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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-cZ4mdrlWYM] Google unveiled a new feature within its iOS search app in August that reminds us a lot of Siri. Taking features from its Siri competitor Google Now, Google announced the search app would now allow folks to use natural voice commands to make searches. For example, a user can “ask for the weather in a natural way and it will provide results,” Google explained. Google noted during its announcement that the updated app would be available in a few days....

Apple Music is right now on Twitter trends, but the reason behind this is not the best. Apple’s streaming platform has been criticized by users due to the “Replay” retrospective feature after Spotify released its Wrapped 2020 retrospective. Last year, Apple introduced Apple Music Replay — a new way to check out the year’s retrospective with the songs and artists you’ve listened to the most. Users can add playlists with their 100 most played songs every year, which are automatically generated by Apple Music....

Apple News is featuring a special ‘Royal Wedding’ tab ahead of the big event tomorrow. Interestingly, the News app has actually changed the name of the second Spotlight tab to highlight the time-sensitive event. Despite international attention, this tab appears to be showing for UK users only at the moment. Devices set to the US region are still seeing the normal Spotlight news items. The Royal Wedding tab is appropriately themed with royal red and gold colors....

Apple has just announced the Apple Watch Series 6 during its September special event. The new generation of Apple Watch keeps the same design as the Series 4 and Series 5 models, but with internal improvements and new finishes — including the addition of an oximeter sensor. Apple Watch Series 6 replaces Apple Watch Series 5 with improvements over last year’s models. This year’s Apple Watch is very similar to previous models, and it’s available in 40mm and 44m with an always-on Retina display....

The Apple Store went down last night and updated with a new “We’ll be back soon” logo, but Apple also appears to be testing a new virtual product tour as part of its sales chat feature. Apple has provided the ability to chat with sales support through certain product pages for a long time via an “Ask Now” button. As of today, the feature has a slightly refreshed look, and —as discovered by MacMagazine— Apple is apparently testing a feature on at least the Brazilian store that lets Apple employees share their screen to give a guided tour of the product page....

I wondered soon after the launch of the 2016 MacBook Pro whether Apple might have plans to bring the Touch Bar and Touch ID to a new Magic Keyboard. A new Apple patent application shows that the company is at least exploring the idea. As ever, the language of the patent is dense, but the illustrations include a standalone keyboard as well as a laptop one. As I noted previously, this would seem to address the greatest weakness of the Touch Bar …...

Apple’s gorgeous new Michigan Avenue flagship store looked like the worst example of form over function last week when snow along the Chicago River front meant parts of the store needed to be roped off. Did Apple really design an Apple Store that couldn’t handle a bit of frosty weather in a city like Chicago? The design wasn’t the issue, says Apple, but rather a software malfunction… The problem appeared to be snow building up on the downward sloped MacBook Air-like rooftop....

Earlier this month we noted that Apple was asking courts to add the Galaxy S4 as an infringing device in its ongoing patent dispute with Samsung in California. Now, Apple has officially filed a motion (via FossPatents) outlining five patents infringed by the Galaxy S4 and another two Siri related patents infringed by the device’s Google Now voice controlled search feature. Apple had previously claimed that the Android Google search box feature on Samsung devices infringed the same patents, but is now moving to have Google Now included alongside the S4....

Apple has launched a featured page on its website this week to commemorate and celebrate JFK’s centennial year. The new webpage features JFK history on a variety of topics and values, along with an app and resources for teachers to help students explore and learn more. Here’s how Apple describes the influence JFK has had on the company and its commemoration: Apple shares how JFK exemplified service, courage, innovation, and inclusion and then gives educational project ideas for each....

Apple has announced an international expansion for the Apple Independent Repair Provider program. This program first launched in the United States in August 2019, and it’s now expanding to over 200 new countries. The Independent Repair Provider program gives small repair businesses access to the same Apple-genuine parts, training, and resources as Apple authorized service providers. The program is designed to focus on the most common out-of-warranty repairs, such as screen replacements and cracked backs....

Apple showed off Safari 7 today at WWDC, which includes a cleaner design and performance improvements. Safari 7.0 also features better integration with Reading List and a sidebar for bookmarks. There’s also a “shared links” tab for browsing links posted to social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn. Finally, Safari 7 uses much less processor power and memory than its predecessor and competitors. Also included in Safari 7 is a new iCloud Keychain feature that generates and stores secure passwords across all of your devices, much like 1Password....

Apple has invited a number of non-developer users to participate in what it’s calling an “AirDrop Test Fest” to help fix bugs in the over-the-air file sharing system, according to users who have gotten the invite. Users who have been invited will find a notice inside the Feedback Assistant application included with the public beta of the upcoming OS X Yosemite. Users who have been invited to participate are provided with a set of guidelines for testing the feature....

Apple isn’t an official Olympics sponsor, but it’s managed to still take advantage of the event for its own marketing purposes with limited-edition Apple Watch bands themed with country flag designs. Not only is it selling those watch bands for 14 different country flags to coincide with the Olympics this month, it’s also reportedly giving them away for free to athletes at its Apple Store in Rio (via iphone-ticker.de). Citing a firsthand account from a team manager for Germany, iphone-ticker notes the Apple Store is giving away two free bands to accredited Olympic athletes, effectively allowing it to market its product during the games without an official sponsorship of athletes or the games itself....

Thanks to the new fourth-generation iPad unveiled this afternoon, the third-generation iPad that launched in the spring has been discontinued. Consequently, the third-generation iPad is now available on Apple’s refurbished store. Prospective customers can find the base 16GB model listed for only $379 in the refurbished store, while the 32GB and 64GB models are also for $469 and $549 (respectively). The new iPad suddenly isn’t new anymore. (via The Verge)...

Nikkei carries the report. The moves are being prompted by uncertainties over the eventual outcome of the Trump-initiated trade war with China, with 25% tariffs on all goods imported into the US from China still a possibility. HP and Dell, the world’s No. 1 and No. 3 personal computer makers who together command around 40% of the global market, are planning to reallocate up to 30% of their notebook production out of China, several sources told the Nikkei Asian Review....

Through its MobileFirst for iOS initiative, Apple and IBM have added 8 new enterprise apps for designed exclusively for iPhone and iPad. The latest apps developed as part of the partnership between the two companies include two new industries: healthcare and industrial products. The 8 new apps brings the total of MobileFirst for iOS apps to 22, while the two new industries now totals 10 including banks, law enforcement, travel, and retail....

The DOJ did what it does and told Apple and others (Adobe Systems Inc., Google Inc., Intel Corp., Intuit Inc. and Pixar) to stop entering into anti-competitive agreements with other high tech companies. The agreements between the companies limited recruiters from each company from cold calling employees at the other companies, amongst other things. Google posted a Public Policy Blog statement on the matter: I think Apple and Google long ago gave up on refraining from hiring each other’s employees....

“The two companies have a strong position in the digital offering of audiobooks in Germany. Therefore, we feel compelled to examine the agreement between these two competitors in the audiobooks in more detail,” cartel office chief Andreas Mundt said in a statement. Apple lost a separate U.S. case in which it was found guilty of anti-competitive behaviour in its ebook sales. The U.S. Justice Department recently agreed that Apple had now properly addressed the issues, though this may not be the end of the battle: Apple is appealing that case to the U....

During Tim Cook’s talk at the Goldman Sachs Tech Conference 2015 today, the Apple CEO announced a new initiative that will see the company build a solar farm in Monterey County, California that Cook called Apple’s “biggest, boldest and most ambitious” energy project yet. “We know at Apple that climate change is real… our view is the time for talk is past and the time for action is now… we’re now running all of our data centres… off renewable energy....

Apple today has announced its first ever retail store destined for Taiwan. The company made the announcement on its Taiwan website, while Tim Cook also teased the new location in a tweet this afternoon, calling the store Apple Taipei 101. Apple’s Taiwan retail store will be located in the Xinyi District on the ground floor and basement level of Taipei 101. It’s not explicitly clear when the store will open, through AppleDaily speculates that will be by the end of the month....