FBI successfully hacks iPhone without Apple's help, drops case

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The question now is how the FBI managed to break into an iPhone as well as leaving many to wonder if there are vulnerabilities in the iPhone that can be exploited by the FBI or any other hacker.

FBI investigators have managed to hack the iPhone 5c which figured in their investigation of the San Bernandino shooting, the bureau did so without Apple's help.

In a filing submitted earlier the FBI said that they successfully accessed the data” on the phone. ”The government … therefore no longer requires the assistance from Apple Inc. mandated by the Court’s Order” that would have required Apple to engineers to bypass basic security measures that come installed on its iPhone 5c.

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Apple's iPad Pro (9.7-inch) and iPhone SE are now available for pre-order

The best thing about most Apple product announcements is that the products themselves are available within a few days. The new iPad Pro and the iPhone SE are available for pre-order from Apple's online store and will be available in stores on March 31st (with deliveries happening around then up to April 4th if ordered now.)

The iPad Pro (9.7-inch) is available in four colours (Silver, Gold, Space Grey and Rose Gold) and comes in 32GB ($799), 128GB ($999) and 256GB ($1,199) configurations for Wi-Fi and 32GB ($979), 128GB ($1,179) and 256GB ($1,379) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular models. The Smart Keyboard, which is necessary for the full experience, will cost $199.

iPhone SE comes in the same four colours and unlocked versions are 16GB ($579) and 64GB ($709).

Apple unloads new accessories for upcoming devices

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

While a lot of the focus of Apple’s event this week was on the iPhone SE and the iPad Pro (9.7-inch) models, we also got a lot of new Apple accessories across the line.

Apple is fast becoming the premier maker of Apple product accessories. Not only does it now make a ton of Apple Watch straps in a variety of materials, colours and styles, they’ve also been releasing a variety of other accessories worth considering. The company has recently put up an accessory subsection on their website and even have a Made by Apple designation which already tells you that you can expect quality accessories tailor-fit for your device, for a price.

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Watch Apple's hypnotic Liam robot take apart old iPhones

There were various nuggets in Apple's Spring product launch event yesterday that were easy to miss. The introduction of Liam, a robot used to take apart and properly dispose of discarded iPhones, was not one of them. Anyone who has had to repair or disassemble technology knows that it is not an easy task. Yet, Liam manages to strip away Apple's well put-together iPhones with little fuss and in quite an elegant way. Liam can reportedly take apart 1.2 million iPhones a year.

The video above does speak to Apple's Renew initiative and heavy focus on the environment. This is the first example I have seen where each component and how it is disposed or recycled is explained.