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Apple announced today that it is rolling out a new version of AirTag firmware with a notable privacy improvement. Here’s how to check your AirTag firmware version to see if yours has updated to the latest build. Apple, unfortunately, does not make it possible to manually update your AirTags. Instead, the company says that firmware updates will install automatically when AirTag is in range of your iPhone. This is similar to the way that Apple rolls out AirPods firmware updates....

Apple’s share of the smartphone market in Japan has hit 37 percent, greater than the 36 percent share in the USA, reports the WSJ. Given that most of that share was acquired before DoCoMo offered the iPhone, the prediction of one analyst doesn’t seem quite as far-fetched as it might sound. Japan is the world’s fourth largest smartphone market, behind China, the USA and India, and it had previously been predicted that the DoCoMo deal would enable the iPhone to become the market leader....

Alongside Apple Watch pricing and availability announcements, Apple just released a handy sizing guide that will give you an idea of what band will be best for you. For some models, like the Sport collection, Apple is including two bands in the box—“Small-Medium” and “Medium-Large”— while others, like the Modern Buckle straps, allow customers to pick from various strap sizes. There will be some exceptions: the gold model with Sport band is only listed as coming with one strap that “Fits 130–200mm wrists”....

Apple’s system status page is displaying problems with a significant number of cloud services. At the time of writing, it is showing ‘intermittent issues’ for ‘some users’ for the following services: App Store Apple Music Apple TV iTunes in the Cloud iTunes Store iTunes U Mac App Store Volume Purchase Program … Additionally, the corresponding page for developers is showing a similar message for both In-App Purchases and iTunes Sandbox....

Alongside its new hardware and software unveiled this afternoon, Apple has published a full security guide for its T2 security chip. The T2 is featured in the new Mac mini and Retina MacBook Air, and Apple is highlighting its many benefits in today’s security document. As first highlighted by TechCrunch, one of the most notable details revealed in Apple’s T2 security chip guide is that the chip works directly with the microphone hardware to cut off access when the display lid is closed....

Apple is rolling out a new TestFlight feature which enables developers to share a public URL for an app beta. Customers can simply open the link on their iPhone or iPad and automatically enroll into the beta testing group through the TestFlight app. This feature was announced back at WWDC in June but has only just started showing up for developers inside the App Store Connect interface. Previously to public links, developers had to manually ask people for email addresses and then send out invite in emails to each person individually....

Seeking to enhance Apple’s retail store divison and bring the customer experience to higher levels, new Apple Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts is planning a fundamental restructuring of Apple’s retail stores as she prepares a series of new store openings across the globe for the second half of 2014 and first half of 2015… Ahrendts previously informed key staff that she would be shaking up the Apple Retail executive ranks, and this new organizational restructuring further alters how stores are managed....

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is predicting that Apple’s Augmented Reality headset will launch in the second quarter of 2022. This is expected to be a development tool and stepping stone toward Apple Glasses. He made the prediction in an investment note seen by us … The note is about a key Apple supplier, Genius, which makes iPhone lenses – and is expected to supply lenses for Apple’s AR headset, too....

We could lie to you and say that some secret source told us that Apple’s back to school promotion will be announced in the next week or two, or we could just say that Apple has launched their Back to School promotion either the last week of May or first week of June since at least 2006 (‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10). Anyway. If you are a qualified student who is looking to get some discounts – and a free iPod – you might want to wait a few weeks to pick up your new kit....

After more than two years and numerous false-starts, it appears that Apple has now cleared the final hurdle standing in the way of building a $1B data center in Ireland. A bid by two local residents to pursue a High Court appeal has been refused. Objections by a small number of local residents delayed things from the start, with the local planning body responding by asking Apple to respond to five concerns …...

Apple has today announced a replacement program for some European iPhone USB adapters. The company says that it has identified that some USB adapters bundled with iPhones (as well as sold separately) may overheat and ‘pose a safety risk’. The adapter shipped with European models of the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s from October 2009 to September 2012. Affected adapters feature the Model ‘A1300’ designation, found on the bottom of the unit as pictured above....

After seeding the first beta of the next versions of Safari for OS X a week ago, Apple has just seeded another pre-release version of Safari 7.0.3 and Safari 6.1.3 (Seed 2) to developers. Apple provides the following focus areas for devs in the release notes: Please focus testing on the following areas: • General website compatibility • Safari Push Notifications • Login AutoFill • Credit Card AutoFill (OS X Mavericks only) • Extension Compatibility...

Apple TV+ debuted a new Billie Eilish documentary yesterday, entitled The World’s A Little Blurry. To coincide with that, Apple is also now selling a limited-edition Apple Gift Card inspired by Eilish. The Billie Eilish Limited Edition Apple Gift Card features a colorful design that matches Eilish’s branding, being primarily green and blue. Apple introduced its new style of Apple Gift Cards last summer, combining App Store and Apple Store gift cards into the same card....

Apple updated the Apple Store app for iOS and iPadOS today with a new For You tab filled with useful tips and shopping suggestions, as well as an immersive iPhone comparison tool. Tapping on the new For You tab displays an overview of devices linked to your Apple ID, accessories compatible with the products you already own, Apple services you might like, and even intelligent suggestions like active gift cards available in the Wallet app....

In a surprise move, Apple has revived its Texas Hold’em game for iOS today. The update to the original game comes in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the App Store and has been redesigned to include new characters, improved graphics, more challenging gameplay, and much more. Apple highlighted the Texas Hold’em history and noted some of the updates to the refreshed version in the app listing (still the original listing with reviews from years ago!...

Apple’s plan to manage upcoming HomeKit-compatible accessories could revolve around a new iOS app called “Home,” according to sources familiar with the app. Introduced at last year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, HomeKit is an Apple initiative designed to encourage accessory makers to integrate “connected home” accessories such as Wi-Fi garage door openers, smart thermostats akin to Nest’s Learning Thermostat, and wireless door locks with iPhones and iPads. Using Siri or the Home app, users will be able to remotely control parts of their homes directly from iOS devices…...

Apple launched three research studies in September 2019 that use the iPhone and Apple Watch to learn more about hearing health, women’s cycle tracking, and movement’s effect on wellbeing. A year and a half later, Apple has published what it describes as new insights gathered from the Apple Hearing Study. The Research app allows iPhone and Apple Watch users to voluntarily participate in health studies from Apple and its research partners....

Apple is apparently changing its long-standing policy regarding third-party iPhone screen repairs. According to a memo sent to Apple retail employees, a customer having their device’s screen repaired by a third-party source no longer voids their warranty like it once did… There are some conditions to this new policy, however. For one, if the third-party display causes the repair to fail or otherwise causes damage to the iPhone during the repair process, the customer will be required to pay the out-of-warranty cost to resolve the issue....

Apple’s flagship retail store in Sydney’s central business district was evacuated earlier today in what was described only as a ‘police operation.’ While no official explanation was available at the time of writing, it has been reported that the evacuation was in response to a bomb scare, with surrounding streets closed and a police sniffer dog seen entering the store. SBS reported a shopper at the store specifically referencing a bomb scare....

Apple appears to be rolling out an update to Apple TV users in Germany that brings access to a TV shows section in the main UI. According to tips from readers and local reports from iFun, it is unclear if the new UI is a mistake. Apple could very well be in the midst of rolling out the update to all users. Oddly, reports also claim the Movies icon has been removed from the main section....