Mastering the art of data: the skills that will get you noticed

It’s almost a decade since a much-shared Harvard Business Review article declared data scientist the sexiest job of the 21st century. But is working with data still as novel or as exciting as it was then?

The rise of digital currencies in the emerging world

As of September 7, 2021, El Salvador will officially recognise Bitcoin as legal currency. This is a remarkable move, and one that will likely stimulate a huge amount of economic growth as Salvadoreans leapfrog from a largely cash-based society straight to a system characterised by the frictionless, finger-snap efficiency of digital currency.

Trump’s plans to ban Chinese app WeChat blocked

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban WeChat over concerns the ban would threaten users’ first amendment rights

Oracle returns to growth

The software maker’s quarterly revenue exceeded analysts’ expectations, as remote working drove greater demand for its cloud-computing services

Apple leak reveals company secrets about new iPhone X

A pre-launch spoiler has exposed a host of new iPhone features such as biometric ID software, 3D facial sensors, portrait lighting and animated emojis that move with the user’s face

A leak detailing several features of the unreleased iPhone X is the biggest in Apple history

A leak on September 8 has revealed that the name of the latest iPhone will be iPhone X. Two more new models will be called iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus.

The leak has revealed several key details regarding new features, including 3D sensors, portrait lighting, improved facial biometric identification and some drastic design changes. The company has also developed ‘animojis,’ which use facial tracking to create animated emojis that mimic users’ facial expressions.

Leaks disclosing details of Apple’s upcoming products before their launch date are relatively common, but the scale of this latest revelation is unprecedented. According to John Gruber, a blogger known for his expertise in Apple: “More surprises were spoiled by this leak than any leak in Apple history.”

A leaked recording of an internal briefing about safeguarding secrecy at Apple makes working for Apple sound like working for the CIA

The leak will frustrate Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, who has explicitly pushed secrecy as a priority since the beginning of his tenure. Soon after assuming leadership of the company in 2012, he spoke out about doubling down on concealment measures.

According to news site The Outline, a leaked recording of an internal briefing about safeguarding secrecy at Apple “makes working for Apple sound like working for the CIA”.

In the briefing, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Vice President of iPod, iPhone and iOS product marketing said, “This has become a big deal for Tim,” before later expressing: “I have faith deep in my soul that if we hire smart people they’re going to think about this, they’re going to understand this, and ultimately they’re going to do the right thing, and that’s to keep their mouth shut.”

The briefing further revealed that the company has tasked a global security team to protect Apple’s secrets, which comprises former members of the US National Security Agency, Secret Service and the FBI, according to The Outline.

Cook has also linked the prevalence of leaks to the success of iPhone sales, citing “earlier and much more frequent reports about future iPhones” as a factor in the sluggish sales data seen earlier this year.