Iphone 6s

Castro was sliding onto third base during the Pirates’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 9, 2022 when the crowd and some of his teammates spotted his iPhone go flying.

That’s a thousand dollars worth of high technology in his pocket, and it didn’t help his game at all. That would be because the Pirates don’t need better technology, they need better players — the Pirates are in last place in the National League Central with 45 wins and 70 losses to date.

Consequently, the moment the iPhone went flying may be the most-watched clip of the Pirates in years.

According to The Guardian , Castro later told reporters, via an interpreter, that it was all a terrible mistake.

“I don’t think there’s any professional ballplayer that would ever go out there with any intentions of taking a cellphone,” the publication reports Castro saying. “It’s horrible it happened to me. Obviously, it was very unintentional.”

The opposing team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, were presumably fine about it all because they won 6-4. But the Diamondbacks will also have had a flashback to its own issues with technology and the MLB.

Despite the MLB first approving the use of Apple Watch on the field in 2015, in 2017 the organization fined the Diamondbacks for doing exactly that. Even though the investigation proved that the Diamondbacks had not been using the Apple Watch to cheat, MLB decided that the fine must stand .

Then there is also how the MLB has approved the use of iPads, but won’t approve cellphones.

It’s not known whether the MLB will elect to take disciplinary action. It’s also not known whether Castro’s iPhone suffered any damage from smashing in to third base before he did.

The incident occurred on Aug. 10, when the FBI searched the house of Grant Michalski in Columbus, Ohio during a child abuse investigation, Forbes reported on Sunday, citing court documents. Special agent David Knight ordered Michalski to face the iPhone, triggering Face ID.

Michalski was ultimately charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. The search uncovered related Kik conversations, including a chat with someone who was really an undercover officer.

Only some data was obtained from the iPhone however as the FBI didn’t have Michalski’s passcode, which put up roadblocks for forensic tools after the device had been locked for more than an hour. Knight noted he wasn’t able to document things like app use or deleted files, but added that he’d discovered that the Columbus Police Department and the Ohio Bureau of Investigation have “technological devices that are capable of obtaining forensic extractions from locked iPhones without the passcode,” presumably referring to hardware offered by Cellebrite and/or Grayshift .

A lawyer for Michalski, Steven Nolder, told Forbes that the FBI turned to Cellebrite, but has so far failed to get anything useful. He also commented that police are now using boilerplate language in warrants to cover Face ID.

Mandatory Touch ID unlocks have been happening for years, even being used on corpses. Though controversial the practice is currently legal, and sometimes claimed to be necessary by U.S. law enforcement since suspects can’t be forced to turn over their passcodes. Conventional forensic tools are often defeated by the full-disk encryption and other security measures in iOS.

Cellebrite and Grayshift recently scored major contracts with the U.S. Secret Service, valued at $780,000 and $484,000, respectively. Grayshift also picked up a $384,000 deal with Immigration Customs Enforcement.

As the years have passed, the power demand of the average home has become more significant, and while the infrastructure is enough to maintain power most of the time, it’s not infallible. With blackouts becoming commonplace, there has become an increased need to combat the outages and to ensure that everything keeps running until supplies are restored.

You could attach a UPS to your Mac, but that’s not necessarily the best solution. Power independence offers a more well-rounded answer to the problem and one that goes beyond just your computing setup.

Bluetti is preparing its second-generation modular power station, the AC500 , the company’s most powerful solar generator its ever made. Paired with the B300S companion battery pack, the AC500 can be a behemoth that can help keep your entire household powered.

Following on from the AC300, the AC500 is designed to connect to battery packs for the actual storage of power. The AC500 comes into play in getting power into and out of the batteries and into your home’s electrical supply.

A 100% modular solution, you can attach the B300S or B300 external battery packs to the AC500. Able to attach up to 6 batteries in total, the AC500 can provide up to 18,432Wh of power, which is more than enough to keep a household running during a severe outage.

Measuring a compact 20.5 inches by 14.1 inches by 12.8 inches and weighing 66.2 pounds, the AC500 has a 5,000W pure sine wave output, but it can also deliver up to 10,000W in surge consumption.

Yes, it can easily handle essential low-wattage items like recharging a notebook or powering a CPAP, but also washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners.

Flexible power usage

You could potentially charge the system and take it to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of no-compromise off-grid living, but it’s also handy for the aforementioned power outages.

Its 24/7 uninterrupted power supply function will kick in within 20 milliseconds of detecting a power failure. That’s quick enough that you practically won’t notice the changeover.

If you have 240V appliances, you could use two AC500 units to deal with that voltage level. There’s also the added benefit of using up to 12 B300S batteries in that scenario, giving you up to 36,864Wh of capacity.

For using it on the move and off-grid, Bluetti includes many ways to connect your devices to the power station instead of connecting to the home.

This includes three 120V/20A outlets, a 120V/30A L14-30, a 120V/30A TT-30, a 120V/50A NEMA14-50, two 100W USB-C ports, two 18W and two 5V/3A USB-A ports, and two 15W wireless charging pads. There’s even a 12V/30A RV outlet and a 24V/10A car outlet.

For off-grid living, this offers many benefits of having a generator on-hand, except without worrying about fuel, fumes, or ensuring the power from it is suitable enough for sensitive devices like computers.

Quick and versatile recharging

Getting power back into the system can be done in several ways.

You can get power into the connected batteries through the AC500 using a wall outlet, as well as by lead-acid batteries, generators, a solar panel, and even a car cigarette lighter.

You’re also not limited to just using one method, as dual and triple charging can be done using multiple processes at the same time. It’s possible to recharge the system using a power outlet and take advantage of the free power generated by solar panels.

Under optimal conditions, you can potentially get an AC500 and B300S pairing to 80% charge within just 30 minutes.

B300S battery packs

Each B300S battery pack has a capacity of 3,072Wh, at 51.2V and 60Ah, and can simultaneously recharge and discharge. Each measure 20.5 inches by 12.5 inches by 10.5 inches, weighing 79.6 pounds.

Inside is a LiFePO4 lithium iron phosphate battery, using a long-lasting chemistry with high durability of more than 3,500 charging cycles to 80% of the unit’s original battery.

In real terms, that’s a battery that will last for a decade of regular use.

Each battery also has its own 100W USB-C and 18W USB-A port for charging devices without necessarily going through the AC500 and a 12V/10A car outlet.

Power management from your iPhone

While you could use the on-screen controls of the AC500 to manage its features and capabilities, you don’t have to do that all the time, especially if you are storing the power system out of immediate view, such as in a basement.

Using the Bluetti app, you can view many elements of the AC500 and connected batteries from your mobile device. That includes turning the power on and off and real-time updates of how much energy is being used or recharged.

You can even use the app to apply firmware updates to the system, keeping it in tip-top working order.

Crowdfunding

Early adopters of the Bluetti AC500 and B300S will soon be able to acquire the solar power station system through Indiegogo, with early bird pricing available.

Rumors about Apple’s fall special events are in full swing, with the iPad range getting some of the attention. As part of the updates, a leaker claims that the 10th-generation iPad and the iPad Pro will see some changes during the period.

In a Naver post by leaker account “yeux1122,” a source from China claims that an October event could occur, and play host to iPad changes. While it may not necessarily be an October event, the leaker says it would be at an additional event held after the launch of the iPhone 14.

The new 10th-generation iPad is claimed in the leak to have a thinner new design with a more square shape and a flat bezel, unifying the design aesthetic across the entire iPad range. It is also said to have a bigger display than the existing 10.2-inch screen, but without mentioning the exact size.

The model will also allegedly sport an A14 Bionic chip, support 5G, gain a protruding rear camera bump, and lose the 3.5mm headphone jack.

At the same time as updating the entry-level iPad, Apple will also reportedly upgrade the iPad Pro . However, the leaker merely says the chip will be updated from M1 to M2 in the premium tablet line.

Monday’s claims aren’t the leaker’s first. Previous ones have talked about the iPad Air , as well as early claims about the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro .

Less successfully, the leaker also predicted an “iPad mini pro” — which obviously never materialized.

While Monday’s leaks are promising, the leak adds relatively little new to existing rumors about the tablet range. The change of display size is a new claim, but at the same time, it’s also hard to believe. This is in part due to the iPad’s place in the entire lineup, as well as a screen size change being major enough to have been more widespread as a rumor before now.

Initial Experiences

The crown jewel in Apple’s attention to detail since the return of its chief executive Steve Jobs has been the initial unpacking and setup of its devices. Few, if any, of its customers would disagree that the firm is determined to please first-time users before they’ve ever launched a program or played a song.

On opening the 24-inch iMac’s (fairly large) box and setting up the computer for the first time, it’s clear this recent tradition has survived well past the Intel transition of 2006. An almost feng shui approach to packing is still on display: Apple meticulously packs the accessories, software, and the computer itself in a layered fashion that lets you get and what you want and also feels like the reward it should be, instead of the bare minimum effort seen with some PC makers.

Setting up the iMac is also just about as trouble-free as it has been for past iMacs, particularly in the era of near-ubiquitous wireless. Were it not for our need to stop and take photos, we would have had our entire review system ready in just minutes. As with any modern Mac, the new iMac may only require as much as a power cable when it sits on your desk. Our first boot was extremely smooth and guided us through choosing languages, configuring our Wi-Fi connection, and setting up both a user account and registration information in just a few minutes — though as usual, Apple tries to foist .Mac on its customers before the Mac OS X desktop will make its first appearance.

If there were a complaint to level against the company during the first few minutes, it would be the continued need for a FireWire cable to use the Migration Assistant that eases the switchover to a new system. The need to use a special target disk mode, with a cable the user likely doesn’t have, isn’t very justifiable when Macs have supported gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0 for years.

Design, the Glossy Display and the Apple Keyboard

Whether or not you believe Apple’s claims that the new iMac is more eco-friendly than the white plastic model it replaces, there’s little doubt that the all-in-one computer “for the rest of us” has been taken upscale. Both the anodized aluminum and black plastic trim feel and look better-built than before without adding to the overall price — and, conveniently, draw mental associations between the Mac and the similarly-styled iPhone. Some have already griped that the design is ugly, but in our impressions the new design’s habit of polarizing opinions works in its favor; better to either completely love or hate the style than to be indifferent.

And whatever the reaction to the iMac’s appearance, the change has done more to help and little to hurt actual usage. Choosing aluminum has lightened the system and makes both carrying it around and tilting its display just that much easier. Those prone to losing their Apple Remote or depending on the sleep light will be disappointed, however. The thick metal prevents the Mac maker from installing either a magnet or a light inside the case, eliminating two minor but appreciated advantages from the past.

Front-and-center in the design is the controversial glossy LCD display. How much you like the display is just as binary as the overall look. Like the 13.3-inch MacBook, the gloss is intended to produce bolder colors compared to the occasionally washed-out look of matte screens. For the average home user more interested in watching movies or presenting a slideshow, the effect is striking and (on a 24-inch model) could fool you into thinking it was a small, high-quality HDTV. In a properly-lit room, reflections are still a fact of life but are seldom distracting enough to overwhelm the positives of the new display. Still, we question the wisdom of a glossy display, especially for the large surface area of our test unit. But it’s not the fatal blow some would have expected.

Ask a professional artist or video editor what they think, however, and you’ll likely receive a very different opinion. The same vivid colors that make the screen “pop” also distort the perceived colors for producers trying to judge how well the image will translate to someone’s print ad or DVD. Reflections play even more havoc with accuracy by hiding detail and blending into the on-screen colors. Using a fixed color profile mitigates the problem but just shouldn’t be necessary for a system being marketed to both home users and pro customers alike.

The much-vaunted aluminum keyboard should be less contentious. In addition to being extremely compact — a virtue in the small spaces where the iMac may sit — the new design is actually easier to type with in practice. The MacBook-like flat keys have a larger surface area to strike and travel quickly enough that you can move to the next key sooner than you might with the older translucent case. Any doubts that the keyboard might be flimsy have also been erased: the thin slab of metal is absolutely solid. Users might be frustrated by the two extra USB ports, however, as both of them are tucked underneath the metal and require that you lift the keyboard before plugging in a camera or a mouse.

On Page 2 : Performance and the Upgrade Question, and Benchmarks.

Performance and the Upgrade Question

Our first temptation in reviewing a new Mac is to compare its performance against the previous generation. But in terms of absolute performance, the new 2.4GHz, 24-inch model is only modestly faster than its 2.33GHz predecessor and gains mostly from the added bandwidth from the 800MHz system bus as well as the expanded 4GB memory cap, up from 3GB. Compared to the outgoing model, the new version is a much better value for money: at $1799, the new system is easier to rationalize than the model it replaces, which could only reach 2.33GHz through a build-to-order upgrade. A 2.8GHz version of the new iMac is also available, but whether its clock speed, 2GB of RAM, and larger 500GB hard drive are worth the $500 premium is outside the scope of this review.

Other changes are helpful but often feel as though they fall short of what could have been. The Radeon HD 2600 Pro is a long, long overdue replacement for the GeForce 7300 GT in the last 24-inch model and an even longer-awaited replacement for the Radeon X1600 in 20-inch models. Informal 3D gaming tests have the iMac providing very playable frame rates in Quake 4 at 1024×768 resolution with all details on; while this may disappoint gamers looking to switch from a Windows PC, it’s a definite improvement and should be good enough for semi-serious gameplay. We nonetheless wish Apple had taken absolute performance into account. NVIDIA’s GeForce 8600 GT isn’t significantly more expensive, but it’s known to be significantly faster in most tasks.

Apple’s continued insistence on installing 1GB of RAM in a top-end iMac is also baffling. At its price, most equivalent Windows PCs today will easily sell with 2GB or more, even with a 24-inch display in tow. Upgrading that memory is at least easier than for the previous model; the new iMac puts all 1GB in a single slot and frees up the second slot for a quicker and less expensive upgrade.

What may define the new iMac the most is its relation to far older systems than the late 2006 refresh, however. For existing Mac users who follow the typical two- to three-year upgrade cycle — including your reviewer — the aluminum model represents the first real opportunity to jump to Intel processors and a test of just how far Mac performance has advanced since the last PowerPC iMacs were on store shelves.

In our benchmark tests against the last 20-inch iMac G5, the new 24-inch Core 2 Duo is simply in a different class of performance. Most tests which focus on the CPU show that just one of the two 2.4GHz Intel cores can nearly double the speed of the 2.1GHz PowerPC chip; in tests aware of multiple cores, the newest Core 2 Duo is well over three times faster. Cinebench was especially impressive and saw 3D models render in just a third of the time. Quite simply, there’s no more reason to cling to a PowerPC system except for very old or very specialized software that refuses to run in Apple’s Rosetta environment.

On Page 3 : Conclusions and Reservations, and Rating.

Conclusions and Reservations

Having to choose computers from only one vendor means that many buyers won’t have much choice: for now, the iMac is still Apple’s lone choice for a mid-range desktop. That said, most home customers will find a lot to like in what Apple has to offer. The speed-up is undeniable and is by and large competitive with conventional Windows PC desktops that even the lack of RAM is (somewhat) forgivable. Setting up the iMac is as easy as it’s ever been, and the pseudo-professional look may help it infiltrate a few businesses where the candy-white plastic may have earmarked the iMac as a “toy” rather than a work system.

It’s similarly easy to recommend the new keyboard bundled with the computer, though Mac users eager for that alone will only have to spend $49 at an Apple store for the privilege. That keyboard was used to write this review, and in hours of heavy typing it was at least as comfortable but slightly quicker for high-speed typing.

Unfortunately, there are signs that Apple is headed down a questionable path for its design choices. In his press event announcing the iMac, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs claimed that customers “loved” glossy displays; we respectfully disagree. The benefits it provides are useful primarily under controlled lighting and for marketing the system in a store. If your home has bright spot lighting that can’t be moved or you’re a professional who has to judge color accuracy on the fly, the gloss could be troublesome and a potential deal-breaker. Apple should have at least offered matte screens on some models or as a custom option.

We also wonder if the company is emphasizing CPU speed over a more balanced approach to performance. Most Mac users won’t complain about the slightly underwhelming graphics; many will wonder about the low memory on such a large and otherwise fast system. These have both been problems in the past, but Apple today has fewer excuses for its old habits — especially when the 24-inch iMac is supposed to bridge the gap between everyday consumer machines and the flagship Mac Pro.

Still, for most buyers, the new iMac is still an easy recommendation for Mac veterans and most switchers. It’s just that a few key decisions may have robbed Apple of some potential customers who would have otherwise been within close reach.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Pros:

• Slick new design
• Screen is gorgeous in specific circumstances.
• Very fast, especially for converts from PowerPC Macs.
• Keyboard is a tangible improvement over the old model.
• One RAM slot is finally free for an upgrade.
• Less expensive than the old model.

Cons:

• Glossy screen can be distracting; no option for matte.
• Only 1GB of memory standard.
• Radeon HD 2600 Pro is underpowered versus its NVIDIA alternative.
• No Apple Remote magnet or sleep light.