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A new UK job listing posted on Apple’s website and uncovered by iClarified indicates that the company is planning to expands its payment service into Europe and elsewhere. It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that Apple wants to put its iPhone 6-based payment system into as many hands worldwide as possible, but this is one of the first indications of a move in that direction. The intern will be part of a new London-based team that will help roll the product out across Europe, the Middle East, India, and Asia....

Apple has announced that it is partnering with the National Basketball Association. The deal will specifically focus on Apple Music, with the NBA and Apple highlighting up-and-coming independent artists. As first reported by Bloomberg, Apple and the NBA will work together on the “Base:Line” playlist on Apple Music, which will include 40 songs and be updated on a weekly basis. The tracks from this playlist will have a “hip-hop vibe” and be used for in-game NBA highlights, on social media channels, and more....

A patent application filed by Apple three years ago and approved today illustrates a new twist on the iWatch concept: a sensor-packed strap acting as a dock which allows a range of interchangeable modules to be snapped into place. It’s not anything we’re likely to see make it into production: the docking concept dates back to 2011, and was probably intended by Apple to house an iPod Nano, converting it into a smartwatch in a more sophisticated version of the watch-straps sold in Apple Stores since way back in 2010....

BioWare’s brand new IP Anthem, a big bet for publisher Electronic Arts in 2019, is finally available for all interested players to download and try through its open demo. We’ve been playing it on PC, including last weekend during the VIP demo which had a rocky launch. Anthem is a class-based third-person looter shooter which draws comparisons to Activision’s Destiny, Digital Extremes’ Warframe, and Ubisoft’s The Division, and rightfully so since its core gameplay loop is the same....

Apollo for Reddit, one of the most popular iOS Reddit clients, has been updated today to version 1.3. The update brings several notable changes, including a brand new feature pack that includes full app thumbing, realtime notifications, and more. Headlining the Apollo for Reddit update is a new ‘Apollo Ultra’ feature pack, which is available as an in-app purchase for $0.99 per month, $9.99 per year, or $19.99 lifetime. Apollo Ultra brings several new features, including app theming, a new custom app icon every month, and realtime notifications....

If you like the idea of growing your own food but know nothing about gardening, a new startup thinks it has just the thing you need. Grow Duo calls itself the world’s first intelligent planter. The companion app shows you how to plant your seeds, the planter takes care of the watering and the app lets you know when it needs your help – either for pruning, or for harvesting your crop …...

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has been contracted by Apple to soon manufacture A6X chips, according to a report from Taiwan-based Commercial Times (via France24). The move, which has been speculated by media in the recent months, is said to reduce Apple’s reliance on South Korean-based Samsung, who has been responsible for many of Apple’s chips in recent years. The folks in Cupertino introduced the A6X chip in the fourth-generation iPad in October, and it is expected to go into TSMC’s hands, rather than Samsung’s, during the first quarter of this year for trial production....

Yesterday, we shared a video of a marathon runner testing the real-world resilience of the AirPods as fitness workout headphones. Apple doesn’t claim that the wireless earbuds are waterproof so there were some fears that they would be ruined by sweat or simply fall out. These concerns appear unfounded as the AirPods excelled in that test and now another video show the AirPod earbuds and case going through multiple drop tests, water submersion and even a washing machine cycle with detergent....

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLJN_d2sVjk] You can’t make this up. As many iPhone owners wake up New Years Day and realize their Do Not Disturb is stuck on, they might also catch a glimpse of Apple’s new iPhone 5 commercial. Featuring the Tennis stars/sisters Venus and Serena Williams playing table tennis in a dream sequence, the ad tells the viewer that they might miss out on an awesome dream without Apple’s Do Not Disturb feature....

Starting next month, Apple will allow the Russian government to pre-install apps on iPhones, iPads, and possibly other devices like Macs in future. In accordance with a new Russian law, Apple users will see a dialog box upon initial setup of new devices that features web browsers, antivirus, messenger, email clients, and more to be installed by default. The list of apps is provided by the government. All apps in the list are pre-selected to be installed as part of setup; however, users are able to deselect apps individually if they don’t want them....

Even before Apple has built its first Chinese R&D center in Beijing, Tim Cook has announced that a second one is on the way. Reuters reports that the second one will be in the country’s largest manufacturing district, Shenzhen. Apple said that this center will be specifically focused on allowing Apple to work more closely with its manufacturing partners in the country … Strengthening relationships with local universities is a secondary aim, added Rosenstock....

Apple and Goldman Sachs are readying a joint credit card, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new credit card will integrate with the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone to offer special features like the ability to set spending goals and track purchase rewards. The card would purportedly offer rewards like 2% cashback, and maybe more when buying Apple gear. The report says the new card will be tested with employees in the next month or so with a launch later in the year....

After celebrating the back to school season with exclusive Apple Pay deals last week, Apple has today announced a new promotion aimed at supporting national parks in the U.S. The company is promising to donate $10 to the National Parks Foundation for every Apple Pay transaction made at Apple over the next week. The promotion officially kicks off on August 17th and runs through August 25th. If you spend $10+ with Apple Pay, Apple will make a $10 donation to the National Parks Foundation....

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has indeed scheduled an event on September 12. On that date, Apple is set to announce the new iPhone models, as well as cellular Apple Watch and a 4K Apple TV set-top box. We are still waiting for Apple to send out invites to press to make the event official, although it is all but confirmed at this point. In terms of event location, the report says that the company is ‘aiming to use’ the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park for the first time …...

Following the announcement of major updates to both OS X and iOS, Apple has begun seeding versions of the new operating systems beyond its own engineers and third-party developers. Beginning this week, several sources say, Apple has begun seeding the initial preview of OS X Mavericks to Genius Bar and on-floor Apple Retail employees. These select employees received the following message: This program is designed in order to gauge feedback in a more controlled environment about the major Mac OS update....

Apple has used the home page of the App Store today to celebrate the WWDC scholarship winners and share their apps and games. In a featured App Store story, Apple has given recognition to all of the WWDC scholarship winners and also shared the students’ apps and games, which cover a wide variety of subjects. Apple notes that this year’s winners come from more than 20 different countries. Brazil and the US have the most scholarship winners with over 20 recipients each....

We’ve already seen a few high profile companies detail new corporate wellness programs that use the Apple Watch, and now Apple is promoting the initiative with a microsite dedicated to helping more companies launch their own Apple Watch corporate wellness programs. The move further promotes the Apple Watch as a health and fitness tracker with a focus on using it at work. Apple promotes apps including Vitality, Lose It!, and Virgin Pulse that are available on the Apple Watch and have been used in wellness programs so far....

Apple has shared more about its recent partnership to help support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), this time with Huston-Tillotson University. With a multi-year program, Apple is offering scholarships, hardware, software, as well as professional development to help support the next generation of Black male educators. The partnership with Huston-Tillotson University is the latest of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI), something it’s pledged $100 million for. Apple highlighted partnership in a Newsroom post today:...

An obsessive Apple fan has created what he describes as perfect reproductions of the original Apple I manuals. To do so, he says, he had to position individual letters by hand … If you want a set of original Apple I manuals, you can expect to pay a five-figure sum for them. Reproductions are available, but these are based on relatively poor-quality scans. Apple fan Armin decided that wasn’t good enough....

Apple is usually at the top of customer satisfaction surveys in the United States, such as taking home its seventh consecutive J.D Power and Associates award for smartphones earlier this month. The same cannot be said for the company among consumers in all countries abroad, but for the first time Apple has ranked No.1 among the top consumer brands in Japan. According to the annual study commissioned by Nikkei BP Consulting Inc....