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The Washington Post this weekend published a very in-depth video/interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook just weeks before Apple is set to unveil its biggest product of the year by far, the iPhone 7. In it, Cook talks about the incredibly important people outside of Apple he turns to for advice at pivotal moments, including Warren Buffett on returning cash to stockholders, Anderson Cooper on coming out, and folks like Bill Clinton and Laurene Powell Jobs on testifying before congress....

According to a new report out of the Financial Times, Apple has hired one of the top virtual reality researchers in the United States to expedite its efforts in the platform. The report claims that Apple has recently hired Doug Bowman, who most recently was a computer science professor at Virginia Tech before taking a sabbatical. At Virginia Tech, he was the director of the university’s human-computer interaction center for around five years....

It must be a cold day in Hell. Apple is consorting with Google, Samsung, LG Electronics, and various ventures and firms to bid as a group on Kodak’s intellectual property. Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection in January, according to The Wall Street Journal, and it is looking to auction its patents to raise money for surviving a Chapter 11 court protection. Kodak could barter all 1,100 digital photography-based patents or end the auction without a deal, as the company announced it would name the winning bidders on Monday but eventually pushed the deadline upon talking with creditors....

Apple Music is making a big expansion today as Apple has launched an all-new web app for the streaming music platform. Through this new browser-based interface, Apple Music subscribers can stream from anywhere without having to use a platform-specific application. Apple Music has generally offered a very basic web experience, but Apple is now taking things to the next level. If you’re an Apple Music subscriber, this new web interface should look very familiar....

Update: Apple has issued an EFI firmware update for the new machines, to cure a black-screen issue when using Boot Camp while both an external optical drive and USB thumb drive are connected. Apple has launched an updated line of iMacs with faster processors, improved graphics, faster 802.11ac WiFi connectivity, and improved Flash storage. The new iMacs are now available from Apple’s online store. The new iMacs, like the MacBook Airs that launched in June, include Intel Haswell processors....

An Apple patent granted today describes how the front-facing camera, light sensor and proximity sensor found in existing iPhones could be used for health measurements. It also considers using additional sensors mounted in the same area for further health measurements … For example, it describes electrical contacts similar to those found on some more sophisticated bathroom scales to measure body fat. The same contacts could also be used to provide an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading, a technique that’s already been seen in at least one iPhone case....

Coinciding with the start of spring, Apple has announced a new live concert series set to be held in Italy. “Apple Music Live: Piazza Liberty” begins on March 28th and will run throughout spring and summer on the public amphitheater above Apple’s new flagship store in Milan. The new Apple Music Live series is distinct from the regular series of Today at Apple events that runs at every retail store. Visitors must sign up to attend concerts using this special ticketing page, which will be updated regularly as new performances are added....

We’re less than 12 hours away from Apple’s WWDC keynote address and little by little, details regarding Apple’s plans are starting to emerge. This evening, a new placeholder listing has gone live on the App Store for a ‘Files’ application from Apple, hinting that the company might bring an expanded filesystem of sorts to iOS 11… The details about this app are sparse at this point, with the app description simply reading “Files app for iOS,” while screenshots are nowhere to be found....

For Apple, 2019 was a busy year, thanks to the iPhone 11 lineup, new AirPods, a strong focus on the Mac, and more. As we head into 2020, there’s even more to expect from Apple, including the iPhone 12, more powerful iPad Pros, and continued updates to the Mac. Read on as we round up what to expect from Apple in 2020. iPhone SE 2/iPhone 9 The first hardware announcement we expect from Apple in 2020 is a new low-end iPhone model....

When Apple showed off those beautiful new motion Apple Watch Series 4 faces, you might have assumed they were artificially created. But no: a new behind-the-scenes video reveals that what you are seeing is video footage of real fire, water and powder … CoolHunting shared the story and video (below). Watch site Hodinkee quoted Alan Dye, Apple’s VP of UI design, explaining the decision. The full versions were specifically created to show off the Series 4 display, but Apple also created circular versions for older models....

Along with a host of new accessibility features announced today, iOS is set to gain a new Background Sounds feature to help reduce distractions and promote focus, calm, and rest. Backgrounds Sounds will arrive sometime “later this year” with six options: balanced, bright, or dark noise, ocean, rain, and stream. It’s one of many new accessibility features on the way including AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, eye-tracking support for iPad, the ability to explore images with VoiceOver, bi-directional hearing aid support, and more....

Every year during the holiday season Apple products top the wish lists of many consumers and end up being one of the top gifted items when it’s all said and done. Now, Yahoo-run analytics firm Flurry Insights has shared the gift giving trends for this holiday season, again showing that Apple devices were among the most popular items received this year. Of all new devices activated during Christmas week Apple accounted for 49....

The Loop reports that Apple has finally confirmed the long-awaited media event. The wait will soon be over: Apple has scheduled a press conference next Tuesday, October 4. The event will take place at Apple’s home turf, its Cupertino campus in California at 10am PT, as rumored. If an email invitation is any indication, this will definitely be an iPhone-focused media event. AllThingsD has it on good authority that Apple CEO Tim Cook will deliver the presentation, a first for Cook in his new CEO role....

Today Apple announced End of Life (EOL) status for several boxed software titles. As of 7/20/11 Apple will be discontinuing boxed versions for the following software at Apple retail and Authorized reseller stores: Mac OS X Snow Leopard Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server iLife iWork Aperture Apple Remote Desktop Xsan GarageBand Jam Packs Mac Box Set *Retail boxed versions of Logic Express and Logic Studio will still be available in-stores...

In the email, Apple explained that it would fulfill order backlog for the device, but pointed partners towards the other available products for new purchases. The death of the third-gen Apple TV has been gradual. Last month, Apple made it more difficult to locate the device on its online store, while retail locations began pulling the device from shelves. You can still get them if you look around. The best price currently is $59 at Staples new matching Apple’s refurb price....

As Apple hired away Google’s chief of search and AI this past spring, Tim Cook noted that he would be heading up the company’s AI and machine learning strategy. Now, we’re learning more about how some teams are being restructured in a way that could bring future improvements to Siri and more. John Giannandrea joined Apple this past April after making important contributions at Google since 2010 — including bringing AI to a range of products like Google Assistant, Gmail, Google Search’s Knowledge Graph, and more....

Vanson Bourne, a third-party market research firm, was hired by Jamf to conduct a study to uncover key drivers of Apple in enterprise adoption and satisfaction with the Mac. Their results reveal incredible levels of employee satisfaction, productivity, creativity and collaboration for Mac users across all major types of employee groups (IT, Human Resources, Sales, and Engineering). When asked how their work has improved as a result of using a Mac for work, the answers were very favorable for Apple in the enterprise:...

Apple is nearing a decision whether or not to purchase land in Oregon to build a massive new data center, reports Oregon Live. The piece of land is 160-acres in Prineville, Oregon, and a 1/4 mile from one of Facebook’s data centers (pictured above). Apple has until the end of the month to make a decision on whether or not they want to buy the land — which will be the setting to build a new 31-megawatt data center....

Apple today announced via a press release that its Apple Music, iTunes Movies, and iBooks services are now available to customers in China. The company says that Apple Music is launching in China with “millions” of songs, including local artists like Eason Chan, Li Ronghao, JJ Lin and G.E.M, as well as international stars like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. From the iTunes Store, users in China will be able to rent or purchase movies....

Apple introduced iOS 14.5 last month with several new features, including iPhone unlock with Apple Watch, App Tracking Transparency, and support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X controllers. Following that update, Apple on Friday began selling the PlayStation 5 DualSense Wireless Controller in its online store. The latest versions of iOS, tvOS, and macOS let users pair a PS5 DualSense Controller to an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV via Bluetooth to play compatible games....