Boeing has revealed it refused to pay a $200 million ransom demand from ransomware hackers who stole a tranche of sensitive data in 2023.
The US Department of Justice recently unsealed an indictment against one Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, who is being accused of being the one to develop and maintain the dreaded LockBit ransomware, a piece of malicious software that was used in numerous hacking attacks with devastating consequences.
In the unsealed indictment, among the mentioned victims was an unnamed multinational aeronautical and defense corporation that was asked for $200 million, a figure described as “extremely large”. Boeing later confirmed being that company to CyberScoop, but declined to answer any additional questions.
Testing the waters
The company suffered a ransomware attack in November 2023, and at the time, said that the incident impacted elements of its parts and distribution business, but that flight safety was not compromised.
LockBit’s affiliates walked away with 43 gigabytes of data, for which they later demanded an obscene amount of money.
The data seemed to be backups from different company systems and included configuration backups for IT management software and logs for monitoring and auditing tools.
While hackers targeting major corporations are no strangers to enormous ransom demand, in this case they most likely took a blind shot.
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The indictment against Khoroshev labels him as LockBitSupp, the persona that administers the LockBit encryptor. This person subsequently left a message on the RaaS’ messaging platform, saying the law enforcement had the wrong person. They did, however, confirm that Boeing was the compromised company.
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has “fallen sharply beyond expectations.” As a result, Apple is expected to take a “conservative view” of headset demand when the Vision Pro launches in additional countries.
Kuo previously said that Apple will introduce the Vision Pro in new markets before the June Worldwide Developers Conference, which suggests that we could see it available in additional areas in the next month or so.
Apple is expecting Vision Pro shipments to decline year-over-year in 2025 compared to 2024, and the company is said to be “reviewing and adjusting” its headset product roadmap. Kuo does not believe there will be a new Vision Pro model in 2025, an adjustment to a prior report suggesting a modified version of the Vision Pro would enter mass production late next year.
In a February report, Kuo said that Apple was working to improve the efficiency of production and supply change management, with little change to the product specifications and user experience. At the time, Kuo estimated that we would not see a Vision Pro with significant updates until 2027.
Kuo believes that Apple needs to work to address the lack of key applications, price, and comfort without impacting user experience. Poor Vision Pro sales is expected to impact the growth of pancake lenses and the adoption of microOLED display technology in small-sized consumer electronics.
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as “Kosutami.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed…
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,…
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU…
Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On…
It was a big week for retro gaming fans, as iPhone users are starting to reap the rewards of Apple’s recent change to allow retro game emulators on the App Store. This week also saw a new iOS 17.5 beta that will support web-based app distribution in the EU, the debut of the first hotels to allow for direct AirPlay streaming to room TVs, a fresh rumor about the impending iPad Air update, and…
The world is witnessing a significant shift in its labor market due to the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence, new research has claimed.
A report from LinkedIn has detailed a 9% surge in hiring AI technical talent over the past year in the UK, signaling a growing reliance on the emerging technology that has now become commonplace in many industries.
The shift is reflected across hiring trends and evolving skill sets, with studies suggesting that the skills needed for jobs in the UK specifically could change by as much as 65% by 2023, compared with 2016.
AI is transforming the labor market
The top AI skills now in demand across the UK include AI, machine learning, generative AI, deep learning and natural language processing, according to LinkedIn’s study. These skills are increasingly sought after across a range of sectors, with administrative and supportive services, professional services, technology, information and media, manufacturing, and financial services all asking for these increasingly important skills.
Janine Chamberlin, LinkedIn’s UK Country Manager, emphasized the necessity for companies to prioritize upskilling efforts: “Businesses that invest in helping their employees become AI-literate will benefit from productivity gains and have an edge over competitors.”
Chamberlain recommends testing publicly available tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT as a stepping stone to deploying more advanced, more customized AI apps.
At the same time, a separate Rackspace Technology study carried out in collaboration with AWS recorded that three in four (75%) IT decision-makers plan on investing between $0.5 and $5 million in AI this year. According to that report, between 36% and 48% credit AI with boosting their sales.
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The report’s findings align with those of LinkedIn – according to Rackspace, 85% of respondents attempted to recruit people with AI/ML skills in the past year, and Rackspace’s predicted boost in investment comes at the right time, with LinkedIn finding that seven in 10 UK hiring managers predict that the skills gap will widen in the next five years.
Chamberlain summarized: “Those that [actively upskill employees] will help their workforce stay agile and build skills needed for the future of work.”
It’s 2024, and retro-styled digital cameras like the new Fujifilm X100VI are very much in, but research by musicMagpie has delivered surprising findings about the genuinely retro tech that people are really searching for online.
While film photography is certainly in vogue, with Gen Z turning to point-and-shoot cameras like the Kodak Ektar H35, it turns out that digital compact cameras from the 2000s and 2010s, like the Nikon Coolpix S6900 (pictured above), are making a comeback.
TikTok, eBay and Google search analytics put Nikon Coolpix streets ahead of tech including the Motorola Razr, iPod Nano, Sony Walkman and Nintendo DS – all of which are themselves highly popular – with Coolpix soaring over 8,000% year on year on Google, and around 700% on Tiktok and eBay (you can see the full results below).
The Nikon Coolpix S6900, which was launched in early 2015 and received a 3-star rating in its TechRadar review – and which is far from being one of the best compact cameras – is the leading model in this retro revival, with eBay searches for it up 37,567% and Tiktok searches up 34,543%.
(Image credit: musicMagpie)
Image quality is certainly not a cause for the spike in demand for the Coolpix S6900 – your modern smartphone takes better photos. More likely it’s the neat design, which includes a flip-screen for selfies and a built-in rear stand (see below) – something we recently saw in the Canon Powershot V10 vlogging camera – which incidentally was the first new Powershot model for some years, with Powershot being the name for Canon‘s compact camera line, which left us wondering if Canon had reopened its interest in compacts.
I’d hedge a bet that the S6900 being available in pink is a bigger reason – according to the research, pink is the most popular color in this particular retro tech revival. However, I might have to concede another somewhat shallower factor, too – celebrities like Kendall Jenner popularizing the old school by recently posting selfies using vintage digital cameras.
I’m taking the research with a pinch of salt though. Not the numbers, but the conspicuous absence of Canon Powershot models and other camera brands like Sony and Olympus, who were active during the 2000s and 2010s when digital compact cameras were still a thing. Surely there’s search volume for those brands too? Nonetheless, it’s striking how Nikon Coolpix is outperforming other popular retro tech like flip phones, MP3 and cassette players.
Pretty in pink: the Nikon Coolpix S6900 (Image credit: Nikon)
Camera companies have long since given up on producing new point-and-shoot compact cameras, simply because the best camera phones outperform them and all but wiped out demand. However, it appears that such cameras, now labelled ‘vintage’, are becoming popular once again – and despite their poor image quality, some of them have neat design features that we don’t really see in today’s best cameras, like the S6900’s built-in rear stand.
Now’s the time to ask a family member, or rummage through drawers at home in the search for vintage digital compact cameras like the S6900. Besides standing to potentially cash in given the rising value of such models, you might just rediscover what the fuss was about all those years ago, or find joy in using a simpler point-and-shoot model.
eBay is a popular place to find vintage digital compact cameras, but there are also approved secondhand retailers that we recommend, including MPB, Adorama, B&H and KEH in the US, while UK shoppers can also try MPB plus Wex Photo Video and Park Cameras.
Tim Cook didn’t give investors the truth about iPhone demand in China in 2018 and it’s costing the company. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple reportedly settled a class action lawsuit that accused the company of hiding news of declining iPhone demand in China. It concerns comments made by CEO Tim Cook during an investor call back in 2018.
The iPhone-maker is allegedly paying a $490 million settlement.
Apple pays up after misleading comments about iPhone demand in China
When a CEO stretches the truth about the company they run, they face consequences. In a prominent example, tweets Elon Musk made in 2018 about taking EV-maker Tesla private resulted in a $40 million fine and a requirement that he resign as Tesla chairman. Now it’s Tim Cook’s turn.
When speaking to investors in November 2018, Cook said that iPhone demand was declining in some counties but that China was not one of them. Two months later, Cook penned an open letter to investors warning that Apple revenue wouldn’t meet expectations because of declining iPhone demand in China. A class action lawsuit accused the CEO of deliberately deceiving investors.
Apple and the plaintiffs have reached a preliminary settlement, according to Reuters. Apple agreed to pay $490 million but admit no wrongdoing. The money will be available to investors who bought AAPL shares after Cook’s November 2018 comment but before the January 2019 open letter.
The settlement has not yet been approved. That’s up to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
A report from market analysis firm Counterpoint Research reveals that the sales of the Galaxy S24 series were 8% higher than the Galaxy S23 series globally during the first three weeks. It shows a detailed sales comparison of all Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 models. The sales of the Galaxy S24+ were 53% higher than the Galaxy S23+ during the same three-week period.
The Galaxy S24+ accounted for 21% of the overall sales of the Galaxy S24 series, compared to just 15% of all Galaxy S23 series sales. The demand for the base version of the Galaxy S24 also increased compared to the base Galaxy S23. The Galaxy S24 sales have been 4% higher than the base Galaxy S23.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s total sales were 1% lower than those of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, accounting for 52% of all sales of the Galaxy S24 series.
Galaxy S24+ brought very good upgrades
Watch our Galaxy S24+ review in the video above.
This year, Samsung brought many upgrades to the Galaxy S24+. While maintaining its slim form factor, the Galaxy S24+ brought a bigger, upgraded 6.7-inch screen with QHD+ resolution and a 2,600 nits peak screen brightness. It also received a much bigger battery, at 4,900mAh, which is almost as good as the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 5,000mAh battery.
It also received the option for 12GB of RAM, 50% higher than 8GB RAM on the Galaxy S23+. A bigger, brighter, and sharper screen, a bigger battery, and higher RAM may have attracted many people who don’t want to spend a lot on the Galaxy S24 Ultra or want a more compact or comfortable phone.
Rivian’s R2 reservations are off to a hot start. On Friday, CEO RJ Scaringe posted on X that the automaker had taken more than 68,000 reservations for the SUV in less than 24 hours. Amid alarmingly weakened demand for electric vehicles, perhaps there’s a latent interest in innovative EV companies when they aren’t helmed by a conflict magnet with a fixation on baseless conspiracy theories and the supposed online “rights” of Neo-Nazis.
Rivian’s 68,000 reservations hold up well against its most high-profile competitors. It took Ford about three weeks to get 100,000 pre-orders for the F-150 Lightning. Tesla’s Cybertruck got 250,000 reservations in less than a week. To be fair, reserving a Rivian R2 only requires a $100 deposit the same as the Cybertruck and F-150 Lightning.Customers plunking down a Benjamin to hold one have no obligation to pay the remaining $44,900 (and up) when the vehicle finally arrives in 2026, and even if they intend to buy one now, that’s plenty of time to change their minds.
You could argue that — like with Tesla and Ford — Rivian chose the low deposit to build hype, knowing full well that many pre-order customers won’t follow through. But it also helps that Rivian’s event on Thursday did everything the company needed. The R2 looks “quite fetching,” as Engadget’s Lawrence Bonk pointed out. On the inside, it has sleek and subtle details like two glove boxes, fold-down rear and front seats, a slide-out cargo floor and dual scroll wheels with dynamic haptic feedback on the steering wheel. It also has a 300-mile minimum range and a $45,000 starting price, which doesn’t hurt.
Overwhelmed by the wonderful response to our new vehicles: R2, R3 and R3X.
In less than 24 hours, we’ve taken more than 68,000 R2 reservations. We are thrilled to see this vehicle resonate so strongly with our community! pic.twitter.com/tEIBhwlJQC
And, of course, the surprise “One more thing”-style reveal of the cheaper, sportier and more compact R3 and R3X could help provide a halo effect for the company when it desperately needs to build excitement around its brand. In February, Rivian announced that it would lay off 10 percent of its salaried workers, and this week, it cut 100 employees at its Illinois factory. Still, the EV market could use a new “hero.” I have no idea if Rivian or its CEO, RJ Scaringe, has potential to be the face of the industry. But Elon Musk, its current poster boy, is a lightning rod for unnecessary turmoil.
In a survey of Americans conducted by The Harris Poll late last year, 45 percent of respondents said they had a lower opinion of EVs “because of the actions of people associated with them.” (I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean Ford’s Doug Field or GM’s Mary Barra.)
Perhaps Rivian’s impressive showing reveals at least some Americans have an appetite for an EV maker that’s neither a traditional auto company nor one helmed by someone who, at times, seems more interested in behaving like a teenage contrarian than a responsible adult serving as the public face of an industry the world desperately needs to grow up — and get people excited about driving electric vehicles — as climate change begins to ravage the planet.
