Reuters reports (via Techmeme) that Apple has persuaded a Japanese court that Samsung did indeed infringe its patent of the rubber-banding or bounce-back user-interface feature. The ruling, due to be announced in detail later today, means that Samsung may have to withdraw from sale in Japan some of its early models that incorporate the feature. The same claim had earlier initially been rejected in the U.S. back in April by the U....
Several Apple engineers are scheduled to talk augmented and virtual reality, and other display technologies at Display Week coming up in May. More interestingly, there are several sessions focused on microLED. While Apple engineers are unlikely going to talk about future products, it will be interesting to get details behind the displays on Apple’s latest gadgets. Apple products are notoriously known for having near perfect displays, with the iPhone X being named the best OLED display on a smartphone due to it being calibrated to perfection....
The Wall Street Journal reports that the limited initial roll out of the Apple Watch was slowed by supply manufacturing issues concerning the Taptic Engine. The report claims that after mass production of the device began in February, reliability testing showed that some of the Taptic Engines supplied by AAC Technologies Holdings began to break down after use. The Taptic Engine was created by Apple to produce the sensation of being tapped on the wrist as a less intrusive way of notifying the user....
Apple is about to begin charging users outside of their warranty for online chat support using a new web payment system it recently developed. Sources familiar with the project say Apple is currently expecting to launch the new paid chat support, which will also let customers schedule repairs and replacements online, as early as next week. Here’s how it works: Much like Apple handles support calls over the phone, soon only customers within their warranty period will be able to access online chat support through getsupport....
Shortly after Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller took the witness stand, Apple Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall testified in the Apple vs. Samsung case. Forstall has been with Apple for 15 years and is one of the main brains behind the creation of the iPhone. As noted by AllThingsD, which is in the courtroom, Forstall spoke at length about the creation of the iPhone....
Apple has long had a program called “AppleSeed” that seeds upcoming versions of Apple software (both iOS and OS X related) to customers. These seeds typically come to this select group of customers even before they are provided to Apple’s paid and registered developers. Today, the company sent an atypical email to this customer group, informing them to register the different pieces of Apple hardware available to them for software testing....
Apple has announced that users can no longer setup iTunes Allowances for kids from today, ahead of a complete shutdown of the iTunes Allowances program on May 25th, 2016. iTunes Allowances let parents set up monthly credit for their kids to spend on App Store and iTunes Store purchases. In the support note announcing the closure, Apple recommends families instead use Family Sharing to manage purchase and spending habits across family members....
In an email to affiliate users today, Apple said that it will be increasing Apple Music commission rates to 100%, which is twice as much as before. In conjunction with that move, however, Apple is also decreasing iTunes Music affiliate rates. Members in the program will earn a one-time bounty when users convert from a three-month trial to a full subscription, regardless of subscription type. Apple also states that commission for iTunes Music will drop from 7% to 2....
We don’t have long to wait now before we find out exactly what Apple will announce today. An Apple Watch SE is one of the expected new products, alongside the Apple Watch Series 6. If rumors about the differences between the two are true, the new low-cost model could become the new default choice. The headline feature of the Series 6 is expected to be an oxygen saturation reader – and it appears that this may be the main distinguishing feature over the Apple Watch SE expected to be launched alongside it …...
Headlining today’s best deals from 9to5Toys is up to $70 off Apple Watch Series 4, refurbished AirPlay Sonos speakers, and discounts on the latest iOttie car mounts. Head below for more. Apple Watch Series 4 discounted by $70 Sonos Memorial Day sale delivers hot refurbished deals Sonos has kicked off its Memorial Day sale with a number of notable price drops on AirPlay-enabled speakers and more. Deals starts at $119 and include Sonos One, Play:5, Playbar, and more, marking some of the best prices we’ve seen to date....
You might think that the Apple Watch water-ejection system is old news, having been part of the feature set since the Series 2 way back in 2016. It works by using the speaker to vibrate rapidly back-and-forth to physically push water out of the housing. But the Slo Mo Guys have just given us our best ever look at the feature in action. The video starts at 1,000 frames per second, some 40 times slower, and slow enough to see the OLED screen refreshing from top to bottom …...
According to sources, Apple has recently begun internally seeding the next major release of the iTunes application for computers, iTunes 11. Work on iTunes 11 began prior to the release of iTunes 10.6, and the development of the new software product – that we are familiar with – is currently focused on under-the-hood changes, rather than cosmetic changes. However, Apple develops different portions of products in separate groups or at separate times, so the final product will likely include some new user-interface elements and more visible features....
Bloomberg‘s Adam Satariano has an interesting profile out this morning regarding the usage of wearable fitness devices in work environments. The report says that some companies are offering devices, such as the FitBit, in order to track the fitness of its employees. With that information, companies are able to slice costs off of insurance plans if employees hit certain fitness data thresholds: The companies, of course, have to partner up with insurance providers to make this happen....
Apple has updated its WWDC app for iPhone and iPad with a new look and feel ahead of the annual conference later this month. The updated version of the app also includes tvOS support for the first time. This means video content and session information can be accessed from the fourth generation Apple TV. WWDC version 5.0 also has a new theme starting with the icon. Last year’s version was bright with a purple icon and white user interface....
According to a report from Bloomberg, U.S. International Trade Commission Judge Thomas Pender has ruled in favor (PDF) of Motorola and claimed Apple’s devices infringe on one Android-related patent owned by the company. The ruling is only a partial victory for Motorola’s attempt to receive an injunction on iPhones and iPads, because the judge’s decision will still have to be reviewed before import blocks can be achieved: As for the Wi-Fi patent in question (# 6,246,697), Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet told AllThingsD that Motorola refused to license its industry-standard technology on “reasonable terms”:...
Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey has responded to the legal dispute taking place between Apple and the major Australian banks, in an interview with AFR.com. Bailey revealed that participating customers in Australia use the contactless payment service more frequently than any other country, and that the holdout banks do not fully understand the benefits of Apple Pay yet. Bailey says customers are prepared to switch banks in order to use Apple Pay, which should help Apple wield its bargaining power....
Apple has made its concerns official. The iPhone maker fears Samsung tablet will lure consumers away from the powerful iTunes ecosystem. Apple’s been successfully leveraging iTunes to tie people to the platform through app and entertainment content sales. The heated Apple vs. Samsung legal battle over who’s copying who is really about the ecosystem rather than the hardware or the patents. That’s the gist of today’s hearing before the Federal Court in Sydney related to an Apple-requested ban on sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10....
Today’s best deals include markdowns on Apple Watches, iPhones, iPads, and more, plus all-time lows for ecobee’s top-rated smart thermostats. Hit the jump for all that in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Today only, Apple Watch and iPhones from $100 Today only, Woot is offering various refurbished iPhone and Apple Watch models from $100. You can pick up the iPhone XS from $405. That’s the second-best price we’ve tracked and down from the new condition starting price of $999....
Apple Watch users will soon see an alert for an upcoming Activity Challenge set for next month. The almost annual ‘Ring in the New Year’ challenge will kick off in January, marking the first Apple Watch promotion of 2020. That’s almost annual because Apple did not push a similar challenge for 2019, an outlier since starting the tradition three years earlier. Apple Watch Activity Challenges are meant to promote using the watch for fitness and act as a way for Apple to guide users into taking advantage of the workout tracking features....
Ahead of the expected unveil of the Apple Watch Series 4 this week, availability of the Apple Watch Series 1 is beginning to worsen. On Apple’s website, the 38mm Apple Watch Series 1 in silver and space gray has become unavailable for purchase, as have many models of the Series 3. The change was first noticed by iHelp BR. Directly from Apple, the 42mm version of the Apple Watch Series 1 remains available for shipping and pickup at select Apple Stores....
