Update: Mostly not true According to The Next Web, Apple is in negotiations to acquire criticized photo/video-sharing company Color. The deal is reportedly “done,” though final papers are apparently yet to be signed. Color Founder Bill Nguyen, who happened to found a company Apple previously acquired (Lala), reportedly has been building new versions of the Color app to demo to Apple SVP Eddy Cue. The Next Web claims the deal is in the double-digit millions of dollars....

New banks and credit unions across the United States have joined Apple’s list of participating partners as part of the first expansion of Apple Pay in September. Check out the latest Apple Pay banks below: Community National Bank & Trust of Texas First State Bank of Mendota First State Bank Southwest Great Plains Bank Great Southern Bank Holyoke Credit Union Icon Credit Union Landings Credit Union Mascoma Savings Bank McIntosh County Bank Park National Bank Texas Brand Bank Xplore Federal Credit Union In addition to the latest participating banks to work with Apple Pay, Apple announced some new features at WWDC coming to the mobile payment service with iOS 11 and watchOS 4....

Following a lawsuit filed three and a half years ago by NetAirus Technologies LLC, Apple is preparing for a legal battle in Los Angeles federal court over a patent regarding the iPhone and smartphone technologies, Bloomberg reports. California man Richard L. Ditzik filed for a patent in 1997 that describes smartphone technologies and behavior, but Apple believes his claim should be invalidated based alone on capabilities of its Newton message pad three years prior....

Apple has released a second update for preview 2 of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. The 1.17 GB update is available through the software update application for anyone with preview 2 installed. The updated is recommended for those users and what the update holds is yet to be revealed. Let us know if you spot anything new. Thanks, Sergio W. Update : Apple also released Xcode 4.1 developer preview 4...

Apple has today released iAd Producer 5.0, the latest revision to its advertisement development environment. The headline addition for this update is support for iTunes Radio ad creation on desktop iTunes for Mac and Windows. This helps increase the possible reach of iAds to more eyeballs. In addition, Apple has overhauled the coding aspects of the app (even though Apple amusingly claims you don’t “need any programming”) with code completion, syntax highlighting themes, inline syntax error warnings and more....

Apple has released the fourth iOS 9.3 beta for developers to test on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The first iOS 9.3 beta appeared in early January. Apple is expected to release the iOS 9.3 software update to all users around next month’s iPhone 5se/iPad Air 3 event. We’ll check out the latest beta version of the upcoming release and highlight any changes below. iOS 9.3 will introduce loads of new features and enhancements to the iPhone and iPad....

Alongside iOS 8.3 beta 1, Apple released Xcode 6.3 beta with a new version of Swift, its programming language for Cocoa and Cocoa Touch used by developers to write apps for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. The new release brings Swift, which was first announced last June at WWDC 2014, up to version 1.2. Swift 1.2 is described as a “significant update” to the programming language while changes are highlighted on Apple’s Swift blog....

Alongside OS betas, Apple is launching Xcode 8 today which is in all-in one development suite for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and TV. The new IDE features extensions to customize the coding experience as well as runtime alerts, new Memory Debugger and accelerated Interface Builder. Developers can download the new Xcode from Apple’s developer portal. Apple has also dramatically improved code-signing, which was a huge pain point for developers. Here’s how Apple explains the new system — apparently everything is automatic....

Bloomberg reports today that Apple’s external advertising agency, Media Arts Lab, has cut around 50 employees this week. The report explains that the job cuts were made “in several divisions,” but that many happened in the strategy division that worked closely with Apple. One of the job cuts was Geoff Edwards, Media Arts Lab’s executive creative director and head of advertising for Apple Services. Edwards was promoted to this position in May, so it’s certainly notable to see him on the way out after less than six months....

Apple’s annual Back to School program returns in Australia and New Zealand with a promotion to receive a pair of Beats Solo2 On-Ear Headphones with qualifiying Mac purchases. Customers may also alternatively choose to receive savings on a new iPad (although there is currently an error on both sites not indicating how much can be saved). Last year’s promotion in Australia and New Zealand included an Apple Store gift card up to A$100/NZ$125, so it’s nice to see them promoting the acquired Beats brand and giving away instant credit for the headphones....

Apple seemingly wasn’t too happy that it was singled out for an FTC investigation into making it too easy for children to make in-app purchases: following its own settlement back in January, the company’s general counsel Bruce Sewell promptly reported Google for the same thing, reports Politico. “I thought this article might be of some interest, particularly if you have not already seen it,” Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell wrote to FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez and Democratic Commissioner Julie Brill, pointing to a report that criticized Google’s app store over the same issue of unauthorized purchases …...

Apple today has officially scheduled its fiscal Q4 2020 earnings call for Thursday, October 29. As usual, the company will hold a call with investors and analysts at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET, right after the release of its Q4 earnings. Just like last quarter, Apple didn’t provide any official guidance for Q4 2020 due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Apple reported revenue of $59.7 billion and a profit of $11....

Right on time… Digitimes reports that Apple has lowered GSM and CDMA iPhone 4 production ahead of the September launch for the fifth-generation iPhone – “iPhone 4S.” The report says that “Apple has lowered its expected shipment volume of iPhone 4 for the second quarter of 2011 from 20 million units, to 17.5-18 million units consisting of 16 million units of the 3G version and 1.5-2 million units of the CDMA version....

Apple appears to be testing next-generation 5G data speeds, Business Insider reports. The specific wireless technology is called millimeter wave which could ultimately improve cellular performance for iPhones and other connected devices. Business Insider notes that Apple has been granted an application for an experimental license by the FCC to test the new 5G wireless technology. The application allows Apple to test the new technology from two locations in California including one near its current 1 Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino and the other in nearby Milpitas, CA....

Apple has started sending out emails to Apple TV+ users whose free trials will finally expire soon, as the (twice extended) free trials with hardware purchases finally come to an end in July. With so many free trials ending in the same month, Apple has stacked its upcoming schedule of TV+ content in the hopes of enticing as many people as possible to renew and not to cancel. The email being sent out to free trial members features a summary of upcoming titles, including the second seasons of Ted Lasso, The Morning Show and SEE....

Apple will premiere its Apple TV+ original TV show Dickinson at the Tribeca television festival on September 14. The company will screen the first episode to festival attendees and then hold a panel with the show screenwriter Alena Smith, and stars Hailee Steinfeld (who plays Emily Dickinson) and Jane Krakowski (who plays Dickinson’s mother). Yesterday, Apple shared a trailer for Dickinson which is a pitched as a comedy-drama covering Emily Dickinson’s coming of age story....

In an effort to get ahead with 5G, Verizon is looking to include YouTube TV or Apple TV as part of a launch promotion in its initial four markets. As reported by Variety, Verizon will include a YouTube TV subscription, or an Apple TV 4K in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Houston, and Indianapolis — the company’s initial launch cities. Verizon plans to be the first wireless company in the United States to roll out 5G in the residential broadband space later this year, with support from mobile device manufactures to begin in early 2019....

Apple TV users will notice a new channel in the lineup today: CBS News. The newly added CBS News channel is available for free and features the CBSN streaming news channel launched by CBS earlier today. Viewers can also access on-demand content from previous broadcasts of CBS Evening News and CBS This Morning. Additional on-demand content from shows including 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Sunday Morning, and Face the Nation can also be found for free....

Apple only released its mobile payment system to the public last month, but the feature is already gaining traction at many retail outlets according to the New York Times. New numbers from retailers that accept Apple Pay show that the public is jumping on board with the system in a big way Walgreens, for example, says that since the release of Apple Pay, the number of mobile transactions conducted in its stores has doubled....

With Apple Pay over a year old now in the United States, we’re still seeing Apple add new partner banks and credit unions across the country to support its mobile payment service. In the latest expansion, over 50 additional participating partners have been added to now work with Apple Pay on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Still waiting for your bank to make the jump? These are the latest to join:...