Apple

On Monday, Apple detailed its plans for watchOS 8, the next major software update for the Apple Watch. The operating system will introduce improved texting and photo sharing, new HomeKit integrations, and some smaller updates to health and fitness features.

The Apple Watch's Breathe app gets new animations and adds "Reflect," which pushes mindfulness prompts that accompany a calming animation you can focus on as you reflect. These features are housed in the new Mindfulness app.

Apple has been in sharp focus lately, as some of the inner workings of the infamously secretive and hugely powerful company were revealed in the Epic Games v. Apple trial last month. Apple often gets credit for creating the mobile app economy as we know it with its App Store, which has swelled into a multibillion-dollar business for the iPhone maker. But that also means that every software change the company makes can have a big impact for both app developers and consumers.

Apple's new M1 CPU has a flaw that creates a covert channel that two or more malicious apps—already installed—can use to transmit information to each other, a developer has found.

The surreptitious communication can occur without using computer memory, sockets, files, or any other operating system feature, developer Hector Martin said. The channel can bridge processes running as different users and under different privilege levels. These characteristics allow for the apps to exchange data in a way that can't be detected—or at least without specialized equipment.

Apple released a plethora of operating system updates today, including iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, and macOS Big Sur 11.4. Generally, today's software updates add new features and not just bug fixes—though some new features won't actually be available until later.

Apple plans to introduce significantly updated versions of the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro, according to a new report in Bloomberg citing people familiar with Apple's plans. The report shares much more detail about these machines than we've previously been privy to.

Apple's M1 processor is a world-class desktop and laptop processor—but when it comes to general-purpose end-user systems, there's something even better than being fast. We're referring, of course, to feeling fast—which has more to do with a system meeting user expectations predictably and reliably than it does with raw speed.

Apple's AirTag can be hacked and its software modified, a security researcher has discovered, with an exploration of the microcontroller revealing elements can be reprogrammed to change what specific functions do.

Apple is well known for having high levels of security built into its products, and that has naturally led to the new AirTags becoming a target for security researchers. Just over a week after shipping, it seems that some AirTag elements can be modified.

In September 2015, Apple managers had a dilemma on their hands: should, or should they not, notify 128 million iPhone users of what remains the worst mass iOS compromise on record? Ultimately, all evidence shows, they chose to keep quiet.

The mass hack first came to light when researchers uncovered 40 malicious App Store apps, a number that mushroomed to 4,000 as more researchers poked around. The apps contained code that made iPhones and iPads part of a botnet that stole potentially sensitive user information.

Apple released updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch today with multiple security updates. The patched flaws involved malicious web content that could lead to arbitrary code execution – and Apple says they may have been actively exploited.

Apple released iOS 14.5.1 and iOS 12.5.3, macOS 11.3.1, and watchOS 7.4.1 today with the primary changes being security fixes (App Tracking Transparency bug fix for iOS too). So be sure to install the newest updates to get the latest protection.

A week after Apple issued its biggest iOS and iPadOS update since last September’s release of version 14.0, the company has released a new update to patch two zero-days that allowed attackers to execute malicious code on fully up-to-date devices. Monday’s release of version 14.5.1 also fixes problems with a bug in the newly released App Tracking Transparency feature rolled out in the previous version.