November 16, 2024

Year: 2023

Russia claims U.S. NSA accessed thousands of Apple iPhones in spy plot

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed on Thursday it had uncovered a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) plot using previously unknown malware to access vulnerabilities in Apple iPhones.

The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said several thousand Apple phones had been infected, including those of domestic Russian subscribers.

The Russian spy agency also said telephones belonging to foreign diplomats based in Russia and the former Soviet Union, including those from Israel, Syria, China and NATO members, had been targeted.

“The FSB has uncovered an intelligence action of the American special services using Apple mobile devices,” the FSB said in a statement.

The FSB said the plot showed “close cooperation” between Apple and the NSA, the U.S. agency responsible for U.S. cryptographic and communications intelligence and security…

The Russian warning on Apple phones came a few hours before Moscow-based antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab issued a report saying that an undisclosed number of its staffers had had their iPhones compromised in “an extremely complex, professionally targeted cyberattack”.

Kaspersky said spyware, delivered by an invisible message, was installed through vulnerabilities in the iOS operating system and that information from the phone was then transmitted to remote servers.

Apple to obsolete the original 12-inch MacBook on June 30th

Apple plans to add the original 12-inch MacBook to its obsolete products list on June 30, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors.

Introduced in March 2015, the 12-inch MacBook featured a thin and light design that weighed just two pounds, and it was also Apple’s first fanless notebook. Pricing started at $1,299, with the original model’s standard specs including a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, integrated Intel graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD.

Apple last updated the 12-inch MacBook in June 2017, and it was discontinued in July 2019.

 Apple and Major League Baseball announce July “Friday Night Baseball” schedule on Apple TV+

June 1, 2023

UPDATE

Apple and Major League Baseball announce July “Friday Night Baseball” schedule on Apple TV+

Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) today announced the July 2023 “Friday Night Baseball” schedule, available to all Apple TV+ subscribers.

“‘Friday Night Baseball’ on Apple TV+ continues to bring fans closer to the game they love each week,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services.  “We’re looking forward to the second half of the regular season and presenting more marquee games for Apple TV+ subscribers each week.”

“Friday Night Baseball” games on Apple TV+ are called each week by Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), Heidi Watney (sideline reporter), Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (sideline reporter). Brian Gorman and Dale Scott — both former MLB umpires — join to break down rules and calls. Game assignments for announcers will be shared on a weekly basis.

Lauren Gardner and Siera Santos continue to handle “Friday Night Baseball” studio show hosting duties, with former MLB players Xavier Scruggs and Matt Joyce serving as analysts alongside baseball journalist Russell Dorsey.

Apple TV+ subscribers can enjoy additional content, including the MLB Big Inning whip-around show featuring live look-ins and in-game highlights every weeknight, and a full slate of MLB-related content, including Countdown to First Pitch, MLB Daily Recap, and MLB This Week. Fans can also access additional MLB programming for free in the Apple TV app, including “Friday Night Baseball” condensed game recaps after the completion of the live broadcasts each week, classic games, highlights and interviews, and more.

Each Friday, games are available only on Apple TV+ to Apple TV+ subscribers throughout the regular season. Fans in 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups over 25 weeks with no local broadcast restrictions. Apple TV+ is available for $6.99 (U.S.) per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase and activate a new Apple device can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free. Fans can find step-by-step instructions on how to watch “Friday Night Baseball” at support.apple.com.


July 2023 “Friday Night Baseball” Schedule on Apple TV+

Friday, July 7
Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins
8 p.m. ET

Atlanta Braves at Tampa Bay Rays
6:30 p.m. ET

Friday, July 14
Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets
7 p.m. ET

San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates
7 p.m. ET

Friday, July 21
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
2 p.m. ET

San Diego Padres at Detroit Tigers
6:30 p.m. ET

Friday, July 28
Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox
7 p.m. ET

Los Angeles Angels at Toronto Blue Jays
7 p.m. ET

Meta Quest 3 Coming This Fall + Lower Prices for Quest 2

Mark Zuckerberg just announced Meta Quest 3, our next-generation virtual and mixed reality headset, which launches later this year. It features higher resolution, stronger performance, breakthrough Meta Reality technology, and a slimmer, more comfortable form factor. Quest 3 will ship in all countries where Meta Quest is currently supported this fall. The 128GB headset starts at $499.99 USD, and we’ll offer an additional storage option for those who want some extra space. Mark your calendars because we’ll have lots more to share at Meta Connect, which returns this year on September 27.

Quest 3 is the supercharged all-in-one headset you’ve been waiting for — no wires required. Sign up to be the first to learn about Meta Quest 3.

Our Most Powerful Headset Yet

Quest 3 combines our highest resolution display and pancake optics to make content look better than ever. To power those extra pixels, this will be the first headset to feature a next-generation Snapdragon chipset developed in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies. That next-gen Snapdragon chipset delivers more than twice the graphical performance as the previous generation Snapdragon GPU in Quest 2 — meaning you’ll get smoother performance and incredibly crisp details in immersive games.

Immersive VR + Breakthrough Meta Reality in a Single Device

On Quest 3, our best-in-class Meta Reality technology lets you seamlessly blend your physical world with the virtual one. These new experiences go beyond today’s mixed reality by intelligently understanding and responding to objects in your physical space and allowing you to navigate that space in natural, intuitive ways that were nearly impossible before. High-fidelity color Passthrough, innovative machine learning, and spatial understanding let you interact with virtual content and the physical world simultaneously, creating limitless possibilities to explore. Now you can play a virtual board game on your kitchen table with Demeo, decorate your living room with virtual art courtesy of Painting VR, or dive into a fully immersive world to do things that are simply not possible otherwise.

Quest 3 makes Meta Reality available to even more people and at a lower price point, making it our first mass-market offering to deliver both cutting-edge VR and MR experiences in a single device, setting a new benchmark for future headsets.

Redesigned for Comfort + Control

With a 40% slimmer optic profile* compared to Quest 2, Quest 3 is a sleeker, more comfortable headset. We also completely redesigned Quest 3’s Touch Plus controllers with a more streamlined and ergonomic form factor. Thanks to our advances in tracking technology, we’ve dropped the outer tracking rings so the controllers feel like a more natural extension of your hands and take up less space. We also included TruTouch haptics that first debuted in Touch Pro to help you feel the action like never before. You can even upgrade to our fully self-tracked Meta Quest Touch Pro Controllers for a premium experience. And hand tracking will be supported out of the box, so you can explore without controllers, thanks to Direct Touch that lets you use just your hands to interact with virtual objects.

World’s Best Library of Immersive Content

Quest 3 is compatible with the Quest 2 catalog of over 500 VR games, apps, and experiences (and counting), and we’ve got even more exciting new VR and MR titles lined up for launch. That means Quest 3 will have the world’s best library of immersive experiences on day one. Be sure to tune in to today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase for a rundown of new games and updates coming to the Quest Platform — plus a sneak peek at Quest 3’s AAA flagship adventure.

Quest 2 Gets New Lower Prices, Plus a Performance Upgrade

We’re excited for Quest 3 and look forward to sharing more later this year at Connect. But what about Quest 2?

Meta Quest 2 changed the face of VR when it first hit the scene in 2020, ushering in a new era of gaming, fitness, and more. It’s already one of the most affordable ways to get into VR — and it’s about to get even better. Starting June 4, we’re lowering the price of Quest 2 to $299.99 USD for the 128GB SKU and $349.99 USD for the 256GB SKU, helping even more people access the magic of all-in-one VR and our vast content library.

But that’s not all! In an upcoming software update, we’re updating the Quest 2 and Quest Pro GPU and CPU. Quest 2 and Pro will see an up-to 26% CPU performance increase with an up-to 19% GPU speed increase for Quest 2 and 11% for Quest Pro. As developers take advantage of these changes, you can expect smoother gameplay, a more responsive UI, and richer content on both headsets. And we’re enabling Dynamic Resolution Scaling for both Quest 2 and Quest Pro, so games and apps can take advantage of increased pixel density without dropping frames.

While Quest 3 sets a new standard for mixed reality, immersive gaming, and what a mainstream VR headset can be, Quest 2 remains our most affordable entry point to VR and Pro is optimized for work use cases, with face and eye tracking for more authentic self-expression in meetings. We’ll continue to sell Quest 2 and Pro alongside Quest 3, as well as continue shipping new software updates to make the Quest experience even better.

From games, to fitness apps, professional collaboration tools and more, Quest has something for everyone. And we can’t wait to welcome even more people to the Meta Quest community.

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