1. Technological Advancements

Augmented Reality (AR) Integration

Apple has been actively investing in AR technologies, and the next decade is likely to witness a surge in AR applications across its product line. From enhanced gaming experiences to practical applications in education and healthcare, Apple’s push into AR is set to redefine how we interact with the digital and physical worlds.

AI-Powered Devices

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in Apple’s devices will become more prominent, contributing to smarter and more personalized user experiences. Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, is expected to evolve into a more sophisticated AI, anticipating user needs and seamlessly integrating into daily tasks.

2. Impact on Health and Wellness

Health-Focused Wearables

The Apple Watch has already made significant strides in health monitoring. Over the next decade, we can expect more advanced health features, such as continuous glucose monitoring and improved sleep tracking. These innovations could revolutionize personal health management and contribute to a more health-conscious society.

Health Data Accessibility

Apple’s emphasis on privacy and data security aligns with the growing importance society places on personal information. With advancements in health-related technologies, Apple may play a pivotal role in establishing standards for secure and ethical handling of health data, empowering individuals with greater control over their information.

3. Sustainable Practices

Environmental Responsibility

Apple has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, and its influence on sustainable practices is likely to increase. The company’s emphasis on eco-friendly materials, recycling programs, and energy-efficient technologies may set a precedent for other tech companies, encouraging a broader societal shift towards environmental responsibility.

Consumer Awareness

As consumers become more environmentally conscious, Apple’s focus on sustainability can drive awareness and influence purchasing decisions. The adoption of greener practices by a company of Apple’s magnitude can inspire other industries to follow suit, fostering a culture of sustainability.

4. Evolving Communication Landscape

Integration of Communication Platforms

Apple has a history of seamlessly integrating communication platforms into its ecosystem. Over the next decade, we can anticipate even more fluid communication experiences across devices, blurring the lines between messaging, social media, and collaborative tools. This interconnectedness may shape how we connect and collaborate in both personal and professional spheres.

Privacy-Centric Communication

Amid growing concerns about digital privacy, Apple is likely to reinforce its commitment to protecting user data in communication platforms. This emphasis on privacy may influence the broader tech industry’s approach to handling user information, promoting a more secure and transparent digital communication landscape.

Conclusion

As Apple continues to innovate across various domains, its influence on society will undoubtedly extend and evolve over the next 10 years. From technological advancements to health and wellness initiatives, sustainability practices, and communication trends, Apple’s impact will be far-reaching, shaping the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. Keeping a close eye on these developments will provide valuable insights into the evolving landscape of technology and its role in shaping our future.

A Reimagined Home Screen

With iOS 16, you can now create multiple Lock Screens, each with its own unique wallpaper, widgets, and notifications. You can also customize the font and color of the clock and date, as well as add complications for your favorite apps. This makes it possible to create a Home screen that is truly your own and that reflects your personal style.

Improved Messaging

iOS 16 also brings a number of improvements to Messages, Apple’s built-in messaging app. One of the most notable changes is the ability to edit and unsend messages. This is a welcome addition for anyone who has ever accidentally sent a message they didn’t mean to.

You can also now mark messages as unread so that you can come back to them later. And, if you’re worried about privacy, you can now set messages to disappear after a certain amount of time.

Enhanced Privacy Features

Apple is always committed to protecting user privacy, and iOS 16 is no exception. The new operating system includes a number of new features that help to keep your data safe.

For example, there is now a new “Safety Check” feature that allows you to quickly and easily reset your privacy settings if you think your iPhone has been compromised. You can also now see a detailed list of all of the apps that have access to your data, and you can revoke access to any app that you don’t trust.

Overall, iOS 16 is a major step forward for iPhones. It is a more customizable, powerful, and secure operating system that will appeal to a wide range of users.

Here are some of the other key features of iOS 16:

• Live Activities: This new feature allows you to stay up-to-date on events in real time, such as sports scores, stock prices, and Uber rides.
• Focus: This feature allows you to create custom profiles that silence notifications and restrict access to apps based on your current activity.
• Shared Photo Library: This new feature allows you to share a photo library with up to six family members, so everyone can access and add to the same collection of photos.
• Dictation with Handoff: This feature allows you to start dictating on your iPhone and then seamlessly switch to dictating on your Mac or iPad.

We are thrilled to be offering iOS 16 to our customers. We believe that this new operating system will make iPhones even more powerful, customizable, and secure.

A More Customizable Lock Screen

One of the most anticipated features of iOS 16 is a more customizable lock screen. This would allow users to change the background image, add widgets, and personalize the appearance in other ways. Leaks suggest that iOS 16 could also introduce lock screen widgets that are similar to the ones on Apple Watch.

The Ability to Edit and Unsend iMessages

Another highly anticipated feature of iOS 16 is the ability to edit and unsend iMessages. This would be a major improvement over current messaging systems, which don’t allow for any changes once a message is sent.

Changes to Lock Screen Notifications

iOS 16 is also expected to make some changes to lock screen notifications. Leaks suggest that notifications may now appear at the bottom of the screen, rather than at the top, to avoid obscuring the background image.

Enhancements to Apple Wallet

Apple is also expected to continue to invest in Apple Wallet in iOS 16. This could include new features for using Apple Wallet to pay for things and to store identification documents.

The Ability to Use SharePlay from Messages

SharePlay is a feature that allows users to share experiences such as watching videos or listening to music with others in real time. Leaks suggest that iOS 16 could introduce a new feature that allows users to start a SharePlay session from within Messages.

Other Possible Features

In addition to the features mentioned above, there are a number of other potential features that could be included in iOS 16. These include:

• Improved privacy features
• New health and fitness features
• Support for new technologies, such as augmented reality

Release Date and Supported Devices

Apple is expected to officially unveil iOS 16 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023. The software update is then expected to be released to the public in the fall of 2023.

Supported devices for iOS 16 are likely to include the iPhone 8 and later models.

[Pixabay]

The King’s Bench for Saskatchewan issued a summary judgment on June 8 that could have serious implications for users of messaging services. While they may not necessarily be seen as serious communications, it’s possible for responses to be taken as agreeing to the terms of a contract.

Read more…

An important deadline just passed for the biggest tech platform companies in the world to notify the European Union (EU) that they are gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Seven companies have officially acknowledged they meet the criteria: Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, ByteDance (TikTok), Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp), Microsoft, and Samsung. Companies on the list have a market capitalization of over €75 billion ($82 billion) and own a social platform or app that has at least 45 million monthly users or 10,000 active business users.

The statement published by EU commissioner Thierry Breton says it “will now check their submissions and designate the gatekeepers for specific platform services by 6 September,” and after that, the companies will have just six months to comply with the DMA’s rules.

Reuters reports that TikTok parent company Bytedance disputed its placement on the list and noted that Booking.com informed regulators it expects to be on the list next year.

According to Breton, the new rules include several key items:

They will no longer be able to lock in users in their ecosystem.

They will no longer be able to decide which apps you need to have pre-installed on your devices; which app store you have to use.

They will not be able to “self-preference”: exploiting the advantage of being the gatekeeper by treating their own products and services more favorably.

Their messaging apps will have to interoperate with others.

Breaking the rules would put companies at risk of a fine of up to 10 percent of its total worldwide turnover, 20 percent for repeat offenders, and repeat failures could lead the commission to “open a market investigation and, if necessary, impose behavioural or structural remedies.”

Apple, which says the new law “will create unnecessary privacy and security vulnerabilities for our users,” has reportedly planned to allow third-party app stores in iOS 17, though with possible restrictions such as only allowing them in Europe or mandating security requirements.

We’re also seeing the beginning of new avenues for competition between the tech giants. Meta said last week it would allow users to download apps via Facebook ads in Europe.

]]> https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/07/04/apple-google-confirm-new-eu-gatekeeper-law-applies-to-them/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:25:20 +0000 https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/07/04/apple-google-confirm-new-eu-gatekeeper-law-applies-to-them?utm_medium=rss A swathe of Big Tech firms ranging from Apple to TikTok owner Bytedance have told the EU that they fall under the provisions of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), signalling that they accept its rules about messaging apps.

It’s not that there was any doubt over whether the major Big Tech companies came under the aegis of the new law, especially since it was effectively created to target them. But now European Commission industry chief Thierry Breton says the firms have formally notified the EU that they qualify.According to Reuters, Breton and the EU have announced that six companies have said they come under the new rules:

Read more…

]]> https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/27/apple-opposes-uk-bill-that-could-mandate-backdoor-scanning-in-imessage/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:24:46 +0000 https://macdailynews.com/?p=263866 Apple is the Online Safety Bill as it could be used to force encrypted messaging tools like iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal and other to scan;

The post Apple opposes UK bill that could mandate backdoor scanning in iMessage appeared first on MacDailyNews. Apple is the Online Safety Bill as it could be used to force encrypted messaging tools like iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal and other to scan messages for, ostensibly, child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Apple’s opposition comes as 80 organizations and tech experts have written to UK Technology Minister Chloe Smith urging a rethink.

Chris Vallance for The Beeb:

Apple told the BBC the bill should be amended to protect encryption.

Police, the government and some high-profile child protection charities maintain the tech – used in apps such as WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage – prevents law enforcement and the firms themselves from identifying the sharing of child sexual abuse material.

But in a statement Apple said: “End-to-end encryption is a critical capability that protects the privacy of journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats.
“It also helps everyday citizens defend themselves from surveillance, identity theft, fraud, and data breaches. The Online Safety Bill poses a serious threat to this protection, and could put UK citizens at greater risk.

“Apple urges the government to amend the bill to protect strong end-to-end encryption for the benefit of all.”

Several messaging platforms, including Signal and WhatsApp, have previously told the BBC they will refuse to weaken the privacy of their encrypted messaging systems if directed to do so.

Signal said in February that it would “walk” from the UK if forced to weaken the privacy of its encrypted messaging app.

Apple’s statement now means that some of the most widely used encrypted apps oppose this part of the bill.

In 2021 Apple announced plans to scan photographs on people’s iPhones for abusive content before they were uploaded to iCloud but these were abandoned after a backlash. It has now clearly signalled its opposition to any measure that weakens the privacy of end-to-end encryption.

MacDailyNews Take: As Apple should. (Here’s why.)

The open letter signed by over 80 civil society organizations calls on the UK government to protect digital security and private communications by removing provisions from the Online Safety Bill that would require communications service providers to add “backdoors” to encrypted messaging services, undermining safety for all. Here it is, verbatim:

To: Chloe Smith, Secretary of State,

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

cc: Tom Tugendhat, Minister of State for Security, Home Office Paul Scully, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

Dear Ms Smith,

Online Safety Bill: Civil society organisations urge UK to protect global digital security and safeguard private communication.

We are over 80 national and international civil society organisations, academics and cyber- experts. We represent a wide range of perspectives including digital human rights and technology. We are writing to you to raise our concerns about the serious threat to the security of private and encrypted messaging posed by the UK’s proposed Online Safety Bill (OSB).

The Online Safety Bill is a deeply troubling legislative proposal. If passed in its present form, the UK could become the first liberal democracy to require the routine scanning of people’s private chat messages, including chats that are secured by end-to-end encryption. As over 40 million UK citizens and 2 billion people worldwide rely on these services, this poses a significant risk to the security of digital communication services not only in the UK, but also internationally.

End-to-end encryption ensures the security of communications for everyone on a network.

It is designed so that no-one, including the platform provider, can read or alter the messages. The confidentiality between sender and recipient is completely preserved. That’s why the United Nations, several human rights groups, and anti-human trafficking organisations alike have emphasised that encryption is a vital human rights tool. [i]

In order to comply with the Online Safety Bill, platform providers would have to break that protection either by removing it or by developing work-arounds. Any form of work-around risks compromising the security of the messaging platform, creating back-doors, and other dangerous ways and means for malicious actors and hostile states to corrupt the system. [ii] This would put all users in danger.

The UK government has indicated its intention for providers to use a technology that would scan chats on people’s phone and devices – known as client-side scanning. The UK government’s assertion that client-side scanning will not compromise the privacy of messages contradicts the significant evidence of cyber-security experts around the world. This software intercepts chat messages before they are encrypted, and as the user is uploading their images or text, and therefore confidentiality of messages cannot be guaranteed. It would most likely breach human rights law in the UK and internationally. [iii]

Serious concerns have also been raised about similar provisions in the EU’s proposed ‘Child Sexual Abuse Regulation’, which an independent expert study warns is in contradiction to human rights rules. [iv] French, Irish and Austrian parliamentarians have all also warned of severe threats to human rights and of undermining encryption. [v]

Moreover, the scanning software would have to be pre-installed on people’s phones, without their permission or full awareness of the severe privacy and security implications. The underlying databases can be corrupted by hostile actors, meaning that individual phones would become vulnerable to attack. The breadth of the measures proposed in the Online Safety Bill – which would infringe the rights to privacy to the same extent for the internet’s majority of legitimate law-abiding users as it would for potential criminals – means that the measures cannot be considered either necessary or proportionate. [vi]

The inconvenient truth is that it is not possible to scan messages for bad things without infringing on the privacy of lawful messages. It is not possible to create a backdoor that only works for “good people” and that cannot be exploited by “bad people”.

Privacy and free expression rights are vital for all citizens everywhere, in every country, to do their jobs, raise their voices, and hold power to account without arbitrary intrusion, persecution or repression. End-to-end encryption provides vital security that allows them to do that without arbitrary interference. People in conflict zones who rely on secure encrypted communications to be able to speak safely to friends and family as well as for national security. Journalists around the world who rely on the confidential channels of encrypted chat, can communicate to sources and upload their stories in safety.

Children, too, need these rights, as emphasised by UNICEF based on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.vii Child safety and privacy are not mutually exclusive; they are mutually reinforcing. Indeed, children are less safe without encrypted communications, as they equally rely on secure digital experiences free from their data being harvested or conversations intercepted. Online content scanning alone cannot hope to find out the serious cases of exploitation, which require a whole-of-society approach. The UK government must invest in education, judicial reform, social services, law enforcement and other critical resources to prevent abuse before it can reach the point of online dissemination, thereby prioritising harm prevention over retrospective scanning. [viii]

As an international community, we are deeply concerned that the UK will become the weak link in the global system. The security risk will not be confined within UK borders. It is difficult to envisage how such a destructive step for the security of billions of users could be justified. [ix]

The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has said that the UK will maintain freedom, peace and security around the world. With that in mind, we urge you to ensure that end-to-end encrypted services will be removed from the scope of the Bill and that the privacy of people’s confidential communications will be upheld.

Signatories

Access Now
ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression
Asociația pentru Tehnologie și Internet (ApTI)
Associação Portuguesa para
a Promoção da Segurança da Informação (AP2SI)
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Big Brother Watch
Centre for Democracy and Technology
Chaos Computer Club (CCC)
Citizen D / Državljan D
Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
Community NeHUBs Africa
cyberstorm.mu
Defend Digital Me
CASM at Demos
Digitalcourage
Digitale Gesellschaft
DNS Africa Media and Communications
Electronic Frontier Finland
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Electronic Frontier Norway
Epicenter.works
European Center for Not-for-Profit Law
European Digital Rights (EDRi)
European Sex Workers Rights Association (ESWA)
Fair Vote
Fight for the Future
Foundation for Information Policy Research
Fundación Cibervoluntarios
Global Partners Digital
Granitt
Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights
Homo Digitalis
Ikigai Innovation Initiative
Internet Society
Interpeer gUG
ISOC Brazil – Brazilian Chapter of the Internet Society
ISOC Ghana
ISOC India Hyderabad Chapter
ISOC Venezuela
IT-Pol
JCA-Net (Japan)
Kijiji Yeetu
La Quadrature du Net
Liberty
McEvedys Solicitors and Attorneys Ltd
Open Rights Group
OpenMedia
OPTF
Privacy and Access Council of Canada
Privacy International
Ranking Digital Rights
Statewatch
SUPERRR Lab
Tech for Good Asia
UBUNTEAM
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia UK
Professor Paul Bernal
Nicholas Bohm
Dr Duncan Campbell
Alan Cox
Ray Corrigan
Professor Angela Daly
Dr Erin Ferguson
Wendy M. Grossman
Dr Edina Harbinja
Dr Julian Huppert
Steve Karmeinsky
Dr Konstantinos Komaitis
Professor Douwe Korff
Petr Kučera
Mark A. Lane
Christian de Larrinaga
Mark Lizar
Dr Brenda McPhail
Alec Muffett
Riana Pferfferkorn
Simon Phipps
Dr Birgit Schippers
Peter Wells
Professor Alan Woodward

Notes

[i] Human rights, encryption and anonymity in a digital age: report of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression: www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2015/06/human-rights-encryption-and-anonymity-digital-age
Encryption: a matter of human rights, Amnesty International: www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol40/3682/2016/en/ Quotes from Polaris anti-trafficking project in news article: www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/wickr-amazon-aws-child-messaging-app-sex-abuse-problem-rcna20674
[ii] Bugs in Our Pockets: The Risks of Client-Side Scanning: arxiv.org/abs/2110.07450
[iii] Internet Society, Client-side scanning: What it is and why it threatens trustworthy, private communication, May 2023, staging.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Client-side-Scanning-Fact-Sheet-EN.pdf
Open Letter from Public Interest Technologists in relation to the European Commission’s proposed Regulation on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA): www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/10/Experts-letter-encryption-CSA.pdf
Safety Tech Challenge Fund Evaluation Report, see comments on human rights compliance p2: bpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/ blogs.bristol.ac.uk/dist/1/670/files/2023/02/Safety-Tech-Challenge-Fund-evaluation-framework-report.pdf
[iv] Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament and European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), Complementary Impact Assessment to the proposed EU Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse: www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/740248/EPRS_STU(2023)740248_EN.pdf
[v] Irish and French parliamentarians sound the alarm about EU’s CSA Regulation: edri.org/our-work/irish-and-french- parliamentarians-sound-the-alarm-about-eus-csa-regulation/
Binding Resolution of the Austrian Parliament against the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation: epicenter.works/document/4393 vi Index on Censorship, Opinion from Matthew Ryder KC. Surveilled and Exposed: How the Online Safety Bill Creates Insecurity:
www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Surveilled-Exposed-Index-on-Censorship-report-Nov-2022.pdf
[vii] Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF: www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text-childrens-version
[viii] CRIN: Privacy and Protection: A children’s rights approach to encryption: home.crin.org/readlistenwatch/stories/privacy-and-protection; and Ross Anderson: Chat Control of Child Protection: www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2022/10/13/chatcontrol-or-child-protection/
[ix] Rishi Sunak, Statement 14 March 2023: www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-at-aukus-trilateral-press-conference

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The post Apple opposes UK bill that could mandate backdoor scanning in iMessage appeared first on MacDailyNews.

]]> https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/06/27/apple-seeds-fourth-betas-of-ios-16-6-and-ipados-16-6-to-developers/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:05:08 +0000 https://www.macrumors.com/2023/06/27/apple-seeds-ios-16-6-beta-4-to-developers/ Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming over two weeks after the release of the third betas.

Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the “Beta Updates” option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 lay the groundwork for iMessage Contact Key Verification. It is meant to let Apple device owners verify that they are messaging with the people they intend to message rather than a malicious entity that has intercepted a message or is eavesdropping on a conversation.

The feature is designed for Apple users who are facing “extraordinary digital threats.” Apple intends for iMessage Contact Key Verification to be used by journalists, human rights activists, government officials, and others who are in danger of malicious digital attacks from state-sponsored attackers or other malicious actors.

Apple said that iMessage Contact Key Verification would be available on the iPhone and other Apple devices at some point in 2023, and it is one of the last features we are expecting to see in ‌iOS 16‌. In the first beta, hints of iMessage Contact Key were available, but the option was not fully enabled.

Related Roundups: iOS 16, iPadOS 16

Related Forum: iOS 16

This article, "Apple Seeds Fourth Betas of iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 to Developers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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