Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to appear at a new technology conference hosted by The Wall Street Journal this October called WSJDLive. Apple executives including Steve Jobs have appeared at past “D” conferences hosted by former WSJ employees Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. WSJDLive appears to be a continuation of sorts of those conferences, although Mossberg and Swisher since left to form Recode.net and have also hosted Apple executives at the site’s new “Code Conference” in May....

It was first suggested back in 2016 that Apple would be bringing Google into the mix, but this update – spotted by CNBC – is the first official confirmation. Data stored on Google may include contacts, calendars, photos, videos, documents and more, but Apple is keen to stress that Google has no means of accessing that data. All Google would see is meaningless encrypted data, with no way to tie even that to any particular individual....

Apple this evening has unveiled a new short film that showcases its HomePod smart speaker. As noted by Adweek, the ad is directed by Spike Jonze and stars musician and dancer FKA Twigs… The video sees FKA Twigs come home to the HomePod and ask it to play something she would like. From there, the film turns into a bright and eclectic dance breakdown that’s just as much of an ad for the HomePod as it is a showcase of FKA Twigs’ skills....

Ahead of Apple’s September 9th event that will include the introduction of Apple’s first wearable computer, along new, larger iPhones, The New York Times has profiled the existing wearable market. The juiciest bit from the story? A purported quote from Apple design chief Jony Ive, relayed by another Apple designer. Said Ive, referring to the existing watch market, “Switzerland is in trouble.” Here’s the full section: So, it appears Jony did not actually say “trouble....

According to Bloomberg: Apple Inc. won’t immediately have to publish a notice on its U.K. website that Samsung Electronics Co. didn’t copy its iPad tablet, a London court ruled today. Apple was ordered earlier this month to put a note on its U.K. site and buy advertisements in British newspapers to alert customers to a court ruling that Samsung hadn’t copied the iPad’s design. Cupertino, California-based Apple appealed saying it didn’t want to advertise for its rival....

Apple has announced that its first-ever virtual WWDC will start on June 22 this year and that it will be free for all developers through its Developer app and Developer website. There’s also a new event this year, a Swift Student Challenge for young developers 13 and older. We learned back in March that Apple would still hold WWDC this June but as a virtual event. However, it didn’t share an actual date....

Apple had already renewed its original Carpool Karaoke spin-off series for a third season last summer, but we haven’t heard anything more about it since then. But James Corden, who runs the show, released today on his YouTube channel the official trailer for the third season of Apple’s Carpool Karaoke: The Series. The trailer confirms that the third season of Carpool Karaoke: The Series features Jay Leno, Kesha, Rashida Jones, the cast of Stranger Things, and more stars....

Apple News has announced that it is teaming up with the National Association of Black Journalists, or NABJ, to “give early-career journalists the opportunity to work on the forefront of news and technology.” The new editorial fellowship runs from June 2021 through February 2022. Apple News and the NABJ describe the new program as a way to give early-career journalists access to key editorial areas, such as audio, aggregating top stories, and more....

Apple this evening has shared a new video offering a look into the development process that led to the creation of the Portrait Lighting feature on iPhone X. The video shows how Apple used the “art of portraiture” to come up with the technology… Apple explains that it worked with photographers and image makers to study lighting principles and advanced machine learning to create the Portrait Lighting feature. In the video, you see Apple working to create a picture in a professional studio with professional equipment, and then recreating it using just the iPhone X....

Next weekend, Apple will be bringing up its official Apple Store count in China to eleven. The Cupertino-based company will be opening up a new store at the Paradise Walk mall in the Jiangbei District of Chongqing on Saturday, July 26th. The official announcement was made on Apple’s retail website: The store will open up at 10 AM local time. Apple began teasing the new store with a colorful banner last week....

Apple’s prolonged patent battle with VirnetX was believed to be coming to an end back in August, but a new ruling out of an east Texas court this week brings bad news for Apple… As reported by Reuters, a federal judge in Tyler, Texas yesterday night ruled that Apple must pay $302.4 million in damages for infringing upon VirnetX’s patents with services like FaceTime and iMessage. VirnetX, a notorious patent troll, initially started coming after Apple in 2010....

The Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso won a 2021 Peabody Award for “offering the perfect counter to the enduring prevalence of toxic masculinity, both on-screen and off, in a moment when the nation truly needs inspiring models of kindness.” As revealed by EW, the Apple Original ‘Ted Lasso’ star Jason Sudeikis received the Peabody Award today. The award was presented by Will Ferrel to fellow SNL alum Sudeikis. The Peabody Awards honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and online media....

A new report from Patently Apple shows us a new patent application from Apple published today. This patent application describes a glass with “enhanced stiffness” for portable electronic devices like iPhone and iPad… The patent application explains an invention that would act as a cover glass for electronic devices. The cover glass could be applied over a display or over the body of the device for an added layer of protection....

As we head into spring, the excitement of summer and WWDC starts to become a reality. Apple’s plans for iOS 15 and macOS 12 are likely being finalized about this time, so it’s the time of year where I began pondering what to expect. While it was big news at the time, we’ve heard almost nothing out of Apple regarding its plans for Fleetsmith after it acquired the company. About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers has been managing an enterprise IT network since 2009....

According to several emails from readers, Apple is reminding former MobileMe customers that their free 20GB of iCloud storage will go away on September 30th. That’s a week from today. With the transition in 2011 from MobileMe to iCloud, Apple offered paying MobileMe users the extra 20GB. Now, these users will be stuck with only the free 5GB that iCloud includes unless they choose to upgrade to one of the priced plans....

Apple is continuing to expand the cast of its upcoming “Are You Sleeping?” drama. According to a new report from Variety, Apple has rounded out its case for the series, adding a handful of notable stars… Previously, it had been reported that Octavia Spencer and Lizzy Caplan would star in the series, but now Apple has added Aaron Paul, Ron Cephas Jones, Elizabeth Perkins, Mekhi Phifer, Michael Beach, Tracie Thoms, and Haneefah Wood....

Following the dedicated Kids section added to the App Store back in 2013, Apple has now added a Games for Kids sub-section. Like its parent category, Apple has split it out into three different age ranges: 5 and under, 6-8 and 9-11. Apple is also featuring the free book Family Time with Apps in the new section, created by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center to “help parents better understand the variety of ways that apps can support children’s healthy development and family learning, communication and connection” … Apple specifically celebrated its Kids Category in a press release announcing a record-breaking year and start to the new year....

Apple has scheduled its Q2 2015 earnings call for April 27th. The call will be held at 2PM Cupertino time, and will cover the company’s earnings for the second quarter of the fiscal year. As usual, the live audio of the call will be available on Apple’s website. Prior to the call, the company will release its Q2 earnings report, then the executive team will break down the numbers in a bit more detail for investors and members of the media on its quarterly conference call....

The iTunes App Store is incorrectly featuring the “Offers In-App Purchases” badge on select apps that do not include In-App Purchases, as David Smith noted today on Twitter. Facebook and Instagram, which are both free and offer no In-App Purchases, are the most prominent apps to feature this bug. The bug can be seen on both the iOS variant of the App Store and via the iTunes application on computers....

Apple asked a federal judge today to throw out a lawsuit originally filed in 2011 that claimed the company has a monopoly over iOS apps by not allowing iPhone users access to an “aftermarket” of applications. Bloomberg reported that U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers did not resolve the matter today, but Apple’s lawyer Dan Wall argued Apple’s “closed” system doesn’t violate antitrust laws: “There’s nothing illegal about creating a system that is closed in a sense,” Wall told U....