Apple has published its latest machine learning journal entry with a new article detailing the challenges of implementing facial detection features while maintaining a high level of privacy. The new journal entry explains how the facial detection algorithm works locally on your iPhone without relying on information leaving your device: That requires the right hardware resources to pull off while maintaining efficiency: Apple launched its machine learning journal over the summer and has published multiple entries including one on how “Hey Siri” works on iPhone and Apple Watch....

Apple plans to premiere original movies in theaters before they release on Apple TV+, according to a new report. This strategy would keep Apple one step ahead of competitors as the Streaming Wars intensify. Last March, Apple officially announced Apple TV+. The $5 per month streaming service will launch on November 1, and feature high-budget original series such The Morning Show, See, and For All Mankind. Hailee Steinfeld headlines the unique historical series Dickinson, and M....

About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect....

Data from IDC and App Annie suggested that both Apple and Google are likely to see their app store revenues doubling within the next four years, reports Re/code. Based on Apple’s 2014 total revenue of $10B, this would suggest that Apple is likely to hit total revenue of $20B in 2018, with developers seeing $14B of it. The study also suggested that the trend toward freemium apps, which derive their income from in-app purchases, will continue–though this model is more common on Android than iOS … “I would consider this projection conservative,” App Annie CEO Bertrand Schmitt said in an interview, noting that the company has consistently been revising its forecasts up over the past two years as revenue has exceeded expectations....

Apple has today added 9 new locations to its Flyover feature in Maps (via MacRumors), including three in France, a landmark in Sweden, one in New Zealand, two in Arizona, and a couple more United States landmarks in Wyoming and Arkansas. Flyover allows users pinch to zoom and pan around high resolution views of more than a hundred different landmarks, and today’s additions bring the total number of supported locations up to 101....

Apple has apologized following a recent spate of account hacks in China. The company said ‘we are deeply apologetic about the inconvenience caused to our customers by these phishing scams’, which it said affected a ‘small number’ of user accounts. Although details on exactly what happened have not been disclosed, Apple said that the affected accounts were not secured with two-factor authentication. This allowed criminals to phish for account credentials and then extract money using apps like Alipay, as reported last week....

The very first Apple logos have started appearing at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, which will be the site of next week’s iPhone 6S/Apple TV event. A few photos have hit Twitter showing the company’s banners being put up in preparation for the event… Update: More images below courtesy of ajlco: [tweet https://twitter.com/Jamesco/status/639895799401443328 align=’center’] Apple has also raised several flags in front of the center, as seen in the photos below....

Apple is looking to hire individuals across the US for a team of IBM Business Development Executives that “will be accountable for all aspects of the Apple and IBM partnership for a defined geographic and account set territory.” That means Apple is hiring a team of individuals that will act as company liaisons to help roll out and oversee sales teams pushing the new Apple/IBM iOS solutions to enterprise customers. The positions, which are industry and region-specific, also show Apple’s plan for the upcoming expansion of its enterprise solutions for new industries including manufacturing and healthcare....

Following the brief acknowledgment of retail consolidation in a statement in February, Apple has officially announced the closure dates of two of its store locations in Texas. On April 12th, Apple Stonebriar in Frisco and Apple Willow Bend in Plano will permanently close their doors. “Thank you for over 17 great years,” reads a message on Apple Willow Bend’s website. A similar statement on the Stonebriar page commemorates more than 9 years of operation....

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced its annual Costume Institute exhibition and gala and Apple again will be one of the sponsors for the event, according to Vogue. The 2017 Met Gala theme will be “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons.” For those unfamiliar, Res Kawakubo is a prominent fashion design, while Comme des Garçons is her label. Apple sponsored its first Met Gala earlier this year, with Jony Ive serving as a co-chair alongside Taylor Swift....

Apple has officially clarified what happened on stage when the first demo of Face ID didn’t go as planned. While many were quick to call it a “fail,” that’s not what happened in the slightest. Apple confirmed the situation in a statement to Yahoo this evening… Apple explained that the demo iPhone X had been handled by several people before being setup at the demo table for Craig Federighi. Face ID had tried to authenticate the faces of everyone who handled the device, and after failing, the iPhone X moved to require a passcode....

Apple isn’t having a happy time of it in India at present, with falling sales and market share, a threatened ban on iPhones, increased import taxes, and legal requirements preventing it opening Apple Stores there. Things don’t appear to be getting any better, with the latest report saying that a new law has forced the company to put its planned Apple Pay rollout on hold … It’s almost a year since Eddy Cue promised that Apple Pay would be coming to India....

Lead image via Gizmodo. Apple’s 2019 wouldn’t be complete without the promised opening of one more retail store in Japan — Apple Kawasaki. Six-color mosaic decorations wrapping the store’s windows have been cleared away, offering a glimpse inside the space that customers in Japan have excitedly waited for. Apple Kawasaki is a straightforward, single-level store with a layout that will be familiar to anyone who has visited a contemporary mall Apple Store in the United States....

According to Apple’s support website, the company is currently working together with Microsoft to bring Xbox Series X and Series S controller support to iPhones and iPads. The support website states, “Microsoft and Apple are working together to bring compatibility for the Xbox Series X controller to customers in a future update.” This comes less than two weeks after the Xbox Series X and Series S release, clearly showing Apple’s willingness to bring new controller support to their devices....

Apple has just published its Best of 2013 page, highlighting some of the most popular music, movies, TV shows, iOS apps, ebooks, and podcasts from the past year. In the music section, Lorde’s “Royals” took the pick for Song of the Year, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ The Heist was named Best Album. Gravity, the box office hit starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, was named Movie of the Year. Despite the confusion it caused when its final season was broken into two separate purchases earlier this year, Breaking Bad was Apple’s pick for Show of the Year....

In a slightly surprising move, Apple has shared that the new MacBook Air’s battery can be replaced on its own. According to Apple’s internal service Readiness Guide, the Genius Bar as well as Apple Authorized Service Providers will be provided tools that will allow them to remove and install a new battery more easily. Traditionally, on MacBooks released after 2012, the entire top case enclosure needed to be replaced which includes the keyboard and trackpad....

Update: Russian speaking reader Ilya Kuchinskiy informed us that Izvestia is indeed a respected news source, but like we anticipated, the translation is erroneous. Literally it means “Skolkovo has some plans find investors and has invited to come and work in skolkovo. They have some talks to work but there is no plans to open Apple center in Russia, it is like thay just send invitation and google, facebook, apple just thinking, that’s it...

Apple Music is launching a new multi-lingual playlist today, as first reported by Billboard. The new playlist is called “Suave” and highlights R&B songs from various parts of the world. The playlist will feature songs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with a focus on R&B. Featured artists will include the likes of Paloma Mami, Rosalia, and more. Apple Music’s Marissa Gastelum touted that song ‘Fresh Air’ by Melii was the inspiration to start this playlist:...

To celebrate today’s season finale of the Apple TV+ show “Servant,” Apple has partnered with two Los Angeles pizzerias to deliver free pizza to fans exclusively through Grubhub this weekend. Starting today, as of 5 p.m. PST, people in Los Angeles can order one free pizza from Gjelina or Milo and Olive. During the second season of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Servant,” the main characters launched their own pizza delivery company called Cheezus Crust....

More details have emerged about Apple’s alleged interest in working on a self-driving electric car in partnership with Hyundai Motor. A report from local newspaper Korea IT News (via Reuters) today suggests that Hyundai and Apple plan to sign a partnership deal by March of this year. Apple Car and Hyundai Today’s report comes after a spokesperson for Hyundai last week confirmed that it is in talks with Apple regarding a potential Apple Car production deal....