Technology

‘Pro’ has lost all meaning, and Apple knows it

Published

3 years ago

March 14, 2022

‘Pro’ has lost all meaning, and Apple knows it

Apple has a “Professional” drawback — whereas some merchandise bearing the label are clearly meant for professionalfessional use (like Logic Professional, Ultimate Lower Professional, and the Mac Professional), years of Apple and opponents slapping the title onto wi-fi earbuds and barely fancier telephones have made it arduous to inform what “Professional” even means. Which is why my ears perked up when Apple used a totally different phrase to explain its new laptop and monitor that clearly focused its viewers of artistic professionals: “Studio.” I questioned if I used to be witnessing the beginning of a brand new model for Apple.

From the soar, Apple made it clear who the Mac Studio and Studio Show have been for. It confirmed them being utilized by musicians, 3D artists, and builders in its presentation, and the message was clear: these are merchandise for artistic professionals or individuals who aspire to be artistic professionals. , the identical actual crowd it’s focused with MacBook Professional commercials for years.

“My first thought was, ‘Oh, I ponder when the iPhone Studio comes out,” says Jonathan Balck, co-founder and managing director of advert company Colossus, in an interview with The Verge. “Professional was unique, and it was about a method of doing issues, however the entire tradition is shifting towards creativity,” he provides whereas musing whether or not we might see Apple’s Professional branding shift to develop into Studio branding as an alternative.

I can hear individuals asking: “Isn’t it a bit early to foretell that, on condition that we’ve solely seen two merchandise?” It’s a particularly reasonable query. However it undoubtedly looks like a primary step — to me, the Mac Studio line is a transparent successor to Apple’s iMac Professional. Each computer systems are powered by monstrous CPUs and are available normal with 10Gb Ethernet and a wholesome crop of Thunderbolt and USB ports. I’m satisfied that, had Apple launched the brand new Studio even two years in the past, it might’ve put “Professional” within the title. (Although, to play satan’s advocate, I’m not as certain it might’ve achieved so for the Studio Show.)

Some advertising and marketing consultants inform me that the phrase “Professional” is beginning to get lengthy within the tooth, and never simply from overuse. “The earlier time period Professional is, in my view, outdated and dry,” says Keith Dorsey, founder and CEO of the artistic advertising and marketing group and administration firm YoungGuns Leisure.

Balck agrees; “In the event you have a look at the phrase Professional, that’s in some ways restrictive,” he says in an interview, explaining that while you say a product is “skilled,” it evokes concepts like job interviews, portfolios, and standoffishness. Professional merchandise, he says, come throughout as simply for individuals who use creativity to get a paycheck.

Compared, I heard so much about how “Studio” is a good phrase given Apple’s target market. “Apple has at all times been about empowering the artistic class, and studio evokes that and solely has optimistic connotations. Music studio. Design studio. Images studio. It’s an thought all of us romanticize,” says Matt Talbot, chief artistic officer on the advert company WorkInProgress, in an e-mail. “Apple has at all times been a membership you wish to be a part of,” he provides. Shopping for a product known as “Studio” might provide help to really feel such as you’re a part of the Apple membership and the membership of creators so many individuals aspire to be in, he suggests.

Michael Janiak, a co-founder of the Sample design company, places it one other approach — “it undoubtedly is evocative of a selected type of vibe and setting the place artistic work occurs,” he says in an e-mail. “To me, it looks like the objective of utilizing the time period is extra to ship a cultural sign to present and potential prospects.” Balck says it evokes the picture of a studio the place individuals can get collectively and collaborate on initiatives, not essentially for cash however to satisfy a artistic drive. (It’s not a far cry from how Apple pitched its “city sq.” shops.)

Microsoft’s 2018 Floor Studio 2.

Picture by James Bareham / The Verge

Which is, after all, why this isn’t the primary time we’ve seen firms use the phrase “studio” to market comparable merchandise. Apple’s truly reusing the Studio Show title from a lineup of displays it bought within the late ’90s and early 2000s, however virtually each Home windows PC producer has harnessed the phrase extra just lately: Razer and Lenovo created “studio” variations of some laptop computer fashions, HP has its ZBook Studio line, Asus has the incredibly-named ProArt StudioBook. Nvidia even has an entire “Studio” program that certifies computer systems from the likes of Dell, HP, Maingear, MSI, and nearly each PC-maker that desires to draw creators with a bit of extra money to spend.

The actual elephant within the studio is perhaps Microsoft — its Floor Studio desktop was marketed straight at artists and will fold down to show into an enormous drawing pill. It now has the Floor Laptop computer Studio, too. Not all of those merchandise have been profitable, thoughts, however the level is that Apple’s spinning a well known file.

The rationale Apple might must, although, is as a result of it led the business in completely overusing the phrase “Professional” to the purpose the place it’s misplaced all that means. It’s arduous to pinpoint the place precisely this began (although, in my thoughts, it was with the two-port MacBook Professional mannequin), however now the phrase will get slapped on every part. Need to promote wi-fi earbuds for much more cash? These are Professional earbuds now. Need to have a daily and fancy model of your telephone? No drawback, name the good one the Professional.

To cite my colleague Chaim Gartenberg in his piece about what it means for a telephone to be professional:

For probably the most half, each for Apple and the remainder of the world, the “professional” label doesn’t suggest that {hardware} is supposed to be “professionally” targeted. It’s advertising and marketing shorthand for “higher,” a lot in the identical approach that “plus” has seemingly develop into the streaming service time period of alternative or “lite” signifies a much less feature-filled model of an app or system.

However as a result of Apple additionally does make a couple of genuinely skilled merchandise, there’s at all times that slight little bit of confusion. Seeing the phrase Professional on an Apple product might imply that it’s an expandable laptop that may maintain 1.5TB of RAM. Or it might simply imply it has an additional digicam — and a flashy advert marketing campaign to try to persuade you that no, actually, this telephone will make you the subsequent Rian Johnson).

However Apple’s new phrase, “studio,” appears to return ready-made to excite the corporate’s target market.

For what it’s price, I don’t suppose “studio” branding has been extensively used to make computer systems sound extra succesful than they really are. And that undoubtedly doesn’t appear to be the case with the Mac Studio, which looks like it’ll be loads succesful for artistic work. Which means fewer “Apple’s new Professional isn’t truly for execs” headlines for Apple to take care of.

Although, speaking to some members of The Verge’s personal video and design group, I didn’t get the impression that it’s an absolute shoo-in for artistic work. Whereas it’s acquired Apple’s strongest processor thus far, that’s not essentially what all creatives are searching for. Grayson Blackmon, our senior designer (who additionally helped us evaluate the Mac Professional), says he’s not sure whether or not the chance of engaged on a pc with a brand new CPU could be price the additional efficiency, which can not even make a lot of a distinction for lots of his work.

“I don’t care concerning the Mac Studio,” he tells me however says he might think about the forms of individuals that may. “Massive studios, which can be on the finish of their life cycle of their machines, are going to be excited by it. They’ll simply purchase an entire bunch of them, they usually’re good to go for some time. On the flip facet, unbiased freelancers or extraordinarily small studios might like this factor. It’s priced inside their price range.”

Our senior video director Becca Farsace says she might be within the Studio as an improve to her private machine — however solely after she sees checks proving it’s able to lengthy edits with 4K video. It’s not the branding that bought her, although. “I care so little concerning the title… However I’m joyful to see them label it correctly. Professional is so arbitrary, however I might completely see this in studios sooo,” she says, including a shrug emoji.

For probably the most half, it looks like the phrase “Studio” is getting used for merchandise that might truly belong in a artistic studio. However what about two or three years from now? If Apple is making an attempt to, as Talbot places it, “construct fairness within the Studio line,” will it’s tempted to repeat the errors it made with “professional?” We’ve got already seen a little bit of this — Apple has some decidedly shopper merchandise which have a liberal use of the phrase “Studio” in its Beats lineup, although I’m certain somebody’s mastered a tune utilizing these headphones.

*Apple’s Mac Studio product web page is full of pictures of individuals meticulously doing their craft, which it hopes you’ll see your self in.*

Apple is aware of that not everybody with a artistic ardour venture has the identical wants as skilled filmmakers or musicians. I’ve made a good quantity of movies in my day, and none of them would’ve been an excessive amount of for one thing like a $1,300 Mac Mini to deal with — however simply think about how cool and hip I’d’ve felt had I been enhancing on a Mac Studio (which, by the best way, begins at $2,000). And what if Apple might take that feeling and use it to promote a set of AirPods? The AirPods Professional could appear previous and uncreative compared to a brand new set of AirPods Studio.

But, Apple’s already been claiming for a couple of years that the microphones within the MacBook Professional are “studio-grade” — when, in actuality, most creatives can be left wanting for a devoted mic setup. On this case, studio-grade is supposed to evoke a sense somewhat than describe one thing’s precise high quality. Recording with the MacBook’s microphones would possibly make you are feeling like your favourite podcaster, nevertheless it in all probability gained’t make you sound like them. That’s the identical entice Apple fell into with “Professional.”

“There may be at all times a danger that the phrase will get overused and finally indifferent from its authentic that means,” says Janiak. In the interim, Apple appears to have a number of creatives’ consideration with the Studio — if it needs to maintain it, it’ll need to guarantee that it doesn’t waste that model fairness on merchandise that don’t deserve it.

Technology

Elon Musk is being sued by the feds over the way he bought Twitter

Published

3 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Elon Musk is being sued by the feds over the way he bought Twitter

Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has resulted in a federal lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging that he broke securities laws with a late disclosure, and saved $150 million in the process.

Before Musk agreed to buy Twitter for $44 billion, before he tried to back out of that deal, before he was forced to go through with it, and before he changed its name to X, he started by acquiring a substantial stake in the company but didn’t reveal that fact until weeks later.

The only problem, as the SEC pointed out then, is that by the time he disclosed that stake, it was outside the agency’s required 10-day window. They claim that he should’ve filed his paperwork by March 24th, 2022, instead of when he actually did, on April 4th (and then again on April 5th). During that period, they say he purchased more than $500 million in shares of the company.

However, with only a few days left before the Trump administration takes over and installs a new head of the SEC (along with Elon Musk reportedly snagging an office in the White House complex), it’s unclear how far the lawsuit will go.

The SEC claims Musk cost investors at least $150 million due to the late disclosure and that he harmed any investors who sold stock between March 25th, 2022, and April 1st, 2022. Its lawsuit is seeking the money Elon made as a result of holding off on the disclosure, as well as a civil penalty and other punishments.

Technology

First 15 things to do or try first when you get a new iPhone

Published

3 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

First 15 things to do or try first when you get a new iPhone

Apple announces new iPhones every year, and I often wonder if that’s truly necessary. A launch every two years seems more reasonable, especially since the new iPhones are often only marginally better than the ones released the year before. This has been the case since the iPhone 12.

However, in 2024, Apple introduced a range of interesting features with the iPhone 16. While these features don’t necessarily justify an upgrade if you already own the iPhone 15 or even the iPhone 14, they make the iPhone 16 a worthy purchase if you’re using an older model or an Android phone.

If you’ve already made the purchase, or if you’ve bought another iPhone, here are the first things you should do and try when you fire up your new phone. (First things to do if you got a new Android)

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iPhone packaging (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

1) How to update your software to iOS 18.2 or later

First things first, let’s update your software to iOS 18.2 or later:

Open Settings
Tap General
Select Software Update
Tap Update Now
Enter your passcode and agree to terms
Wait for the installation to complete

Steps to update your iPhone’s software (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR IPHONE, IPAD FROM MALWARE

2) How to add a passcode or biometric authentication

To add a passcode or biometric authentication to your new iPhone after updating to iOS 18.2 or later, follow these steps:

Setting up a passcode

Open Settings on your iPhone
Tap on Face ID & Passcode (for iPhone X and later) or Touch ID & Passcode (for earlier models)
Tap Turn Passcode On
Enter a six-digit passcode. If you prefer, tap Passcode Options to choose a four-digit numeric code, a custom numeric code or a custom alphanumeric code.
Re-enter your passcode to confirm it and activate it

Setting up biometric authentication

For Face ID:

Go to Settings
Tap on Face ID & Passcode
Enter your passcode, if prompted
Tap on Set Up Face ID
Hold your device in portrait orientation and position your face in front of the device, then tap Get Started.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup

Face ID & Passcode on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

IS IT TIME FOR ME TO UPGRADE TO NEW IPHONE?

3) Setting up Apple ID and iCloud

Create or sign in to Apple ID:

Open the Settings app
Tap on Sign in to your iPhone at the top
If you don’t have an Apple ID, select Don’t have an Apple ID or forgot it? and follow the prompts to create one.
If you have an Apple ID, enter your credentials and sign in.

Enable iCloud:

After signing in, go back to Settings
Tap on your name at the top, then select iCloud
Choose which services you want to enable (e.g., Photos, Contacts, Calendars)
Tap iCloud Backup and toggle it on to automatically back up your data.

Create a Free Apple Account on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MUST TURN-OFF PRIVACY SETTINGS ON YOUR IPHONE

4) Personalizing settings on iPhone

Customize Display:

Open Settings
Then go to Display & Brightness
Tap Light or Dark for the background you’d like
You can tap on Text Size to adjust text size
Then use the slider to adjust the brightness you prefer.

How to personalize your iPhone’s display and brightness (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Customize sound preferences:

Tap on Sounds & Haptics
Adjust the slider where it says Ringtone and alerts to customize from quieter to louder.
Scroll down and tap the following to adjust the sounds for each: Ringtone, Text Tone, New Voicemail, New Mail, Sent Mail, Calendar Alerts and Reminder Alerts.

Steps to change your iPhone’s sounds and haptics (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

5) Configuring privacy settings

Manage Privacy Settings:

Go to Settings
Scroll down and click apps
Select the app you want to review the privacy settings for
Adjust the permissions as needed for location services, camera, microphone, allow tracking and other settings. Adjust as necessary for individual apps.

6) Pick your own lock screen shortcuts

By default in iOS 18, you get flashlight and camera shortcuts on the lock screen, but now you can finally customize them.

Long-press on the Lock Screen
Tap Customize
Then choose Lock Screen
You can tap on the existing shortcuts to change them to your preferred apps or features by selecting the desired app or feature from the list that appears.
If you prefer, you can remove them entirely to keep your lock screen clean and simple by tapping the delete or remove option next to the shortcut.

Steps to customize your iPhone’s lock screen (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

7) Setting up Family Sharing

Here’s how to enable Family Sharing on your iPhone:

Open your Settings app
Tap your name
Go to Family Sharing
Set Up Your Family
Press Continue
Select family members that you want to invite
To create an account for a child, select Create Child Account at the bottom and provide their name and birthday.

8) Download some useful apps

There are millions of apps available, such as Apple Maps, Google Maps and even apps to plan a party in the App Store. To download useful apps on your new iPhone, follow these straightforward steps:

Locate the App Store icon on your home screen and tap to open it.
You can explore various categories by tapping on Apps at the bottom of the screen or using the Search tab to find specific apps.
Once you find an app you want, tap on it to view more details, including descriptions, ratings and screenshots.
Tap the Get button (or the price if it’s a paid app) next to the app you wish to download.
If prompted, authenticate your download using Face ID, Touch ID or your Apple ID password.
The app will begin downloading and installing automatically. You can monitor its progress on your home screen.
Once installed, the app will appear on your home screen.
Tap its icon to open and start using it.
You can press and hold any app icon until they start wiggling, allowing you to drag them into folders or rearrange their positions.

Image of the App Store icon on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

9) Activate spam filters for text messages

Having a strong spam filter on your iPhone is beneficial to protect yourself from unwanted text messages and scams. But beware that this may also filter out some legitimate messages from people who are not in your contacts list.

Open Settings
Scroll down and tap on Apps
Then, scroll down and tap on Messages
Toggle on Filter Unknown Senders to filter text messages from unknown contacts into a separate list

Steps to activate filters for text messages (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

10) Use visual intelligence

On all iPhone 16 models, you can use Camera Control with visual intelligence to quickly learn more about the stuff around you. Just press and hold the Camera Control, which is a new button on the right side of the device, and you can do things like look up info about a restaurant or business, translate text, get a summary, have it read out loud and more.

You can even use it to find details about a business, like its hours, services and contact info. Depending on the place, you might also be able to check reviews, make a reservation or order for delivery.

To use this feature, point your iPhone camera at the business in front of you, then press and hold the Camera Control. Next, either tap the Camera Control again or select the business name at the top of the screen. Depending on the business, you can:

View the hours of operation by tapping Schedule
Place a delivery order by tapping Order
Browse the menu or available services by tapping Menu
Make a reservation by tapping Reserve
To call the business, visit its website or access other options, tap the More button.

iPhone using visual intelligence (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HOW TO SCHEDULE FREE SESSION WITH APPLE SUPPORT

11) Log how you’re feeling

Apple made several changes to the iPhones with its iOS 18 update, including updates to the Journal app. You don’t need the latest iPhone 16 to try the app’s mindfulness option for journal entries; any iPhone with iOS 18 will do. When you open the Journal app, tap the icon that looks like a tiny tree, and you’ll be able to log your mood for each day and see how it changes over time.

Journal app on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

12) Give Action Button a try

The Action Button is part of the iOS 17 operating system for the iPhone 15 series and continues into iOS 18 for the iPhone 16 series. This customizable side button lets you choose a specific function to perform when pressed, such as turning on silent mode, focus, camera, flashlight, voice memo, recognize music, translate, magnifier, controls, shortcut and accessibility, depending on your settings. Essentially, it acts as a quick access key for a chosen action. Here are the steps to customize the Action button on supported iPhone models:

Go to Settings
Tap Action Button
An image of the side of the iPhone will appear showing icons representing actions you can assign to the Action button.
Swipe left or right to choose an action. The name of the action will appear below the dots.
If additional options are available for the selected action, a button will appear below the action.
Tap it to see the list of options.
For Controls, Shortcut and Accessibility actions, you need to tap the button below the action and select a specific option. Otherwise, the Action button won’t do anything.

Action button on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

13) Try out the new Passwords app

I always stress the importance of using a password manager to store your passwords. Let’s be honest, we all have a ton of apps and services that require an account and password. If you use the same password everywhere, you risk having your important info stolen by cybercriminals. But it’s also impossible to come up with a unique password for every app and remember them all.

Password managers make life easier by storing your passwords and filling them in when you log into apps. But they usually charge a monthly or yearly fee. That’s where Apple’s Passwords app comes in. It works just like a password manager but without the extra cost. Open the app from the App Library, and it’ll keep your login details encrypted and synced across all your devices.

While Apple’s new Passwords app in iOS 18 offers a convenient and cost-free solution for password management, it’s important to consider its limitations. These include its exclusivity to the Apple ecosystem, lack of compatibility with Android or Linux devices and limited functionality outside of Safari and Apple apps. For those seeking a more comprehensive password management solution that works across various browsers and apps, check out my best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 here.

14) Use ChatGPT and writing tools

Apple introduced Apple Intelligence for iPhone 15 Pro and newer models running iOS 18.2, bringing a range of AI tools and ChatGPT support. ChatGPT is now built into various parts of iOS, and if you have an iPhone 15 Pro or above, you can take full advantage of this integration.

You can use Apple’s enhanced Writing Tools to access ChatGPT directly in apps like Notes, Mail and any other text input field. Whether you need help spicing up your notes or generating complex programming scripts, ChatGPT is up for the task. Here’s how to get started; you’ll need to enable ChatGPT integration.

Head to Settings
Click Apple Intelligence & Siri
Tap ChatGPT and toggle on next to where it says Use ChatGPT.
From there, you can scroll down and Sign In to your own ChatGPT account or even upgrade to ChatGPT Plus.

ChatGPT and writing tools on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

15) Install strong antivirus protection

Antivirus software can help protect your new iPhone from malware, phishing and other threats. The best way to protect yourself from having your data breached is to install antivirus protection on all your devices. Having strong antivirus software on your devices will alert you of any known malware that is targeting you, warn you against clicking on any known malicious links in phishing emails and ultimately help protect you from being hacked. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android devices.

Pro tip: Prioritize regular backups to safeguard your data

Making data backups a regular part of your iPhone maintenance is crucial. This way, you can protect yourself against uncertainties. Whether it’s a hardware malfunction or a security breach, having a recent backup will let you recover quickly.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

When you get your new iPhone, there are several essential steps to take to ensure you’re getting the most out of your device. Start by updating to iOS 18.2 or later to access the latest features. Next, security measures like a passcode or biometric authentication should be set up for added protection. Personalize your settings by customizing your display and sound preferences, and don’t forget to enable Family Sharing if you want to connect with loved ones. Also, explore the App Store to download useful apps. Additionally, make sure to give the Action Button a test run for quick access to your favorite functions. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing your new iPhone’s capabilities.

How do you feel about the annual iPhone releases? Do you think they provide enough value each year? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

North Korea linked to crypto heists of over $650 million in 2024 alone

Published

11 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

North Korea linked to crypto heists of over 0 million in 2024 alone

Hackers in North Korea stole a total of $659 million in crypto across several heists in 2024, according to a joint statement issued today by the US, Japan, and South Korea. The report specified five such incidents, like the $235 million theft from the Indian crypto exchange WazirX that is being newly attributed to the Lazarus Group. That organization is estimated to have stolen billions across previous attacks over the last decade, including $625 million stolen from Axie Infinity in 2022.

As recently as September 2024, the United States government observed aggressive targeting of the cryptocurrency industry by the DPRK with well-disguised social engineering attacks that ultimately deploy malware, such as TraderTraitor, AppleJeus and others. The Republic of Korea and Japan have observed similar trends and tactics used by the DPRK.

A warning issued by the FBI last September noted that their methods to gain access for delivering these payloads include “individualized fake scenarios,” such as enticing victims with prospective jobs and business opportunities. All three countries advised businesses in the industry to check out the latest warning to reduce their risk of “inadvertently hiring DPRK IT workers,” as described in this recent report by CoinDesk.

They’ve also used long-time common phishing tactics against employees of crypto firms, such as convincing impersonations of trusted contacts or prominent people of interest in related industries, with realistic photos and information likely lifted from public social media accounts of known connections.