Research firms IDC and Strategy Analytics are out today with their latest reports on the worldwide tablet market share and both have Apple remaining in the top position by quite a large margin, despite overall declines for the category. With Apple reporting 13.1 million units sold in its fiscal Q1 report this week (down 19% from 16.1 million units last year), that puts the company in the top spot for sales during the important holiday quarter last year....

On the heels of recent rumors that Apple is preparing to augment its music video production work and create its own original content in-house, with the first such content now rumored to be an exclusive fashion network. The New York Times briefly mentions that Apple now has an exclusive content agreement with WME/IMG to produce and distribute original TV content: Fashion may have seemed like an odd choice for Apple to focus on a few years ago, but following the hiring of Angela Ahrendts as SVP of Retail, fashion show-related iPhone marketing stunts, and the launch of the fashion-focused Apple Watch, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch....

Apple has announced a variety of new software features coming soon to iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. All of these features focus on Accessibility, including AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, eye-tracking support for iPad, and much more. Apple says that AssistiveTouch for watchOS allows users to control their Apple Watch without ever having to touch the display. The company explains that this feature will be especially useful to those users with limited mobility....

Today’s best deals include $100 off Apple’s latest MacBook Pro, plus iPhone and Apple Watch discounts, and a new Anker sale. Hit the jump for all that and more in Friday’s edition of the 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Drop $100 from Apple’s latest M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro iPhone and Apple Watch deals from $100 Today only, Woot is offering various refurbished iPhone and Apple Watch models from $100. You can pick up the iPhone XS from $380....

In the last few months, Google has been slamming the laptops of their competitors, particularly Windows, in a series of “Switch to Chromebook” ads. One ad, featuring Bill Nye, walks through the typical flaws of a Windows laptop, like being slow to start and getting viruses, and contrasts them with the all-day battery life of some Chromebooks and their built-in security. Today, in an interview with CNET about the 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller made a direct attack on Chromebooks....

Apple launched its External Graphics Development Kit during WWDC 2017 as a way to assist developers with demanding graphics-intensive apps and VR content creation. The unit included the developer edition of Sonnet’s external eGFX GPU chassis, along with Sapphire’s AMD RX 580 8GB graphics card, and Belkin’s USB-C to 4-port USB-A hub. Apple priced the External Graphics Development Kit at $599, which was reasonable considering that the Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB still goes for around $279, and demanded a higher price during the kit’s launch....

On the heels of iOS 12.2’s release yesterday, Apple today has updated the Apple TV Remote app for iOS. The update redesigns the app’s icon, making it similar to what’s found in Control Center for accessing the Apple TV remote. The new icon shows the Siri Remote against a gray background. Previously, the icon was simply an Apple TV itself, so today’s update makes it a bit easier to recognize what the app actually does....

During its “One more thing” event today, Apple officially announced an all-new MacBook Air powered by Apple Silicon. The new MacBook Air is Apple’s first laptop to be powered by in-house processors rather than Intel. Head below for live updates on the new MacBook Air. Apple Silicon in the new MacBook Air is a major upgrade, bringing improved performance, battery life, and efficiency. These are the improvements that Apple is emphasizing during its event today....

Apple Pay continues its expansion around the world today. The mobile payments platform launched in Germany back in 2018, and now one of the largest banking groups in the country has added support. As reported by local news outlet Focus, Volksbank and Raiffeisenbank customers in Germany can now use Apple Pay on their iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. As of right now, there is no debit support, but customers can add their credit cards to Apple Pay....

A planned update to LA Metro’s TAP payment system will see it support Apple Pay on both rail and bus networks. The upgrade – part of a larger program – is currently scheduled for the fall … MacRumors obtained the information via a public information request under California law. Curbed reported on an upcoming iOS/Android app a year ago that doesn’t seem to have hit its target date. Apple Pay support would enable commuters to hold a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch near a TAP card reader to pay their fare on buses and at turnstiles in subway stations throughout the TAP system....

Software update day is here again! Apple has released the fourth developer beta version of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 (likely alongside new seeds of watchOS 6, tvOS 13) today. Apple’s public beta builds should follow at a later date after the latest developer beta has been tested in the wild. Apple’s new software version won’t be complete until the fall, however, so testers should still expect performance and stability issues when running the iOS 13 beta on primary devices....

Apple has released iOS 7.0.2 over-the-air for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This is a bug fix release that focuses on rectifying an issue that could allow users to bypass the passcode unlock on the Lock screen. Another fix in this release is to re-add the Greek keyboard options for pass codes. iOS 7.0.2 brings iOS 7 parity across all supported devices. Alongside the launch of the new iPhones, Apple released iOS 7....

Apple today has released the third iOS 9.3 beta to registered developers for testing. The first iOS 9.3 beta introduced at the start of the year introduced new 3D Touch shortcuts on new iPhones, Touch ID-secured Notes, a new Night Shift mode for blue light reduction, and much more. iOS 9.3 beta 2 added a Night Shift toggle in Control Center and other tweaks. We’ll check out the latest beta version of the upcoming release and highlight any changes below....

[Update: The auction closed on 6/18 at $30,500.] Apple has been a part of several fundraising auctions through Charitybuzz over the last few years, giving lunch meetings and event invites in exchange for generous donations to various non-profit efforts. The company’s latest campaign promises a bit of a golden ticket in Willy Wonka fashion as the highest bidder will be invited to tour Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino and bring 1 guest (or up to 3 kids if it’s a family visit)....

[vodpod id=Video.15797906&w=650&h=350&fv=autoPlay%3Dfalse] Last year, Apple faced a class-action lawsuit over iOS games using the freemium model, which parents argued allowed children to easily rack up hundreds or thousands of dollars with in-app purchases. Apps would normally require a password before completing an in-app purchase, but iOS previously provided a 15-minute window after users entered their password, which subsequently allowed any in-app purchases within the time frame to complete without needing the password again....

Apple has just started seeding out the seventh beta for tvOS 10 today to all current testers and developers. To update, check through the Software Update section on the Apple TV, or grab the Configuration Profile from Apple’s Developer center if you’d like to install it for the first time. Apple’s newest tvOS software introduces Dark Mode, Single Sign-on, HomeKit, and YouTube search to the latest Apple TV. tvOS 10 beta 3 brought in more language support with Siri, and some improved functionality within the Music app....

As you should expect given its recent focus on original content, Apple will be shopping for potential content deals at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. According to Variety, Apple is sending “at least one” of its top entertainment executives to the event. Specifics are unclear, but the report suggests that either Zack Van Amburg or Jamie Erlicht will attend the event on behalf of Apple. Amburg and Erlicht are both former Sony Television executives who were hired by Apple last year to lead its worldwide programming unit....

Today was iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max review day – meaning the first reviews of Apple’s latest smartphones hit the web. As we noted this morning in our roundup, the story was pretty consistent among reviewers: a small update from the iPhone X, and it might be best to wait for the XR. Now, Apple has shared its own roundup of iPhone XS reviews, and as you would expect, the company focuses on the positives…...

March 8 marks International Women’s Day 2020, and Apple is supporting the visibility and achievements of women with special Today at Apple sessions held in select Apple Stores throughout the world. From March 1–31, you can join inspiring female creators in the “She Creates” series to learn a new skill and gain a new perspective. The theme of International Women’s Day this year is Each for Equal, the idea that our individual thoughts and actions contribute to the larger goal of rejecting bias and creating gender equality....

We have reported many times that the new Apple TV is getting an App Store. The new A8-powered box combined with a revamped software interface will enable developers to make apps and games for the new hardware, set to be announced at tomorrow’s iPhone 6S/Apple TV/iPad event. TechCrunch is reporting, via sources, that Periscope, the video live streaming app for iPhone and Android, is working with Apple in advance of the unveiling to create a custom Periscope app for the new Apple TV....