Apple Daily Report: FCC gives the iPhone XR a thumbs-up (and more news)

Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, at the end of each week day, we’ll offer this wrap-up of news items you should check out.

Apple has received approval from the FCC today to sell the iPhone XR in the U.S., ahead of pre-orders on Oct. 19. The iPhone XR will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in white, black, blue, yellow, coral and (PRODUCT)RED starting at $749 from apple.com and Apple Stores, and is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).

Apple has announced that five of its retail stores across the U.S>and Australia will reopen on Saturday, Sept. 29. They are: Apple Lehigh Valley (Whitehall, Pennsylvania, near Allentown); Apple Deer Park (Deer Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago); Apple Scottsdale Fashion Square (Scottsdale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix); Apple Green Hills (Nashville, Tennessee); and Apple Robina (Robina, Australia).

A security vulnerability discovered in Apple’s Device Enrollment Program (DEP) could allow an attacker to gain full access to a corporate or school network. The DEP is a free service offered by Apple to allow new devices to be automatically configured with everything from custom apps to VPN settings. All that is needed is the serial number of the device, and that’s the root of the problem, says the security researcher who discovered it.

An Australian teenager who hacked Apple systems over several months and downloaded sensitive data avoided a jail term as a court heard he was fascinated by the tech giant and found accessing its networks addictive. He was given eight months’ probation.

Seven people have been arrested in Oakland in connection with robberies around the state, including recent thefts at Apple stores, an Alameda County sheriff’s spokesman said. Sgt. Ray Kelly said the seven people have been booked at the county jail in connection with the robberies. 

Consumers who own an Apple Watch are being offered $1,000 of accidental death insurance coverage at no cost through a new program from health app provider, Cardiogram, and two major insurance providers.