Illustration: The Verge Just when the metaverse had mostly faded from the headlines, a heavily rumored new product launch appears poised to bring it roaring back. Today let’s talk about what’s happened in the world of virtual and mixed reality since last we left it and whether Apple can find mainstream uses for headsets that go beyond the games that have defined it so far. Monday marks the start of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference. Unlike most years, when coming software updates dominate the keynote, this year hardware is expected to take center stage. After more than seven years of development, Apple is reportedly set to unveil the Reality Pro, a roughly $3,000 headset that aims to serve a variety of…

Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset will enter mass production in October and launch by December, according to investment firm Morgan Stanley. Apple is still expected to unveil the headset at WWDC next week, and provide developers with tools to create apps for the device, which is expected to have its own App Store. Apple headset concept by designer Marcus Kane "While we expect Apple's AR/VR headset to be unveiled next week, our supply chain checks suggest mass production won't start until October '23, with general availability most likely ahead of the December holidays," said Erik Woodring, an Apple analyst at Morgan Stanley, in a research note obtained by MacRumors. Apple's supply chain is preparing to assemble only 300,000 to 500,000 headsets…

Apple is calling on experts with backgrounds in generative AI to work with the company's "most advanced technologies," including augmented and virtual reality, according to new job listings posted by the company. One new listing posted on Apple's jobs website, highlighted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, seeks a software engineer in Cupertino to work on machine learning models to build apps related to augmented and virtual reality.AI represents a huge opportunity to elevate Apple's products and experiences for billions of people globally. Apple's Learning Technology Group is looking for Machine-Learning engineers with a background and/or interest in Conversational and Generative AI! You will be leveraging innovative models to build applications on top of Apple's most advanced technologies, while developing your expertise…

Apple on Thursday denied claims made by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) that it cooperated with the U.S. National Security Agency to surveil Russian iPhone users. iPhone 14 Pro Max In a statement to media, the company said it has “never worked with any government to insert a backdoor into any apple product and never will.” MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote earlier, if anything screams “ironclad trust,” it’s Russian government information. See also: Apple halts all product sales in Russia – March 1, 2022 Last July, Apple introduced a groundbreaking security capability – Lockdown Mode – that offers specialized additional protection to users who may be at risk of highly targeted cyberattacks from private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware. Apple…

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed on Thursday it had uncovered a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) plot using previously unknown malware to access vulnerabilities in Apple iPhones. Lockdown Mode is the first major capability of its kind designed to offer an extreme, optional protection for the very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security. Guy Faulconbridge for Reuters: The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said several thousand Apple phones had been infected, including those of domestic Russian subscribers. The Russian spy agency also said telephones belonging to foreign diplomats based in Russia and the former Soviet Union, including those from Israel, Syria, China and NATO members, had been targeted. “The…

Researchers have found a vulnerability in iTunes for Windows that lets users escalate system privileges, and Windows users should update the app.iTunes on Windows has a security flawIn late 2022, the Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center (CyRC) discovered a security vulnerability within the Windows version of the iTunes app. Exploiting it can lead to local privilege escalation to achieve system-level privileges. Read more...