Apple has released an update to its professional photo-editing and management software, Aperture, that includes both bug fixes and some minor enhancements. These bug fixes cover stability and performance while the minor enhancements include a new gestures toggle, improved image cropping, photo uploading, and loading slideshows in the background. The full change log is pasted after the break. Improves reliability and performance when syncing web-published albums Slideshow exports are now handled as a background operation Crop tool now correctly supports use of gestures to define crop size Gesture support can now be enabled or disabled in Preferences Fixes an issue that could cause a blank sheet to display when placing a book or print order Published MobileMe, Facebook and Flickr albums now appear in a Web section in the Projects Inspector Shift-clicking snapshots on the Faces corkboard now allows you to make contiguous selections Metadata presets are now correctly applied to imported audio files Fixes an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly when trimming audio in full screen mode Resolves various issues when adding names to Faces using accented, Japanese, Korean or Simplified Chinese characters Improves stability when browsing video clips Addresses reliability of library repair and rebuild Update: Aperture goes full screen now with the native Lion full screen button....

Steven Spriggs, a Fresno man who was ticketed for using his iPhone while driving in January of 2012, won an appeal of his conviction today in a ruling that could potentially impact how drivers are allowed to use their phones while on the road. Because Spriggs was using his phone’s mapping application when he was pulled over, the court overturned his conviction, stating that maps do not fall under the state ban on texting or talking on a cell phone while driving....

Apple and IBM today unveiled three new enterprise apps developed for iOS as part of their ongoing ‘IBM MobileFirst for iOS’ partnership. The new apps include Advisor Alerts, Passenger Care, and Dynamic Buy. The three apps, a combination of both iPhone and iPad software, join the original set of 10 announced last year and another new app recently announced bringing the collection of apps announced under the deal to 14 total across eight industries including retail, banking, and transportation....

After launching a probe over concerns that Apple and Google have too much control over operating systems, app stores, and web browsers earlier this year, the United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority is now reporting its findings. UK’s watchdog says it’s “concerned this is leading to less competition and meaningful choice for customers. People also appear to be missing out on the full benefit of innovative new products and services – such as so-called ‘web apps’ and new ways to play games through cloud services on iOS devices....

This comes following the surfacing of actual working units of Apple’s new flagship in China and Vietnam earlier today, just days short of the device’s official US release date (via Dan Tri). Supposedly, a reporter for the Associated Press spotted the devices and managed to confirm that they are indeed working by giving Messages and Siri a try. The photos are very similar to those we’ve seen of physical mock ups prior to the device actually being announced and it appears that Apple still isn’t having much success in keeping the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus under wraps....

A new report from Axios today highlights how major tech companies are “scrambling to craft digital options” for summer internships this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For its part, Apple has committed to hiring over 1,000 people for internships this summer. Many companies have shifted their summer internships to be online, including Google, Twitter, IBM, Microsoft, Lyft, and Salesforce. Other companies, including Apple, say they plan to host interns on-site for at least part of the summer so long as it’s safe to do so....

Netflix is currently one of the highest-grossing iOS apps, thanks to a significant number of users paying their subscription through iTunes billing. But that could be set to change as the streaming video service seeks to bypass iTunes for future subscription payments … TechCrunch says that it has confirmed with Netflix that the company is currently running a test in a large number of countries. Apple currently receives 30% of first-year Netflix subscriptions through the app, and 15% from the second year on....

Apple wants to replace yet another daily tool with your iPhone: your wallet. Executives from the Cupertino-based technology company have begun discussions with directors from retail store chains about a mobile payments service, according to a source with direct knowledge of the talks. Previous reports indicated that Apple is exploring new payments services through discussions with executives from existing payments companies. These latest mobile payments-related discussions, which have occurred with retail store brands such as those that sell luxury clothing and premium goods, have taken place over the past couple of months, according to the source....

Apple crossed the 100% renewable energy goal for its own operations (headquarters, data centers, retail stores) this time last year. However, the company is also convincing supply chain partners to go green too. Today, Apple announced that it has doubled the number of suppliers who have agreed to run Apple manufacturing on 100% renewable energy too. The supply chain will add 5 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2020, exceeding Apple’s original 4 gigawatt goal....

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference starts tomorrow and today the company kicked things off by greeting developers with customized embroidered Levi’s jean jackets, a selection of pins, and Apple TV developer kits. In addition to the jackets, the pins include Apple themed designs including the icon for Apple’s Swift programming language, a selection of vintage Apple logos, and more (as pictured below). Developers also received personalized flag pins to signify their home country....

An analysis of pay levels at S&P 500 companies show that Apple increased worker pay by 18% last year, significantly more than most others in the index. It also reveals that Google and Facebook parent companies Alphabet and Meta had the highest average pay … The WSJ carried out the analysis, which primarily focuses on the average pay at each company. It reveals that the median pay at Apple in 2021 was $68,254 – which is 18% up on 2020....

Apple Account Card comes to replace iTunes Pass, which was a pass that users could add to the Wallet app to check their Apple ID balance. The pass had a QR Code that allowed customers to buy products in Apple Retail Stores. Now, instead of a pass, customers can use their Apple ID balance as a regular Apple Pay card with the Apple Account Card. This way, instead of having to show the QR Code when shopping at an Apple Store, the user will be able to complete the purchase using Apple Pay....

Update: This appears to be a mistake Discovered by This is my next, an internal Best Buy document points to an ‘Apple Fixture Installation’ Friday, October 21st. Interestingly, this date lines up with the mid-October range that’s being tossed around for the iPhone 5 release. This is my next’s source says that a manager being at the store at 6 A.M. to open the doors is out of the ordinary, seeing as they usually get there at 7 A....

Update: While the meeting apparently didn’t result in any resolution, ZDnet reports the ITU’s Malcolm Johnson said the ‘heated debate’ “has gone a long way to help clarify the positions” of the companies involved: ZDnet also reported Motorola argued “Apple was misunderstanding the way FRAND works in the telecoms industry”: The world’s biggest tech companies are meeting today for a Patent Roundtable with the United Nation’s International Telecommunications Union to “assess the effectiveness of RAND (reasonable and non-discriminatory) – based patent policies....

The Facebook application is by far the most important application on both the iPhone and the iPad. Without the Facebook application, my own opinion is the iPhone would never have become as important as it is. It’s the single most widely used application. It’s so heavily used compared to other apps that I have been told by someone who thought he knew the data — this is highly secret data and I don’t know the actual numbers — that more than half of all usage of the iPhone of apps, other than those provided by the phone itself like telephony and email, is coming from Facebook....

Apple and German software company SAP are extending their partnership focused on increasing iPhone, iPad, and Mac use in enterprise. According to a new report from Reuters, the two are teaming up to help businesses develop applications using Apple’s machine learning technology. The report explains that this partnership will focus on increasing augmented reality adoption among businesses. For instance, SAP and Apple will leverage augmented reality for things like stocking store shelves and repairing machinery....

An over-the-air (OTA) update has brought Apple CarPlay to newer Android-Automotive powered Volvos. CarPlay has been missing on Volvo models ever since the carmaker went with Google’s operating system. Volvo’s been issuing OTA updates for over a year, hoping to “make ownership easier and more flexible”, according to EV. The last update was in April, and all new Volvo models are eligible for these OTA software updates. The company also said in a statement:...

Apple is continuing to promote upgrades to the iPhone XR today with an item in the Today view of the App Store. The editorial describes key features of the iPhone XR and then highlights apps that take advantage of the new hardware like the Face ID sensor or the speed of the A12 chip. The approach is pretty heavy-handed and continues a recent run of marketing like using the Apple Store app push notification system, ‘limited time’ trade-in offers and ever-growing appeals on its homepage....

The iPhone maker Foxconn will start to produce chips in India with conglomerate Vedanta. With that, Apple could be one of the companies benefiting from this partnership. As reported by Reuters, Foxconn is trying to diversify its business due to the global chip shortage. Although it’s slowly getting better, the lack of semiconductors still haunts big tech companies. This news comes just after Foxconn said it sees signs of component shortages easing, as it was planning for major improvements during the rest of the current quarter....

In the wake of Apple’s Maps controversy, CEO Tim Cook noted in an apology to customers that the company is “doing everything we can to make Maps better.” Today, reports from both ifoAppleStore and MacRumors claim Apple is testing a new program that will see retail employees test the maps and submit corrections to Apple on company time: According to MacRumors: Apple is piloting a program to tap into its vast number of retail store employees to help improve the company’s new Maps app for iOS 6....