Apple Criticised Over 'Presumptuous' News App Email

The upcoming news app of Apple has been getting criticised by tech experts due to the claims made by the Apple in terms of forcing the bloggers to accept all the terms and conditions of the news app. With an official e-mail, Apple invite publishers to be a part of their new service by presuming that all the bloggers are accepting the terms and conditions, unless they are opting to out these services. These terms covers the legal issues along with other things.

As if now despite the increasing row over these issues, Apple has not given out any official statement however; the app is expected to be launched by the end of 2015. The terms and conditions which have been laid out for this app indicates that the company will work to resolve any of raised issues pertaining to any legal claims which has been made by the user according to the RSS content. The terms and conditions of this news app indicated that Apple will be notified if the company will be involved in the claim by any manner. Unless all of the users agrees to this terms and conditions they will not be includes in the app once launched.

The terms of the new app has also indicated that any publisher who are not willing to bound by these conditions will have inform the company about the same. Publishers are getting concerned that despite their active consent they might be forced to get bound by the agreement. Some other details indicated that Apple will be able to place ads right next to the content of the publishers without paying them anything. Some of the online publishers have stated it a wrong move from the company and also indicated it to be presumptuous.

These publishers have indicated that unless they inform Apple about opting out of the service, the company will presume that they have given consent to these terms and conditions. This does not make any sense to the publishers. Graham Hann, the head of technology, media and communications at Taylor Wessing states that these terms and conditions are within the standards of the industry however they cannot say the same about the opt-out requirements.

The company will be placing all the publishers content through the RSS feed which is publicly available. This app has been sending out about Apple News through blog and websites. Publishers usually take the call of making this content available to public. The company has also started using their editorial staff to work on this app and added the fact that a human editor has worked on this app.

This app is being considered as one of the marketing department’s brainchild. This new apps is expected to be rolled out using the operating system iOS9 with updates sometime 2015. The company has also indicated that they are working on the music streaming app which will include the music and videos from the library of the users. It will also include internet radio stations and the unreleased tracks of many artists.

Apple is Going to Kill the Home Screen

Revealed - Home Screen – Centre of iPhone to Move on

The home screen is the centre of the iPhone experience and it has been revealed by Apple at WWDC that they are moving on. From birth, the home screen has been the iPhone’s face to the world and it was the first thing which popped up when on stage,in 2007, Steve Jobs had swiped his finger across the iPhone's screen when locked.

 With the iOS 9, most of the interaction will take place everywhere, spread among quick notification panels, powerful search tools as well as context specific recommendations which could put relevant apps a flick away. However, the reliable home screen will continue to exist though for the first time, it would be secondary. Presently, the home screen has more real estate with less gloss and beside that the two seems to be identical.

The home screen in its initial stage was vital to the iPhone’s appeal and for a gadget which seemed like several gadgets in one – a phone, an iPod and an internet communicator besides a map, a camera and much more. For users from the PC world, the home screen seems to be the desktop and Start button all in one and it was essential that it obtained its own dedicated button, irrespective of what the user does on the phone, if they tend to press the thumb sized disc beneath the screen, they are transported home.

New Options Provided to Move On 

Since we have gone familiar with smartphones, we tend to care less about the comforts of the home screen and Apple has gradually provided us with new options to move around. The multitasking choice offers a quick shortcut from moving between apps instead of returning to the central point of the home screen each time. Spotlight has become a quick way in finding the desired one, as iPhone users accumulated pages of apps.

Interaction shift to the lock screen has been envisaged recently wherein interactive notifications enable iPhone users to bypass the home screen and can go straight to the relevant app. An example is the shortcut for camera enabling them to access the lens by just swiping up on the lock screen. These alterations indicate one basic fact which is that mobile life is quite fast to be routed through the home screen.

The iOS next version portrays this reality and the tent-pole feature is Proactive Assistant. iOS 9, following Google’s Now lead would be trying to expectwhat the user need when the need arises. When the user tend to fire up NYT Now every morning on waking up, iOS 9 tends to attempt to make note of the habit, making the app available in the morning as a shortcut on the locked screen and when plugged in headphones, the new OS will also play up music based on the location without the need of finding the music app.

Features Accommodated on Lock Screen

All these features are accommodated on the lock screen’s present offering in evading the home screen grid. -The swipe-up control centre and swipe-down today window. Besides these shortcuts, the iOS 9 will also be offering new interactive hub like personalized search panel.

Towards the left of the home screen one will find shortcuts for apps and contacts which are filtered by context. It is like the Home Screen 2.0 rather than a dumb grid. It is worth observing that the Apple Watch tends to work in the similar way where on the wrist, notifications as well as messaging shortcut take priority over the home screen of apps.

While using the phone it could be most informative and search in iOS 9 could provide information as well as functions out of the apps itself, dropping it right into the results. For instance, a search for sports score could provide a live card with the score just the way Google does on the web.

API – Third Party Making Own Content Available

Due to the new API, third party apps have the capabilities of making their own content available for the user. In the meanwhile, Siri could achieve new powers such as the ability to deep link reminders as well as messages to certain packets of content within other apps. Information, answers and functions which existed early as icons on home screen will soon be baked in search through text and voice through Siri.

Should one need to look up a movie review, they could open the Rotten Tomatoes app or to open a favourite conversion app if needed to convert cups to quarts. Search could be the easiest option to do all these functions not by just accessing these apps but in fact to use them. When the purpose of checking a sport score or reading movie review is incorporated into search, one would be not just talking about the end of home screen but the end of apps themselves.

Presently the enduring home screen seems to be around right at the heart of the iPhone though there are chances of seeing less in future.

UN: Encryption Must Be Protected

Recently, the office of United Nation for Human Rights has released its press release by stating that online anonymity and encryption of one’s personal data are the basic human rights in the cyber space.

According to the David Kaye, who is author and presenting the special report to the UN Human Rights Council stated that Online anonymity, encryption and security concepts for privacy are necessary for the exercise of human right and the freedom of opinion in addition of expression in the era of digital age. The more he added that these securities can be essential for the purpose of exercise of other rights such as; privacy, freedom, economic rights and more.

The report comes from the debate that how government should access the citizens' private data and other personal information for which government authorities are claiming that they are doing it for nation security especially after the attacks such as; 9/11 bombings.

Backdoor to access the users encrypted data: 

Edward Snowden make the privacy issue more important when in 2013, he leaked the multiple documents which was revealing that NSA and GCHQ is spying on all communication which are through internet as millions of the people in all over the world are using that platform. Apart from that now these agencies are also monitoring phone conversations in US and they are also tapping the phones conversation of foreign politicians. In present NSA and the US government is bullying the tech giants to provide backdoor into their products so that they can access the encrypted data and personal information about citizens such as; Emails of Gmail and Facebook chat history.

The whole issue comes in lime light in 2014 when US government forbid the few of tech companies from letting their users to know that US government is spying on that, but apart from that NSA also planted the malware in most of the software’s to pay on the US citizens. In recent interview US government claimed that it’s necessary for their intelligence agencies to access the encrypted data and personal information of users as well.

Is it good to spying on the people? 

It can be difficult issue for government agencies, who are claiming that spying on the internet communication and telecommunication will make than enable to identify the terror plots, but on the other side the freedom of opinion and protection of personal data is also important as they are basic human rights in all over the world. But if it’s really essential so state or government agencies must demonstrate the limitations on security which they are getting in the form of encryption.

State must be transparent if they are using any backdoor to spy on the citizens. However; its law in most of the European countries to disclose the encryption keys to the government, judicial and other agencies who have power to investigate legally in order to decrypt the group’s personal information for the mass surveillance.

Reset a forgotten passcode on the Apple Watch

Passcode – To Protect Information on Device

The main purpose of passcode is to protect information on the device. Forgotten password is a common error committed by users and hence need to be changed frequently which could be different for each service. This could be difficult to remember or recall.

 However there is no need to panic if one tends to forget their passcode on the new Apple Watch since it would only take a couple of minutes to reset it once again. If one enters the wrong passcode on Apple Watch, six times, they tend to get locked out and will find a message prompting them to try again later. Should one forget the passcode, one would need to take a few steps to erase their Apple Watch after which they can pair it with their companions’ device once again and restore from a backup if they tend to have one.

Apple finds it essential to create a PIN at the time of initial Apple Watch setup process. The user is asked to enter the code to unlock the watch every time it is taken off the wrist. To reset the watch from a paired iPhone, one should click the Apple Watch app which is on the phone’s home screen and then select General.

Reset – Erase All Content & Settings

On scrolling down to the end of the page, one could tap `reset’ and opt for `Erase All Content and Settings’. This would take the watch to the original out of box state though it would mean that everything on it would also get deleted.

 The brighter side is that the iPhone automatically tends to create a backup of the watch when the same is unpaired on using this method. Once the user is ready to re-pair the same, they can select the` restore from backup’ choice at the time of the setup process. One can reset the watch even though the iPhone is not with the user though they would need the watch’s magnetic charging cable to be nearby.

To get started, one could hold and press the side power button of the watch and perform a Force Touch that is the hard press on the Power Off option. Thereafter choose Erase All content and Settings.

Unlock with iPhone Feature

During this time, the watch needs to be connected to the charger and confirm that one would want to reset the same. It is recommended to use passcode which will not be forgotten easily like a date of an anniversary or birthday. It would also be helpful in making a note of the code on the iPhone or in another secured place.

However, the best and easiest option to ensure that the user is not locked out of the Apple Watch, is to enable `the Unlock with iPhone feature’, which would let one unlock the Apple Watch with the iPhone instead of entering the PIN.

To enable this feature, the user needs to open the Apple Watch app on the iPhone, select Passcode and toggle the `unlock’ with iPhone switch from `off’ to `on’. It could also be enabled on the Apple Watch directly by going to the Settings, and tapping the Privacy and then slide the switch from `off’ to `on’, position.

Through “Highlight” feature users can get the summary of best Twitter Tweets

After the introduction of the popular feature like ‘While you were away’, Twitter has now come up with another feature called the ‘Highlights’ to blow the mind of their users. This feature will about providing a simple summary of the most popular tweets to the users every day. As per the latest information uploaded on the official blog of Twitter, the user will receive the summary of the daily tweets via push notification.
What is the new feature all about?

As per the blog post of Twitter, the recent feature of “Highlight” will help the twitter user to catch up on the best stuff of the day quickly and ensuring that all the information is relevant to the user. However, what remains a mystery is how Twitter will be able to pick the right highlight according to the user? The answer lies in a simple fact that now twitter is looking into the conversations of users and in their accounts that are followed by the user, the kind of tweets that is shared by the user with other people, the topics and the events that will be currently trending in the user’s network as well as in the area of the user. The company will also check on the people who are either trending or most popular that you follow every day.

On the other side, the users will also have the option of turning-on this feature to get all the benefits Highlights. Once the user has been able to activate the Highlight feature, they will be notified twice every day and upon clicking on the notification, the user will be directed to the main Twitter app, which in turn will display the latest highlights in a completely new interface. The users will have to swipe to check all the highlights of tweets. In present the “Highlight” feature is only available to all the Android users in English language.

The users will have to go their settings and access the tab for mobile notifications and click on the Highlights. Twitter has also launches its quality feature, which has been aimed at restricting the abusive tweets on the user’s account. At present, this feature is only available to some of the verified users of iOS. The company also indicated that they are constantly working towards updating their policy to deal with abuses. The company is currently working on their violent threat policy. They want to ensure that this policy features any violence or threats against another person or anyone who is promoting violence.

The company has also rolled out latest features that enable all the twitter users to receive Direct Messages even from the people who are not following the user. Earlier every person will have to follow another person in order send out a direct message on Twitter. With the launch of these new features, twitter has again made a critical change in their strategy and products with the hopes of boosting the user engagement.

Apple to Aid Japan's Elderly with iPads in latest fruits of IBM alliance

Apple & IBM Partnership – iPad to Aid Elders 

Apple will be providing the iPads and IBM would be developing custom software, a low tech scheme wherein postal workers from Japan Post checked in on how elderly would be functioning on hi-tech with the help of iPads as reported by Walls Street Journal. The pilot scheme which is the outcome of Apple and IBM partnership will be seeing Japan Post, give out free iPads to around 1,000 senior citizens to enable close and more regular checks.

 `Watch Over’ so called is a niche which had been started by Japan Post in 2013 wherein mail carriers check in on elderly people providing consultation and share in information with family members. A Japanese Post official had commented that `by handing iPads to the elderly, we can closely check in on them more often, not only confirming if they are doing fine but also making sure that they are not involved in any trouble like a scam targeting the elderly’. Nikkei reports that IBM’s Watson computer would be analysing data from the iPads.

Project – A Commercial Service

The focus lies in turning the project into a commercial service and those caring for their elders could pay a minimum monthly fee for monitoring where the low tech service costs Y 1,000 ($8.40) per month. At a press conference IBM had stated that the goal was to reach 4-5 million clients by 2020 thus providing an improvement for iPad sales. Apple has released an official press release with regards to the initiative. Calling it the `first of its kind initiative which has been focused in improving the quality of life of millions of Japanese seniors’, the program would be including IBM apps which would connect the elderly to services, healthcare, community as well as their families.

The population of Japan comprises of 33 million seniors, which represents around 25 percent of the country’s total population. Taizo Nishimuro, CEO of Japan Post Group commented that they are joining with two of the world’s most respected leaders in technology in bringing elderly generation in the connected world, expand the businesses by deepening relationships and discover new ways of strengthen the fabric of our society and economy’.

The Japan Post Deal – Apple & IBM’s MobileFirst Partnership 

The software by IBM would be reminding the seniors to take their medication, suggesting exercises and diet changes help in tasks like grocery shopping and job matching. The company would also be catering to several behind the scenes services like system integration as well as training. Ginni Rometty, President, Chairman and CEO of IBM stated that they were starting draws on IBM’s long heritage of innovation at the intersection of technology, business and society.

The potential seen here as broad as national economics and as specific as the quality of life of individuals along with their families is an example of the potential of mobile led transformation anywhere in the world where issue of an aging population exist’. The Japan Post deal branched from Apple and IBM’s MobileFirst partnership. The combination of both the companies has given rise to a development of a range of template iOS apps and services for enterprise with divided support responsibilities when organization tend to agree to a contract.

Photo iPad Scanning Dock : Gadget Review

Technology is ever evolving in itself and most of the time it leads to invention new remarkable products. Scanning had always been the tedious task in the past where an individual had to use large bulky scanner to scan either photos or documents of importance.

Brookstone had developed a new iconic product which simplifies the scanning process wherein users can simply dock their tablet on its influential iConvert iPad compatible Scanner and convert the hard copies into soft copies with ease and grace. This scanner simply increases the advantages which can be gained from the iPad.

Features and Specification Of The Iconic Scanner Dock

This product seems to be carved to fulfill the needs of millions of iPad users. This is CIS sheet-fed type of scanner which can scan the papers and photos up to the size of 8.5”W X 14”L. It is highly compatible with its 30 pin connector and extremely lightweight at just 1.5 lb which makes it easier to carry around.

Scanner is apt at providing highly detailed and impressive quality pictures. Images scanned by this scanner offer the commanding of 300dpi which helps in capturing clear and crisp images in JPEG format. Most of the people are fond of recapturing the precious moments of life with scanner.

This scanner possesses a front feeder which can be adjusted from 2inches to 8 inches as per the size of the photos or documents. Scanner dock is firm and holds a strong grip on the iPad to keep it upright. To begin the scanning one is just required to plug into AC with the iPad USB power adapter.

Scanning Process Appears To Be Highly User Friendly

Some of the latest innovative gadgets increase the learning curve wherein users have to give some time in order to understand how it works. But Photo iPad Scanning Dock doesn’t trouble the user with the learning curve rather it lay down ways of the scanning process by providing step-by-step approach.

The instruction starts to appear in simple language once the tablet has been placed in the dock. The scanning process is relatively quite fast and it takes just 12 seconds to convert a photo into a high definition JPEG image.

More Reasons To Opt For This Scanner

Once the iPad is placed on the scanner, it starts charging the device which an added advantage. This means you can kill two birds at the same time-charge your iPad and scan the photos and documents as well. The scanning process is controlled via a free app and it requires iOS 4.3.5 Operating or later.

In order to use other apple devices like iPad4, iPad Mini and iPhones operating should be iOS 6 or later. Manufactures also provide a wide range of accessories to take care of the scanner in a professional manner.

Apart from the standard instruction booklet, a lens cleaner, roll cleaner, protective sleeve and calibration is provided. On top of all this one year limited warranty is given. It is an apt choice for those who wish to treasure their photos within a short while onto their iPads.

How the iPad is Changing the Way We Learn

iPad – Learning more Personalized 

With the iPad, classroom contents could go way beyond the classroom with the provision of over 80,000 app appropriate for education, virtual tours, and videos from experts and institution from across the world, interactive books on any given topic and speeches and much more. In this digital world the progress in updated technology is on the rise and every function faced with problems comes up with innovative ideas which are increasing by leaps and bound.

Learning has been enhanced with iPad making learning more personalized wherein with a few taps, one can customize with materials which could fit with their level and as well as learning style. With various options now made available one could choose from the available app to suit the need of the individual for instance for those keen on learning by listening, they could download a podcast from iTunes U on Newton’s laws of motion or for those who tend to learn through concrete interaction, could choose an app which will enable the student with an appropriate choice. One will find various contents on different subjects as well as grades making it easy for students at different levels of learning. With the use of iPad one could make teaching all students the same lesion in various ways.

iPad – Device with Free Apps

Learning tends to become interesting now with the iPad since it gives student the opportunity to create and every iOS device has immense features which activate the mind of young individuals who are keen in exploring and learning the various features that are equipped in the devices. Every iOS device has iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, GarageBand which can change a given assignment into something big and special. This enables them to `speculate and explore’ which makes their assignment all the more interesting and appealing.

The device which they love to use have amazing free apps which helps them to write, analyse data as well as present their work in a very attractive manner. In Pages, they could make term papers something appealing with photos, videos as well as graphic which could enhance the presentation. In the case of data-rich projects, Numbers could prove to be beneficial in expressing ideas in tables, charts and graphs which could be more than a spread-sheet while in Keynote; they could create presentations with striking alterations and effects.

Compatible with Microsoft Office 

Most of these apps have been designed for iOS devices and Mac and are compatible with Microsoft Office to enable the students on a Mac or PC to share documents. With iCloud, students can also access their work from any device they could be using such as the Mac, iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.Further options in enhancing the creativity are through creative apps such as iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand which helps in transforming a typical term paper or research project wherein students could use their creativity in shooting and editing their own HD video with iMovie, create visual journal with iPhoto or even record, edit as well as mix music for any project with GarageBand. The iPad technology has given way to extraordinary implication for education with its design, functionality together with its capabilities thus enhancing the possibility of a technology based classroom.

A Tool to Saving Precious Storage on Your Phone

Force2SD – Storage of Precious Application

With many applications being updated, users tend to make the utmost use of them which have made great progress in the present world. Storage is an ability to manage and store the necessary or important data which takes up some space with no impact on the performance. With many sophisticated smartphones and gadgets available in the market, the pace of downloading that takes place with plenty of content being stored on the device is on the increase and it tends to get difficult in making space for everything to fit into the internal memory of the phone.

Hence the external memory or the SD card is the solution to resolve this issue and for a smooth operation of the SD card the need of an app called Force2SD is the choice. At times one may need to use force to get things done ensuring that no obstacles come their way in the daily functions. For storage of precious application, the option of storing important content can be done with the help of Force2SD which helps to force several apps and move to SD card external storage when the system does not allow you to move them, thus saving space in the app area of storage.

Moves Apps to SD Card External Storage

Android 2.2 versions had introduced the feature enabling to move apps to SD card external storage and usually enable the movement of application marked by the developer as movable while Force2SD tends to move the application not marked as movable. It also moves the application back and sorts it alphabetically or by apk size The internal memory of the phone could get loaded with too much content in the form of videos, images audio with less space and hence the need for external memory or the SD card. At the time of using Force2SD one needs to adhere to a few things such as –

• Applications which have been moved to SD card or external storage do not get an on-boot signal whenever the device is booted. In such cases, the application should not be moved to perform some operations on boot though one should always move these application back if facing any problems. If the application is not needed to start up on the boot, Force2SD could be used to move it.

• It may take some time after a reboot probably a couple of minutes for the OS to show the icons of app that could have been moved which is normal since that is how the OS’s apps on SD feature operates.

• Some apps which are protected do not move

• A slow scan of application is done when the app is started for the first time

Excellent App for Storage

This is an excellent app for those who tend to constantly struggle with their space on the smartphones though they should ensure that the android device is rooted to enjoy plenty of space with Force2SD. By default, Force2SD could also scan for orphan app files when it has started, on the SD card though at times the system may fail to delete the app file on the SD card when the app has been uninstalled. If any orphan file is located, it will prompt if it needs to be deleted and this could help with some reboot issues.

Apple's 'Taptic Engine' and 'Force Touch

Apple’s MacBook – `Force Touch/Taptic Engine’

Apple has recently unveiled a new MacBook with `Force Touch’ track-pad and `Taptic Engine’. The updated track-pad features Force Touch pressure sensitive with Taptic Engine for vibration/haptic feedback. Repair experts from iFexit who had taken the new computer apart, found the close-up it provided on the new track-pad’s design, quite interesting.

Rumours are also circulating that they would also be making their way to the latest iPhone. Apple’s 13 inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display has come up with some updates together with the big Apple Watch and the new MacBook announcement. The details of the latest track-pad were partly disclosed on stage wherein Apple showed the part as a key feature in its new MacBook design video as well as the presentation.

In the case of the 13 inch Retina MBP, it is slightly different due to the fact that there is space to support a physical button style track-pad, similar to the one that ships in all other prevailing Mac laptops though it has the same combination of sound as well as haptics producing 100% accurate illusion of physical click when there is no actual click.

Track-Pad Controlled Through software

Matthew Panzarino had explained in his post that the new track-pad design does not actually move or tends to move on a microscopic sale but it feels like the existing clicky design though with a user-customizable amount of clickiness which is controlled through software.

iFixit’s ripping down of the computer indicated that the track-pad is supported by four spring mounts together with a panel on the underside which is not present on the latest version of MacBook though it does have the same Force Touch engine that is a series of wire coil covered around a ferromagnetic core, creating the vibrations which the finder translates as clicks.

iFexitpresumes that to vary the strength, Apple would selectively activate some or all four of the ferromagnetic cores inside the track-pad’s taptic engine and also notes that keeping in mind Apple’s assurance of no real movement going on here, the construction has no linear oscillators in the mechanism, similar to the traditional vibration feedback found on phone which is generally used. The updated sensors has the capabilities of detecting more than one kind of click wherein a light click could perform a single action while a harder click another and the threshold of how hard is a `hard’, the press could be adapted.

Touchpads – New User Interface Functions

To speed up the fast forward of video, one could press harder or `force click’ in order to pull up a definition of certain word. The force gestures are an addition to the standard multi-touch track-pad taps and swipes as well as intuitive which bodes well and according to Wall Street Journal, Apple is trying to integrate the force sensing in its iPhone and iPad next year after the introduction of the technology in its company’s smartwatch.

With regards to detection of pressure, iFixit presumes that they probably come through very small strain gauges which are mounted on flexible metal supports which read how much flex is experienced, translating the same into a read on how much pressure is applied. Before touchpads had emerged, individuals using the laptops had been using tiny joysticks which were serviceable after much practice and the first touchpads were great though they had to use separate mouse buttons since they could not register clicks.

Apple’s latest entry is an attempt to make touchpads less awkward and while laptops can register taps as well as detect multiple fingers at once, they have learned to measure how hard you press enabling some new user interface functions.

Apple Researching Device Waterproofing

Waterproofing – Future iDevices 

It was revealed that Apple has been researching on various ways to successfully waterproof the future iDevices somewhere in March 2012 where a silicon rubber seal was discovered. In 2013 the company revealed another creation related to waterproofing, using nano coatings.

Apple was granted the patent for waterproofing in 2014 which covered the use of glass filled nylon and today a new waterproof patent application from Apple was published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office covering the use of a hydrophobic conformal coating designed to increase moisture resistance of electrical components, a feature which at times is attributed to active smartphone models that are marketed by competing manufacturers of smartphones.

Apple’s filing, as published by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for `Methods for shielding electronic components from moisture indicates a process for covering sensitive device components with the use of advanced vapour deposition technology together with protecting solder leads with silicone seals.

Devices not adequately Sealed/Mitigating Water Entry

In the present scenario, electronic devices have been taking priorities in the daily performances with the majority of the people relying on these devices for every function and carrying them along to locations where there could be instances of damages one of which could be damage through excess moisture especially during the monsoon season.

Most of these devices are not adequately sealed and could have chances of mitigating water entry through the openings which do not have a protective case to protect the device. The focus of Apple is in improving the moisture resistance of an assembled printed circuit board wherein in one embodiment, a system is set for applying a hydrophobic conformal coating to a printed circuit board or PCB.

This could include a way of depositing a hydrophobic conformal coating over an exterior surface of the electromagnetic interference –EMO shield together with the PCB by chemical vapour deposition – CVD operation. The EMI shield could also have openings on top of an electrical component over the PCB and thus the hydrophobic conformal coating could move through the openings to be received by the electrical component.

Hydrophobic Seal Around Electrical Connector 

Apple has come up with a method in creating a hydrophobic seal around an electrical connector on PCB which includes a way of configuring a silicone seal over the PCB in order to frame the electrical connector on the PCB so that the silicone seals shields a soldered part of the electrical connector. Besides this, the silicone seal also has an opening for the electrical connection placed inside.

As per the application it states that the layer could be in the thickness of one and ten microns, an advantage for small form factor portable devices with less internal space. It is yet unclear whether Apple would be employing a more aggressive moisture protection for future iDevices though as the company moves in the direction of wearable devices with the Apple Watch, users would be expecting some amount of waterproofing from the devices.

As CEO Tim has revealed recently that the Apple Watch has been designed with the least minimal level of splash resistance, it could be worn even at the time of taking a shower.

How to Transfer Any Media File to Your iOS Device

Waltr – New Mac App - Softorino

More progress and headway in technology has given rise to the use of Mac app Waltr wherein the user can now transfer any form of video or music file to an iOS device without the use of another iOS app. Waltr is a new Mac app from Softorino whichhas been designed for easy upload and conversion of any music or video file to an iPad or an iPhone format for the purpose of native playback that supports a large options of media file forms.

 This includes MP3, MP4, AVI, WMA, CUE, M4R, M4V, AAC, FLAC, ALAC, KUV and much more. It also lends support to file type which is not usually compatible with iOS4 and includes AVI, MKV, FLAC and CUE and these could be played in native Movie as well as Music apps on iOS. Operating Waltr is easy and simple.

On closing iTunes the user could plug on to the iPhone or iPad in a Mac and then open the Waltr app where the iOS device along with its storage space which is available is portrayed at the top of the app wherein files could be dragged over to the blank space in the app to be transferred to the iOS device. As soon as the file is dragged and placed in the Waltr app, the upload gets started most of which is very quick, probably a few seconds.

App - Possibility of Transferring any Form of Video/Audio File

When the file has been transferred to the iPad or the iPhone, it can be accessed in the native Music or Movies app on the device. The overall Waltr process is quite simpler than converting through a separate app and then again uploading through iTunes.

Waltr is an amazing app with the possibility of transferring any form of video or audio file irrespective of its format to an iOS device having playback of the file in Apple’s Video and Music apps when compared to similar apps which may need the installation of a companion iOS app on a device, it has limitation to access of files within the app – and limiting access to features in some cases like AirPlay.

Result of Technique Used – No Quality Loss

On completing the download of the app, the user is then asked to disable iTunes’ automatic sync feature and once done the only thing needed is to get connected to the iOS device to Mac through USB. Thereafter, the drag and drop approach is taken by Waltr in order to transfer the content to the iPhone of iPad and on dropping a file, irrespective of its format, the Waltr app makes the file compatible with iOS and then uploads the same to the device.

Assurance has been provided by the marketing manager, Josh Brown, that the results of the technique used by the company, is no quality loss. Waltr is now made available as an online download for OA X 10.9 or new with a free trial of 14 days and thereafter it will prompt the user to purchase a license for an amount of $29.99. Users of Windows could sign up for an opportunity to take part in the beta of Waltr for Windows.

Three Tips to Get You Started With Workflow 1.1

Workflow Update with New Features & Actions

The most popular iOS automation app has a large update with new added features and actions and Workflow is an app which is used first on startingan iOS device. The latest update to Workflow has the addition of new features and actions which has enhanced the app in the most amazing way. With over fifty new actions, improvement are being made to the earlier existing action though missing out from the app’s offer is the capabilities toback up and sync action utilising iCloud.

Favorite an Action

At the time of building workflows, one tends to access the same action often and the search bar provides an easy and quick option to locate an action and with the latest updates, one can have favorite action to access with ease. On tapping on an action in the editor it will indicate its description together with a button to favorite it and after adding an action to the favorites, one could tap on the Favorites option in the editor for the purpose of easy access.

Run Workflow from Main Grid

Earlier version of the Workflow needed to launch the app, by tapping on the workflow and then tap on the play button in order to run a workflow in the app. The process of running a workflow from the main grid is a simple asdouble tap on a workflow’s icon in the latest update.

Duplicate Workflows

According to some, one of the favorite things about Workflow is the community of users who tend to share a variety of workflows together with ideas though not every workflow which is created and shared could fit the exact needs. For instance, customizing a workflow could mean tampering with a copy of the workflow which works. On tapping and holding on any workflow in the main screen till it is highlighted where in the top right corner of the screen a duplication icon will appear. This will enable the user to make changes to any workflow without any cause for worry about ruining on the work already available on the workflow.

New Features 

These tips are just scratching the surface to what has been added to Workflow 1.1 though they seem to be more than enough for getting started with this new feature. The new feature includes –quickly running workflows from My Workflow by double tapping on them, use of selected text from Safari as input to action extension workflow, actions to filter and obtain details of all the content on the device, duplicate workflow to make own versions, create custom home screen icon for workflow utilising photos from one’s library, access for VoiceOver users, added apps section for easy discovery of action which interacts with other apps, added ability to mark actions as favourite to use them quickly later on, improved Workflow URL scheme and improved overall responsiveness, launch time and speed.

Bug Fixes

Noteworthy bug fixes include - decimal numbers can correctly be handled in international locales, issue can be fixed where action extensions that cause a workflow to be emptied of its action, issue can be fixed where action could disappear while scrolling through long workflows, when importing workflows, prevailing workflows with same name are not overwritten, keyboards provide `Done’ buttons for easy dismissal, special characters in workflow names are not handled properly, imported workflows ask for user permission prior to running for the first time, app badge is removed to reduce confusion, issue is fixed where output of a workflow would not be displayed and much more.

Apple's Strikes Biggest Solar Power Deal

Apple In Partnership with Arizona Based – First Solar Inc. 

Apple – the Computer giant has recently signed a 25 year power purchase agreement for 130 MW in partnership with Arizona based, First Solar’s 280MW California flats solar project. As part of the deal, Apple would be getting electricity from the farm at a fixed rate for twenty five years. It is said that the green energy will be purchased from First Solar Inc. through an $848 million deal which seems to be the largest agreement in the industry to provide clean energy to commercial end user, till date.

Apple’s landmark solar power deal seems to be a long term sustainable energy solution which would be generating enough power that will be necessary for all of the company’s California operation which includes the upcoming `spaceship’ Campus 2, by the end of 2016, as announced by CEO Tim Cook recently.California flats of 2900 acre will cover 3% of property owned by Hearst Corporation in Cholame, Monterey County and the construction of the same is expected to begin mid-year, to be completed by 2016 end. The rest of the 150MW of the project would be sold to Pacific Gas & electric with a separate long term PPA and the project is subscribed fully between Apple and PG&E PPAs.

Apple Leading the Way …

Joe Kishkill, First Solar chief commercial officer informed that `Apple is leading the way in addressing climate change by showing how large companies can serve their operations with 100% clean, renewable energy’. He added further saying that `Apple’s commitment was instrumental in making this project possible and will significantly increase the supply of solar power in California. Over a period of time, the renewable energy from California flats will provide cost savings over alternative sources of energy as well as substantially lower environmental impact’.

The California Flats were unanimously approved by the Monterey County Planning Commission in January who sent the project to the Monterey County Board of supervisors who will consider the final approval shortly. At the time of the announcement it was mistakenly stated by Cook that Apple would be building the facility but he quickly corrected it and called it a partnership and that it is First Solar and not Apple that will build the new plant. The solar plant in total will output 280MW of electricity, 130MW of which will be bought by Apple.

Financially Sound – Significant Savings

Cook had stated that Apple would be buying sufficient electricity to power almost 60,000 California homes which would be enough to offset the electricity used by Apple’s forthcoming Campus 2 together with all fifty two Apple retail stores in the Golden State with its data centre in Newark.He has also been transparent that the climate change was a serious issue for him and the company which is the reason for taking the lead on renewable as well as sustainable energy. He also brought it to the notice of the investor that the agreement will be financially sound since the $848 million deal would be the outcome of `very significant savings’ on the cost of energy.

Corning Unveils 'Project Phire' Super Scratch-Resistant Glass

Project Phire – Ultra-Scratch Resistance 

According to recent CNET report, Corning has unveiled a new material that it had been working on, which combines the strength of its prevailing Gorilla glass with ultra-scratch resistance and the material named `Project Phire’, was shown during an investor meeting by James Clappin, President of Corning Glass.

Corning, whose Gorilla Glass display covers the front of Apple’s iPhone as well as Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, has been creating new material which would combine the toughness of Gorilla with a scratch-resistance like that of sapphire.Clappin states that company intends to begin selling the material later this year but provided few other details.

He informed the gathering that `they had told them last year that sapphire was great for scratch performance but did not fare well when dropped. Hence they created a product which offers the same superior damage resistance and drop performance of Gorilla Glass 4 with scratch resistance which is like sapphire’.

Corning gets its revenue from glass TV displays and fibre-optics, though Gorilla Glass is an important growth for the company. The material is the main item presently in hardened glass for mobile devices for about three billion electronics, which includes Apple’s new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Note 4.

Gorilla Glass Superior to Sapphire 

Sapphire was used for some time in high-end watches due to its scratch resistance and luxurious quality and Apple intends using sapphire covers for some versions of Apple Watch which would be coming out this April. The existing Gorilla Glass of Corning is being used in various smartphones and tablet displays, from Samsung’s Galaxy line to Apple’s iOS line-up.

Apple had intentions of moving out from Corning’s Gorilla Glass with its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus turning to sapphire produced by GT Advanced though was unable to use the material due to some issues on production which later on, dissolved the partnership between the two companies. As per Corning, Gorilla Glass seems to be superiorto sapphire since sapphire is brittle and has the tendency to shatter when dropped. On several occasions, Corning has pitted Gorilla Glass against sapphire, highlighting its benefits of lighter weight, greater strength with lower prices.

Affordable, Easier to Obtain Replacement for Sapphire

Corning’s most recent product, Gorilla Glass 4, is more resistant to shatter when dropped on hard or rough surfaces than the previous version of Gorilla Glass though it is not capable to match the scratch resistant properties of sapphire crystal. Sapphire is next to diamond with regards to hardness and Apple has been using this material already in order to protect the iPhone’s rear camera as well as Touch ID fingerprint sensor, from scratches.

Apple’s plan to produce iPhone display with higher scratch resistance, could make Corning’s `Project Phire’ material very appealing to the company for the next generation devices since it could serve as a more affordable, easier to obtain replacement for sapphire. At the investor presentation recently, Corning executives also discussed the company’s Iris glass first unveiled at the Consumer’s Electronics Show, last month. He claims that Iris could help the manufacturers in building new TVs which will be thin as smartphones and would need minimal edges round the sides.

Apple Watch: Novelty or Necessity

Apple’s Watch – Scheduled in Spring

The much waited Apple’s Watch is scheduled to be launched in spring and analyst firm CCS Insight firm indicate that over 40 million smartwatches together with fitness bands would be sold in 2015, primarily driven by Apple’s new device.

 Presently, the functions of the smartwatches is quite limited with most of them being used in telling the time though some would require the need to press a button or flick one’s wrist in order to activate the screen. Several of them could also be used as an extension to the smartphone enabling the user to identify the caller, read text messages as well as check on upcoming appointments.

Another interesting feature is the capabilities of tracking activity, which could include the number of steps one has taken as well as the heart rate wherein the data could be fed to a mobile application which can then provide tips on how to improve the fitness. But smartwatches today have a problem that though they can do all these things, they do not perform particularly well. Smartwatches too could be as expensive as smartphones having batteries that could last for less than a day except for a few like the Pebble and the Basis Peak, they are less convenient than the traditional watches with regards to time and depend mainly on smartphones for all their functions.

Apple – Affluent User Base

The app’s focus during its keynote in September were fairly uninspiring such as the etch-a-sketch-like app which enables the user to draw an image and sent it to another user as well as enables them to transmit the heartbeats through haptic vibration.

According to Ben Wood, CCS Insights’ chief of research, states that the Watch will be successful due to the fact that Apple has an affluent user base and that the company is known for developing beautiful products where the Watch would be both an object of desire as well as a status symbol. Based on this

Apple could probably sell millions of Watches even if the device functions more than just telling the time. But the Watch would need something more if it intends to be an iconic product which could stand against all odds, like the iPod, iPad and iPhone and would need a `killer app’ to be a great hit. No sooner Apple Watch gains success, it will overcome the rest of the Smartwatch market and user not owning iPhone will tend to buy Android Wear Smartwatch which are compatible with their own devices with apps that are created for Apple’s Watch will soon be transposed to Android.

Future Devices – Lighter/Thinner/Appealing 

It could comprise of transport apps informing on which platform to go while at the railway stationor a voice recognition apps which enables the user to `set an alarm for 10 minutes’ by speaking the command. Besides, there is also scope for gaming apps which can take advantage of locations as well as biometric date to enable the user to play with other users of smartwatches. Smartwatches users also have the advantage of sport, news and leisure since they are condensed into quick-looks alerts.

Moreover, smartwatches could also be used for identity as well as home automation for instance; the user could touch the watch to their front door in order to unlock it. It could also be utilised for the purpose of payment, the way contactless cards are used currently. Smartwatches in future would also be less reliant on smartphones with some manufacturers already making headway in these quarters.

Companies related to technology will continue working with fashion brands in making devices lighter, thinner as well as more appealing and traditional watch brands such as GUESS has already begun in bringing about their first `smart’ devices which is expected in being very competitive over a period of time.

Issue Envisaged – Battery Life

The main problem envisaged with smartwatch manufacturers is perhaps the long term battery life and a report from 9to5Mac informs that the Apple’s Watch offers 2.5 hours of continuous usage for processor-intensive applications for games, 3.5 hours for continuous use of standard apps and 4 hours of active fitness tracking.
As the battery technology tends to develop and the devices tend to become more energy efficient, there would be further improvement in due course of time though it could pose as a serious inhibitor for first round adopters.

There could also be other issues which need to be taken into consideration before smartwaches are widely adopted wherein glancing at the watch at wrong time could cause offence and smartwatches would demand more attention than traditional time keeping devices.

For instance while at dinner with colleagues, one may tend to glance at your watch which could be creating an impression of boredom to the other person. Wood is of the opinion that this could be changed whereby looking at a watch becomes socially acceptable or alternatively peoplewill have to exercise some self-control.

It is left to be seen if Apple would be able to uncover the killer app prior to launch which could turn the Smartwatch from a novelty to a necessity.

Apple HomeKit Powers On With iDevices Switch Smart Plug

iDevices Switch – World’s First HomeKit Enabled Plug

Users of iPhone and iPad who have been waiting anxiously for news in the HomeKit connected product space, after Apple’s announcement at WWDC 2014 and CES 2015 will be seeing new consumer electronics making way in the market which includes the first devise compatible with Apple’s smart home feature.

The iDevices Switch has been described as `the world’s first HomeKit enabled plug’ helping users to control connected appliances with the help of Siri. The iDevices Switch specifically is a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connected plug which interfaces with the wall outlet and to connect the appliance, one could plug it into the electrical outlet on the wall and plug your lamp, fan, or any appliance or device needed to power in the Switch.

The iDevices Switch can connect to home Wi-Fi network, interfacing with the iDevices Connected iOS app and is compatible with Apple’s HomeKit features. This indicates that users could also use Siri commands from iOS 8 with the capabilities to power appliances on or off by only talking to the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Connected to Home Network – Wi-Fi/Bluetooth

The Switch is not the first smart plug, Many others namely Belkin, D-Link to mention a few have sold connected power plugs for several years. There is not much difference on the premise behind Switch, than its predecessors and due to networking capabilities, built in the outlet hardware, one can use the smartphone in order to manage things plugged into the Switch.

The Switch can connect to home network via Wi-Fi and through Bluetooth can also connect to other devices which do not have Wi-Fi. For instance, smart door locks usually tend to run on batteries since hardwiring is not practical for several residential door designs and to save power, majority of the smart locks utilise Bluetooth which connect to the phone and relies on some type of hub in order to get out to larger internet. Since it incorporated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the iDevices’ Switch acts as the hub.

Stand alone Product

Schlage, lock-maker will have a connected HomeKit compatible lock which could take advantage of this feature. The Switch operates as a standalone product which does not need any additional hub, subscription service or any add-ons and its connected app moreover adds the ability to schedule as well as automate tasks with the iDevices Switch, thereby saving the user from manually controlling it.

The company is likely to schedule the shipping in the first half of this year, with its demo conducted at CES, though its pricing is not yet disclosed. Potential consumers interested in following the availability of the Switch could sign up at the bottom of its product page, to receive notification for product updates.

Besides, iDevices’ announcement of HomeKit enabled smart plug at CES, iHome too shares its plans bringing in its own iSP5 SmartPlug in the market with a demo at the Consumer electronics Show soon, though no announcement with regards to its pricing and availability has been revealed. Some are speculating that the Switch would be costing $49.99 when it will be made available later this year. The Switch also will have a built in colour customizable night light, a charming touch added to it.

Hackers Recreate Fingerprints Using Public Photos

Fingerprints – Means of Ascertaining Identity 

Fingerprints have been used as a means of ascertaining a person’s identity for quite some time since 1900 and for the past 10 years or so; it has begun to get fairly common in the form of digital fingerprint readers. It first showed up on expensive laptops and external peripherals in enterprise settings and recently on smartphones like the latest iPhones and the Galaxy S5.A recent cyber security convention in Hamburg, the `Chaos Computer Club’ demonstrated on how someone’s fingerprint could be used which was done by analysing photographs.

Fingerprints could be developed from smudges on windows and from other smooth surfaces. Earlier forgers used tapes, scanner or some plastic material and glue in order to build a fingerprint which could fool scanners. A member of Chaos Computer Club, a European hacker association, showed the possibility of reproducing someone’s fingerprint and probe into systems that were protected by biometric fingerprint scanners, by using a photo of the finger.

A snap or a photo of a celebrity waving their hand could be sufficient to implement this task. The member of the CCC managed to get hold of the fingerprint of Germany’s defence minister Ursula von der Leyen from a photo which was taken during a press conference, which if the German government would use biometric access control systems, could be a kind of security breach.

Hacker Create Fingerprint from Public Photos

Jan Starbug Krissler, the hacker, portrayed his findings at Chaos Communication Congress recently. With the photo of von der Leyen’s thumb gained from a press conference, somewhere in October, together with some other photos of her thumb from various angles, he managed to rebuild her thumbprint with the use of commercially available software – VeriFinger.

Thereafter he used the thumbprint to develop a real world dummy by printing it out on a mask and exposed the mask to create a negative of the print on a substrate. He then filled the negative with wood glue in order to create a positive fingerprint. On testing it showed that this technique could trick Apple’s TouchID sensor. According to Chaos Computer Club, it states that this is the first time a fingerprint has been deceived so far and the group leader, Starbug has informed that he was capable of creating a thumbprint of Ursula von der Leyen, the German Minister of Defence, from several of her news photos.

Need for Fingerprint Security Systems

Starbugobtained the print of the fingerprint from the photos on the tracing paper and then copied it to a plastic board. Thereafter he covered it in graphite making a dummy print by coating the plastic in wood glue. In one of the demonstration, the dummy print managed to trick Apple’s TouchID – APPL, Tech30 that controls Apple Pay.

A statement made by the group states that there would be no need to steal objects carrying the fingerprints anymore and after this talk, politicians would probably wear gloves henceforth while talking in public. The Club also states that the presentation needs the validity of fingerprint security systems and it would be difficult to do any useful thing with the German Defence Minister’s fingerprints though one could use the hacking method to intrude into a friend’s iPhone.

Apple’s iCloud Photo Library

With Apple’s announcement of discontinuing Aperture and iPhoto for Mac, the iCloud Photo Library stores which was first introduced during WWDC, for photos and videos that a user takes in iCloud, will be available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch as well as Macs through iCloud.com. iCloudPhoto Library beta is made available with iOS 8.1, a new iCloud Photos app, available to all users within iCloud.com.

This will function with the Photos app which Apple is developing for Mac and is probably expected to come in early this coming year. Till iCloud Photo Library comes out of beta with proper OS X counterpart, next year, the prevailing photo experience on iOS as well as the Mac would be confusing and users have the liberty of turning on iCloud Photo Library – Beta, though they also have the option to keep Photo Stream which is likely to disappear at some point of time somewhere next year.

Should the user opt to leave iCloud Photo Library off, the old Photo Stream paradigm would stay in place which will save the last 30 days of photos to the cloud or atleast the last 1000 pictures, whichever would be more, that may not have been counted against iCloud storage and Photo Stream may have not saved videos.

Photo Stream – Compatibility on all Devices

The advantage of Photo Stream is its compatibility on all devices which includes Mac and any new photo that may have been taken on iPhone or iPad, would show up in the Photo Stream in iPhoto, Aperture or any other IOS devices that are associated with the account.

 Its limit is 1000 photo/30 day though if one remembers to open iPhoto and enable Photo Stream syncing;all the photos tend to get saved on the Mac and not just the previous 30 days. The present form of iCloud Photo Library would save all the photos as well as the videos to the cloud and is limited only by the current available iCloud storage.

Photos would tend to sync between the iOS device such as Photo Stream though will not show up in iPhoto or Aperture on the Mac and users could access their iCloud Photo library through the web and upload photos from the web interface. To enable iCloud Photo library, users could go to the Settings app on the iOS device and opt for iCloud and then tap on the Photos section beneath the iCloud Drive in the list.

Full Quality of Photo Saved to the Cloud/Device

Before enabling iCloud Photo Library, note that it is presently a beta product. Then move the top slider, enable iCloud Photo, which will update the photo library on the device thatwill take a few minutes. When the same in enabled, users could choose to have the full quality photo saved to the cloud as well as an optimized version kept on the device for preservation of space.

Should one continue to use Photo Stream on a Mac, enable `Upload to My Photo Stream’, on the menu and the Photo Stream can be viewed on the device though it will be available in iPhoto and Aperture on Mac. Once iCloud Photo Library is enabled, the Photos app on iOS device will tend to appear in a different manner.

Apple’s First Automatic Security Update

Apple has gone ahead with its first automatic security update for OS X to handle newly identified bugs which researchers have warned would enable hackers to control devices remotely. According to Apple spokesman, Bill Evans, the company has developed the software fix to deal with critical security issues which could affect Unix-based system including OS X and the issue was with the NTP – network time protocol, which is used to synchronize computer system clocks.

The bug was revealed to the public in security bulletins late last week, by the Department of Homeland Security and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute. Dozens of technology companies which includes Apple and whose products could be vulnerable were identified by Carnegie Mellon.

Apple had earlier, released security patches through its regular software update system which usually needs the user’s approval and introduced the technology to deliver the automatic security updates couple of years back though it had not been used till date.

Reuters was informed by a company spokesperson that it had made a decision in using the technology in order to protect the customers at the earliest, due to the severity of the vulnerabilities and the `update is seamless’ and `does not even require a restart’.

Attackers Executing Arbitrary Code Utilising NTPD Process

The update surfaced to address an issue which was focused by the U.S. Government on December 19 and earlier discovered by the Google Security Team where the vulnerability has the capabilities of enabling an attacker to execute arbitrary code utilising the privileges of the NTPD process.

Apple had earlier faced vulnerabilities during the 2014 the most recent being on releasing an OS X bash update in September to fix the `Shellshock’ security flaw. Current day’s security update could be downloaded from the Mac App Store.

Neel Mehta and Stephen Roettger, Google Security Team researchers had coordinated various vulnerabilities with CERT/CC with regards to the NTP – Network Time Protocol and as NTP is used widely in operational Industrial Control Systems deployments, NCCIC/ICS-CERT has been providing the details for US Critical Infrastructure asset owners as well as operators bringing about an awareness as well as to identify mitigations for the affected devices. Updated release on additional information, when available would be provided by ICS-CERT.

Mac Users to Install Security Patch

Products utilising NTP service earlier to NTP-4.2.8 could be affected and no specific vendor is specified since this is an open source protocol.

 Mac users should pay heed to the advice from Apple and install the security patch and users running OS X Yosemite – 10.10, OS X Mavericks – 10.9 and OS X Mountain Lion – 10.8 would find the available updates in the Software Update mechanism of OS X, which is accessible from the Apple menu as well as by opting for `Software Update’, which is only 1.4MB and also installs in a quick manner.

 If one has automatic updates enabled for system software and security updates, the NTP would probably be installed already, though checking manually could be done. According to Apple spokesmen, Bill Evans, comments that Apple though, does not know of any cases, where vulnerable Mac computers were targeted by hackers looking to exploit the bugs.