Posts

In a post on its developer website this afternoon, Apple has announced that the App Store is launching in 20 new countries this year. Apple hasn’t yet said which countries are included in this expansion. [Update: View the list below] Apple says: The focus of today’s announcement is on informing developers of the upcoming expansion and ensuring they are prepared. Here’s what Apple says developers need to do before April 10:...

Apple has made the iOS 13.6 golden master available to developers today. The update comes with new features like improved support for downloading and installing system updates, the all-new Apple News+ Audio content, as well as the exciting CarKey feature. Update: Shortly after going live for developers, the GM releases were renamed to beta 4. This could be to line up the public release of iOS 13.6 with the new Apple News+ Audio launch....

Following the launch of new iPhone video ads targeting Android users earlier this month, Apple today released three new ads as part of the “Life is easier on iPhone” campaign. In the previously released videos, Apple highlighted features such as music, privacy, and photos. In the three new ads released today (below), Apple focuses on security, contacts, and performance… When Apple first launched the new video ad campaign earlier this month, it also revamped its apple....

Apple has posted the full video of the Steve Jobs memorial and celebration of his life at the Cupertino, California campus. The event was held on October 19th and was only streamed to Apple employees who were not physically attending the event. The full video can be viewed at Apple’s website. Don’t come wearing any browser except for Safari. Apple Stores to close for one hour on October 19 to watch Steve Jobs’ memorial (9to5mac....

Apple has released the second iOS 10.3.3 public beta for users to test without paid developer accounts. The update likely includes bug fixes and performance improvements as well as new wallpapers discovered only on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro… Apple’s public beta program is free to participate in unlike its paid developer program. iOS 10.3.3 will be released to everyone likely next month, and the public beta allows more users to test pre-release versions of the software update before it’s finalized....

Apple continues its in-app Apple Pay promotions this week with an exclusive offer from popular bike share app Ofo. When using Apple Pay in the Ofo app, users can score two free rides through next week… For those unfamiliar, Ofo is a popular bike-sharing service that allows users to find a supported bike near them and use the app to check it out for a ride. By using Apple Pay, Ofo users can score two free rides so long as they cost $2 or less – which is the average trip cost....

Apple is celebrating the upcoming completion of its newest retail location in France. A new webpage highlights creative sessions arriving soon in Paris. The flagship store was mentioned onstage yesterday by retail SVP Angela Ahrendts during the special event keynote in downtown Brooklyn. An earlier report had confirmed the store would open sometime in November. Apple’s Champs-Élysées store will be located just down the road from the Arc de Triomphe monument and adjacent to one of France’s most prolific retail districts....

Not available yet on Apple’s Dev site, developers are pinging us that a 299MB -iPhone4S/322MB iPhone 4 update is available for iOS 6 via OTA update. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuaDOtjil30] Apple also updated Xcode 4.5 developer preview 2, Apple TV beta 2 as well. We will look for interesting changes, but do not be shy at tipping us (tips@9to5mac.com) if y’all find anything interesting. Update: the OTA got a much more official looking screengrab, and the changelog has been posted to Dev center (below):...

Apple has released another supplemental update for macOS 10.15.6 today with performance improvements and bug fixes. Specifically, this update solves WiFi and iCloud issues that some users were seeing. Apple released the new macOS 10.15.6 supplemental update today after the last one arrived back in August. Today’s update includes fixes for an iCloud Drive issue that prevented files from syncing properly as well as squashing a bug that prevented Macs from automatically connecting to WiFi networks....

Apple has made another acquisition in the artificial intelligence business, a new report claims. According to The Information, Apple quietly acquired Silk Labs, an artificial intelligence startup focused on “software lightweight enough to fit onto consumer hardware like cameras.” As with most Apple acquisitions, details about the deal are sparse, but it likely occurred earlier this year. In terms of price, The Information says the deal was “likely a small one for Apple” due to the fact that Silk Labs only employed around half a dozen employees....

The Ottawa Business Journal is reporting that Apple has leased a 22,000 ft space in Kanata, Ontario. Notably, the location is in close proximity to the BlackBerry QNX offices. Whether Apple is interested in attracting QNX employees for itself is not clear. It is definitely possible that the geography is coincidental. However, QNX is known to be working on autonomous driving and Apple may want to take some of this engineering talent for its own Apple Car research....

Two weeks after the last wave of new banks and three days before the Apple Watch launches, Apple Pay support has gone live from 31 more banks and credit unions from around the United States. The total number of institutions now exceeds 200 banks and credit unions with active support, and some 2,000 banks have signed on to support the mobile payment system for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch in the future....

Apple Pay was a notable topic of discussion on Apple’s Q3 earnings call this afternoon, helping Apple reach an all-time revenue record for Services. On the call, Tim Cook said that Apple Pay is gaining fast on PayPal, both in users and transactions. Apple said in its earnings announcement that Apple Pay is now completing nearly 1 billion transactions per month. That’s nearly double the number of transactions Apple reported in the year-ago quarter....

Apple has released today a minor update to iTunes on OS X with a fix for a nasty bug that could cause iTunes to crash. The update also includes compatibility improvements with iBooks, Apple says. The software update follows yesterday’s release of the highly critical OS X 10.9.2 release which filled an existing SSL bug that left users vulnerable to malicious attackers. Apple also introduced FaceTime Audio calling and contact blocking which debuted on iOS 7 last fall....

Apple released an updated version of its “Apple Configurator” Mac app for deploying multiple iOS devices in a school or business environment. Version 1.0.1 of the tool includes a number of stability and performance enhancements. It also includes fixes for .ipa files, redemption codes, and bookmarks for iTunes U and iBooks, and more. You can grab the free updated Configurator app from the Mac App Store now. The full list of changes is below:...

In 2011, Apple reversed the direction of scrolling with Mac OS X Lion. It was a point of no return. iOS popularity was accelerating, and the Mac had to adapt. Apple included a scroll direction toggle to smooth the transition. Some people loved the change and longtime Mac users expressed frustration, but one thing was immediately clear: computers had evolved, and there was no going back. Exactly one year ago today — January 28, 2020 — Apple MixC Qingdao in China became the first Apple Store in the world to temporarily close due to COVID-19....

With little fanfare and no accompanying information on what’s changed, Apple’s seventh-generation iPod nano has received a software update to version 1.0.4. The new software follows the release of updated iPod nano colors last month, but does not appear to change any major functionality with the small touchscreen device. iPod nano software version 1.0.4 can be downloaded through iTunes after connecting the nano using a Lightning cable. Note that a bug in the current beta release of OS X El Capitan can cause iTunes to crash after downloading the update but before it begins to install; we would recommend using OS X Yosemite for the update....

Apple has today released an update to the 12 inch Retina MacBook line, with new Skylake processors, overall better performance, and a new color: Rose Gold. The new internals have also allowed Apple to grab an extra hour of battery life out of the same sized product. The MacBook refresh keeps the same thin chassis, the same edge-to-edge keyboard and the same single USB-C port design as the original Retina MacBook, released about a year ago....

Find My iPhone is a great feature to have if you’ve ever realised you’ve misplaced your iPhone. You can not only track the device, but also post a message on the Lock screen asking a finder to contact you … But none of that helps if you haven’t yet realized your phone is missing. That’s the scenario Apple aims to cover in a new patent granted today. Anyone finding the phone would see an option to call a contact, which would be someone you’ve chosen as the person you’d like to be notified if someone finds your device....

Apple has published some of the videos from today’s keynote event on YouTube for replay, including the first TV spot for the iPhone 6s and the introduction video presenting 3D Touch on the new phone. The keynote itself isn’t yet available, but should be soon. You can watch the new videos below. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSTEB8cdQwo] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iicnVez5U7M] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZJHbvDWzFQ] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGe66lSeSXg] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaWkgg5l9sg] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlYC8gDvutc] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar2wuOxBpDw]