Back in the days before mobile and countertop card terminals, sketchy store clerks and restaurant serving staff had a few different ways to steal your card details… One approach was to simply read the details from the card and write them down. Another was to photograph them. Most efficient of all was to make an extra impression on the old roller machines. None of these methods are practical now that we generally don’t let cards out of our sight, but CNET reports that one Japanese store clerk had a secret weapon: a photographic memory....

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLgQ22naQhE] In October we broke the news that anyone with an iPad 2 Smart Cover (or a magnet) could essentially break into any passcode protected iPad 2. This is how we described it then: Now, with the release of iOS 5.0.1 beta, we’ve discovered that one of the new security fixes is a fix for this Smart Cover bug. It appears that Apple has fixed the issue by not allowing the iPad 2 to go to sleep by way of the Smart Cover closing while on the power off menu....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNFdou8nh_g In a new video on their YouTube channel, Apple has highlighted some of their favorite moments from 2013’s iTunes Festival, which wraps up on the 30th of September. The clip, only just over a minute long, highlights many of the performances, such as Lady Gaga and Elton John, held at the iTunes Festival, a free event held in the U.K. Earlier this month, at Apple’s iPhone press event, Tim Cook highlighted iTunes Festival as well, promoting it with another, similar video, which can be seen in the full keynote here....

As Apple seeks a company-wide transition from being known primarily as the iPhone maker to a Services provider, hiring for its IMG (Interactive Media Group) has hit a peak in January, with over 40 openings available. Further, job titles including the word “streaming” have slowly increased. As of writing, Apple has seven streaming related engineering jobs open. The only non-engineering “streaming” role is for “Manager (AVCN) AV/VC and Internal Streaming”, while the rest fall under “Media Streaming Engineer”, “Streaming Media Engineer” and “Video Streaming Software Quality Engineer”....

Apple Store inside of a Best Buy Apple and Walmart subsidiary Sam’s Club are in early discussions to widen their already existing partnership. Sam’s Club currently sells Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod lines within its large retail chain, but the two corporate giants are looking to take their business relationship to the next level. According to sources, Apple is considering an expansion of its Apple Store-in-store program to the 47 United States retail warehouse chain....

Permitted License Uses and Restrictions. This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labeled computer at a time. The Apple Software may be used to reproduce materials so long as such use is limited to reproduction of non-copyrighted materials, materials in which you own the copyright, or materials you are authorized or legally permitted to reproduce. This License does not allow the Apple Software to exist on more than one computer at a time, and you may not make the Apple Software available over a network where it could be used by multiple computers at the same time....

Apple Music TV has been launched today, as a 24-hour stream of music videos and music-related content along the lines of the original MTV channel before its dilution into reality TV. Variety reports that it’s free to watch in the US. It will include ‘exclusive new music videos and premiers, special curated music video blocks, and live shows and events as well as chart countdowns and guests,’ according to the announcement…...

Apple just announced during its WWDC keynote that it’s opening up its Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone to third-party app developers. Apple showed off the personal finance management app Mint (pictured above) using the Touch ID feature to allow users to login instead of using the keyboard to enter a password. Previously Apple limited this feature to its own App Store and iTunes purchases as well as unlocking the device itself....

Note: Keep in mind this is beta software, so if you install it, expect some bugs. First, make sure you’re running the latest version of OS X Lion — 10.7.3. Messages will not install unless you have the latest version installed. Next download the free Messages Beta. After you’ve downloaded the Messages beta, run through the installer. Messages requires a restart of your Mac to complete the install. After the restart, you’ll find the icon in the dock....

In an update on the developer portal today, Apple has started encouraging developers to update their apps for the new iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone XR. The company is also pushing Mac developers to submit their apps to the all-new App Store coming with macOS Mojave, and to the iOS App Store with iOS 12 features. Apple says the new Mac App Store gives developers the ability to add, “insightful stories, curated collections, and videos....

Earlier this month, a functioning Apple-1 hit the auction block through Christie’s auction house in the UK. The machine was expected to fetch as much as $630,000, with the auction house providing a range of $378,000 to $630,000. With the auction now closed, the Apple-1 has fetched a final price of around $471,000. That puts it near the lower-end of the expected range, but still more than other Apple-1 units have sold for recently....

Since posting our original story, we have heard from a lot of readers that are affected by iOS 9 crashes or app hangs when tapping links, spanning multiple iOS versions (not just 9.3) and devices. In a statement, Apple has now confirmed that they are working on a fix for the problem, coming in a software update (presumably iOS 9.3.1). Previously, we pinpointed Bookings.com as a cause of the bug, although noting it affects other apps as well....

Apple just announced 3 million new iPads sold in just three days, doubling its previous first weekend record of 1.5 million Wi-Fi-only units sold for the iPad 3 launch. Apple is of course not including cellular iPad models in its numbers, but it confirmed those models “will ship in a few weeks in the US and in many more countries later this year.” CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company is “practically sold out of iPad minis,” and he noted it is “working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand....

Apple announces iPadOS 14, building on the already announced iOS 14 features like home screen widgets. Apple is expanding stock apps with unique iPad design elements like sidebars in Photos and Music. Interfaces like Siri and incoming phone calls are now modal experiences rather than full screen overlays. There is also a new search experience, system-wide handwriting recognition, and other changes designed to make the iPad experience work better with Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard....

Last year, Apple invested $1 billion in the Chinese Uber competitor Didi Chuxing, receiving a seat on the company’s board as well. According to a report from Recode, Didi Chuxing is today opening a new artificial intelligence lab right in Apple’s backyard… The report states that Didi is opening the new self-driving operation in Mountain View, California, putting it in the heart of the ever-growing self-driving industry. Within a small radius of Didi’s new lab, you have Apple, Google, and Tesla, all of which are believed to have a vested interest in self-driving technology....

Two weeks following the initial launch of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple has added a new purchasing option for the devices to its online store. Starting today, customers can buy an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus SIM-free, unlocked, and without a carrier… Apple explains on its online store that purchasing a SIM-free iPhone means customers do not have to sign a contract commitment with a carrier, nor do they have to deal with carrier financing....

During Apple CEO Tim Cook’s scheduled presentation at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference this morning, the executive was asked about the company’s strategy acquisition. While noting that Apple continues to acquire a company approximately every other month, Cook also said that Apple has looked at acquiring larger companies. We can only guess what companies Cook is referring to, but he did say Apple would continue to look at acquiring larger companies....

Apple Pay Cash was announced back at WWDC over the summer, but the feature wasn’t included when iOS 11 launched to the public last month. Apple has been relatively vague on when the new person-to-person payment platform will launch, but the company is seemingly ramping up internal testing… MacRumors, citing one of its readers, reports that Apple is currently testing Apple Pay Cash internally using iOS 11.1 and an accompanying device certificate....

Digitimes reports that Apple is expected to beat out Samsung this year as the biggest purchaser of AMOLED smartphone screens. Apple’s demand is higher than ever with the entire iPhone 12 lineup and the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup all featuring OLED screens. Apple suppliers are said to be pulling in components in June as they prepare for iPhone 13 mass production in the July timeframe. Apple is trying to secure a steady stream of components for the iPhone 13, not wanting to repeat the production disruptions experienced with the iPhone 12 last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic....

Apple has announced that its vice president of public policy and government affairs, Cynthia Hogan, is departing. This announcement comes after Hogan joined Joe Biden’s vice presidential selection team last month. Hogan joined Apple in 2016, tasked with a variety of responsibilities related to policy, lobbying, and government relations. Apple has not yet named a replacement for Hogan, but the company did confirm the departure to Axios. Prior to joining Apple, Hogan served as counsel to Biden in the White House and Senate....