Year: 2016

Bill Gates sides with FBI on iPhone Request

Dan Uff February 23, 2016 0

Tech industry luminary Bill Gates has suggested that Apple is mischaracterizing its fight against an FBI request to unlock the iPhone of deceased San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.

"It is no different than ... should anybody ever have been able to tell the phone company to get information ... should anybody be able to get at bank records," the Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30)founder said in an interview with the Financial Times. "There's no difference between information."

To read the rest of the CNN/Money report, click here.

How to: Check and see if Apple Services are On or Offline

Dan Uff February 22, 2016 0

Is iCloud down? Is the iTunes store down? If you have an iPhone or use any of Apple's services, I'm sure you've asked that question a few times.

Fortunately, Apple provides a not well known service for its customers to answer that question.

The company offers a service status page. Here's how to get it:

Open any web browser as normal.
Go here: https://www.apple.com/support/systemstatus/
That's it.

"No Apple Music or iTunes for my Music!" – Kanye West

Dan Uff February 17, 2016 0

Rapper Kanye West debuted “his new album, ‘The Life of Pablo,’ exclusively through the Jay Z-owned [Tidal] streaming music service,” Patrick Seitz reports for Investor’s Business Daily. “West also announced that he would not offer the album through Apple.”

“It’s been a busy few days for self-proclaimed genius West. He released his new album on Tidal after performing on ‘Saturday Night Live’ over the weekend,” Seitz reports. “He also announced that he is $53 million in debt and asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for $1 billion. And he got into a new spat with pop star Taylor Swift and proclaimed himself this generation’s Walt Disney.”

“West later took to Twitter to announce that the album would never be on Apple iTunes, Apple Music and presumably other services, such as Spotify,” Seitz reports. “‘My album will never never never be on Apple. And it will never be for sale… You can only get it on Tidal,’ West tweeted on Monday.”

“Tidal might not get much traction from the West album release because it upset customers who wanted to download the album,” Seitz reports. “Tidal initially offered the album as a digital download, as well as via the streaming option. But customers who paid for the album (at $20 a pop) were unable to download it. They were also hit with a mysterious $1 service fee, TechCrunch reported. Some customers reported being double-billed for the album and the service fee. West later decided not to offer the album for download on Tidal, and customers are left waiting for refunds.”

Read more in the full article here.

FBI Orders Apple to Create a "Backdoor" on iPhone for San Bernardino Shooter's iPhone – Tim Cook Responds

Dan Uff February 17, 2016 0

Over the past few days, a battle has been brewing between the U.S. FBI and Apple about providing a back door into an iPhone that one of the shooters used in the San Bernardino case. The Government agency has gone as far as to issue an order to Apple for providing such a backdoor, which a federal judge has approved.

Now, Apple's CEO has responded with an open letter to its customers about the subject, which reads in part:

"The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand.

This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake."

The subject has even reached presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, in which he has said during an interview on Fox and Friends Wednesday morning:

"I agree 100% with the courts," Trump said, "In that case, we should open it up. I think security over all -- we have to open it up, and we have to use our heads. We have to use common sense."

The candidate continued, discussing that the FBI wanted to get into the women's shooter's cell phone:

"But to think that Apple won't allow us to get into her cell phone," Trump continued, "who do they think they are? No, we have to open it up."

You can read the entire open letter by clicking here.