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Apple announced today that it is making a donation to help support flooding relief efforts in the Indian state of Kerala. As reported by Gulf News, in addition to its own donation, Apple is opening up donations to users via Apple.com and iTunes. In a statement, Apple said it is “heartbroken” by the flooding in Kerala and that it wants to support “survivors and help those who have been displaced.” Apple itself is making a Rs7 crore [Rs70 million] – roughly $1 million – donation to Mercy Corps India and the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund to support such efforts....

Apple was today granted a patent for detecting touch-free gestures at close range, the patent language suggesting that the approach could build on the capabilities of multi-touch and 3D touch to respond to fingers hovering close to an iPhone or iPad display, as well as use on keyboards and trackpads. The patent describes using sensors similar to the proximity detectors used to disable accidental touch input on the iPhone screen when you’re holding the phone to your face during a call....

In what is quickly becoming the next big ongoing back and forth between Apple and [insert third party here] of 2014, a new development has unfolded in the antitrust dispute over Apple’s iBooks practices. Michael Bromwich, the external monitor assigned to ensure Apple complies to antitrust laws relating to its iBooks program, has been temporarily removed, Reuters reports, following an “administrative stay” granted to Apple following a recent complaint filed by the Cupertino tech company against the attorney....

Apple is inviting iTunes customers to donate between $5 and $200 to the American Red Cross to assist its relief work in response to Typhoon Haiyam, which is estimated to have killed more than 10,000 people (update: the estimate was later revised to 2,500). The typhoon – the name given to a hurricane when it occurs in the West Pacific – is thought to have been the worst ever to hit land....

Equalizer 2 director Antoine Fuqua is trying to convince Denzel Washington to step into Al Pacino’s shoes for his planned Scarface remake. Universal’s update of Scarface has been on the table for years, with multiple directors and writers coming and going as the film has languished in development hell. Fuqua himself has left the project once only to later return, and is currently attached as director with Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer onboard as writer....

Apogee has announced the new MiC 96k microphone and the JAM 96k guitar interface for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The full press releases can be found below. Introduced in 2011, the original MiC has become the mobile microphone of choice for both aspiring and professional artists looking for that big-studio sound. The new MiC 96k, which features the same look and portable form factor as the original, now provides the ability to make higher fidelity recordings – up to 24-bit/96kHz – and includes an iOS Lighting cable as well as a microphone stand adapter in the box....

The iPhone XR embargoes have just lifted and everyone is giving their thoughts on the new mainstream iPhone. The front camera and rear wide angle camera in the XR and XS are identical, so have the same upsides and downsides when it comes to Apple’s computational photographing. The Verge had an interesting tidbit: Apple is adjusting the Smart HDR algorithm in iOS 12 to retain more detail and address the aggressive skin smoothing complaints....

Today, Apple has begun notifying participants in its early software seeding program (AppleSeed) that OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 is on the way. According to the email notification, the 10.8.2 seeding will begin soon. AppleSeed and Mac Developer builds typically coincide in release timing, so it appears that registered Mac developers will, too, receive the first 10.8.2 build very soon. With OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1 coming soon as a maintenance release, this new 10....

Live on stage, Apple has just kicked things off during its event by officially announcing the new iPhone lineup: the much rumored 4.7-inch device is called iPhone 6, while the larger 5.5-inch model is dubbed “iPhone 6 Plus”. Here’s what we know so far: Both of the new iPhone models include new “Retina HD” displays with cover glass that Apple says is ion-strengthened. Apple says the displays feature a full sRGB wide color gamut and that “dual-domain pixels on the photo-aligned IPS display give you a wider angle of view....

Today, Apple introduced its second Impact Accelerator class. This cohort of 16 Black-, Hispanic/Latinx-, and Indigenous-owned environmental businesses is part of the company’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which has around $130M invested to expand access to equity in education, elevate more app founders and technologists from underrepresented backgrounds, and invest further in criminal justice and environmental justice organizations. These companies will participate in a three-month program aimed at accelerating progress toward their goals and helping speed the transition to a green economy in the US....

Earlier this year Apple launched a new program called the Security Research Device Program to help researchers find vulnerabilities in iOS and also in its devices. Researchers can apply to get the special hardware since June, and now the company is finally shipping these “rooted” iPhones to those who have been accepted. Citing its own sources, MacRumors says that the first researchers who applied the program were notified today regarding the modified iPhone....

Although slowing iPhone growth began to impact Apple’s bottom line numbers in the last quarter of the year, the company dominated Silicon Valley in 2015 as far as finances are concerned. In a survey of public tech companies in the Valley, total profit was $133 billion. Apple, alone, recorded profit of $53.7 billion dollars, responsible for 40% of the entire profit pool. The data was collected by SiliconValley.com. Apple also ranked no....

Apple is officially kickstarting the holiday shopping season today with the debut of its annual Holiday Gift Guide. This year, Apple is promoting the guide with the tagline, “Let the holidays be for everyone.” Head below for the full details. In a press release, Apple executive Deirdre O’Brien explained: In a holiday shopping season that is bound to be impacted by supply shortages, Apple also pointed out today that it “provides order-by dates for free home delivery across all products so customers can get their gifts when they need them....

New orders for Apple’s recently launched 27-inch Retina iMac aren’t the only ones seeing delayed shipment times as Apple has just started informing some customers of unexpected delays for orders placed as long ago as last month. In the email quoting an “unexpected delay” (pictured above), Apple added an extra 5-7 days to the “ships by” date and provided the reader with a new delivery estimate of Nov. 28 – Dec....

Apple has officially an all-new feature coming to Podcasts next month. Apple Podcasts Subscriptions will allow listeners to directly support podcasters through the Podcasts app. The new service inside Apple Podcasts will be available starting in May. Here are the details: Apple Podcasts Subscriptions will be available to listeners in over 170 countries and regions in May. Specific software requirements for Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and channels will be shared ahead of availability....

As noted by VentureBeat, EA revealed today during its earnings call with investors that for the first time, Apple has become “EA’s biggest retail partner as measured by sales” as a result of the App Store. It’s a big announcement for the publisher that previously sold the majority of its content through retail channels for console games, and it could be a sign that EA will be investing more in iOS and other mobile titles in the months to come....

Following an announcement earlier this year that Apple was teaming up with IBM to deliver a number of enterprise solutions, today Apple has officially announced the first wave of iOS apps being released through the partnership. As part of IBM’s “MobileFirst for iOS,” Apple and IBM today announced 10 new apps designed specifically for businesses including banking, retail, insurance, financial services, telecommunications and for governments and airlines. The apps launching today through the partnership include Plan Flight and Passenger+ for the travel industry, Advise & Grow and Trusted Advice for the banking and financial industries, Retention (insurance), Case Advice and Incident Aware for government, Sales Assist and Pick & Pack for retail, and Expert Tech for telecommunications industries....

Last week, we reported that Australia had passed a new anti-encryption law that could force Apple and other tech companies to help law enforcement access encrypted messages. TechCrunch reports today, however, that Apple is among a handful of tech companies coming out against the legislation. A group of United States tech companies, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft, today collectively voiced opposition to the law passed last week. In a statement, the companies called the anti-encryption law in Australia “deeply flawed” and said it will undermine the privacy of users:...

Apple has announced the iPad Air, the successor to the full-sized iPad. It has a 43% thinner bezel and a 9.7-inch Retina display… It is 7.5mm thin, 20% thinner across the entire device. iPad Air weighs 1 pound. It has an A7 64-bit processor. Much improved performance overall and graphics. It has 2x rendering. New WiFi technology with new antennas. Twice as fast. Also, expanded LTE coverage with more carriers across the globe....

Apple is looking to entice new customers with its credit card this holiday season with two promotions. To start December, it launched 5% cash back for new cardholders through Christmas and the company is now also offering a $75 Daily Cash bonus when using a referral link from a friend. We saw Apple Card offer this $75 referral bonus this past spring, but only for two weeks. This time around, those signing up for the credit card through a friend’s link are eligible to grab the $75 through February 2023....