GM Authority has learned that General Motors will implement Apple Siri Eyes-Free functionality into their Chevy Sonic and Spark models within 12-months:
Today, GM Authority has learned that The General will soon introduce Siri eyes-free integration in its vehicles and the first ones to get the integration will be the Chevrolet Spark and Sonic. While the automaker’s media representatives didn’t provide specific timing details, we were told that we should expect an announcement within the next 12 months.
While Apple displayed the GM badge at their iOS 6 announcement during the WWDC 2012 keynote, little was know when GM would implement the technology, and into which models.
Apple released a statement indicating that it stopped using Carrier IQ in most of its devices with the release of iOS 5, and that they “will remove it completely in a future software update.” Apple’s statement follows:
“We stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update. With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so.”
[Via AllThingsD]
iPhone hacker chpwn has posted an informative look into how Carrier IQ is incorporated into iOS. Unlike the version Trevor Eckhart discovered in his Android devices, Carrier IQ for both iOS versions 3 and 5—version 4 is still unknown—is disabled by default. If the appropriate setting is enabled on iOS 5, the user can disable it with a single setting change.
When enabled, does Carrier IQ on iOS capture the same level of data that was seen in Trevor Eckhart’s Android demo? No, it appears Apple has limited much of what Carrier IQ will monitor. Below are chpwn’s findings:
- CoreTelephony
- your phone number
- your carrier
- your country
- active phone calls
- (However, I only saw it noting that a phone call was active, not what number was dialed or it was received from. But, I am not going to claim it doesn’t do that: it’s certainly possible, but didn’t see it.)
- CoreLocation
- your location (Only, however, if Location Services are enabled.)
- (Possibly more I haven’t yet found.)
As Carrier IQ claims in their video, communication with the remote server is all done via SSL. Importantly, it does not appear the daemon has any access or communication with the UI layer, where text entry is done. I am reasonably sure it has no access to typed text, web history, passwords, browsing history, or text messages, and as such is not sending any of this data remotely.
If you are running iOS 5 and want to ensure that Carrier IQ is disabled:
- Launch “Settings”
- Select “General”
- Select “About” (first entry)
- Select “Diagnostics & Usage” (towards bottom)
- Select “Don’t Send” if not already selected
[Via
The Verge]
What would happen if tablets were counted as PCs? According to Meg Whitman, CEO of the worlds largest PC manufacturer HP, Apple would overtake them in 2012. While responding to questions from French newspaper Le Figaro, Meg Whitman had the following to say about Apple overtaking HP in PC sales:
Yes. I think it’s possible if you integrate tablets. Apple does a great job. We need to improve our game and our products to take over the leadership position. Apple could go past HP in 2012. We will try to become the champion in 2013. It takes time for the products on which I have come to influence the market.
As tablets continue to cannibalize netbook sales, it only makes sense to consider the tablet a PC moving forward. With the uncertainty around the future of HP webOS, I have to wonder what she is hinting at to help HP reclaim the title in 2013.
[Via TechCrunch]
While reading Walter Isaacson’s biography on Steve Jobs, I came across an e-mail excerpt (full version here) sent by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates the night Apple announced the iTunes Music Store. I have edited for conciseness:
From: Bill Gates
Sent: Wed 4/30/2003 10:46 PM
To: Amir Ma3~dimehr; Dave ~ester
Cc: Will Poole; Christopher Payne; Yusuf Mehdi; David Cole; Hank Vigll
Subject: Apple’s Jobs again.., and time to have a great Windows download service…
[…] I am not saying this strangeness means we messed up - at least if we did so did Real and Pressplay and Musicnet and basically everyone else.
Now that Jobs has done it we need to move fast to get somethlng where the UI and Rights are as good.
I am not sure whether we should do this through one of these JVs or not, I am not sure what the problems are.
However I think we need some plan to prove that even though Jobs has us a bit flat footed again we move quick and both match and do stuff better. […]
This e-mail reminds me of the WWDC 2004 banners proclaiming “Redmond, start your photocopiers.” It’s nice to see Bill realize they missed the boat, and that they need to catch up, but where is the drive to push out a service that beats Apple’s latest offering? Phrases like “we need to move fast to get somethlng where the UI and Rights are as good” only reaffirm that Microsoft—at that time—was still content with mimicking rather than rethinking.
