Hackers disguise and distribute malicious "requests" libraries to attack Apple Mac devices and steal access to corporate networks
On May 14th, it was reported that hackers recently forged and launched a new software package library, imitating the popular "requests" library on the Python Package Index (PyPI), using the Sliver C2 cross-platform implantation framework to target Apple macOS devices and specifically steal access to the enterprise network.
Security expert Phylum says the attack is complex and involves multiple steps and obfuscation layers, including the use of steganography in PNG image files to covertly install a Sliver frame on the target.
Sliver is a cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux) open-source adversarial framework test suite designed for "red team" operations, simulating the actions of an adversary when testing cyber defenses.
Key features include custom implant generation, command and control (C2) capabilities, post-development tools/scripts, and rich attack simulation options. (News source: IT House)
Apple claims that the 2024 iPad Pro is not prone to bending, and the heat dissipation metal plate acts as the "central rib" of the tablet
On May 14, it was reported that John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, recently had a conversation with blogger Mrwhosetheboss and made a series of introductions to the 2024 iPad Pro.
John Ternus said that while the 13-inch version of the M4 iPad Pro is "the thinnest Apple product ever (5.1mm)", the company has taken some steps to ensure that the new tablet is less prone to bending.
According to reports, Apple's R&D personnel used a whole metal plate covering the motherboard as a heat sink, and the related metal plate can also be used as the "central rib" through the tablet, thus greatly improving the rigidity of the product. (News source: IT House)
Setapp, a third-party iPhone app store in Europe, officially announced its official launch on May 14
On May 14, MacPaw officially announced today that it will launch a third-party app store Setapp for Apple iPhones in EU member states on May 14 this year.
MacPaw began working on Setapp, a third-party app store, in February this year, where users can use dozens of apps, including popular apps like Ulysses, iStat Menus, Spark, Unite, Yoink, and more.
According to MacPaw, Setapp will offer a "curated selection of apps" in categories such as productivity, design, lifestyle, utilities and more. (News source: IT House)
In patch development, Apple admitted that the OLED iPad Pro had an issue with rendering some blue HDR content
On May 14, it was reported that the technology media iMore recently released a blog post, saying that Apple's new iPad Pro with OLED panel has rendering disorders when processing some blue HDR content.
The site found that the new iPad Pro rendered blue HDR content, with the highlights losing color and appearing almost white, which can be reproduced by compression artifacts.
iMore says that this problem only arises "in very special circumstances" and is not seen on other OLED devices such as the iPhone 15 Pro. In most cases, the problem is also difficult to spot and there is no clear cause.
Apple told iMore that the company is aware of the issue and is working on a software update to fix it. (News source: IT House)
苹果发布 tvOS 17.5 Official Version, HomePod 17.5 Update
On May 14, Apple released the tvOS 17.5 system update today, which is the fifth iteration of the tvOS 17 operating system released in September last year, two months after the last tvOS 17.4 update.
Users can get the update through the Settings app on their Apple TV device by going to System > Software Update to download and install it. Apple TV devices with automatic updates turned on will be automatically upgraded to tvOS 17.5.
Compared to other operating system updates, tvOS updates tend to focus more on system stability and performance improvements than on new features. During the beta phase of tvOS 17.5, no new features were noted. Apple updates its tvOS support documentation after each new version of tvOS, which contains detailed version update notes.
Apple also released the HomePod software 17.5 update for HomePod and HomePod mini. It's been two months since the last HomePod software 17.4 update, which introduced new music preferences. Apple didn't elaborate on what the HomePod 17.5 included, and the generic release notes only said that it brought stability and performance improvements. It's worth mentioning that the HomePod 17.5 update may only be available for HomePods in specific regions. (News source: IT House)
OpenAI 推出 Mac 版ChatGPT应用,今年晚些时候推出 Windows 版
On May 14, OpenAI finally launched the ChatGPT desktop app, and the company said in an official announcement: "Starting today, we will first launch the macOS app to Plus users, and open it to a wider range of users in the coming weeks." We also plan to launch a Windows version later this year."
OpenAI also said that ChatGPT will also have an optimized user interface. OpenAI's demo showed that users could open the ChatGPT desktop app in a minimized window side-by-side with other programs. Users can ask ChatGPT what is displayed on the screen by input or voice, and ChatGPT can respond based on what they "see".
OpenAI says users can ask ChatGPT questions via Option + Spacebar, and screenshots can be taken and discussed within the app. The new app will be available to both free and paid users, but the beta phase that starts today is limited to ChatGPT Plus users and will be made available to a wider audience "in the coming weeks". OpenAI plans to launch a version for Windows "later this year." Currently, ChatGPT already has apps for iOS and Android. (News source: IT House)
Tech events
OpenAI Releases New Flagship Generative AI Model GPT-4o: Smoother Voice Conversations, Available for Free
On May 14, OpenAI announced the launch of its latest flagship generative AI model, GPT-4o, which will be integrated into OpenAI's products in stages in the coming weeks. The most surprising thing is that GPT-4o will be available to all users for free.
According to OpenAI's chief technology officer, Muri Murati, GPT-4o will provide the same level of intelligence as GPT-4, but with further improvements in text, image, and speech processing.
"GPT-4o can use a combination of speech, text, and visual information for inference," Murati said in a keynote address at OpenAI's corporate headquarters. GPT-4o adds speech processing capabilities to OpenAI's previous flagship model, which can process information made from a mixture of images and text, and complete tasks such as extracting text from images or describing the content of images.
GPT-4o will run much faster, and the biggest highlight is the new technology used in its voice interaction mode. OpenAI has been working on allowing users to communicate with ChatGPT through their voice, as if they were talking to a real person. However, the previous version had a significant impact on the immersion of the conversation due to latency issues. GPT-4o uses a new technology to make chatbot conversations much more responsive. (News source: IT House)
Starting from 219,900 yuan, the Zhiji electric sedan L6 was launched: all models are equipped with a civet digital chassis and rear-wheel steering
On May 13, it was reported that Zhiji Auto's second sedan L6 was officially launched tonight, and the car was first equipped with a "Grey Lizard" intelligent digital chassis and a "light year" solid-state battery.
The new car is 4931mm long, 1960mm wide, 1474mm high, and has a wheelbase of 2950mm; Available in 7 colors: Rembrandt Grey, Ferdinand Pink, Sisley Yellow, Ares Black, Athena White, and Raphael Tea, as well as a collaboration limited color "Nevis Blue". The new car is equipped with four-door double-layer silent glass, equipped with an active cockpit noise control system, and the tailgate adopts a hatchback design, which is officially said to be equipped with vertical air conditioning.
The new car is also equipped with a new generation of ISC intelligent light system, which supports intelligent driving, intelligent parking, parking reminder and other functions, and can display the words "Auto Driving" or "Auto Parking" according to different scenarios. (News source: IT House)
The homepage of Taobao App has been revised: the "Taobao Good Price, Taobao Grocery Shopping" channel has been changed to "10 billion subsidies", and the entrance of the icon bar has been reduced to a column
On May 13, it was reported that Taobao adjusted the homepage of its App client, from the three fixed channels of "Taobao Live", "Taobao Good Price" and "Taobao Grocery Shopping" to "Taobao Live" and "Ten Billion Subsidy", and at the same time reduced the area occupying the homepage.
The entries of icons such as "Tmall Global" and "88VIP" at the bottom of the search bar have also been adjusted, and they have been reduced from the previous two columns to one column. The two adjustments leave room for a waterfall of product recommendations, with most of the products being launched related to the user's search history.
Beijing Business Daily reported that Taobao insiders said that the current Taobao App homepage will be dynamically adjusted according to the user's daily usage habits, the user's area and other factors to improve the accuracy of Taobao homepage for user matching, which leads to different users' Taobao homepage will be different. (News source: IT House)
Samsung's DeX competitor, Google is experimenting with running ChromeOS on Android devices
On May 14th, it was reported that although Android was only a system designed around smartphones at the beginning, it has been able to be applied to more devices through a series of upgrades and adaptations, such as tablets, watches, TVs and car cockpits, etc. However, in order to be able to better compete with Microsoft in the PC market, Google did not use Android and reinvented ChromeOS.
Over the years, Google has made a lot of efforts to make the two operating systems work better together, such as the Chromebook's built-in Android runtime, which allows it to run Android apps, but not the other way around.
However, Google has recently begun testing a way to run ChromeOS on Android devices, and has also shown its OEM partners how to run Chromium OS (an open-source version of ChromeOS) on Android phones. (News source: IT House)