iFixit, the repair guide site that has been vocal about the lack of repairability in Apple’s devices, has released a new report that compares the repairability of tablets currently on the market. With the exception of the Microsoft Surface Pro, Apple’s iPad lineup lands at the bottom of the list with a 2/10 repairability score. Among the issues with repairability for iPads: hidden screws complicate disassembly, excessive amounts of adhesive, difficulty removing batteries, and, for some models, a “high chance of cracking the glass during disassembly....

All the way back in 2017, Bloomberg reported on its knowledge of “rOS,” a new operating system that was supposedly being created to run a forthcoming virtual reality product. The news site predicted at the time that such a device could ship as early as 2020. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Since then, rumors have cropped up here and there about Apple’s ongoing efforts. Over the years, ever-shifting claims have prognosticated that the mysterious headset will be both stand-alone and require an iPhone to be tethered to, they’ve also claimed processing levels on par with everything from an iPhone to, more recently, an M1 Mac....

Newsweek‘s Dan Lyons reported today that Apple’s “thermonuclear war” on Android smartphone manufacturers is fading fast, while a new rumor surfaced among the suits’ lawyers claiming the company spent $100 million on its initial set of claims against HTC. Imagine how much Apple spent on other Android makers, such as Motorola (who is near locking Apple products out of Germany in retaliation) or Samsung (the biggest Mobile Communications patent holder in the world), if it spent so much on just HTC....

A recent report from Le Figaro claimed Apple authorized reseller eBizcuss was suing Apple regarding claims it gives preferential treatment to its own Apple retail stores when shipping products. Now, following that news, a European Apple Premium Reseller reached out to ChannelWeb to clarify Apple’s retail tactics in a 4,400-word letter. Speaking anonymously, the APR mirrored many of the complaints of product shortages from eBizcuss’ original lawsuit, but goes even beyond by claiming stores are experiencing cash-flow shortages due to Apple cutting credit lines....

Last week, we noted that Apple had pulled its 39 EPEAT-eligible products from the organization over design differences. Apple’s Macs, while hella-“green” and recyclable, aren’t built to the EPEAT standard. Specifically, Apple’s new Retina MacBook Pro can’t be disassembled as easily as its EPEAT rated predecessors for recycling. Since making the move, Apple has been criticized, specifically from those who believe that EPEAT-certification is important to environmental consciousness. That, and Government and Educational institutions that are tied to EPEAT can’t buy Macs anymore....

When LG announced it was shutting down its smartphone business, Samsung and Apple ran to conquer its market share in South Korea. Now, the Cupertino company is rolling out its trade-in program for LG phones in the US as well. At the end of May, both Samsung and Apple announced a trade-in program in South Korea for LG phones. For Apple, its program will run up to September 25 and will give an additional 150,000 won (around $135) for customers switching to an iPhone....

Last year it was announced that Apple was planning a major new data center for County Galway in Ireland, as well as one in Denmark, both set to begin operations in 2017. According to a new report from Business Insider, however, Apple’s plans for the Irish data center have hit a speed bump. The report claims that the company’s $928 million dollar center has been put on hold due to complaints from the community....

We learned today about Apple’s satellite project: a team working on ways to establish direct two-way connections between iPhones and satellites. If that sounds like crazy science-fiction, it’s actually not. The technology to do it exists today and has been proven to work with today’s phones. You shouldn’t, however, expect to have ubiquitous access from anywhere on the planet, nor for satellite connections to replace your existing mobile data plan....

It’s the first of September and Apple’s new China and People VPs have started their new roles at the company. Both Deirdre O’Brien and Isabel Ge Mahe have joined Apple’s Leadership page for their respective roles as Vice President of People and Vice President and Managing Director of Greater China. Siri has also moved from Eddy Cue to Craig Federighi who oversees iOS and macOS. Apple announced O’Brien’s promotion to VP of People back in July....

With some high profile exceptions, it is generally accepted that Apple ships some of the most reliable high-tech products out there – at least if you believe the customer satisfaction reports. Things are far murkier for Tesla in that department, especially at its relatively early age. Last year, Consumer Reports pulled their recommendation of the Tesla Model S citing “worse-than-average” reliability issues. It became one of Tesla’s top priority over the last year and the automaker has made some significant improvements as evidenced by the declining replacement rates for major components, thanks in part to a growing reliability and test team....

In the first official statement about Apple’s decision to allow Tim Cook and other senior executives to be interviewed for Becoming Steve Jobs, company spokesman Steve Dowling said it was from a sense of responsibility to Steve’s memory. Apple had initially refused interview requests by authors Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, the company taking 18 months to change its mind, reports the NY Times … After a long period of reflection following Steve’s death, we felt a sense of responsibility to say more about the Steve we knew....

Apple announced today that it will release its third quarter earnings on July 31st. That same day, it will hold an earnings call with investors at 2PM PT/5PM ET. The date was first reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. As a refresher, Apple announced its Q2 earnings on May 1st. The company reported $61.1 billion in revenue and $13.8 billion in profit earned from selling 52.2 million iPhones, 9.1 million iPads, and 4....

Apple announced on its Investor Relations page this afternoon that it will release its Q4 earnings Oct. 25. In typical fashion, Apple releases its earnings in a press release at 4:30 p.m. after the market closes and follows with an earnings call with key Apple executives at 5 p.m. This quarter’s call will be one to tune in for, as CEO Tim Cook will surely discuss iPhone 5 sales and more....

A day after the event, Apple today has uploaded its entire ‘See you on the 7th’ iPhone 7 event to YouTube. Yesterday, the company shared a handful of videos from the event on YouTube, as well as new videos focused on living a healthy lifestyle. In the description for the video, Apple invites everyone to take a look at its latest announcements: In the full keynote, which comes in at just under 2 hours in length, Apple made a variety of different announcements....

In the latest instance of Apple reversing controversial app rejection decisions, Panic says it received the green light to resubmit a version of its Transmit app with the ability to send files to other services including iCloud Drive once again. The news comes after Apple requested Panic remove the feature from the app to prevent it being pulled from the App Store. The situation is only the latest in which an app developer was required to remove a feature from an iOS 8 app already live on the App Store or risk it being removed entirely....

After first detailing the software update in developer documentation, Apple has now released the first beta version of watchOS 3.2 for developer testing on Apple Watch. watchOS 3.2 is the first version of the Apple Watch software that works with SiriKit, enabling developers to tap in to Siri in the same way as apps on iOS 10. Apple’s documentation also mentioned Theater Mode as a new notification toggle that disables raise-to-wake for alerts without having to change the mode in the Settings app....

Apple is now rolling out the official macOS 10.12.4 release through the Mac App Store. The latest version of macOS Sierra is the first to bring Night Shift to the Mac. macOS 10.12.4 beta included changes to Siri, Dictation, and Apple’s PDF API: Night Shift now available on the Mac. Dictation support for Shanghainese. Ask Siri about cricket scores, schedules and player rosters. Siri knows about statistics and data from the Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council....

Finisar has clarified that the $390M contribution from Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund announced yesterday is not an investment in the company, but rather an agreed payment for anticipated future orders. The company makes vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), which are a key part of the Face ID system used in the iPhone X, as well as enabling Animoji. As with the $200M Corning deal earlier in the year, the $390M commitment isn’t an altruistic gesture on Apple’s part …...

Apple is facing another anticompetitive complaint, this time filed by Rakuten who owns the Kobo ebook brand. The Financial Times reports that Kobo is filing a formal complaint that it cannot fairly compete against Apple Books in the App Store while it is subjected to sharing 30% of revenue from purchases made in the Kobo app. Kobo is currently forced to sell all of its content through its website to avoid paying Apple 30% of revenues....

Today’s best deals include iPad Air at $50 off, plus you can save on Apple Watch sport loop bands, and a budget-friendly Westinghouse HDTV. Hit the jump for all that and more. Save up to $50 on Apple’s latest iPad Air With a redesigned casing, Apple’s latest iPad Air packs a 10.9-inch edge-to-edge screen equipped with True Tone support. Everything is powered by a new A14 Bionic processor, with Touch ID making a return in the power button alongside USB-C charging and support for the second-generation Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard....