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A newly discovered malware capable of cyber espionage and remote takeover is targeting Apple Mac computers, delivering its payload by opening up a backdoor connection to a command-and-control web server via the encrypted Tor network. Named Eleanor (or Backdoor.MAC.Eleanor), the malware arrives disguised as a drag-and-drop file conversion application called the EasyDoc Converter. The application is found on many credible third-party sites, according to an analysis from Bitdefender, whose security researchers uncovered the malware. The program is neither verified nor digitally signed by Apple. In reality, the program's true purpose is far more malevolent, granting attackers a backdoor connection that...

There was more of the same old, same old California news recently. Some 62 percent of state roads have been rated poor or mediocre. There were more predictions of huge cost overruns and yearly losses on high-speed rail -- before the first mile of track has been laid. One-third of Bay Area residents were polled as hoping to leave the area soon. Such pessimism is daily fare, and for good reason. The basket of California state taxes -- sales, income and gasoline -- rates among the highest in the U.S. Yet California roads and K-12 education rank near the bottom....

Taxes, overall, were the proximate cause. But there were certainly other reasons why we declared independence from England...And boy, oh the taxes. It's one thing to charge a 30 percent cut on apps, but a 30 percent tax imposed on everything you sell, including subscriptions and any ongoing revenue is preposterous.... It's practically North Korean in its ham-fistedness. Kim Jong-Il would congratulate Apple on its mastery of authoritarianism.

Some security experts who inspected that new version of iOS got a big surprise. They found that Apple had not obscured the workings of the heart of its operating system using encryption as the company has done before. Crucial pieces of the code destined to power millions of iPhones and iPads were laid bare for all to see. That would aid anyone looking for security weaknesses in Apple’s flagship software. Security experts say the famously secretive company may have adopted a bold new strategy intended to encourage more people to report bugs in its software—or perhaps made an embarrassing mistake....

Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft have joined forces to stop a rifle emoji from being added to the catalogue of images available to their users on their smartphones. The new emoji was due to join the keyboard line-up in an update this month. But members of the Unicode Consortium, which is responsible for regulating emoji, voted unanimously to remove it in a move the body described as "bizarre and unusual".

Some iPhone owners got a nasty surprise in February when, after bringing the device for repairs, they saw an ominous “Error 53” message upon restarting their phones. Translation: Your fancy gadget is now a glorified paperweight.After much confusion and hand-wringing in Apple circles, the company admitted that Error 53 was a sort of over-zealous security feature that kicked in when a non-Apple technician repaired the iPhone’s Touch ID feature.Apple aapl eventually issued a software fix that let people restore their device through iTunes, and apologized to users for the inconvenience. The company also said anyone who had paid out...

If you’re wondering why Donald Trump is so popular… Republicans are sick of electing good conservatives, only to watch them cave to the bullying tactics of those so very tolerant and nice liberals. One by one, elected Republicans compromise away their principles to sit at the cool kid table. Paul Ryan used to be pretty cool. Speaker Paul Ryan is joining Apple’s Tim Cook for a fundraiser next week in California. A couple of days ago Cook said Apple will not be sending any money to the GOP convention because they do not agree with Donald Trump. I’m sure that...

Apple CEO Tim Cook will host a fundraiser with House Speaker Paul Ryan next week as the iPhone maker tries to strengthen its relationships with key Republicans — despite its decision to pull support for the GOP convention because of its distaste for Donald Trump. Cook will help generate cash for Ryan at a private breakfast on June 28 in Menlo Park, Calif., along with Gary Wipfler, the company’s treasurer, according to an invite obtained by POLITICO on Monday. The money benefits not only the speaker but a joint fundraising committee aimed at helping to elect other House Republicans.

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File During election season, major companies often donate to both parties' national conventions. This year, however, one big player is opting out. Last week, Apple announced it would refrain from donating materials and support to the 2016 Republican convention, "citing Donald Trump's controversial comments about women, immigrants, and minorities."As a conservative, I detest Trump, his pomp, and his works. His campaign looks more and more like a trainwreck as Trump focuses away from battleground states, doesn't raise money, and doesn't fill out his staff. More importantly, the predicted "pivot" to a general election populist theme has never...

When your Mac's storage is almost full, macOS Sierra will help you make some space. You might have come across that dreaded message: "Your startup disk is almost full." The computer wants more space, and the only way to make that happen is by deleting files. But, how do we know what files to delete? In OS X El Capitan, we have to manually dig through old files and delete them as we find them, like some kind of animal. With macOS Sierra, Apple is making it easier to make space by allowing us to set up Optimized Storage, which...

You have come through the eye of the needle into Kingdom Come , Zion lays before you blessed daughters and sons, So now the "real awakening begins", Truly you ARE worthy free from all sins, Look you are dressed in righteousness for you wear my gown, I have bestowed on you and a clean turban as your crown, Your feet shine at the mention of My WORD, For Now they Know it IS the Path of Righteousness they have heard, Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! Is the sound, That you hear now echoing all around, Voices that sound like...

Kif LeswingJune 22, 2016 Apple CEO Tim Cook will host a private breakfast for Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan next week, Politico reports. The breakfast is being hosted by Cook, according to the report, and not Apple itself. The event is expected to raise funds that will help elect House Republicans as well as Ryan. The move is a sign that Apple remains a bipartisan tech company, even as it has withdrawn its support for the Republican National Convention because of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump's controversial views and campaign. Previously, Apple donated support to both the Republican and Democratic...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3651291/Apple-CEO-Tim-Cook-host-fundraiser-Speaker-Paul-Ryan-week-won-t-aid-GOP-convention-distaste-Donald-Trump.html#newcomment

Apple CEO Tim Cook will host a fundraiser with House Speaker Paul Ryan next week as the iPhone maker tries to strengthen its relationships with key Republicans — despite its decision to pull support for the GOP convention because of its distaste for Donald Trump. Cook will help generate cash for Ryan at a private breakfast on June 28 in Menlo Park, Calif., along with Gary Wipfler, the company’s treasurer, according to an invite obtained by POLITICO on Monday. The money benefits not only the speaker but a joint fundraising committee aimed at helping to elect other House Republicans. Cook...

“Apple should really have caught the potential patent violation before it reached the courts, said Benjamin Bai, the head of Allen & Overy’s IP practice,” Ramli and Wang report. “‘They should’ve found the patent and dealt with it – this should never be a surprise,’ said Bai, who previously had Apple as a client at his former firm. But ‘there are a lot more things Apple can do to get out of this mess. You pay license fees and settle this mess. The second is to appeal and in the meantime try to invalidate the patent.'”

This is a no-brainer. Donald Trump is a serious threat to Apple's slaves in China. Apple, if you're serious about being 'good citizens' you'd fix the conditions you force workers over there to endure and pay them a competitive wage the same as an American would make. You're exploitive, and it's sick. Don't be a bunch of globalist hypocrites. Hey, Apple, boycotting Trump and the RNC is so petulant. Man, that is some political courage right there. Tim Cook, you want to impress me? STOP SELLING YOUR PRODUCTS IN COUNTRIES THAT OUTLAW AND KILL HOMOSEXUALS! Put your money where your...

The next emoji update will be two characters short of what was originally planned — the result of a "late stage" change, according to the organization overseeing the symbols. Now, a new report suggests the change may have come from an unlikely source: Apple. According to BuzzFeed, the rifle emoji had a chance of making it on the list of new emoji that Unicode, the organization in charge of them, was creating for 2016. However, that was not to be, and Apple was one of the larger voices rallying against its inclusion. Though a rifle was scheduled to be coded...

1. Missing Dark Mode As with Android, for years a dark mode has been high on the list of iOS requests – and yet again Apple didn’t deliver it. 2. Goodbye Easy Access Widgets One of the larger changes made in iOS 10 is Apple’s decision to add widget support to its lockscreen and even some app icons for 3D Touch enabled devices (read: iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus). But what Apple didn’t touch on at the time was it has also removed them from the notification center. 3. Basic Keyboard Omissions Apple made some solid progress with the...

The web platform is capable of amazing things. Thanks to the ongoing hard work of standards bodies, browser vendors, and web developers, web standards are feature-rich and continuously improving. The WebKit project in particular emphasizes security, performance, and battery life when evaluating and implementing web standards. These standards now include most of the functionality needed to support rich media and interactive experiences that used to require legacy plug-ins like Adobe Flash. When Safari 10 ships this fall, by default, Safari will behave as though common legacy plug-ins on users’ Macs are not installed. On websites that offer both Flash and...

Apple's success in China has been spectacular. Truly outstanding. But while the "Apple in China" story is usually told in terms of the rise (and now leveling off) of iPhone sales, it has been just as big a success in terms of brand building and customer capture. Apple today is known and pretty loved by China's increasingly wealthy urban middle class. And the company has a commanding position in the lucrative "affordable luxury" market segment. Apple’s success in rising consumer China is even better than its growth numbers imply. However... (you knew it was coming) While capturing Chinese consumers has...