Apple Being Investigated Again By Brazil For Missing iPhone 13 Charger

Brazil’s Foundation for Consumer Protection and Defense (Procon-SP) has revealed that they’ve already started investigating Apple’s decision to once again sell the new iPhone without the charger, before it’s even started shipping in the country. The report by local publication TechTudo says that by 29 September, both Apple and Samsung will be notified for selling the charger separately from the iPhone 13, Galaxy Z Flip3, and Galaxy Z Fold3.

Apple already got in trouble with Procon-SP when it first decided to exclude the power brick from the iPhone 12, with the regulator fining the tech giant US$2 million (~RM8.3 million) earlier this year, which also included charges of misleading advertising and unfair terms. Even before they had taken action against the company, the regulator already concluded back in November that Apple’s move did not demonstrate environmental gain.

Procon-SP’s executive director Fernando Capez told TechTudo that it’s not legal to sell the phone and charger separately as “you can only charge the device with that power brick,” leading to customers being obligated to buy two products. Even though Apple already says on its website that the iPhone 13 doesn’t come with the charger in the box, he believes this is not enough – calling it “camouflaged information”.

Capez added that consumers already have an expectation of getting the charging brick with their smartphones and wants Apple to stamp the change on the packaging so that consumers are aware. For the record, while Samsung also followed Apple’s decision as well, the South Korean firm avoided a fine from Procon-SP by striking a deal to include a “gift” charger with Galaxy S21 pre-orders in Brazil.

The consumer protection regulator is looking into forming a class action to help any consumers who feel that Apple should give them a free charger, and advises consumers that for now, they should file a small claims suit in civil court. Apple did not give a response to TechTudo, though when the company was fined in March, they commented that “all iPhones sold in the country work with the available chargers, including third-party ones since they follow Anatel standards.”

Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake CPU Samples Allegedly Being Sold Early In China

It seems that the wait for Intel’s 12th generation Alder Lake-S desktop CPUs may not be as long as we initially expected. According to prominent hardware blogger and leakster, YuuKi_AnS, early samples of the unreleased CPU lineup are currently being sold in China.

According to their sources, samples of the top-of-the-line Core i9-12900K were being sold between 6900 Yuan (~RM4516) and 7500 Yuan (~RM4909). Bear in mind, these prices are not reflective of the product’s final SRP, which we’re certain will be different once the lineup officially launches.

That said, the early sales of qualification samples also point towards Intel’s progression with the chips; if samples are already out this early on the market, it’s clear that the chipmaker’s development of its 12th generation desktop CPUs is ahead of schedule.

As pointed out by PCGamer, one of the more interesting aspect of Alder Lake-S is its unique and uneven core-to-thread ratio, brought about through the “big.LITTLE” combination of Golden Cove and Gracemont cores. For example, the Core i9-12900K is expected to feature 16-cores, 24-threads, while the Core i7-12700K will reportedly have a 12-cores, 20-threads layout.

It’s also been somewhat confirmed the upcoming 12th generation CPU lineup will support next-generation features, such as PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory, all through a new 600 series chipset that, surprisingly, will also be backwards compatible with the following 13th generation Raptor Lake-S CPU lineup.

Apple Unhappy With Malware Being Widespread On macOS

It’s been awhile since macOS stopped being the safe haven from malware the way it once was. And in the latest development in the Epic vs Apple legal battle, this was being used as the argument as to why iOS should not allow for third=party app stores.

Apple’s senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi claimed that the company finds the level of malware on the macOS unacceptable. He also goes on to say that iOS is safer because of its walled garden ecosystem.

As Federighi explains, macOS users “inherently download less software”. And this makes them “subject to a way less economically motivated attacker base”. He says that while things are worse on Mac than on iOS, the mobile platform will end up being a lot worse if it adopted Mac’s accessibility.

Federighi emphasised further that “even infants are able to operate an iOS device and be safe in doing so”. But for macOS, he says it can still be safe, but requires a lot of caution on the user’s part.

On one hand, it’s easy to see this as a form of exaggeration. After all, the macOS’ pool of malware still isn’t comparable to what Windows users have to deal with. But it’s rare to see Apple of all companies taking this sort of tone with its own platform.

Alleged MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti SUPRIM X Being Sold Openly In Dubai

As rumours about the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti continues to pour out from NVIDIA’s rusty pipes, it appears that the card has already gone on sale in the UAE and at an eye-watering price of US$3500 (~RM14437).

The RTX 3080 TI in question is an AiB partner card from MSI, namely the SUPRIM X model. Evidence of the card’s existence was first posted on Reddit, but has since been removed. Like all MSI SUPRIM X models, this card sport a triple-fan cooling configuration with plenty of RGB accents to make your room look and feel like an EDM party.

To be fair, this isn’t the first time that an “image” of an alleged RTX 3080 Ti has made its way online, but these are the clearest and most glaring images of an actual card, to date. Another thing to note is that, while the lucky individuals in Dubai managed to purchase the card, it is unlikely that they will be able to make full use of it.

The reason we say that is because, as per NVIDIA’s protocol, the card in question still needs the official drivers to run. These drivers are only released on the official launch date of the card and in the case of the RTX 3080 Ti, recent reports point at a 2 June window.

Apple’s new Find My feature could let you know if you’re the one being tracked

Apple’s Find My app might get a new safety feature to help prevent someone from using the kinds of devices tracked in the app to stalk you instead. “Item Safety Alerts”, spotted in the iOS 14.5 beta, will notify you if an unknown device being tracked on Find My is “moving with you” so you can remove it or disable it, 9to5Mac reports.

The feature seems designed to counteract a scenario where a Find My-compatible device is hidden in a pocket or bag and then used to track someone’s movements. The Item Safety Alerts setting was found in early versions of iOS 14.3, according to AppleInsider, but was removed until its reappearance in iOS 14.5. The setting is enabled by default in the beta and Apple seems to want it to stay on. If you turn off the setting off, the system will warn you that unknown devices can see your location without you being notified, Apple blogger Benjamin Mayo shared on Twitter.

Addressing the risk of stalking in Find My is newly important because of Apple’s plans to open up the app to third-party accessories. Hiding an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook in someone’s bag to track them is difficult, but a small keychain-sized device like Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag or Tile’s upcoming ultra wideband (UWB) tracker could be a lot easier. Apple’s rumored AirTags could also be a candidate for misuse, and reintroducing this feature into iOS might mean they’re on their way to release.

While it’s not necessarily as powerful as a GPS beacon with a cellular radio, Apple’s Find My network may have more reach than you’d think. If an Apple device comes near one of these supported trackers, it can update its location, even if the tracker doesn’t have its own connection to the internet. Tile’s “Community Find” feature works similarly. AirTags could theoretically expand the reach and precision even more, with an added UWB signal in the tag that can make items easier to find behind walls and in other rooms.

There are at least a few examples where gadgets like this have been abused: In 2018, a woman in Texas noticed her ex-partner kept showing up at restaurants, other people’s houses, and even an out-of-town trip, without a clear way of knowing where she was, ABC 13 reported. She’d later learn her ex had stashed a Tile tracker in the front console of her car, and was using it to find her. A Texas beauty queen shared a similar stalking story in 2016.