BGR says that Apple will wait until WWDC to announce Back to School specials and they will be largely the same as year’s past (free iPod touch/w purchase of Mac) with the notable addition of getting $200 off the purchase of an iPad with the purchase of a Mac. Apple has traditionally had a back to school announcements during this time of year (‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10), though never at WWDC which seems at first blush to be a strange venue for such an announcement....

Apple has revealed in its annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report that it has informed four smelters–who provide metals used in the production of the company’s devices–that they will be dropped from the supply chain after refusing to submit to “conflict mineral” audits … The audits are designed to ensure that the extraction of the minerals used does not finance armed groups associated with human rights violations: Unfortunately, even after extensive encouragement, there were four smelters that were unwilling to commit to be audited by a third party, so Apple put these smelters on notice that they will be removed from our supply chain....

Bloomberg reports this afternoon that Apple has ceased online sales in Russia due to “extreme” fluctuations in the value of the ruble. Apple has previously attempted to combat the unpredictable swings in the country’s official currency by adjusting the prices of its products, having most recently increased the price of the iPhone 6 by 25% in the country last month. Apple confirmed that it has halted online sales in Russia as it looks to re-evaluate pricing in the country....

A lawsuit has been filed against Apple this week by a man and women claiming prominent iPhone XS and iPhone XS marketing photos on Apple.com are overly deceptive in hiding the notch. The lawyer for the plaintiffs claims they pre-ordered an iPhone XS Max unaware there would be any “missing pixels,” bezel or notch of any sort. In the 55-page lawsuit posted to Scribd (via Business Insider), the plaintiffs take particular issue with how marketing material promotes a “false pixel count” thanks to the notch and rounded corners exclusive to the XS and XS Max....

A report last month revealed that Apple had contractors listening to and grading Siri responses, which in turn meant that those contractors heard private conversations from users. Now, Apple has been hit with its first class-action over this practice. The lawsuit, first spotted by Kif Lewsing, was filed in federal court in Northern California. The plaintiffs accuse Apple of “unlawful and intentional recording of individuals’ confidential communications without their consent.” The lawsuit alleges that Apple has violated California’s Invasion of Privacy Act, the Unfair Competition Law, the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, and the Declaratory Judgment Act....

Apple is gearing up to launch a pair of new retail initiatives centered around the iPhone: an upgraded iPhone trade-in program for iPhones with damaged screens, cameras, or buttons, and a new program that allows Apple Retail Stores to install screen protectors on iPhones. The Apple Store Reuse and Recycle iPhone trade-in program currently allows a customer to bring in an older iPhone model and trade it in for credit toward the purchase of a new iPhone model....

A number of iOS 13.5.1 users are reporting significant Apple Music battery drain, notable for the fact that it is often being seen when only running in the background. The issue isn’t limited to 13.5.1, as reports date back as far as April, but does appear to be affecting significantly more people in the latest public iOS version released last month … MacRumors noticed the increased number of reports. Some report that more than half of their battery usage comes from Apple Music even when they aren’t using the app....

Filling a void left last year by former Senior Vice President of Retail Ron Johnson, Apple just announced that John Browett is its new Senior Vice President of Retail. Browett is leaving his job as CEO of Dixons, a major consumer electronics retail chain in Europe, to join the Apple executive team. Browett will lead all of Apple’s worldwide retail operations beginning in April. Peter Oppenheimer has been the Apple executive currently guiding the retail division since Ron Johnson’s departure, and he will likely continue to do so until Browett officially takes over in about two months....

The details of Apex Legends upcoming Battle Pass have been frequently debated in the lead-up to its announcement, and a number of datamining leaks have spoiled some of the update’s key features. Octane’s release had been uncovered weeks before his official announcement, while developer Respawn Entertainment chose to release the character’s Ultimate jump pads into the game ahead of Wild Frontier in order to stress test them. The release date of Wild Frontier is set for tomorrow, March 19, 2019, at 10am PT....

Apple has steadily been adding new cities and locations with support for its 3D Flyover feature to its Maps app this year. The latest Flyover addition to Apple Maps includes support for two new locations: Wellington, New Zealand and Yosemite National Park, California. The addition of Wellington marks the third location in New Zealand to support Flyover with Auckland and Christchurch both previously being supported. Newly added 3D Flyover support for Yosemite National Park in California is especially notable though as Apple prepares to ship its redesigned Mac operating system named after the national park…...

Update: Apple has added these four tour videos to its YouTube channel, as well. They are available below. In the lead-up to the retail debut of its first wearable device, Apple has launched a new website that features demo videos demonstrating the watch’s capabilities. At the moment, there are four videos available on the site, covering the Messages ap, customizable watch faces, and Digital Touch communication features. A general overview at the top of the page provides a broad look at the watch’s capabilities....

Patently Apple reports that Apple has applied for a patent related to a wearable electrocardiographic (ECG) device that could take the form of a watch, ring, brooch or similar. The reason the patent application emphasizes use on either left or right side of the body is that the patent focuses on an issue that can arise when taking readings from only one side of the body … A wearable device can be affixed to a limb of the human body such as a wrist or ankle, as an example....

A brief report claims that Apple will be adding a Chinese NAND storage chip supplier to its roster. The company has in the past bought these chips from Toshiba, SK Hynix and Samsung, but is now said to be in talks with Yangtze Memory Technologies. The report is light on detail, but does make one interesting claim … From Reuters, citing a Nikkei report: Adding an extra supplier isn’t surprising. NAND chips are one of the components that have been in short supply globally, and Apple likes to diversify its suppliers to protect supplies and improve its negotiating power – but it’s surprising that it would devote any component to devices destined for a particular country....

As is the norm nowadays, the Apple Events channel has appeared on the Apple TV ahead of Apple’s Spring Forward event later today. From 10 AM PDT, Apple will be live streaming the entire presentation, for those not lucky enough to be there in person. A big part of today’s ‘Spring Forward’ presentation will feature more specific details about the Apple Watch. Pricing and availability will almost certainly be mentioned. Also expect several demos from app developers so Apple can demonstrate the wide range of potential this new form factor provides....

Apple is leaning on a close ally of Donald Trump to help it avoid tariffs on iPhone parts and other products. A lobbying registration form first discovered by CNBC indicates that Apple has hired Jeffery Miller to lobby on its behalf in Washington. According to the document, Apple will rely on Miller and his team to focus on “trade issues as they relate to technological goods and services.” Miller has close ties to Trump and the rest of his administration....

Apple has been hit with a $9 million by the Federal Court in Australia over the the infamous Error 53 bug that affected numerous users last year. Today’s decision comes over a year after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission levied a lawsuit against Apple over the issue… As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court explained that Apple was denying Australian customers the ability to have their devices repaired by a third-party and was not offering any remedy:...

Apple has released iOS 10 beta 4 for developers to test on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 10 brings a refreshed look to Apple Music and News plus loads of new features to the platform. The software update will be ready for everyone later this fall, and we’ll dig through the fourth developer version of the iOS 10 beta below. If you’re already testing iOS 10 beta on your iPhone or iPad, head to the Software Update section of the Settings app to find the OTA update....

New data from Counterpoint this week underscores the continued growth of streaming music as the competition intensifies between Apple Music and Spotify. According to the data, Apple Music’s subscriber base grew by 36% in 2019, giving Apple a 19% share of the total paid subscriptions in the industry. Counterpoint notes that Apple Music also accounted for a 24% share of total revenues in the industry. These numbers compare to Spotify, which locked in a 35% share of total paid subscriptions and 31% of total revenue....

Apple today has updated Apple Music for Android to version 2.7, bringing several notable enhancements. This update first entered beta testing last month, but is now rolling out to all users. Headlining today’s update to Apple Music on Android is support for tablets. While Android tablets aren’t incredibly popular nowadays, it’s certainly nice to see the Apple Music app adds support after nearly four years. On Android tablets, Apple Music now includes easier access to the different sections of the app....

Anthem’s main story missions don’t do much to reinvent the wheel, but there are still some exciting, entertaining endeavors, such as Anthem’s Tombs of the Legionnaires quest. BioWare does a good job of creating a sense that something is at stake relatively early on in the narrative, and each missions feels like it is building toward a greater moment while still feeling like a worthwhile investment of time on their own....