Two Apple suppliers in Vietnam have been forced to temporarily close their plants due to a localized surge in COVID-19 cases. The Vietnamese government has ordered the closure of four industrial parks, resulting in plant closures for both Foxconn and Luxshare … Bloomberg reports: The action was prompted by the fact that more than a third of all COVID-19 cases in Vietnam occurred in Bac Giang Province. Vietnam has instructed Foxconn Technology Group and Luxshare Precision Industry Co....

It appears that Apple is now putting an LTE 4G-capable iPhone or iPad through the usual carrier testing. The proof comes from a .plist hinting at “LTE” (discovered by BGR) in an internal iOS test build that is allegedly from “one of Apple’s major carrier partners”. Of course at this point we don’t know whether this is the iPhone 5 (iPhone 4S variant?) or even a new iPad, but its a good sign that the company has plans to take advantage of 4G LTE networks in the future… even if it isn’t the iPhone 5 “worldphone” you might be hoping for....

Tonight, Apple Stores held quarterly meetings across the United States. These meetings rarely unveil anything of significance for consumers, and tonight’s meeting was close to no exception. According to several retail sources, tonight’s meetings focused on numbers and on past store results. However, a new employee training initiative was announced. Apple promised employees that more details will be revealed in the coming days, perhaps even starting tomorrow, but we have some tidbits:...

Apple is preparing to expand its new Apple Pay payments service internationally with at least the Canadian launch currently scheduled for early 2015, according to sources close to the situation. Sources say partners are currently in negotiations with Apple regarding the launch scheduled to come sometime in the first half of this year. Apple and Canadian launch partners are in the process of planning advertising and other promotional material for March, which indicates that the launch could come as soon as then....

Back in 2013, Apple started a replacement program for select Apple TVs due to WiFi problems. It appears that a few more bad Apple(TV)s may have slipped off the assembly line… Apple has started recalling a select number of third-generation Apple TV models recently, according to a MacRumors writer who recently purchased an Apple TV. He then got an email from Apple informing him that his device has a faulty part....

Apple just released iOS 9.3.2 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The update weighs in at around 80 MB, although there are seemingly no new features. The update, as indicated by the version number, includes various bug fixes and security enhancements for iOS. Check Settings to update now. iOS 9.3.2 includes a critical bug fix for iPhone SE users with Bluetooth accessories; users were reporting audio quality issues. This is fixed with the new update....

So if you’re a PC owner and looking to get something new from Apple you can, as the company released iTunes 12.0.1 on Thursday. Here’s What’s New in iTunes 12 This new version of iTunes is obviously designed for OS X Yosemite which was released this week, but Windows users can update their version of iTunes too. While iTunes won our Worst Software of 2012 Award for Windows, it’s still moving forward....

Apple just released an update (link) for the newly launched MacBook Air. Software update 1.0 weighs 1.06GB and fixes several issues, including: graphics stability, flash performance, and external display support. The tweak accompanies more recent updates for the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Pro with Retina display, which unveiled earlier this week at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Related articles Apple seeds OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 4 (Release note) Thunderbolt Software Update 1....

Apple today has released the third beta of watchOS 2 to developers. The company released the second beta of the operating system two weeks ago after officially unveiling it at WWDC at the beginning of last month. Today’s new beta carries the build number 13S5293f. watchOS 2 includes support for native applications and beta 3 of the software will allow developers to continue testing their applications with direct access to local sensors, the Digital Crown, and the device’s processor....

Apple today posted its earnings for the final quarter of 2012, which was ‘disappointingly’ one of the largest corporate earnings year in human history. The letdown caused many investors to panic as Apple clearly circles the drain in what will be the first step in a short road to the demise of the most valuable company in the world (if Exxon hasn’t indeed surpassed it tomorrow morning). Apple’s $13.1 billion in earnings this quarter was the fourth largest of all time according to the same metric....

Apple’s iAd system has won the scorn of Yahoo CEO, Carol Bartz, who told Reuters last night the ad system will “fall apart for them”. Bartz believes most advertisers will eventually reject Apple’s ad system because the company demands too much control over what advertisers do. “Advertisers are not going to have that type of control over them. Apple wants total control over those ads,” she said, though she conceded that Apple’s effort is “ok for experimentation....

Apple has shared a new video on its YouTube channel today promoting the Night mode feature on iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. In the video, Apple offers side-by-side comparisons of images taken with and without Night mode enabled. Cleverly set to the Smashing Pumpkins song “We Only Come Out At Night,” Apple’s video focuses on the dramatic effect Night mode can have on iPhone photography. Apple rarely makes side-by-side comparisons in its advertising, but this video is a clear exception....

Earlier this year, Apple proposed a new GPU on the Web Community Group to work towards more powerful graphics on the web. The WebGPU standard Apple proposed is much more object-oriented than WebGPU and allows developers to create and store objects that represent state. Additionally, it allows for objects that can process a broader set of commands. This reduces the work needed to perform during a drawing operation. Now, Apple has shared a WebGPU prototype and demos to show developers what the new standard is capable of…...

Apple has released its annual holiday ad, and — unlike previous years — Apple has chosen to go with a fully animated video this time around. Rightfully titled “Share Your Gifts”, this year’s holiday ad focuses on everyone’s individual talents with almost no Apple product placement (save for an animated, stickered MacBook seen in the opening). Whether it be digitally with music or video creation, or simply cooking, the focus is on creation and expressing your creative talents....

Apple has lifted the curtain on its original content television show plans and showed the first snippets today of its own-produced TV shows. The company previewed what it has in a store in a fast-cut montage trailer. The Apple TV+ service will debut in the fall — pricing is yet to be announced. Apple will have dozens of original content shows, with more added every month when the service launches worldwide in the fall....

Alongside iOS 8.1, Apple has released a new version of its Apple Store app just in time for Apple Pay. The new version supports Apple’s new mobile payment service with a dedicated “Buy with Apple Pay” button available at checkout. You can download the update for free from the App Store, but be prepared to pay real money for whatever you end up buying in the app. Apple Pay is available today for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users, and iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 users will be able to buy merchandise within apps when the new tablets ship later this week....

Apple just unveiled the new iPhone 7 & Plus during its event in San Francisco today. Head below for a first look at the device and the rundown on specs, features, pricing and availability… Specs/Features: Redesigned Home button with Taptic engine A10 Fusion four-core CPU Water and dust resistant enclosure 12 Megapixel cameras with new quad-led True Tone flash Dual-camera system for enhanced zoom on Plus models Optical image stabilization in all iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models Lightning Earpods + Lightning to 3....

Tim Cook said in January that “2015 will be the year of Apple Pay,” and we’re steadily seeing more support for the mobile payment service from banks, merchants, and apps. Released just this morning, Kickstarter version 2.3 for iPhone and iPad adds Apple Pay as a payment option for quickly making a pledge to a crowdfunding project. That means if you’re aren’t up for spending the $349-$17,000 on an Apple Watch next month, you can still back the Pebble Time or Pebble Time Steel … now with Apple Pay....

In a new move by Apple, they’ve gone ahead and published a 107-second recap video from today’s big event to YouTube. Apple’s appropriately titled ‘Don’t Blink’ recap video is tightly packed with content from the event, and something you don’t want to miss. Apple has also published the introduction videos of its latest products from its September event. The videos each show off Apple’s three big new products: the new iPhone 7, the Apple Watch Series 2, and the all new Apple AirPods....

Apple has today updated its iPhone features page on its website with a new label “iPhone can do what?” The site demonstrates both hardware and software features of the iPhone. The company has today released an updated iPhone features page on its website going through a handful of useful features, both new and old, about what iPhone can do. Some examples include iMessage being end-to-end encrypted, water resistance on newer iPhone models, AirDrop, Group FaceTime, and more....