Hasta La Gadget!

By now we’re sure many of you guys have heard of a certain security flaw called Heartbleed. For those unfamiliar, the Heartbleed vulnerability was discovered in the OpenSSL technology, which is a set of encryption software that is typically used by internet services and companies to help safeguard user information, and is apparently used on more than two-thirds of the internet, thus making the threat very real and very scary.

Many companies have since come forward to either confirm or deny that their services might have been affected, and for the most part many users have taken to changing their passwords used for online services just to be extra safe. Now the good news for Apple users is that the Cupertino company has since come forward and stated that none of their products or “key web services” have been affected by this flaw.

This was confirmed by an Apple spokesperson in a statement to Re/code. According to the statement made, “Apple takes security very seriously. IOS and OS X never incorporated the vulnerable software and key Web-based services were not affected.” It should be noted that Apple is one of the few major tech companies not affected by this vulnerability, at least that’s what they claim.

There are some like Facebook, Google, and Yahoo who have used the OpenSSL technology and have admitted that there could be periods of time when they might have been vulnerable to the Heartbleed flaw. Like we said, it’s best to go ahead and update your passwords just to be on the safe side.

In the meantime, the folks at Mashable have compiled a list of websites and services that may or may not have been affected by the flaw, so if you want to see if the websites and services you frequent are affected, head on over for the details.

Apple’s iOS, OS X, And “Key Web-Based Services” Not Affected By Heartbleed Flaw , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, heartbleed, iOS, OS X,

Last month we picked up a post from an often reliable Chinese forum source who claimed that Apple is working on a 12-inch Retina MacBook Air. The notebook is reportedly going to be ultra slim partly because it won’t have a fan, and is expected to have a high resolution display apart from a buttonless trackpad. This has been reiterated once again, and now we’re also hearing about the possibility of a low cost iMac.

The predictions come from famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reiterates most of what we heard about 12-inch Retina MacBook Air last month. Kuo was actually the first to predict a 12-inch MacBook Air late last year. It is said to “redefine notebook user experience.” Its unclear what would become of the existing models, which haven’t been refreshed with Retina displays so far.

Not much is known about the low cost iMac for now. Kuo just says that its coming later this year, and that it will help Apple compete with the likes of HP and Lenovo particularly in markets across Asia. Technical specifications aren’t available at this point in time, and it is also not known what cuts Apple might make to keep the cost down.

Both HP and Lenovo released a new crop of All-in-One desktop PCs this year, the new models were first unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 in Las Vegas back in January.

Low Cost iMac, 12-Inch Retina MacBook Air Expected This Year , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Computers, iMac, macbook air,

The second Apple vs Samsung trial is well underway, and documents made public at the trial have revealed Cupertino’s envy for Samsung’s marketing. One document revealed that Apple SVP Phil Schiller thought “something drastic has to change,” after seeing Samsung’s pre-Super Bowl ad. He wrote an email to the company’s ad agency saying that while they struggle to nail a compelling brief on iPhone, “these guys are feeling it.” A report suggests that the company is now adding four new digital agencies to its roster.

According to industry executives who spoke with AdAge, these new hires are unlikely to impact Apple’s existing agency relationships. It is believed that the scope of work being distributed between these four agencies is broad, ranging from user experience to digital strategy, apart from other elements.

Samsung’s advertising strategy can often be anti-Apple. The company is known for taking direct swings at Apple hardware. Moreover, it has generated significant buzz with the recent sponsored celebrity selfies as well as the controversial David Ortiz selfie with President Obama. The rivalry that exists between the two certainly necessitates being at the top of your game, and Samsung appears to be doing a good job.

The report doesn’t say if social media advertising has also been handed over to the four new digital agencies. Apple has worked with its agencies to create some of the most popular advertising campaigns in the past, and it may very well be able to do it again.

Apple Adds Four Digital Agencies To Beat Samsung At Marketing [Report] , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Samsung,

Earlier this morning we talked a bit about some rumors having to do with new iPad tablets that would be landing this year sourced from an analyst with KGI Securities … Continue reading

According to earlier rumors, it has been suggested that Apple could be looking to design their own baseband chips. These chips are expected to make their way into future iPhone devices and it could be another way for Apple to control the hardware and software from start to finish. At the moment, these baseband chips are supplied by Qualcomm but made by TSMC.

To corroborate those rumors, it seems that AppleInsider has noticed that Apple has recently hired several semiconductor engineers from chipmaker, Broadcom. Both engineers have worked at Broadcom for a very long time and have experience in building RF hardware which resulted in baseband transceivers used by Nokia and Samsung.

One of the engineers, a certain Paul Chang, had worked at Broadcom for the past 11 years and it was only this February that he joined Apple as a senior program manager, and his Linkedin profile confirms it.

Another engineer, Xiping Wang, had joined Apple as an engineer back in January as per his LinkedIn profile as well. Wang had previously spent a decade as a design engineer and hardware development manager at Broadcom. These two engineers aren’t the only ones hired from Broadcom, although they are some of the more recent hires.

AppleInsider notes that over the years, Apple has added more Broadcom and Qualcomm software and hardware engineers to their list of employees. Of course it is entirely possible that these engineers could be working on something else, but given their experience and expertise, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that their work could be related to Apple’s rumored in-house baseband chips.

Apple’s Recent Broadcom Hires Corroborates In-House Baseband Rumors , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Cellphones, Rumors, iPhone,