When iOS 14.5 was introduced, Apple also made the new App Tracking Transparency feature available to the public, so that users can opt out of being tracked by third-party apps. However, several users had been complaining that the Tracking toggle was grayed out for unknown reasons, but it seems that Apple is finally fixing this. Back in April, Apple said that the “tracking option should come grayed out by default for Apple IDs of which the owner is under the age of 18 or for devices with an MDM profile....

A report from Digitimes claims that, although touch panel orders from the iPhone and iPad 2 have increased significantly for the third quarter, Apple is allegedly placing orders at nearly half the cost of previous shipments. This leads us to believe they are either trying to reduce BOM (and increase margins) at the expense of suppliers, or they’re prepping for the usual price cuts in the wake of new product releases (iPhone 5, we’re looking at you)....

Apple today stopped signing iOS 14.4, which means users who have updated their devices to iOS 14.4.1 can no longer downgrade to iOS 14.4 or previous versions of the operating system. This follows the release of iOS 14.4.1 last week with important security patches for iPhone and iPad users. iOS 14.4.1 patches a vulnerability in WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari and third-party browsers on iOS. According to Apple, the exploit could lead to malicious code execution through web content....

We told you a couple weeks back that Apple plans to open its third retail store in Beijing on Oct. 20. The new Wangfujing Street store will open at 9 a.m., but Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail John Browett today gave press in Beijing a preview of the three-story location that happens to be Apple’s biggest retail store in Asia. Browett also confirmed Apple will open another store in Shenzhen....

Apple’s new European iOS App Development Center, announced back in January, is about to officially launch as the Università di Napoli Federico II in Italy today confirms it has partnered with Apple on the initiative (via Macerkopf). When Apple first announced its plans for the new development center, the first of its kind to offer training for app developers in Europe, it didn’t say which school it would be partnering with to push the specialized curriculum....

eWeek reports that while, “Windows laptops are losing lustre, Mac laptops are making surprising gains.” (Not that surprising, eWeek – they’re clearly superior machines). In essence the news is that MacBooks and MacBook Pros accounted for 20 per cent of notebooks sold across US retail stores, which is nice. Even more interesting, Apple’s notebooks took a substantial chunk of the market when measured in dollars. What does that mean? It means for every $3 spent on a laptop in the US, Apple took $1 while the various partners in the world’s dominant OS ecosystem shared $2 between them....

Asymco’s Horace Dediu broke down iTunes’ economy and placed it in context with the entire Apple revenue model. The excellent diagram above illustrates Apple’s revenues in Q4 2012. The initial stats—$4.6 billion consolidated revenues, $650 million in operating income, etc.—isn’t exactly new information, but, as Dediu noted, it is certainly fascinating to see where Apple’s revenues came from and where they were spent during the quarter. As for the diagram itself, note “Dev Payments” equals $1 billion—or each vertical pixel represents $50 million—and sources of revenue appear according to size....

Apple TV+ and the company’s original programming that it’s been working on for the last few years is about launch next month. Ahead of the November 1st release, we’re hearing more details about Apple’s streaming video efforts and news from The Hollywood Reporter details Apple’s difficult path to original content with issues causing the launch of Spielberg’s reboot, Amazing Stories to be delayed. Other details say Apple is spending $300 million alone on its upcoming drama, The Morning Show....

Apple today has stopped signing iOS 12.3, iOS 12.3.1, and iOS 12.3.2 following last week’s release of iOS 12.4. This prevents users from downgrading from iOS 12.4 to a previous version of iOS. Apple generally stops signing older releases of iOS within a few weeks of releasing an update to the public. iOS 12.4 was released to the public last week after an extended beta testing period with developers. When Apple stops signing an iOS version, it means users are no longer able to downgrade to that version via iTunes....

Update: Powerbeats Pro have officially been unveiled with the features we’ve been expected at a price tag of $249. Read up on all the details of the sharp AirPods alternative here. The ad shows a picture of the earbuds with the text “Totally Wireless” beneath the Powerbeats Pro name. In the full photo below, you can also see a second landscape ad for the product. We’re told that one says “coming soon....

Apple appears to be testing same-day delivery for some of its products in select markets for customers using the Apple Store app on iOS. First noticed by MacRumors, same-day shipping options fulfilled by the on-demand shipping service Postmates now appear for certain items when checking out with the app. Not at all in-stock items qualify for the $19 flat rate same-day shipping option, however. The option doesn’t seem to be available within the Apple Store app for all markets with Apple Stores that Postmates serves, either, suggesting the same-day delivery option is being tested on a small scale for now....

Update: Reuters reports that Michel Coulomb has been appointed to replace Kaul. According to a new report out of The Economic Times, Apple’s head of India operations is leaving the company with “immediate effect.” Sanjay Kaul has been in charge of Apple’s operations in India for the last year and a half, during which Apple has faced mixed results in the country… The report cites unnamed sources and says Kaul will likely begin “another venture in an industry that may not be directly connected to the mobile phones business....

Jack Dorsey’s Square payments company has teamed up with Apple to sell the new Square Stand point-of-sale system through Apple’s large chain of retail stores, according to multiple sources. The Square Stand is an iPad accessory that works with the Square Register app to turn in the iPad into a tool that can run a business. The Square Stand’s main feature is its ability to connect to several devices like cash registers, barcode scanners, and printers....

Apple today announced Final Cut Pro X, the entirely redesigned video editing application for video professionals and prosumers for $299 (App Store Link). Motion 5 ($49 Download link) and Compressor 4 ($49 Download Link) are also upgraded today. Straight from the apple Press release: Apple Revolutionizes Video Editing With Final Cut Pro X CUPERTINO, California—June 21, 2011—Apple® today announced Final Cut Pro® X, a revolutionary new version of the world’s most popular Pro video editing software which completely reinvents video editing with a Magnetic Timeline that lets you edit on a flexible, trackless canvas; Content Auto-Analysis that categorizes your content upon import by shot type, media and people; and background rendering that allows you to work without interruption....

While smartphone growth is slowing in China, Apple managed to increase its market share from 6 to 7 percent in the final quarter of 2013, even before the China Mobile deal was struck. IDC figures reported by the WSJ show that Apple is now the fifth largest smartphone seller in the country, behind Samsung, Lenovo, Coolpad and Huawei. Xiaomi sits just behind Apple at 6 percent. Apple’s share is likely to increase significantly in the current quarter, thanks to finally being sold through China’s largest carrier, China Mobile....

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple’s miniLED plans are being accelerated, the company using the screens in more 2021 iPads and MacBooks than expected. His previous estimates had suggested that the new backlighting technology for LCD screens would be used only on the top models next year, but it now appears that it will make it into some mid-range models too … Background Apple uses OLED screens in Apple Watches and some iPhones (iPhone X, XS, XS Max, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max)....

The Verge met with SIM manufacturer Giesecke & Devrient at the CTIA Wireless trade show to get an update on the 4FF standard, also known as the “nano-SIM,” which caused Apple and Nokia to duke it out in recent times. The firm is exhibiting Apple’s design at the show (above), a 3FF micro-SIM expansion that iOS users are familiar with, while none of Nokia’s competing design was present. When questioned if that suggested the company is going with Apple, G&D said, “We work with everybody,” and then elaborated:...

An SEC filing shows that Apple’s SVP of Retail Angela Ahrendts sold AAPL stock totalling $6M in the week in which the Apple Watch hits stores. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for Apple execs to sell shares from time to time, either to fund a purchase – like a house – or, perhaps more likely given the timing, to pay a tax bill. Ahrendts was given a compensation package worth $73M when she joined the company, just over $70M of it in stock....

Apple officially announced its 2021 Back to School promotion today in the US. Like last year, students, teachers, and faculty can get a free pair of AirPods along with the standard education discount on Mac and iPad but there’s more complexity this time around. Here’s why you might want to wait on Apple’s Back to School promotion – at least for a bit. Apple rarely does official deals but its Back to School promo is a long-running tradition....

Users are reporting downtime for some of Apple’s iCloud services this afternoon including problems logging in to iCloud and syncing data to apps that access the cloud services for calendars, mail and more. Apple is yet to report the outage for iCloud on its system status page that tracks downtime for the many Apple services that use iCloud. Some app developers have noticed the issue, however, and have started to warn users....