The Current Plus: Deadly diet scam, #BlueCollar, go incognito by default | In partnership with Blinds.com | | Ahoy on this techy Tuesday! Today’s top story is all about Apple’s big software announcements, so let’s start with some “iTrivia.” What was the first iPhone with Siri baked in? Was it the … A.) 1st‑gen iPhone, B.) iPhone 3GS, C.) iPhone 4S or D.) iPhone 6? Answer at the end! 🎉 Exciting news! For the first time ever, you can catch The Kim Komando Show as a podcast on your schedule. You’ll get news, alerts and tips not found in my free newsletter. Plus, I answer caller questions on the fly! Try the free version or go ad-free for a couple of bucks a month on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Every single listen truly helps us keep this tech machine whirring. Thank you for your support! — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) IN THIS ISSUE 🍎 Meet Apple’s AI 🎦 You’re on cam at T.J. Maxx 🛑 Deadly fake Ozempic |
TODAY'S TOP STORY Apple Intelligence coming to your phone (maybe) WWDC is Apple’s annual conference during which they talk about all things software. Day 1 is always the biggest, and I watched all hour-and-a-half-plus of the event to update you on what’s new. Come this fall, you’ll see … a new Passwords app that works across your Apple devices, better iPhone customization options, easier texting with your Android pals, and the ability to reply to all texts and iMessages with emojis. (Can’t wait to reply to Barry with an eye roll. Sorry, honey.) OK, those are neat upgrades, but the real changes are all about AI. Introducing AI Not artificial intelligence — Apple Intelligence. No joke, that’s what they’re calling it. Personalization and making your life easier are the big focuses. Some of the highlights: Create original, personalized animations and images to use in chat. Find things with natural commands, like, “What did Barry ask me to pick up at the grocery store?” Get alerts if there’s a conflict, like when someone adds a meeting to your schedule. See a quick summary of emails you receive and the ones you write. A new Rewrite feature can clean up anything you write across any app. That includes adjusting your tone, if need be. I’d be scared if I ran Grammarly … Turn rough sketches into polished images with the tap of a button. If privacy comes to mind, yep, you’re smart. Apple says almost all its AI will run on your device only and never make it to their servers. Some will, and that’s where Private Cloud Compute comes in. 🔐 These are servers used for just AI purposes, and I’m willing to bet they’ll put the entire might of Apple behind securing them. That AI powers the new Siri When Siri is active in iOS 18, the entire edge of your screen will illuminate. Whoa, earth-shattering! Describe a feature you can’t find and Siri will do it for you, like, “Siri, make the text on my phone bigger.” Edit photos with your voice: “Siri, make the picture brighter.” Get info without having to provide all the specifics. Ask Siri, “When is my trip to New York?” to pull up the flight info from your emails and planning texts with a friend. One more thing: The bad news All the shiny, new AI features require the latest and greatest Apple devices — the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with an M1 or later chip. If you bought your iPad or Mac before 2021, you’re probably out of luck. To check a Mac: Hit the Apple icon in the top left corner, then select About This Mac. You’re in luck if you see Apple M1, M2 or M3. An Intel chip is old news. To check an iPad: Here’s a handy-dandy list that includes chips by model. So, should I buy a new iPhone/iPad/Mac now? No way! iOS 18 won’t launch until September, so time is on your side. Apple’s Black Friday deal is kinda lame. (You just get a gift card.) The best times to buy are mid-to-late July, then again in October and November. Now you know. 🍎 Why did Adam and Eve use Android? Because Eve violated the apple’s terms and conditions. Ha! There are a lot more features coming, and I’ll give you previews along the way since I’m an Apple beta tester and should start seeing this stuff in action soon. |
WEB WATERCOOLER ✈️ Think before you post: Scammers on X are posing as major airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. They target folks who tag the airlines, offering fake customer service via comments or direct messages. The links they send take you to dodgy sites designed to steal your personal info. If they ask for your number, nope. Blocked. He seemed really animated: Your next interview might be with an avatar (that looks like Harry Potter). AI recruitment company micro1 says customers are using it to screen up to 30,000 candidates a month. My advice: Stick to the facts and your skillset; jokes won’t go far with a bot. Oh, snap: TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls, is strapping body cameras on employees. After a year of testing, they’re hoping the cams stop shoplifters. They say only law enforcement or legal reps with a subpoena can view the footage. Watch out, dieters: A diabetic woman nearly died after buying fake Ozempic online. It turned out to be an insulin pen, which can cause diabetic shock if misused. Scammers are peddling “weight loss” drugs on websites and social media, luring buyers with phony reviews, no prescriptions and crypto discounts. Do not buy it, please. Not banking on this: A creative 53-year-old man used an iPad to rob a bank in Las Vegas, showing a note on his tablet that read, “I am heavily armed.” No joke, his first attempt (the day before) was foiled after someone activated a silent alarm. His iPad trick worked, and he got away with nearly $1,000 in cash … before police arrested him. #BlueCollar: That’s the hashtag Gen Z influencers are using to show young Americans that blue-collar jobs can be a goldmine. Take construction gigs, which pay newbies more than entry-level accounting jobs — and minus the student debt. They’re not giving out this knowledge just to be nice; electrician Lexis Czumak-Abreu rakes in $200,000 a year from clicks and brand deals alone. New term to know: Photocatalytic. Chemists came up with a special paint that cleans itself. For the nerds: When UV light hits the surface, titanium oxide nanoparticles will jump-start a reaction that breaks down junk and pollutants. This could be a game-changer for buildings painted in light colors. Share this with your friends who will be amazed at your good looks and intellect. |
LISTEN UP | | Blue light doesn't impact your sleep We've all heard using our phones before bed is bad for us. But is that really true? Hear why some scientists are saying otherwise. Play Now • 9:10 ▶ |
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TECH LIFE UPGRADES Make the smart business move: You need to make sure your business can compete in this new AI world. Take a free test drive of Oracle’s* AI tech right now, before it’s too late. Where the heck did Excel go? On Windows 11, it’s handy to pin the apps and programs you use most to the Start menu. Open the app list, right-click on a favorite, then select Pin to Start. You can drag them around to any order you like. Right-click to unpin. Don’t miss the pic: On an Android, double-press the power button to quickly launch the camera, even when your phone’s locked. Start your browser in Incognito mode by default: For Chrome on a PC, drag the icon from your Start menu to the desktop to create a shortcut. Then right-click and select Show more options > Properties. There, you’ll see the URL string under “Target.” Add ‑incognito to the end. On Safari for Mac, click Settings > General > Safari opens with a private window. For Android phones, tap and hold the browser’s icon, then select Open in Private tab. On iPhone, press and hold your browser’s icon and choose New Private Tab (for Safari) or Incognito Search (for Chrome). |
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BY THE NUMBERS 27% of the time AI answered election-related questions incorrectly. Some did better than others in a new study. Google’s Gemini 1.0 Pro scored a 57% … ouch. OpenAI’s GPT‑4o was right 81% of the time. Don’t rely on AI if you need to know when and where to vote. 20% reduction in printing Compared to pre-pandemic times. That’s what HP boss Enrique Lores told investors. Yeah, things aren’t pretty in the print hardware division; revenues have been down nine quarters in a row. 98 years old The age of the oldest Daytime Emmy winner ever, Dick Van Dyke. He was a guest on “Days of Our Lives.” When asked about the big win, he said, “If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself!” Love him. |
WHAT THE TECH? PSA as summer approaches: Don’t buy a child’s swimsuit in light blue, blue or white. Those are the hardest colors to spot underwater. Solid neons are the most visible. |
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UNTIL NEXT TIME ... The answer: C.) iPhone 4S. Now, this is fascinating: Siri debuted as an iOS app in February 2010. Apple acquired it two months later, adding the beta version to the iPhone 4S. The standalone app then disappeared. Ahem, smart way to get people to upgrade to a new phone, right? One for the road: Check your ticker with your smartphone. For iPhone, Cardiio: Heart Rate Monitor is a good choice. It works with iPads, too. For Android, Heart Rate Monitor is similarly easy to use. Cover the back camera, stay still and you’ll get a reading. That’s all, folks. Thanks for letting me in your inbox. Give a rating below to let me know how you’re loving The Current, and I’ll be back tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim |
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