With a new MusicKit API, developers will be able to offer Apple Music trials and receive rewards for new subscribers through a referral program starting with iOS 15. This news was highlighted by developer Tim Isenman on Twitter, but Apple also gave a preview during the “Meet MusicKit for Swift” session on WWDC21 week. According to Apple engineer Joel Lopes da Silva, this new “MusicKit accelerates the way your apps integrate with Apple Music API, which is our set of server-side APIs for accessing the wide array of catalog content from Apple Music, thus making it much easier for you to build compelling apps that tie into Apple Music....

Apple’s report card 2020 is the latest in my annual look back at the company’s product launches and other key activities across the year. It follows similar pieces in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Normally, I’d kick off with the latest iPhone lineup, but not in 2020 … M1 Macs Any other year, the new iPhones would be Apple’s headline news, but this year they were – in my view – completely eclipsed by the new M1 Macs....

Apple has just seeded iOS 5.1 to developers, a pre-release version of iOS that runs on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. In addition, Apple has released Xcode 4.3 beta to developers, a required version of Xcode for those wishing to develop and test their applications with iOS 5.1 devices. This iOS 5.1 release is crucial. The 5.1 beta brings along an under-the-hood change for alternative interpretations for Dictation input in different apps....

Ahead of the Apple Music exclusive stream of the documentary ‘808’ set for Dec. 9, Apple has tweeted a new trailer for the film that focuses on Roland’s iconic TR-808 drum machine. ‘808’ was originally shown at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival and is just shy of 7/10 stars on IMDb as of this writing. Atlantic Records is offering the soundtrack album now and looks to be selling apparel in the near future....

Apple last week released iOS 13.5 to everyone, bringing new features such as the Exposure Notification API and Face ID upgrades. Now, Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.4.1, which means users can no longer downgrade from iOS 13.5 to iOS 13.4.1. Reverting to older iOS builds is common for those in the jailbreak community and can sometimes also be useful for users who experience significant bugs after updating to the latest version of iOS....

Apple’s ResearchKit system is going international for the first time since its launch earlier this year with Stanford University’s MyHeart Counts app being made available for UK and Hong Kong iPhone users. The MyHeart Counts app was among the initial iPhone-based research study apps that debuted this year. Stanford said just after the app’s release that ResearchKit did in 24 hours what would ordinarily take 50 medical centers a year to accomplish....

Last week Apple was granted permission to publicly test self-driving car technology on California roads, and now a new document has surfaced that details Apple’s self-driving car training program for drivers. The new document provides further evidence that Apple is actively working on autonomous driving technology internally. Business Insider obtained the document entitled “Development Platform Specific Training” which refers to the “Apple Automated System” used in self-driving vehicles: The document itself details technology used by drivers including Logitech hardware and basic driving maneuvers like tight u-turns and sudden braking or acceleration....

Alongside the launch of the 5s and 5c, Apple has adjusted its marketing guidelines for App Store developers in response to the wider color palette of iPhones now on sale. Apple now officially allows developers to include iPhone models other than black in their marketing. Up to now, developers were only supposed to use black iPhones although it is well known that Apple never really enforced these requirements. As such, many developers have used white iPhones in PR images over the years regardless of the regulations....

Back in April of 2011, Final Cut Pro X was previewed at the Los Angeles Creative Pro User Group meeting, or LAFCUG, which occurred during NAB2011. This preview happened several months prior to the official debut of Final Cut Pro X later that summer, which was a drastic departure from the previous Final Cut Pro 7. Final Cut Pro X has evolved immensely since its debut release, reacquiring many of the features that were dropped from Final Cut Pro 7, and adding a ton of additional features along the way....

http://online.wsj.com/media/swf/VideoMicroPlayer.swf “My inclination is to be suspect” about Apple’s new service, said Shubha Ghosh, an antitrust professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Two key questions in Mr. Ghosh’s mind: Whether Apple owns enough of a dominant position in the market to keep competitors out, and whether it is exerting “anticompetitive pressures on price.” What do you guys think? Should Apple be able to take 30% of sales made through the store?...

While Apple has made clear that it has a keen interest in augmented reality, there have been conflicting reports about what form those features might take and how they might make their debut. A new Bloomberg report seeks to shed light on both questions. The report echoes earlier ones that Apple has a large number of engineers working on AR features, and that they will be seen first in the iPhone …...

Apple and Sprint have completed work on a version of the iPad for Sprint’s data network. This Sprint compatible iPad appears to be ready for public consumption and will join the family of GSM (AT&T) and Verizon capable Apple tablets before the holidays. With Apple soon launching a Sprint version of the iPhone – which we independently confirmed in June – we suspect that the Sprint iPad will come alongside or soon after that release....

As Apple announced a monster Q2 earnings with $89.6 billion in total revenue, a major driver for the growth was its services. Apple rarely shares specifics on its subscription numbers, but CFO Luca Maestri said that the company now has 660 million paid subscribers for its services. Apple blew away analyst expectations with its Q2 performance. There was a consensus around $77B revenue and Apple actually saw $89.6B. Apple (AAPL) reports Q2 2021 earnings: $89....

And the Apple Store is down… Later this week, Apple will officially launch their new MacBook Air line. We previously detailed that these new MacBook Airs will include Thunderbolt ports, i5 and i7 processor options, and a design with little to no changes from the current models. Now, thanks to our source Mr. X, we have all the specifications of the brand-new MacBook Air line. 11.6 inch models: The base model will include a 1....

When the iPhone X launches later this year, the usual silicone and leather cases will launch alongside it. But a new type of case, one that Apple is calling the iPhone X Leather Folio, provides an interesting new way to protect your iPhone. Apple’s iPhone X Leather Folio case is like a Smart Cover, or more aptly, a Smart Case, for your iPhone X. Although Apple isn’t yet providing many visual details on the Leather Folio, the product’s description paints a pretty picture of a unique case option capable of both waking your iPhone X and putting it to sleep:...

Apple today provided a few new seeds to developers. First on the list is the first beta build of the upcoming OS X 10.9.5. The build is labeled as 13F7, and it will likely come as the final update to OS X Mavericks, which will be succeeded by OS X Yosemite in October. The update is available for Mavericks users signed up for pre-release updates in the Software Update section in the Mac App Store....

Apple wants the third-party app marketplace for the upcoming Apple Watch to be a hit just like on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple has begun seeking an “Apple Watch Evangelist,” according to a posting on its official jobs website. This evangelist position is specifically designed to work with third-party application developers and promote development for the upcoming Apple Watch platform: Technical liaison between Apple and 3rd party developers for vital app development frameworks, focused on UIKit, Watch Kit, and additional Cocoa Touch frameworks as needed....

The Apple Store is down ahead of Apple’s September event, where the company is expected to announce a new redesign for the iPad Air and the Apple Watch Series 6. The new watch lineup will include a higher-end model featuring a new blood oxygen sensor, and an entry-level cheaper model that will replace the $199 Apple Watch Series 3 that Apple currently sells. Apple’s September event is usually the place where Apple announces the latest iPhone....

Today’s best deals include Apple’s Intel Mac mini at $550, Apple Watch Series 4 from $220, and you can score two Wyze Cams for $40. Head below for all that and more in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Apple’s Intel Mac mini hits best price ever The 2018 Mac mini sports an eighth-generation quad-core Intel Core i3 processor, along with speedy SSD storage and a wide range of I/O including four Thunderbolt 3 ports....

Apple announced last month that it will open a new retail store in Melbourne, Australia at Federation Square. While both Apple and the Victorian Labor Government are confident in the economic boom this new store will bring, some locals are anything but happy at the idea of Apple taking over the Yarra Building at Federation Square… Apple’s store in Federation Square would take over the Yarra Building, which has been home to several different organizations, including the Melbourne Festival Headquarters and more....