Apple TV+ picked up a new six-episode limited series called The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, starring Samuel L. Jackson. As reported by Deadline, the limited series is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Mosley. Jackson will also serve as an executive producer on the series. He will play the lead role of Ptolemy Grey: Apple TV+ has greenlighted The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, a six-episode limited series starring and executive produced by Samuel L....

Apple has announced a new partnership with Cisco that will result in a “fast lane” for enterprise customers using iOS devices on Cisco’s networks and push iPhone and iPad into Cisco’s enterprise environments. At a joint event today, Tim Cook reportedly said Apple is “all in on the enterprise” while calling the Cisco deal “the Holy Grail” of partnerships. The Cisco partnership adds to Apple’s increasing effort at targeting business with iPhones and iPads....

Astro HQ has made a name for itself with its innovative drawing apps on iOS. Just this month, the company showcased a new feature for its AstroPad Studio app that essentially turned the front-face camera into a newfound button for iPad users. The company today announced, however, that Apple has rejected that idea… The feature was actually pretty neat. You simply tapped the lens of the front camera on the iPad to activate various menus and interfaces on screen....

Apple has just released Safari 7.1 to all users of OS X Mavericks following several beta releases in recent weeks. The update adds DuckDuckGo as a default search engine option, which was also just added to Apple’s mobile version of Safari alongside iOS 8. The update also includes a security improvement for Yahoo search engine users: Apple says Yahoo searches from the search field are now encrypted. In addition, Apple notes the release improves Reader and AutoFill compatibility with websites....

Apple has been working to expand its Apple TV+ subscription streaming service with more exclusive movies and TV shows. According to a new report from Variety, the company is now negotiating with Skydance Animation studios the rights to the animated films “Luck” and “Spellbound,” which were produced by John Lasseter. Lasseter became one of the most famous film producers due to his work as chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, where he was responsible for directing animations such as Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and Cars — and he even worked directly with Steve Jobs in the early years of Pixar....

A new United States Patent & Trademark Office patent application from Apple entitled “Image Capture Device Having Tilt and/or Perspective Correction” has surfaced this morning, detailing how Apple is actively seeking to improve image taking and camera capabilities on mobile devices. According to Apple, future iPhones could automatically compensate for tilt or perspective distortion during image capture or later, by determining a device orientation relative to the object. The correction could occur on the fly – using dynamic crop lines or a virtual level (a bit akin to the grid lines in the iOS 5 Camera app) – prior to storing the image in the memory and even afterwards, in which case the orientation and distance data would be embedded in the image itself, using custom tags withing the EXIF file....

Although carriers have created workarounds in the past, Apple has been slow to support carrier billing for iTunes and App Store purchases so far. That appears to be changing, in Germany at least, as TechCrunch reports Telefonica-owned carrier O2 is officially supported as a payment option within iTunes. O2 customers are said to be able to provide a phone number rather than a credit card to allow billing to be handled through O2 rather than directly with a credit or debit card or other options....

Apple is having a busy time in court at the moment. Not only is it defending the iPod DRM class action, but is this morning beginning its appeal of the verdict of last year’s ebook trial. The court ruled that Apple was guilty of anti-competitive practices in two ways. First, the company asked publishers to switch from wholesale pricing – where publishers sold in bulk to retailers, who set their own prices – to an agency model, where publishers set retail prices and retailers took a commission....

Apple has advised store staff that those working overnight or morning shifts on Friday will be able to reserve an iPhone 6, but not a 6 Plus, if a tweeted photo is genuine (and we have evidence it is). This would lend further weight to longstanding rumors and overwhelming evidence that the 5.5-inch model would be in short supply … A purported photo of a document issued to Apple Store staff was tweeted by an anon store employee this morning....

Sure, technically Apple’s first Android app was the now discontinued Beats Music which it picked up through acquisition last year and it’s developing Apple Music for Google’s platform, but it’s very fitting that Apple’s first in-house app is called Switch to iOS from Android. Apple first announced the new Android app this year alongside iOS 9 at its developer conference, and today with iOS 9’s official launch the Move to iOS app is officially available on the Google Play Store....

Upate: Partnership on AI has now confirmed that Apple has joined. The Partnership on AI was formed in September, with part of its brief to make recommendations in the areas of ethics, fairness, inclusivity, privacy and trustworthiness – all values you might expect Apple to fully endorse. But while the company didn’t sign up at the time, it appears this is about to change … Bloomberg reports that Apple has now agreed to join the non-profit....

Apple has previewed the new iMac Pro ahead of its release later this year. Apple calls this machine its ‘most powerful Mac ever’ and includes a space gray casing. That description means the new all-in-one machine will rival the current Mac Pro which will be replaced with a modular version in the future. The new iMac Pro will feature four Thunderbolt 3 ports with support for up to two 5K displays, a 1080p FaceTime camera, realtime 3D rendering, and much more....

Apple has just published a notice to developers on its dev center that all new apps submitted after February 1st, 2014 must be built with the latest version of Xcode 5 and “must be optimized for iOS 7.” Essentially any apps built using old versions of Xcode or possibly even just maintaining an iOS 6-style interface in Apple’s brave new world of software will be rejected from the store. This goes for updates, too, meaning even the ambiguous “bug fixes and improvements” that seem to be ever-present in the App Store will now require an iOS 7 update just to be published in February....

As we move closer to the public release of iOS 11, Apple tonight has shared a series of new ‘how to’ videos for iPad features that come along with the newest software. The last series of videos from Apple shared earlier this month featured Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Siri along with the iPhone 7. The latest videos shine the spotlight on the new capabilities that iOS 11 brings to the iPad and iPad Pro....

Apple has released the sixth iOS 10.3.3 beta for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Apple has also released the sixth macOS 10.12.6 beta. The beta version only includes new wallpapers for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and no other visible changes, although the release may be the last bug fix update for devices not able to run iOS 11. iOS 10.3.3 and macOS 10.12.6 are currently only available in developer and public beta, although the sixth beta release strongly suggests a release to all users is likely coming soon....

Following the news just last weekend that Apple would be closing their Green Hills retail location in Nashville, Tennessee for renovations on February 11th, the company has posted a similar message on their retail website announcing the temporary closure of Apple Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Washington. Just like previous announcements, the retail page for Apple Alderwood Mall has been updated to say “We’re making the Apple Store you love even lovelier....

Apple this evening has shared a pair of new videos to its YouTube channel as part of its ongoing how-to series. These videos focus on Apple Pay and the process of setting up a card and subsequently paying in store using your iPhone. The first video runs users through the process of adding a card to Apple Pay on their iPhone. Like many of Apple’s how-to videos, this one is simple and to the point, taking users through the process with step-by-step instructions and examples:...

Today’s best deals include the first discounts on Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro, plus various first-party iPhone 11/Pro/Max cases, and Apple Watch Series 3 returns for a notable price drop. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. 13-inch MacBook Pro sees first discounts Apple’s official iPhone 11 cases on sale Apple Watch Series 3 deals return Today only, Sam’s Club offers Apple Watch Series 3 from $169....

According to a new report from Chinese news outlet the Economic Daily News, Apple is “aggressively” working to expand its presence in Southeast Asia. The company has been working with Foxconn on the efforts, the report explains, further strengthening the partnership between the two parties. Specifically, Apple is expected to begin constructing two new research and development centers in 2017. One is said to be located in Indonesia, while the other is destined for Shenzhen, China, Apple announced in October....

Apple’s new Shortcuts feature launched as part of iOS 12 and has since gained swift popularity among users and developers. One aspect of Shortcuts that has gone largely undiscussed is what it means for accessibility. MacStories is out today with a closer look at the role of Shortcuts in accessibility, with Apple’s Senior Director of Global Accessibility Policy & Initiatives also weighing in. Writing for MacStories, Steven Aquino explains that the focus of Shortcuts on speed and accessibility, combined with how it’s able to consolidate multi-step tasks into one process, is huge for those with certain cognitive or physical motor delays:...