Apple has updated their Apple Store app to version 2.0 featuring EasyPay and Personal Pickup. As we’ve already outlined, EasyPay allows customers to purchase cheaper accessories in the Apple Store through the app, rather than having to deal with an Apple sales rep. Store workers we’ve contacted have called this “EasyTheft” because of the perceived ease in which someone could walk out of a store with an item without paying....

After over two weeks of silence, Apple today has released the fourth developer of iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3. Apple is also releasing the fourth public beta of iOS 13.3 today as well. tvOS 13.3 beta 4 is also now available, as is watchOS 6.1.1 beta 4. iOS 13.3 includes a new option in Settings to disable the Memoji keyboard from always appearing alongside the emoji keyboard. Communication Limits are also now available through Screen Time, allowing you to set limits based on your contacts....

Apple has updated its diversity report with new data about gender, race, and ethnicity hiring at the company. The updated diversity report comes one day after Apple committed to sponsoring a minority-focused technology program and one year after releasing its first report on such data. While the new data does not show dramatic diversity improvements compared with last year’s report, Apple does highlight some key changes in hiring over the last 12 months....

As part of its numerous announcements today, Apple snuck in the fact that iOS 13.1 will be released to the public on September 30. iOS 13 will be released on September 19, as we detailed here. iOS 13.1 is currently in beta testing for developers and public beta users. The focus of iOS 13.1 is adding back features that were removed from iOS 13 beta testing, such as Shortcuts Automations and Share ETA in Maps....

Interbrand assesses the all-in value of a brand by analysing three factors … The financial performance of the branded products and services The role the brand plays in influencing customer choice The strength the brand has to command a premium price or secure earnings for the company Last year, Interbrand said that Apple’s ecosystem was key to the company’s value. It this year estimated that the value of the Apple brand had increased by 3%, relatively modest compared to the five fastest-growing brands....

Bloomberg reports Apple has removed Big Fish Games‘ subscription based game from the App Store. Big Fish Games was reported last night to be the first to make available a game that offered a subscription model inside, a feature that was originally exclusive to news apps. After last night’s report that the game was able to receive this new subscription feature, there was much speculation that this app wasn’t actually offering subscription inside — as one of our readers explained....

The timing for the launch of Apple’s planned web-based TV service may depend on if and when the company can secure the rights to include content from local TV stations, Re/code reports. While Apple has been believed to be working on service that bundles access to a handful of channels delivered over the Internet, the new report claims that Apple wants to include live local programming from TV stations to both broaden the appeal of the service — especially with cord cutters — and satisfy industry executives…...

A new report from Re/code today about Apple’s upcoming music streaming platform reiterated much of what we already know about the service, which is expected to debut with iOS 8.4 at WWDC. iOS 8.4 is already in the hands of developers with a revamped Music app. As was previously known, Re/code notes that the recent hire of BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe and other BBC DJs is a plan to help bolster iTunes Radio’s curated playlist feature by manually compiling track lists instead of allowing an algorithm to make the decisions....

Apple today announced that it has picked up the rights to a new film project starring Mahershala Ali, who previously won Oscars for best supporting actor in ‘Green Book’ and ‘Moonlight’. The film is written and directed by Benjamin Cleary. Swan Song is described as being set in the near future, exploring how far someone will go to make a happier life for the people they love. Ali will play the lead role, Milo....

The latest Apple TV+ original series is going to be a music competition. Reese Witherspoon announced that she’s partnering with Apple to produce “My Kind of Country” that will focus on finding “extraordinary country music talent.” Reese Witherspoon will be involved as her Hello Sunshine platform works with Apple to bring “My Kind of Country” to Apple TV+. Hello Sunshine is focused on celebrating female storytelling, so that should certainly play a role in the new music competition....

Apple Pay has officially launched in Germany, as a report first suggested as a possibility earlier today. Users have taken to Twitter to show they are successfully able to add their debit and credit cards to Apple’s mobile payment platform. At launch, Apple Pay in Germany is supported by the following banks according to Apple: American Express, Maestro, Boon, Bunq, Comdirect, Deutsche Bank, Edenred, Fidor Bank, Hanseatic Bank, HypoVereinsbank, N26, O2 Banking, and VIMPay....

Apple Pay in the United States has gradually become more of a wallet replacement now more than ever. My experience with Apple’s mobile payment service has dramatically improved in the last year thanks to new features and greater adoption… Apple Pay in apps and on the web is absolutely the best way to check out when shopping. Easily being able to choose which card to use and select shipping information means I’m much more likely to impulse purchase or complete a transaction....

Three weeks after having released the first preview for watchOS 3, Apple has started pushing out the second beta version to developers. watchOS 3 beta 2 is available to download as a Configuration Profile from the Apple developer center. Release notes are not yet available, but should be up fairly soon. watchOS 3 brings major speed improvements and new user experiences to the Apple Watch. We’ve spent the past few weeks diving into watchOS 3 beta 1’s features; take a look at the links below to get caught up:...

Update: iOS 13.3.1 beta 3, iPadOS 13.3.1 beta 3, watchOS 6.1.2 beta 3, and tvOS 13.3.1 beta 3 now available for developers. Apple is also releasing the third public beta versions today as well. Apple is today releasing the third developer beta of iOS 13.3.1 and iPadOS 13.3.1. This comes a week after the second beta release. iOS 13.3.1 focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements. It’s likely that one of the most notable bugs fixed in iOS 13....

A report back in February that Apple would be allowed to open retail stores in India has been corroborated by India’s Economic Times. India normally doesn’t allow single-brand retail stores unless at least 30% of their products are made within the country, but Apple is reportedly set to be granted an exemption on the grounds that its products are ‘cutting-edge technology.’ The exemption is a pretty big deal for Apple …...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNsGNlDb6xY&start=109] Contrary to earlier published reports, the iPhone’s A6 chip is not the first ARM Cortex A15 processor in public usage. According to AnandTech, it is something entirely different and perhaps more significant: a CPU core of Apple’s own design. To be clear, the A6 is still based off ARM’s designs. It is not an ARM-specific CPU design like a Cortex A8, A9, or a new A15. What does this mean?...

Marc Newson, famous designer and close friend of Apple design guru Jony Ive, just gave his first solo interview since joining Apple last year. In the interview with the London Evening Standard, Newson talks Apple Watch, thought to be one of the first products he had involvement with since joining the company, as well as the future of the company from fashion to cars. When asked about Apple Watch, and specifically the criticism from the fashion industry, Newson responded:...

Stats on smartphone usage suggest that Apple’s move to larger iPhone screens isn’t just to meet consumer demand – it’s also part of the company’s play to grow its Services revenue. Apple is expected to announce three new iPhones this week, with screen sizes of 5.8-inches, 6.1-inches and 6.5-inches. That gives them an average screen area 23% larger than last year’s line-up … The comparison was drawn by the WSJ, which cited Kantar data suggesting that larger screens lead to greater usage....

If you need more convincing before ditching your BlackBerry, Apple just posted a new page on its website that highlights the iPhone’s use in the enterprise market. The info-packed page shows how the iPhone is used in the business setting to organize days, manage projects, setup meetings, read mail, set calendar appointments, keep contacts organized, and more. In typical advertising fashion, Apple highlighted specific apps on the App Store like “MicroStrategy,” “OmniFocus” for iPhone, “GoToMeeting,” “TripIt,” and much more....

Tim Cook during the China Mobile launch earlier this year Amid Apple’s push to expand its presence in China with its new deal with China Mobile, AFP reports Apple is suing the State Intellectual Property Office in China as well as Zhizhen Network Technology. The dispute is not a new one as Zhizhen Network Technology previously sued Apple over disputes with Siri and its Xiao i Robot product, but this time the roles are reversed....