Miguel Alvarado has found a glitch that lets users delete an iCloud account from an iOS 7.1 device without the Apple ID password. In this YouTube video, he demonstrates tapping the Delete Account button and the Find My iPhone switch simultaneously, then restarting the iPhone when the both prompts appear simultaneously. When the iPhone booted back up, he was free to remove the iCloud account, which disabled Find My iPhone. There’s some speculation that this may not affect all iPhone models; although we could replicate it on an iPhone 5s, we were unable to do so on an iPhone 5. Nonetheless, we hope Apple releases a fix soon, and in the meantime, make sure to use a passcode.
Sometimes the journey is the reward. Uber, the app-based ride-sharing service, has announced a new option, UberXotic, that blurs the line between getting to your destination and arriving in style. Launched during Nashville Fashion Week (which goes through 5 April 2014) and in partnership with Music City Dream Cars, UberXotic gives customers the chance to ride in a Rolls-Royce, Maserati, Lamborghini, or Ferrari. Should you be in Nashville in time, you can even try UberXotic for free. The question is, will UberXotic become more widely available?
Safari 7.0.3 adds improved credit card autofill and a preference to disable push notification prompts, along with important security fixes. (Free)
Amazon has released its long-rumored challenger to the Apple TV, and it’s a doozy. Josh Centers, author of “Take Control of Apple TV,” gives the rundown on how it stacks up.
If you’ve ever wanted to run Mac OS X on your iPad, you now have your chance. TidBITS has discovered a well-hidden way to install 10.9 Mavericks on an iPad Air, hinting at the possibility of ARM-based Macs.
Nintendo has answered the call of its fans and has brought one of its classic titles, Super Mario Bros. 3, to the iPhone and iPad. But Josh Centers thinks maybe that wasn’t such a great idea.
There wasn’t much gaming to be found on the Macworld/iWorld show floor, but Josh Centers found a number of fun products that might even tip over into the useful category.
Erika Eichelberger, writing for Mother Jones, visited a couple of email scammers in Nigeria. While they make a good living from digital grift, their incomes have declined in recent years as Americans have become more savvy. But, due to corruption in Nigeria’s government, don’t expect them to change careers any time soon.
MacFixIt, a site dedicated to troubleshooting news and information for Apple products since 1996, has been killed off by CNET. Ted Landau, who now writes for Macworld, sold MacFixIt to TechTracker in 2000, which was then acquired by CNET in 2007. The original site, www.macfixit.com, now redirects to the Computers section of CNET, though some of its original content can be found via Google searches.
Tired of your expensive cellular bill? You can break free with an iPad or iPod touch and still make phone calls and send text messages, but there are a few catches.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is in talks with Comcast to provide a streaming TV service. While it’s far from a done deal, Comcast would give Apple a sort of fast lane for content to prevent buffering and playback hiccups. Apple also wants control of customer information and a cut of Comcast’s monthly subscription fees, but Apple would have to acquire its own content deals. Comcast is reportedly interested in working with Apple to modernize its set-top boxes due to fear of “cord cutters,” a move Josh Centers predicted in “The Future of Apple TV” (21 February 2014).
From the creators of the hit iOS game Ridiculous Fishing, Luftrausers brings a unique sense of style to a fast-paced aerial dogfighting game.
Patrick J. McGovern, founder and chairman of IDG — publisher of Macworld, TechHive, and PCWorld — died 19 March 2014 at age 76. “Over a span of 50 years, McGovern oversaw IDG’s launch of more than 300 magazines and newspapers and championed the expansion of IDG’s network to include more than 460 websites, 200 mobile apps and 700 events worldwide.” He was known for remembering employees’ names, even as the IDG empire grew, and hand-delivering each U.S. employee’s Christmas bonus. Former IDG president Walter Boyd will replace him as chairman.
Our own Jeff Carlson wasn’t pleased with Time’s profile of Jony Ive. In a post on his blog, he describes the article as “ill-informed puff,” pointing out how the author, John Arlidge, compares Steve Jobs to a god, calls an assistant a “tech-head,” and lacks key knowledge about Apple. “I really do wish I knew why such high-profile, information-rich interview opportunities like this one are squandered by big magazines,” Carlson said.
Writing for Time, John Arlidge scored a rare interview with Jony Ive, SVP of Design at Apple. Ive talks about his design process, how he got along with Steve Jobs, and what drives him. Ive said, “We’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It’s tempting to think it’s because the people who use them don’t care — just like the people who make them. But what we’ve shown is that people do care. It’s not just about aesthetics. They care about things that are thoughtfully conceived and well made. We make and sell a very, very large number of (hopefully) beautiful, well-made things. Our success is a victory for purity, integrity — for giving a damn.”