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Newly discovered Wi-Fi vulnerabilities affect most devices, but risk is small

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A security researcher with a solid track record in discovering Wi-Fi vulnerabilities has discovered new ones, some of which are part of the core security protocols of the Wi-Fi standard, so are present in virtually every device from 1997 onwards.

The flaws could be exploited to steal sensitive data, control smart home devices, and even take over some computers. There are, however, two pieces of good news. First, the real-life risks for ordinary users are very small. Second, it’s easy to protect yourself against even these small risks …

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Apple and others want extra Wi-Fi band, for use by AR goggles & more

Extra Wi-Fi band needed for devices like AR/VR goggles, says Apple and others

Apple and other tech giants are calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make available an extra Wi-Fi band, arguing that it is needed for new technology categories like mobile AR and VR goggles.

The FCC last year provisionally approved the use of the 6GHz band for so-called unlicensed use, which would mean it could join 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands in being used for Wi-Fi. But there has been pushback from the cellular industry and others …


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How-To: Understand the Wireless Diagnostics app on your Mac to analyze and improve your Wi-Fi network

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Apple ships a little-known utility app that helps you analyze and diagnose your Wi-Fi connection, called Wireless Diagnostics. Open the app by option-clicking on the Wi-Fi indicator in the menu bar and select ‘Open Wireless Diagnostics …’. Although the app contains a lot of useful information, it isn’t intuitively clear what you are supposed to do with it.

Frustrated by bad WiFi on Mac OS X? This guide may help you get better WiFi on your computer.


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9to5Toys Last Call: 12.9-inch iPad Pro 32GB $650, Adonit Jot Pro Stylus $22, more

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

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SanDisk’s new iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone & iPad sports a fresh design and speed boost

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/723251827345637378 align=’center’]

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Mpow Apple MFI Certified 3100mAh Power for iPhone 6/s $10 w/ code JPRA8LHY (Reg. $26) | Amazon

Mpow Apple MFI Certified 2400mAh Power for iPhone 5/s/SE  $10 w/ code JPRA8LHY (Reg. $26) | Amazon

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Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 32GB Wi-Fi in all colors: $650 shipped (Reg. $799)

Apple iPad Air 16GB Wi-Fi in Space Gray or Silver $249 shipped (Orig. $399)

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Adonit Jot Pro Fine Point Stylus for iPad, iPhone & Android devices: $22 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)

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JayBird X2 Sport Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds in multiple colors: $100 w/ in-store pickup (Reg. $130), more

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Readdle’s Calendars 5 for iOS goes free for the first time in years (Reg. up to $7)

App Store Free App of the Week: Space Marshals goes free for the very first time ($5 value)

Upgrade Your Mac with 3 Great Apps: Scapple $9 (Orig. $15), STAMP Premium $5 (Orig. $10), Ghostnote $7 (Orig. $10)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

New MacBooks

The best accessories for Apple’s 12-inch MacBook: USB-C cables, hubs, flash storage, more

Apple drops the price on refurbished 12-inch MacBooks, now start at $929 shipped

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Review: Are these third-party $11 Apple Watch Sport bands any good? Turns out, they aren’t too bad.

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

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Save $10/month by owning your cable modem: NETGEAR DOCSIS 3.0 $47 (Reg. $60), more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

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Audio-Technica ATH-M40X Over-Ear Headphones + FiiO E6 Amp: $82 shipped ($105 value), more

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Smartphone Accessories: Pad & Quill Timber Catchall Stand for Apple Watch in cherry wood finish $64 (Reg. $99), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

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Edelkrone wants to replace your tripod with its slick new camera stand

Apple may need to find new WiFi chip supplier as Broadcom reportedly scales back production

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Apple may be left needing to find a new supplier of WiFi chips if a Digitimes report is accurate. The report claims that Broadcom is scaling back its WiFi chip production in favor of more profitable products.

As is often the case with Digitimes reports, the report is unclear, the opening stating that Broadcom is ‘looking to phase out its WiFi chip business’ while a quote ascribed to unnamed sources says instead that it plans to ‘significantly reduce resources allocated to its Wi-Fi chip business.’

Either way, though, Apple may need to find additional or replacement suppliers as it relies on the company’s chips across almost its entire product range. It’s reported that competitors MediaTek, Realtek Semiconductor and RDA Microelectronics have all received last-minute orders from Broadcom customers. It’s not known whether this includes Apple.

Photo: Broadcom WiFi Airport Card for Retina MacBook Pro (Aliexpress)

iOS 9 code suggests iPhone 7 could experiment with Li-Fi tech, likely confirms headphone jack going away

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My cheap headphone jack-less iPhone mockup

It’s been widely reported that the iPhone 7 is destined to ditch the dated headphone jack in favor of wireless audio solutions and a Lightning adapter for wired headphones and speakers, and now internal iOS software code seems to all but confirm the rumor. Jailbreaker @kyoufujibaya claims to have discovered a reference to ‘Headphones.have.%sinput.NO.’ within the latest iOS 9.3 beta 1.1 software release, which would appear to be related to the transition from 3.5 mm headphones to alternative solutions on iPhones. The same jailbreaker also has another interesting discovery based on the iPhone’s codebase …


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Teenager blames Wi-Fi Assist for $2,000 bill as he racks up 144GB of data on his iPhone plan

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One person who definitely didn’t read our PSA on Wi-Fi Assist last September is San Francisco teenager Ashton Finegold. CBS News says that he is blaming the feature on a mobile phone bill for $2,021.07 as he racked up 144GB of data.

It turns out Ashton Finegold’s bedroom is one such place with a weak [Wi-Fi] signal. So while he thought he was still connected to his home Wi-Fi while surfing the web in his room, his iPhone was eating up more than 144,000 MB of data.

The piece notes that Finegold did receive a text message warning from his carrier, which he ignored …

Wi-Fi Assist is an iOS 9 feature that automatically uses mobile data when you have a poor Wi-Fi connection. By default, it is switched on – leading to a $5M class action suit against Apple. Apple issued a support document explaining exactly how the feature works in October of last year.

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Poll: What features do you want to see in the next-generation Apple Watch 2?

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If Apple only includes one new standout feature on its second-generation Apple Watch next year, what should it be? We already asked you if you’re still wearing your Apple Watch eight months after the device’s launch, and now we want to know what features will get you to upgrade or purchase Apple’s upcoming next-gen smartwatch.


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Apple facing second (unrelated) lawsuit over excess data usage, this one for iPhone 5/5s

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Apple is already facing one class action lawsuit alleging that customers were unknowingly using up substantial amounts of mobile data, and it now faces a second.

The issue at stake in this new suit is that the iPhone 5/5s could silently switch from Wi-Fi to LTE under some circumstances, resulting in mobile data usage even when the phone was on Wi-Fi. This was fixed for Verizon users back in September 2012, but law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP claims that Apple didn’t fix it for AT&T users until more than two years later.

According to the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose, Apple knew about the defect “almost immediately,” yet failed to fix it for AT&T wireless subscribers for years, and did not even disclose the defect. The defect affected all versions of iOS 6 and 7 and was only resolved with the release of iOS 8.1 in October 2014.


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Apple plans to start selling the iPad Pro on November 11th

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Apple plans to start selling the 12.9-inch iPad Pro on Wednesday, November 11th via both its physical retail and online stores, according to multiple sources. Apple previously only said that the large tablet would become available during the month of November, a couple of months after the introduction in early September. The iPad Pro’s marquee accessories, the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, will also become available for purchase on November 11th. The iPad Pro starts at $799 and comes in both 32GB and 128GB configurations with WiFi only. An LTE-compatible version comes exclusively in the 128GB configuration and costs upwards of $1000. We reported earlier this week that Apple’s support staff is scheduled to complete iPad Pro training by November 6th, less than a week prior to the launch.


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