It is official. The iPhone is the best device to have for data privacy. Not even the resources available to the biggest three letter agencies in America can crack it. Apple has now been ordered to create a hack to get access to an iPhone and privacy supports are against. The primary concern is that if Apple can hack around their own security on the iPhone which would allow for data to be retrieved without triggering the device data wipe function then it will be repeatedly used by law enforcement in the future. Considering that the iPhone login was designed with this scenario in mind it could be difficult for even Apple to get around. There are fears expressed that the next step by the US Government would be to compel Apple to provide this solution for use by law enforcement and other agencies to violate the privacy of US Citizens.

The dreaded Apple Error 53 has returned in IOS 9. This error is thrown when Apple devices detect that a non-Apple technician repaired the phone. Users are complaining that they can not access their data. Apple claims that bricking the iPhone in this scenario is a security measure to protect users.

More updates from The Guardian.

Today, as reported by many outlets, Apple announced a new 12" MacBook. The main takeaways are:

• Fanless
• Intel Core M
• 2304 x 1440 (16 x 10)
• One USB Type C for all Power/Video/Accessories

I am definitely a fan (pun intended) of quiet laptops with no moving parts that can still handle a full desktop OS. This is also one of the first retail devices with the new reversible USB connector that really can't get here fast enough.

You've got an Apple product on your desk, and you've got another in your pocket. You might even have one on your wrist. But is the next step something for your garage?

Many outlets are reporting that Apple has recently indulged in a spate of poaching, picking up battery and automotive engineers from leading car makers and battery suppliers in the EV industry. That leads to more than just casual speculation that Apple is working on an automotive product of some sort. Will your next car be an Apple product? At the moment we don't know much, but it is beginning to seem at least a little bit likely.

Apple has announced its plans to re-purpose a 1.3 million sq ft facility in Mesa, Arizona, into a $2 billion data center which will also play host to all the company's data operations across the globe. It will employ 150 full-time personnel, and will also result in between 300 and 500 construction and trade jobs. The facility was previously leased to GT Advanced Technologies, an Apple supplier producing sapphire glass which declared bankruptcy last year when Apple declined to use the sapphire in their products due to failing in drop tests.

The repurposing of the Mesa, Arizona facility seems like a move inspired by negative circumstances that turns into opportunity for most of those involved - Apple gets something to do with property it already purchased, as well as a new HQ for its growing data business, while Arizona gets a renewed commitment to employment and the local Mesa economy. Apple's investment includes a pledge to power the new facility completely using energy derived from renewable sources, and Arizona has some of the best solar potential in the world.

Coincidentally, Corning unveiled "Project Phire" at an investor meet in New York yesterday. A new glass it claims is 'almost' as scratch-proof as Sapphire, while just as resistant to shattering as Gorilla Glass 4 in drop tests. Corning didn't give a timeline on when Project Phire will be available to manufacturers.

When an iPhone user send an text to another iPhone user, Apple quietly pipes the message through their own servers instead of over the traditional SMS network. This feature was originally intended to help avoid per-text charges for people on budget cell plans and is normally seamless - the only user-visible difference is that your chat bubbles are blue instead of green. However, if you switch your phone from an iOS device to an Android device, all future messages from iPhone users get lost in the nether - there simply wasn't a method to disable iMessage from your phone number.

Until now. Users stuck in this situation can now use this web tool to escape from iMessage oblivion.

Apple released the 8th version of its popular iOS operating system today, and as far as this editor can tell, the entire Internet experienced a collective nerdgasm. Every major tech site is either reporting on it, speculating on it, or promising sneak previews of hitherto undisclosed features.

Apple themselves are calling iOS8 "the biggest update ever." So we turn to the Register, who gives us a more precise list of new features:

IOS 8 can automatically filter, straighten and crop snaps, and it eases the process of sharing photos and others files with people ... will record time-lapse videos, if you want. And the iOS Messages app will be updated to include location info, video and voice records, and self-deleting vids, apparently. ...
The update will also include the HealthKit personal monitoring API that was seen at WWDC back in June. Other features include supposedly better predictive typing for the on-screen keyboard, and Siri apparently works better with getting information from maps and news. Not all the features will be available in all countries, however. Siri's ability to reserve restaurant tables, for example, will only be offered to people in North America when the OS launches. And, of course, the update will use the iPhone 6 smartphone and 6 Plus' NFC hardware as a cash substitute thanks to Apple Pay. That service is supported by many of the largest banks and credit card companies - although third-party app makers are frozen out of the party.

So what say you P8rs? Is this a revolution in pocket computing, or a marginal update to existing features? Or something in between?

A lot of the tech world is taking a moment to have a laugh at Apple, after a lackluster event earlier this week. Here are some of the digs:

• Samsung is making fun of the streaming problems Apple had on a new Youtube video called It Doesn't Take a Genius.
• The Telegraph is predicting that AndroidWear will come to quickly dominate the lackluster Apple Watch.
• Macworld Magazine, the venerable journal that has covered Apple since 1984, is shutting its doors.
• The Apple store crashed during preorders for the iphone 6 (OK, we could construe that as good news)
• The Register has panned the Apple Watch as "nothing more than digital perfume" and concludes gadget-mania is over.
• Most damning is this post making the rounds on Google Plus, telling iphone 6 users: welcome to 2012! If you need help with your iphone 6 features, just ask an Android user: we've had this stuff for years.

Is Apple off its game? Or is the tech press just snippy as always? Or is the new Apple ecosystem going to wow us, as the fans predict?

The tech press is tripping over itself today in breathless anticipation of the Apple event later today, in which it is largely expected Apple will announce a new, large screen iphone and potentially the famed iwatch. Techradar has a good roundup of the rumors and The Telegraph condenses it into an easy summary if you'd like to study up on the rumors before tuning into the event. From the Telegraph:

Apple's new mobile phone, the iPhone 6, will actually be two products: one with a 4.7in screen and a larger 5.5in model. Read all the latest rumours on the devices here and see our gallery of "leaked" images and artistic impressions here.

We will also see the launch of the "iWatch". The major technology companies (and several small ones) are fighting for a share of the rapidly expanding smartwatch market at the moment, and Apple is expected to stake its own claim today. The wrist-worn device is expected to play music, receive calls and send emails. Read all the latest rumours about the device here.

Or, you could just wait for Apple to do whatever they're going to do, and then come back here to comment on it. In either case, happy reading.

Apple has decided to up its game, but is it too late for them and the icloud brand, or is it only the users who will suffer?

The security problems that allowed the celebrity photos to leak was, Apple said, found between keyboard and chair (not in those words), iCloud has added extra security features to their popular file storage medium.

The changes come in the wake of the recent leak of a large number of photos from celebrity accounts, allegedly from hacked iCloud accounts. Apple previously released a statement denying any breach within its systems, but admitting that celebrity accounts were compromised by attackers using standard phishing techniques.

Apple may have the technical chops to tighten up security, but it can't (probably) remediate the intrinsic risk in using cloud services, no matter how convenient cloud service may be. Let's see if this changes the public's opinion of cloud backup over all, which has until now been on the rise.