If You Own an Apple Mobile Device, Upgrade Its Software Now

On Friday night (Feb. 21, 2014), Apple announced a major security flaw in their software for mobile devices. And I do mean major—it left users open to a “man in the middle attack”. That’s pretty bad. If you used an insecure WiFi connection (at a coffeehouse, hotel, or airport, etc.), this flaw could allow someone to interject themselves electronically into transactions you make on your iPhone or iPad, allowing them to access a lot of your information you thought was secure (like, say, credit card numbers).

This flaw has been around a while (and it looks to me like it was due to a cut-and-paste error in some code), but Apple just issued a patch that should fix it. If you use an Apple mobile device, stop what you’re doing right now and upgrade to the new version of the mobile OS—ZDNet has a good article with details.

It’s easy to do the upgrade (though your kilometerage may vary). All I had to do was plug my device into my computer, open iTunes, click the button for the device I just plugged in, and then looked for the button that says, “Check for update”. Click, and away I went. In your case, it may pop up an alert kickstarting this first when you plug the device in. Another way is to do it on the mobile device itself: Go to Settings, then General, then Software Update. It'll help you from there.

 Nerdrage inception.

Photo by Phil Plait, used by permission

Of course, it wasn’t that simple for me.

Now having said that, I had some trouble upgrading. I have an iMac that’s up-to-date, an iPhone 4S, and an iPad 2. The iPhone upgraded just fine, and it took about 15-20 minutes.

The iPad upgrade, though, was something of a disaster. The device disconnected itself in the middle of the upgrade for some reason (I really don’t know why; I had it sitting off by itself on the corner of my desk; all I can think of is the cable got bumped). Interrupting the process is never good, and in this case it totallyfreaked out my iPad. I lost everything on it and it wouldn’t even show me my home screen!

Being an alpha geek, though, I had a complete backup stored on my computer, so I didn’t panic. I disconnected the iPad, reconnected it, and then reset it to the factory settings (which is just a button on the iTunes screen when you plug the iPad into your computer). I then simply restored it from the backup…

… which didn’t work. Oh, all my apps came back, but the only music that showed up in my Music app were a handful of albums I recently bought through iTunes. Last year I spent a dreadful weekend importing all my old CDs into iTunes, and those were gone off the iPad. Weirdly, they were still in iTunes on my Mac; they just wouldn’t sync with the iPad.

Then I noticed my videos were gone as well; I have a few I made on my iPhone and camera that I’d moved over to my iPad, and they simply weren’t there (though again, they were in iTunes, and marked specifically to be synched). Nothing I did would sync them back!

I poked around a bit, and saw that in the Music tab for my iPad on iTunes, my Playlists were checked to be synched, but the other lists (Artists, Albums, etc.) were not. Curious. I checked all the boxes listed under Artists, and resynched the iPad to see if at least they would get moved over.

Voilà! All the music showed up (including the other lists). Not only that, all my videos did too. They were not there before, and then they were. I have no clue why, so I assume it was gnomes (who will, no doubt,jump right to Step 3).

I’ll note that I’ve been using computers a long, long time (the first machine I ever used was a PDP 11 in case you’re tempted to get into a “well I started off using a blah blah blah” war with me), and stuff like this makes me fairly irritated. The original OS error looks like an honest if terrible mistake, and I’m sure some coder at Apple is having their head handed to them right now over this. But it’s when I try to use my stuff as a human being that I can feel my blood pressure rise. Windows, Mac, it doesn’t matter; the interface between human and computer seems to be getting more difficult, not easier. And I’m not pleased I had to spend hours diagnosing this when I have better stuff to do, like write about anti-science and politics and generally things less irritating than computer nerdery.

I don’t know if my iPad upgrade problem is common or not, though one colleague at Slate also had the same thing happen (and he has an iPad 4). I’d hate to be an Apple genius right now; the phone calls will be flooding in, I’d wager.

As it happens, my iPad is getting pretty long in the tooth, and it’s time for me to replace it. I was leaning toward getting the shiniest new iPad (I do like much of the way it works) but this has given me pause. I guess I’ll be hitting teh Interwebs and looking at reviews of what’s out there.

Thus endeth my tale of iWoe. I certainly hope things go more smoothly for you, BABloggees. And as a final note: Whether you use Apple, Windows, or what-have-you, I do suggest getting yourself a VPN. I’m not sure it would’ve helped in this case, but I find it very useful indeed when I travel. Obviously, computer security is a major issue. Our privacy online is getting eroded away, and having beefed up security is simply A Good Idea.

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Where do Apple rumors come from? Digitimes explains

Digitimes Research sheds some light on the the Apple supply chain -- the source of many a rumor -- before the release of the product.

(Credit: Mock-up by Brooke Crothers based on iPhone 5S)

With a large-screen iPhone 6 possibly showing up this year, Digitimes Research provides some insight into where and when Apple rumors likely originate.

In an article posted Friday titled Explaining the Chaiwan Model for the Mobile Supply Chain, Digitimes Research talked about, among other things, timing.

"We may provide shipment data for Apple 1-2 months before it even begins selling in the market, because that is when the supply chain delivers it to Apple," Digitimes Research said.

That may explain the crush of relatively reliable rumors that typically hit about a month before the product appears.

But there are stages before that. "When Apple is getting a product ready for the market, the product is in the supply chain pipeline 6-9 months before Apple even announces its launch," Digitimes Research said.

That assertion about a product being at suppliers but still going through changes six to nine months before release sheds light on some of the more dubious rumors that appear early on.

And where does the process begin?

"A brand like Apple or Samsung controls everything in the process of bringing their products to market...For example, it starts with the key component provider, which in the case of smartphones is the application processor."

So, a chip, like the Apple A7, or rumored A8 -- generally referred to as application processors -- may play a big part in the early stages of the product.

In a related discussion, Digitimes Research also notes that there "has been a seismic shift" in the design and manufacturing of products.

If you look at [processor] provider MediaTek, the company no longer follows a strict roadmap. It simply reacts to what the market wants. In 2013, for example, MediaTek sometimes went a couple of months without releasing a new product and then would release two products in the same month. They weren't following a roadmap, they were chasing demand.

Finally, Digitimes Research also spells out how Apple (and Samsung) have a different approach to mobile (smartphones and tablets) as opposed to laptops.

Huge brands like Apple and Samsung...continue to pursue a vertical integration strategy whereby they can control more of the design...in order to give them differentiation...However, this is a much different business model than that seen in the notebook industry, where ODMs provide designs to the brands and choose their own components. ODMs do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of product development, while EMS firms simply provide manufacturing services. The brands have much more control over the overall design and component choice.

Early Apple rumors, like the concept video above of an "iPad Pro," are usually pure speculation.

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Microsoft to reportedly cut Windows pricing by 70% as Apple, Google eat PC marketshare

As the mobile device market — led by device from Apple and Google — continues to devour traditional PC marketshare, Microsoft is reportedly looking cheaper Windows licensing fees in a bid to stop the hemorrhaging.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports Microsoft will slash Windows licensing fees by 70 percent for low-cost hardware manufacturers in an attempt to regain marketshare lost to devices running iOS, Android and Chrome.

Under the supposed pricing scheme, OEMs will pay $15 to preinstall Windows 8.1 on devices that sell for less than $250. The fee is down from a traditional rate of $50 per device. Further, Microsoft will not impose restrictions on hardware size or form factor as long as the final product meets the required low retail price.

In addition to the lower fees, Microsoft will also relax its licensing standards by allowing manufacturers using the cheaper rates to forego logo certification. Usually, hardware compatibility is vetted by the Redmond, Wash., company. In addition, these sub-$250 products do not have to be touch enabled.

Recently-appointed Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is said to be pushing for accelerated development and launch timelines for new Windows devices. The rumored licensing price cuts may be part of that plan.

Friday's report follows rumors that Microsoft is "seriously considerding" allowing Android apps to run on both the PC and mobile iterations of Windows. The move would allow the Windows maker to tap into Google's immense share of the mobile device market.

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Apple snaps up app-testing company Burstly

(Credit: James Martin/CNET ) Apple is said to have acquired the app-testing and analytics startup Burstly, and on Friday all but confirmed it: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," an Apple spokesperson told CNET. Burstly is the operator of popular developer services like TestFlight, which lets app makers deploy an app to a small amount of users for field testing before wider release. That way, developers can work out kinks and monitor things like in-app purchases and the app's durability against crashing, without having to put the product up for full release on an app store. The startup also announced this week that it would end TestFlight's support of Android apps on the platform -- a clear indication of Apple asserting its new ownership, taking a dig at iOS's arch rival. Android support will officially end on March 21st. TechCrunch, which first reported news of the deal, also said that the startup's engineers have already begun working at Apple. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Apple is clearly continuing its trend of scooping up smaller companies for technological gains, as opposed to bigger, splashier buys, like Facebook made this week in its jaw-dropping purchase of messaging service WhatsApp for over $16 billion.

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Apple is the next Microsoft, analyst says

Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes says he just doesn't see growth in Cupertino's future, whether it's from a watch or a TV. Is this really Steve Ballmer? (Credit: James Martin/CNET) The first time I ever talked to an analyst, she told me that I was perfectly sane, but merely needed a few hundred Prozac to lighten my burden. This early, troubling experience has tended to color my encounters with the word "analyst." However, in the venal world of money, every time an analyst speaks, numbers seem to twirl on Wall Street in nervous reaction. I am surprised, therefore, that Wall Street and half of California didn't endure electrical faults on hearing that an analyst had declared Apple heading down Microsoft Way. As Business Insider reports, Barclays' Ben Reitzes sniffed that Apple's shares were, you know, alright to have and to hold, but only if you're prepared for richer or poorer. "Frankly, we just couldn't quite bring ourselves to use smart watches or TVs as reasons to raise numbers," he said. "Nor were we fully convinced that these products could move the needle like new categories did in the old days." Ah, the old days. When iPods were exciting and Barclays was just a bank. Reitzes, though, continued to make the one comparison that will energize the bile of many who believe Apple to be the way, the truth, and the life. He said: "We look at a valuation analogy vs. Microsoft from 2000 to about 2010 and see no precedent that large-size tech companies simply start to broadly outperform again after a tough year or two if the law of large numbers is catching up to them and margins have peaked." In essence, Apple is just like Microsoft, merely steps away from a flattened mediocrity, and ready to elect a hoodie-wearing cricket fan to the CEO's throne. Reitzes might turn out to be right. It may well be that Apple slips into a fallow irrelevance, as other competitors (who?) stomp upon it with innovation (what innovation?). Still, analysts make many predictions so that at least some of them might turn out to be right. Some analysts, I understand, even put their money on the very opposite side of where there mouth is. It's called being clever or something. Your fickle is their normal. Why, just two years ago, an analyst issued an upgrade note on Apple. He used phrases like "solid momentum," "pent-up demand" and "bloody hell, there's money to be made here." Actually, I made the last one up. What I'm not making up is that the optimistic analyst of 2012 was Barclays' Ben Reitzes. Has it really all gone so wrong for Apple in these last two years? One analyst says "perhaps." Another says "perhaps not."

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