iMessage has gained several new features since 2011, including extensions, stickers, and message effects. But none of this is available to Mac users, as macOS still has a basic version of the Messages app that only works to send and receive standard messages. The Catalyst technology allows developers to port their apps from iOS to macOS. Although Apple has already introduced some Catalyst apps, such as Voice Memos, Podcast, and Stocks, none of the native macOS apps have been replaced by the iOS version yet — iTunes has been discontinued to be replaced with three new apps, but the Music app is still a native Mac app....

Apple Tower Theatre celebrated its grand opening today in Los Angeles. The new store marks the completion of an extensive historic restoration project and the first Apple Store downtown. In the Broadway Theater District, Apple worked for years with preservation experts, restoration artists, and the City of Los Angeles to reimagine and reactivate the historic Tower Theatre at 8th and Broadway streets. Apple Tower Theatre recalls the original splendor of the gilded movie palace era, blending thoughtful preservation with cutting edge technology....

Apple Watch will add support for native sleep tracking with watchOS 7, tying it together with new features like Wind Down on iPhone and iOS 14. In new interviews following WWDC, Apple VP of technologies Kevin Lynch offered more details on the strategy behind the company’s implementation of sleep tracking with Apple Watch. Speaking to the Independent, Lynch explained that Apple spent “a lot of time learning about the science of sleep” before adding sleep tracking to Apple Watch....

Apple uses a series of concentric circles to represent its spaceship campus, and it’s now seeking a US trademark for the Apple Park logo … Apple sells bags and t-shirts bearing the logo in the Apple Park visitor’s center, and has applied for a trademark on the design. Interestingly, the wording of the trademark application spotted by Patently Apple is extremely specific, seeking to protect only the exact arrangement depicted above....

According to a document leaked as part of WikiLeaks’ latest dump of information form the Sony Pictures hack, Apple has been testing and licensing 4K content from Sony since as early as 2013. The document is signed by Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services, and former Sony Pictures exec Jim Underwood (via AppleInsider) The letter that was leaked is from Sony’s Culver Distribution company, located in Culver City, California....

Over the past week, we’ve heard rumors that Apple planned “pop up” stores for displaying the new Apple Watch inside high end stores in both Paris Galeries Lafayette and London Selfridges (pictured above). Now the Austin Statesman notes that Apple has participated in SXSW in a number of ways over the past few years and it would almost be surprising if the Apple Watch wasn’t displayed in some capacity to the international SXSW Interactive audience there....

Apple’s WebKit team is proposing a change to the format of SMS one-time passcodes. The WebKit team’s hope is to make the two-factor authentication process more secure, and the proposal outlines two goals to help achieve that. ZDNet details the proposal, which was shared by Apple engineers on GitHub this week. The first goal is to make it possible for SMS one-time passcodes to be associated with a URL. To do this, Apple engineers propose adding the login URL to the SMS itself....

You can now buy an iPhone-connected accessory for your dog through Apple Stores as the Whistle Activity Monitor officially goes on sale in Apple’s retail stores in North America. The product was previously available through select retailers and online, but today arrives as the Apple Store’s first iPhone accessory specifically for dog owners. The company has also added some new features and dropped the price to $99 to accompany the Apple Store launch:...

In an email to customers, Apple has announced that their iWork.com beta service will be shutting down effective July 31, 2012. The service was launched in early 2009 in concert with iWork ’09, and has served as an online method for document sharing and commenting. Apple tells users that iCloud, since its launch last fall, has grown popular enough to be a fitting replacement. The company recommends users to switch to iCloud’s Documents in the Cloud feature....

According to DailyTech, Apple is gearing up to launch a television set business this fall. The site claims that a former Apple executive spilled the beans on the project, saying “you’ll go into an Apple retail store and be able to walk out with a TV. It’s perfect.” This TV display is said to be powered by Apple’s popular iOS (currently runs on the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV)....

The first pre-orders for the new Apple TV 4K and redesigned Siri Remote aren’t supposed to arrive until Friday, May 21, but one lucky customer’s order has arrived early. The Reddit user Makivivu says that their Apple TV 4K pre-order arrived today, a full 48 hours ahead of schedule… As it stands right now, we have yet to see any embargoed press reviews of the new Apple TV or Siri Remote be published, unlike the iPad Pro and iMac....

With just over a week before Apple Watch previews and reservations kick off in Apple retail and online stores, there are a few things to keep in mind if you’re planning on purchasing the device in the early weeks of availability. When do Apple Watch preorders start? -On April 10 at 12:01 PDT you can begin making try-on appointments & reservations. Where can I buy the Apple Watch? -In addition to the Apple Store, the Apple Watch will be available to preview and try on starting April 10th at Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Selfridges in London, and Isetan in Tokyo....

Announced during its WWDC developer conference this week, Apple plans to launch a new “Apple Watch Limited Grant” program later this year for researchers using its ResearchKit and CareKit platforms. Apple Watch Limited Grant Program (Investigator Support Pilot) The new Apple Watch Grant Program is part of an initiative Apple calls its “Investigator Support Pilot” coming this fall in an effort to offer support to researchers. It will launch with a redesigned website for ResearchKit and CareKit that includes a number of new resources along with updates for developers building apps for the frameworks....

Apple will finally begin offering iPhone 5s screen replacements in its official U.S. and Canada retail stores in the coming days, according to several sources. Apple Store Genius Bars are said to have begun taking delivery of large quantities of iPhone 5s screens for the repair program. The crucial service’s debut is currently scheduled for Monday, August 4th. This upcoming rollout will mark an official launch as a few stores in the U....

According to a report from Politico, Apple has told Republican leaders that it will not be providing support in any way, including financial, for the party’s upcoming convention. The report says that Apple’s reasoning for this decision is Donald Trump and the comments he has made regarding immigrants, minorities, and women. Citing two sources “familiar with the iPhone maker’s plans,” Apple will not be donating money or technology to the GOP event like it has done in the past....

Apple’s legal department have extended the courtroom battle with Nokia in the US to the UK, launching litigation against Nokia in the UK. Apple is accusing Nokia of infringing nine smartphone patents in an extension of a courtroom drama which began in December last year in reaction to an earlier lawsuit filed by Nokia against Apple. In a statement, Nokia said it wasn’t surprised at Apple’s move, arguing that Apple has infringed ten Nokia patents related to wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption....

For the past few months, there seems several stories related to Apple signing a deal with someone to develop original content. While the details of how all of this content comes together in one package remains to be seen, today’s news is certainly interesting. Variety reports that Apple has teamed up with Sesame Workshop to develop original content. On Twitter, Ben Bajarin made a great point about Apple’s content strategy:...

The first Apple TV shipments have started rolling out to customers in preparation for the device’s launch later this week. As seen in the screenshot above, users are now seeing their shipment statuses updated on Apple’s website. At the same time, Apple has now enabled users with pre-release hardware to search for and find tvOS apps, though the platform’s dedicated App Store has yet to officially launch… As you can see in the tweet below, app search is now fully functional despite the current lack of an actual store from which to install them....

Much has been reported about Jony Ive’s departure from Apple and his decision to form his own design firm. The timeline of that decision may date back to the launch of the Apple Watch, with reduced input from Ive on newer projects in recent years. Apple Watch is arguably the most Jony Ive product in Apple’s project portfolio, and with it comes an impact on health that could outlive any object shaped by Ive....

Predictions of disappointing Q2 iPhone sales could be unduly pessimistic, says Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty. She expects Apple to announce that it shipped 42M iPhones in the first quarter of the year (Apple’s fiscal Q2), rather than the 38M suggested by supply chain analysis, reports Business Insider. This would represent year-on-year growth of more than 4.5M handsets. Huberty bases her estimate on a method which sounds eccentric but has an excellent track-record … Huberty’s numbers are pulled from the AlphaWise Smartphone Tracker, which uses analysis of web searches....