Apple MacBook Pro Update Rumors Keep Surfacing

Today’s topics include the rumors that Apple will soon give its MacBook Pro line a major overhaul, Facebook’s plan to begin overriding ad blockers on the desktop version of the social network, the news about a potentially damaging breach of Oracle’s Micros POS system and the reason why Hulu moved its free video content to Yahoo View.

Since May, rumors have been swirling that Apple is working on a major overhaul of its MacBook Pro laptop product line, which hasn’t received significant updates in about four years.

Those rumors, however, remain persistent and just received more potential verification after an unnamed source confirmed that Apple has been performing advanced testing with redesigned MacBook Pro machines “since earlier this year,” according to an Aug. 10 report by Bloomberg.

“The updated notebooks will be thinner, include a touch-screen strip for function keys and will be offered with more powerful and efficient graphics processors for expert users, such as video gamers,” several sources said, according to the article. However, it’s unlikely that the updated models will be introduced at Apple’s scheduled Sept. 7 produce briefing, the story continued.

Truly free web services are rare. If you don’t pay a subscription fee for a service, expect to see plenty of ads or some other marketing messages pop up somewhere.

Facebook’s business model is based on advertising, so naturally it’s going to give users every opportunity to view ads when they use its free services.

However, over the past couple of years, websites of every kind have had to contend with increasingly sophisticated ad-blocking applications that have disrupted the standard ad-presentation programs of the past.

To fight back, Facebook revealed Aug. 9 that it is going to start forcing ads to appear for all users of its desktop website, even if they are using ad-blocking software. The policy is expected to go into force immediately.

Point-of-sale malware is nothing new, but on Aug. 8, news came to light of a potentially extensive and damaging breach of Oracle’s Micros POS that could have widespread implications for the retail industry.

The breach was first reported by Krebs on Security and confirmed by Oracle in a letter sent to its Micros customers. “Oracle Security has detected and addressed malicious code in certain legacy Micros systems,” the letter states.

Oracle’s corporate network and Oracle’s other cloud and service offerings were not impacted by this code. Oracle acquired Micros in June 2014 for $5.3 billion and has since continued to build and develop the POS software platform. The Micros platform is used at approximately 330,000 customer sites around the world, making it one of the most widely used POS systems.

Hulu.com is ending the free video content offerings on its website and is moving them to a newly created Yahoo View website where visitors can access free television programming.

The free content on Hulu’s site will end in the next few weeks as the company continues its ongoing transition to a subscriber-only model, the company confirmed to eWEEK on Aug. 9.

The free content that had been available through Hulu will be available through an expanded partnership between Yahoo and Hulu via the Yahoo View website, according to an Aug. 8 announcement by Yahoo.