Apple today has released the GM seed for watchOS 6 to developers. Today’s release follows Apple’s special event yesterday where it unveiled the new Apple Watch Series 5 and much more. Apple announced yesterday that watchOS 6 is coming to Apple Watch Series 3 and later on September 19. The release has been slightly delayed for the Apple Watch Series 1 and 2, with Apple saying the update is coming later this fall....

Even in the age of the Apple Watch which only plays music over Bluetooth, Apple has yet to produce any Apple-branded wireless headphones or earbuds, instead promoting Beats-branded earbud and headphone designs created before Apple’s $3 billion acquisition of that company last year. A new report from MacRumors suggests that could soon change, however, as it’s believed Apple may have applied for “AirPods” trademark under an alias company name. If the trademark application indeed traces back to Apple, AirPods suggest a wireless version of the Apple-branded EarPod earbuds introduced in 2012....

On the heels of a report earlier this week claiming Apple had surpassed Samsung in unit sales, TrendForce is out today with its latest data and predictions for the remainder of 2017. The research firm reports similar total smartphone production volume of 384 million units for Q3 2017, with that number expected grow to 424 million during Q4 during the peak of holiday shopping… Driving that 6.3 percent increase year-over-year is largely Apple....

Update: Apple once pulled the 10.7.3 update, but is now back up. Apple has begun seeding an updated OS X 10.7.3 (build 11D24) to developers this afternoon. The update comes after Apple’s first release of 10.7.3 two weeks ago, and bringing bug fixes into the mix. Apple has also added Spotlight and Safari to the list of areas they would like developers to focus on. In the initial release, Apple originally asked developers’ attention in iCloud Document Storage, Address Book, iCal, and Mail....

In the midst of the holiday season, Apple has released yet another festive ad. This one focuses on Group FaceTime, which the company recently released for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac in iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1, and macOS 10.14.1. The one minute clip demos being able to make a Group FaceTime video call with up to 32 people. It features actors playing Elvis Presley and uses the song There’s Always Me by Elvis....

As is the way with Apple event days, the Apple Online Store is down ahead of the event starting at 10 AM PT. The store goes down for hype more than technical limitations but it still indicates that whatever Apple is announcing later, such as a new MacBook Pro, will be available to order imminently. Apple’s ‘hello again’ event rumors suggest that the event will focus on a much-needed update to the Retina MacBook Pro, featuring Touch ID, Apple Pay and a new OLED function bar above the keyboard, and some kind of new 13 inch MacBook (apparently similar in style to the 12 inch one-port MacBook)....

The Information is out with a new report today in which it says the rumored Apple streaming service will be available in more than 100 countries, but not necessarily all at once. Citing people familiar with Apple’s plans, the report explains that the service will initially launch in the United States, but swiftly expand as time progresses. The report elaborates, saying that the Apple streaming service will be available in the United States during the first half of 2019, and expand globally “in the following months....

Last month, Apple inked a $70 million deal to premiere the upcoming Tom Hanks World War II film Greyhound. Following that announcement, Apple today has shared that it will release the film on Apple TV+ on July 10. As we explained last month, Greyhound was originally scheduled to debut in theaters and normal distribution channels by Sony Pictures, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift in plans. Various streaming services tried to acquire the film, but Apple came in atop, reaching a deal in the range of $70 million....

Apple Pay has today expanded to the Ukraine; customers who bank with PrivatBank can now register their cards on their iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch and Macs. The Ukrainian Finance Minster announced the news on Facebook. Apple Pay support has also rolled out for Monzo, a UK ‘bank of the future’ which is an internet-only bank that lets customers access its services only through its iOS and Android apps. Despite its innovative brand, it has taken a long time for the bank to support Apple’s contactless mobile payments offering....

Apple has released iOS 11 developer beta 3 for developers on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 11 brings new features like drag-and-drop and a redesigned multitasking interface for iPad, a new customizable Control Center, and much more. New in beta 3 is a swipe up gesture for iPad users to close apps, tweaked behavior to Cover Sheet Notification Center and more … iOS 11 beta 3 is currently only available to registered developers for now....

After releasing the golden master to developers earlier this week, Apple is releasing iOS 13.5 to the general public today. The update brings quite a few changes and new features prompted by COVID-19, including the Exposure Notification API, Face ID enhancements, and much more. Apple and Google have been developing the Exposure Notification API with close guidance from public health officials. When a user enables the feature and has an app from a public health authority installed, the device will regularly send out a beacon via Bluetooth that includes a random Bluetooth identifier....

While not particularly popular among fans and critics, Apple’s Carpool Karaoke series has received an Emmy nomination today, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Apple’s rendition of Carpool Karaoke is a spin-off of the viral segment from James Corden’s Late Late Show… Apple’s Carpool Karaoke is among a slew of short form shows and skits to receive Emmy nominations. Apple is specifically listed in the “Short Form Variety Series” category, going up against content from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Daily Show, and more:...

Apple’s long-awaited Singapore retail location finally has an opening date. The store is Apple’s first in Singapore and is set to open May 27th, a week from this Saturday, at 10AM, according to a new report from The Straits Times. The report notes that Apple Store employees were seen changing the banner on the front of the store to reflect the new opening date, seen in the image below, while employees also confirmed operating hours for the location....

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrRHPf0_B3M&feature=plcp”] Shown during its media event last month, Apple posted a new iPod advertisement online. It has also been appearing on television. The ad, titled “Bounce”, highlights the various new designs in Apple’s iPod lineup and the choice of colors it now offers. In case you are wondering how these iPods really bounce, we have the first iPod touch drop test below: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbk_G1Ezxwg] Thanks, Keanu! [tweet http://twitter.com/ihkdesign/status/256194573871742976]

Production orders placed by Apple for Apple Silicon MacBooks with its suppliers suggest that the company is expecting high demand for its first Intel-free models. Initial orders are said to be equivalent to almost a full fifth of total MacBook sales last year … Nikkei Asia carries the report. We’re of course expecting to see Apple Silicon Macs as the main focus of next week’s One More Thing event. The purpose of the event would be pretty obvious anyway, but Apple has also given a couple of specific clues....

It wasn’t long before the tech journalists dug up the data and found that Apple has actually partnered with TomTom and OpenStreetMap for the map data across the globe. A little more investigation revealed that Apple is partnering with at-least 15 other maps data providers which includes Waze, Intermap, LeadDog, DigitalGlobe alongside others. But our friend, Cody Cooper, a New Zealand based developer, found something more interesting. While playing with Apple Maps on iOS 6 beta, Cody found that some of the Maps images had Microsoft attribution....

The past two WWDC events have been completely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As WWDC 2021 begins to wrap up, Apple is now surveying developers on their preferences between in-person and virtual events, labs, sessions, and more. Apple surveys developers after WWDC each year, and this time, there is a specific focus on in-person versus virtual events. As first noted by developer Julian Schiavo on Twitter, this year’s WWDC 2021 survey asks: “How likely would you be to attend an in person conference after experiencing an all-online event?...

Apple’s SVP of Design Jony Ive and ‘part-time’ employee Marc Newson will open Condé Naste’s ‘International Luxury Conference’ in April. The pair will be interviewed by Vogue’s international media editor Suzy Menkes. The set topic is the ’21st century definition of luxury and their collaborative work to date’. The conference will run from April 22nd to 23rd, just before the Apple Watch is released to the general public. No doubt the Watch will be a key talking point at the conference, with both Ive and Newson playing crucial roles in its development....

We’ve gotten word from multiple sources that Apple will begin repairing/replacing broken iPhone 5c displays in its retail stores next week. The current plan is to begin offering replacements on Monday, January 20th. As we noted in November of last year, this initiative has been in the works for several months as Apple needs to source individual screens for replacement and supply each of its stores within special calibration machines…...

Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest launched its special quarantine episode today that was shot using 40 iPhones. Beyond bringing some laughs with the hilarious new bonus episode grounded in our current COVID-19 reality it has also raised over half a million dollars for coronavirus relief. We got a behind the scenes look at how Rob McElhenney and the Mythic Quest cast and crew made its quarantine episode possible earlier this week....