Steven Spriggs, a Fresno man who was ticketed for using his iPhone while driving in January of 2012, won an appeal of his conviction today in a ruling that could potentially impact how drivers are allowed to use their phones while on the road. Because Spriggs was using his phone’s mapping application when he was pulled over, the court overturned his conviction, stating that maps do not fall under the state ban on texting or talking on a cell phone while driving....

Apple and IBM today unveiled three new enterprise apps developed for iOS as part of their ongoing ‘IBM MobileFirst for iOS’ partnership. The new apps include Advisor Alerts, Passenger Care, and Dynamic Buy. The three apps, a combination of both iPhone and iPad software, join the original set of 10 announced last year and another new app recently announced bringing the collection of apps announced under the deal to 14 total across eight industries including retail, banking, and transportation....

This comes following the surfacing of actual working units of Apple’s new flagship in China and Vietnam earlier today, just days short of the device’s official US release date (via Dan Tri). Supposedly, a reporter for the Associated Press spotted the devices and managed to confirm that they are indeed working by giving Messages and Siri a try. The photos are very similar to those we’ve seen of physical mock ups prior to the device actually being announced and it appears that Apple still isn’t having much success in keeping the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus under wraps....

A new report from Axios today highlights how major tech companies are “scrambling to craft digital options” for summer internships this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For its part, Apple has committed to hiring over 1,000 people for internships this summer. Many companies have shifted their summer internships to be online, including Google, Twitter, IBM, Microsoft, Lyft, and Salesforce. Other companies, including Apple, say they plan to host interns on-site for at least part of the summer so long as it’s safe to do so....

Netflix is currently one of the highest-grossing iOS apps, thanks to a significant number of users paying their subscription through iTunes billing. But that could be set to change as the streaming video service seeks to bypass iTunes for future subscription payments … TechCrunch says that it has confirmed with Netflix that the company is currently running a test in a large number of countries. Apple currently receives 30% of first-year Netflix subscriptions through the app, and 15% from the second year on....

Apple wants to replace yet another daily tool with your iPhone: your wallet. Executives from the Cupertino-based technology company have begun discussions with directors from retail store chains about a mobile payments service, according to a source with direct knowledge of the talks. Previous reports indicated that Apple is exploring new payments services through discussions with executives from existing payments companies. These latest mobile payments-related discussions, which have occurred with retail store brands such as those that sell luxury clothing and premium goods, have taken place over the past couple of months, according to the source....

Apple crossed the 100% renewable energy goal for its own operations (headquarters, data centers, retail stores) this time last year. However, the company is also convincing supply chain partners to go green too. Today, Apple announced that it has doubled the number of suppliers who have agreed to run Apple manufacturing on 100% renewable energy too. The supply chain will add 5 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2020, exceeding Apple’s original 4 gigawatt goal....

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference starts tomorrow and today the company kicked things off by greeting developers with customized embroidered Levi’s jean jackets, a selection of pins, and Apple TV developer kits. In addition to the jackets, the pins include Apple themed designs including the icon for Apple’s Swift programming language, a selection of vintage Apple logos, and more (as pictured below). Developers also received personalized flag pins to signify their home country....

One of the key challenges for K-12 schools with Apple products is management and deployment of an identification infrastructure. While Google has their solution with G-Suite, companies like Clever are also making a play to become a schools centralized identity solution. Google offers email, document management, calendars, and works as a single sign on provider as well. Clever works directly with software as a service application vendors to sync your data between companies that don’t normally talk together....

Last month, Apple patented a new version of the Touch Bar with built-in Force Touch technology. Now, the US Patent & Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent for a “reconfigurable” Mac keyboard that is built with a small display for each key, allowing the keyboard to show different characters according to the user’s preferences. Although the idea may sound like what the Touch Bar currently does, this new keyboard would work in a different way....

Update: This appears to be a mistake Discovered by This is my next, an internal Best Buy document points to an ‘Apple Fixture Installation’ Friday, October 21st. Interestingly, this date lines up with the mid-October range that’s being tossed around for the iPhone 5 release. This is my next’s source says that a manager being at the store at 6 A.M. to open the doors is out of the ordinary, seeing as they usually get there at 7 A....

Anthem, Bioware’s new IP, is releasing its demo this weekend, which gives anyone still on the fence about the game a great chance to test it out before the release of the game in just a few short weeks. There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the game’s release, but the real question is how do you get the most out of the game straight away? PREVIOUSLY: 6 Promising Co-op Games Coming In 2019 So whether you’ll be playing on PC, PS4, or Xbox One, there are a few steps you can take to ensure that you’re getting all the best loot as quickly as possible....

Update: While the meeting apparently didn’t result in any resolution, ZDnet reports the ITU’s Malcolm Johnson said the ‘heated debate’ “has gone a long way to help clarify the positions” of the companies involved: ZDnet also reported Motorola argued “Apple was misunderstanding the way FRAND works in the telecoms industry”: The world’s biggest tech companies are meeting today for a Patent Roundtable with the United Nation’s International Telecommunications Union to “assess the effectiveness of RAND (reasonable and non-discriminatory) – based patent policies....

The Facebook application is by far the most important application on both the iPhone and the iPad. Without the Facebook application, my own opinion is the iPhone would never have become as important as it is. It’s the single most widely used application. It’s so heavily used compared to other apps that I have been told by someone who thought he knew the data — this is highly secret data and I don’t know the actual numbers — that more than half of all usage of the iPhone of apps, other than those provided by the phone itself like telephony and email, is coming from Facebook....

Apple and German software company SAP are extending their partnership focused on increasing iPhone, iPad, and Mac use in enterprise. According to a new report from Reuters, the two are teaming up to help businesses develop applications using Apple’s machine learning technology. The report explains that this partnership will focus on increasing augmented reality adoption among businesses. For instance, SAP and Apple will leverage augmented reality for things like stocking store shelves and repairing machinery....

Apple is continuing to promote upgrades to the iPhone XR today with an item in the Today view of the App Store. The editorial describes key features of the iPhone XR and then highlights apps that take advantage of the new hardware like the Face ID sensor or the speed of the A12 chip. The approach is pretty heavy-handed and continues a recent run of marketing like using the Apple Store app push notification system, ‘limited time’ trade-in offers and ever-growing appeals on its homepage....

In the wake of Apple’s Maps controversy, CEO Tim Cook noted in an apology to customers that the company is “doing everything we can to make Maps better.” Today, reports from both ifoAppleStore and MacRumors claim Apple is testing a new program that will see retail employees test the maps and submit corrections to Apple on company time: According to MacRumors: Apple is piloting a program to tap into its vast number of retail store employees to help improve the company’s new Maps app for iOS 6....

Nearly two months after macOS Big Sur’s public release, the Apple human interface team has finally released an updated Sketch library optimized for its top to bottom redesign. User interface designers and developers have been anxiously awaiting this new design kit for quite awhile. Like previous Sketch libraries offered by Apple, the new macOS 11 library includes all of the core system colors, interface materials and fonts. You can also find elements such as buttons, labels, windows, menus, modals and more....

Just hours after disclosing the upcoming retirement of Communications VP Katie Cotton, Apple has disclosed that Vice President of Sales for North America is, too, leaving Apple. Apple VP Doug Beck, who currently runs sales for Japan and Korea, will add North America to his portfolio of responsibilities. Apple told the WSJ: Rowe joined Apple approximately two years ago after being the long-time CFO of United Continental Airlines. The reasoning behind Rowe’s departure is not currently known....

During a developer session at WWDC in June, Apple revealed that it would soon make uploading screenshots much easier for developers via iTunes Connect. Now, Apple has posted a new update on its Developer website confirming the change is now rolling out. With the change, developers can now submit just one set of screenshots and one optional app preview per device family. In the past, developers would have to upload screenshots for each different iPhone and iPad variant....