Category: Apple Insider

 

Exclusive

By Christine McKee
Friday, February 07, 2020, 12:05 pm PT (03:05 pm ET)

Apple Authorized Resellers are clearing out MacBook Pro inventory ahead of Valentine’s Day, and AppleInsider readers have first dibs on up to $3,300 in exclusive savings on premium 13-inch and 15-inch configurations.

Exclusive coupon savings

Apple Authorized Resellers are kicking off the weekend on a high note with the lowest prices on record for a number of high-end Mid 2018 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro configurations. Featuring upgrades like extra RAM, additional storage, and even beefier graphics for the 15-inch models, the machines highlighted below offer a wealth of features for a fraction of the original retail cost.

At Adorama, the discounts displayed are in the form of instant rebates stacked with coupon code APINSIDER when used with the pricing links below or the links in our 2018 13-inch MacBook Pro and 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro Price Guides. The systems are also eligible for no interest financing when paid in full within 12 months using the Adorama Credit Card, and AppleCare is available as an optional add-on for the discounted rate of $349 ($30 off retail). Only need coverage for a year? Check out the VIP360 program that offers 1-year drops and spills protection for new products you buy at Adorama for $49.99 per year.

For even more Mac deals, including coupon savings on the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, be sure to visit the AppleInsider Apple Price Guide.

2018 15-inch MacBook Pro deals

• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz, 16GB, 512GB, Radeon 560X) Silver: $2,299* ($200 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz, 16GB, 512GB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $2,399* ($400 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 32GB, 2TB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $2,799* ($1,700 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 32GB, 4TB, Radeon 560X) Silver: $2,999* ($3,300 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz, 32GB, 4TB, Radeon 560X) Gray: $3,399* ($2,600 off)
  *Price with coupon code APINSIDER using Adorama pricing links in our 2018 15″ MacBook Pro Price Guide.

2019 15-inch MacBook Pro discounts

• 2019 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz, 16GB, 256GB, Radeon 555X): $1,999 ($400 off)
• 2019 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz, 16GB, 512GB, Radeon 555X) Gray: $2,149* ($450 off)
• 2019 15″ MacBook Pro (2.3GHz, 16GB, 512GB, Radeon 560X) Silver: $2,199 ($400 off)
• 2019 15″ MacBook Pro (2.4GHz, 16GB, 1TB, Vega 20) Gray: $2,799* ($750 off)
• 2019 15″ MacBook Pro (2.4GHz, 32GB, 512GB, Vega 20) Gray: $2,899* ($850 off)
  *Price with promo code APINSIDER using Adorama pricing links in our 2019 15″ MacBook Pro Price Guide.

Even 13-inch MacBook Pros are $100s off

• 2018 13″ MacBook Pro (2.3GHz, 8GB, 256GB) Gray: $1,399 ($400 off)
• 2018 13″ MacBook Pro (2.7GHz, 16GB, 512GB) Silver: $1,799* ($700 off)
• 2018 13″ MacBook Pro (2.7GHz, 16GB, 2TB) Silver: $2,449* ($1,050 off)
  *Price with discount code APINSIDER using Adorama pricing links in our 2018 13″ MacBook Pro Price Guide.

(*) How to apply the Apple promo code at Adorama

1. Make sure you’re using a browser with cookies enabled that isn’t in private mode.
2. Click on the price link to the desired configuration from this article or the Adorama price links in our Price Guides. You MUST click through our links in the same shopping session that you use our coupon. If you try to save a link for late, the coupon WON’T WORK. Once you click through a price link, you’ll see a price that’s higher than advertised (we’ll fix that in a moment).
3. Add the MacBook Pro to your cart anyway, and when you’re done shopping, begin the checkout process.
4. Look for a link that says “Do you have a gift card or promo code?” next to the gift icon. Click that to bring up a coupon code field.
   

5. Enter the coupon code APINSIDER in the field and click apply. The discount should appear under “Promo Savings” above the order total.
6. That’s it.
   As always, if you have any issues, you can reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll try and help.

Additional Apple deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running additional exclusive savings on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus discounts on AppleCare, software and more. These offers are as follows:

Interested in additional Apple hardware? See if there is a Mac, iPad or Apple Watch deal that will save you $100s by checking out prices.appleinsider.com.

 

By AppleInsider Staff
Thursday, February 06, 2020, 05:03 pm PT (08:03 pm ET)

Apple on Thursday announced an upgrade to Apple School Manager that allows developers to better serve educational institutions through the distribution of customized apps.

Announced in a post to Apple’s developer portal, the new feature enables app makers to create and privately distribute custom apps to one or more organizations through the company’s Apple School Manager platform. The capability allows developers to fulfill the needs of individual institutions, Apple says.

“You can offer a tailored look and feel, specific functionality for a process or workflow, special configuration for IT environments, security features for company data, and custom features for partners, clients, dealers, franchises, or employees,” Apple explains.

Schools can also use the feature to distribute their own apps for internal use.

Once an app is completed, devs are able to authorize downloads by target organizations in App Store Connect. Selected schools are granted access to the app through Apple Business Manger or Apple School Manager and can distribute the software via Mobile Device Management or via redemption code.

Apple notes developers will need to fill out a Paid Applications Agreement if they want to make an app available only to specific organizations. This rule applies to both paid and free apps.

Apple School Manager debuted in beta form in 2016. The website, styled after Apple’s business app distribution platform, acts as a central hub for educational administrators tasked with managing large-scale mobile device ecosystems. School Manager provides tools for creating and monitoring Managed Apple IDs, managing MDM enrollment, buying and distributing apps and e-books, building custom courses and more.

 

By AppleInsider Staff
Wednesday, February 05, 2020, 06:01 pm PT (09:01 pm ET)

A report on Wednesday revealed the contents of health records giant Epic Systems’ letter opposing proposed government policy that would allow patients easy access to their medical data, an initiative supported by Apple and other tech industry players.

Obtained by CNBC, the letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warns a pending initiative to push through rules on data interoperability would be “overly burdensome” on America’s health system and “will endanger patient privacy.”

Proposed by the HHS in 2019, the plan modifies rules governing access to health information, allowing patients to more easily obtain and share personal data.

In response, Epic CEO Judy Faulkner in January urged hospitals to speak out against the new rules as proponents of the measure voiced a counter opinion. Roughly 60 major hospitals have signed on in support of Epic’s effort, the report said.

Apple, Google and Microsoft are among a cadre of companies, patient advocates and caregivers that came out in favor of the HHS rules. Late last month the three tech industry titans participated in a meeting held by the nonpartisan Carin Alliance, which seeks to modernize health records systems in the U.S. by breaking data out of first-party silos and fostering cooperative exchange between health care providers.

As it stands, patients often run into issues when attempting to obtain or share their information, as data is typically stored on physical media or protected by systems like those marketed by Epic. According to today’s report, an Epic installation can cost up to $1 billion for major hospitals, a price that could increase should the HHS initiative be successful.

“While we support HHS’ goal of empowering patients with their health data and reducing costs through the 21st Century Cures Act, we are concerned that ONC’s Proposed Rule on interoperability will be overly burdensome on our health system and will endanger patient privacy,” Epic’s letter reads in part. “Specifically, the scope of regulated data, the timeline for compliance, and the significant costs and penalties will make it extraordinarily difficult for us to comply.”

Epic’s entreaty recommends tweaks to the proposal including additional information on the handling of health information related to family members, as well as a longer timeline for integration. The health records company wants at least 12 months to prepare and 36 months for “development of new technology required by the rule,” the report said.

Along with the hospitals backing Epic’s letter, a few organizations sent similar pleas to the HHS on their own accord. Not all Epic customers are in alignment on the matter, as some of the firm’s largest clients failed to sign the January letter.

Apple has for years worked to break into the health industry, first with iOS apps and more recently through technologies built on wearable platforms like Apple Watch. As it pertains to health data transportability, the company in 2018 launched Health Records on iOS, enabling iPhone users to securely store and share medical data from participating healthcare providers.

 

By AppleInsider Staff
Tuesday, February 04, 2020, 05:23 pm PT (08:23 pm ET)

Apple News executive Liz Schimel, who managed the business side of Apple’s news aggregation and subscription service, has reportedly left the company following a rocky rollout and continuing struggles to bring in new customers.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg on Tuesday reports Schimel recently stepped down from her position as “head of news business” at Apple. Her departure comes less than a year after Apple News+ launched last March.

Schimel was hired by the Cupertino tech giant in mid-2018 to manage relationships with new publishers and advertisers. Before her time at Apple, the media veteran served as president of Conde Nast International and was named entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) at Comcast Ventures in January 2018. Prior to 2018, she served as chief digital officer at Meredith Corporation, held VP roles at Nokia and AT&T, and served as SVP of Entertainment at Comcast from 2005 to 2008.

Apple is looking to replace Schimel with a “notable name” from the publishing world, the report said.

News of the executive’s departure arrives as Apple looks to strengthen its burgeoning services arm. Apple News is a major pillar of the company’s services strategy alongside relatively new products like Apple Music and Apple TV. The category also includes legacy products iCloud, iTunes and Books.

Launched in 2015, Apple News initially served as a free first-party news aggregator for iOS. A $10-per-month subscription tier debuted last year with support from a number of high-profile publications including People and dailies like The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. Apple was unable, however, to negotiate deals with big-name papers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, both of which offer their own subscription services.

Following what was at the time described as an impressive launch, Apple News+ has over the past months failed to attract a significant number of new subscribers, according to a report in November. Beyond slow growth rates, publishers participating in the service have complained of lower than expected revenues, an issue Apple has been working on since last June.

Apple is reluctant to share precise subscription numbers detailing its various services and instead offers only vague metrics and empty platitudes. In an earnings conference call last week, CEO Tim Cook said News “draws over 100 million monthly active users in the U.S., UK, Australia and Canada,” but failed to report subscriber figures or reveal how many publications are participating in the service’s paid version.

Whether you’ve got a small desk setup or you’re just tired of giving up space for a desk lamp, BenQ’s ScreenBar is here to save the day with its over-the-monitor light.

The BenQ ScreenBar goes on top of your monitor, but nstead of physically clipping to your screen, it features an ingenious weighted hanging design. There’s enough weight that it feels secure, yet it can easily be adjusted or removed when needed. The weighted hanger fits most monitors as it can accommodate screens that are anywhere between a quarter to a half-inch thick.

The ScreenBar gets its power from a USB port, so if you’ve got a monitor that can support this, it will free up the three-pronged outlet a traditional lamp would require. Unfortunately, our monitor doesn’t feature a USB port, so we still needed to use a AC-to-USB adapter to provide power to our ScreenBar.

The length of the ScreenBar —which is just about 18 inches —is adequate to light up most workspaces without casting too much light where you don’t need it. We think that this could easily be at home in a dorm room for students who like to study into the wee hours of the morning but may not want to have lighting so bright that they’d disrupt their room mate’s sleep.

The BenQ ScreenBar also includes a Desktop Dial, a small puck-shaped device that gives you the ability to adjust the settings easily. The dial is similar to the hotkey puck that comes with some BenQ monitors. . The small size means it fits into even the smallest workspaces, while the easy to operate knob allows you to turn on the light even in the darkest of rooms.

Features

The best feature of the BenQ screen bar is the ability to adjust the temperature and brightness of the light with the Desktop Dial. At maximum brightness, the lamp is about 1000 lumens bright —a little more than a 60-watt incandescent bulb. According to BenQ, you’re able to adjust the light across 14 different brightness levels —though we found some of them relatively subtle and hard to notice. There are also eight different color temperatures to choose from, ranging from a crisp blue-white to a warmer yellow.

The Desktop Dial features an ambient light sensor that allows the light to adjust to the lighting of your room automatically. We like a warmer light, so while we appreciated this mode, we didn’t use it much.

Where it could be improved

While this is a perfectly serviceable lamp —and a nice one to boot —we do have a suggestion for future iterations. We would like to see a lower minimum brightness setting. As it stands, the lowest setting still feels rather bright.

Who is this for?

If you’re a person who has reads any physical media at your desk, be it printed reports or books, this is a great lamp. The ability to change the temperature of the light is also much appreciated, especially if you tend to be sensitive to eyestrain brought on by certain color temperatures.

It’d also be a boon to anyone who reads on an e-ink display, especially if you’ve not upgraded to one with a backlight.

Of course, the ScreenBar is a significant space saver, removing the footprint of a lamp entirely from your desk area. Desk space can be a real commodity for some folks, so getting back even a couple square inches could be a great benefit.

And, as BenQ suggests, by putting the light in front of your screen and angled away from it, you reduce any would-be glare that you’d get from many other lamps.

Overall

The BenQ ScreenBar might not be for everyone, but if you’re in the market for a desk lamp that offers a minimal footprint, adjustable brightness, and color temperature, or doesn’t cause unwanted glare on your screen, it’s a great lamp.

Where to buy: If you want to snag your own BenQ ScreenBar, you can grab one from Amazon for $129.99. If you don’t need the Desktop Dial, you can get a ScreenBar for just $99.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Pros
• Desktop Dial makes selecting color temperature and brightness easy
• Secure fit without tapes or damaging hooks
• Does not add glare to screen

Cons
• Minimum brightness is still a bit too bright

 

By William Gallagher
Saturday, February 01, 2020, 01:35 pm PT (04:35 pm ET)

Senator Lindsey Graham is pressing for new laws that would combat online child abuse, but do so by removing all end-to-end encryption and giving law enforcement open access to private data.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is behind a draft bipartisan bill called the ‘Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2019” or EARN IT. Its stated aims are to “develop recommended best practices… regarding the prevention of online child exploitation.” However, the methods Graham proposes would effectively ban all end-to-end encryption.

“The absolute worst-case scenario could easily become reality,” think tank TechFreedom president Berin Szoka told Bloomberg. “DOJ could effectively ban end-to-end encryption.”

The act would introduce a National Commission on Online Child Exploitation Prevention “and for other purposes.” Senator Graham’s draft bill proposes a structure for the Commission, which would comprise 15 people including the US Attorney General.

The greater part of Senator Graham’s proposals outline creating and enforcing age limits for online material, plus a rating system to categorize images by severity.

At no point does the draft bill mention encryption, however its requirements cannot be complied with if end-to-end encryption is used. Companies with any public or private online discussion areas, such as Whatsapp and Facebook, would be required to divulge user details to law enforcement.

“[Best practices] shall include… coordinating with law enforcement agencies and other industry participants to preserve, remove from view, and report material relating to child exploitation or child sexual abuse,” says the draft bill.

“[Also] retention of evidence and attribution or user identification data relating to child exploitation or child sexual abuse, including such retention by subcontractors,” it continues.

Senator Graham’s proposals explicitly state that the result will be changes to the Communications Decency Act of 1934, which currently allows online services to shield themselves from lawsuits over such materials.

Neither Apple nor any online companies have publicly responded to the proposals yet. However, Apple has and continues to be a strong and vocal proponent of the necessity for end-to-end encryption and the dangers of removing it.

There is currently no date for when the draft bill will proceed further toward legislation.

However, it comes after FBI officials have reportedly been concerned over US Attorney General William Barr’s pressures to weaken or remove end-to-end encryption.

Most recently, Apple’s senior director of global privacy, Jane Horvath, spoke at CES in January about the company’s position on weakening encryption to help combat crime.

“Building back doors into encryption is not the way we are going to solve those issues,” she said.

 

By AppleInsider Staff
Thursday, January 30, 2020, 06:43 pm PT (09:43 pm ET)

Apple’s WebKit engineers are working on a standardized format for SMS messages containing one-time passcodes, an initiative that could one day better protect users by streamlining two-step authentication logins.

Posted to GitHub on Thursday, the proposal from Apple seeks to simplify the OTP SMS mechanism commonly used by websites, businesses and other entities to confirm login credentials as part of two-step authentication systems, reports ZDNet.

Two-step solutions require a user’s password and another element, in this case a one-time code sent over SMS, to gain access to a target account. Currently, it is difficult to impossible for software to automatically extract the necessary information from an OTP SMS message, as they can arrive in a range of text formats. This means users must manually enter the provided code into an input box.

Apple’s proposal seeks to eliminate user intervention in the OTP SMS process, namely copy-and-pasting one-time codes from messages into a browser. It also states that a more refined solution would ensure that one-time codes sent over SMS are used only on originating sites.

Using a “lightweight text format,” the proposed format embeds an actionable one-time code in an SMS message and links that code to a particular originating URL. Doing so allows recipient systems to automatically extract the code and log in to an associated website.

Apple provides an example SMS:

747723 is your [website] authentication code.
@website.com #747723

The first line in the message above is optional human-readable text to explain the incoming message, while the second line contains information for programmatic use. Special characters are employed to denote the one-time code and originating URL, which in this case is “747723” and “website.com,” respectively.

Apple and Google have signed on to the proposal, while Mozilla has not made an official statement on the standard, the report said.

For its part, Apple has moved its products from two-step verification to more secure two-factor authentication methods that rely on passcodes sent to pre-enrolled trusted devices.

 

By Mikey Campbell
Wednesday, January 29, 2020, 08:12 pm PT (11:12 pm ET)

Apple reportedly directed artificial intelligence startup Xnor.ai to cease work on U.S. Department of Defense initiative Project Maven after it acquired the company in January.

Citing people familiar with the matter, The Information on Wednesday reports Xnor.ai was until recently working on Project Maven with fellow startup Clarifai. That ended shortly after Apple bought the Seattle-based Xnor.ai for a reported $200 million this month.

Officially announced in 2017, Project Maven seeks to develop computer vision technologies capable of autonomously analyzing image data captured by military drones and other systems. To achieve its goal, the government is working with a number of private sector specialists as it builds out the technology.

Spun out of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Xnor.ai focused on low-power, edge-based artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that can run on-device instead of in the cloud.

As noted by the report, running AI processes like image recognition on an iPhone instead of offsite — a practice that edge-based computing enables — could raise privacy concerns. Always the bastion of consumer security, Apple likely recognized the implications — and optics — of Xnor.ai’s involvement in Project Maven and terminated the work before the press caught wind of the relationship.

Unlike other big tech firms, like Google which pulled out of Project Maven after protests from employees, Apple typically distances itself from military contracting activities. The company has in the past supplied devices to various military branches on terms similar or identical to conventional enterprise sales. In 2008, Apple allowed then recently-acquired PA Semi to temporarily continue component supply deals with military equipment makers.