Protestor Feng Kung was handing out leaflets urging Apple employees to spill the beans on Nvidia for “allegedly covering up video-card defects,” Wired informs. Nvidia acknowledged a common defect in some of its video cards on July 2. These problems even extended to relatively recent models of MacBook Pro, Apple confirmed last week, saying: “In July 2008, Nvidia publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect....

In addition to launching refreshes to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, Apple has lowered the cost of higher-end Mac solid state storage options, cutting the price in half for many of the configurations. For example, the 4 TB SSD of the 512 GB 15-inch MacBook Pro used to cost $2800. It now costs $1,400. These savings are seen across the iMac, iMac Pro, Mac mini, and MacBook Air line....

With an official introduction of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator today, the vehicle becomes the latest that will include Apple’s in-dash CarPlay system standard. The CarPlay functionality is built-into the vehicle’s 12-inch display that runs Ford’s SYNC 3 platform, and also includes Android Auto support. Optional 10-inch adjustable rear seat displays are available for beaming content from the front console to passengers in the back. Lincoln also has a deal with Sling that lets owners view live TV channels via a Slingbox product at home....

Apple and architecture firm Foster + Partners were honored alongside sixteen other groups from eleven countries last night during the annual awards ceremony held by the International Association of Lighting Designers in Chicago. The IALD is a prominent organization operating with a goal of setting the global standard for lighting design excellence. Earning an Award of Merit was Apple’s Michigan Avenue retail store, a stunning feat of architectural design and engineering on the Chicago River....

Going away from the constant rumors that Apple is building its own TV set, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday evening that Apple is in talks with cable television operators to use an Apple TV device as a set-top-box. Adding to yesterday’s report, the publication shared another note today with more details of Apple’s vision for the new device. This evening’s report mentions that Apple is looking to introduce a feature that will allow users to view a TV show at any time—even minutes after it started....

We were curious, now we’re convinced Apple has some big, big plans for Apple TV – the company this morning dumped the 40GB model of the product and slashed the cost of the 160GB version of its TV set-top box. (or it might just be component price drops) This price discount follows hot on the heels of revelations the company’s new iTunes LP/Extras format supports the resolution output by the Apple TV so closely we’re becoming convinced at some future plan for the product....

We shared some of our own photos from yesterday’s event, and now Apple has put together its own set of shots to give a sense of the day. These show attendees arriving at the Steve Jobs Theater, the main speakers presenting and the hands-on demos following the presentation … The iPhone 8 surprisingly gets equal billing in the photos, even if all eyes at the event were on the iPhone X....

Apple took an iMac Pro to the Final Cut Pro X Creative Summit to demo its power to the professional video editors attending the conference. Whilst we still don’t know exactly when the computer will be available, Apple has promised a December launch and photos of the iMac Pro in the flesh certainly help to build the hype. Gallery of photos after the break … The conference attendees were allowed to share photos of the unit, so we can see the Space Gray iMac chassis and its exclusive accessories in their full glory since the WWDC unveiling....

Apple has come under considerable criticism following its decision to agree to a Chinese government request to remove VPN apps from its local App Store. Virtual private networks allow people in China to access sites blocked by the government, and to ensure that authorities cannot track the sites they visit. App-tracking site ASO100.com says that the company has so far removed more than 400 VPN apps. But while Apple is trying to maintain good relationships with China by complying with such requests, analysts and tech commentators believe that its troubles with the country ‘have just started’ …...

Ferrari announced in a press release for its 2012 financials today that Apple’s Senior Vice President Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue is joining its board of directors. Ferrari chairperson Luca di Montezemolo made the announcement during a meeting of the company’s board of directors earlier today: Cue, who recently took on new responsibilities leading Siri and Maps following the departure of iOS chief Scott Forstall, also provided a statement regarding his nomination for the board:...

Ready to tout the new features of its iPhone 5, Apple just posted a page on its website dedicated to showing off what type of photos the iPhone 5’s 8-megapixel camera can take. During the event, Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller explained that the 8-megapixel iSight camera was “enhanced” thanks to a new “sapphire crystal lens covering.” Schiller added that the new camera can take photos up to 40 percent faster and is 25 percent smaller to compensate for the iPhone 5’s smaller body....

We reported earlier this month on the quaint habit of iPhone purchasing for a profit all across London, as various folk pick up units to send into the lucrative Chinese grey market for the device — today we learn that Apple had to close its Beijing Apple store yesterday because grey market buyers were sucking all the store’s supply. Seems that Apple bumped up the sales limit on iPhone 4 from two to unlimited in Beijing’s flagship store, drawing an immediate huge crowd of eager customers — but these folks were buying iPhones in large quantities to resell on the grey market, which caused such a commotion security eventually shut AAPL’s flagship Chinese store down....

MacRumors reports that Apple has a new 15 inch notebook with an ultra-thin design in its final testing stage. It’s difficult to tell if Apple will be marketing this 15 inch notebook as an extension of the popular MacBook Air line, or if it is a piece of Apple’s redesigned MacBook Pro line. Although the machine is reportedly in final testing, there is no word on a release date. The last MacBook Pro update came in late February, so we would expect the new models to ship later this year or very early next year....

Apple just released its Q1 2016 earnings, reporting “record” results of $75.9 billion in revenue and $18.4 billion in profit. In addition to its normal data, however, Apple has shared a new figure relating to the number of active devices it has in the wild. Apple says that it now has an active installed base of 1 billion devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. Apple says it gathered this data by tracking the devices that have been engaged with its services within the last 90 days....

Apple has scheduled its next Apple Watch Activity Challenge, this time for Thanksgiving later this month. The challenge encourages Apple Watch users to complete a workout of at least 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in length on November 26. You can earn this award by completing any walk, run, or wheelchair workout of at least 5K in distance. If you complete the challenge, Apple will reward you with exclusive badges in the Activity app, as well as stickers for use in Messages and FaceTime....

As it continues to refocus its strategy in India, Apple has reportedly stopped selling the iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6s Plus in the country. This comes as Apple is reportedly shifting its plan in the country to focus on newer and more expensive iPhones. According to The Economic Times, Apple is now focusing on increasing its revenue from India, as opposed to increasing iPhone volume. Apple’s distributors in India have reportedly informed retailers that the new “entry level” iPhone will be the iPhone 6s....

Washington Post columnist Allan Sloan observes that Apple’s plan to buy back $60b of its own stock will reduce the company’s tax bill by more than the cost of the loans it will take out to fund the share repurchase program. If you’re wondering why a company with a cash balance of $145b would need to borrow $60b, it’s all about tax … Around two-thirds of that cash hoard is held by Apple subsidiaries outside the USA, and if Apple brought the cash back home it would have to pay 35% corporation tax....

When this February Apple rolled out the new MacBook Pro family with Sandy Bridge chips and Thuderbolt I/O, the company surprised many with a SATA3 interface for the hard drive and disappointed at the same time by leaving the Superdrive in SATA2. SATA3 allows for theoretical data transfer speeds of 600 megabytes per second versus 300 megabytes per second for SATA2. Real-life numbers, as always, are lower and dependant on a number of factors, such as the speed of both your processor and the peripheral attached to the SATA interface....

Update: Now at over 30,000 1-star reviews: Apple launched its ‘Move to iOS’ Android app yesterday as part of the iOS 9 launch, which streamlines the process of migrating data and apps from an Android phone to an iPhone. Just hours after launch however, Android users are not taking well to Apple’s first Android app (if you discount Beats Music, which existed before Apple acquired them). The app has accrued over 2700 1-star ratings in the few hours it has been available, with a less-than-spectacular 1....

Apple isn’t just beating the computer industry in terms of growth and profitability (anyone mention that to Michael Dell last night?), but also seems set to kick against the prevailing economic climate, at least for now – and has grabbed now nearly half of the lucrative US student market. A recent survey by Student Monitor found that 13% of all undergraduates expect to buy a new notebook this fall. “Of those, 43% say they plan to get a MacBook or MacBook Pro, nearly double those who said they expected to get a Dell notebook, and seven times as many as those who plan to buy from HP,” Business Week reports....