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Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference is happening this week and the social network just announced new integration with Apple Music coming soon. Facebook is introducing new music sharing features through its Messenger platform, and Apple Music is officially confirmed as a partner. Messenger’s new music sharing feature will launch with Spotify initially, which will let users share song snippets with friends over the platform. Apple Music is already committed to integrate as well and will similarly be available in the near future....

If you are excited about Apple’s upcoming music subscription service, you probably have a few of questions that are still unanswered. And one of them, of course, is the ability to download songs for offline playback. In a statement released to Re/code, Apple has confirmed that this feature will indeed make its way into Apple Music: “As an Apple Music member you can add anything from the Apple Music library — a song, an album or a video — to your collection,....

Apple has filed a motion to drop a cross-appeal in the seemingly eternal patent battle between the Cupertino-based tech giant and rival Samsung, as noted today by FOSS Patents. As the appeals process drags on, Apple has decided to let go of certain points and accept the court’s rulings. In this case, Apple has decided not to seek an injunction against certain Samsung devices from its first trial in 2012. Apple has already tried to get an injunction against these devices twice in the past, but was denied both times....

Over the past few weeks, the patent arms race has been accelerating and the latest comes in a Bloomberg story that has old frenemies – Apple, Google and Samsung – locked in a fight for InterDigital’s patent portfolio. Samsung is said to be interested the most in InterDigita’s intellectual property their CEO claims is “stronger” than the 6,000 Nortel patents the Apple-led consortium recently acquired for $4.5 billion. People familiar with the matter tell the publication Samsung has been “approached to make a bid”:...

Apple has recently added a new option for iTunes purchases on both the Mac and iOS devices running iTunes 11 and iOS 6 or later. Now, when purchasing content that includes a large download, such as movies or seasons of TV shows, iTunes will allow users to complete the purchase and opt to download the file at a later time. As noted by Macworld, Apple outlined the new option, which presents users with a dialog to “Download” now or download “Later”, in a recently updated knowledge base article....

In coordination with the Watch’s worldwide release, Apple has ramped its marketing campaign further with three new ads that are airing starting today. The ads titled ‘Rise’, ‘Up’ and ‘Us’ focus on everyday activities being enhanced by the Watch. Unlike some of Apple’s product-focused marketing, this is more in the style of iPad commercials. The ‘Rise’ ad focuses on morning activities, such as using the Watch to wake you up or answer text messages in the breakfast queue....

After closing every location outside of Greater China abruptly on March 13, Apple Stores were originally scheduled to reopen after March 27. The temporary closures were later made indefinite. In addition to daily condition monitoring for every Apple facility, O’Brien notes that flexible work arrangements will remain in place. Frequent updates to store teams have provided regular guidance to cut through uncertainty. This includes the option to work remotely as an AppleCare At Home Advisor, if an employee wishes....

The BBC announced today that Zane Lowe, who has worked as an award-winning Radio 1 DJ for nearly twelve years, is stepping down from his position in March and moving to California to take up a role at Apple. Lowe has long been regarded as one of the UK’s top sources for music discovery, and his show helped make many artists the stars they are today. Lowe hasn’t publicly stated what role he’ll be filling at the Cupertino tech company, but it’s not hard to conclude that he’ll be lending his curation expertise to the big upcoming relaunch of the Beats Music streaming service....

Over the weekend, CNBC strangely reported what appears to be a miscommunication from Apple about the iPad charging beyond the 100 percent marker: That last bit was a bit disconcerting, especially because it was not put into context correctly. Apple remained silent on the matter. Today, AllThingsD got a response from Apple’s Vice President of iPad Product Marketing Michael Tchao that seems to clarify the issue and put it to bed:...

Apple has a storied history of being popular in classrooms around the world. The company today announced that its ConnectED efforts have helped the company reach more than 32,000 students throughout the United States. Most recently, Carver Elementary School in Indianola, Mississippi joined the ConnectED program, becoming the 66th school to which Apple has provided iPads. For those unfamiliar, ConnectED is a program started by the Obama Administration to provide cutting-edge technology to teachers and students....

As Apple is today updating its apps with macOS Big Sur compatibility, the company has just released an update of Final Cut Pro X on the App Store — I mean, Final Cut Pro. Apple’s video editor finally lost the “X” on its name with today’s update. Apple’s desktop operating system was called “OS X” until 2016 when Apple decided to rename it to “macOS” in order to better match with iOS, watchOS, and tvOS....

Apple today has been hit with yet another class action lawsuit, this time concerning the company’s process of replacing damaged devices under AppleCare+ with a refurbished device. This isn’t the first time Apple has been the target of scrutiny for this process and other AppleCare issues, with other lawsuits having been filed in the past. This lawsuit, filed today in California, accuses Apple of not holding true to the AppleCare+ contract, which states that devices replaced as part of the program are the “equivalent to new in performance and reliability....

Apple is recognizing Veterans Day with a range of measures, ranging from donations to veterans organizations to highlighting relevant movies and TV shows in the Apple TV app. Apple opened its announcements with a donation to Team Rubicon … The company is also providing iPads to help vets access health services. Apple and its employees are proud to support veterans organizations that are giving back to the community, including non-profits like Team Rubicon....

Apple’s internal “GSX” tool for Apple support technicians and resellers says that the iPad mini with Retina display will become available on November 12th. We’ve confirmed the existence of the above note in GSX, which was first noted by MacRumors, with multiple independent sources. The note says that the Retina iPad mini will become available in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States local time on Tuesday the 12th....

Apple has officially announced its first processor designed specifically for the Mac, dubbed the M1. The M1 chip features an eight-core design alongside a powerful Neural Engine and GPU, offering dramatic efficiency and performance improvements for the Mac. If you’re buying a new Mac today and are confused by Apple’s M1 chip option in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, read along for all of the details on what you need to know....

Apple Music is showing off its love for the industry in a new collection called Behind the Songs. Here, Apple Music members can discover music with an emphasis on songwriters, producers, and session musicians who may not otherwise receive top credits. Behind the Songs features episodes from Apple Music Radio that highlight songwriters who created the songs we know and love, playlists that dive into specific songwriters, including artists who write their own lyrics, as well as playlists that promote the work of specific producers....

Apple today has introduced support for reader demographics and third-party advertisers for Apple News. In the shared updates, Apple announced that publishers will now be able to see reader demographics under the News Publisher Analytics section. The analytics provide insight into male and female readership and their age ranges for those that have read content within the News app on iOS 10.3. In updates to the advertising platform, Apple News now supports new ad format sizes more inline with standard web advertising sizes....

Apple’s long-rumored over-ear headphones are officially here. AirPods Max feature an over-ear design, deep integration with the rest of Apple’s ecosystem, the H1 chip, and more. They are available to order today for $549, with the first orders arriving next week. AirPods Max feature Apple’s latest H1 chip with support for spatial audio, automatic device switching, and more. They are available in five colors and include a carrying case as well....

Apex Legends Mobile is finally released as a strategic battle royale shooter video game for both Android and iOS platforms. The game was in beta testing the last year and Electronic Arts made it official a couple of days ago. Apex Legends Mobile becomes the most downloaded game on iOS in multiple countries which creates a record. However, plenty of players are facing the Apex Legends Mobile High Ping Usage issue while connecting it....

Apple is on a mass hiring spree for Asian staff, beginning in the middle of last year, as noted by the Wall Street Journal. The Journal says that Apple is trying to speed up product development in China and Taiwan to help launch a larger lineup of devices. Apparently, the company is aggressively hiring away from HTC and other firms to form strong product teams in Asia. The hires indicate Apple is preparing for ‘faster and more frequent product launches’ according to the Journal....