Hackers to Re-Lock iPhones

(NEWSER) - Apple today issued an update for its iPhone operating system, patching a flaw in its text-messaging operation that security experts say could have allowed serious hackers to “take over every iPhone in the world,” AllThingsD reports. “Contrary to what’s been reported,” a company spokesman said, “no one has been able to take control of the iPhone to gain access to personal information using this exploit.” More»

Apple plays hardball as update shuts down all hacked phones, not just unlocked ones

(NEWSER) - Apple’s latest firmware update doesn’t just shut down unlocked iPhones as threatened; it shuts down all phone hacks, including homemade applications, ringtones created by third parties, and the ability to use the phone as a drive. Even some unhacked phones have become completely inoperable. That’s enraged the iPhone community, ComputerWorld says, but Apple refuses to help anyone who modified their phone. More»

Or at least, it might if it was allowed on company's network

(NEWSER) - IBM has banned employees from using Siri on its network, because it doesn't trust the iPhone digital assistant. On Monday, IBM's CIO told the MIT Technology Review that though employees are free to use their personal iPhone at work, it was having problems with apps posing security risks. She said Siri in particular was off-limits because they're "worried that the spoken queries might be stored somewhere." More»

Earnings nearly doubled from a year ago

(AP) - Apple, the world's most valuable company, is trumping skeptics once again by reporting blow-out iPhone sales. Apple says it sold 35 million iPhones in the quarter, almost twice as many as it sold a year ago and above analyst expectations. Company shares were down before the report because investors believed phone companies had reined in iPhone sales. More»

New alloy said to be stronger than titanium, but versatile

(NEWSER) - The new iPhone 5, coming this fall, may not go back in time to kill John Connor, but it could be made from Liquidmetal, at least according to the latest rumors. Unlike normal metals, which are crystalline, Liquidmetal is an alloy more like metallic glass, with the elasticity of plastics but two or three times harder than titanium. All of which could make the new iPhone much thinner and more durable, reports the Telegraph . Apple signed an exclusive deal with Liquidmetal Technologies in August 2010, believed to be in the $11 million to $20 million range. However, reports caution that these are just rumors, and Apple is being as secretive as always. More»