Apple

Citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, Fast Company reports the tech giant has tapped San Jose-based Lumentum to supply the lasers that will sit at the heart of the "world-facing" 3D depth sensor. Apple currently relies on Lumentum for the lasers in TrueDepth, the front-facing camera system which powers Face ID, Animoji and other features on iPhone and iPad.

Unlike TrueDepth, the forthcoming system is expected to calculate depth with time of flight (ToF) technology.

The world might finally wave goodbye to Apple’s controversial and much-hated MacBook butterfly keyboards by summer, according to a new report by respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In his latest research note, Kuo writes that Apple will launch new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models featuring the scissor switch keyboard design. Apple laid the groundwork for the return of the scissor switch Magic Keyboard when it ditched the butterfly keyboard for its 16-inch MacBook Pro upgrade late last year.

Over the past few days, two Apple rumor sites (MacRumors and 9to5Mac) have published exclusive details about new features and changes in iOS 14 and related software, services, and products. 9to5Mac alleges the info is based on leaked iOS 14 code that it obtained, while MacRumors is vaguer, simply using phrases like "according to information obtained by MacRumors."

We all have our differences in the tech world—PC versus Mac, Android versus iOS, Emacs versus Vim. Occasionally, though, we can reach out to our friends across the aisle and realize that, at the end of the day, we're not all that different. Today's uplifting message of unity comes from the two main smartphone factions sharing in the joys of privilege escalation: it's now possible for a rooted Android phone to jailbreak iOS.

Apple has developed a trackpad-equipped keyboard attachment for the iPad Pro and plans to introduce it alongside its new iPad Pro models sometime this year, a report from The Information claims. The report cites one unnamed person familiar with the matter, and it asserts that Apple has been considering this move for several years.

Malware developers are always trying to outdo each other with creations that are stealthier and more advanced than their competitors’. At the RSA Security conference this week, a former hacker for the National Security Agency demonstrated an approach that’s often more effective: stealing and then repurposing a rival’s code.

Despite Apple's revising its quarterly guidance down because of the impact on manufacturing from the coronavirus outbreak, it is still believed to be on track to produce the "iPhone SE 2."

According to Bloomberg, the new lower-cost iPhone is still believed to be announced in March. Separately, a recent sketchy rumor claims that Apple is planning an event for March 31, which will purportedly see the launch of the new low-cost iPhone.

Today, Apple released updates for its operating systems for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, HomePod, and Apple TV devices. iOS 13.3.1 is the most substantial of the updates, but they are all incremental updates that fix bugs or address user complaints or privacy concerns.

Apple periodically updates the list of devices that are compatible with iOS, removing older models, and reducing the number of devices the company has to support the software. Last year, Apple phased out the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the sixth-generation iPod Touch.

The popular misconception that Macs don’t get viruses has become a lot less popular in recent years, as Apple devices have weathered their fair share of bugs. But it’s still surprising that the most prolific malware on macOS—by one count, affecting one in 10 devices—is so relatively crude.