Category: Apple Insider

Yubico hardware keys

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Announced in December, Advanced Data Protection includes three ways to protect user data. First, end-to-end encryption has expanded to more parts of iCloud, including iCloud Drive, Apple Notes, Apple Photos, and more.

Second, with iMessage Contact Key Verification, users can choose to verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend. Conversations between users who have it enabled receive automatic alerts in the extremely rare event that an attacker breaches Apple’s servers and intercepts iMessage conversations.

Third, iOS 16.3 will add another layer of protection to an Apple user’s two-factor authentication on their Apple ID. It will allow third-party hardware security keys to sign into an Apple ID.

A hardware security key is a form of two-factor authentication to verify that the person signing into an online account is the valid owner of that account. They take the form of small USB devices that can plug into a computer or wirelessly connect to a device using NFC or Bluetooth.

Yubico is probably the most well-known company that produces hardware keys. They have various models that offer USB-C connectors, NFC connection, and even a Lightning key for iPhones.

AppleInsider reviewed a Yubico YubiKey in 2021, giving it a high 4.5 rating for its battery-free design and compatibility with many online accounts.

With iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, and macOS Ventura 13.2, Apple users can add a security key to their Apple account.

1. Open Settings and tap on your profile at the top.
2. Go to Password & Security.
3. Scroll down to find “Add Security Keys.”
4. On the next screen, tap on “Add Security Keys” and follow the onscreen instructions.

The system will ask for two security keys so that users can have one key as a backup. Adding a security key will replace the verification codes that Apple sends to user devices when signing in or resetting specific passwords.

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The lineup immediately shows one large limitation, however, in their all-around Magsafe compatibility. These products are only compatible with Apple-certified Magsafe chargers with the exact dimensions: 3.24 x 3.24 x 0.72 inches.

If you don’t own the Apple Magsafe charger, it is safe to say that Oakywood will not suit your needs — they simply won’t fit!

This, perhaps, is one caveat to crafting materials out of wood – the rigidity of the holder. Crafted wood simply cannot be adjusted to fit my slightly larger (4 x 3.7 x 1.8 inches) Magsafe charge pad from Bohuma on Amazon.

For the $40 to $200 price tag for each item in this lineup, the consumer should definitely be made aware that the product is only compatible with Apple-manufactured Magsafe chargers — to avoid disappointment when unpackaging the item.

Don’t let the high price tag fool you. These products are quality, which is apparent from the first time you feel their solid weight in your hand, or run a finger along the expertly-sanded surface.

Although we often look for items that are cost-effective, oftentimes cheap equals will break quickly. In the case of Oakywood, these items are built to last and are crafted with sustainability in mind.

Since its inception in 2017, Oakywood has garnered an impressive range of 140 products in its catalog, and with a global reach.

Of the four in the collection, Oakywood’s iPhone Stand is the most alluring due to its solid and sleek design — and looks great on any desk.

It contains a wooden backrest, inclined at an ergonomic angle for easy phone retrieval, as well as a solid base. Something that deserves high praise about this particular piece is that it is both heavy and sturdy.

This means that if your cat, dog, or toddler happens to bump your desk during an important meeting, the stand will not fly off the desk and create a ruckus.

Inclined vertically, the stand allows you to view incoming phone messages without having to crane your neck and pour over a phone that lays flat on the desk.

For those who are social media content creators, the vertical nature of the product doubles as an accidental, simple desk tripod. One which allows you to take video and photos in the ideal, upright position.

This would be particularly suited to authors like Victoria Aveyard, who conduct live writing sessions with their followers. It could also be used for those hands-free FaceTime sessions with Mom or Dad.

The iPhone stand includes a convenient keyhole to feed your Magsafe wire through, and a river-like divot in the back so that your wire runs flat through the product and to your charging pad.

The bottom of the product could be a concern to those who are prone to spilling liquids at their desk (oops). The underside appears to be made of cork. You’ve probably known someone with cork coasters, and many of these do not hold up, or dry properly, after coming into contact with liquids.

The Magsafe iPhone Stand is compatible with all iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 models and the original Apple Magsafe charger. It’s available in oak, walnut, black stained oak, and aluminum (matte black).

The Magsafe iPhone Stand is available on the Oakywood website for $135. For every product purchased, Oakywood works with One Tree Planted to allocate income to plant one tree.

The Magsafe iPhone Desk Shelf Mount takes the above free-standing iPhone Stand for the desk to new heights – especially in the realm of minimalism and space-saving capabilities.

Like the free-standing iPhone Stand above, it is a sturdy, sleek product that seamlessly fits all Apple-manufactured Magsafe chargers.

It consists of a metal holder, compression bolt, wooden backrest, and another metal holder for the original MagSafe charger. The steel holder and compression bolt ensure a safe and stable base for the wooden backrest.

Like the MagSafe Stand above, there is a keyhole for the charging cable to be threaded through to the back for a hidden design.

Measure your shelves — the iPhone Desk Shelf Mount holder fits all shelves to 3 cm thick. If you own a turn-of-the-century desk that has no anchor point, this holder won’t be for you.

Perhaps the one drawback to this product is its potential, after months or years of use, to create a compression stamp on your desk from the constant task of holding the weight of both your iPhone and the Shelf Mount.

Heaviness is usually conducive to quality — especially when it comes to carpentry — but in this case, the heaviness of the product might permanently compromise the integrity of your desk.

If your desk was your great grandma’s, or some treasured family heirloom, perhaps consider purchasing the aforementioned free-standing MagSafe iPhone stand.

The MagSafe iPhone Desk Shelf Mount is compatible with all iPhone 12, 13, and 14 models and the original Apple Magsafe charger. It’s available in oak, walnut, black stained oak, and aluminum (matte black).

The Desk Shelf Mount is available on the Oakywood website for $81.00. For every product purchased, Oakywood works with One Tree Planted to allocate income to plant one tree.

Of the four items, the Apple Watch Stand feels like the most unnecessary. It is small (to match the Apple Watch) and light — perhaps too small and light. When taking it out of the box, it is difficult to discern what it is meant for.

For the high price tag, it elicits no more than a shrug.

It contains a wooden leg and aluminum holder for the original Apple Watch charger. It would be easy to knock off a desk or to be yanked off kilter by an accidental trip over the charging wire.

If you are a completionist, have an extra chunk of change to burn, and fancy working in a calming, wood-infused environment, this product complements the above iPhone docking products and would be a nice addition.

The Apple Watch Stand is compatible with all Apple Watch models and Apple-manufactured only Apple Watch chargers. It’s available in oak, walnut, and black.

The high cost and the lack of sturdiness make it a harder-to-recommend item over the rest in the range.

The Apple Watch Stand is available on the Oakywood website for $81. For every product purchased, Oakywood works with One Tree Planted to allocate income to plant one tree.

This product is the most invasive of the three, including the option of screw-anchoring or 3M tape in the back to stick or mount the product onto the surface of your choice. However, this also means that you have the freedom to mount this product to the surface and location of your choosing.

If you’re worried about the mount falling from its sticker anchor, 3M tape holds up to 30 pounds on the wall.

Like the iPhone Stand, the Wall Mount could double as a wall tripod for the content creator.

Besides the invasive tape or screw option for those who don’t like mucking up their walls, one drawback is the aesthetic. Depending on where you anchor it to the wall, the MagSafe’s charger wire juts out from the bottom like the chain to a cuckoo clock.

This could be an eyesore to some, and an invitation for yank-happy toddlers or cord-biting cats. However, if you place the product above on the wall above your desk, the cord could drop behind the desk and could be out of sight.

One huge upside to this product is its material, including its use of metal components. MagSafe warms quickly when a phone is left to charge for hours, so the metal on this product will absorb and dispel excess heat from the charger.

Another upside is its price in comparison to the others: the Wall Mount is the cheapest, with a price tag of $72.

The MagSafe iPhone Wall Mount is compatible with all iPhone 12, 13, and 14 models and the original Apple Magsafe charger. It’s available in oak, walnut, black stained oak, and aluminum (matte black).

The Wall Mount is available on the Oakywood website for $72. For every product purchased, Oakywood works with One Tree Planted to allocate income to plant one tree.

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On Thursday, the NAACP announced its nominations for the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards.

Apple scored a record 21 nominations across 10 Apple Original films and series, as follows:

“Emancipation”

• Outstanding Motion Picture
• Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture — Will Smith
• Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture
• Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture — Antoine Fuqua
• Outstanding Costume Design (Television or Film) — Francine Jamison-Tanchuck

“The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey”

• Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
• Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special — Samuel L. Jackson
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special — Omar Benson Miller
• Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series — Debbie Allen, “Robyn”
• Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series — Hanelle Culpepper, “Sensia”
• Outstanding Make-Up (Television or Film) — Michele Lewis

“Causeway”

• Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

“Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues”

• Outstanding Documentary (Film)
• Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture) — Sacha Jenkins

• Outstanding Documentary (Film)
• Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture) — Reginald Hudlin

“Central Park”

• Outstanding Animated Series

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”

• Outstanding Short-Form (Animated)

• Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series — Maya Rudolph

“Little America”

• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special — Phylicia Rashad

• Outstanding Make-up (Television or Film) — Zabrina Matiru

Since its inception, Apple TV+ has earned 310 wins and more than 1,300 nominations for its slate of films, documentaries, and series.

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Now, a new report from DigiTimes suggests that the new models face additional delays. However, it does not say when the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro line will launch.

Apple partner TSMC began mass production of its 3-nanometer chip process for the next generations of Mac, iPhone, and other Apple devices in late December. An earlier rumor in June claimed Apple would use the new chip process in the aforementioned MacBook Pro lineup.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in September that Apple had cut orders for the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro line as much as 30% before production began.

Apple Watch Ultra

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As previously reported, Apple’s first implementation of MicroLED technology is expected to come to the high-end Apple Watch lineup first. A supply chain leak recently suggested that the tech giant will release an Apple Watch with a Micro LED display in the spring of 2025.

The move would reduce the company’s reliance on partners such as Samsung and LG.

According to Bloomberg, Apple will swap the Samsung-produced OLED display for its own Micro LED screen. It will, eventually, bring the technology to other devices such as the iPhone.

Apple is expected to still use manufacturing partners to mass-produce the display, however. If the report is accurate, it will be the first display that Apple will have designed from first principles itself, though.

Two years after Apple Silicon was introduced, Intel insists that it will win Apple back, despite the success of Apple Silicon.

You can get HomePods and an Apple TV to connect to a hotel’s Wi-Fi network.

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Occasionally, you may find yourself spending a long time in a hotel. It could be a week, it could be longer, but it’s certainly long enough to yearn for your Apple devices that you probably left at home.

If you know full well that you’re going to be out at remote lodgings for an extended period, and that you’re going to be working at a hotel, you will probably want to bring along some parts of your home office setup along for the ride.

This isn’t as straightforward as you may think, due to the way most hotels provide Internet access to guests. Even in these cases, you may still be able to hook up an Apple TV or a HomePod in your temporary room to elevate the experience.

Here’s what you need to know.

A hotel’s network is one built to service the typical guest. To the hotel, that means someone with a smartphone like an iPhone, an iPad or something similar, and maybe even a MacBook Pro.

Since this is what is typically used by most guests, the Wi-Fi and ethernet network of a hotel is built to accommodate that scenario. Everything is made as reasonably secure and private as possible, and without necessarily considering alternate setups.

For example, most of the time, hotel networks disable peer-to-peer networking, so that guests can’t connect and communicate with the hardware of other network users. That makes sense from a security standpoint, but it means you’re not necessarily going to have your iPhone and iPad see each other over the hotel’s network alone.

This therefore becomes a problem if you want to use some non-standard devices in your hotel room. A HomePod or HomePod mini won’t necessarily connect through a hotel’s network, especially if theres’ a landing page or “captive portal” to navigate, since there’s no usable display on the HomePod itself.

Then there’s the Apple TV, which would be useful since you’d have all of your streaming services ready to go on the compact and easily transported set-top box, instead of dealing with the hotel’s own system. Again, it’s a problem of connectivity to the network.

In each of these cases you can get the non-standard Apple devices going on the hotel Internet connection. However, you’re not necessarily going to be able to get every feature running, nor are you necessarily going to get them working together.

A single HomePod is relatively easy. You will have to use an iPhone or iPad to configure the connection, much like the initial setup of the smart speaker.

Be aware that this is something that has been introduced from iOS 15.4 and later. It also requires the network to use PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, or EAP-FAST authentication types, though it’s easier to just try connecting it instead of looking that information up.

1. Using an iPhone or iPad, connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi network. Follow the instructions to establish the connection.
2. Open the Home app, then touch and hold HomePod.
3. Scroll down the page and tap “Move HomePod to” followed by the hotel’s network name.
4. Tap Done.

You may see a warning advising that some features “may not work on this network.” This is chiefly due to the network blocking peer-to-peer Wi-Fi.

The list of blocked features can include setting up a HomePod stereo pair, Personal Requests, timers, using HomePod as an intercom, and home theater audio with Apple TV.

In some setups, you may be able to set up a stereo pair without relying on additional hardware. On locked-down networks, it’s unlikely.

Much like the introduction of iOS 15.4, tvOS 15.4 adds in the ability to navigate captive portals, again via the use of an iPhone or iPad already connected to the network.

Be aware that such networks may have a time limit for connections, and you may need to re-establish it every so often.

1. Using an iPhone or iPad, connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi network. Follow the instructions to establish the connection.
2. Hook up the Apple TV to the hotel room’s television and turn it on.
3. On the Apple TV, open the Settings app.
4. Select Network then Wi-Fi, and select the hotel’s Wi-Fi network.
5. Once a captive network is detected, select the option to Continue on iPhone or iPad.
6. On the iPhone or iPad, follow the on-screen instructions to access the network, such as any required usernames or passwords.

The above instructions are to directly connect your hardware to the hotel’s network, but it still leaves you with the peer-to-peer problem. You won’t be able to use HomePods as speakers for your Apple TV, for example, since they can’t see each other on the network.

The solution to this is to create your own room-specific network, that treats the hotel’s internet connection as a source of Internet rather than a local-area network.

By using your own travel router, you will have a network that you can manage and control within the room, including enabling peer-to-peer connections between your devices. Meanwhile, as the router handles traffic going through the hotel’s network, it saves you from having to set up separate connections for each device.

You can do this with a lot of routers, but we like the GL.iNet GL-MT1300 (Beryl) travel router. Offering three Gigabit Ethernet ports and dual-band Wi-Fi, it also has a USB 3.0 port and microSD card slot, providing you with a form of file server for the network should you be so inclined.

It also includes IPv6 support, compatibility with over 30 VPN providers, Tor support, and can act as a repeater for public Wi-Fi to create a private Wi-FI network.

In general, the principle is to connect the router to the network and get it going, treating it like a home’s fiber internet connection. You then set your devices up to connect to the travel router, just like you would at home.

The procedure to do this varies somewhat. As a general rule, you connect one device to the hotel Wi-Fi and connect with the capture page. You then power up the router, use the router’s app or a specific webpage local to the router for configuration, and then connect it to the hotel Wi-Fi.

With our preferred router, you can connect an iPhone to it over USB, and use that as your source of Internet. It is important to note that hotel Wi-Fi is often bandwidth-challenged, and you’ll be sharing one connection with every device on your network that you just configured.

Practically, we use it just for our Apple TV and HomePod mini pair combo, since hotel flat-screen televisions aren’t known for audio quality. We then control the set with the Apple TV remote, or Siri.

If you travel and spend a lot of time in hotels and temporary lodgings with a lot of devices, this could be the best route forward to avoid spending more time setting up your Apple devices instead of relaxing and actually using them.

Cherry KC6000C for Mac

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The Cherry KC 6000C has a fixed wired USB-C connection, which could make it less useful for older Macs and inconvenient for newer ones. When using it, some force was needed to press the keys, with only a mediocre feel in exchange for the effort.

Of course, the KC 6000C for Mac keyboard isn’t all doom and gloom. It does feature a number pad, along with 19 function keys that can be assigned to custom commands or shortcuts.

When we first got on our hands on this Cherry keyboard (not to be confused with Cherry MX switches used by many other keyboard producers) the glaring issue was its wired connection.

There are plenty of reasons to use a wired keyboard, even in 2023, but it’s the fixed connection here that gets us. You can’t switch it out for a longer or shorter one, and you also can’t swap the thin, cheap-looking, white cable for a nicer-looking braided cable, for example.

The trade-off is a low cost for the product. With a retail price of $40, it’s hard to complain about the connection type and minimal feature set.

It’s a simple keyboard that forgoes fancy features in favor of providing seemingly respectable build quality and components. We didn’t have any issues with keycaps falling off or any other parts failing, but at least one Amazon review does mention otherwise.

The keyboard is quite slim if you enjoy a flat typing surface, but if you want an angle, the keyboard does come with rubber feet to prop it up. It’s a rudimentary solution that isn’t ideal for switching back and forth, but does work fine.

This KC 6000C for Mac keyboard does also have an integrated metal plate that keeps it weighted down. We did like that it didn’t scoot around our desk when pounding on it.

A number pad isn’t our thing anymore, since laptops, iPad keyboards, and Apple overall has generally favored them less over the years — and trained us away from expecting them. This number pad was fine, but it only made the keyboard wider than it needed to be in our eyes.

The KC 6000C for Mac keyboard uses a scissor mechanism for its keys. Typing on the KC 6000C was not as effortless as typing on an Apple Magic Keyboard, for example, as pressing keys here required more force.

It felt like there was more resistance, and while there was some spring and bounce back, there wasn’t enough to accommodate a swift effortless typing feeling.

For example, as we typed faster, we experienced more errors on the keyboard. If we didn’t decidedly press each key down strongly then the stroke wouldn’t register.

It forced more mental energy to concentrate on making every key press count, even after a week of constant writing.

We love the Apple Magic Keyboard because it only requires a delicate touch. The key caps are generously sized and overall it’s easy to type on, even if not everyone cares for the feel of its shallow key travel.

Comparatively, the KC 6000C for Mac keyboard had deeper travel, but it never felt particularly speedy to us. In the way that the best tools should encourage more productivity, we never got the sense that this keyboard would do that for us, no matter how long we continued to use it.

In terms of typing noise, the KC 6000C for Mac keyboard managed to remain much quieter than a mechanical keyboard and a little quieter than an Apple Magic Keyboard, but it wasn’t silent.

It will help keep the overall volume in a room down, but don’t expect the sound to disappear completely.

Despite the Cherry KC 6000C for Mac keyboard not being for us, some people may find its extended layout and price point a compelling combination. It’s hard to argue that it’s not a reasonable value at $40.

This keyboard is a fine product overall, but we didn’t find it to be a direct replacement for new, modern Apple keyboards.

It’s more of a solution for people who don’t like what Apple is offering, don’t want to spend the money on a third-party mechanical one, and are fine with a wired USB-C connection — a relatively small group we suspect.

• Slim, weighted design
• Number pad for people who want it
• Reason price and overall decent value

• Fixed 1.8 meter cable length
• Not fast or convenient to adjust angle

Dridex targets Macs

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Security researchers at Trend Micro said on Thursday that the malware previously targeted Windows, but now the cybercriminals have changed their strategy to go after macOS.

The Dridex malware sample Trend Micro analyzed takes the form of a Mach-O file, an executable file that can run on macOS and iOS. File extensions they use include .o, .dylib, and .bundle.

The Mach-O file contains a malicious document that runs automatically once a user opens it. It then overwrites all Microsoft Word files in the macOS user directory and contacts a remote server to download more files, including a Windows executable file (.exe) that runs the Dridex malware.

These executables can’t run on macOS. But, if a user’s Word files are overwritten with malicious versions, Mac users could unwittingly infect others when they share the files online.

For now, Mac users are safe from the Dridex malware. Trend Micro says it’s possible that attackers could modify it to run on macOS in the future.

First and foremost, with Dridex, the best way to protect yourself is to not open attachments where the provenance is unclear. Check who the sender is, not just by the displayed name of the sender, but also the email address.

For instance, your credit card company won’t send you a receipt from a Gmail account.

Apple includes security tools such as Gatekeeper and the XProtect antivirus software that are built into macOS. Users can also choose to download antivirus software from a third-party company.

An online tool called VirusTotal can scan URLs and files that people upload and detect if it contains malware. For example, if an email has a Microsoft Word document or a Mach-O file as an attachment, it may be a good idea to scan it with the website.

AppleInsider will be covering the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in person on January 2 through January 8 where we’re expecting Wi-Fi 6e devices, HomeKit, Apple accessories, 8K monitors and more. Keep up with our coverage by downloading the AppleInsider app, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos throughout the event.

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According to the analyst, Apple still faces delays with its mixed-reality headset. He cites issues “with mechanical component drop testing and the availability of software development tools.”

Because of this, it’s increasingly unlikely that Apple would announce it during a January media event.

Kuo predicts that the company will instead announce it during an Apple Event in spring or during the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

While he believes that the device may be announced in the first half of 2023, he expects that it will not begin shipping until the end of the second or third quarter of 2023.

In December, Apple reportedly changed the name of its mixed-reality operating system to “xrOS,” signaling that the company could be close to releasing a mixed-reality headset.

Currently anticipated to be in an “advanced” stage of development, Apple’s first headset launch could include a pair of 4K OLED displays, 15 camera modules dotted around the outside, and potential support for eye tracking and hand gestures. The first wave could also be an expensive headset, with prices up to $3,000 proposed.