Just a week after the PDF exploit was uncovered, Apple releases iOS 4.0.2 to patch the vulnerability.

The PDF security flaw was found on iOS 4.0 and 4.0.1, as well as, all versions of iPhone OS 3.1.x. The vulnerability allows hackers to complete control of iPhone by using a malicious PDF file. This iOS update is intended to fix the security bug.

Stay Away from the Upgrade if You need Jailbreaking

Unfortunately, the JailbreakMe, the browser-based jailbreak tool, also utilizes this security flaw to jailbreak iPhone running on iOS 4 and iPad running on iOS 3.2. That means, once you upgrade to the iOS for your iPhone or iPad, you can no longer jailbreak the device with JailbreakMe. So, if jailbreaking is imminent for you, DO NOT UPGRADE when iTunes prompts you.

Stay with iOS 4.0.1 for iPhone and 3.2.1 for iPad. But bare in mind that your device is exposed to an security hole and you need to take extra care when downloading PDF.

Upgrade the iOS if You think Security is more important

If you do not need jailbreaking, I highly recommend you to upgrade the iOS to the latest version for your iPhone or iPad. To upgrade, you can simply connect to your device to computer and upgrade it via iTunes.

As always, please leave us comment if you have any questions or anything you need further clarifications.

Update #1: Saurik, the creator of Cydia, will soon release a patch specially designed for jailbroken iPhone to patch the PDF security bug. Stay tuned.

When Apple bought Lala, everyone anticipated that iTunes.com streaming music service was on the horizon, but now CNET hears it might be on hold as Apple works on… streaming video.

But eight months after the acquisition, Apple is telling executives at the four top labels that if Apple offers any cloud-music features within the next few months, they will likely be “modest in scope” and not include the kind of functionality that Apple outlined in meetings with the labels, such as storing users’ music on its servers, sources told CNET. They added that Apple still hasn’t negotiated the kind of licensing deals it would need to distribute music from the cloud.

Delays launching a cloud music service might disappoint some iTunes users, but if Apple is focusing resources on a cloud-video service it could be welcomed by those who have maxed out hard drives with films and TV shows. Sources at the major film studios have said this year that Apple plans to create “digital shelves” that enable iTunes users to store movies and other media on Apple’s servers.

Add to all this that one of the Lala execs is rumored to have already moved on from Apple, and Internet/iTunes lead honcho Eddy Cue reportedly took a long time to even tell the Lala team what Apple wanted to do with them, and it seems like there’s a lack of urgency around One Infinite Loop.

With competition from a Google Music service on the horizon, can Apple afford to take their time rolling out the iTunes Cloud? Are they far enough ahead in media that it doesn’t matter? Could they actually be waiting for Google to negotiate cloud-streaming licenses with Big Media so Apple can simply adopt them as well and add to the existing iTunes service? Time — and perhaps this fall’s annual iPod touch/iTunes event — will tell.

Are you getting impatient for your streams? Does it matter to you if Apple rolls out video from the clouds before music?

[CNET]

iTunes cloud-based music taking a back seat to streaming video? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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It’s cool that Apple is willing to give us  free bumpers and cases, but their system may be a little “flawed” to say the least.  After the announcement went up, I immediately downloaded the bumper app and typed in my iTunes password, it brought me to the selection screen. (By the way, is anyone else only seeing black bumpers? Where’s all the colors?!?)  Seeing only black was available, I went ahead and got a black.  My order processed no problem. Unless you count the ridiculous 3-5 week shipping window.

Here’s where the problems begin.  We have 2 iPhone 4s in our house, both linked to the same iTunes account, which I’d assume isn’t that uncommon for couples and spouses who obviously share joint bank accounts.  Well,using the other iPhone 4, we downloaded the app, launched, typed iTunes password, and it told me I already had an order placed.  D’oh!

I called Apple to ask them what was going on and their solution was for me to just make another iTunes account for the other iPhone.  To me, that’s not a solution, that just creates more of a hassle for me.  It’s something I shouldn’t have to do to begin with.  What would have been wrong with a process where you just enter your iPhone 4 serial number in order to redeem? Then users could do this online or from their phones.  That would have been pretty fool proof in my opinion.  Doing it by iTunes account is just a bad idea in general.

Anyone else having this issue? Or is their system just wigging out?  Apple didn’t seem to have any idea what was going on.  I’m still expecting an e-mail back from a rep at Apple as to whether or not they can just process my second order for me.  I’ll update if I hear anything further.

Update: Apparently you don’t have to log in with an iTunes ID, it can be an Apple ID too. It does appear they are checking the serials as well. (Obviously to prevent people from logging into multiple iTunes accounts or Apple IDs on the same device to get more than one free case).  I’m still curious as to why or if they’re checking iTunes accounts as well, as there really is no need if they’re going off serial.

Update 2: It looks as if a lot of users are saying their orders went through just fine with the same iTunes/AppleID – perhaps it was a glitch that got worked out or a bug? Who knows, but be sure to let us know if you have issues as well.  Mine eventually went through ok but we did have to use a different AppleID for the second phone.

Potential Hiccup in iPhone 4 Free Case Program? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

During Apple’s Q3 2010 conference call, CFO Peter Oppenheimer revealed that Apple’s massive North Carolina data center is on schedule and should go online in 2011. Oppenheimer didn’t reveal what the data center would be used for but rumors persist of an iTunes.com streaming music, TV, and movie service.

With 100,000,000 iOS devices sold to date, additional rumors of an iOS Apple TV, and countless desktop iTunes installs on the market, pushing that much content would certainly need a world-class data center.

If this year’s iPod touch event in September doesn’t offer any clues, maybe next year’s iPad event will?

Apple’s massive North Carolina data center to go online next year is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

On Tuesday, Apple released an update for iTunes pushing the version number to 9.2.1. As you can reveal from the version number, this update is just for bug fixes.

According to the release note, iTunes 9.2.1 comes with the following bug fixes:

• Disables older versions of some incompatible third-party plug-ins
• Addresses minor issues with dragging and dropping items
• Addresses a performance issue when first syncing to some devices with iTunes 9.2
• Addresses an issue upgrading to iOS 4 on an iPhone or iPod touch with encrypted back-ups
• Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance

As usual, you can download the latest version of iTunes from Apple’s website or via software update.

If you are using jailbroken iPhone, it is safe to upgrade to this iTunes version. There should be no problem for your jailbroken iPhone to sync with the updated iTunes.

However, if you plan to use Spirit tool to jailbreak the iPhone, as advised by musclenerd, you better stay away from the upgrade.

Have you updated to iTunes 9.2.1? Do you encounter any problem with your jailbroken iPhone. Please feel free to share your experience by leaving comment below.

Not to be left out of all the point release fun, Apple has just pushed out iTunes 9.2.1. Hit software update or head on over to Apple’s iTunes download page to grab it.

iTunes 9.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

• Disables older versions of some incompatible third-party plug-ins
• Addresses minor issues with dragging and dropping items
• Addresses a performance issue when first syncing to some devices with

If you notice anything else, let us know in comments.

[Apple.com/iTunes, thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Apple releases iTunes 9.2.1 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

A couple months ago, I wrote a tutorial article that showed you how to view PDF file on iBooks app. In brief, it requires you to convert PDF file into ePub format before you can sync and view the PDF on iBooks.

With the release of iBooks 1.1 and iTunes 9.2, my guide becomes obsolete. The new version of iBooks app provides native support for PDF files. It is not required to go through a conversion process to transform a PDF file into an ePub file so as to read the file on iBooks. Reading PDF file on iBooks 1.1 is very straightforward. In this post, I will walk through with you the procedures to view and sync PDF files on iBooks. The procedures should apply for both iPhone and iPad.

1. First, make sure you have installed iBooks 1.1 (or up) on your device. You should also upgrade the iTunes to v9.2 if you haven’t done so.

2. Once you have all the applications in place. Launch iTunes. In the menu bar, click “File” -> “Add to Library…”.

3. Select the PDF file you would like to import into iTunes and click “Open”.

4. Here it is… The PDF file is automatically imported into iTunes library under the books section.

5. (Optional) In case you want to change the title, author and other detailed information of the PDF document, you can simply right-click on the document and select “Get Info”.

6. (Optional) You can fill in whatever information you want for the PDF document. Once done, click “OK” to save the info.

7. Next, it’s time to sync the PDF document to your iPhone/iPad. In iTunes, select your device.

8. Select the “Books” tab and make sure the “Sync Books” checkbox is checked. iTunes provide two options for book synchronization. Either to sync all books or part of them. Both options should work. But if you select to sync only those selected books, make sure you select the PDF document you have just imported.

9. Next, click the “Apply” button to start the sync. Once the sync process completes, you should be able to find the PDF document via the iBooks app on your device.

This should be easy, right? But in case you hit any problem, feel free to leave us comment.

Apple has responded to that bizarre incident over the weekend involving a glut of Vietnamese, copyright-infringing book apps rocking to best-seller status on the backs of hacked iTunes accounts.

The developer Thuat Nguyen and his apps were removed from the App Store for violating the developer Program License Agreement, including fraudulent purchase patterns.

Developers do not receive any iTunes confidential customer data when an app is downloaded.

If your credit card or iTunes password is stolen and used on iTunes we recommend that you contact your financial institution and inquire about canceling the card and issuing a chargeback for any unauthorized transactions. We also recommend that you change your iTunes account password immediately. For more information on best practices for password security visit http://www.apple.com/support/itunes.

Good advice for this incident, great advice in general. Also remember to never, not ever, click a link in an email and log into an account. That’s how social engineering attacks like Phishing scams work. Use a strong password (long, with numbers and symbols), keep it unique, and change it once and a while. Treat it as securely as you treat your credit card and cash — because that’s what it is.

UPDATE: According to Clayton Morris who followed up with Apple, about 400 users were impacted. iTunes’s servers were not hacked. In response Apple will be increasing the frequency they require you to enter your credit card verification number going forward.

[Engadget, Clayton Morris]

UPDATED: Apple comments on iTunes fraud – dev banned, change your password is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

During custom firmware restoration or iPhone OS downgrade, you may encounter various kinds of iTunes errors. Yesterday, I got an email from a reader about an annoying iTunes error during firmware restore:

The iphone “iphone” could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (1015)

Probably you also encounter the same error. To resolve the error, someone has developed a tool called “Error 1015 Fixer”. It’s a very simple tool that comes with a single function, that is to fix the iTunes 1015 error. You can follow the procedures to download and install the tool:

1. First, download “Error 1015 Fixer” from here.

2. The tool depends on LibUSB. So, please also download LibUSB and install it.

Note: For installation procedures of LibUSB, you can refer to its installation guide.

3. When you encounter the iTunes 1015 error, simply launch the tool and click “Fix my Error” button.

4. Then click “Done! Click to exit!”.

That’s it. The iTunes 1015 error should be vanished. Let me know if this tool works for you.

Note: The guide is for reference only. For some reasons, it may not work for you. Use it at your own risk.

[via GadgetDNA]

It looks like there’s been a sharp rise in iTunes accounts being hacked. We don’t have any solid information on this yet, but when it comes to security TiPb believes in warning first, worrying about the details later. Engadget points to a link between the hacks and the rise in popularity of some Vietnamese book apps. Sounds crazy, but it’s absolutely not funny:

As of this writing, 42 of the top 50 books by revenue are from the seller Thuat Nguyen, whose company website (“mycompany”) leads to parked site www.home.com. [...] a number of people [are] reporting up to hundreds of dollars being spent unwillingly from their account to these specific books. Coincidence? Let’s not mince words here, something is definitely amiss, and it’s not looking good. Just to be safe, might wanna check your purchase history under Apple Account information. We’ve reached out to Apple and will let you know as soon as we hear back.

Checking your account info for fraudulent charges is great advice. Using a long, strong password with numbers, symbols, and letters, and changing it regularly is also good advice.

If you’ve seen anything suspicious, report the problem to iTunes, and let us know in the comments.

UPDATE: 9to5Mac says the “mycompany” apps have been pulled from the iTunes App Store.

[Engadget, 9to5Mac]

UPDATED: iTunes accounts being hacked, used to cheat App Store? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog