keyword: Apple

ios-14.4:-apple-warns-of-replacement-cameras

iOS 14.4: Apple warns of replacement cameras

Users of repaired iPhones with replacement components that do not come from Apple itself will have to live with an additional warning in the future. After third-party batteries and third-party screens, Apple also has a review in iOS 14. 4, which is currently available as a second beta of the camera module.

If the camera module is not “Genuine Apple Components”, you will be notified accordingly. It is “not to check whether this is a real Apple camera in this iPhone”, it says, as MacRumors reports.

No new development Many – probably most – repair shops, that are not officially approved by Apple use aftermarket components or remanufactured hardware that is not “married” to the respective iPhone. Accordingly, the verification by iOS fails.

This usually does not have any direct effects, but users are put under pressure to use official repair channels. When replacing safety-relevant components, there have been problems in the past and some replacement displays did not have all the functions.

According to the report, the camera warning does not ensure that the module fails, photos and videos can still be included. It can be assumed that Apple will in the future link to a support document in which the importance of using official repair service providers is underlined. However, their work quickly becomes expensive after the warranty has expired – some older iPhones have already fallen out of support.

App for marrying iPhone and components According to the repair experts at iFixIt, Apple has meanwhile switched to using special apps that authorized repairers have to use to repair new components ” configure “.

Independent workshops naturally do not have the programs. Apple is making the “right to repair” more difficult. However, the group recently launched a spare parts program for small repairers. (bsc)

security-researchers-are-calling-for-more-protection-for-iphone-data

Security researchers are calling for more protection for iPhone data

Apple and app developers do not make sufficient use of the security functions available in iOS. Renowned IT security experts from Johns Hopkins University are convinced of this. Compared to the US magazine Wired they sometimes sharply criticized the current approach. It “really shocked him,” said crypto expert Matthew Green, because he thought these devices “protect user data well”. He wonders why the often requested back doors for criminal prosecutors are needed at all.

Levels of security Specifically, Green and his colleague Maximilian Zinkus, who specializes in iOS security, are concerned the fact that hierarchical encryption is simply not used in large parts. When an iPhone boots, it is first in the so-called “Complete Protection” mode before the user unlocks it. Then the decryption takes place.

Problem Quick Access Afterwards, however, a large part of the data from the system and apps ends up in the area “Protected Until First User Authentication” (protected until the first user authentication). According to the Johns Hopkins researchers, this state is less secure because the keys required to decrypt the device data are automatically transferred to the quick access memory area. This is used to give applications faster access.

Use by hacker tools This is not fundamentally unsafe. However, this means that attackers who manage to bypass basic iOS backups have significantly easier access to them than in “Complete Protection” mode. The researchers believe that hacking tools such as Grayshift used by security agencies are exploiting Apple’s decision. These can “open” iPhones completely and often use holes that are still publicly unknown.

Apple: Developing further The Johns Hopkins researchers call on Apple to address the problem. Compared to Wired the group announced that Apple devices were provided with “several security layers” in order to be protected against “a wide range of potential threats”. They are “constantly working on adding further protective measures for our users’ data”. It remains to be seen whether this means that Apple will respond to Green & Co.’s criticism. The group also announced that the attacks described were “very expensive” and that attackers would have to physically have the device in front of them. Apparently Apple sees its current strategy as a compromise between security and ease of use. (bsc)

idsd-diablo-is-ifi’s-new-flagship-portable-dac/headphone-amp

iDSD Diablo is iFi’s new flagship portable DAC/headphone amp

(Image credit: iFi)

iFi is kicking off 2021 with the self-proclaimed best battery-powered DAC/headphone amp it has ever produced – the iDSD Diablo. Engineered to sit proudly at the top of iFi’s range of mobile and transportable devices, the Diablo is, says the firm, built for purists. 

Similar in size to other amps in the company’s Micro iDSD series, the built-in battery  makes it portable, but its sleek new design and red supercar-esque finish mark it out as distinctly different – and there’s a strong engine and plenty of tech nestling under the hood.

Like a high-performance vehicle designed for uncompromising speed, iFi explains that the iDSD Diablo sets aside some facilities offered by other iFi DAC/amps – sonic tailoring options and Bluetooth connectivity, for example – to focus on pure sonic power. It boasts the ability to drive any headphones on the planet, too. iFi invites you to connect your digital source via USB or S/PDIF, plug in your headphones, then sit back and enjoy the musical ride. 

(Image credit: iFi)

The iDSD Diablo’s digital stage incorporates the Burr-Brown DAC chip used extensively by iFi, but here, two of these chips are installed in a custom ‘interleaved’ configuration – this enables four pairs of differential signals (two pairs per channel) which promises to lower the noise floor, improve channel separation and enhance the DAC’s ability to resolve fine musical detail and micro-dynamics.

The iDSD Diablo also uses a new low-latency XMOS microcontroller with enhanced processing power – compared to the current generation of eight-core chips, iFi claims this new 16-core IC delivers double the clock speed (2000MIPS) and four times the memory. Extensive jitter-eradication technologies are applied to the digital stage, including an enhanced version of iFi’s GMT (Global Master Timing) femto-precision clock featuring a new crystal oscillator.

The boxes are checked for hi-res audio support too, including handling PCM data to 32-bit/768kHz, all levels of DSD up to DSD512, and single- and double-speed DXD. And to get a bit more technical, thanks to that Burr-Brown DAC chip’s four-channel True Native design, PCM and DSD take separate pathways – this enables DSD, as well as PCM, to remain ‘bit-perfect’ in their native form right through to analogue conversion. This is often not the case with DAC devices – many such DACs convert DSD signals to PCM.

MQA – the hi-res streaming codec used by Tidal’s ‘Masters’ tier – is also supported through the USB and S/PDIF inputs, with full decoding of MQA files up to 384kHz thanks to the processing power of that new 16-core XMOS chip. This means that the full ‘three unfold’ decoding process is performed internally, as opposed to only the final unfold in the manner of an MQA ‘renderer’. 

(Image credit: iFi)

Sit tight though, because the digital stage is only half the story in any DAC/headphone amp. When it comes to the crucial analogue circuitry, balanced, differential analogue circuit design has long been championed for its ability to reduce noise and cross-talk within the signal path by fully separating the left and right channels. However, it’s expensive. This costly upgrade over single-ended circuitry has traditionally remained the preserve of high-end hi-fi components.

iFi has gradually introduced fully balanced circuit design across its range – first in its flagship Pro Series components, then in the entry-level Zen Series devices. The company’s two newest DACs, the mains-powered Neo iDSD and the new transportable iDSD Diablo, benefit from further refinement to this circuit concept which iFi calls ‘PureWave’. 

iFi promises the iDSD Diablo will drive all manner of headphones with ease, from highly sensitive in-ear monitors to current-hungry planar headphones, delivering prodigious power up to 5000mW. Three settings enable the user to adjust power and gain to suit whatever the amp stage is tasked with driving: ‘Turbo’ ramps up the level of drive for current-hungry headphones, ‘Eco’ dials down the power to suit high-sensitivity in-ear monitors and/or extend battery life, and ‘Normal’ sits between the two.

At the front of the unit, alongside a standard 6.3mm single-ended headphone socket, resides a 4.4mm Pentaconn output for headphones offering balanced connection. In terms of power, the balanced headphone output delivers 12.6V/4980mW into 32 ohms and 19.2V/611mW into 600 ohms, while the single-ended output supplies 8.8V/2417mW into 32 ohms and 9.6V/153mW into 600 ohms.

At the back of the chassis are two digital audio inputs: USB-A and an S/PDIF socket that accepts both electrical and optical signals, the former via a 3.5mm connector and the latter via a supplied adapter.

Unusually, the USB-A input features a ‘male’ connector, rather than a typical ‘female’ port – this arrangement promises greater mechanical integrity than the USB/Micro USB ports commonly used by other DAC/headphone amps. It also offers an advantage to users of iPhones and iPads with Lightning ports, because it accepts Apple’s Lightning to USB Camera Adapter directly without requiring an additional female-to-male USB adaptor. A separate USB-C charging port is also provided, along with a fixed line-level 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced output to connect an external amp.

(Image credit: iFi)

iFi has been rather generous with the iDSD Diablo’s bundled accessories, too. Since DAC/amp may be powered from the mains as well as by its built-in battery, the company has included its iPower 5V AC/DC adapter. It promises significantly less noise thanks to Active Noise Cancellation – and it sells separately for £49.

Also included is a 4.4mm Pentaconn to XLR balanced interconnect cable, enabling the iDSD Diablo to be connected to an amp and speakers, a short (15cm) USB-C to USB-A audio cable, an extension cable – all USB3.0 compliant – plus a USB-C charging cable and an adapter to connect headphones with a 3.5mm jack to the 6.3mm single-ended output. Even a travel case is included.

To top it all off, the first iDSD Diablo production run includes iFi’s iPurifier3 in the bundle – retailing separately at £129. It’s billed as a USB ‘noise-buster’ to tackle all aspects that degrade sound quality over USB, thanks to a mix of tech including Active Noise Cancellation. It adds up to a package of accessories worth around £300.

iFi’s iDSD Diablo is available at selected retailers from today, Friday 15th January, for £899. Pricing for the rest of the world isn’t yet known, but that roughly equates to $1228 (or AU$1585). 

MORE:

Read all our iFi reviews

See the best headphones for 2021

Check out 10 of the best tracks to test your headphones