iPad & iPhone User 168

AirDrop is a convenient way to share files and photos with the people around you, but a team of security researchers is warning that a flaw could allow strangers to steal your personal information even if they’re locked out of the system. The ‘significant privacy leak’ was uncovered by researchers from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany, who claim they informed Apple about the leak nearly two years ago but it still exists. According to the report, the user doesn’t even need to share a file to be vulnerable: “As an attacker, it is possible to learn the phone numbers and email addresses of AirDrop users – even as a complete stranger. All they require is a Wi-Ficapable device and physical proximity to a target that initiates the discovery process…

Apple has announced a minor expansion to its Fitness+ service with the addition of several new workouts and new instructor. The workouts target underrepresented groups in the current slate of Fitness+ workouts: those who are pregnant, older adults and beginners. In addition to these new workouts, a new Yoga and Mindful Cooldown instructor joins the cast: Jonelle Lewis. One of the existing instructors, Anja Garcia, is joining the HIIT team. For those taking advantage of the new Time to Walk feature on Apple Watch, you’ll find a new episode with Jane Fonda. All this stuff – the new workouts, instructor, and Time to Walk episode – are available to Fitness+ subscribers now.…

While music streaming services have long been the subject of artists’ and labels’ ire over low rates and onerous terms, Apple Music might be their biggest advocate. In a post on Apple Music’s artist dashboard obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Apple divulged that it pays out a penny per stream whenever subscribers play a song. That might not seem like much, but it’s actually significantly higher than other services, including Spotify, its biggest competitor and the largest streaming service. Spotify launched a website last month to defend its rates, boasting that it has paid “over $23 billion in royalties to rights holders” as of 2020. However, that works out to less than half a cent per stream. Unlike Apple Music, Spotify has an ad-supported free tier that contributes to the…

Apple released a new iPad Pro in 2020 – a year and a half after the prior update – but it wasn’t much of a change. A new camera module that included LiDAR and an ultra-wide lens was fine, but the iPad isn’t really the thing people reach for when they want to take great photos. The processor was updated to the A12Z, which was just the same as the A12X but with a single GPU core, disabled on the A12X, re-enabled. It had more storage, but that’s just a function of the inevitable march of time. So, the iPad Pro was overdue for a more significant update, and with the new 5th-generation iPad Pro, we finally have it. Here are the highlights that make this year’s iPad Pro special. THE M1…

If you want an iPad, you have three basic choices: the basic 10.2in iPad, the more expensive iPad Air, or the even more expensive iPad Pro. But if you have a few pounds to spend, the choice is even simpler. The standard 10.2in iPad is the budget option, with an aging design (big bezels, home button, Lightning port) and older processor. And the brand new 12.9in iPad Pro starts at a whopping £999 and is geared toward only the most demanding of users. So if you want the most tablet without breaking the bank on a £999 12.9in iPad Pro, you have just two options: the £579 iPad Air and the £729 11in iPad Pro. We used to recommend the iPad Air unequivocally for bringing the best of the iPad Pro…

Nobody needed to convince me that Apple’s at the top of its game when it comes to designing iPad hardware. The 2018 iPad Pro was so fast that more than two years later, it can handle more or less anything that you can throw at it. The 2020 iPad Pro was essentially the same speed – and it didn’t matter. So here comes the 2021 iPad Pro, which is an even more extreme dunk in terms of features. Adding an M1 processor isn’t going to add the same boost as it did on the Mac side, because the iPad Pro was always powered by an energy-efficient Apple processor. But it’s still an upgrade of two processor generations, and that matters. A new display on the larger model allows Apple to set…