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ExtraBITS for 23 May 2016

In our most important ExtraBITS this week, Apple first acknowledged issues with iOS 9.3.2 on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and then pulled the update for that device. In other news, Apple has provided a look at the future of the Apple Store, millions of LinkedIn passwords from a 2012 breach have been leaked, Apple gets a big boost from a famous investment firm, and Apple Pay may be losing a competitor.

Apple Investigating iPad “Error 56” Problems with iOS 9.3.2 — Over at iMore, Rene Ritchie has passed along a statement from Apple that the company is “looking into a small number of reports that some iPad units are receiving an error when updating the software.” According to an Apple support document, Error 56 might indicate a hardware issue, but Apple recommends first trying to restore the device with iTunes and then contacting Apple support if that doesn’t help.

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Apple Pulls iOS 9.3.2 for 9.7-inch iPad Pro — According to MacRumors, Apple has now pulled iOS 9.3.2 for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, telling iMore’s Rene Ritchie that it’s working on a fix. As much as it pains us to say so, this is exactly why we always recommend waiting a week or so before installing Apple OS updates. For those of you with a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, sit tight, and iOS 9.3.2 should be back soon. In the meantime, you’re not missing much, since it had only a few bug fixes and security improvements.

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Apple Union Square Previews the Future of the Apple Store — Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s SVP of Retail and Online Stores, and Chief Design Officer Jonathan Ive have unveiled Apple’s new flagship store in San Francisco’s Union Square. Highlights of Apple Union Square include expansive exterior windows, interior greenery, free Wi-Fi in an outdoor public plaza, a 6K video wall, and private rooms for business training. Apple is hoping to turn the Apple Store into a community hub, with game nights with App Store editors, “creative sessions” with local artists, and live music acts.
Apple says that many of these features will also be coming to an Apple Store near you. iMore has pictures and video.

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117 Million LinkedIn Passwords Leaked — LinkedIn was infiltrated back in 2012, but the repercussions are still being felt, with a collection of 117 million user email addresses and passwords from that breach released online recently. LinkedIn is reaching out to all affected users, but even if you don’t hear from the company, we recommend taking the opportunity to check your password and change it if you’ve used it on any other sites or if it’s not a strong password. We realize that we sound like a broken record here (there’s an analogy
on its way out!), but this is yet another reminder of why it’s so important to have unique, strong passwords for every online account.

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Warren Buffett Invests $1 Billion in Apple — After Apple’s first year-over-year quarterly revenue decline in 13 years, some on Wall Street soured on the company’s stock, but one big-name investor is betting heavily on Apple. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway firm invested over $1 billion in Apple earlier in 2016. Berkshire Hathaway is famously conservative in its investments, and rarely ventures into the tech sector, so its backing is a vote of confidence in Apple during an uncertain time. News of Berkshire Hathaway’s stake in the company caused an immediate 3.7 percent
increase in Apple’s stock price.

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CurrentC Out of Juice — The Verge is reporting that MCX, the retail consortium behind Apple Pay competitor CurrentC, is laying off 30 employees. The layoffs may indicate that CurrentC, which never saw widespread release, is dead in the water. Since MCX-affiliated merchants banded together to block Apple Pay in October 2014, some members, such as Best Buy, have added support for Apple Pay, while others, like Walmart, have introduced their own payment apps. This outcome was entirely predictable: CurrentC linked to customer checking accounts via flimsy QR codes, giving it the
double whammy of being both inconvenient and insecure.

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