78Bandit

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78Bandit
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  • Saudi dissident sues iPhone spyware firm over Khashoggi communications surveillance

    78Bandit78Bandit
    This is exactly why Apple and other OS manufacturers have got to be able to implement the strongest encryption and privacy software possible.  Assuming Kashoggi was using an iPhone along with his Apple Watch there are no known weaknesses, yet somehow a foreign government was able to spy on activity on his device.  Can you imagine what would happen if the bad guys knew there was a deliberate weakness (a backdoor) in the system like Australia is demanding?

    This proves you cannot depend on the benevolence of a government to respect human rights and privacy.  Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc. need to be doing everything technologically possible to ensure nobody can access the information stored on or transmitted to a device without the owners express permission.  I don't care if it is the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, or Syria demanding access; no weakness in personal security should be mandated.
    kruegdudemike54davenlibertyforallradarthekatanantksundaram

  • Bloomberg continues iPhone panic mongering by conflating Apple's Give Back trade-in progra...

    78Bandit78Bandit
    "It's also significantly less than Apple currently sells an iPhone 7 Plus for in its refurbished online offerings, where 128GB models —the only ones currently available —are listed as regularly costing $669, with a temporary sale price of $569 right now."

    I hope a refurb 128GB iPhone 7 Plus doesn't retail for $669 because I can buy a brand new sim-free one directly from Apple for the exact same price. The $569 price is very likely not "temporary" but rather shown that way for marketing purposes as a comparison to the full price of a new phone.

    https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-7#01,20,30
    elijahgwatto_cobra

  • Key Apple security expert Jon Callas leaves to take job with ACLU

    78Bandit78Bandit
    knowitall said:
    A recent BBC article stated that an iPhone can be hacked by having the phone number only.
    It stated that Saudis traveld to Israel to buy hacking software from a company: they were asked to buy 2 new iPhones from an Apple store, boot (start) the phones and give the numbers to the hacking company.
    A few moments later without any input from the Saudis the phones were hacked ...
    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/02/world/middleeast/saudi-khashoggi-spyware-israel.html


    I read the linked article twice and didn't see anything about hacking an iPhone with just a phone number. A Google search also turns up nothing. I saw an article from 2016 regarding hacking into the server-side SS7 system to get SMS text messages, call logs, and even listen to calls by spoofing the device identification, but that has nothing to do with the phone itself.

    I'm genuinely curious if the iPhone can be hacked without physical access to the device itself.  Could you post a link to the BBC article?
    randominternetpersonStrangeDayslostkiwi

  • Apple's largest supplier reported 24 percent surge in revenues from OLED display, componen...

    78Bandit78Bandit
    78Bandit said:
    78Bandit said:
    This actually fits nicely with the rumor Apple is restarting production of the X because it has a glut of OLED panels it was obligated to purchase from Samsung.  If that rumor is true and Samsung had a guaranteed minimum number of panels Apple agreed to acquire then any slowdown in OLED iPhone sales wouldn't affect its revenue in an unanticipated  major negative way.  You wouldn't see the effects on Samsung's revenue until the after the contract was up for renewal as Apple couldn't cut it's order mid-cycle like it can with smaller suppliers.
    Rampant speculation based on "maybe this could be happening" guesswork is called conspiracy theory. It's easy to construct a narrative where parts of the story are designed to fit together with other rumors or conjecture.

    It's not news or reality though.

    It's not even clear that Apple ever stopped production of iPhone X. It only stopped selling it in the USA, to focus on its new models. In some other countries, it continued to be sold, the same way Apple kept selling the 6 long after ending its sales in USA.

    When the same sources claim that Samsung was selling few OLEDs because iPhone X demand was weak come back in 6 months and say Apple had minimum quotas that are keeping Samsung afloat because iPhone demand is weak, that should tip you off that they are lying to promote a perpetual narrative that iPhone sales are weak, which is the opposite of every real point of data we have.

    iPhones are selling for $800 next to $200 Androids, and sales figures were slightly up this year in a market where smartphones are shrinking. It's totally asinine to be creating new possible stories to explain how Apple is in a desperately bad position and that nobody wants iPhones. 

     
    From  the article:  "The only explanation is that it continues to benefit from a solid customer with strong sales, and Apple is by far the primary driver of the high-end, flexible OLED panels that Samsung credits for its component sales success."

    I was simply pointing out that there is another possible explanation that has already been brought up that would call into question the assertion that Apple must have strong sales for Samsung's revenue to be what it is.  Yes, it is speculation, but no more so than this article either.

    Is it any less of a conspiracy theory to say "Samsung's sales are strong, therefore Apple's sales must be strong too"?  It is still a "maybe this could be happening" guesswork that takes particular facts and uses them to fit a predetermined narrative.
    none of the things you said are based on any verifiable facts. 

    On the other hand, we do know where high end flexible OLED panels come from, and we do know where they are sold in commercially significant quantities. There is no "maybe" conjecture. 
    The verifiable facts are multiple suppliers of iPhone components have issued revenue guidance warnings lately.  It is no less speculative to attribute that to iPhone sales woes than it is to attribute Samsung's good revenue to positive iPhone sales.  Neither Samsung nor the other suppliers have gone on record as to exactly what Apple's orders are, so any assumptions based on overall results/warnings are pure speculation on either side.

    We know where face ID cameras come from (Lumentum which counts on apple for 30% of its revenue), that supplier issued a warning.
    We know where the audio chips come from (Cirrus which counts on Apple for 80% of its revenues), that supplier issued a warning.

    These are not insignificant quantities of components provided to Apple.

    Apple could be having poor iPhone sales or it could be having record iPhone sales, and there is verifiable information that can be used to form an opinion either way.
    muthuk_vanalingamgatorguy

  • Apple's largest supplier reported 24 percent surge in revenues from OLED display, componen...

    78Bandit78Bandit
    78Bandit said:
    This actually fits nicely with the rumor Apple is restarting production of the X because it has a glut of OLED panels it was obligated to purchase from Samsung.  If that rumor is true and Samsung had a guaranteed minimum number of panels Apple agreed to acquire then any slowdown in OLED iPhone sales wouldn't affect its revenue in an unanticipated  major negative way.  You wouldn't see the effects on Samsung's revenue until the after the contract was up for renewal as Apple couldn't cut it's order mid-cycle like it can with smaller suppliers.
    Rampant speculation based on "maybe this could be happening" guesswork is called conspiracy theory. It's easy to construct a narrative where parts of the story are designed to fit together with other rumors or conjecture.

    It's not news or reality though.

    It's not even clear that Apple ever stopped production of iPhone X. It only stopped selling it in the USA, to focus on its new models. In some other countries, it continued to be sold, the same way Apple kept selling the 6 long after ending its sales in USA.

    When the same sources claim that Samsung was selling few OLEDs because iPhone X demand was weak come back in 6 months and say Apple had minimum quotas that are keeping Samsung afloat because iPhone demand is weak, that should tip you off that they are lying to promote a perpetual narrative that iPhone sales are weak, which is the opposite of every real point of data we have.

    iPhones are selling for $800 next to $200 Androids, and sales figures were slightly up this year in a market where smartphones are shrinking. It's totally asinine to be creating new possible stories to explain how Apple is in a desperately bad position and that nobody wants iPhones. 

     
    From  the article:  "The only explanation is that it continues to benefit from a solid customer with strong sales, and Apple is by far the primary driver of the high-end, flexible OLED panels that Samsung credits for its component sales success."

    I was simply pointing out that there is another possible explanation that has already been brought up that would call into question the assertion that Apple must have strong sales for Samsung's revenue to be what it is.  Yes, it is speculation, but no more so than this article either.

    Is it any less of a conspiracy theory to say "Samsung's sales are strong, therefore Apple's sales must be strong too"?  It is still a "maybe this could be happening" guesswork that takes particular facts and uses them to fit a predetermined narrative.
    muthuk_vanalingamgatorguy