Since partnering in 2014 to develop enterprise iOS apps under the “MobileFirst for iOS” banner, Apple and IBM have rolled out over 30 apps for various industries. Today the two companies introduced their first MobileFirst education app. The new iPad app, IBM Watson Element for Educators, offers insights on students to teachers, including: “data on interests, accomplishments, academic performance, attendance, behaviors and learning activities.” When Apple and IBM first announced the partnership, the companies had plans to develop 100 enterprise apps and cloud services, while IBM also started pushing and supporting Apple devices alongside specialized AppleCare plans....

Apple has opened a Trailer Showtimes site today that uses browser location settings both on desktop and mobile devices to deliver showtimes. You’ll be prompted to let the browser access your GPS information, whether that is your geo-located IP or your device’s dedicated GPS. This not only works on iOS devices but works on other mobile platforms as well and provides a slick way to navigate movies, especially when integrated with Apple’s high-definition trailers sites....

Apple is once again ramping up its COVID-19 testing policies, specifically for unvaccinated workers. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple will soon start requiring that unvaccinated employees get tested for COVID-19 “each time they want to enter an office.” The requirement will also apply to corporate workers who opt out of reporting their vaccination status to Apple. “Vaccinated staff will be required to take rapid tests once per week,” the report adds....

The Olympics are set to kick off this Friday, July 23 in Tokyo, and very notably, this year is the first time that skateboarding will be included in the games. To celebrate the occasion, Snowman’s popular Skate City will launch its biggest update yet. Coinciding with the start of the Olympic Games on July 23, Skate City will debut its huge expansion on Friday with a “diverse range of neighbourhoods and famous skate spots to experience Tokyo’s unique identity....

As the Epic vs Apple trial continues, the latter has submitted a filing in the case to have the court make a ruling on Epic’s allegation that iOS is an essential facility. Apple believes the judgment should be granted in its favor as Epic hasn’t offered up evidence for the claim and provides two core reasons for why it should be dismissed. First, Apple says proprietary operating systems protected by patent and copyright laws cannot be essential facilities....

Apple has told Re/code that it is increasing the number of scholarship places offered at this year’s WWDC from 200 to 350 as part of its work to create greater diversity amongst developers. Those selected get a free ticket to the developer’s conference. The company last year published its first ever diversity report, showing that the company is fairly typical of tech companies today: 70% male, 55% white. CEO Tim Cook said then that he was not satisfied with the numbers, and was doing “meaningful and inspiring” work with women’s and minority groups to bring about change....

Apple Car antitrust concerns are already being voiced, despite the fact that it doesn’t yet exist, and may never exist. Indeed, the potential for antitrust action could be greater if Apple doesn’t ever sell its own car … Similar concerns are being expressed about Google partnerships with car makers, with some accusing the two companies of preparing to create a duopoly when it comes to in-car operating systems. Politico reports that eyebrows were raised over a recent Ford announcement....

Heads up! Tim Cook is set to appear next month at Box’s BoxWorks conference, WSJ’s WSJ.D Live conference, and perhaps most importantly, CBS’s The Late Show next week. Stephen Colbert, previously of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and Colbert Report, took over hosting duties at CBS’s late night variety show earlier this week on Tuesday after David Letterman’s recent retirement. Colbert announced in a cheeky tweet tonight that Tim Cook will appear as a guest during the comedian’s second week on the air....

A report from Times Union newspaper today claims Apple could be looking to GlobalFoundries to make chips for the iPhone and iPad at its “Fab 8” plant in Malta, New York (via MacRumors). It’s unclear if the move would be to reduce its dependence on Samsung, its current manufacturing partner for the iPhone and iPad system-on-a-chip, but Times Union says Samsung will go to Fab 8 at least initially to assist GlobalFoundries in preparing to build the chips:...

Keri Russell plays a teacher who discovers one of her students is hiding a terrifying secret in the trailer for Scott Cooper’s horror movie Antlers. This is the first time the acclaimed storyteller has tried his hand at the horror genre, having previously worked on films like the musician drama Crazy Heart and crime biography Black Mass. However, he’s joined behind the camera by a pair of experts in the field here - namely, Channel Zero creator Nick Antosca and Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who served as a cowriter and producer, respectively....

Users of 16 popular iOS and Android apps claim that they would be willing to pay a monthly subscription for popular apps if there was no longer a free version. WhatsApp was the one most users would rather pay for than give up, while YouTube was the app for which they’d be willing to pay the highest subscription fee… The McGuffin survey of 2,000 consumers found that a massive 89% of WhatsApp users would pay a monthly subscription if the messaging service were no longer available for free....

Apple’s generous returns policy is one of its real strengths, giving new customers the confidence to buy an expensive product in the knowledge that they can return it for a full refund within 14 days for any reason or no reason at all. But a change introduced today adopts a far stricter approach in Hong Kong … The change noted on the website for the Hong Kong store says that it will not allow exchange or refund unless the product is defective....

On the day of the annual Academy Awards ceremony, Apple has begun airing a new iPad Air advertisement highlighting how the tablet is used in the filmmaking industry. The new video advertisement is narrated with excerpts from notable movie director Martin Scorsese’s 2014 commencement speech at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The video, embedded below, is accompanied by a website highlighting specific stories of the iPad being used to make movies....

Apple has announced the iTunes Festival 2010 in London, UK, promising 62 bands across 31 days in a series of gigs at the Roundhouse. The first three headliners have been announced, these include Scissor Sisters (July 1), Tony Bennett (July 2) & Ozzy Osbourne (July 3). “This has all the makings of a great gig,” says Ozzy Osbourne who will release Scream, his first album in almost three years via Epic, on June 14....

Alongside a dramatic expansion of end-to-end encryption for iCloud data, Apple has two other major security announcements today. The company says that it will add support for using Security Keys to further enhance your Apple ID and iCloud account security. There’s also a new feature for iMessage in particular, which the company is called iMessage Contact Key Verification. Security Keys First and foremost, Apple has announced that starting in 2023, users will be able to enhance their Apple ID and iCloud account protection using hardware Security Keys....

This morning, Apple announced plans to open a second data center in Denmark. The first unit in Viborg opens later this year (pictured in above render) and the new announcement sees a second facility being built in Aabenraa, expected to go online in 2019. It will run on 100% renewable energy and power Apple’s internet services across Europe, including iTunes Store, Siri, iMessage and Maps. The data centre would be situated in Aabenraa, close to the German border....

Following weeks and rumors of speculation, Apple has announced a media event for Wednesday, September 12th. Above is the invitation that reads “it’s almost here” (via Peter Ha). Obviously, the huge ‘5’ shadow seems to indicate that the new iPhone will be called the ‘iPhone 5’. Apple will be demoing a new version of its iPhone at this event. The new iPhone is rumored to include a thinner design, a taller, four-inch display, improved internal hardware, and more....

Apple has earned another first place ranking for its laptop customer service when compared to other tech companies. Laptop Mag today released its 2019 study that found Apple far ahead of competition like Samsung, Microsoft, HP, and more when it comes to both phone and web support for computers. Laptop Mag notes that it goes undercover to rate laptop tech support from the major tech companies for the most authentic results....

Last year in the US, Apple overhauled its gift cards taking them from two separate products to a single one that works with the App Store/iTunes Store and Apple Stores. Now the new Apple Gift Cards have launched in Canada and Australia. We previously noted the trouble with the old approach of two separate types of Apple gift cards: Like the Apple Gift Card in the US, the launch in Canada and Australia means you can buy and send physical or digital versions of the unified gift cards with a variety of designs to choose from....

Do you remember tvOS 16? Apparently, neither does Apple. The company talked during the WWDC 2022 keynote all about iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13 Ventura, and watchOS 9, but not a single word about tvOS 16. OK, you might have heard about new “Home” features, but, once again, Apple completely forgot about the Apple TV and HomePod’s operating system. Luckily, we have not. Apple is making it very tricky to gather information about tvOS 16....