Apple

Apple has now fully restored access to the online portal for Developer after it was hacked by an anonymous hacker.

The developer website is now finally online renovated and the Apple Developers can now get back to work to bring out applications for Apple devices, reported Engadget.

The website was taken down following a security breach and the Cupertino-based company did not give any explanation but later they sent out a message saying that the site had experienced a hacking attack and that they were “working around the clock” to fix the problem.

The launch comes at an important time for Apple, which continues to make a lot of money from the iPhone but has seen its global market share dip amid a growing wave of lower-cost Android devices as well as an intense battle with archrival Samsung.

IDC released its smartphone shipment numbers for the second quarter of 2013, and other than the usual stuff (Android at 80%, iOS down to 13.3% due to lack of a new model), the Windows Phone figures are interesting.

Starting on August 16, Apple will offer users of third-party iPhone, iPad, and iPod power adapters the chance to trade their old chargers in and pick up a genuine model at a discount. The USB Power Adapter Takeback Program will allow you to bring your third-party adapter in to an Apple Store or Apple authorized service provider and get an Apple-branded adapter for $10 ("or the approximate equivalent in local currency"), just over half of the standard price of $19. The program is being offered in response to "safety issues" related to "counterfeit and third-party adapters."

All good software houses do it; they release alpha, beta and release candidate versions of their software to allow private and/or public users to try it, gauge their reaction and from any feedback make changes where required. Apple is no different, with iOS 7 having released up to beta 4 to date.

Three Georgia Tech hackers have revealed how to hack iPhones and iPads with malware imitating ordinary apps in under sixty seconds using a "malicious charger."

Today at a Black Hat USA 2013 press conference, the researchers revealed for the first time exactly how the USB charger they built can compromise iOS devices in less than a minute.

 Does it feel like someone is missing from Apple’s management hierarchy as of late? If you thought so, you were correct. Sunday afternoon, the senior vice president of technologies at Apple was quietly removed from the company’s corporate website with no word as to why.

The only clue we have as of now is from Apple spokesman Steve Dowling, who told AllThingsD that "Bob is no longer going to be on Apple’s executive team, but will remain at Apple working on special projects." The company declined any future explanation as to the reasoning of the move.

A group of former retail employees of Apple Stores in Los Angeles and New York have filed a class-action suit against Apple, saying that the company demands employees submit to extensive anti-theft searches and other security measures, but doesn't pay them for the time involved. The security checks, which happen whenever an employee leaves the store, take 10 or 15 minutes according to the claim filed, adding up to millions of dollars in uncompensated employee time -- possibly as much as $1,400 per employee per year.

WeiPhone forums (via Macotakara) has what appears to be a bin full of ‘iPhone 5C’ packaging (above). There is no way to verify if these are from an Apple production line or simply some knockoffs.

If these belong to Apple (big if), the assumption would be that the C will stand for “Color’ or ‘plastiC’ or ‘polyCarbonate’ or ‘China’ or ‘Cheap’ or ‘Consumer’ or something else in the same way that ‘S’ stands for speed. Theoretically, the aluminum model would be the iPhone 5S which of course would be speedier and have other upgrades.

Early this morning, independent security researcher Ibrahim Balic speculated that he may responsible for the security breach that caused an extended outage of Apple's Developer Center, which has been offline since late last week.

Despite Balic's claim that he reported his findings directly to Apple and did not intend to act maliciously, information that he gave in an interview with TechCrunch suggests somewhat questionable behavior.