Apple has today launched a iPhone XS and iPhone XR trade-in promotion offer in China, including a prominent banner on the Chinese version of Apple.com’s homepage. The deal is similar to what we have seen Apple aggressively promote in the United States. The boosted trade in values mean that a Chinese customer can pick up an iPhone XR for 4,399 RMB ($640), or iPhone XS for 6599 RMB ($960), when trading in an iPhone 7 Plus....

As it has done several times in the past, Apple is offering a free download of a popular iOS app via the Apple Store app. This time, the company is offering popular sketching app Procreate for iPhone for free. Apple touts that Procreate is a “must-have” for artists and enthusiasts, allowing them to create works of art right from their iOS device. Unfortunately, the more expensive iPad version of Procreate doesn’t quality for this deal....

Apple has announced a new partnership with leading customer relationship management company Salesforce. In addition to iOS app features created by Salesforce, opportunities are being created for third-party developers. The CEOs of both companies said the deal would marry the best hardware and software. Features unique to the iOS app will include Siri Shortcuts, Face ID and business chat. Reuters provided examples of what that means in practical terms. “With this partnership, we’re bringing together the world’s number one CRM platform with iPhone and iPad, the world’s best devices for business,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and co-CEO, Salesforce....

Following a new drone flyover of Apple’s under construction Campus 2 over the weekend, Apple and the City of Cupertino today shared an official updated aerial shot of the site showing the latest progress on the project. Apple appears to have made a lot of progress on the building’s foundation and earthwork for the surrounding campus since last checking in with official aerial imagery. Construction on the new building, which is set to house 12,000 staff by its estimated 2016 completion date, is currently in the earthwork/building construction phase that kicked off in the second quarter of 2014 earlier this year....

Apple has just announced that it will be live streaming its upcoming event later this month on September 9th. Its website also includes a countdown clock pictured above and a link for Apple users to add the event to their calendar. Apple previously announced the event scheduled to take place next week on September 9 at 10 a.m. PDT. This year the event gets a change of location from Apple’s usual Moscone West venue with the event set to go down at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino....

Although the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launched almost two months ago, availability for Apple’s flagship smartphones can still be hit or miss even from Apple’s own stores. Recent waves of international launches certainly haven’t helped supply meet demand, but Nikkei Asian Review reports that electronics manufacturer Pegatron is “expanding production capacity to handle strong global demand for the iPhone 6.“ Multiple reports from Asian media outlets have claimed Pegatron is responsible for manufacturing a portion of Apple’s 4....

Following four months of remodeling and modernization, Apple’s expansive retail store at London’s Covent Garden will reopen on Friday, October 26th. The reveal is timed to coincide with the launch of the colorful new iPhone XR. Earlier this year, we reported that Apple Covent Garden would close for renovations on June 27th after a similar closure at Apple Wangfujing in Beijing. The remodeling was expected to follow in the footsteps of Apple Palo Alto and further Apple’s strategy of upgrading older but significant stores with a video wall and modern fixtures....

We’ve been getting word from some international Apple retailers that not only are MacBook Airs, Minis and White MacBooks getting updated soon, but those Macs are also going to see modest-significant price drops in some countries we’ve polled. While we can’t get into the specifics of where and how much, we can tell you some models are being reduced more than the equivalent of $100. A few things to consider: One, the US Dollar has dropped significantly against Pacific currencies like the Japanese Yen and Korean Won (below) in the past year....

The Financial Times says that this new ad slot has completed testing and Apple will be rolling it out publicly by the end of the month. The timing comes as third-party ad networks are set to be disrupted by iOS 14.5’s App Tracking Transparency changes, which require a permission dialog to be shown before an app can display user-targeted advertising. App Store Search Ads were introduced in 2016 as Apple aimed to diversify revenue streams....

Apple is reported to have finally succeeded in getting one of the tax concessions it had sought in return for assembling iPhones in India. The company had long been seeking a range of incentives in return for setting up an iPhone plant in the country. Apple had originally wanted the concessions before beginning production, but decided to go ahead with or without them. Local production of the iPhone SE started earlier this month …...

Per Apple’s lawsuit against Samsung over an alleged copyright infringement, a federal court is forcing Samsung to hand over samples of the supposedly infringing devices, including packaging. Why? Apple wants to determine whether Samsung’s gear mimics the look and feel of Apple gadgets too closely, CNET reports, quoting a Courthouse News Service article. This includes Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S II smartphone, in addition to the Infuse 4G and Droid Charge. The ruling also applies to the Galaxy-branded tablets (8-9 inch and 10....

Patently Apple covered an Apple Inc. patent today published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that appears to be related to an app designed to assist shoppers by providing product and retailer information for scanned items. The invention would provide similar functionality to various third-party apps currently in the App Store that use barcode scanning and image recognition to search the web for product information and price comparisons. Patently Apple explained:...

Apple has today been granted patents for two headline features expected from the iPhone 8: an edge-to-edge display, and a Touch ID button embedded into the screen. The edge-to-edge display patent has the rather mundane heading ‘Reducing the border area of a device.’ It describes how a mostly-flat display can have a curved border area allowing it to wrap around the sides of the device … The embedded Touch ID patent is one of many submitted by Apple, describing different approaches it could take....

Apple has sent an email to developers informing them of upcoming changes to app pricing in Canada, the European Union, Norway, Iceland, and Russia. These changes, which take effect later this week, are not the same as the recent change to country-specific VAT rates, and impact a wider range of markets. The pricing updates are being implemented to accommodate changing tax and currency exchange rates. Prices will go up for customers in all of the affected countries except Iceland, which will see a decrease....

Apple has pushed out two separate updates for the late 2013 iMac. The first update, labeled “iMac SMC Firmware Update 1.1,” addresses an issue with Power Nap on flash-based iMacs that could cause the fans to begin spinning even when they weren’t needed. Instead the updates will now occur silently. The second of the two updates is a Mac OS 10.8.5 supplemental update for late-2013 iMacs with NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M....

Last week Apple released the 12 Days of Gifts app on iTunes. The app is an annual tradition for Apple in many countries, and this year U.S. customers can participate for the first time. Starting on December 26th, users can open the app each day for twelve days to get free content from the iTunes, iBooks and App Stores. Today, Apple is giving users “a gift to get you started.” Specifically, the gift is a free copy of Lorde’s single “No Better,” which was released only three days ago....

Continuing its string of iPhone promotions recently, Apple has a new offer for its Australian customers. As of this week, you can order Apple products in Australia with 0% financing for 2 years. And, if you buy an iPhone on financing, you get $50 (Australian dollars obviously) in cashback. The new terms were spotted by MacPricesAustralia. Apple mixes up its financing deals every few months and the offers regularly vary per region....

Indoor mapping lets Apple Maps users explore the internal layout of buildings across multiple floors, with precise location positioning to help you find your way around places like airports and shopping malls. Apple has today expanded its list of indoor mapping locations with a few new airports; iPhone and iPad can now explore Sydney International, Edinburgh and Hamad Internationl (Doha, Qatar) … Indoor mapping for airports lets you find check-in desks, baggage claim carousels and more....

After a rough start and a mixed early experience, I did finally press the button on Apple Music – a decision I’m grateful for at present as my main Mac is away for repair. This diary piece is as much about that experience as Apple Music, but I will get to music, I promise … I love a large screen on a laptop, so have stuck doggedly to my 17-inch MacBook Pro, despite the fact that it’s now four years old....

As expected, Apple today announced via Twitter the launch of Apple Music in Korea following the launch of the Israeli store just yesterday. The Apple Music store in Korea has the same 3 month free trial period after which users can sign up for $7.99 a month individual plans or $11.99 a month family plans, putting pricing in line with local services. Hello Korea! Apple Music is now available. 🇰🇷Start a 3-month free trial....