This morning, Apple revealed the schedule for next month’s Worldwide Developers Conference. To start things off, an Apple keynote will be held from 10AM to 12PM on Monday, June 2nd at Moscone West. Apple typically holds keynote addresses to kick off WWDC, but this schedule serves as the first direct confirmation from Apple. The event will likely be led by Apple CEO Tim Cook with assistance from Senior VPs Craig Federighi and Eddy Cue, who have some new software and services announcements, respectively…...

At its earnings call, Apple said the Apple Watch grew 50% year-over-year in sales but continued its silence on revealing exact numbers for its wearables. Estimates from Canalys suggest that unit sales almost hit 4 million for Apple Watch in the third quarter. The analyst says the cellular LTE Apple Watch Series 3 has proved popular, with demand outstripping supply and carriers surprised by the demand for the cellular Watch …...

A month after Australian banks demanded the right to have their own apps access the NFC chip used for Apple Pay, Apple has issued a formal response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The company argues that giving Australian banks what they want would be doubly harmful to consumers. A fortnight ago, the ACCC denied the banks an interim ruling, but said that it would be considering the matter more fully....

Rolling out to your favorite supermarket or retail store this holiday season are new Apple iTunes gift cards that can be bought in any denomination between $15 and $500. We’re hearing that at least one supermarket chain and one retailer are putting these on the shelves today. You take these cards to the cashier and choose how much to put on them. When the cashier validates the card, the amount paid is tied to the number/code....

Tidal’s struggles continue today as a new report claims the streaming music platform is months behind on royalty payments. According to Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, the Jay-Z-owned streaming service is over six months behind on payments to several labels… The report, translated by Music Business Worldwide, cites multiple sources who say that Tidal is “behind with payments directly to the three major international record companies.” Those three record companies consist of Universal, Sony, and Warner....

Apple Music knows 2020 has been a universally challenging year, and its new set of playlists reflects that reality. The streaming service is expanding its handpicked track collections with 10 new playlists that cover developing music corners, socially trending songs, and even a playlist focused on mental health. Gen Z focus TechCrunch details the new playlists in Apple Music, highlighting the TikTok grab Apple is making with the new “Viral Hits” playlist:...

As it generally does when products reach a certain level of maturity, Apple today has started offering the Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 via its online refurbished store. This marks the first time that Apple has made the Apple Watch available in refurbished condition since the device’s release. Better deals, however, remain available from retailers such as Target… Apple is offering the Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 at somewhat notable discounted price points....

When Apple signed an exclusive deal to use the superstrong alloy liquidmetal way back in 2010, there was a lot of speculation about how Apple might use it. The only immediate answer we saw was in the SIM ejection tool supplied with iPhones. While some had expected Apple to use liquidmetal for product casings, the high cost of the material seemed to rule that out, at least in the short-term. There’s also been no sign of the super long-lasting batteries some had suggested....

A series of patents published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office today (via PatentlyApple) suggested Apple is attempting to own as many Thunderbolt related trademarks and patents as possible. This is despite most being under the impression the technology is an open collaboration between Intel and Apple. Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of today’s patents is the possibility Apple might bring Thunderbolt to iOS devices. According to one of the patents published today, “a connection may be provided between a portable media player and a display, a computer and a portable media player, or between other types of devices....

Apple has faced App Store antitrust investigations around the world, from the US to Japan – and the UK is the latest to put the company’s control of iOS apps under scrutiny. The European Union currently has three open antitrust investigations into the App Store, but the UK leaving the EU means that it is no longer party to these. The UK’s competition watchdog today announced plans to determine whether the App Store restricts competition …...

Following releasing its second quarter data for tablet shipments worldwide, IDC today released its Q2 2014 report for smartphone shipments during the three month period that ended in June. The numbers line up with Apple’s fiscal Q3 earnings call that took place earlier this month where the company reported iPhone sales of 35.1 million units for the quarter. With 295.3 million units shipped total during Q2, and consumers anticipating a new iPhone this fall, IDC notes that both Samsung and Apple lost share to the smaller Chinese manufacturers:...

Apple officially announced its next event “Spring Loaded” for April 20 today. Along with the colorful invitation artwork, another AR Easter egg has been included on Apple’s Events webpage. Starting last year, Apple began including fun little AR Easter eggs for each event announcement. We got one for the Apple Watch and iPad event, iPhone 12 launch, and also the M1 Mac event. Now Apple has included another fun Easter egg for the Spring Loaded event....

Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer has joined the Board of Directors of investment banking firm Goldman Sachs. Oppenheimer is an independent director for the company, and this has no effect on his current leadership position at Apple (update he just retired, oh well). As an experienced CFO, Oppenheimer’s financial aptitude will likely be beneficial for the investment behemoth. “Oppenheimer will be a member of each of the firm’s Audit, Risk, Compensation and Corporate Governance, Nominating and Public Responsibilities committees,” according to Goldman Sachs…...

During the WWDC21 keynote, Apple confirmed that Apple Music Lossless and Spatial Audio would launch that day for all users. For some reason, these new functions didn’t land in India, but that will be changing soon. According to the Apple Support Twitter page, after being asked by a few users about these functions in the South Asian country, it confirmed Apple Music Lossless and Spatial Audio support would be coming soon to India....

From 9to5Google: Analytics platform Distimo “2013 Year in Review” concluded that the vast majority of gaming revenue still comes from iPhones and iPads. However, they also discovered that Google Play is now the leading source of gaming revenue in South Korea and Japan, two out of the three fastest-growing mobile markets worldwide. The study reports that the top 200 iOS apps grew from $15 million in November 2012 to $18 million November 2013....

While Apple TV+ is slowly expanding its catalog with original movies and TV shows, Apple might face some new challenges outside the US. European lawmakers are proposing a new legislation requiring Apple TV+ and other streaming services to offer at least 30% local content to their subscribers. The General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill published by Catherine Martin, an Irish politician who works as a Minister of Culture, Media, and related areas, was updated today with mentions to the minimum of 30% content considered “European Work” for streaming platforms....

Apple has reportedly started cracking down on apps offering the ability to download music from third-party services like YouTube that normally don’t allow users to do so. In addition, a separate report claims that Apple has also started going after apps that incentivize users to either watch ads or share content through social media networks. The first report comes from MacRumors, which notes the App Store has replaced results for the search query “music download” with an advertisement for iTunes Radio followed by other music services like Spotify (pictured right)....

CIRP today has released its latest report covering the smartphone industry during Q2 of 2018. The data highlights Apple’s growing share of smartphone activations, though it still trails far behind Android… According to CIRP, Android accounted for 63 percent of mobile phone activations in the United States during the June 2018 quarter. Meanwhile, iOS accounted for 36 percent of activations. Compared to the last quarter and the year ago quarter, Apple managed to improve its share of activations....

Apple has had a personal setup service for iPhone purchases made at Apple retail stores for some time now. Since Thanksgiving, Apple has offered the same personal setup service for iPad and iPod touch purchases. Apple has not had a true personal setup service for Mac purchases, but come Tuesday, in some markets, personal setup for Mac will be available. Traditionally, Apple Stores have allowed you to ask a few questions and take a few pointers but this new personal setup for Mac service takes points from the iOS device version of the service....

[Update: All links and images of this Space Black Milanese Loop band have now been pulled from the web … We have asked Apple PR for clarification on the situation …] Apple is readying the launch of a brand new Apple Watch band, a 42 mm Space Black Milanese Loop, suitable for Space Black steel watches. Third-party aftermarket black Milanese loops have been on sale for a while, but this is Apple official — assumedly matching their Space Black Link Bracelet in color and quality....