Apple in talks to use Baidu generative AI in Chinese iPhones, Wall Street Journal says

Apple has issued an alert for iPhone users over a ‘mercenary spyware attack' that they might have fallen prey to. The iPhone maker has issued a threat notification to iPhone users in India and 91 other countries, citing that attackers may have tried to “remotely compromise the iPhone”, as per a Reuters report. 

The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) on Monday accused Apple of promoting monopolistic practices by only allowing certain stores to offer huge cashback on iPhones. Calling it “discriminatory pricing”, the AIMRA, which represents 1.5 lakh mobile retailers around the country, has accused the iPhone maker of hurting sales with its exclusive offers.

Meta Platforms Inc. is under immense pressure to ensure that social media content created by artificial intelligence doesn't cause havoc with elections this year. The company's top leaders say they haven't seen that happen yet on their services.

Apple enthusiasts, mark your calendars for the second week of May as the tech giant gears up for a significant unveiling. According to the latest insights from Bloomberg's Power On newsletter by tech expert Mark Gurman, Apple is poised to introduce the newest iterations of its iPad Pro and iPad Air lineup.

The latest Apple iPhone 13 is now available at a discounted price of Rs. 52,990, marking a significant drop from its original M.R.P. of Rs. 59,900. This exclusive offer is inclusive of all taxes, making it an attractive deal for smartphone enthusiasts.

The recent warning issued by the Indian government has put Apple iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Vision Pro headset users on high alert due to a critical vulnerability identified in their devices. The warning, issued by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), emphasizes the risk associated with remote code execution.

In recent years, there have been instances when governments around the world have asked Apple to aid in their investigations by unlocking the accused's iPhone, with some of them even approaching the court in a bid to convince Apple to follow their instructions. The company also revealed that it had indeed cooperated with governments in about 70 such past instances. However, in recent times, Apple has simply denied the requests, suggesting the importance it gives to privacy.

Apple might finally be on the verge of bringing Rich Communication Services (RCS) to iPhones, according to a teaser by Google. The iPhone maker has long withstood pressure from Google as well as tech regulators to adopt RCS as the standard for messaging which provides a better interoperability experience, but with its iMessage booming, it did not give in. That was until last year when Apple made a shocking announcement that it was finally bringing RCS support to iPhones via a software update in 2024. While the exact timeline wasn't revealed, Google's new teaser hints at this capability coming soon.

In an interesting turn of events, Apple has filed a lawsuit alleging a leak of classified information about projects including the recently launched Journal app. This development comes just days after the iPhone maker got hit with a lawsuit by the US Department of Justice for allegedly creating a walled garden with its devices and ecosystem. This time, Apple has alleged that Andrew Aude, a former iOS software developer, leaked details about its classified projects. Consequently, Apple seeks damages of over $25000 in addition to a jury trial.

Halo and Call of Duty co-developer Certain Affinity has been hit with a wave of layoffs, CEO Max Hoberman announced.

Apple’s iPhone SE 4 OLED orders were previously said to be fought over by suppliers Samsung and BOE. Given that this is the company’s low-cost offering slated to launch sometime in 2025, procuring cheaper displays would be Apple’s top priority since this component is largely dependent on how expensive a smartphone gets. On this occasion, a new report claims that BOE has apparently won the skirmish against Samsung on the pricing front and will likely be the exclusive panel supplier for the iPhone SE 4.

Apple has found itself in hot waters again, just months after it faced a lawsuit from Masimo over its blood-oxygen monitoring feature. This time, it faces the wrath of the US Department of Justice, whose lawsuit alleges that the iPhone maker has put up a walled garden that prevents its consumers from switching to rival brands.