Apple made the iPhone 14 easier to repair than you’d expect

Apple acknowledged that the iPhone 14 was designed to be easier to repair, but it might have undersold that upgrade. iFixit has finished a teardown of this year’s base iPhone, and it’s clear that the device was reworked from the ground up with do-it-yourself fixes in mind. The back glass is easier and cheaper to fix, as promised, but used a metal midframe to keep the front just as accessible. The design is more repairable than the many Android phones that are only simple to open from the back, iFixit said.

The iPhone 14’s midframe maintains the same structural rigidity you saw in the 13 family. Apple had already moved the earpiece and front camera array to a more repairable location on the previous generation’s mainframe.

The iPhone 14 isn’t going to make Fairphone buyers regret their purchases. Apple still requires that customers and technicians activate parts after they’re installed, so you can’t just use an unofficial back instead of potentially pricier Self Service Repair components. Even so, iFixit claims this is the most repairable Apple handset since 2016’s iPhone 7.

The rework isn’t completely surprising. Apple is facing pressure to improve repairability from both the federal government and state legislatures. If it didn’t address at-home repairs with its designs, it risked battles with regulators that could force changes and dish out penalties. Whatever the reasoning, you probably won’t mind if you’ve been waiting for an iPhone that’s truly fix-friendly.

The iPhone 14 Pro camera is shaking and rattling when certain third-party apps are used

Apple released its latest iPhone lineup last week. While many folks were excited to get their hands on a new device, their elation may have been tempered by some problems with the camera system. It seems that several prominent third-party apps have compatibility issues with the iPhone 14 Pro’s rear camera unit. Users have reported problems including shaking, rattling and mechanical noises emanating from the device when using apps like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, as 9to5 Mac reports. It seems there are problems with autofocus and focus too.

Along with sharing reports of the problems on the likes of Reddit and Twitter, some have been sharing videos that show the issues. One appears to depict a grinding sound coming from an iPhone 14 Pro when Snapchat is open. Another shows a similar issue while TikTok accesses the rear cameras.

“We’re aware of the issue and a fix will be released next week,” an Apple spokesperson told Engadget, so it’s a software issue rather than a hardware one. That already seemed to be the case, as 9to5 Mac pointed out, given that these issues only seem to be present when third-party apps are in use, rather than Apple’s own Camera app. In particular, the apps may not be playing nicely with the iPhone 14 Pro’s optical image stabilization system, which seems to be the cause of the rattling. 

“We’re working directly with Apple to address reports from our community that the Snapchat Camera shakes for some with iPhone 14 software,” Snap said in a statement. Engadget has also contacted TikTok and Meta for comment.

Update 9/19 3:10PM ET: Added Apple’s statement.

Update 9/19 4:05PM ET: Added Snap’s statement.

Hilton will design suites and sleeping quarters for Voyager’s private Starlab space station

Voyager and Lockheed Martin have found a partner to design astronaut facilities for their space station. Hilton will develop suites and sleeping quarters for Starlab, CNBC reports. Under the partnership, Hilton and Voyager will also look at marketing opportunities related to Starlab and trips to what may be one of the first space hotels.

NASA has granted contracts to four private companies who are building private space stations ahead of the agency’s planned decommissioning of the International Space Station at the end of the decade. Axiom Space, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman are also working on space stations. Voyager’s operating company Nanoracks received the largest contract, which was valued at $160 million.

Voyager and Lockheed Martin hope to have the first Starlab up and running by 2027. I wonder how many Hilton Honors points it will cost for a trip there.

Rockstar confirms gigantic ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ leak

That purported Grand Theft Auto VI leak appears to be real. Rockstar Games has confirmed the authenticity of the leak in a tweet, noting that a hacker stole confidential data including “early development footage” of the next Grand Theft Auto title. The firm didn’t foresee any long-term damage to development or live services like GTA Online, but was “extremely disappointed” that details of the future game were shared in this manner,

Rockstar promised another update “soon,” and that creation of GTA VI would continue “as planned.” The game producer didn’t share more. However, Windows Centralnotes parent company Take Two has asked original leak host GTAForums to pull content, which reportedly includes Bully 2 plans and might include code for multiple GTA titles. The hacker’s original Telegram channel has disappeared.

The leak is unprecedented and included 90 videos of a very early build of GTA VI. The clips appear to validate rumors from July that hinted at a return to Vice City (aka Miami) as well as a Bonnie and Clyde-like pair of male and female protagonists. There also appears to be a slew of functional upgrades ranging from improved animations to a robbery system.

The GTA VI material might not do much damage, as the finished product is likely to be much more polished. However, there is a concern that any code for GTA Online could make it easier for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities and otherwise sour the game for other players.

Kiwi Farms says someone hacked its website

Kiwi Farms, a forum that’s long been accused of fostering targeted online and real-world harassment campaigns, says that someone hacked its proxy service and website. As noted by cybersecurity researcher Kevin Beaumont, it told users in a Telegram message that all avatars had been changed to the logo of another website (said to be another purported “free speech” forum) and that “each node on the forum index was deleted one at a time.”

While Kiwi Farms apparently has backups and none of the forum data has been permanently deleted, users’ personal information may have been compromised. Founder Joshua Moon told users to assume that their email and password information has been obtained, as well as the IP address of any device they’ve used to access Kiwi Farms in the last month.

“I do not know for sure if any user information was leaked. In my access logs, they attempted to download all user records at once,” Moon wrote in a statement on the Kiwi Farms website. “This caused an error and no output was returned. I shut everything off soon after. If they scraped information through some other mechanism, I cannot say with any confidence either way.”

The hacker is said to have used an injected script to gather data from users’ systems. Moon said they accessed his admin account as a result of this method. Moon added that he would restore the site from a backup, but noted that the process (as well as reviewing Kiwi Farms’ security procedures) would take some time. However, he noted on Telegram today that he had to leave for a week to deal with a family emergency. Some Kiwi Farms users are turning on Moon over the incident.

Earlier this month, Kiwi Farms was effectively forced off of the open web following an effort to take down the forum. Streamer and political commentator Clara “Keffals” Sorrenti, a prominent target of a harassment campaign that allegedly stemmed from the website, started the movement to bring down Kiwi Farms. While Moon was later able to bring the forum back online through other means.

Cloudflare, a DDoS protection company, kicked Kiwi Farms off its service due to a significant increase in targeted threats originating on the site. That seems to have played a role in this weekend’s hack. “Cloudflare not only provided DDoS protection, they also accounted for many popular exploits like this,” Moon wrote. 

US Treasury asks regulators to take more action against crypto scams

The Treasury Department is keenly aware that crypto scams and hacks remain serious problems, and it’s pressuring the rest of the US government to respond. As The Washington Postnotes, the Treasury has issued a report calling on other federal regulators to further crack down on scams and other illegal crypto activity. Officials want agencies to “expand and increase” investigations and enforcement, issue clearer guidance and help crypto users understand both risks and the reporting tools at their disposal.

In all cases, the Treasury asked for more coordination between government divisions. The department also asked for greater transparency on illegal activity to help spot trends in scams and other crimes.

The tougher stance is necessary given the dangers, according to the report. While proponents argue crypto can democratize financial services by making them more affordable and accessible, the Treasury found that there wasn’t much evidence to support the claim. If anything, the department found that low-income households were particularly vulnerable to ripoffs — 29 percent of crypto investors had an annual income below $50,000, according to Federal Reserve Board data.

It’s not clear that the findings will lead to decisive action. The Treasury didn’t outline a concrete strategy for battling crypto scams and security breaches, and regulators have their own sometimes-conflicting views of how to govern digital assets. The Securities Exchange Commission sees most crypto tokens as securities it can monitor, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission unsurprisingly wants to treat tokens as commodities. Although the bureaus might not be fighting, this report doesn’t do much to establish common ground.

Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro drops to a new all-time low of $900

This might be your best chance yet to buy Apple’s flagship tablet. Amazon is selling the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M1 with 128GB of storage at a new all-time low price of $900 after an instant savings at checkout, or $200 below the official sticker. You can buy the 256GB and 512GB versions with similar $200 discounts. While you won’t get cellular data or other extras, this is still a significant bargain if you crave a large-screen slate.

Buy iPad Pro (128GB) at Amazon – $900Buy iPad Pro (256GB) at Amazon – $1,000Buy iPad Pro (512GB) at Amazon – $1,199

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro remains one of the most powerful mobile tablets you can buy. The M1 chip is speedy enough for multitasking and other serious work, while the mini-LED screen is a treat whether you’re editing video or kicking back with a TV marathon. Add Thunderbolt support (for peripherals like monitors and external SSDs) and a robust accessory ecosystem and this might replace a laptop in the right conditions, particularly once iPadOS 16 arrives with features like Stage Manager.

This is still a mobile OS-based machine, so you may want a laptop or Windows tablet if you’re juggling multiple apps or need desktop-level software. However, the main reason for pause might simply be timing. Rumors persist of Apple introducing an M2-powered iPad Pro this October with MagSafe charging and other possible upgrades. You might want to wait if you insist on the most powerful iPad you can buy. If you’re mainly interested in value for money, though, the M1 model is difficult to beat.

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ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Great screen, now do the keyboard

Just like a relationship, going on a trip with a gadget is one of the best ways of finding out how well you and your partner work together. So to really test ASUS’ first go at making a laptop with a flexible display, I took the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED on …

Instacart teams with retailers to create grocery stores powered by its tech

Instacart may have thrived on deliveries at the height of the pandemic, but it’s adapting to an era when many people are once again comfortable with in-person grocery shopping. The company is introducing a Connected Store “experience” that uses new and existing technology to theoretically blend the advantages of delivery apps and retail.

To start, the platform will let you pay for items by scanning them with your phone. It’s not as convenient as Amazon’s automated Just Walk Out tech, but it could save you the hassle of using a self-checkout terminal. Instacart is also rolling out a new model of its smart Caper shopping cart (pictured) with a 65 percent larger capacity and a slimmer, lighter design. You can even sync your Instacart-compatible shopping list to help find items and mark them as purchased the moment you put them in the cart. Carrot Tags light up electronic shelf labels to help you find items, while links between departments let you pick up orders from the bakery and deli without having to wait in line.

Behind the scenes, the Connected Store system will alert staff the moment an item is running low or goes out of stock. You could see fewer empty shelves, or at least fewer inventory checks.

Instacart has already been testing the related technologies with some stores, but is now making them available to retailers in the US and Canada. Outlets like Joseph’s Classic Market, Schnuck’s and Wakefern Food Corp. will use parts of the Connected Store system going forward, while Instacart is working with Bristol Farms to build a store in Irvine, California that will use the full package in the “coming months.”

The company isn’t shy about its goals. Instacart is clearly hoping to entice grocery stores that can’t (or just don’t want to) use Amazon’s platform. Retailers won’t need to install costly camera arrays or otherwise revamp whole locations, Instacart notes. This might not lure you back to the store if you prefer home deliveries, but it could deliver a meaningful upgrade to retail shopping — particularly for anyone who doesn’t shop at Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods.