But one important fact that isn’t checking out – if Apple were building a search engine, they’d be hiring search experts and engineers. We’ve talked to a ton of them at all the big companies, and while some of them heard the same rumors, none have lost search employees to Apple, or heard of any specific hirings. That alone almost certainly rules out a full on search competitor. You can’t do it without people who know what they’re doing....
Apple today added eight new countries to its iTunes in the Cloud for Movies service, allowing customers to re-download any movies previously purchased from the iTunes Store. iFun and MacRumors note that the service has been rolled out to Japan, and seven European countries: Austria, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Switzerland. U.S. customers were first to get movies added to the iTunes in the Cloud service in March last year....
We’re less than a week away from WWDC kicking off in San Jose, California. As it does every year, Apple has started preparing for the event by hanging decorative banners outside of the venue… WWDC this year is being held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, which is the same place as it was held last year. Thus far, we’ve seen two shots of the decorations – one on Twitter courtesy of Aaron Stephenson and another from Mac4Ever....
Apple Card is expanding its 3% Daily Cash offer again. Wallgreens today announced it is partnering with the Apple Card to offer 3% cashback on any Walgreens purchases, starting tomorrow. You have to use Apple Pay, but the cashback applies to any purchases made at Walgreens retail stores, Walgreens website, or the Duane Read chain of pharmacies. Apple Card gives rewards in the form of Daily Cash, a simple cashback program that avoids the complexities of points schemes....
Among over 200 titans of industry, finance and entertainment this evening, Apple’s Tim Cook and former EPA head and Apple’s VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa P. Jackson attended President Obama’s Chinese State Dinner. The two reportedly sat at the President’s table with FaceBook’s Mark Zuckerberg with wife Pricilla Chan, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Apple Board member and Disney CEO Bob Iger among the 18… Cook and Jackson will have lots to talk about with Chinese President Xi Jinping as Apple’s China presence is growing along with issues of hacking, counterfeiting, taxation, smuggling and competition to name a few....
Earlier this week, Apple officially released iOS 10.3 to the public and included in it were a variety of fixes, some of which are continuing to surface. A new report from The Wall Street Journal highlights that iOS 10.3 fixes a flaw we initially covered back in October that caused iOS devices to repeatedly call 911… The flaw was discovered by an 18-year old who found a way to use Javascript to remotely cause iOS devices to open popup alerts, open apps, and make phone calls....
Apple today debuted four new ads for Apple Music via its YouTube channel. The ads, like the three debuted last month, focus on the service’s capability to help listeners to discover new music. The new ads feature musician Leon Bridges, singer songwriter Shamir, and rapper Flying Lotus. Apple also today announced a new partnership with Burberry that will see the company developing an Apple Music channel exclusively featuring British artists....
Earlier today, Apple issued an incredibly strong denial in response to a report from Bloomberg, which alleged that Apple and a handful of other tech companies had some data compromised due to Chinese surveillance chips being found in a Super Micro server. The report noted that these chips were found on Apple’s servers sometime around 2015. Following its earlier statement on the report, Apple has now published a press release on its website detailing what actually happened as it continues to deny the allegations....
John Gruber surprised podcast listeners today by getting Apple’s own Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi on The Talk Show to discuss a variety of topics behind Apple. Since Tim Cook took leadership at Apple, it hasn’t been unheard of for Apple execs to appear on Gruber’s show. The first occurrence was last June when Phil Schiller met John Gruber on stage during WWDC to discuss Apple’s recent announcements and decisions over the past few years....
Apple is not providing specific guidance for Q1 2021 due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, Apple CFO Luca Maestri did provide some broad expectations during a call with investors this afternoon. Maestri emphasized that Apple’s expectations for the fiscal first quarter of 2021 are based on the assumption that the COVID-19 impact on its business will be similar in November and December to what it has been so far in October....
As Apple rebounds from its first earnings call predicated with a guidance revision in 16 years, many analysts remain skeptical of the company’s ability to regain its trillion-dollar status. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, however, offers a different take, via CNBC. Huberty believes that if Apple successfully launches a so called “media bundle” in 2019, comprised of music, television streaming and a Texture news subscription, the company will see significant growth as the bank currently targets AAPL’s 12 month share price at $211....
Apple is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a full-page photo and a quote on its homepage. Tim Cook also tweeted another King quote: Sadly and predictably, some Twitter users hijacked the message to reply with complaints about Apple slowing down older iPhones. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the U.S. to mark the birthday of the famous civil rights leader. King advocated non-violent opposition to racial discrimination....
Following Apple’s original founding documents being auctioned for roughly $1.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction on Tuesday, Engadget sat down with Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne who shared a collection of other early documents related to the company. The report noted that Wayne has the documents stored away in a USPS envelope in his office, some of which include hand drawings in pencil for an Apple I casing that was ultimately rejected....
iPad 2 WiFi teardown image courtesy of iFixit An interesting report comes this morning via DigiTimes, the Taiwanese trade publication. Besides naming possible integrated circuit suppliers for iPad 4 – Novatek Microelectronics (LCD driver), Richtek Technology (integrated power management), Capella Microsystems (ambient light sensors) and Integrated Memory Logic (programmable gamma/Vcom buffer solutions) – the publication mentions that Apple is now “more willing” to ship various integrated circuit modules from Taiwan-based IC design houses as a way of reducing iPad’s bill of material (BOM):...
Apple is continuing work on a new kind of hinge design for its devices. The company has been perfecting its work here since 2013 and this week, the European Patent Office published Apple’s latest patent claim additions, which emphasize the usefulness of this flexible hinge design for MacBooks… As outlined by Patently Apple, this patent outlines a flexible hinge design, sometimes referred to by Apple as a “Living Hinge.” This would mean that entire MacBook enclosure could be created “from a single rigid material....
Apple decided to take legal action against a company called Prepear in August 2020 because the company has a pear-shaped logo, which Apple claims is very similar to its own logo — although Prepear has nothing to do with technology. Today, however, both companies have reached an agreement, and Apple will let Prepear use the fruit logo with a subtle change. Prepear is a spin-off of the Super Healthy Kids service, and it offers healthy recipes and a digital grocery list through a mobile app....
Although Apple didn’t offer a video stream of its March education event, it comes as no surprise that its WWDC stage will be streamed live. Apple confirmed this today with a new banner on the Apple.com homepage, inviting customers to join in on the announcements on June 4. The event video will be available to watch live from 10 AM Pacific Time on June 4. Apple is expected to announce its next-generation software platforms, headlining new features in iOS 12, macOS 10....
After acknowledging issues with its 2018 butterfly keyboards earlier this year, Apple has today expanded its Keyboard Service Program to cover the 2018 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks. The company is also using a new material in a revised third-gen butterfly keyboard that it claims should resolve issues like missed key presses and double key-presses. Additionally, Apple has started another Service Program for MacBook Pros with backlight display failures....
Apple has announced today that App Store customers spent a record amount throughout the holiday season. Apple says that in total, the App Store has generated more than $200 billion for developers since the App Store launch in 2008. Apple says that App Store customers spent $1.8 billion on digital goods and services over the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day, Apple says that customers spent a record of $540 million in the App Store....
From 9to5Toys.com: Update: Refurbished iPods are getting some price drop loving as well! Apple has knocked $30 of the price of iPod Touch 32Gb 5th generation models. They are now available for $219 with free shipping or in-store pickup. That’s $10 less than a new 16GB iPod Touch, which doesn’t even have a rear camera. In light of today’s product announcements, Apple has slashed the prices of iPads in its refurbished online store....
