With the release of iOS 11.3 beta 1 and macOS 10.13.4 beta 1, Apple has also issued the first beta of Xcode 9.3 for developers. This version promises to fix lots of bugs and improve compilation times for Swift projects. Apple is also warning developers that in a future release of macOS, 32-bit apps will no longer run without compromise, meaning that when 10.13.4 ships to users, they’ll be alerted when trying to run a 32-bit app....

Apple plans to relocate its main Chicago, Illinois retail store from its current location at 679 North Michigan Avenue to a newer flagship space at the edge of the Chicago River, reports Crain’s Chicago Business. According to the report, Apple will likely build “a new glass structure” in front of a 35-story office building as an entry to the Apple Store, with most of the store “below ground” in a design resembling the iconic Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City....

As Apple works to grow and expand its health-related projects and the teams working on those efforts, there’s sure to be some turnover in the process. CNBC reports today that Stephen Friend, a top health researcher, departed Apple late in 2017… We first reported on Friend’s involvement at Apple in 2015, but the transition wasn’t fully completed until June of 2016. Friend is a renowned health researcher and his move to Apple was big news in the health industry....

Early next month, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization will present Apple CEO Tim Cook with its 2015 Ripple of Hope Award honoring leaders in commitment to social change. Cook has described RFK as a personal hero on multiple occasions over the years. The Apple chief is being honored with the award alongside Congressman John Lewis, Evercore co-founder Roger Altman; and UNESCO Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis. The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization said the Ripple of Hope Award “lauds leaders of the international business, entertainment, and activist communities who demonstrate commitment to social change and reflect Robert Kennedy’s passion for equality, justice, basic human rights, and his belief that we all must strive to ‘make gentle the life of this world....

Apple revealed this morning that nearly 20 billions apps were downloaded in 2012, excluding re-downloads and updates, bringing the total number of App Store downloads to 40 billion. The announcement also noted a record-breaking 2 billion downloads during the month of December. Furthermore, there are more than 500 million active App Store accounts, over 775,000 apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users worldwide, including roughly 300,000 native iPad apps, and customers in about 155 countries around the globe can find apps in 23 refined categories like games, business, news, etc....

We learned last month that Apple’s upcoming Mac Pro will be manufactured in China. While the news wasn’t surprising, the move is a shift from the current Mac Pro that’s been assembled in the US since its debut in 2013. Now, a report from Bloomberg reveals that Apple has formally asked the Trump administration for an exemption on tariffs for the new Mac Pro components and accessories made in China....

Yesterday, Apple uploaded a handful of new 15 second videos to its YouTube channel highlighting the various apps that its new tvOS-powered Apple TV supports. Apple shared videos showcasing apps Netflix, HBO NOW, Asphalt 8, Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition: Star Wars, and Crossy Road. Now, the company has shared one more video to YouTube highlighting Watch ABC on the new Apple TV. The video features characters from popular ABC show The Muppets....

Earlier today, Apple essentially completed work on the first public release of Mac OS X Lion with the seeding of the Golden Master version of the product to developers. This Golden Master stage essentially marks today’s release as the release that the public will be getting their hands on. Now, we have been told by reliable sources that Apple is planning to ship Mac OS X Lion on July 14th....

Whether you’ve just upgraded to an Apple TV 4K or 4th gen model or have gotten one for the first time, follow along for how to download, update, and delete Apple TV apps. Even if you’re used to downloading and managing apps on iPhone and iPad, Apple TV’s unique interface and navigation may take a bit to get used to if you haven’t used it before. While the Apple TV Siri remote is definitely an improvement over its predecessor, using an iPhone is often the most convenient way to control the set-top box, especially when entering passwords and text....

Apple has released iOS 8.1.1, a minor update to last month’s iOS 8.1 release for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The public release for iOS 8.1.1 follows a beta release to members of Apple’s developer program. Last month Apple released iOS 8.1 which introduced Apple Pay support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users as well as the iCloud Photo Library public beta. According to Apple, iOS 8.1.1 will improve performance for older, A5-powered devices running iOS 8, namely the iPad 2 and iPhone 4s; Apple’s current selling iPod touch first released in 2012 is also powered by Apple’s A5 chip....

Apple has reportedly changed its near-term plans for the Project Titan electric car project, moving away from the development of a vehicle for the time being. After Bob Mansfield took the helm in July, Apple changed its outlook for the team according to Bloomberg. Hundreds of employees have been let go or re-assigned with the remaining members focusing on development of a self-driving autonomous car platform. In the future, Apple may return to developing its own vehicle or could partner with an existing car manufacturer....

Yesterday, we reported that Apple’s annual Back to School promotion will start this week with free $100 iTunes gift cards instead of iPods. Now, we have independently pinpointed that the Back to School promotion will begin tomorrow (Wednesday) – based on new signage spotted by sources – and have reconfirmed that $100 iTunes cards will be this year’s free item. Additionally, various sources say that store layouts will be changing tonight, with a couple of sources pinpointing up to an 80% change in the store’s software product layout....

Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller is joining Illumina’s board of directors, a company that provides technologies related to DNA sequencing for healthcare research among other services. Illumina’s press release notes that Schiller is responsible for worldwide marketing at Apple and he also recently took over responsibilities of running the App Store. As marketing chief, Schiller is one of the more public facing executives at the company having regularly appeared on stage for press events, interviews and elsewhere....

Apple opened up its new Health Records API just over two months ago to let developers create new apps and improved experiences for patients, particularly as they visit multiple doctors or health systems. Now we’re hearing more about the standard on which the Health Records platform is based, along with new institutions that have started supporting Health Records. As detailed by EHR Intelligence (via Venture Beat), Apple’s Clinical and Health Informatics Lead Ricky Bloomfield, MD, spoke at the ONC 2nd Interoperability Forum about Health Records....

Another day, another witness takes the stand in the Apple vs. Samsung trial. Graphic designer Susan Kare, who once did phenomenal work for Apple in the 1980s, took the stand to testify today and point out similarities between Samsung and Apple’s devices. The Wall Street Journal was present in the courtroom and reported this afternoon that Kare noted that the icons on Samsung devices in many cases infringed on Apple’s patents....

Apple’s relationship with China has never been an easy one. Indeed, I wrote a piece a couple of years ago arguing that the company was in a no-win position in the country. Things today are even worse… But Apple is in a very different position today than was Google in 2010. While Google had big ambitions within the country, it was not dependent on the market. Apple very much is. Not just because China is the largest smartphone market in the world – and as important to Apple as the whole of Europe – but because it is the iPhone maker’s key manufacturing base....

A report from FossPatents today (via MacRumors), covering a Samsung filing with U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, shows the United States Patent and Trademark Office has declared 20 claims related to Apple’s rubber-banding patent invalid. One of the claims was even used against Samsung as part of Apple’s $1 billion victory in a California court in August: The report noted an anonymous third-party challenged the validity of the patent earlier this year by requesting a re-examination (Google looks up into space, begins whistling):...

A consumer study by Reputation Institute has Apple and Google sharing the #1 spot as the world’s most reputable companies. According to the 2011 Global RepTrak 100 index, Disney, BMW and LEGO placed third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Sony, Daimler, Canon, Intel, and Volkswagen round out the top ten. As a matter of fact, the study found out that Apple, Google, LEGO and Sony are the only companies to make the top ten in nine of the 15 countries....

The Cielo Vista Mall, built in 1974, is just two miles from the Mexican border. Photo: G. O’Graffer While Apple has yet to open its first retail store in Mexico, the El Paso, Texas store the company is allegedly mulling should be Godsent for Apple’s Mexican fans – it’s just two miles from the Mexico border town of Ciudad Juarez. According to ifoAppleStore, the company will positing the store on the ground floor, next to the Gap store, of the 1....

We expect iOS 12 will be released to all users about a week after the September 12 event, as the operating system will come preinstalled on the new iPhones that are almost certainly launching on the 21st. Today, Apple has started advertising to iOS 11 devices ahead of the release, with the Tips app sending alerts that highlight some of the changes. The exact tips displayed vary depending on region and device type....