Ben Lovejoy

AirPods demand is reportedly falling in the face of increased competition from other brands. A supply-chain report says that Apple is ordering suppliers to cut production by somewhere in the 25-30% range.

It says Apple is currently sitting on excess inventory in warehouses …

The Cellebrite Physical Analyzer – the most intrusive phone-cracking tool offered by the company – no longer supports the direct extraction of iPhone data, according to a document shared with us. This follows the discovery and exploitation of a vulnerability by secure messaging app Signal.

Signal discovered multiple security vulnerabilities in Cellebrite’s software, and was able to find a way to booby-trap iPhones to corrupt the results of a scan using Physical Analyzer …

Ad industry execs are accusing Apple of applying different privacy rules to itself, giving Apple ad sales an unfair advantage over third-party ad networks. The accusation could add yet another angle for antitrust investigations into the company.

iOS 14.5 means that users now get the option of opting out of ad tracking, which makes it impossible to serve personalized ads to them. That matters because app developers can charge more for targeted ads. But Apple can still serve personalized ads even if iPhone users choose to block all app tracking…

iOS 14.5 finally landed yesterday after what seemed like a never-ending series of betas, bringing with it the option of blocking app tracking. Well, for most people, anyway.

We explained earlier what the two options mean …

Tomorrow will reveal AAPL Q2 2021 earnings for Apple’s fiscal Q2/calendar Q1. Apple is known to have continued to benefit from the continued boost in spending on technology during the pandemic, and analysts are expecting big things.

The consensus view among analysts is for year-on-year revenue growth of anywhere from 32.2% to 36.8%, which would see last year’s $58.31B dwarfed by anywhere from $77.10B to $79.77B this year …

US military movements in Syria were revealed by location info available for purchase from smartphone apps, says a new report today. This included enough information to identify the location of an undeclared US military base in the country.

The sensitive location information was harvested from weather, games, and dating apps on the phones of US soldiers, and appears to include special ops personnel …

Subscribers in Europe are today being notified of a Spotify price rise. For UK users, the increase is either £1 or £2 per month, depending on the subscription type. Elsewhere in Europe, it ranges from €1 to €3.

The news coincides with the announcement of a new Spotify music player embedded into the iOS and Android Facebook app …

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy, expected to come into force shortly, has led to an antitrust complaint in Germany from some of the largest media, tech, and ad companies in the country. It follows a similar complaint in France last month.

The companies behind the complaint say that app developers could see their ad revenue fall by 60%, and also claim that consumers will pay more for apps …

If you want a shiny new M1-powered 24-inch iMac, but would prefer back bezels – or even to have a completely black iMac – dbrand has you covered.

I said last week that Apple’s decision to go with white bezels on the colorful new iMacs had left me bemused, and it seems the majority of 9to5Mac readers agree …

A sketchy report today says that the rumored Apple headset with combined AR-VR capabilities has fallen behind schedule. The report says supply-chain partners expected the device to move into a second phase of prototype testing last quarter, but this didn’t happen.

However, it’s unclear that much weight should be given to the claim …

An AirDrop flaw means that doing nothing more than opening an iOS or macOS sharing pane within Wi-Fi range of a stranger can enable them to see your phone number and email address. You do not have to initiate an AirDrop transfer to be at risk.

The security researchers who discovered the vulnerability say that they disclosed it to Apple way back in May 2019, but the company still hasn’t provided a fix to the 1.5 billion affected devices …

I’m going to be ordering AirTags, as they are looking like the best implementation yet of a small tracking device to keep tabs on our possessions. I will, though, likely go easy on the accessories: I think I’m going to be using velcro tape as my primary means of attaching them.

But, as nice as they appear to be, AirTags are, in my opinion, actually the least-exciting part of this new Find My approach…

After a great many rumors, we finally got to see Apple’s 2021 iMac design this week – the first redesign of the iconic machine in more than a decade.

There are things to like about it, of course. Looking like a huge iPad is cute. The colors are fun. Better display, better speakers, better mics, better camera. But there are also two things I hate about it, and I really can’t understand Apple’s thinking on either …

Secure messaging company Signal has successfully used an iPhone SE to hack Cellebrite‘s phone-cracking software. The company says that anyone could place a file on their iPhone that effectively renders useless any data extraction performed on the phone, and that it will be doing this for Signal users.

Signal says that the file could also compromise all past and future reports generated from the Cellebrite Windows app …

Netatmo HomeKit Secure Video (HSV) support is now arriving for the company’s Smart Outdoor Cameras, following an update back in February for the Smart Indoor Cameras. The camera is designed to replace an existing outdoor light fitting, and is available with or without a siren.

As promised, existing Outdoor Cameras will get the update within the next few days …

This year’s Apple Earth Day initiatives have been announced, alongside the company reminding us of its more recent actions and commitments on the environmental front.

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22, encouraging people to express their commitment to the environment through learning, volunteering, and charitable donations – and Apple always plays its own role in promoting the day …

We’ve known since 2019 that AirTag was coming, but there was still one big surprise yesterday: AirTag pricing.

With the Tile Pro coming in at over $30, pretty much everyone assumed that the combination of added smarts and Apple branding would see AirTag come in at a significantly higher price, likely in the order of $50 …

TikTok is illegally collecting data from children, according to a legal case made by the former children’s commissioner for England. She says the company is breaching privacy laws.

Anne Longfield has filed a claim on behalf of “millions of children,” and is seeking to force TikTok to delete personal data as well as pay “billions” in compensation …

AliveCor is accusing Apple of three counts of ECG patent infringement in the Apple Watch, and is seeking to block the importation of all Apple Watches into the US.

The company – which bills itself as “the global leader in FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology and services” – has also accused Apple of trying to eliminate the company as a competitor …

If the combined price of the new iPad Pro models and Apple’s Magic Keyboard has your eyes watering, the Logitech Combo Touch might be an option worth considering if you’re prepared to wait a little while.

The version for the 11-inch model costs $199.99, compared to $299 for Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro …