Apple Insider
Our industry expert rounds-up the biggest Apple corporate stories circulating this month
Apple sends Android iMessage Apple has admitted to a bug that has made sending iMessages to Android devices a problem. It impacts those who migrate to Android from iPhone, who then find it challenging to dissociate their phone numbers from iMessage. This can mean texts from friends disappear, rather than being sent as SMS. One angry ex-customer has filed a lawsuit against Apple for the problem. It is possible to switch iMessage off on all your devices, but there are claims this doesn’t always work. Apple now says it is addressing the problem and intends a ‘bug fix’ in a future software update.
Apple smart home The Financial Times correctly claimed Apple would launch a new smart home platform at WWDC 2014. It observed the new platform would be baked inside iOS and would be open to third-party device makers, allowing their solutions to work with the system. “The scheme will be similar to Apple’s existing ‘Made for iPhone’ label, given to compatible headphones, speakers and other accessories, but with a new brand and logo,” the report said.
The new Apple platform, to be called HomeKit, was unveiled in the June 2nd keynote. It lets your iOS device control smart appliances such as lights, thermostats and locks. Piper Jaffray, in 2013, predicted the value of the connected home market would pass $40 billion in the next five to seven years.
Apple protects The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has praised Apple for showing “remarkable improvements in its commitments to transparency and privacy”, awarding the company points for defending user data against unwarranted state and law enforcement oversight. EFF notes Apple’s recent moves to publish more data about its commitment to user privacy, including news that it will tell users if government data requests are made and noting the company’s membership of the Reform Government Surveillance Coalition. Apple’s focus on user privacy follows last year’s revelations that of vast government snooping on user privacy as leaked by former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden.