A new Apple patent published today by the United States Patent and Trademark office (via AppleInsider) could show some of Apple’s future plans for bringing iOS to the car through its partnership with various car manufacturers. Earlier this year at WWDC, Apple showed off its new iOS in the Car feature that will bring enhanced iOS integration for apps such as Maps and Siri to select vehicles sometime next year. Today, Apple describes how it could also be doing some work on the touch panels that will control these new in-car features....

With the iPhone 6 bending controversy heating up and Apple PR masterfully debunking the non-issue earlier today, it should come as no surprise that Apple does a lot of durability testing on its new devices before shipping. However, the team responsible for that testing– Apple’s Product Design Structural Analysis team for iPhone and iPod– needs some help. Today the company posted a job listing seeking engineers to stress test new iPhones and iPods just as it responded to the controversy saying the problem was “extremely rare” during normal everyday use....

Apple is highlighting four artists who create with Apple Pencil on iPad Pro as the Urban Sketchers groups turns 10. Urban Sketchers is made up of artists around the world who meet in cities to draw on-location. The illustration above was created by the aptly named Rob Sketcherman of Hong Kong who has drawn exclusively with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil since it was released in 2015. Apple is also featuring the work of Don Low of Singapore, Omar Jamarillo of Berlin, and Uma Kelkar of San Francisco who each create with iPad:...

Apple has quietly updated its CarPlay microsite which explains the feature to add CBS News Radio to its growing list of apps it grants CarPlay support to, but a bigger change also appears on the CarPlay site this morning. Apple is no longer promising CarPlay support from any automobile manufacturer this year as it has done since its debut in March. While there has been no shortage of CarPlay demoes and availability announcements, actually getting your hands on a model with CarPlay thus far has proven almost impossible....

Two weeks after seeding OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3 to developers, Apple has made Preview 4 available via Software Update on the Mac App Store. If you find anything new, you can let us know at tips@9to5mac.com. We’ll update this post with a running list of changes. Changes below: – New installation screen: – LinkedIn quick posting to Connections via Notification Center: – Subtle new Time Machine icon while taking a backup (Thanks, Frank!...

Apple this evening has removed a handful of apps from the App Store that install root certificates of their own. By installing their own root certificate, the app developers could theoretically gain access to encrypted traffic from users. Among some of the apps being removed are a select number of ad blockers. The ad blockers that have been removed are ones that block content both in Safari and in other apps....

Update: Bloomberg reports Apple has now won an order granting its request for Google to provide more information about its process of turning over documents in an ongoing lawsuit with Samsung: Bloomberg reports that Apple has requested Google turn over documents related to Android’s source code in an ongoing patent-infringement lawsuit with Samsung in California. According to the report, Apple took issue with Google’s process of turning over requested pretrial documents claiming Google is “improperly withholding information” and that Android “provides much of the accused functionality” in the infringement claims related to several of Samsung’s Galaxy products:...

Apple has updated its Research app for iPhone and Apple Watch with a few notable additions today. With Apple Research version 1.1.2, the app now supports AirPods Pro for the Apple Hearing Study and more. Apple launched the Apple Research app last November, allowing users in the US to enroll in three health studies: Women’s Health, Heart and Movement, and the Hearing Study. Today’s update for the Apple Research app includes AirPods Pro support for the Hearing Study....

Similar to the Complete My Album feature that debuted on iTunes in the summer of 2009, Apple today launched a similar offering for television shows aptly named “Complete My Season Pass”. As you know, iTunes Season Pass lets users buy an entire television show season and have individual episodes automatically downloaded up to 24 hours after they air on the tube. So, let’s say you previously purchased individual episodes of Desperate Housewives and now want to upgrade to the entire season, but without having to re-purchase the episodes you already own....

With Apple stepping into the home automation arena by way of offering closer device integration through its new HomeKit API announced alongside iOS 8, just about every appliance in the home is potential for being refreshed and gaining deeper connectivity with our iPhones and iPads. Honeywell, a launch partner for Apple’s new home automation development tools, is today announcing its new Lyric smart thermostat to compete against similar offerings from competitors like the now Google-owned Nest....

Apple is preparing an all-new MacBook Air for 2015 with a radically new design that jettisons standards such as full-sized USB ports, MagSafe connectors, and SD card slots in favor of a markedly thinner and lighter body with a higher-resolution display. Sources within Apple, who have used internal prototype versions of the upcoming computer, have provided in-depth details about the machine, and our exclusive artist renditions of the revamped MacBook Air provide the first close look at Apple’s first major step in mobile Mac computing since the Retina MacBook Pro launch in 2012....

Developers lucky enough to attend WWDC in previous years will know that Apple’s Company Store in the McEnery Convention Center is always a popular spot. Each year, the pop-up shop sells a variety of limited edition clothing and souvenirs only available to attendees. This year, Apple looks to make it easier for busy developers to get in, get the items they want, and get back to the conference. Update: Store visitors report that while self-checkout is active and functions as expected, store staff are directing customers to purchase with assistance instead....

Apple’s new sapphire crystal component producer GT-Advanced announced its Q4 2013 earnings results yesterday, and in addition to talking about the past quarter, the company shared some details about its future and its well-publicized partnership with Apple. We previously indicated, based on research into publicly available shipping documents, that we expect Apple and GT-Advanced to be developing sapphire crystal displays for a future iPhone model. The companies are likely to be able to produce over 100 million displays this year…...

After making it available yesterday, Apple this evening has seemingly removed the watchOS 5 developer beta from its website. The company doesn’t elaborate as to the specifics of the removal, though it acknowledges the unavailability on its website… On its developer portal, Apple says that seed 1 of watchOS 5 is “temporarily unavailable.” The company seems to suggest that the update process rendered the Apple Watch of some unusable. Apple says it is investigating an issue that occurs while updating and invites affected user to contact AppleCare....

Apple is slowly rolling out a new customer service initiative across its retail stores called ‘table selling.’ With the new strategy, Apple Store employees are assigned a product table where they are responsible for working with groups of customers with different needs, albeit the same device, according to people familiar with the strategy. Previously, customers were individually helped on a first-come, first-serve basis and organized by an “iQueue” system that often resulted in lengthy wait times and customers walking out....

Following reports in March from Chinese news websites that claimed Apple planned to integrate Baidu as a search engine in iOS, Bloomberg reported today that sources indicated the feature could be announced as soon as next week. Apple is set to kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 11: Bloomberg noted that Baidu is currently capturing roughly 80 percent of the search business in China by revenue, compared to just 16....

Apple has pushed two new channels to the Apple TV today, bringing sports and drama content from two new sources. The first new channel is CBS Sports, which allows users to watch free clips from a host of different sports, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, college sports, and more. The second new channel is USA Now, which features content from the USA network. Unlike CBS Sports, this one will require a cable provider login to access most content....

Apple today added over 20 additional banks and credit unions to its list of those that officially support Apple Pay. The new additions follow over 20 added a couple of weeks back for users in the U.S. and China. Today’s update includes 23 banks and credit unions in total for the US, and brings support for HSBC in Australia with both MasterCard and Visa credit cards supported. Apple typically adds support for new banks and credit unions every 2-3 weeks and keeps track of supported institutions for all regions where Apple Pay is available on its website....

Apple Pay has provided a solution to a problem that has beset online share trading for individuals: how to quickly and safely transfer money to their broker. That was tricky before for two reasons, explains brokerage firm TD Ameritrade, the first to accept fund transfer by Apple Pay … Reuters reports that the first problem was being forced to choose between speed and complexity. Debit cards provide both speed and simplicity, but create fraud risks....

Apple has published an iOS 6 and fifth-generation iPod touch version of its iPod touch user guide to iBooks. The user guide goes over the important software and hardware details of the new iPod touch and its new operating system. The new version of the iPod touch has begun preparing to ship to customers who have pre-ordered, but the new devices have yet to show up in retail stores. However, a recent report claimed that the new iPod touch would be made available on October 9th, the publishing date of the user guide....