Apple Releases OS X 10.9.2 With Fix for Major SSL Vulnerability, FaceTime Audio

Apple today released OS X 10.9.2, which includes a fix for a major SSL security flaw that first came to light on Friday, after the release of iOS 7.0.6.

The bug, which was introduced in the form of a single line of errant code that allowed an attacker to bypass SSL/TLS verification routines, left OS X users vulnerable to a man-in-the-middle attack. Shared wired or wireless networks could allow an attacker to intercept communications on affected machines, acquiring sensitive information like login credentials and passwords, or injecting harmful malware.

While the SSL vulnerability was first introduced to iOS in 2012, it only affects Macs running OS X 10.9. Lion and Mountain Lion users are not affected.

OS X 10.9.2 was first seeded to developers in December and has seen seven beta iterations since that time. Along with an emergency fix for the SSL bug, OS X 10.9.2 also includes FaceTime Audio and new blocking controls for iMessage and FaceTime.

It is recommended that all users running OS X 10.9 Mavericks upgrade to OS X 10.9.2 as soon as possible to disable the vulnerability.

‘SunSprite’ Solar-Powered Bluetooth Device Measures Optimal Sun Exposure [iOS Blog]

With Apple hiring numerous medical professionals for its rumored iWatch project, and many new fitness and other types of health-related devices coming to market, wearable health-data tracking devices are proving extremely popular.

A new device launching today on IndieGogo is SunSprite, a wearable device that measures the amount of visible and UV light that the wearer is exposed to in order to help users avoid health issues related to a lack of exposure to sunlight, such as seasonal affective disorder or winter depression.

The solar-powered SunSprite tracks the amount of visible and UV light the wearer is exposed to. Because of its built-in solar sensors, it never needs recharging, using ambient light to gather electricity to power its Bluetooth LE connection to the iPhone. The company is planning to manufacturer the SunSprite at a factory in the United States, as well.

The company behind the SunSprite says that proper exposure to sunlight improves energy, sleep, mood, focus, stress, and more, with Harvard Medical School professors on staff to back up the science [PDF].

Getting bright light at the right time of day is clinically proven to boost your energy and help you sleep better. See Bright Light & the Human Brain below for more information on the science behind SunSprite and bright light.

SunSprite’s dual sensors measure the brightness of both visible and UV light so you can make sure you’re getting the right amount of light — enough visible light to be healthy while avoiding too many harmful UV rays. SunSprite’s LED display (as well as its smartphone app) can tell you if the light you’re in is bright enough to be beneficial.

The SunSprite is available for preorder through IndieGoGo for $99, a 33 percent discount off its estimated $149 final retail price. The company estimates it will to ship to backers in June of this year.

Apple Sapphire Deal with GT to Hit Full Production Beginning in 2H 2014

GT Advanced Technologies, Apple’s partner in a new sapphire plant in Arizona, today announced earnings for the fourth quarter of 2013 while also providing a forward look at what will be a “transformational” year for the company. The company’s comments help put into perspective just how large the deal with Apple is, with significant ramping heading into the second half of this year and into 2015.

“Our arrangement to supply sapphire materials to Apple is progressing well and we started to build out the facility in Arizona and staff the operation during the quarter,” said Gutierrez. “We are pleased to have Apple as a sapphire customer and to be in a position to leverage our proprietary know-how to enable the supply of this versatile material. While our primary focus during the balance of the year is to continue to execute on our commitments in Arizona, our aim is to position GT not only as an exceptional sapphire supplier to Apple but also as an unparalleled world-class supplier of sapphire material and equipment to a variety of customers.

As part of the deal with Apple, GT halted sales of its sapphire production furnaces in order to focus on building out capacity for Apple, a move that resulted in a drastic reduction in GT’s revenue for the latter half of 2013 and saw the company’s full-year revenue drop to $299 million in 2013 from $733.5 million in 2012.

GT projects that company revenue will remain low during the first half of 2014 as it continues to ramp up production for Apple, with revenue of just $20-30 million for the first quarter. But the company forecasts a massive increase in revenue for the latter half of the year, which should represent 85% of the company’s full-year revenue of $600-800 million. That timing would appear to be in line with an Apple product launch such as an iPhone 6 with sapphire-covered display in the usual September-October timeframe.

The company expects that 2014 will be a transformational year, one in which it builds a sapphire materials business while continuing to invest in the new technologies that will drive its equipment business in 2015 and beyond.

The company expects that revenue and profitability will be back end loaded, with its sapphire materials business ramping as the year progresses, and with improving financial performance during the second half of 2014.

On an annualized basis, during 2014, the company expects revenues to range from $600 million to $800 million, with approximately 15% of total revenues occurring in the first half of the year. The company expects that its sapphire segment will account for more than 80% of total revenue in 2014. The sapphire segment includes the company’s equipment and materials businesses in the LED, industrial and consumer electronics markets.

With sapphire estimated to account for 80% of GT’s revenue for the year and Apple undoubtedly representing the lion’s share of that segment, the deal with Apple could be generating in the range of $400-500 million for GT this year. Looking further ahead, GT sees even more growth with estimates of over $1 billion in total revenue for 2015.

Apple has been looking to rush its new sapphire plant into production this month to “create a critical new sub-component of Apple Products”. Given the number of sapphire furnaces delivered to the facility and on order, the partnership between Apple and GT could be sufficient to produce 100-200 million sapphire-covered iPhone displays per year.

Grovemade Introduces Walnut and Maple iPhone Cases and Docks [iOS Blog]

Portland, Oregon-based Grovemade today launched a pair of new domestically-sourced woods for its line of iPhone cases and docks. New Walnut and Maple options are available, going along with the Bamboo cases that the company has been making for years.

Grovemade also introduced a new iPhone dock with a three-pound steel base to hold the dock in place and allow one-handed removal and docking of phones. The base is available in black or steel, with Maple, Walnut or Bamboo wooden tops. The company also introduced a Walnut edition of its iPad Air and iPad mini cases.

“The addition of these new domestic woods and the debut of our new website underscores Grovemade’s commitment to innovation, providing our customers with our signature craftsmanship and belief in superior quality,” says Ken Tomita, Grovemade’s co-founder. “These new case, dock, and cover options are just the beginning of the new product lines to be released in the coming months.”

The Grovemade Walnut and Maple iPhone 5/5s cases are available from the company’s website for $99, with the Maple and Walnut iPhone docks also priced at $99. The new Walnut iPad Air and Mini cases are $129 and $109 respectively.

Buyers can use the discount code Walnut+Maple2014 to get 20% off the new collection at Grovemade’s online store.

Apple Asks EU to Limit Injunctions in Patent Infringement Cases [Mac Blog]

Apple, Samsung and 19 other technology companies sent a letter to the European Union asking for limits on injunctions in patent infringement cases, reports Bloomberg. These limits would be incorporated into the future European Unitary Patent system and Unified Patent Court.

The letter requests that judges in the new EU patent court be given guidance on when to issue an injunction in cases where the validity of a patent is questionable. The guidelines would make it harder for patent holding companies to block the import and sales of devices by filing infringement lawsuits.

“Without this guidance, the potential exists for a court to order an injunction prohibiting the importation and sale of goods even though the patent may ultimately be found invalid.”

These rules would be incorporated into the proposed Unitary Patent system and Unified Patent Court, which establishes one patent system and a single jurisdiction court for all participating European Union member states.

A similar group of technology companies are petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court for permission to collect legal fees when patent holding companies lose an infringement case. This change in the allocation of fees would cut down on the number of frivolous suits, argues the group.

Apple Adds Streaming Television Channel ‘TV4 Play’ to Apple TV in Sweden [iOS Blog]

Apple today added a new TV4 Play channel to the Apple TV in Sweden, giving Swedish customers access to the TV 4 Play service that includes live broadcasting, original programming, and full episodes of TV4 Group shows. While content is available for free, premium subscribers have access to additional shows and movies.

With ‘TV4 Play ‘on Apple TV, full episodes of current TV4 Group shows are available to watch for up to 7 days after their original air date. ‘TV4 Play Premium’ subscribers in Sweden can access an extensive library of additional content with most current and previously aired episodes available for a longer time period.

Along with access to content, the channel offers a personalized list of favorite shows and a “resume play” option to allow a show to be paused and resumed at any time. While the number of HD shows are currently limited, TV4 Group expects to add additional HD shows in the coming months.

TV4 is a Swedish television network that broadcasts news, sports, sitcoms, films, documentaries, and more. TV4 Play is the video-on-demand service for the network and is also available via an iTunes app. [Direct Link]

In addition to the TV4 Play channel for Swedish users, there are several other country specific Apple TV channels, including Sky Sports in the U.K., Watchever in Germany, and CANALPLAY in France.

Disney Launches ‘Disney Movies Anywhere’ App With iTunes Integration [iOS Blog]

Walt Disney Studios launched Disney Movies Anywhere, a new online service and companion iOS app that allows you to buy Disney, Pixar, and Marvel movies and watch them across multiple devices. The service has a catalog of over 420 films, with individual movies costing $19.99 each.

Powered by Disney’s Keychest video-on-demand service, the Disney Movies Anywhere app lets customers browse or search through Disney’s vast mobile library and then purchase titles for playback from within the app. The app streams the movie to an iOS device, with an option to download content for offline viewing.

Disney Movies Anywhere will be popular among families, and Disney has added parental controls to the app. Parents using the app on multiple devices can restrict viewing on a per device basis, allowing a parent to access the full catalog on their personal iPad and only G-rated movies on a child’s iPod touch.

Apple users can link their iTunes account to the Disney Movies Anywhere app and sync eligible films with their iTunes library. In a launch promotion, Disney is offering Pixar’s The Incredibles for free to customers who enable this iTunes integration.

Disney Movies Anywhere is available for free from the iOS App Store. [Direct Link]

Disney Movies Anywhere service launches with an unprecedented link to iTunes

Last year Apple introduced store sheet, a feature that allows developers to offer sell things like music and movies inside their apps without making you leave and head to iTunes. Now a new app from Disney is taking the feature a step further, allowing you to play iTunes purchases in-app as well. The first of its kind, Disney’s new Movies Anywhere app not only allows you to purchase and play new Disney movies within the app, it also allows you to stream Disney content you’ve already purchased from iTunes without downloading it again onto your device.

As long as the app knows you’ve purchased the movie before, you’ll be able stream it for free on your favorite iOS device or on your home computer. As you might expect, movies purchased within the app will also be available through your iTunes library to play on your iPhone or iPad without the Disney app, and can be played on your TV via Airplay. To use the app you’ll need to first sign in with both your Disney and iTunes account information. Once you’re logged in, it automatically brings in any Disney flicks you’ve purchased through iTunes previously, as well as any Disney Movie Rewards digital copies you might have redeemed from Blu-ray or DVD purchases.

The app is built using Disney’s proprietary digital rights locker, KeyChest. A technology we’ve been hearing about for years — and part of the reason Disney/Apple haven’t joined in with Ultraviolet digital copies — it could help Movies Anywhere stretch beyond iOS to other platforms in the future. As originally designed, it can work with any studio, DRM system or digital video store that wishes to participate, and unlock copies purchased via one storefront on any other automatically. That could include Ultraviolet shops like Vudu and Redbox Instant, or those going it alone like Amazon, Google Play and Comcast video on-demand — not to mention other hardware platforms like Android and Roku. Of course, Disney has talked up the buy-once play-anywhere tech since 2009 and it’s only now arriving on a single platform and store, so patience may be required.

The app includes over 400 Disney, Pixar and Marvel flicks. Each title also has a bit of extra content — such as behind-the-scenes videos and director interviews — associated with it, with some content exclusive to Disney Movies Anywhere users. Another exclusive for app users: the ability to collect Disney movie rewards points for purchases, something previously unavailable for digital purchases. The iTunes version of the store is available today, and Disney plans to expand the service to other platforms in the future. For a limited time Disney is also offering an incredible perk for downloading the app: a free digital copy of The Incredibles.

Richard Lawler also contributed to this post.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablets, Wireless, HD, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Disney (iTunes), Disney Movies Anywhere

Alleged iOS Security Flaw Enables Malicious Apps to Secretly Log User Touch Inputs

Researchers from security firm FireEye have revealed a new bug in iOS that enables a malicious app to monitor and log a user’s touch inputs and button uses while running in the background, reports Ars Technica. The exploit reportedly targets a flaw in iOS’ multitasking capabilities to capture user inputs, and allows for them to be sent to a remote server.

To demonstrate the flaw, the researchers created a proof-of-concept monitoring app and developed approaches to “bypass” Apple’s App Store Review process effectively. Once the app was installed on an iOS device, actions including keyboard inputs, use of the volume, home, and power buttons, screen touches, and Touch ID events were all captured. The researchers also noted that disabling iOS 7′s “Background App Refresh” setting would not disable a malicious app from logging data, as the only present solution to the problem is to manually remove apps from the task switcher.

FireEye also spoke about the flaw being identified in current versions of iOS:

Note that the demo exploits the latest 7.0.4 version of iOS system on a non-jailbroken iPhone 5s device successfully. We have verified that the same vulnerability also exists in iOS versions 7.0.5, 7.0.6 and 6.1.x. Based on the findings, potential attackers can either use phishing to mislead the victim to install a malicious/vulnerable app or exploit another remote vulnerability of some app, and then conduct background monitoring.

The group added that they are actively working with Apple to fix the issue, as the company has yet to respond. The news comes less than a week after Apple issued iOS 7.0.6 in response to a SSL vulnerability that allowed a hacker to capture or modify data from Safari in supposedly secure sessions.

The SSL security bug was also found to be present in OS X, as new research over the weekend revealed that additional apps such as FaceTime and iMessage could be compromised. Apple confirmed to Reuters that it will issue an OS X software update “very soon” to patch the bug.

Statue Honoring Steve Jobs Destined for Apple Headquarters Unveiled in Belgrade

A bust of Steve Jobs by famed Serbian sculptor Dragan Radenovic was unveiled in Belgrade today, the result of a competition covering more than 10,000 submitted works that will see the statue placed at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino.

The statue unveiled today is a maquette, a sculpture substantially smaller than the final version for demonstration purposes, that features Jobs’ head at the top, with a pair of Cyrillic letters and the binary digits one and zero. According to a report in the Serbian press [Google Translate], sketches of the proposed status were sent to Apple executives, who said they were very interested in the sculpture and liked “the imperfections of his work”.

The sculptor will head to Apple HQ next to discuss the final version of the statue, which will be approximately 3 to 5 meters in height — 10 to 16 feet — and will be shipped to Cupertino upon completion.

Thanks Ivan!