Apple is closing a security gap that allowed outsiders to pry personal information from locked iPhones without a password, a change that will thwart law enforcement agencies that have been exploiting the vulnerability to collect evidence in criminal investigations. The loophole will be shut down in a forthcoming update to Apple’s iOS software, which powers…
Hotel Rooms by the Hour — or the Minute
Most hotels already offer quick checkout. Now, a growing number are selling briefer stays, too. Through an app called Recharge, some 50 hotels in San Francisco and New York offer rooms by the minute — at 40 cents to $2 per minute, depending on demand and time of day. That means the opportunity to take…
Apple’s Tax Break Yields $102 Billion Boon for Shareholders
Apple’s tax break on its overseas profits is turning into a $102 billion boon for shareholders. The iPhone maker is raising its quarterly dividend by 16 percent to 73 cents per share, matching the largest increase since Apple restored the payment under shareholder pressure six years ago. Raising the dividend by 10 cents per share…
Apple’s Stock Sinks as High Hopes for iPhone X Sales Fade
Apple’s stock is backtracking from its recent highs amid mounting concerns that iPhone X sales will fall short of the high hopes for a device that brought facial recognition technology and a $1,000 price tag to the company’s flagship product line. Speculation about disappointing demand for the iPhone X have been swirling for the past…
Facebook Gets Real About Broadening Virtual Reality’s Appeal
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg seems to be realizing a sobering reality about virtual reality: His company’s Oculus headsets that send people into artificial worlds are too expensive and confining to appeal to the masses. Zuckerberg on Wednesday revealed how Facebook intends to address that problem, unveiling a stand-alone headset that won’t require plugging in a…
Apple to Open Data Center in China with Government Ties
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple will open a data center in mainland China with ties to the country’s government, raising concerns about the security of iCloud accounts that store personal information transferred from iPhones, iPads and Mac computers there. The data center announced Wednesday will be located in the Guizhou province and run by a…
Apple Reversed Its iPhone Slump. But What’s Next?
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple has snapped out of the first sales slump in the iPhone’s decade-long history, although the modest upturn doesn’t mean that it has broken out of its innovation funk. If anything, the numbers Apple released Tuesday highlight the company’s growing dependence on the iPhone, whose sales tower above Apple’s other current…
Google’s Pixel Phone Shines Despite Misgauging Demand
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Pixel phone, Google’s answer to Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy, is off to a promising start — but might have done even better had Google managed consumer demand as smartly as the device’s sleek design. Although Google hasn’t released sales figures, industry researchers say the Pixel has been a hot…
Google Hits Pixel Resellers with ‘Digital Death Sentence’
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some of Google’s unwitting users are learning a harsh lesson: If you violate the company’s policies, it can abruptly cut you off from your Gmail account, online photos and other vital digital services. Several people who recently bought Google’s new Pixel phone on behalf of a New Hampshire dealer are now…
Google Offers New Way for Users to Manage Ads, Personal Data
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is trying to make it easier for you to manage the vast pool of information that it collects about your online activities across phones, computers and other devices. Among other things, a new privacy tool will enable the more than 1 billion people who use Google’s search engine and other…