As part of iOS 12, Apple has introduced ARKit 2.0 with a host of improvements. The latest version brings performance improvements, multiplayer support, and more. In addition to ARKit 2.0, Apple has introduced a new augmented reality file type called Universal Scene Description (USDZ). Adobe confirmed on stage that it will be an adopter of the new file format. Apple says that ARKit carries a host of improvements, including: Improved face tracking Realistic rendering 3D object detection Persistent experiences Shared experiences Craig Federighi touted a specific shared experiences feature, which will allow users to view the same augmented reality experience, whether it be as a participant or an observer....

Last May, after some residents voiced concern about Apple’s planned Spaceship Campus 2 project, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer sent out a brochure/mailer to local residents, hoping to alleviate concerns about the huge new office building and surrounding Campus 2. Click to enlarge, via Macrumors Apple last week updated its Campus 2 plans with the inclusion of walk and bike trails and other specifics on the land use. As Macrumors notes, Cupertino residents have begun receiving updated mailers with the new updated information and focused on the positive environmental impact the buildings will have....

Apple this evening has updated its Leadership webpage to reveal Adrian Perica as its vice president of corporate development. Perica originally joined Apple in 2009, focusing on leading mergers and acquisitions. He will report directly to Tim Cook through his updated role. He previously reported to CFO Luca Maestri. With his vice president of corporate development title, Perica will continue focusing on mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investing efforts, according to Apple....

The list includes an Apple IOMobileFrameBuffer Memory Corruption vulnerability, a SonicWall SMA 100 Appliances Stack-Based Buffer Overflow vulnerability, a Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free vulnerability, a Microsoft Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) Improper Privilege Management vulnerability and two GNU Bourne-Again Shell (Bash) Arbitrary Code Execution vulnerabilities. Also: CISA adds 13 exploited vulnerabilities to list, 9 with Feb. 1 remediation date The Apple and SonicWall vulnerabilities have a remediation date for February 11, and the rest have remediation dates of July 28....

Apple has recently acquired a handful of patents from Lighthouse AI, a defunct home security camera company. As reported by IAM, Apple acquired the patent portfolio sometime late in 2018, but the details were only published recently in the U.S. Patent and Trademark database. The patents in question (via Patently Apple) relate to technology used for computer-vision based security, visual authentication, and more. In total, Apple acquired eight patents and patent applications from Lighthouse....

Apple has officially announced iOS 8, the next version of the iPhone and iPad mobile operating system, at its developer conference in San Francisco. The update includes some noticeable user interface and design changes from iOS 7 while maintaining the same design language. Continuity between the Mac and iPhone has already been previewed at length during the OS X Yosemite demo prior to iOS 8’s unveiling. Specific features and press release below:...

Apple has started training its AppleCare technical support staff on the changes and feature-set of iOS 7, according to multiple AppleCare employees. These people say that training began today, and AppleCare employees are required to complete the iOS 7 training by the second week of September. The second week of September is around the date that Apple will be holding its iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, and iOS 7 media event, so it would make sense that Apple would want its support staff to be ready for questions about the new software....

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5WYvFOMtAA] Apple has today posted its latest Environmental Responsibility report, together with a new Better Starts Here video, celebrating a number of recent environmental issues and its commitment to “leave the world better than we found it” … The company said that true innovation goes beyond product design and includes everything from energy-generation to packaging. The new report says that Apple set three environmental priorities: We take our passion for innovation beyond our products and into our practices....

The Eurasian database continues to be a good indicator of Apple’s forthcoming product releases. Some of the model identifiers unearthed earlier this month were unveiled yesterday as the new MacBook Pro laptops. Consomac today noticed that Apple has now registered a fleet of new iPhones running iOS 12, almost certainly destined to be the 2018 iPhone lineup launching in September. The iOS 12 iPhone model identifiers are A1920, A1921, A1984, A2097, A2098, A2099, A2101, A2103, A2104, A2105, and A2106....

Apple announced today the hiring of Barbara Whye as the company’s new vice president of inclusion and diversity. Whye currently holds a similar position at Intel, and she will join Apple in 2021. The hiring was first reported by Fortune, which also included Whye in its list of Most Powerful Women this year. She joined Intel in 1995 as an engineer, and since then, Whye has been involved in numerous roles in the company, such as leading engineering projects to start new Intel facilities around the world....

After announcing a new partnership earlier today with The Conservation Fund to protect 36,000 acres of forest, news of another environmental effort by the company comes as SunPower announces plans to build a new solar power project in China. SAN JOSE, Calif., April 16, 2015– Continuing its growth in the world’s largest solar photovoltaic market, SunPower Corporation today announced that it plans to partner with Apple to build two solar power projects totaling 40 megawatts (MW) in ABA Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefectures, Sichuan Province of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC)....

Apple has announced a new collection of Sport Loop bands for Apple Watch today, with accompanying watch faces to go with them. The new Sport Loop bands feature “bold designs that represent 22 nations around the world,” and they come ahead of the Summer Olympics being held in Tokyo next month. These limited-edition bands are designed to “celebrate the describable drive and competitive spirit of all athletes and fans.” Here are the countries represented by the new bands:...

Apple Mail vs G Suite webmail is a discussion I’ve had with many other IT directors at different schools over the past few years. Some Apple schools focus everyone on using Mail.app since it’s built it, updated with macOS, and creates a similar experience on iOS. Other schools actually remove Mail.app from the new Mac deployments and force people to use the G Suite web interface? I could argue it both ways, and I’ll give you my explanation in this week’s Making The Grade....

Apple added 3D flyover support in its Maps application for Mac and iOS to three new cities this weekend: Perth, Australia; Saint-Tropez, France; and Cordoba, Spain. This addition comes just a few months after Apple added flyover support for Cape Town and others as the company continues to expand its coverage to include as many major cities as possible. Not everyone’s excited about Apple’s 3D mapping technology, though. The Norwegian government has blocked Apple from collecting flyover data from Oslo, the nation’s capital....

Apple has updated its online store to start accepting PayPal as a payment method in both the United States and United Kingdom. PayPal was already an option for those who shopped through the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBookstore, but this is the first time the company has offered it through the Apple Online Store. PayPal previously took a swipe at Apple over its cloud platform’s security issues, but tried to be friendly when it came to mobile payments—possibly because PayPal felt threatened by Apple’s jump into that space....

Some of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars franchise have been the droids and mythical creatures that inhabit it, and that remains true in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While fans will certainly be introduced to new and wondrous beings, the nostalgic pull of characters like C-3PO and R2-D2 remains ever powerful. The life behind those roles, Anthony Daniels and Joonas Suotamo, spoke with Screen Rant about their characters’ journeys and their own preparation for the final chapter of the saga on December 20....

A Who’s Who of tech giants is expected to get together on Wednesday in San Francisco for an all-day meeting on how to tackle growing consumer concerns about data privacy … The meeting is being organized by the Information Technology Industry (ATI) council, an industry body whose members include Apple, Samsung, Google, Facebook, Salesforce, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Qualcomm and Dropbox. Axios reports that ATI members consider the conversation an urgent one....

Mobile Device Management is at the heart of every Apple enterprise customer’s network stack. Up until now, Apple has generally relied on third party companies when enabling its customer to deploy, secure, and manage devices in the corporate environment. Today, Fleetsmith announced they have been acquired by Apple. This acquisition will give Apple a first-party MDM solution to offer its customer. This announcement comes on the heels of Apple’s WWDC 2020 session about what’s new with Apple device management....

Today has seen the announcement of the second Apple antitrust investigation in two days. Just one day after Italy announced that it was investigating the fairness of iCloud terms and conditions, Australia says that it is launching a broad investigation into both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said that it will be examining the fairness of the two app stores from both consumer and developer perspectives …...

Apple typically begins shipping devices shortly after charging credit cards, but so far it appears to have not yet changed the status of orders to provide an expected delivery day. Apple usually changes orders from “Processing” to “Shipped” after charging cards, at which time customers should have a more accurate estimated delivery date provided compared to Apple’s original estimated week-long window. Apple first unveiled the new MacBook Pros on October 27 and began accepting orders the same day....