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The Privacy-in-AI Edition Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Apple Intelligence Now Features Image Playground, Genmoji, And More, by Apple

Apple today announced the release of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, introducing a brand-new set of Apple Intelligence features that will elevate users’ experience with iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and builds on the first set of capabilities already introduced. Apple Intelligence is the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that delivers helpful and relevant intelligence while taking an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI. Now users can explore creative new ways to express themselves visually with Image Playground, create the perfect emoji for any situation with Genmoji, and make their writing even more dynamic with new enhancements to Writing Tools.

iOS 18.2 Launches Today: Here Are All The New Features, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

The update includes major new Apple Intelligence features, upgrades to the Camera Control on iPhone 16, a redesign for the Mail app, and much more.

Apple Intelligence In iOS 18.2: A Deep Dive Into Working With Siri And ChatGPT, Together, by Federico Viticci, MacStories

To put it more simply, I think empowering LLMs to be “creative” with the goal of displacing artists is a mistake, and also a distraction – a glossy facade largely amounting to a party trick that gets boring fast and misses the bigger picture of how these AI tools may practically help us in the workplace, healthcare, biology, and other industries.

Radio Time

Apple Music Launches Música Uno, Its First-Ever Latin Radio Station: ‘A Long Time Coming’, by Griselda Flores, Billboard

“In the past we’ve been lucky to have the support of Zane [Lowe] and Ebro who’ve given us space in their shows, which aren’t necessarily Latin music shows, and that’s been great, but we need more spaces to tell the stories of many other Latin artists and for them to feel free to speak in Spanish or even Spanglish. Apple Música Uno is the place for that,” says Jerry Pulles, Latin music programmer at Apple Music. Over the past 10 years, Pulles has overseen the launch of several hosted shows, including the Apple Music 1 series La Fórmula Radio with El Guru, which is dedicated to Latin music.

Now, Música Uno will serve as a hub exclusively for all things Latin, covering every spectrum of the genre — from reggaetón to pop to Mexican music. “This radio station will allow us to continue building blocks with the artists we’ve supported since day one,” adds Marissa Lopez, Apple’s head of Latin music artist relations. “We’ve seen Latin music’s growth in real time, so this launch has been a long time coming.”

Apple Music Expands Live Global Radio Offering With Three Brand-new Stations, by Apple

The new Apple Música Uno, Apple Music Club, and Apple Music Chill live-hosted radio stations offer listeners more exclusive shows from some of the world’s most vital artists, including Becky G, Rauw Alejandro, Grupo Frontera, Honey Dijon, Jamie xx, FKA twigs, Nia Archives, Brian Eno, Stephan Moccio, and more

On Security

Jamf Details Scary iCloud Flaw That Was Exploitable Until This Fall, by Roman Loyola, Macworld

The TCC in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS alerts the user when an app wants to access sensitive data; the user can then grant or deny access. In this instance, the vulnerability allows a malicious app to intercept and redirect the files when a user moves or copies files from the Files app, without alerting the user that the app is accessing the data. The files are then saved to an area defined by the malicious app and can be moved to a remote server.

Stuff

Apple Releases First Firmware Update For Beats Pill, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

We don't know what's included in the new firmware, and Apple does not typically provide information about Beats firmware updates.

Keep Track Of Your Passport With Satechi's Wallet With Find My Support, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

The Passport Cover with Find My is made from a simple but attractive black vegan leather material. It has a book-like shape and it is sized to hold a passport on one side, with four card slots for IDs and credit cards on the other side. There's also a pocket that can be used for holding money or an airline ticket.

Wondershare Recoverit Review: An Excellent Mac Data Recovery Package, by Chris Barylick, Macworld

What’s present helped pull some critical data from an SD card I thought was dead, easily backed my data up to Google Drive, and put something worthwhile on the table worthy of my consideration, and yours too.

Analogue Is The First 3D Immersive Collaboration App For Apple Vision Pro, Spatial 3D Design App Coming Soon, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

It’s a brand new app called Spatial Analogue. The company describes it as “the first collaborative 3D immersive experience platform on Apple Vision Pro” for professional 3D design workflows.

Microsoft Teams For iPad Now Includes External Camera Support, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Plug your external camera into your iPad's USB-C port either before or during your Teams meeting, and the app will automatically select it for use on the call. To switch back to your iPad's built-in camera, simply disconnect the external one.

The iPhone Accessories That Let Me Ditch My Laptop While Traveling, by Scharon Harding, Ars Technica

So, in the interest of having my cake and eating it, I've gathered a collection of gadgets that help me get the most out of my iPhone when traveling. With these accessories, I can use my iPhone as if it were a desktop PC, peripherals and all. See you later, laptop.

Notes

Apple’s Next Ultra Smartwatch Will Be Able To Send Texts Via Satellite, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

The satellite capability is slated to come to next year’s Apple Watch Ultra, the company’s top-of-the-line model, according to people familiar with the matter. The technology will let smartwatch users send off-the-grid text messages via Globalstar Inc.’s fleet of satellites when they don’t have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

Congress Pushes Apple To Remove Deepfake Apps After 404 Media Investigation, by Emanuel Maiberg, 404 Media

A bipartisan group of members of Congress has sent letters to Google’s and Apple’s CEOs citing 404 Media’s reporting and asking what the giant tech companies are doing to address the rampant problem of nonconsensual AI-generated intimate media enabled on their platforms. The Congress members also sent a letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella given Microsoft Designer’s role in creating the infamous nonconsensual nude images of Taylor Swift that were viewed millions of times on Twitter, a story 404 Media broke as well.

Apple Expands U.K. Investment And Doubles Local Engineering Teams, by Apple

Over the past five years, Apple has invested more than £18 billion in the United Kingdom, building on the company’s longstanding connection to the country.

Apple today announced its investment in the United Kingdom has grown to exceed £18 billion over the past five years — and its engineering teams in the country have also doubled during that time. This builds on Apple’s longstanding connection to the U.K., where the company now supports 550,000 jobs through direct employment, its supply chain, and the iOS app economy.

Bottom of the Page

I sure hope Apple is not even thinking about having more Apple Music radio stations with A.I.-generated hosts. :-)

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Thanks for reading.