Apple Removes Some Ad Blockers From App Store for Installing Root Certificates

Apple tonight removed some ad blockers, among other apps, from the App Store for installing root certificates that would allow developers to view encrypted traffic from their users, reports iMore. In a statement provided to the publication, Apple said it was working with developers to get the apps back into the App Store.

Apple is deeply committed to protecting customer privacy and security. We’ve removed a few apps from the App Store that install root certificates which enable the monitoring of customer network data that can in turn be used to compromise SSL/TLS security solutions. We are working closely with these developers to quickly get their apps back on the App Store, while ensuring customer privacy and security is not at risk.

With iOS 9, Apple allowed developers to create content blockers that would block ads on websites in Safari. Some ad blockers were removed because they could use the installed root certificates to view customer data passing through them. However, iMore notes that the ad blockers removed from the App Store are slightly different than the content blockers Apple enabled with iOS 9.

The ad blockers removed from the App Store block ads and other content inside apps by “exposing all your private Internet traffic to the blocker,” according to iMore. The apps are set up in a way that allows a user’s traffic to flow through the developer’s servers to perform the content blocking. One of the apps that has been removed is Been Choice, who notes that they will resubmit their app tomorrow with the necessary changes.

While Apple has enabled developers to create content blockers for Safari, it currently has no systems in place to allow developers to block content within apps.

Delta’s ‘Fly Delta’ App Updated With Apple Pay Support

Delta today updated its Fly Delta app with Apple Pay support. This makes Delta the first U.S.-based airline to allow users to purchase tickets via Apple Pay.

“Our Fly Delta app has come a long way since it was first introduced in 2010. More than 18 million customers have now downloaded the Fly Delta app and we are excited to be the first U.S.-based airline to allow our customers to book and pay for their tickets with Apple Pay. By providing a way to pay for flights with just the touch of a fingertip, Delta continues to optimize our robust mobile channels and provide an easy-to-use and seamless digital experience for our customers,” said Rhonda Crawford, Vice President – eCommerce.

While the app supports Apple Pay, Delta notes that it’s not yet available for SkyMiles award bookings, trip extras, trip insurance or seat upgrades. The app also has an updated “Today” view that’ll allow passengers to easily view their eBoarding pass on the day of travel.

Apple Pay has slowly been rolling out to more vendors over the past months. Earlier today, Apple announced that the service would be available at Starbucks, KFC and Chili’s in 2016.

Fly Delta for iPhone is available in the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple Continues to Outpace Slumping PC Market in 3Q 2015

The PC market continues to slide, according to the latest estimates, and while Apple is seeing only a small gain or loss in shipments year-over-year depending on who is doing the counting, the Mac maker continues to outpace the overall market.

Gartner’s Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q15 (Thousands of Units)
Gartner’s numbers show Apple shipping 5.6 million Macs worldwide during the third quarter, an increase of 1.5 percent over the third quarter of 2014 and good enough for fourth place with 7.6 percent of the market, placing behind Lenovo, HP, and Dell. The global market as a whole saw a 7.7 percent decline in shipments, with only Dell at 0.5 percent joining Apple among top vendors with shipment growth.

Gartner’s Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q15 (Thousands of Units)
In the U.S., Gartner estimates Apple’s shipments grew 7.3 percent to 2.5 million, ahead of the market’s 1.3 percent growth. Apple ranked third with 14.8 percent of the market, although Lenovo is rapidly closing with strong U.S. sales growth.

Apple’s U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-3Q15 (Gartner)
Compared to Gartner, IDC predicts steeper losses for the PC market, pegging the global shipment decline at 10.8 percent year-over-year with Apple falling 3.4 percent. That was, however, still good enough for fourth place worldwide with 7.5 percent of the market. IDC’s U.S. numbers put Apple at 1.6 percent growth, reaching 13.7 percent share to edge out Lenovo as the third largest seller of PCs while the overall U.S. market fell 0.7 percent.

A better picture of Apple’s Mac shipments will come on October 27 when the company reports earnings for the typically strong back-to-school quarter.

Elon Musk: Apple hired the Tesla engineers we’ve fired

During an interview with German business newspaper Handelsblatt on Thursday, Elon Musk unleashed some very CE-Oh No He Didn’t!-worthy words about Apple’s car efforts. “They have hired people we’ve fired,” he responded when asked if he was worried about a new competitor that’s been snapping up former Tesla engineers. He even revealed that they (he and his friends from the auto company, presumably) jokingly call Apple the Tesla Graveyard. “If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple,” he added and made it a point to clarify that he wasn’t kidding with that one.

When asked if he takes Apple’s plans seriously, he took a jab at one of Cupertino’s newest devices, as well as the fruit company’s typical manufacturing process, which involves Taiwanese contractor Foxconn:

Did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch? (laughs) No, seriously: It’s good that Apple is moving and investing in this direction. But cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches. You can’t just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car. But for Apple, the car is the next logical thing to finally offer a significant innovation. A new pencil or a bigger iPad alone were not relevant enough.

Musk didn’t go to Germany just to diss Apple, though: he went there to talk with government representatives about the future of mobility and electric vehicles in the country. He admitted that financial and other incentives for EVs — such as allowing them to use the bus lanes like Oslo, Norway does — would be extremely helpful in Tesla’s expansion plans.

He also didn’t hold back when asked what the German automakers are doing wrong, explaining that they’re trying to cling to the past. Musk boldly proclaimed that we’ve reached the limit of what gasoline can do, and it’s time to build the next generation of automobiles. “You see what’s happened with the current diesel scandal at Volkswagen,” he said, using the automaker’s emission-cheating car scandal as an example. “In order to make progress, they apparently had to cheat. I think if you intentionally mislead governments around the world with software that is designed to only be effective at the test stand, this is a very conscious action.”

[Image credit: pestoverde/Flickr]

Source: Global Edition Handelsblatt

Elon Musk: If You Don’t Make It at Tesla, You Go Work at Apple

In a new interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt (via Business Insider), Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke about his thoughts on the much-rumored Apple Car. Additionally, Musk was asked what he thought about Apple hiring away some of Tesla’s “most important engineers.”

Important engineers? They have hired people we’ve fired. We always jokingly call Apple the “Tesla Graveyard.” If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I’m not kidding.

Musk was then asked whether he takes Apple’s car ambitions seriously, to which he joked “did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch?” He went on to say that it was good Apple was moving toward and investing in a car, saying that it’s the “next logical thing” for the company to offer “significant innovation.”

The Tesla CEO went on to poke fun at the newly announced Apple Pencil and iPad Pro, saying that innovation in the form of a new pencil or a bigger iPad are “not relevant enough.” However, Musk cautions that cars are far more complex than smartphones and smartwatches. “You can’t just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car,” Musk told the German newspaper.

Apple and Tesla have hired each other’s employees over the course of the last year, with Musk saying that Apple has hired away “very few people” from the car company despite offering $250,000 signing bonuses and 60 percent salary increases to its employees. Tesla has hired nearly 150 Apple employees.

Video Review: iBattz’s Mojo Refuel Invictus Case for iPhone 6s Plus Packs a Lot of Power, But Has Flaws

With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple didn’t increase battery life over the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which means battery cases are going to remain a popular accessory for at least another year. In our latest video review, we went hands on with the ibattz Mojo Refuel Invictus battery case, which will fit the iPhone 6s Plus or the iPhone 6 Plus.

The ibattz is equipped with two removable and replaceable 3,000 mAh batteries, for a total capacity of 6,000 mAh. Each one of the batteries has enough juice to charge an iPhone 6 Plus or 6s Plus about 70 percent of the way, so combined, there’s enough power to keep an iPhone going for a couple of days.

With two batteries in the Invictus Refuel case, it’s quite heavy, but we didn’t think the case itself was too bulky considering it’s housing multiple batteries. There’s a power button at the bottom of the case with LEDs for each battery, so you can get an idea of how much battery is left at a glance. The case itself recharges using micro-USB.

We liked the power this case provided, but we weren’t a fan of the construction of the case itself. The materials felt a bit cheap and we were worried we’d break it putting it on the iPhone. The bulk of the phone also rendered the mute switch unusable due to a faulty mute switch on the case itself, so this is probably a case most users are going to want to pass on.

The Mojo Refuel Invictus for the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus is available from the ibattz website for $129.95.

Note: MacRumors received no compensation for this review.