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Midweek news bites – Apple’s privacy battle, FBI hacking, and more

Plenty of Apple, iPhone, and iPad news gets released each week – but we know you’re busy, so we’ve got your back. Here, we’ve picked out some of the most notable things you should know from the past few days and summarized them for easy digestion. You’re welcome.

So please dig into this week’s Apple news bites, freshly sourced from all around the web. As ever, click through to read the full stories if you want to know more!

Apple prepares to fight DOJ to protect encryption

Apple has come under fire this week from the FBI, the Attorney General, and even the President as it stands firm in its refusal to build a “backdoor” into iOS. Those parties want Apple’s help to unlock two iPhones owned by the Pensacola shooter, but Apple says its privacy-first approach to software makes its encryption is impossible to crack without building dangerous software that could compromise the privacy of millions of iPhone users. Tim Cook is now preparing for a legal battle to mirror its battle with the FBI a few years back.

FBI reportedly able to hack into iPhone 11

Despite the media storm surrounding Apple’s refusal to cripple its own encryption systems, a report states that the FBI has discovered a third-party hacking tool that can break into even an iPhone 11 Pro Max. On the one hand, this is worrying for Apple from a security standpoint. On the other hand, it makes you wonder why the FBI is so keen to get Apple’s assistance with the Pensacola case despite having access to these tools.

Apple buys AI startup to fuel machine learning goals

Apple acquires smaller companies from time to time, especially those working on advanced technologies that could benefit projects Apple is already working on. The latest purchase is startup Xnor.ai, costing Apple a cool $200 million. The company has been working on ways to accomplish complex machine learning tasks on low-power hardware, which could theoretically pave the way for features like object recognition to run on tiny chips embedded in security cameras, for example. iOS already uses machine learning for all kinds of things, but it’s a complex job that requires a lot of power. This acquisition could help change all that.

Impressive new ads promote iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, TV+

Apple is currently running a series of Today at Apple sessions that focus on designing posters for its TV+ shows. To help promote the event – plus the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and various TV+ shows – Apple has shared a couple of inspiring videos showcasing exactly how professional illustrators go about tackling such a challenge. The videos look at For All Mankind and Dickinson, interweaving highlights from the shows with footage of the artists at work. Watch them and you might just be inspired to crack out Procreate and get doodling.