Apple has joined the FIDO Alliance and will help with new authentication standards

Apple has joined the FIDO Alliance, with MacGeneration spotting that the companies logo had been added to a list of board-level members.

The FIDO Alliance hopes to be the answer to "the world's password problem," by making it easier to implement methods that can help prevent data breaches. That includes anything from second-factor multi-factor authentication to pure passwordless methods of accessing accounts and data. Those might include fingerprint and facial recognition, just like Touch ID and Face ID, or new mechanisms like physical security keys.

Apple recently added support for FIDO2-compliant security keys, like the YubiKey, to Safari via the iOS 13.3 update and it has long tried to make it easier for users to access their devices without needing to remember complex passwords. That aim even goes all the way back to the Mac OS 9 days and the infamous Voiceprint Password mess.

FIDO has been around since 2013 and continues to grow as more and more companies come on board.

Beta time

Apple releases the first public beta of watchOS 7.1

Apple has released beta 1 of watchOS 7.1 for its public beta testers. Here's how to download it.

Proper football

Ted Lasso's AFC Richmond has a Twitter account and now you know it exists

"Ted Lasso" is an Apple TV+ show that's taken social media by storm. So it stands to reason that Lasso's team is doing the same.

U1

Report: Apple U1 chip coming to AirPods Studio, AirTags more than tracking

Apple's rumored AirPods Studio will include the U1 ultra-wideband chip, according to an anonymous leaker. They also suggest that we will see Apple's AirTags do more than just track things.

So many choices!

Which Apple Watch color should you buy?

Silver, gold, space gray, space black, graphite, blue, or (PRODUCT) RED — Here's how to pick the perfect Apple Watch color for you.