Apple

When I read the headline about a security researcher who had published proof-of-concept code for a vulnerability, I was upset. To disseminate proof-of-concept code is to basically say, "Here is a way to attack computers for those of you who can't figure out how to do it yourselves." The analogy that comes to mind is to throw a gun on a playground and let kids figure out how to load it.

By the time I had finished reading the article, though, my attitude had changed.

An image has surfaced in the latest beta of the iPhone SDK that appears to confirm a new model but also few apparent cosmetic changes.

Discovered by a member of the MacTalk forums, the icon set buried well within the device framework for iPhone SDK beta 5 shows images for iPhone 2,1 -- the internal working name for the next version of Apple's handset.

At least I have an excuse. Running pre-release operating systems and firmware in production settings is part of my job description. I accept that "beta" items are exempt from expectations of day-to-day stability, backward compatibility, performance and feature completeness. When I took the iPhone 3.0 OS as my one and only system software for the device, I was fully prepared that existing apps would break, some software on App Store would prove incompatible, the device would freeze up, and in any imaginable way on any given day, the beta firmware would show itself as less than firm.

With a conventional netbook clearly out of the question, researchers for Piper Jaffray said Thursday there's mounting evidence to suggest Apple next year will introduce its own take on the market in the form of a tablet-based device that will sell for $700 or less.

Specifications for the next iPhone have apparently been leaked online. The new handset, expected next month, will come in 16GB and 32GB sizes, doubling the current storage, and will also have double the processor speed and RAM capacity.

The camera is being upgraded from the current 2-megapixels to 3.2-megapixels, according to the specifications on the AppleiPhoneApps blog, which cited sources close to the hardware development team.

Apple has always put the user first when it comes to designing operating systems, building environments that help you in your everyday computing life rather than making you work around their limitations.

One result of this has been that Mac OS X has grown to become a highly capable and multi-layered entity, with many tools and features hidden just below the surface, which can make your everyday Mac use quicker and easier.

According to this thread at the MyDellMini Forums, the just-released Mac OS 10.5.7 update breaks hackintoshed machines like the Dell Mini 9/Vostro A90 netbook.

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise and most self-respecting hackintoshers know better than to install any old update on their netbook willy nilly. If you do arbitrarily install 10.5.7 on your netbook you’ll be in for all kinds of trouble including garbled screens, shutdown troubles, beach balls and no finder.

A top row of Apple executives have been tabled to speak at the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), but there’s going to be no sign of Steve Jobs, who is still on sick leave.

Instead a team of Apple executives led by Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide product marketing, will deliver the keynote speech.

Ivan Krstic is upgrading from working on $100 laptops. Beginning this week, the former security architect for the One Laptop Per Child project is working for Apple.

He wrote about the move to Apple on his personal blog. Krstic was the architect of the Bitfrost security specification used by OLPC for passwords, hard drive encryption, machine authentication, security updates, and prevention of data loss. He will be working on core operating system security in Cupertino.

Apple Inc. today patched 67 vulnerabilities in Mac OS X, including two bugs that researchers used in March to walk off with $5,000 each in a noted hacking contest.

Tuesday's update was the largest for Apple since March 2008. "For Apple, updates this size are now becoming the norm," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security.