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Samsung has announced that beginning today, a new Apple Music app is now available for its smart TVs. The app can be downloaded on all Samsung smart TVs from 2018 through 2020. The Apple Music app for Samsung TVs works much like it does for Apple TV. You can simply sign in with your existing Apple ID and Apple Music account, or “begin the subscription process” right from the TV. If you sign up for an Apple Music account through your Samsung smart TV, you are eligible for the same three-month free trial as offered on other platforms....

Following the launch of two new webpages earlier today to promote the Wallet app and Apple Pay, Apple has also introduced a redesigned version of the Apple Music for Artists webpage — which is the place where artists can find everything they need to publish songs to Apple Music. According to the company, the new webpage (available at artists.apple.com) is the new “centralized home” for artists to find the tools and information on how to get their music ready for Apple’s streaming platform....

Apple Music just became more affordable for everyone. Apple stores and select retailers have rolled out a new 12-month Apple Music gift card, priced at $99. That comes out to $8.25 per month, which is about an 18% savings compared to the standard rate of $9.99. Or you could look at it like you’re getting about 2 months of service for free when you pre-pay for your upcoming year. The new gift card recently launched at Apple stores, but you’ll have to hit up another retailer if you’re looking to buy it online....

Apple Music is teaming up with Lady Gaga to celebrate female artists in honor of International Women’s Day. This comes after Gaga last week debuted her latest music video shot entirely with an iPhone. Billboard reports: In addition to Lady Gaga, Apple Music is also highlighting playlists curated by Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, Hailee Steinfeld, and Kehlani. Beats 1 is also showcasing past interviews with Demi Lovato, Miranda Lambert, Dua Lipa and Halsey....

We reported yesterday that Apple was participating in two out of the three rival bids for Toshiba’s chip-making division, and it now seems we can up that count to three out of three … Reuters reports that the KKR bid, which includes Western Digital, is now also seeking support from Apple. The Cupertino company is already reported to be part of the Bain and Foxconn bids. It had earlier been thought that Western Digital might walk away from the bid in return for assurances about the strength of its existing joint venture with Toshiba, leaving the KKR consortium with a hole in its financing....

There certainly isn’t a shortage of Apple patents being published today (probably more fuel for a legal battle a year from now). We just told you about a new Map related (Placebase acquisition) patent, and now Patently Apple reports Apple has been granted a patent that will allow them to integrate tiny projectors into future mobile devices. This latest patent describes, in rather clear detail, exactly how Apple could integrate projectors into iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks....

You can rent movies and television shows on iTunes, but not apps for your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. That could change as compelling evidence surfaces just a day before Apple’s “Let’s talk iPhone” event that app rentals might be in the works. The Tech Erra points to some code strings, uncovered by Sonny Dickson from iTunes 10.5 Beta 9, that strongly suggest such a feature could be unveiled at tomorrow’s press conference....

As noted by StreetInsider, Apple has added compelling new financing options for its customers in China via its official online store. Apple has teamed up with China-based China Merchants Bank to create the new offers. Now, customers in China can pay for Apple product purchases (that cost between 30 and 30,000 Yuan) in installments of 1(?!), 3 ,6, 12, 18, or 24 months. For the financing plans that are up to a year long (the first four plans listed), the customer will not be charged any interest....

As part of iOS 12, Apple has announced changes to some of the core iOS applications. On stage, the company touted improvements to Apple Books, Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and more. Headlining the announcements, Apple announced support for third-party map applications in CarPlay. The company says that Waze and Google Maps will be supported on CarPlay with iOS 12. In Apple News, Apple has included a new Browse tab that allows for discovering additional topics and channels....

[UPDATE: Email can be seen below now, as well.] Apple today has started issuing WWDC scholarships to winning applicants. While the company has not yet sent out emails to winners, those who submitted an application can check to see if they’ve received one by logging into their account and looking under the “Events” heading. #WWDC16 pic.twitter.com/SoQ3BjUPJB — Amit Nivedan Kalra (@AMITNKALRA) May 10, 2016 Apple stopped accepting scholarship applications on Sunday, May 1st and those who applied were at least 13 years of age or older and a full or part-time student or a member/alumni of a STEM organization....

Is Apple trying to block Push Notifications on SIM-unlocked iPhones running on non-Apple blessed carriers? Czech-based PoweryBase reports that Hactivated iPhones don’t get a response from Apple’s Push Notification servers. Further investigation shows that Apple may be blocking Push Notification Service on purpose to fight users who break carrier monthly plan agreements and unofficially unlocking these subsidized devices to work with other carriers which Apple is not partnered with. “When the Push based application such as NotifyMe requests an ID from APNS, the server responds within a second and identifies the device with the unique token....

Apple announced its Independent Repair Program last August that’s designed to let small businesses that aren’t Apple Authorized Service Providers a way to get Apple-genuine parts, training, and resources. The launch of the program was seen as a positive move for small shops that would give more customers access to legitimate repairs. However, the contract for the Independent Repair Program has recently leaked and Apple is seeing heavy criticism from lawyers and members of the repair community who are calling the terms of the contract “crazy” and “onerous....

Update: We’ve confirmed with Apple that iPod nano and shuffle are indeed discontinued and will eventually be removed from sale in retail stores too. Apple has also updated the iPod touch lineup in the process, now offering only 32GB and 128GB models at reduced prices. Apple today quietly removed its iPod nano and iPod shuffle product pages from its website, indicating that the company could be moving towards officially discontinuing the products....

Apple is further expanding its footprint in Cupertino, according to a new report from The Mercury News. Apple has acquired a large office complex in the city, located at the corner of Stevens Creek Boulevard and Torres Avenue. According to documents filed with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office this week, Apple has purchased the two buildings for a total of $290 million. Apple has previously housed some of its employees in these buildings, but now it is taking things a step further by purchasing the real estate outright....

Apple’s interest in augmented reality has become pretty clear over the last couple of years, and just this past week it acquired a startup focused on building lenses for AR glasses. As if Apple’s growing AR ambitions weren’t already clear enough, diving into the company’s hiring trends reveals even more. Thinknum is out this week with a closer look at Apple’s hiring trends related to augmented reality. Job postings from the company show a clear ramp in positions related to “AR Application....

Apple delivered a major upgrade to Maps in iOS 9, OS X El Capitan, and watchOS 2 with the addition of transit directions in select cities, and now its rolling out additional cities and transportation methods to bolster that feature. In addition to expanding transit, Apple has found a new partner in Canada to provide rich local business data for use in Maps. Transit in Apple Maps already supported buses, ferries, subways, and trains in supported cities including San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, DC, and today users noticed Amtrak train routes between major Northeastern cities in the United States (via MacRumors)....

Apple’s hometown, Cupertino, is looking at possible ways to tax large companies based on workforce size. According to the SF Chronicle, Cupertino is looking to pass a similar proposal as the one in Mountain View, California, which would rake in roughly $5.4M from giants such as Google. Cupertino is currently polling residents about the new tax proposal and how money from it should be spent. Google’s hometown Mountain View is planning similar moves as it wants to raise its head-count tax to $10M, where Google will only pay half, if the city could use the revenue towards transportation and housing....

Engadget this morning pointed us to the news that Apple was now only selling iPhones to people with credit cards – no Cash/Check money order. In addition, the limit on phones is now down from 5 to 2 per purchase. Why? According to Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris, the official Apple Line is, um: YEOUCH! The 1st 1/2 of that statement would seem to be untrue – there are plenty of iPhones out there no one is complaining of store shelves being bare – in fact, Apple will have to ramp up sales (Europe/Asia help) to meet its 10 million by the end of 2008 forecast....

The iPhone X isn’t the only new gadget to boast an OLED screen. A startup that says it wants to spark conversations between strangers has launched Beam, a wearable OLED button that allows you to display anything you want, and update it as often as you like … Beam has a 400×400 pixel 24-bit color AMOLED display, and supports GIFs and slideshows as well as static images. It claims a battery-life of 24 hours....

Apple’s App Store revenue grew 31% year-on-year in Q3, climbing from $14.5B last year to $19B this year, according to Sensor Tower analytics data. Google Play revenue grew even faster, with 33.8% growth, but still only managed a little over half of Apple’s numbers at $10.3B … Sensor Tower says that consumers stuck at home due to the coronavirus boosted demand for entertainment apps. TikTok topped both app store charts....