apple

Security glitch exposes OS X account passwords

Apple has confirmed a security glitch that, in many situations, will let someone with physical access to a Macintosh computer gain access to the password of the active user account.

The vulnerability arises out of a programming error that stores the account password in the computer's memory long after it's needed, meaning it can be retrieved and used to log into the computer and impersonate the user.

"This is a real problem and it needs to be fixed," said Jacob Appelbaum, a San Francisco-area programmer who discovered the vulnerability and reported it to Apple. He said … Read more

As the iPhone evolves, some reflections on the Newton

Today is the tenth anniversary of the official death of Apple's Newton, the world's first PDA (personal digital assistant). There were pocket computers before the Newton, but the Newton was the first device to target PDA functionality so specifically.

The original Newton MessagePad was not a very practical product. Its handwriting recognition was inadequate, its processor was too slow, its local storage was too small. But the ultimate Newton, the MessagePad 2100, was glorious. It was powerful, reliable, easy to use, and surprisingly expandable with third-party hardware and software.

I used a MessagePad 2100 from 1997 to 2004, … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 669: Wikileaks got a gun

EPISODE 669

Comcast hits the snooze button http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9879848-7.html

FCC may do-over Comcast Net Neutrality hearing due to presence of paid Comcastards http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/27/fcc-may-doover-comca.html

EU slaps Microsoft with $1.35 billion fine http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9880256-7.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7266629.stm http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080226-heavy-fine-looms-in-ongoing-microsofteu-tussle.html

Wikileaks gets legal help after domain name deletion http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9880958-38.html

Google disaster: Comscore reports awful January http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/2/2008/2/google_disaster__comscore_reports_awful_january

Apple planning iPhone SDK … Read more

Apple: It's business, it's business time

Apple is finally getting ready for the iPhone to mean business.

In its first eight months, the iPhone has been mostly a consumer phenomenon in the U.S. Apple has pitched the device by showing off its iPod capabilities, or how to search the Web for restaurant reservations and car prices, or update your status on Facebook. But next week Apple plans to show off some "exciting new enterprise" features for the iPhone, which will presumably make it easier for those of us who can't push the CIO around to use our iPhones as tools for work.… Read more

Wagering on when iTunes will top Wal-Mart in music sales

Hey techies, don't bother putting money down on whether the Celtics are the future NBA champions. Not when you can place a bet on Steve Jobs.

A gaming company called Bodog is taking wagers on when Apple's iTunes Store will surpass Wal-Mart as the top U.S. music retailer.

CNET News.com reported on Tuesday that research firm NPD Group is predicting that Apple will emerge as the largest U.S. music retailer sometime in 2008. NPD also reported that Apple has recently leapfrogged over Best Buy and Target in music sales.

It should be noted that neither … Read more

Apple planning iPhone SDK event March 6

Apple distributed invitations Wednesday morning for "an iPhone software road map" event next week, which means we're finally going to hear details on the plans for an iPhone software development kit.

As you might be aware, next week is March, not February, which means Apple will have missed its deadline for shipping the SDK this month. Still, on Thursday, March 6, at 10 a.m. PST the company will hold a "town hall" meeting at its headquarters in Cupertino to discuss the State of the iPhone, and probably answer several questions about how iPhone application … Read more

When will iTunes replace Wal-Mart as No. 1 music retailer?

Apple's iTunes will likely whip past Wal-Mart Stores to become the largest U.S. music retailer sometime this year.

The NPD Group issued a report Tuesday that said Apple had outpaced Best Buy and Target to become the No. 2 U.S. music retailer. Unless the downward trend in CD sales suddenly reverses, Apple will be No. 1, said Russ Crupnick, the NPD Group's president of Music.

"Digital sales were up close to 50 percent and CD sales were down 20 percent last year," Crupnick said. "Even at half that growth rate in digital sales, … Read more

New MacBook Pro takes a dive on battery life? Well, no

Some conflicting accounts coming out of the Web-o-sphere on Tuesday about Apple's revamped MacBook Pro laptops. At the heart of the controversy are reports that the new 15- and 17-inch Pro models have taken a nosedive on battery life, despite the inclusion of allegedly power-saving Intel Penryn processors.

Both Ars Technica and Gizmodo pointed out that Apple's own numbers on how long the battery should last in a 17-inch MacBook Pro have changed with the new models--going from more than 5 hours to only 4.5 hours.

There are actually a couple of different things going on here, … Read more

Apple agonistes

Browsing the headlines on Yahoo Finance this morning was enough to make anyone briefly consider jumping out the window. To wit:

Job worries sink consumer confidence S&P: U.S. home prices down sharply U.S. home foreclosures soar in January Harsh light shines on iPhone, iPod sales

So here's the multiple choice test: Which headline does not fit with the rest? If you chose letter "D" you win a dream date with my colleague Michael Kanellos (No worries: Kanellos is off reporting on start-ups in Ireland this week, and so you'… Read more

Has Apple found the magic Touch?

Apple is betting that the iPhone's breakthrough in the way we interact with mobile phones will transfer over to notebooks.

The new MacBook Pros and MacBooks introduced Tuesday aren't all that much different from the ones that were on sale yesterday. Sure, they've got Intel's new Penryn chips, and more potent configurations, but for the most part, it's the same laptop. That is, with one notable exception.

Apple brought the gesture-recognition technology first introduced on the MacBook Air over to the new MacBook Pro systems, which will likely ship in much larger volumes than the … Read more