We all know Apple, like most big tech companies, files a lot of patent applications for inventions that will likely never see the light of day. Today we get a look at a couple of its latest patent applications via documents published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and detailed by PatentlyApple. On the more believable side, we get one that includes a new animated lock screen that would provide quick access to frequently used apps via a new animated feature accessible through a home button that could also recognize touch and pressure input (pictured above)....

The physical sales of Anthem aren’t looking great, based on a recent report. There was a lot of excitement leading up to the release of BioWare’s next big game, but a few issues quickly began to make themselves known before launch. A number of critics with early-access were quick to point out several issues with the game since it was lacking a major Day One patch that wasn’t released just prior to launch, which prompted the VP of Xbox to criticize Anthem reviewers that simply provided negative feedback on the product....

The iPhone and iPad App Store is re-releasing updates for a lot of iOS apps, with many users seeing 50 or more app updates scheduled over the weekend. These app updates are the same builds as the device will have already downloaded. It appears Apple is doing this to workaround a Family Sharing glitch that was preventing some users from launching apps at all. This is not the first time this has happened....

AppCake offers iOS users a new way of installing unofficial apps and games to their devices. Once a jailbreak app only, now it is available for all users; it’s free to use, and we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about it. How to Install AppCake: Installing AppCake is quite simple; just follow these steps exactly as written: Launch the Safari browser on your iPhone and open the AppCake download page....

The iPad maker is defending its moniker by insisting the device became synonymous with both the company name and the tablets. PCWorld quotes Apple’s legal representatives who argued at the Guangdong Province Higher People’s Court hearing this morning that Apple made the iPad name famous in the first place: No ruling occurred during the six-hour long hearing, and the judges adjourned without setting a new court date. Should Apple lose the appeal, Proview’s request to put a sales ban on the iPad in 30 Chinese cities will go-ahead....

Apple wrote in the official court documents pertaining to its legal spat with Samsung that its key supplier “attempts to harass us” by demanding to see unreleased iPhone and iPad devices. Samsung’s request, of course, came as a response to a federal court ruling granting Apple access to the already released Samsung smartphones and tablets that the gadget maker from California alleges infringe on its patents and copy their look and feel....

Apple has acquired popular iOS sleep tracking platform and hardware maker Beddit. While specific details of the acquisition are unclear at this point, Beddit has updated the privacy policy on its website to announce the acquisition and note of a privacy policy change… Furthermore, the Beddit iOS app was updated today to reflect that change in personal data collection policy that comes as part of the Apple acquisition. To go alongside its popular iOS and Apple Watch app, Beddit also sells sleep tracking hardware....

During its WWDC keynote yesterday, Apple officially outlined the roadmap for its transition from Intel processors in the Mac to new Apple Silicon chips. This roadmap includes a Developer Transition Kit hardware program, and now the first developers are being accepted into this program. Through the Developer Transition Kit hardware and Universal App Quick Start Program, developers will receive a Mac mini powered by Apple’s A12Z processor with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage....

Tim Cook and his fellow Apple board members are facing their fourth lawsuit for alleged breaches of the law in respect of the original earnings guidance issued for Q1 2019… Background Apple originally guided revenue in the $89 billion to $93 bilion range for its first fiscal quarter of 2019. In a rare revision, it later wrote to shareholders to say that it was instead forecasting around $84 billion, some $5 billion below the bottom end of its original guidance....

As it continues to focus on the Indian smartphone market, Apple today has slashed prices of its products in the country by as much as 7.5 percent. The move comes as India rolls out the Goods and Services Tax, which is the country’s biggest tax reform since Independence. Here’s how the Times of India describes the tax reform: In India, the iPhone 7 now starts at Rs 56,200, down from its earlier price of Rs 60,000....

We’re beginning to think Apple never sleeps, as news comes in claiming the company is about to revise the already extremely successful retail formula it has been running on high streets worldwide. Mercury News tells us the company intends construction of a new prototype store in downtown Palo Alto, where it is about to move its existing store to a larger space – and there’ll be trees inside the shop....

Apple’s shock earnings warning – the first time it has issued one since 2002 – has sent the stock price crashing in pre-market trading. At the time of writing, AAPL is almost 9% down on yesterday’s close. Apple suppliers are also being hit hard, two of them even more badly than the iPhone maker … AAPL closed yesterday at $157.92, and at the time of writing is trading in the pre-market at $143....

Apple today is releasing a new update to GarageBand for iOS that includes enhancements to take advantage of the iPad Pro’s 12.9-inch Retina display. The new version, previously only shown in iPad Pro marketing material, shows more of instruments and tracks in a single view than on smaller iPads and iPhones. New 3D Touch features are also being included for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users. Separately, Apple is releasing a new music app called Music Memos, and adding a new Live Loops feature to GarageBand for iOS....

Apple is gearing up to issue another bond offering this week, with a conference call with investors reportedly scheduled today, according to reports this morning from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal. Apple hasn’t announced that it is holding an investor call today as of yet, but the announcement will likely be posted to Apple’s Investor Relations website if it is indeed happening. According to the WSJ, this bond offering will be the first from Apple to involve the euro currency:...

Apple has actually hidden a binary message as an Easter egg in a couple frames of its “Apple event in a flash” video… The Easter egg is presented in the section when they are comparing the power of the new entry-level iPad to the best-selling Windows PC laptop. The screen of code is clearly a reference to a typical Windows blue screen of death error message. The binary message is a simple ASCII phrase, and it translates to “So you took the time to translate this?...

Sure, it was significant as it represented the first time in four years Sony had grown a sales lead on its rival, but as we predicted Sony’s little home turf advantage has evaporated already, following Apple’s introduction of the new iPod range, according to BCN. Apple’s iPod market share shot up to 58 per cent in the week ending September 13, far and away ahead of Sony with 32.1 per cent....

The New York Times reports that Apple has knocked off Coca-Cola (Sugar water!) to become the ‘World’s Most Valuable Brand’ according to the annual Interbrand Best Global Brands Report. Apple’s rivals Google and Samsung also moved up in the list with Mountain View also hopping over Coca-Cola to #2 at a $93.3B (up 34%) valuation while Samsung entered the top 10 with a new brand strategy called the Brand Ideal, which includes “a greater focus on social purpose”....

Voice control on Sonos speakers with Alexa integration has worked with skipping songs and play/pause, controlling volume, and nearly everything other Alexa skill, but Apple Music control through Alexa required further integration. That future is today. Simply update the Sonos app, enable the Apple Music skill in the Alexa app if you haven’t already, then link your account. Sonos One and Sonos Beam also support AirPlay 2, Apple’s wireless audio streaming protocol, which works with multi-room audio with other AirPlay 2 speakers including HomePod....

Apple has officially announced dates for its annual developer conference where it is expected to unveil iOS 12, macOS 10.14, watchOS 5, and tvOS 12. WWDC 2018 will run from June 4 through June 8 and take place in San Jose, California for the second year in a row. Specifically, the conference will be held at the McEnery Convention Center once again. As with previous years, Apple is relying on a lottery system to address demand for tickets....

Update May 12: TomTom confirmed to Reuters today that “its global agreement with Apple covers maps and related information” but declined to comment further on the specifics of the deal. Engadget just posted the screenshots above by an anonymous tipster who claimed to be running an iOS 6 developer beta on the iPhone 4S. It appears Apple is at least getting some data for its new Maps app through a partnership with TomTom....