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Apple has officially started the Apple Card rollout. Apple will send out invites to a select group of customers today who showed interest in Apple Card by filling out the “Notify Me” form on the Apple website (via TechCrunch). Invited users to the Apple Card Preview will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app, and also apply for the physical titanium card to be delivered. Apple will be launching Apple Card for everyone later in the month....

Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said that Goldman employees were testing Apple Card ahead of its summer launch. Now, Bloomberg reports that Apple has expanded the testing of Apple Card to all of its retail employees. Apple retail employees were reportedly notified on the expanded Apple Card test via an internal message. The employees can apply for Apple Card via their personal devices and are being quoted the same APR range that Apple advertised in March: 13....

Despite the recent change of president in the United States, Apple is maintaining its environmental pledge made to the previous administration, Bloomberg reports. Apple joined other companies including Google and Microsoft in signing a statement backing renewable energy efforts. The joint statement follows an order signed by President Trump that reverses Environmental Protection Agency climate rules put in place by the Obama administration that Apple and other companies backed. Apple’s commitment to renewable energy efforts made when signing the 2015 pledge may line up with other tech companies, but Bloomberg notes that other companies welcome the change:...

Apple has issued a statement to The Register confirming reports and rumors stating that iOS web apps and embedded web views in iOS applications are throttled and run twice as slow as Safari. iOS 4.3 includes a new “nitro” web processing engine, which promises to run java script twice as fast as earlier versions of iOS Safari. According to Apple’s iOS feature page: The only affected users would be users of third-party web browsers that utilize the web engine that Apple provides to developers in Xcode....

Following the discontinuation of the iMac Pro earlier this year, Apple is now winding down sales of the accompanying space gray Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse. These accessories were first introduced exclusively for the iMac Pro when it was released in 2017, and Apple started selling them separately in March of 2018. On the Apple Online Store, Apple now says the space gray Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad will only be available “while supplies last....

As reported in new filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today, a handful of top Apple executives today received large stock awards due to the company’s continued strong performance. The executives receiving the payout include Craig Federighi, Phil Schiller, Eddy Cue, Craig Federighi, Angela Ahrendts, and Luca Maestri. Schiller, Cue, Riccio, and Williams all vested 130,117 shares, which were worth right around $22 million based on the price of Apple’s stock....

A month after launching the promotion in the United States, Apple today has launched its Back to School promotion in Europe. The deal is the same there as it is in the U.S., offering free Beats headphones with select Mac and iPad Pro purchases…. Specifically, customers can get a free pair of Beats Solo3 headphones when buying a MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, or Mac Pro. Meanwhile, you can get a free pair of BeatsX with the purchase of a 10....

Apple and Spotify are engaged in a bitter antitrust battle in Europe, with Spotify claiming that Apple’s App Store rules give it an unfair advantage over competitors. Apple has now responded to Spotify’s claims in a new filing with the European Commission. The filling was first reported by German newspaper Der Spiegel. In the document, Apple accuses Spotify of knowingly presenting false information regarding the fees it pays to Apple through the App Store....

As part of the macOS Ventura announcement, Apple has unveiled new updates to gaming. Metal 3 is the latest version of the Metal software that brings new experiences to gamers. Coming to Apple Silicon Macs and iPads Macs running Apple Silicon can now play titles like EA’s GRID Legends, Capcom’s Resident Evil Village, and Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky. Previously, these games available on gaming consoles and/or high-performance gaming PCs. Since Apple Silicon is also on iPad, game developers can bring AAA games to both Mac and iPad....

Apple is getting closer to taking its retail stores to a new market: Belgium. According to sources within Apple retail, Apple today sent out a memo announcing the new market. The note also was sent to gauge interest from employees who may be inclined to relocate to Belgium to assist with opening up the new location… When Apple enters new markets, the company frequently seeks employees from the United States and other established markets to temporarily assist with new store launches....

Apple has won 16 new patents published by the the US Patent and Trademark Office today (via PatentlyApple) that cover everything from possible methods of charging future Apple products via solar power, to key multi-touch technology and iOS camera related patents. Certainly more fuel for the ongoing patent wars between Apple and the rest of the smartphone industry. We already know Apple is experimenting with solar power from past patents, even going as far as considering which company would produce panels for future products....

The Apple Online Store in Russia has suddenly halted sales of all products in Russia amidst the ongoing international conflict as a result of Russia invading Ukraine. The company has also shared a comprehensive statement on the situation. Ukranian minister Mykhailo Federov reportedly said ‘thank you Tim Cook’ in response to the news. When browsing through the Russian Apple Online Store, all of Apple’s products are now reporting that they are ‘currently unavailable’ for sale....

Following the release of a major update to the Safari Technology Preview earlier this week, Apple is now inviting macOS Monterey and Big Sur users to try out the new Safari 16 beta ahead of the release of macOS Ventura later this year. Users are being invited through the AppleSeed program, which lets them try out beta software that’s not part of the Apple Developer or Apple Beta Software programs. The program is by invitation only, which means that you can’t apply for an approval....

As it often does after a disaster, Apple is inviting website visitors to contribute to a fundraising appeal – this time for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in London in which 79 people are either confirmed or presumed to have lost their lives. The 24-floor residential tower block, devoted to social housing, caught fire overnight on 14th June after a fridge-freezer burst into flames. Design features that should ensure a fire is contained within a single apartment for 60 minutes somehow failed, and the fire spread, aided by flammable cladding on the exterior of the building …...

The first antitrust ruling on the legality of Apple’s App Store arrangements could be close. Dutch competition watchdogs have told developers they can expect a decision soon. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is considering two issues… First, should developers be forced to pay the 15% or 30% commission charged by Apple to be in the App Store? Second, should they be banned from advising users of other payment options for in-app purchases?...

Security researchers discovered 85 apps engaged in ad fraud; ten are on the App Store, and the other 75 are on Google Play. Combined, people downloaded them over 13 million times. They’re part of a new ad fraud campaign named “Scylla.” The information comes from Bleeping Computer. According to the publication, researchers from HUMAN’s Satori Threat Intelligence team found 85 apps available on the App Store and Google Play that flood mobile users with ads – both visible and hidden – or generate revenue by “impersonating legitimate apps and impressions....

Earlier this week, a group of bipartisan US senators introduced a sweeping piece of legislation taking aim at Apple’s App Store. The US House of Representatives is now following suit, with a group of bipartisan representatives introducing a similar companion bill dubbed the Open App Markets Act. As reported by Reuters, the bill is backed by Ken Buck, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee antitrust panel, and democrat Hank Johnson....

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Digitimes is not a source noted for its hit-rate, but its claim that Apple, Samsung and HTC are all considering liquid-cooled phones isn’t quite as far-fetched as it sounds: NEC has already launched one. The NEC Medias X 06 E launched last month in Japan was nicknamed the ladyphone, as it was designed to appeal to women who apparently complained about the heat generated by smartphones. The phone itself was nothing special – a 1....

Apple has launched its 2019 Back to School deals with its typical promotion. The company will give students a free pair of Beats headphones when they buy an eligible Apple device. For the first time, the promo includes the high-end Beats Studio 3 over-ear headphones, when buying an iMac or Mac notebook. In addition to launching the 2019 Back to School campaign, Apple updated the MacBook Air with True Tone and the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro....