Last week Apple posted a video showing how the calligraphy mural painted at one of its upcoming Chinese retail outlets was created just days before that store opened to the public. Today the company has posted a new video of a second mural, this time at its new Chongqing location. The store features a unique cylindrical entrance, and Apple commissioned two artists—a China-based painter and US-based photographer—to collaborate on the artwork....

After unveiling the new iPad at today’s event, Apple officially confirmed it would continue selling the iPad 2. The entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad 2 will get a price drop to $399. The Wi-Fi+3G model will sell for $529. The price drops will presumably take effect immediately, because preorders for the new iPad begin today. Apple March 7th iPad event Liveblog (9to5mac.com) Apple drops 16GB iPad 2 to $399, $529 for Wi-Fi + 3G (9to5mac....

Now this speculation seems set to climb even higher with a source telling Business Insider that Apple engineers have been engaged in frequent trips from Cupertino to China. “A source tells us a system integration engineer friend of his at Apple has been ramping up his travels back and forth between China lately, broadcasting word of his travels over the Internet,” the report claims. What makes this even more interesting is that engineers are currently booked to head to China across the Holiday season, meeting with Apple’s manufacturers out there, presumably Foxconn, who we were earlier told has been contracted to produce 300,000 of the still unannounced tablet-type devices (dubbed ‘Slate’ according to the NYT) each and every month....

After introducing the iPhone 5c last fall in 16GB and 32GB variants at launch, Apple later added a cheaper and admittedly space-constrained version in a number of non-US markets around the globe. Apple’s position on the device’s purpose was that it offers a more attractive price while still offering LTE (unlike the iPhone 4s) in markets where the faster network is well desired. A few weeks ago, The Times of India reported that Apple was poised to introduce the 8GB variant of the iPhone 5c to iPhone buyers in India, and today The Times is reporting that Apple has indeed introduced that cheaper version of the colorful iPhone as was rumored and expected....

During today’s new product announcement, Apple unveiled an all-new addition to the iPhone family. The iPhone 5c (with a lowercase “c”) replaces the iPhone 5 in Apple’s mobile lineup. The 5c features many of the internal components of the previous iPhone 5, but the exterior of the device has been completely redesigned. Rather than a metal and glass design like that of previous models, the back of the iPhone 5’s casing is made of plastic which comes in a variety of colors....

Apple Configurator 2 is a tool created by Apple to simplify the setup and deployment of multiple iOS devices in businesses and schools. The app was today updated to version 2.12, which brought support for restoring the 2019 Mac Pro firmware, in addition to new features for VPN networks and more. Since the introduction of Apple’s T2 security chip in the 2017 iMac Pro, the latest Mac computers may need to have the firmware restored through another Mac using Apple Configurator 2 on some occasions....

After unveiling the new iPad’s Retina Display, Apple execs are onstage right now confirming the new iPad will run a new dual-core A5X processor with quad-core graphics. Apple said the A5 chip is “twice as fast” as Tegra 3 and the new A5X provides “four times the performance.” We will update this post when we learn more on the specifics. Apple March 7th iPad event Liveblog (9to5mac.com) Apple drops 16GB iPad 2 to $399, $529 for Wi-Fi + 3G (9to5mac....

Apple is courting controversy in China by announcing that it will take a cut of donations sent to content creators via social media apps in the future … WeChat and other Chinese social media apps include a ‘tip’ function which allows users to reward content providers by sending them a donation of anything from 1 yuan (15 cents) up. Donations are transferred by the chat app between mobile wallets. Apple last month told developers that they should disable this functionality in order to comply with App Store rules, but the WSJ reports that the company appears to have had a change of heart, and now sees tips as a revenue opportunity....

Update: iGen.fr notes that Marseille, the second largest city in France, has also just received Flyover coverage. Apple has been adding a lot of new imagery in its Maps app for the 3D flyover mode that initially launched in just a handful of countries. Over the last year it has added coverage for a ton of new locations in the US, UK, France, and Canada, and over the last week readers have reached out to note the addition of two major cities for the feature: Cape Town, South Africa and Helsinki, Finland....

Following officially getting regulatory approval to complete its purchase of Beats, Apple today added a new section to its online store highlighting Beats by Dr. Dre products. The new section is accessible from the Accessories section of Apple’s online store and joins the main All Accessories, Apple accessories, Exclusives, Trending, and Gift Card sections that get top billing along the top of the accessories store. The new microsite is a typical Apple product page that links to dedicated sections for Beats headphones, speakers, and accessories....

Apple Card is adding another benefit for cardholders: 3% Daily Cash back at Exxon and Mobil gas stations. This means that when you pay with Apple Pay using your Apple Card, you’ll earn 3% cash back through the Wallet app on your iPhone. Apple’s new deal with Exxon and Mobil gas stations is the latest expansion of Apple Card benefits. You can use Apple Pay inside Exxon and Mobil stores, or use the Exxon Mobil Rewards+ app and pay at the pump with your Apple Card via Apple Pay (via CNBC)....

Another day, another patent dispute. This time Apple is defending the use of its HTTP live-streaming service against Emblaze, Ltd., Bloomberg reports. Specifically, the lawyer for Emblaze has accused Apple of pushing its video streaming technology on sports-related services like WatchESPN and MLB At Bat which support live streaming over apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and more. “Apple’s HLS is nothing more than Emblaze’s patented solution under a different name,” he said....

Calibration is now achieved through software alone. This should make repairs faster and makes it easier for more repair locations to open up around the world, assuming Apple also loosens its relatively-stringent approval policy on setting up new repair centers. When Touch ID debuted with the iPhone 5s, the home button became cryptographically paired with the display and logic board. Replacing an iPhone screen and digitiser without going through Apple’s proprietary calibration process would result in an iPhone with a new screen, but non-functional fingerprint sensor....

Apple’s focus on fitness is as strong as ever with Apple Watch Series 2 and the company is pushing fitness every chance it gets. Apple’s director of fitness for health technologies Jay Blahnik announced this evening that he will hold a talk at the Apple Store in SoHo with runner Joan Benoit Samuelson and trainer Jeanette Jenkins. The talk will be held this Friday at 4:30 PM ET. It’s unlikely that the talk will be live streamed, so you’ll have to attend in person to experience it....

Apple has officially confirmed its long-anticipated spring 2021 event. This year, Apple is holding a virtual event on April 20, and it’s teasing it with the tagline “Spring Loaded.” The event could include a new iPad Pro, AirTags, and more. Read on as we round up everything that Apple could announce during its April 20 special event. Last-minute rumors Update: April 19, 2021 Table of contents Last-minute rumors Apple spring event history Apple 2021 April Event details iPad Pro iPad mini AirTags Apple TV New Macs?...

We haven’t gotten official word on this but the Economic Times of India is reporting that Apple changed its return policy on Apps from minutes to 7 days. We reported earlier this month that Taiwan gave both Apple and Google two weeks to comply withits consumer protection mandate. It appears that Apple has complied (Google, less so): While this would be nice for Taiwanese consumers (perhaps a little too nice), developers will now see some of their apps “trialled” for a few days and then returned....

Apple has finally managed to secure a sales ban over some Samsung phone features that infringe on its patents and intellectual property. However, the victory is effectively meaningless despite the milestone in its continuing patent litigation suit with Samsung in ever-longer court battles. Apple’s ban resides over three features encumbered by its patents: the controversial ‘slide to unlock’ patent, predictive text technology and autocorrect. Getting a ban is a huge symbolic achievement, but the effect it will have on day-to-day business of the two companies is minor....

Apple is giving out $25 App Store gift cards to WWDC 2014 attendees. The gift card is given to each attendee when picking up their badge. The $25 amount ties into the “25 years and coding” tagline printed beneath the WWDC logo. Check out Harrison Weinerman’s tweet below. Also this: $25 App Store gift card for WWDC Attendees. $1/year of #wwdc pic.twitter.com/qGbHrBLvzI — Harrison Weinerman (@hrrsn) June 1, 2014 Also, photo of the jacket and badge:...

Update 1: Samsung comments below the fold Update 2: Judge declares Apple’s “slide-to-unlock” patent invalid A Dutch court today issued an “EU-wide preliminary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy” devices (excluding the Galaxy tablets), according to a report from FOSS Patents who just posted the official court order. From the report: While the majority of Apple’s claims have reportedly been rejected by the court, one patent detailing swiping gestures between images in a gallery has apparently lead to the court’s ultimate decision (according to Tweaker via MacRumors)....

Following Apple’s major win against Samsung in United States court regarding mobile device patents, both companies have issued statements. The first statement comes from Apple’s PR head, Katie Cotton, who is grateful for the jury’s time and effort. Cotton goes onto say that Apple values originality and innovation and that the company applauds the court for making it clear the “stealing isn’t right.” AllThingsD has the statement from Samsung’s PR team:...