Apple’s 2019 got off to a rocky start when it was forced to issue a rare revision to its earnings forecast for the fiscal first quarter of 2019. Since then, however, AAPL stock has outperformed the rest of the market, with CNBC reporting that Apple and Microsoft together accounted for almost 15% of the S&P 500′s advance in 2019. As of Monday, AAPL has surged by 85% in 2019 while Microsoft has increased 55%....

Apple has partnered with musician Olivia Rodrigo and several digital illustrators to inspire artists on TikTok. A series of videos posted to Apple’s account feature iPad, Apple Pencil, and the Procreate app. Inspired by Olivia Rodrigo’s track “Brutal,” TikTok followers are encouraged to create their own #BrutalMasks. Apple worked with artists including Braeden O’Brien, Designical, and fiona_art to create tutorials. The videos follow a similar format to Today at Apple online sessions, where viewers are taken step-by-step through the creative process and invited to share their work....

Apple is announcing today Apple Learning Coach, a new professional learning program for educators who coach teachers to get the most out of the company’s technologies. Apple Learning Coach is a free professional learning program that trains instructional coaches, digital learning specialists, and other coaching educators to help teachers effectively use Apple technology in the classroom. “We know that professional learning opportunities — from educators, for educators — make all the difference in unlocking the potential in every student....

We’re less than a week away from WWDC kicking off in San Jose, California. As it does every year, Apple has started preparing for the event by hanging decorative banners outside of the venue… WWDC this year is being held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, which is the same place as it was held last year. Thus far, we’ve seen two shots of the decorations – one on Twitter courtesy of Aaron Stephenson and another from Mac4Ever....

Apple Card is expanding its 3% Daily Cash offer again. Wallgreens today announced it is partnering with the Apple Card to offer 3% cashback on any Walgreens purchases, starting tomorrow. You have to use Apple Pay, but the cashback applies to any purchases made at Walgreens retail stores, Walgreens website, or the Duane Read chain of pharmacies. Apple Card gives rewards in the form of Daily Cash, a simple cashback program that avoids the complexities of points schemes....

Among over 200 titans of industry, finance and entertainment this evening, Apple’s Tim Cook and former EPA head and Apple’s VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa P. Jackson attended President Obama’s Chinese State Dinner. The two reportedly sat at the President’s table with FaceBook’s Mark Zuckerberg with wife Pricilla Chan, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Apple Board member and Disney CEO Bob Iger among the 18… Cook and Jackson will have lots to talk about with Chinese President Xi Jinping as Apple’s China presence is growing along with issues of hacking, counterfeiting, taxation, smuggling and competition to name a few....

Earlier this week, Apple officially released iOS 10.3 to the public and included in it were a variety of fixes, some of which are continuing to surface. A new report from The Wall Street Journal highlights that iOS 10.3 fixes a flaw we initially covered back in October that caused iOS devices to repeatedly call 911… The flaw was discovered by an 18-year old who found a way to use Javascript to remotely cause iOS devices to open popup alerts, open apps, and make phone calls....

We have an official release date for iOS 16, Apple’s next major software update for iPhone users. During today’s Apple event, the company announced that iOS 16 will be released to the general public next week on September 12. Head below for a rundown of some of the top iOS 16 features. iOS 16 release date confirmed When September 12 rolls around, you’ll be able to head to the Settings app on your iPhone and download the update....

Apple today debuted four new ads for Apple Music via its YouTube channel. The ads, like the three debuted last month, focus on the service’s capability to help listeners to discover new music. The new ads feature musician Leon Bridges, singer songwriter Shamir, and rapper Flying Lotus. Apple also today announced a new partnership with Burberry that will see the company developing an Apple Music channel exclusively featuring British artists....

Earlier today, Apple issued an incredibly strong denial in response to a report from Bloomberg, which alleged that Apple and a handful of other tech companies had some data compromised due to Chinese surveillance chips being found in a Super Micro server. The report noted that these chips were found on Apple’s servers sometime around 2015. Following its earlier statement on the report, Apple has now published a press release on its website detailing what actually happened as it continues to deny the allegations....

John Gruber surprised podcast listeners today by getting Apple’s own Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi on The Talk Show to discuss a variety of topics behind Apple. Since Tim Cook took leadership at Apple, it hasn’t been unheard of for Apple execs to appear on Gruber’s show. The first occurrence was last June when Phil Schiller met John Gruber on stage during WWDC to discuss Apple’s recent announcements and decisions over the past few years....

Apple is not providing specific guidance for Q1 2021 due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, Apple CFO Luca Maestri did provide some broad expectations during a call with investors this afternoon. Maestri emphasized that Apple’s expectations for the fiscal first quarter of 2021 are based on the assumption that the COVID-19 impact on its business will be similar in November and December to what it has been so far in October....

After launching SF Symbols with over 1,000 configurable options back in June at WWDC, Apple expanded the set to over 1,500 symbols for developers at the end of October. In a developer post today, it highlighted the configurable symbol set. Apple the SF Symbols 1.1 update on October 29, but shared in a developer post today about it: To learn more about SF Symbols, check out Apple’s developer support page here....

Apple has recently introduced a new 14-day no questions asked return policy for iTunes, App Store and iBooks purchases in Europe including the UK, Germany, Italy, France, and many other EU countries. Apple’s terms and conditions for the stores previously stated users had the right to withdraw from a transaction “without charge and without giving any reason until delivery of the product has started.” That meant purchases were all but final apart from some exceptions handled by Apple support....

We reported over the weekend that there was some confusion over exactly how Apple’s new Lightning digital AV adapter works and why it lacks the ability to carry a native 1080p signal. One theory is that Apple was using an AirPlay wireless streaming protocol, but we’ve since learned that is not the case. According to a post that purports to be from an anonymous Apple engineer explaining how the cables function, Apple does not use Airplay protocol....

According to a report today out of TechCrunch, Apple has acquired Lattice Data, a company that specializes in artificial intelligence where it relates to so-called “dark data.” The report explains that the deal was closed a few weeks ago, with 20 or so engineers from Lattice Data joining Apple. Apple is believed to have paid somewhere around the price of $200 million for the company, but other specific information about its plans remain unclear....

As Apple rebounds from its first earnings call predicated with a guidance revision in 16 years, many analysts remain skeptical of the company’s ability to regain its trillion-dollar status. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, however, offers a different take, via CNBC. Huberty believes that if Apple successfully launches a so called “media bundle” in 2019, comprised of music, television streaming and a Texture news subscription, the company will see significant growth as the bank currently targets AAPL’s 12 month share price at $211....

Apple is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a full-page photo and a quote on its homepage. Tim Cook also tweeted another King quote: Sadly and predictably, some Twitter users hijacked the message to reply with complaints about Apple slowing down older iPhones. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the U.S. to mark the birthday of the famous civil rights leader. King advocated non-violent opposition to racial discrimination....

Following Apple’s original founding documents being auctioned for roughly $1.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction on Tuesday, Engadget sat down with Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne who shared a collection of other early documents related to the company. The report noted that Wayne has the documents stored away in a USPS envelope in his office, some of which include hand drawings in pencil for an Apple I casing that was ultimately rejected....

iPad 2 WiFi teardown image courtesy of iFixit An interesting report comes this morning via DigiTimes, the Taiwanese trade publication. Besides naming possible integrated circuit suppliers for iPad 4 – Novatek Microelectronics (LCD driver), Richtek Technology (integrated power management), Capella Microsystems (ambient light sensors) and Integrated Memory Logic (programmable gamma/Vcom buffer solutions) – the publication mentions that Apple is now “more willing” to ship various integrated circuit modules from Taiwan-based IC design houses as a way of reducing iPad’s bill of material (BOM):...