Sir Apfelot newsreel week 34, 2023

Temperatures are expected to drop again this weekend. This is good because Apple mobile devices will no longer fail due to heat stroke. And so you can spend more time with the Sir Apfelot newsreel and the associated podcast. Because this week there is again interesting Apple and tech news. In the reports for calendar week 34 of 2023 you will find the following topics, among others: The "Cyberbunker" case is not yet closed, Meta publishes SeamlessM4T-AI for translations, Duolingo user data is stolen, Apple hires via Twitter and blocks developer studios without reason , iPhone 15 Rumors, Vision Pro Details, and More!

Sir Apfelot as a podcast

If you enjoy both the Sir Apfelot Blog and podcasts, then you should check out the Sir Apfelot Podcast. Lynne and Jens address interesting topics and throw their own experiences and opinions into the mix.

Here are the different platforms where you can listen to the two:

• Sir Apfelot Podcast on Let's Cast
• Sir Apfelot Podcast at Apple Podcasts
• Sir Apfelot Podcast on Spotify
• Sir Apfelot Podcast on Amazon Music
• Sir Apfelot Podcast on YouTube

Negotiations about the "cyber bunker" probably not yet concluded

Do you still remember the "Cyberbunker" in Traben-Trarbach? As part of the Sir Apfelot newsreel I had in 2019, 2020 and 2021 reported on this. Also, there was in May 2020 a documentary about it. This week heise online went into the subject again, because both the defense of the eight accused and the public prosecutor's office appealed after the verdict in the case. 

While the public prosecutor's office has increased operator liability for criminal offenses committed by customers (drug trafficking, Mirai botnet, right-wing extremism) of the server offer, the defense pleads for acquittal. Yesterday a new edition of the trial was heard before the Federal Court of Justice. A decision to return the case to the state court is expected to be announced on September 12. (Sources: 1, 2)

SeamlessM4T - Translation AI from Meta as open source material

Meta has released a new AI for translations. This should be able to translate almost 100 languages ​​from text to text, text to speech, speech to text or speech to speech. Communication across language and country borders should be detailed and largely error-free. The whole thing is called "SeamlessM4T" and is issued under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license. 

The written sentences, the number of which is said to be in the tens of billions, and the four million hours of spoken content used to train the AI ​​​​are said to have been open source material or at least licensed, according to Meta. Although SeamlessM4T is said to work well, it is advised not to use the AI ​​in disciplines such as law or medicine. (Sources: 1, 2)

Data stolen from 2,6 million Duolingo users

Duolingo is the world's largest provider for learning a foreign language. On the website and in the app, which comes with a green owl as a mascot, there are courses for all kinds of languages. And that is said to attract 74 million monthly active users. From 2,6 million are now (again) stolen records in the darknet to have appeared. The Bleeping Computer specialist site is not the only one to address this. 

But also the online service Have I Been Pwned, where you can check whether your own data (i.e. your own e-mail address) has been affected by a data theft. The Duolingo data theft is said to have been implemented with an API that could be used until at least March 2023. The user data including e-mail address, name, languages ​​spoken and user name are said to have been offered for the first time in January 2023. (Sources: 1, 2)

Server disruption at Bambu: 3D printer out of control

If devices are connected to the cloud, then this certainly has a few advantages. But there are also disadvantages, as the current case involving the 3D printer manufacturer Bambu shows. Because due to a server malfunction, e.g. B. Print jobs sent to customer devices or previous print jobs restarted / repeated. This sometimes led to damage to the devices because there were still workpieces or other objects on the worktop, there was no filament in the printer or the like. Bambu now wants to learn from the mistake and use the LiDAR scanner of some 3D printer models to check whether the worktop is free before printing. More information is available on the official Bambu blog. (Sources: 1, 2)

Without a degree or LeetCode: How Andrew Zheng got a job at Apple

Andrew Zheng is the name of the developer of the Find app. This app organizes the photos on the iPhone or iPad using machine learning, offers various search functions, lets you customize the display of the photos, search for text in images and more. The whole thing is free, runs locally on the end device and comes without advertising. At first glance, it's a viable alternative to the Apple Photos app. Apparently also at second glance, as a job offer from Apple to the developer suggests.

As Andrew Zheng wrote in his blog under the heading “Getting a job at Apple without going to college or doing LeetCode“ shows he was able to make a name for himself with his Find app. He was then contacted by Apple and invited to an internship or, if he wanted, a permanent position in the photos team. The invitation came in as a Twitter message, so not even an email or other more official means. The blog post also examines the entry into the company and the internship at Apple. (Sources: 1, 2)

With No Reason Or Apology: How Digital Will Was Banned By Apple

While on the one hand people are recruited to work at Apple via Twitter, on the other hand entire developer accounts are blocked without reason, justification or interest in speaking back. This is what happened recently to the Japanese studio “Digital Will”. This itself offers various games and other programs, but also serves as a publisher for other companies that want to bring apps onto the market. Apple blocked their developer account for five months.

The full chronology of the case was revealed this week at Patently Apple. Not only did the company lose reputation with business partners due to the months-long blocking, but also had to accept a loss in revenue. In the five months in which no apps could be offered and sold, damage of no less than $765.000 is said to have come together. The whole thing took place a year ago, but is only now being negotiated. The information was made public via the relevant case documents. (Sources: 1, 2)

3DPets: Apple campaign shows iPhone use in creating animal prosthetics

The iPhone, or rather its Pro versions, have to be placed in the limelight once again, with emotion, shortly before the presentation of new models. And that's why Apple not only released a new commercial for the iPhone 14 Pro and its camera system supported by a LiDAR scanner. There also seems to be a cooperation with the tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee. Because both he and Apple report on the company 3DPets, which scans animals with missing limbs or other mobility restrictions with the iPhone camera and then 3D prints prostheses or pedestals on wheels. This becomes clear in the shorter Apple commercial. In Marques Brownlee's video, it's over-explained a bit. 

iPhone 15 is said to be sold with color-matched USB-C cables

The iPhone models expected for September (15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max and / or 15 Ultra) should no longer have a Lightning connector, but USB-C. This means that new cables are used for data exchange and for charging the device battery. In order to make these more interesting and probably also more durable than the previous Lightning-to-USB cables, they could be braided and match the color of the respective iPhone. Braided cables in blue, purple, red, yellow, and black are said to have been spotted, and MacRumors shared photos of them in two posts this week. In addition, the cables should measure 1,5 m instead of the previous 1 m. (Sources: 1, 2)

All innovations: Alleged iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro

Apple Vision Pro headset power supply details

After the first Specifications of the Apple Vision Pro headsets as well Details from the SDK and notifications for the treatment of Test devices or developer kits as classified information More details are now coming to light – namely battery performance. Since a lot of analysis software is currently still running on the test devices, the battery life should be around one hour. The battery life of two hours announced by Apple will probably only be achieved without the analysis apps, with a more efficient version of visionOS and with not too much use. 

It also turned out that a 30-watt charger can be connected. But that either charges the battery or operates the device. At least a 60-watt charger is required to charge the battery while it is in use. iPad apps are also not supposed to run smoothly, just like websites with "infinite" scrolling. This and much more information was published this week by Apple Insider and some information was summarized in German from heise online, among others. If you are interested in the headset, you should take a look. (Sources: 1, 2)

Johannes Domke

[On vacation] After graduating from high school, Johannes completed training as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which led to his independence. He has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others, for several years now. His articles include product introductions, news, instructions, video games, consoles and much more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.