Innehållsförteckning för #463 från AppleMagazine

Not all that long ago, managing your home network’s security didn’t involve much more than installing an antivirus program on your PC. If only it were still so simple. It’s no longer just about protecting the computer on which you may be working from home and the laptops the kids may be using as online school starts. Odds are good you’ve got a few other internet-connected devices around the house -- phones, tablets, game consoles, maybe a“smart”TV or thermostat or refrigerator or light bulb or kid’s toy or security camera or video-streaming gadget or voice-activated digital valet. The average U.S. home now has 11 such devices, according to Deloitte, many of which are vulnerable to hacking. If you don’t want cyber cat burglars traipsing across them, potentially spreading malware or…

General Motors announced its second major electric vehicle partnership in less than a week, this time a $2 billion deal with startup Nikola. GM will take an 11% ownership stake in the Phoenix company and will engineer and build Nikola’s Badger hydrogen fuel cell and electric pickup truck. The Badger is expected to be in production by the end of 2022. GM also will help with cost reductions for Nikola’s other vehicles including heavy trucks, and the company will use GM’s battery system and hydrogen fuel technology. In exchange for the 10-year deal, GM will get $2 billion worth of Nikola’s newly issued common stock that will come in three increments through 2025. News of the deal sent shares of both companies surging despite a broader-market downturn. Nikola’s shares jumped…

Students across the U.S. ran into computer glitches as they began the school year with online instruction at home because of the coronavirus, adding to the list of problems that have thrust many a harried parent into the role of teacher’s aide and tech support person. The online learning platform Blackboard, which provides technology for 70 of the nation’s 100 biggest districts and serves more than 20 million U.S. students from kindergarten through 12th grade, reported that websites for one of its learning products were failing to load or were loading slowly, and users were unable to register on the first day of school. Blackboard, which hit four times its year-to-date user average by 8 a.m., wasn’t the only tech company running into issues Tuesday. Websites that track internet outages…

Detroit 2 Big Sean As reflected in its name, this is essentially a follow-up to Detroit, Big Sean’s 2012 mixtape. “I felt like it was an album,” the rapper – himself raised in Detroit – recently told Apple Music, adding that consequently, “it’s like I’m returning to the essence of myself, new and improved.” FIVE FACTS: 1. Big Sean, whose real name is Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, was born in the Californian city of Santa Monica on March 25, 1988, but moved to Detroit only three months later. 2. In the Michigan city, he was raised by his mother and grandmother and attended the Detroit Waldorf School and Cass Technical High School. 3. Big Sean largely owes his early career ascent to Kanye West, as the latter signed Sean to…

A new Netflix documentary is setting out to expose technology’s corrosive effects on society during a pandemic that’s left people more dependent than ever on tools that keep them connected with friends, family and colleagues they can no longer meet in person. So the timing for Wednesday’s release of “The Social Dilemma” might strike some viewers as odd. But its makers aim to give you a better sense of why the pandemic isn’t the only reason it feels like we’re stuck in a dystopian nightmare. The film, directed by Jeff Orlowski, aims to explain how Silicon Valley’s embrace of smartphones, attention-grabbing algorithms, polarizing echo chambers and pursuit of profit have left users reeling in a way that could pose an existential threat to U.S. democracy. “It is a self-destructive code…

The start of World Cup qualifying for lower-ranked teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean was postponed until next year, which means there aren’t enough remaining dates in the current FIFA calendar to complete the program. FIFA and regional soccer body CONCACAF said qualifiers that had been scheduled for October and November had to be pushed back because of travel and quarantine rules during the coronavirus pandemic. “Many parts of the region continue to have very challenging public health situations, and that has been a key factor in this decision,” the two governing bodies said in a joint statement. Thirty lower-ranked nations were due to play four qualifiers each this year but those games should now start in March 2021. Only three of those teams will advance to…

A Swiss region that has billed itself as a hub for high-tech finance said that it plans to accept cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ether for tax payments starting next year. Switzerland’s Zug canton joins its eponymous main city and several Swiss towns in agreeing to take tax payments in cryptocurrency. Zug is thought to be the first region in the rich Alpine country to make the decision. The canton, which bills itself as home to “Crypto Valley,” said it would accept taxes from companies or individuals of up to 100,000 Swiss francs (about $110,000) paid in Bitcoin or Ether as of February. A pilot program is expected to be launched in the coming weeks. “We are not taking any risks with the new payment method, as we always receive the amount…

China’s leading maker of semiconductors has denied it has any links to the military following reports Washington is considering stepping up its feud with Beijing over technology and security by imposing export controls that could disrupt manufacturing for a national industrial champion. U.S. regulators are considering adding Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. to a list of foreign buyers that need government permission to acquire technology or components, according to The Wall Street Journal and other outlets. They said officials are looking at whether SMIC plays a role in Chinese military development. “We have no relationship with the Chinese military,” the company said in a statement. It said SMIC products are “solely for civilian and commercial end-users and end-uses.” The company said it is “open to sincere and transparent communication” with Washington…

The holiday video game console battle is heating up. Microsoft says its Xbox Series X will cost $500 and debut Nov. 10, just ahead of the holidays. There haven’t been new generations of video game consoles for several years. The most recent Xbox, Xbox One, was released in 2013, as was Sony’s PlayStation 4. A stripped down version, Xbox Series S, will cost $300 and be available at the same time. Pre-orders begin Sept. 22. New video games at launch include “Assasin’s Creed Valhalla,”“Gears Tactics,”“Dirt 5,” and “Watch Dogs Legion.” Rival Sony is expected to announce the pricing for its PlayStaton 5 shortly.…

The nominations are in for the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, and as is now tradition, it’s streaming giants that are stealing the spotlight from traditional broadcasters. Netflix may be the frontrunner with an incredible 160 nominations, but new entrants like Disney+ and Apple are proving their offerings can’t be ignored, with Apple TV+ securing an impressive 18 nods. THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK The entertainment industry has overgone one of the greatest transformations in recent years. Not long ago, we’d sit down on an evening for appointment-to-view television and head to movie theaters for the latest blockbuster. But Netflix and Amazon Prime have led to “cable-cutting,” with millions of American households canceling their subscriptions to costly entertainment packages in favor of cheaper bundles online. As that trend continues, more…

Theme park operators who spent months installing hand sanitizing stations, figuring out how to disinfect roller coasters seats and checking the temperatures of guests at their gates so they’d come back in the midst of the pandemic are finding many reluctant to return. Some parks have reduced operating days, slashed ticket prices, and closed early for the year because of lower-than-hoped attendance — expectations weren’t high to begin with — along with the uncertainty of what’s to come with the coronavirus. A few parks have been unable to open their gates at all because of state and local health restrictions. Disney this week will begin cutting an hour or two out of each day at its four Florida theme parks. It already called off its annual after-hours Halloween party at…

Out of all of Disney’s animated films, “ Mulan ” was the one that made the most sense as a live-action remake. Not that there haven’t been good and charming live-action remakes over the past decade — Kenneth Branagh’s “Cinderella” being at the top of the pack — but with most of them no matter how expensive or carefully executed or reverent to the source material, I usually walk out wishing I’d just watched the animated version instead. Part of that might be age. I was in the generation who got to experience Disney’s animated renaissance in real time in the theaters — unaware of course that it was a renaissance, but simply that the films I got to see in the theater and then on home video were something…

Amazon is on a hiring spree. In the latest sign of how it’s prospering while others are faltering during the pandemic, Amazon said Wednesday it is seeking to bring aboard 33,000 people for corporate and tech roles in the next few months. It’s the largest number of job openings it’s had at one time, and the Seattle-based online behemoth said the hiring is not related to the jobs it typically offers ahead of the busy holiday shopping season. Amazon can afford to grow its workforce: It is one of the few companies that has thrived during the coronavirus outbreak. People have turned to it to order groceries, supplies and other items online, helping the company bring in record revenue and profits between April and June. That came even though it…

Italy’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into Apple, Google and Dropbox over their cloud storage services. The competition and market authority said it has opened a total of six investigations into Apple iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox’s online storage service in response to complaints about unfair commercial practices and violations of the country’s consumer rights directive. In one case, it’s also looking into “vexatious clauses” in a contract. The regulator said it’s looking into whether the three companies either failed to, or did not adequately, indicate how users’ data would be collected and used for commercial purposes. It is also examining whether Dropbox failed to provide clear and accessible information on how users could get out of contracts or pursue out of court dispute settlements. Apple, Google, and Dropbox…

China has launched an initiative to address global data security issues, a countermove to the U.S. “clean network” program that is aimed at discouraging other countries from using Chinese technology. Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced the initiative in Beijing on Tuesday at a seminar on global digital governance. He said mounting risks for cyber security threaten national security, public interests and personal rights. The move comes amid a deterioration in U.S.-China relations encompassing trade tensions and competition in telecommunications and artificial intelligence technologies, with the U.S. accusing Chinese technology companies of threatening American national security. “Bent on unilateral acts, a certain country keeps making groundless accusations against others in the name of ‘clean’ networks and used security as a pretext to prey on enterprises of other countries who have a…

China’s export growth accelerated in August while imports edged lower as the world’s second-largest economy extended its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Exports rose 9.5% over a year earlier to $235.2 billion, up from July’s 7.2% growth, customs data showed this week. Imports declined 2.1% to $176.3 billion, compared with the previous month’s 1.4% contraction. China’s exporters have benefited from its relatively early reopening from a shutdown to fight the virus while competitors in many other countries still face anti-disease controls that disrupt business. Exports to the United States rose 20% to $44.8 billion despite tariff hikes imposed by the Trump administration in a fight with Beijing over its technology ambitions and trade surplus. Imports of American goods gained 2% to $10.5 billion. The changes were due mostly to lower…

Samsung Electronics Co. will develop 5G network infrastructure for Verizon Communications under a $6.65 billion deal announced this week. The contract runs through 2025, according to a Samsung corporate filing. Samsung and Verizon have worked together before. In 2018, for example, Samsung technology was behind a 5G home service that Verizon offered to some customers in California, Texas and Indiana. “Samsung has demonstrated their commitment to collaborating with us to drive innovation in 5G,” New York-based Verizon said in a statement. “We are excited to expand our relationship with them and benefit from a long-term strategic agreement.” Samsung did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. The South Korean technology giant beat out rivals like Finland’s Nokia, which has collaborated with Verizon in the past. But…

Although Apple traditionally shows off new iPhones in September, it has been widely reported that this year’s models are delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result, the firm could show them off in an October keynote. The company is taking a leaf out of WWDC’s book and hosting a new digital-only event, with no members of the media or developer world invited to attend the event in person. Apple will prerecord the details of each product and share them in a seamless presentation online. This year has been quiet for Apple so far on the product front, with the coronavirus pandemic causing technology giants to slow down their usual release schedules. However, it is expected that the Cupertino company will make up for this in the latter…

Sputnik A young physician and neurophysiologist, Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina), is handed the task of assessing a cosmonaut, Konstantin (Pyotr Fyodorov), who has returned from a disastrous space mission but, it later turns out, accidentally brought a dangerous organism with him. FIVE FACTS: 1. The film’s events are set in Russia in 1983, during the Cold War’s final “hot” period. 2. The word Sputnik has well-established space connotations, as the first artificial satellites launched into the Earth’s orbit shared the Sputnik name. 3. However, as “sputnik” is also a Russian word for “companion” or “fellow traveler”, it can additionally be a reference to the “companion” the surviving cosmonaut brings to Earth in this film. 4. Contrary to the popular myth promoted in the film, it is impossible to hypnotize someone…

Before she went into acting, Hilary Swank was one of those kids who looked up at the sky and dreamed of blasting off to outer space. She got to pretend living out that dream in her new Netflix series, “Away,” debuting last weekend, where she plays an astronaut commander leading a voyage to Mars. “I just love an adventure and I’m a Leo,” said Swank in a recent interview. Executive produced by Jason Katims, “Away” follows Swank’s character Emma Green and her international crew on this dangerous mission as she leaves behind her husband (played by Josh Charles) and teenage daughter (Talitha Bateman) for three years. The series shifts back-and-forth between what’s going on in space and back home with her family. Charles juggles health issues while essentially being a…

Figuring out which true freshmen could make an impact is more challenging than usual this year with the coronavirus pandemic having such an impact on the preseason. Much of the offseason focused on the viability of having a season all rather than detailing which newcomers were making a statement. Did the unusual nature of the offseason limit opportunities for freshmen to make much of an impression? Or will the number of upperclassmen opting out create more chances for first-year players to contribute immediately? While this is a tough year to guess which freshmen could step forward this year, we decided to give it a try anywhere. Here’s a list of true freshmen who could come in and make a difference right away. We’re focusing this on true freshmen, which explains…

SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, AND IBIZA’S TO BLAME BELOW DECK MEDITERRANEAN, SEASON 5 THE TEXT HEARD ‘ROUND THE LAKE HOUSETHE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC, SEASON 5 HOT TEMPERS AND COLD FEET90 DAY FIANCE: HAPPILY EVER AFTER?, SEASON 5 VIVA LA DYSFUNCTIONTHE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY, SEASON 12 REUNION, PT. 1THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS, SEASON 10 UNFINISHED BUSINESSDARCEY & STACEY, SEASON 1 DAYBREAKYELLOWSTONE, SEASON 1 THE WEAKEST LINKRUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: VEGAS REVUE NEW SEASON, OLD WOUNDSTEEN MOM 2, SEASON 10 THE WORLD IS PURPLE YELLOWSTONE, SEASON 3…

China’s first reusable spacecraft landed last Sunday after two days in orbit, a possible step toward lower-cost space flight, the government announced. The secretive, military-run space program has released few details of the craft, which was launched Friday (05) aboard a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s desert northwest. The craft landed as planned at Jiuquan, the official Xinhua News Agency said. State media have yet to publish any photos. The craft’s size and shape are unclear. The flight “marks an important breakthrough in our country’s research on reusable spacecraft” that promise a “more convenient and inexpensive way” to reach space, Xinhua said. China fired its first astronaut into orbit in 2003 and has launched a space station. Last year, it became the first…

The world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report. In the next five years, the world has nearly a 1-in-4 chance of experiencing a year that’s hot enough to put the global temperature at 2.7 degrees (1.5 degrees Celsius) above preindustrial times, according to a new science update released Wednesday by the U.N., World Meteorological Organization and other global science groups. That 1.5 degrees Celsius is the more stringent of two limits set in 2015 by world leaders in the Paris climate change agreement. A 2018 U.N. science report said a world hotter than that still survives, but chances of dangerous problems increase tremendously. The…