Apple rumors and news for March 8 include a new OLED iPhone, KeRanger ransomware, a liquidmetal home button, a secret Trump meeting, and ebook payouts.
The Apple news and rumors for March 8 include a KeRanger ransomware that could disable your Mac, a new liquidmetal home button for the iPhone that may be in the works, and an iPhone with an OLED screen that could be here as soon as next year. The news also includes a secret meeting to stop Donald Trump from taking over the GOP.
Here’s what you need to know.
KeRanger Ransomware Could Completely Disable Your Mac
A pretty frightening ransomware hit about 6,000 Macs over the weekend, completely disabling them unless the owner paid a ransom. This is a reminder that Macs aren’t virus free and due diligence is important. This was the first known ransomware attack on Apple’s Mac computers, Reuters reported. The ransomware was called “KeRanger” and was downloaded through a tainted copy of Transmission, a program that transfers data through BitTorrent. Security on the server was increased and a digital certificate enabling the software to install on Macs was revoked.
A New 2017 iPhone Could Have an OLED Screen
Apple is looking into releasing a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone in 2017 or 2018, 9to5Mac reported. Apple is talking with Samsung, LG, and Japan Display about possibly supplying the OLED screens. However, 9to5Mac emphasized that the publication who is the source of the rumor hasn’t always been accurate with Apple rumors in the past.
A Liquidmetal Home Button Could Be in the Works
Apple has just been granted a patent for a Liquidmetal home button on the iPhone and iPad, MacRumors reported. Liquidmetal has unique properties, such as high strength, corrosion resistance, and malleability. Apple has exclusive rights to Liquidmetal but hasn’t used it yet. This particular patent says the elasticity of Liquidmetal would be great for a pressure-sensitive home button that would deform when pressed and then return to its original shape.
You May Be Getting Money from Apple for Past Ebook Purchases
If you received a credit from Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, or iBooks in late March 2014, you might be getting another payment from Apple soon, Fortune reported. The Supreme Court refused Apple’s appeal of a verdict that it fixed ebook prices, so now Apple will have to pay out about $400 million. This only affects consumers who bought ebooks from Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012. The amount you’ll get paid from Apple will likely be 2.5 times what you were paid in 2014. The payments will likely be made sometime in the fall.
Tim Cook Attended an Emergency Meeting About Trump
Tim Cook, Apple CEO, attended a meeting with other tech and government elite this weekend to review ideas for thwarting Donald Trump’s presidential bid, Apple Insider reported. Attendees included Cook, Elon Musk, Google co-founder Larry Page, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Napster creator Sean Parker, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and billionaire Philip Anschutz.
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Apple News & Rumors, March 8: KeRanger, OLED iPhone, Liquidmetal