In the note, Apple says that the change will occur on April 15th, but adds that if stores still have plastic bags in stock, they should use those first before switching exclusively to the new paper bags. Apple also tells employees to first ask if the customer would like a bag before giving them one, again looking to limit the number bags that it uses to begin with. The new bags are said to come in medium and large sizes....

About eight hours ago, a strange support document was posted by Apple. It listed the HomePod’s available audio sources (copy and pasted verbatim from the tech specs page) and not much else. Interestingly, though, clicking the Supported Languages link reveals the following message: ‘English, 日本語,Français,Deutsch,English’. This suggests that HomePod is launching soon in France, Germany and Japan. However, we have dug into this story and it’s not quite as clear-cut....

Apple is taking Swatch to court after the Swiss watchmaker used the slogan ‘Tick different’ to promote its NFC-enabled watch. Apple is arguing that the slogan unfairly trades on its own ‘Think different‘ campaign, while Swatch claims that the reference is purely coincidental. ‘Think different’ is arguably one of the most famous ad slogans in history, used by Apple from 1997 to 2002. It emerged from the one-minute ‘Crazy Ones’ commercial which featured a total of 17 people who changed the world by challenging the status quo …...

Apple’s Shot on iPhone campaign has exploded over the past several years. Today, the company is putting up more billboards using the tagline but rather than taking photos shot by normal people, the company is highlighting shots taken by NHL stars. As reported by Muse by Clio, Apple has already had a relationship with the NHL in the past, and this new campaign is simply strengthening it. Apple is partnering with eight NHL teams to highlight their work: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, St....

As noted by Apple’s product marketing VP, Greg Joswiak, in an interview with CNET yesterday, Apple is gearing up to support World AIDS day next month. Now, Apple has shared an in-depth post on those who are working to end AIDS first-hand along with some more details about how it has helped with PRODUCT(RED). Shared by Tim Cook in a tweet, Apple published a Newsroom piece today highlighting stories of caregivers that are helping people who are HIV-positive....

When you go to customize Apple Watch faces there can be a lot of complications to scroll through to find what you’re looking for. Read along for how to simplify things by removing apps from the complication list. There are over 30 complication options on Apple Watch with Apple’s built-in apps and integrations and when you add third-party apps to that, it can be time-consuming to sift through them all when you’re trying to set up a new Apple Watch face....

As pointed out by multiple viral posts on Twitter this week, the Apple Watch has a nifty feature that allows it to serve as a viewfinder and remote for your iPhone’s camera. Here are the full details on how this works, plus one alternative if you’re looking for a third-party solution. Apple Watch Camera Remote This feature has actually been available on the Apple Watch since the device’s release in 2015, but it’s garnered more attention than ever over the last week....

Apple said at the beginning of the month that it would fulfill all May Apple Watch orders with the exception of Space Black Link Bracelets by the middle of the month, then begin selling some models in retail stores for the first time. We’re hearing now that some Apple Retail Stores are preparing to begin limited in-store sales as soon as this week ahead of the Apple Watch’s expansion into seven more countries next Friday, and there will be a small perk for those who’ve waited… Apple Retail Stores appear to be preparing to carry mostly Apple Watch Sport models and in limited quantities to start, according to multiple sources....

Bud Tribble, an old time Jobs confidant and Apple’s vice president of software technology, testified today before members of the US Congress on the company’s privacy and location gathering practices. Tribble, an engineer that helped design the Mac operating system and user interface (also a Sun an NeXT veteran), appeared for a hearing led by Senator Al Franken who took the matter public in the first place. Barron’s reports that Tribble re-iterated Apple’s official stance on the issue, which is that the company doesn’t track its users and has no plans to ever do so in the future....

Apple TV users may notice a new coat of paint on the NFL app today. That’s because the set-top box’s NFL channel has received a major update that adds the new Game Pass feature for football fans. We first learned last month that the NFL’s Game Pass service was headed to Apple TV. Game Pass on Apple TV currently offers up both live and on demand preseason football games both in full and condensed versions for subscribers, plus highlights from each game that anyone can view for free....

We’re expecting to see Apple introduce the Apple Watch 2 alongside the iPhone 7 at next week’s September 7 event, and now alleged components from the updated watch are finally starting to leak. Apple Watch 2 is expected to look like the current model and feature a faster processor and gain GPS, and a new video from international electronics shop Byte gives us a new look at a few other details that could change with Apple Watch 2....

As expected, Apple Watch is now available for purchase in India. The launch of the device comes a month after Apple made its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus available in the country. In India, Apple Watch is available from Apple’s official retail channels and starts at Rs 30,900. Both the 38mm and 42mm models of the device are available in India. You can purchase Apple Watch in Gold, Rose Gold, Space Gray, Silver Anodized Aluminium; polished Silver or Space Black stainless steel, and 18-Carat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold (via Times of India)....

Two Apple suppliers in Vietnam have been forced to temporarily close their plants due to a localized surge in COVID-19 cases. The Vietnamese government has ordered the closure of four industrial parks, resulting in plant closures for both Foxconn and Luxshare … Bloomberg reports: The action was prompted by the fact that more than a third of all COVID-19 cases in Vietnam occurred in Bac Giang Province. Vietnam has instructed Foxconn Technology Group and Luxshare Precision Industry Co....

It appears that Apple is now putting an LTE 4G-capable iPhone or iPad through the usual carrier testing. The proof comes from a .plist hinting at “LTE” (discovered by BGR) in an internal iOS test build that is allegedly from “one of Apple’s major carrier partners”. Of course at this point we don’t know whether this is the iPhone 5 (iPhone 4S variant?) or even a new iPad, but its a good sign that the company has plans to take advantage of 4G LTE networks in the future… even if it isn’t the iPhone 5 “worldphone” you might be hoping for....

Tonight, Apple Stores held quarterly meetings across the United States. These meetings rarely unveil anything of significance for consumers, and tonight’s meeting was close to no exception. According to several retail sources, tonight’s meetings focused on numbers and on past store results. However, a new employee training initiative was announced. Apple promised employees that more details will be revealed in the coming days, perhaps even starting tomorrow, but we have some tidbits:...

Polar is out with a robust new smartwatch today built for serious athletes. The Grit X features military-grade construction, up to 100-hour battery life, cardio, muscle, and perceived load monitoring, sleep tracking, and more, giving a glimpse at some of the powerful features we hope to see arrive on Apple Watch someday. Polar unveiled the new Grit X smartwatch touting its strong set of features combined with long battery life in a lightweight design....

After an odd semi-unveil via Siri earlier today, Apple this evening officially confirmed that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference would take place from June 13th through June 17th in San Francisco. As in previous years, tickets are being distributed via a random lottery process to eligible developers. Interested in attending? Read on as we break down everything you need to know about WWDC 2016. Tickets are distributed via a lottery system As has been the case for the past few years, Apple this year is distributing tickets to WWDC via a random selection lottery system....

Apple just unveiled the new iPhone 7 & Plus during its event in San Francisco today. Head below for a first look at the device and the rundown on specs, features, pricing and availability… Specs/Features: Redesigned Home button with Taptic engine A10 Fusion four-core CPU Water and dust resistant enclosure 12 Megapixel cameras with new quad-led True Tone flash Dual-camera system for enhanced zoom on Plus models Optical image stabilization in all iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models Lightning Earpods + Lightning to 3....

Following significant updates to its GarageBand and Logic Pro X tools, Apple this evening has released updates to its Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor editing apps. Each update includes its own set of changes, including bug fixes, performance improvements, and more… Leading the pack is Final Cut Pro, which is bumped to version 10.3.2 with today’s update. The app adds support for adding custom folders of audio files to the Sound Effects browser, as well as a host of bug fixes and performance improvements....

Apple has vastly expanded the data available through its Apple Maps Mobility Trends Reports. Apple originally made this data available last month as a way to help health authorities mitigate the spread of COVID-19. When the tool was first made available, Apple touted that Mobility Trends Reports aggregated data from major cities and 63 counties or regions, but that has greatly expanded recently. As noted by Asymco’s Horace Dediu on Twitter, Apple has added around 580 new sub-regions to the Apple Maps Mobility data collections....