Apple’s request to have the Apple Watch exempted from tariffs on Chinese imports has been approved. Bloomberg reports that the U.S. Trade Representative approved the request on Friday in a letter to Apple. President Trump imposed 15% tariffs on a wide-ranging list of products imported from China last September, including the Apple Watch. The tariff was cut in half last month as part of the initial trade deal between the United States and China, but now the Apple Watch has been completely exempted....

The new Apple TV went on pre-order via Apple’s online store earlier this week, and priority deliveries will begin this Friday while standard shipments will begin arriving after this upcoming weekend. Now, we’ve learned that Apple is planning to begin selling the new set-top-box at its retail stores this Friday. Apple retail employees say that stores are beginning to receive shipments to sell at the end of this week, while stores will be re-organized overnight on Thursday to promote the new Apple TV in stores on Friday....

Apple filed a motion in the Northern District of California on May 1 that claimed Samsung ruined documents it needed to submit for the discovery process in a “spoilation of evidence,” according to the legal jargon that described the act. NetworkWorld elaborated: A hearing on Apple’s motion is scheduled for June 7, with Samsung’s reply brief due by May 15. However, Samsung said the claims are without merit, and it wants the due date extended to May 29....

MBLM notes that the stock of these top-ranking companies for brand intimacy naturally performs better than those with less brand appeal. As for consumers, MBLM says that COVID is increasing the connections people have with brands. Illustrating how well Apple does with young users, a Piper Sandler US survey released yesterday found “86% of teens own an iPhone and 89% expect an iPhone to be their next phone, both new all-time survey highs....

WIRED released a lengthy report today covering Apple’s ambitions for its Apple TV+ streaming service, which launches on November 1st. The profile includes imagery of sets from one of Apple’s premier shows, ‘For All Mankind’, and an interview with Apple TV+ exec Zack van Amburg, who leads Apple’s video programming division alongside Jamie Erlicht. Amburg and Erlicht were hired away from Sony in June 2017. In the interview, Amburg says that Apple is “defining our programming by quality”, rather than looking for content to fill demographics like ‘males aged 18 to 34’....

Apple has signed a new multi-year deal with the Maurice Sendak Foundation to produce new children’s content for Apple TV+. Sendak is the creator of the popular book Where the Wild Things Are, which will be used to develop new shows for Apple’s streaming platform. Maurice Sendak passed away in 2012 after writing several books, including Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and more. According to a Deadline report, Apple will work with longtime Sendak writer and collaborator Arthur Yorinks to adapt these stories for TV....

With Father’s Day coming up on June 21, Apple TV+ has announced a new (and well-timed) documentary film ‘Dads’, which will be available on the company’s streaming service starting June 19. The 80-minute documentary comes from the mind of Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of filmmaker and actor Ron Howard who naturally appears in the film. ‘Dads’ explores the modern meaning of being a father and combines interviews with celebrities and the general public....

Click image for Retina display resolution Several of Apple’s popular Mac apps received updates today after the opening keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Many of the updates help apps take full advantage of the new 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro’s display. The details for Final Cut Pro, Aperture, and iPhoto are below. Final Cut Pro: Final Cut Pro received a small update today that included enhancements for the MacBook Pro’s Retina display and improvements to overall stability....

While Apple has been mostly mum on the numbers behind Apple Watch sales so far, Best Buy is standing behind the iPhone maker’s general message that the Apple Watch has been a hit with customers. The electronics retailer started selling Apple Watches this month in select stores, first in the United States and later in Canada, and today Best Buy’s CEO Hubert Joly said Apple Watch demand has been “so strong” both online and in stores as the retailer plans to carry the smartwatch at even more locations....

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install a .watchface File on your Apple Watch. The latest watchOS 7 has bought in a ton of new features. Sleep Tracking, Hand Washing Detection, Spacial Audio, and Watchface Sharing are just some of the noteworthy ones. As for this guide, our focus will be on the last one. Apple Watch beholds a plethora of customization options. You could tailor-make it as per your preferences, using different colors, images, and on-screen app widgets....

The way that Apple Watch podcast downloads are counted is being changed, to avoid double-counting which occurred with the original approach. The issue only occurs with Apple’s own Podcasts app. This change means podcasts will see their audience number appear to fall – and, indeed, for Apple Watch listeners to more-or-less disappear altogether … The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently announced the problem in somewhat technical terms. AdTech made a better job of turning this into plain English....

Apple has quietly added a line on its CarPlay microsite acknowledging that it will indeed support the feature in existing cars through aftermarket systems. Specifically, Alpine and Pioneer are listed under the line “And you’ll soon be able to add CarPlay to your current car with an aftermarket system.” The companies announced earlier this week plans to update existing in-dash display systems with CarPlay compatibility through firmware updates. While the announcements had the full weight of credibility, Apple recognizing these brands specifically on its microsite is a significant development as the company has only pushed upcoming vehicles as having the feature up until now....

A disgruntled Apple customer is attempting to bring a new class-action suit against the company, claiming that replacement devices received under the AppleCare+ protection plan were not “like new,” despite being presented as such as part of the policy. Buyers involved claim that by providing refurbished devices as replacements, Apple breached the AppleCare contract… The suit was launched by Joanne McRight, a Texas woman who was given an iPhone 5 in 2012....

Apple TV doubled its share of premium viewing in just three months, from 5% in Q4 2014 to 10% in Q1 2015, according to data from the Adobe Digital Index. Roku’s share increased by only 1% in the same time period, from 7% to 8%. Principal analyst Tamara Gaffney told TNW that Apple’s growth was unprecedented. Why the spike? Apple dropped the price of the Apple TV to $69 and it grows a few new channels every month but the survey didn’t offer any guesses....

Alongside its public release of macOS Sierra, the latest major operating system release for Mac, Apple today updated its Pages, Keynote, and Numbers apps with new features including real-time collaboration. The standout new functionality is the real-time collaboration, a feature Apple demoed during its iPhone 7 event earlier this month and first added to the iWork iOS apps with updates last week. Currently in beta, the feature allows multiple users on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iCloud....

An Apple lawyer told Reuters today that the Cupertino, Calif.-based Company wants to go to trial over allegedly working with five other publishers to raise the prices of eBooks. A few analysts already said that Apple has a good chance of winning in court, which is most likely why Apple will not choose to settle and will instead fight it out. An Apple lawyer told Reuters: “Our basic view is that we would like the case to be decided on the merits....

Apple Watch deals abound starting at $190 in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break, plus markdowns on the MacBook Air and Pro by as much as $300. Hit the jump for more. Save up to $300 on Apple’s previous-generation MacBook Air B&H Photo is offering Apple’s previous-generation MacBook Air from $929 in various configurations. You’ll find savings of up to $300 here, depending on what model you choose. If you go with the base MacBook Air i5/8 GB/128 GB at $929, you’ll save $170 off its original price....

Apple today released its new Apple Thunderbolt Display with Gig Ethernet, Firewire 800, USB 2.0 and access to more Thunderbolt accessories, all over one cable. Those ports are now on the rear of the Cinema display, much like an iMac… All in one singe cable. Full specs below: Introducing the world’s first Thunderbolt display. Thunderbolt technology built in. Thunderbolt I/O technology lets you move data between your devices and your computer with unprecedented speed....

In contrast to the supply constrained launch of the iPhone 5s, Apple will offer Personal Pickup for the iPad Air beginning on the November 1st launch date, we’re hearing from sources. MacRumors is reporting the same. When the Apple Online Store goes live on November 1st at midnight Pacific Time (3 AM EST), customers will be able to order iPad Airs to be shipped to their addresses… With Personal Pickup, these new tablets will be able to be reserved for pickup at their local Apple Retail Store....

Apple has released a new video highlighting some of the new features of the iPhone 8 on what is becoming the quietest launch day we’ve seen… The latest ad from Apple is an effort to show consumers the various new features and benefits that come along with the iPhone 8, even though the devices share the same basic chassis as the iPhone 6/6 Plus and on. The video titled “8 things to love about iPhone 8” starts off with the claim that the device features “The most durable glass ever in a smartphone....