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Your WIRED daily briefing. Today, Tim Cook briefly discussed Apple's autonomous future with investors, personal information can be extracted from 'anonymous" browsing data, the home secretary says "real people" don't need end-to-end encryption and more.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook has indicated that the company is developing autonomous technology for use in more than just cars (The Verge). Speaking during a call with investors following the publication of the firm's latest quarterly financial statement, Cook said: "(Autonomous) systems can be used in a variety of ways. A vehicle is only one, but there are many different areas of it. And I don’t want to go any further with that". While Cook remains unwilling to discuss details, his comments allow plenty of room for speculation as to possible future directions for Apple's autonomous tech, from drones to industrial robots. Apple's earnings have seen six per cent year-on-year a boost thanks in part to sales of cheaper iPads. However, the company's sales in China have dropped 25 per cent since last quarter, with analysts suggesting that the competitive Chinese smartphone market may be awaiting the next iPhone.
Security researchers presenting at this year's Def Con conference have shown that individual users' personal data can be identified from caches of 'anonymous' browsing data that are widely sold - and even given away - to advertisers and marketers (The Guardian). Journalist Svea Eckert and data scientist Andreas Dewes described the way personally identifiable information slips into the lists of URLs that make up such browsing data, from Twitter analytics URLs that include usernames to unique clusters of data that point to where you work, where you bank and what your mobile phone provider is. The data is typically collected from web browser plugins that cost nothing but monetise themselves by selling their users' browsing information to marketers. Most of the data in this particular investigation came from 'safe browsing' plugin Web of Trust.
Once again, the UK's home secretary Amber Rudd has launched an attack on end-to-end encryption (WIRED). Writing in the Telegraph ahead of a trip to Silicon Valley to speak with tech leaders, the government minister said "so called" end-to-end encryption is a problem as officials can't access the content of messages sent via platforms using the mathematical method. These include Facebook-owned WhatsApp, which has more than one billion daily users. Rudd's Telegraph opinion column says "real people" often prefer flashy features rather than privacy protections.
Scientists have reconstructed the probable appearance of the first flower to evolve, using the eFlower project's vast data set of living flower features (BBC News). The team's work suggests that all modern flowers share a single common ancestor that appeared around 140 million years ago. The ancestral angiosperm flower is thought to have had multiple whorls comprising sets of three petal-like organs, multiple whorls of stamens and to have been bisexual.
On August 23 at an event in New York, Samsung will reveal its next major smartphone (WIRED). At present, there's no official word on what the device will be but rumours indicate that a Galaxy Note 8 will be launched. The invitation for the Unpacked event shows the Note's S Pen, giving more than a strong hint about what's to be revealed. It's predicted that the new Note will have a bezel-less display (like the Galaxy S8), a smaller 3300mAh battery than the last Note phone, and cost in the region of £749.
From DDoS attacks to data manipulation, new cybersecurity regulations to organised fraud, businesses and consumers alike are faced with ever greater levels of security threats. Get inside knowledge on the developing threat landscape at WIRED Security 2017, returning to London on September 28.
Microsoft is now listing developer editions of its mixed-reality headset to buy directly from its online store (TechCrunch). Two models are available: one by Acer, priced at $299, and one by HP, priced at $329. Both headsets have the same features and specification, with a 90Hz 1440×1440 display for each eye with a 95-degree field of view, and support for the mixed and augmented reality features currently under development for Windows 10. Aimed at developers working with the new technology, the headsets currently only appear to be available for shipping within the USA. Sales to non-developers are set to open later this year.
Overnight, a new currency called Bitcoin Cash appeared, split from bitcoin in a technical manoeuvre called a 'hard fork' (WIRED). It’s the project of a group that says bitcoin’s keepers are limiting its reach by resisting change. The creation of Bitcoin Cash is the most striking result yet of a 2-year-old feud over bitcoin’s future. Bitcoin Cash is a variation on bitcoin’s design, incorporating much bigger blocks, allowing for more transactions in a given time. Supporters say their project is necessary because planned changes that could expand bitcoin’s capacity are not sufficient. Bitcoin is collectively valued at $47 billion but remains a niche product. Backers of the new currency say it’s necessary if bitcoin is to make a real mark on how the world uses money. However, some leading bitcoin storage services have said they won’t recognize the new currency, forcing people to move their business if they want to claim the new variety of cryptocoins. Over the past few hours, the new cryptocurrency has mined its first block.
A new study and accompanying video footage published by Science have shown that tiny – and surprisingly cute – Baby Lake Malawi cichlid fish use intensive exercise routines to develop their jaws so they can more efficiently scrape algae off rocks when feeding. The baby cichlids open and close their mouths up to 260 times a minute, which develops a short jaw and long retroarticular process bone. By comparison, some other species of cichlid young only carry out their jaw-gaping exercise routine 180 times per minute, thus developing a longer jaw and short retroarticular process, which are better for sucking prey into their mouths. The researchers found that, by manipulating the baby fish's gaping behaviour, they were able to produce bone structure changes as dramatic as those produced by genes, revealing the importance of environmental factors to this species' development.
The Witcher game developer CD Projekt Red and Dark Horse comics are releasing The Witcher Adult Colouring Book this November (PC Gamer). The book promises that you'll be able to: "Journey along with Geralt, Ciri, Triss, Yennefer, Roach, Shani, and all of your favorite Witcher characters in a variety of fantastic settings". In an always-welcome bit of fanservice, the book will include a page showing Geralt in the bath, helpfully tweeted by CD Projekt Red business development manager Rafal Jaki, so you can break out your printer and crayons now if you want to get a head start.
Capcom has announced that it'll be bringing the Resident Evil: Revelations series to the Nintendo Switch later this year (VG24/7). First appearing on the 3DS in 2013, both games in the acclaimed spin-off franchise will be available digitally and as the physical Resident Evil: Revelations Collection, priced at $39.99, which will include the first game on a cartridge and the second as a digital download voucher. Capcom also released a new trailer for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of Revelations, due out on August 29.
Cats are notorious for being cold, unpredictable and generally less friendly than dogs (just ask any cat owner when they last got an unprovoked scratch to the face). But even cats have their good days, and it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they purr at us like a little vibrating ball of fur. We assume purring = happy cat. But is that the full story?
With five Olympic medals, Ben Ainslie is one of the world's most successful sailors. His next challenge? To win the America's Cup. In this double issue, WIRED joins him and the Land Rover BAR team in Bermuda as he prepares for the race. Plus, we go inside the UK's new unicorn Improbable, and behind the lines at Elon Musk's distribution factory. Subscribe and save now. Out in print and digital. Subscribe now and save.
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
