Ben Lovejoy

This week has seen three iPhone 15 cable rumors, which serve to underline the mess around USB-C cables in general. While that’s not a mess of Apple’s making, it is one the company could and should solve for its own customers.

The first of the three rumors appeared to be good news. It suggested that the charging cable included in the iPhone 15 box might be longer than usual and perhaps also more durable…

Update: In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said:

“The App Store was designed to be a safe and trusted place for users to download apps, and the goals of the DSA align with Apple’s goals to protect consumers from illegal and harmful content. We are working to implement the requirements of the DSA with user privacy and security as our continued North Star.”

We learned back in April that Apple was one of 19 companies that would be subject to the Digital Services Act. The law comes into force today, and it’s not clear whether or not the iPhone maker is complying.

Indeed, many are saying that this is the big problem with the act: There’s a lot of subjectivity involved in determining whether a company is breaking the law, making enforcement tricky …

A few years ago, the idea of Apple backing right to repair legislation would have been almost unimaginable – even if the company’s co-founder did urge it to do so.

The company has spent literally years fighting it, spending money to lobby against it at both state and federal level, either trying to block it altogether or – if it couldn’t manage that – to weaken the legislation as much as possible …

Everyone in the tech industry facepalms almost every time legislators try to pontificate on technology, but the British government appears to be trying to set a new record. After putting iMessage and FaceTime at risk, the government is now suggesting that it might ban some Apple security updates.

Under the latest plans, tech companies would need to notify the British government before rolling out a security fix but might be refused permission if it blocks a vulnerability that’s being exploited by security services…

Apple has been granted a patent for an intriguing Vision Pro accessory, which is at one point referred to as a digital “stone.”

The description of the device is intentionally vague, as Apple wants to cover all potential uses, but it appears that the company sees it as a way to allow augmented or virtual reality objects to persist even after a Vision Pro session has ended …

Apple has voraciously denied accusations that the App Store has monopolistic control over iPhone apps, yet the company’s ability to unilaterally close developer accounts without explanation forms a textbook antitrust case.

One small games developer had its Apple Developer Program (ADP) account terminated without explanation, was unable to appeal as it hadn’t been told what accusations it needed to address, took Apple to court – and then had its account reinstated after five months of lost sales, still without explanation or apology …

Vision Pro may only have been announced this year, and go on sale in 2024, but we’ve known for many years that the company was working on a product of this kind. What we didn’t know was quite how many years.

A newly-published patent reveals the answer to that question – at least since 2007, the year that the original iPhone launched …

In what appears to be a new feature in the latest iOS beta, Siri explains Conversation Awareness the first time it is activated.

Without the message, people might be confused as to why the volume has suddenly reduced itself on their Airpods Pro 2 …

If you’re waiting impatiently for the first folding iPhone, Samsung has you covered. In an attempt to sell iPhone owners on the benefits of a folding phone, the company has created a demo that lets you use two iPhones to experience a simulation of the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

The app lets you simulate both a single display stretched across two screens, and drag-and-drop multitasking between different apps on different screens (well, phones) …

If your commitment to fashion runs as far as color-coordinated Apple Watch faces to match your band or outfit, a future Watch may be able to automate the process.

A newly granted Apple patent describes how a future model could have a sensor embedded beneath the display, which can detect the color or a band or item of clothing, and then adjust the Watch face to match …

The WSJ yesterday reported that a version of Threads for web would launch this week, and this has now been confirmed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

In a post whose humor is matched only by the quality of the photography, Zuckerberg said that the web version would roll out over the next few days …

Meta has announced that European users can now opt out of algorithmic feeds on Instagram and Facebook, in order to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

However, the company is not extending the same choice to app users in the US or anywhere else outside Europe …

Previous reports of iPhone 15 price rises are being echoed in a new supply chain report. As with earlier rumors, this one again suggests that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models will cost $100 to $200 more than the iPhone 14 equivalents.

We would offer the same cautions as we did with the previous reports, however …

Tap to Pay on iPhone has now rolled out to the Netherlands, after first launching in the US, and later expanding into Taiwan, Australia, and the UK.

The service allows small businesses to dispense with separate card readers, and simply use their iPhone as an all-in-one contactless payment terminal …

9to5Mac sources are corroborating an unlikely-sounding claim: that there will be no official Apple leather cases for this year’s iPhone 15 lineup.

It’s unclear what the reason for this might be, though the most likely explanation would be that the company plans to introduce a new premium case material this year intended to take the place of leather …

If you’re planning on an upgrade next month, it may be worth holding out to see what deals can be found from mobile carriers: A Bloomberg report suggests that they will be offering “aggressive” iPhone 15 discounts.

The predicted move is expected as they seek to address disappointing smartphone demand in the US, amid a global smartphone recession expected to be the worst in a decade …

The US government is proposing to clamp down on data brokers who sell sensitive personal data, such as income, payment history, and health conditions.

Two government agencies have now put forward proposals for regulations to place limits on what is currently the privacy equivalent of the Wild West …