After launching in Hungary and Luxembourg last month, Apple Pay today has gone live in the Netherlands. This means that iPad, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac users in the Netherlands can now use Apple’s mobile payment platform everywhere it is accepted. In the Netherlands, Apple Pay is supported by ING, which confirmed last month that it was in the process of rolling out Apple Pay. It’s unclear when or if other banks in the Netherlands will rollout Apple Pay support, but ING appears to be the only option for now....

One thing Apple points out in the document is that Siri’s privacy policies are very different than other voice assistants. As it has argued in the past, Apple says its business does not depend on collecting anyone’s data: A question Apple addresses directly is whether or not Siri is “always listening.” Apple explains that Siri is only designed to activate when it hears “Hey Siri,” and that Apple is working to minimize false activations:...

It’s been just under a week since the last iOS 11 beta, and now Apple has released the tenth developer beta preview. iOS 11 brings new features like drag-and-drop and a redesigned multitasking interface for iPad, a new customizable Control Center, and much more. iOS 11 public beta 9 is also available. iOS 11 beta 10 is currently only available to registered developers for now. Apple typically holds new public beta versions for a few days for major updates, although recent versions have launched on the same day....

Apple has released an updated build of iOS 8.4.1 for registered developers to test on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 8.4.1 beta 2 features build number 12H318 and comes just over two weeks after the initial beta version. While the initial beta of iOS 8.4.1 didn’t feature any noticeable changes, the X.X.1 label suggests it is primarily an under-the-hood update to iOS 8.4 without feature or visual changes. iOS 8....

In addition to releasing the seventh beta of iOS 9.3 yesterday, Apple today has released OS X 10.11.4 beta 7 to developers and public beta testers. Beta 7 comes just a week after beta 6 was released. Much like iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4 enables Notes users to optionally protect entries behind a password. Protected notes are only visible on Macs running OS X 10.11.4 or later, and iOS 9.3 or later is required for viewing on iPhones and iPads....

According to Bloomberg, the technology is being enabled by Apple’s 2020 acquisition of a Canadian startup called Mobeewave. The firm, which cost Apple around $100 million, created assets that would allow existing smartphones to process credit card payments via built-in chips, like the ones that power Apple Pay in all modern iPhones. It worked with Samsung to bring similar payment acceptance functionality to its Galaxy series smartphones before its acquisition....

Apple confirmed back in January plans to open its first ever retail store in Samsung’s home city of Seoul, South Korea – close to the headquarters of Samsung. A new report from Korea says that the store will open on December 30, with retail head Angela Ahrendts in attendance … ETNews quotes the construction company saying that work on the store is all but complete. The report says that Apple had originally targeted a completion date of November 30, with construction continuing through both nights and weekends to ensure that the new date is hit....

Earlier today in an interview with CNET, Apple SVP Phil Schiller shared a controversial view of Chromebooks when talking about technology in education. Now, he’s shared a clarifying tweet… Here is the quote from the interview this morning when Schiller was asked about Chrome OS in education. The comment quickly drew criticism as many interpreted the statement to mean kids can’t succeed in school without an Apple notebook. Yet Chromebooks don’t do that....

Apple’s SouthPark retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina will celebrate its grand reopening this upcoming Sunday, September 2nd at 11:00 A.M. The announcement comes after just over four months of renovation work. SouthPark’s original Apple store initially opened on March 12, 2004, but moved to a new and expanded location on May 25, 2013. The rather recent remodeling makes the store an anomaly, as Apple typically prioritizes older and more tired stores for redesigns....

Apple Services revenue is still growing strongly, says Morgan Stanley, but the performance of some of its competitors shows that the market is a tough one. The bank has downgraded its price target for AAPL from $164 to $156 … Katy Huberty’s investment note was seen by PED3.0. It’s written in rather dense language, but the bottom line appears to be that we’ve seen hits to the share price of other companies in sectors in which Apple Services compete, and therefore Apple can’t remain immune....

Update: Apple Card now live — currently invite only. Apple has just shared a flurry of videos to its YouTube channel, detailing the set up process for Apple Card, the physical titanium card activation, and how to use Apple Card to buy things. It seems that the launch of Apple Card is indeed imminent, as Apple prepares its support documentation and onboarding resources. There are ten videos in total, exploring all parts of the Apple Card experience....

As we await the release of Apple’s first quarter earnings tomorrow, some of the company’s suppliers are offering a peak at what we might see. As Bloomberg notes, both Qualcomm and Broadcom implied during their own respective earnings announcements that iPhone orders are slowing down more than normal for this time of year… Qualcomm said during its earnings release today that “orders from a large, thin modem customer” have decreased at a worse level than usual for this time of the year....

Apple Pay has been growing at a steady pace since its initial release, consistently adding new banks both in the United States and overseas, while continuing to come to more retailers. Speaking at the CodeCommerce, Apple Pay head Jennifer Bailey talked about the continued growth of the mobile payment platform, offering up some details as to what we can expect next year… Bailey teased that in 2017, Apple expects that two-thirds of the top 100 retailers will support Apple Pay....

In the aftermath of the devastating explosion in Beirut, Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the company will be donating to both short and long-term relief efforts. On August 4th, a massive warehouse fire broke out in Beirut, Lebanon that led to a massive explosion believed to be caused by almost 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate. So far the death toll is almost 150 with thousands of others injured in the incident....

A set of 14 analyst forecasts compiled by Bloomberg predicts that Apple’s quarterly profits – due to be reported tomorrow – will have fallen for the first time since 2003. Apple’s shares recently fell below $400. Despite widespread expectations that the company is working on two new product categories – an HD TV and a smartwatch – its famous refusal to confirm or deny such rumors is leaving investors nervous. Apple is expected to raise its dividend in an attempt to appease shareholders, with Bloomberg predicting a quarterly dividend of around $3....

Two weeks following the first beta, Apple has released iOS 8.3 beta 2 to developers for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. As we reported upon the first beta, the upcoming release includes a Wireless CarPlay feature, a new Emoji picker, improved login for Google services, an updated voice for Siri, and support for Apple Pay in China. iOS 8.3 is coming later this year, and sources say that Apple will release a public beta of iOS 8....

Just as Apple published a new letter from Tim Cook and an update on privacy and security policies, a new report points to evidence the company has recently received new government demands for user data under the Patriot Act. GigaOM reports that language previously included in Apple’s Transparency Reports noting the company had “never received an order under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act” has since been removed. That could signal, according to the report, Apple’s involvement with controversial National Security Agency programs that demand data from companies:...

As Apple moves more of its services into the cloud, and more Apple users adopt iCloud for photo library and file storage, the company’s infrastructure requirements keep on rising. Although Apple manages many of its own data centers, it also relies heavily on third-party cloud companies as well. The Information reports that Apple’s spending on Google Cloud services has increased by 50% year over year, and is set to spend about $300 million this year managing more than 8 exabytes of total data....

We’ve already spilled out an iPad 2,4 and the next-generation Apple TV codename tonight, and now we have, perhaps, the most important find of all: iPhone 5,1. That’s right, the next version of the iPhone is has been dubbed 5,1 internally. A new 4,x model would represent minor external changes, but nothing new on the inside in terms of processing power. For example, the iPhone 3G went from the original iPhone’s 1,1 to 1,2 because there were no internal speed and performance enhancements, just 3G and a GPS....

Following the public release of OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.4 and the first Developer Preview of OS X 10.9 Mavericks, Apple has seeded the first beta of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 to developers. The point release is likely designed to focus on bug fixes for those running OS X Mountain Lion. The build number is 12F9… Apple asks developers to focus on WiFi, Graphics, Wake-from-sleep, and PDF Viewing and Accessibility....