shamino

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shamino
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  • iPhone gets USB-C thanks to creative robotics engineer

    shaminoshamino
    I don't think it's so much a matter of want to as one of see a clear benefit.

    USB-C is very trendy right now, and the new EU law is definitely going to have an impact on Apple's business logic, but there are other things that they need to consider in addition, including:
    • Cost to add higher speed communication to the iPhone.  If a USB-C iPhone continues to use USB 2.0 data rates, that eliminates much of the technical advantage.
    • Other Lightening capabilities.  Lightening was originally designed to replace the 30-pin Dock connector, which had several things like analog A/V, that Lightening later incorporated.  I don't know how many of these features are still used, but they will be important to any transition plan.  For instance, a Lightening headphone adapter only has to (as far as I know) identify itself as such (via the ID chip) and then connect the analog I/O pins to the connector - so it can be a cheap and simple adapter.  But a USB-C adapter needs to include a full USB audio interface into that adapter.
    • Ticking off existing customers.  People over the years have bought a lot of Lightening-based devices.  When Apple dropped the 30-pin connector, there was a lot of complaining from people who had to toss out peripherals or buy adapters.  The Lightening-based ecosystem is even bigger and will probably generate an even bigger wave of complaints.
    Ultimately, it is (as you wrote) a business decision, but there are a lot of factors involved.  It's not just a matter of whether Apple management "wants to".
    williamlondonapplguybaconstangFileMakerFellerFidonet127watto_cobra

  • US Customs seizing record numbers of fake AirPods

    shaminoshamino
    If it's like the last time this made the news, then the new product doesn't look much like Apple's product and doesn't have any Apple branding but is somehow being accused of being "counterfeit" nevertheless.

    Apple is trying to pretend that they have an exclusive right to the concept of wireless earbuds and they're using US Customs to enforce that nonsense.  At least against small no-name companies.  They are steering clear of going after Samsung or other big players who are selling the same things.
    muthuk_vanalingamdarkvader

  • Apple releases MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone

    shaminoshamino
    How much thicker does that make the phone?

    And wouldn't it look a lot better if Apple would just make the whole phone a bit thicker and fill the extra space with a bigger battery?  And as a happy side-effect, get rid of the camera bump as well.
    muthuk_vanalingamelijahgwilliamlondonpscooter63Beatswatto_cobra

  • Reminder: Don't install Apple's betas on any critical devices unless you really hate yours...

    shaminoshamino
    There are two caveats here: Apple Watch and Apple TV 4K. Neither has a physical port that owners can access, so, all updates are installed either wirelessly or across Ethernet in the case of the Apple TV. This leaves no way to roll back the betas if something explodes.


    And if something goes wrong in the initial install or a future beta update, your Apple Watch or Apple TV can be bricked, and you'll need to mail it in to Apple to have them fix it for you. Install this one at your own risk.
    The really aggravating part here is that both AppleTV and Apple Watch have hidden undocumented diagnostic ports that can be used to restore firmware when this happens (much like how the USB port on 3rd generation AppleTV can be used for this) but as far as I know, the special cable needed to use this port isn't available for anyone (at least anyone outside of Apple's repair facilities) to buy.

    See also:
    I wonder if someone with the appropriate cable could use iOS-standard tools (iTunes, Finder or Configurator) to restore firmware to these devices.  Has anyone here read reports of someone doing this?
    watto_cobra

  • AirTag hacked and reprogrammed by security researcher

    shaminoshamino
    The part that surprises me is that he was able to rewrite the AirTag's firmware.

    Most non-trivial microcontrollers I've seen include some kind of secure-boot facility where public key data is written to write-once memory as a part of loading the initial firmware image.  From that point forward, the device will refuse to boot if the rest of the firmware isn't signed with the corresponding private key.  This isn't unusual - I've seen it in MCUs from Realtek, ST, Silicon Labs, Qualcomm and many others.

    I'm surprised Apple didn't do the same for the AirTags.  Either they picked an MCU without this feature (maybe to minimize cost or to get something physically as small as possible) or they didn't bother using it.

    Or, as a third possibility, they only signed the software not the data file containing the URL (which may have been the only thing modified by this hack).

    Knowing what's going on here is far more interesting than arguing about what word should be used to describe BLE communication.  :smile: 
    roundaboutnowfastasleep