You need to update your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch right now

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Apple’s recently-released iPhone and iPad update doesn’t just fix a privacy bug, but patch two significant security issues which the Cupertino firm says may have already been exploited in the wild. The company’s advice is that users update to iOS 14.5.1 and iPadOS 14.5.1 as soon as possible, in addition to Macs and Apple Watches, so as to protect their devices from the potential hack.

Released earlier this week, iOS 14.5.1 came hot on the heels of iOS 14.5’s debut late in April 2021. At the time, Apple highlighted its inclusion of a fix for the App Tracking Transparency settings.

iPhone and iPad users should have been able to set the system to request permission for personal data sharing on a per-app basis. However, some people discovered that the option to do that was in fact grayed-out, and they couldn’t enable it. iOS 14.5.1 and iPadOS 14.5.1 fixed that problem.

However, as part of the bug fixes and security patches that are commonplace in each iOS and iPadOS update, Apple also addressed something much more serious. Two vulnerabilities impacting WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari on iPhone and iPad, and which can be used to display browser content in third-party apps, had been reported. iOS 14.5.1 contained the fixes.

Details on both vulnerabilities are scant. “Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution,” Apple says of each in its security disclosure for the new update. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.”

As for what has been changed to address them, that too is fairly barebones in terms of detail. “A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management,” Apple says of one flaw. “An integer overflow was addressed with improved input validation,” it adds regarding the second.

Patches for security issues reported to Apple are, as with just about every software developer, commonplace. What’s rarer is to find one which has been actively exploited, as Apple says it believes these have been. That makes it all the more important that people not delay in updating their iPhones,…

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Ordering Apple’s New iPad Pro? It’s Safe to Expect Delays

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Apple’s new iPad Pro models that come equipped with its M1 chip are already seeing delays in delivery times.

The new iPad Pro officially became available to order today, and the company had previously said that it would start shipping in the second half of May. That timeframe is still featured prominently on the product’s landing page. But as 9to5Mac reported, deliveries of the 12.9-inch model—the larger of the two—are already being pushed back as far as early July.

When Gizmodo attempted to order a Space Gray 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 1TB storage and wifi compatibility, Apple estimated that the item would be delivered between June 24 and July 8. It doesn’t appear to be the same for all models, however. The same model with 2TB storage selected was estimated to be delivered between June 2 and June 9. The 11-inch iPad Pro model, however, appears to still be expected to ship in later May across the board.

This was, however, to be expected.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Nikkei Asia reported earlier this month that Apple had been hit by a component shortage that would affect the assembly of some iPads, specifically relating to display parts. Then, Apple chief Tim Cook confirmed in an earnings call this week that issues with Apple’s supply chain would hit the newer Mac and iPad product lines.

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In short, if you want a bunch of storage on the big boy model of the new M1 iPad Pro, you’ll likely have to wait a minute to receive your actual device. Shipments of the smaller of the two newer models, however, appear to be mostly on schedule if display size is less important to you and you need your iPad, like, right now. Otherwise, good luck, bud.

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Apple rolls out new privacy feature for iPhone, iPad

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April 26 (UPI) — Apple rolled out Monday a new iPhone and iPad privacy feature requiring apps to get users’ permission before tracking their data for marketing purposes.

The U.S. technology company based in Cuperinto, Calif., rolled out the privacy tool, called App Tracking Transparency, through its iOS 14.5 software update.

The new privacy tool appears as a pop-up when an iPhone or iPad user opens an app that tracks their activity for marketing purposes, which allows them to opt out of such tracking.

Apps developed for iOS have used an identifier for advertising to target ads since 2012, Vox noted. Apple mobile users were able to limit ad tracking through toggles in the software settings, but the update makes the ability to opt out more apparent.

Earlier this year, Facebook launched a preemptive campaign against the move, saying it would hurt small business who depend on personalized ads to support them especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new iOS 14.5 software update also allows users to unlock iPhone with Apple Watch while wearing a face mask, and includes more diverse Siri voice options, and skin tone options to better represent couples in emoji, Apple also announced.

Apple Maps users in the United States and China can also now report an accident by telling Siri on iPhone or CarPlay, that “There’s a crash up ahead,” or “There’s something on the road,” Apple added.

Some other new iOS 14.5 features included a redesign of Apple Podcasts to include an option to download episodes so they are automatically added to the library for quick access, and Apple Fitness+ updates rolling out to allow users to stream audio and video to AirPlay 2-enabled TVs and devices.

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Apple execs address merging the iPad and Mac, mini-LED, and more in new interview

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Following the announcement of the new M1 iPad Pro and M1 iMac on Tuesday, Apple executives John Ternus and Greg Joswiak have sat down with the Independent for an in-depth interview. The two Apple executives spoke in the interview about Apple’s plans for the iPad and Mac, the new features of the 2021 iPad Pro, and more.

On merging the iPad and Mac

The most notable comments during the interview came from Joswiak, who serves as Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing. When asked about the future of the iPad and Mac, as the lines start to blur in terms of power, Joswiak explained that Apple has no plans to merge the two platforms.

“There’s two conflicting stories people like to tell about the iPad and Mac,” says Joz, as he starts on a clarification that will lead him at one point to apologise for his passion. “On the one hand, people say that they are in conflict with each other. That somebody has to decide whether they want a Mac, or they want an iPad.

“Or people say that we’re merging them into one: that there’s really this grand conspiracy we have, to eliminate the two categories and make them one.

“And the reality is neither is true. We’re quite proud of the fact that we work really, really hard to create the best products in their respective category.”

(Joz, however, is reluctant to name the category he’s talking about: he jokes that he “can’t even stand using” the word, because the “iPad is better than tablets”. “I hate to diminish it by calling it the category name,” he says.)

Ternus, who is Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, echoed Joswiak’s sentiment. He explained that Apple does not look at things with the lens limiting what one device can do in order to note “step on the toes” of another device.

“But we’re just going to keep making them better. And we’re not going to get all caught up in, you know, theories around merging or anything like that.”

“We don’t think about well, we’re going to limit what this device can do because we don’t want to step on the toes of this [other] one or anything like that,” he says. “We’re pushing to make the best Mac we can make;…

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What Will Apple Announce At Tuesday’s Big Event? New iMac, iPad Pro, iOS Predictions

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Apple’s ‘Spring Loaded’ event starts at 10am Pacific this Tuesday, 20th April. The last few years has seen the traditional consumer event in the top half of the year move around a fair amount, let alone the impact that the Coronavirus pandemic brought to not just Apple but the entire consumer electronics industry.

In one sense ‘Spring Loaded’ will be a return to normality for Tim Cook and his team, getting the release schedules back into order. But in another sense the impact of 2020 is going to take more than one keynote to shake out. From chip shortages and disrupted supply lines, to macro changes to the economy and the rise of the work from home movement, the puck has moved to a new location. Is Apple still on target?

‘Spring Loaded’ will be our first indiction. So what can we expect to see?

iPad Pro And iPad Mini

The March event has always been the domain of the iPad family. Given last year’s update to the iPad Pro line was very much an iterative update to keep pace with expectations, Apple is expected to push the boat out a little bit more with this year’s release.

Two big changes to watch out for will be in the screen, and the Apple Pencil. Regarding the latter, the talk around an update to the Apple Pencil lines up with both the artistic sweep of the Apple Logo in the event logo, and the caption of spring forward bringing to mind the idea of a movable nib; as seen in competing products. As for the former, the larger 12.9 inch iPad Pro may be the first iPadOS tablet to use the new Mini LED panel, offering a more vibrant colour range alongside deeper blacks than the current screens.

The iPad Mini is very much due for an update. The 2019 release was the first since 2015 for the diminutive tablet. The screen may be the focus here, not because of the material but the…

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