPad is playing an equally important role in the future of computing. It is interesting to think that in the future we may be celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the iPad while some manifestation of the product is still in the hands of many.

I think that’s exactly where we are.

iPhone 5s users consuming significantly more data than their predecessors

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Users of flagship smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone 5s and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 are continuing to suck down more data than their tablet-wielding counterparts, according to a large-scale survey of mobile data consumption in 2013 conducted by JDSU (which last year bought mobile data analytics company Arieso, the company that previously ran the annual survey).

Is there something about the evolution of the architecture of mobile phones that makes later models consume more data? Is there a correlation to the adoption rate of the most recent OS rev? In other words, the latest model of a phone enables faster transmission speeds and typically runs the latest OS. Or is there something more complex at work here?

Los Angeles school district finalizes $115M for iPads

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Really happy this went through. The proposal for rolling out 67,500 new iPads to Los Angeles schools was laid out in July, 2013. After 6 months of in-fighting, the proposal was adopted, with a compromise on the number of iPads.

In voting for the $115 million proposal, the board sided with schools Superintendent John Deasy, who has championed the iPad effort since its inception in July 2013. An oversight panel advised against the large tablet buy, recommending 38,500 units would be more than enough for the district’s purposes. School staff requested 67,500 iPads, but the final number will be somewhere in between, the board said.

Gaming the App Store with $999 app pricing

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This seems too crazy to be true.

It all begins with an otherwise unremarkable app suddenly skyrocketing in price, oftentimes all the way to the App Store’s limit of $999.99. The developer, or whoever is orchestrating the scam, wires a massive amount of money — Grachov used $10,000 as an example — to a second party. That individual then purchases 10 copies of the app, exhausting the available funds and indirectly paying $7,000 of the original deposit back to the developer. Apple takes their 30% as usual.

Mini-wireless electric guitar connects with Mac and iPad

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About the size of a miniature ukulele, the Jivix JamStik features real strings that can be pressed, strummed, and bent, as well as piezo and infrared sensors so the Jamstik can be used as a MIDI controller. There’s even a GuitarHero-like tutorial to help you learn.

iOS 7 now installed on 78% of active Apple devices

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Last Friday, we posted a link to a graphic that detailed the process HTC goes through to vet new versions of Android. The multi-company hoops that need leaping, as well as the incredible number of devices that need to be tested, are both barriers to adoption of new Android revs and contributors to fragmentation.

Apple has announced their latest adoption rates for iOS 7. 78% is a huge number.

Discounted and free Mac and iOS apps for the holidays

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Interesting side effect when Apple shuts down iTunes Connect for the holidays: Apps that are discounted as of today (December 21) stay that same price until iTunes Connect reopens on December 28th. Follow the headline link for a good list of discounted apps. Head over to AppShopper.com for more. Be sure to click the “Price Drops” tab.

Banks used iPads in the Greek bailout in 2012

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Charles Arthur talking about how people and businesses are replacing computers with iPads. And then there’s this little nugget:

For instance, the 2012 Greek bailout – the biggest in history, requiring the renegotiation of €146bn of bonds among 135 principal bond owners in just 30 days – was completed using iPads. A specialised visualisation app (written by a British company, Bondholder Communications Group) ran on the encrypted, 3G-connected tablets that banks were happy to allow on their premises – something they’d never have agreed to for Windows laptops, because of security fears about viruses. Because the iPads could be updated in real time, used while on the move, didn’t constantly need charging and the progress could be shown visually, the deal was done.

I wonder how the critics find bad news in that one.