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Another batch of newly granted Apple patents were published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and then detailed by Patently Apple. Perhaps the most notable is one for an inductive charging solution that we have heard about in the past. Apple patents surfaced last year showing new methods of inductive charging that could be used in various Apple devices. There were even rumors last year that a next-gen iPhone could sport a similar cable-free charging solution....

An Apple salesman “convinced” the Securities and Exchange Commission that it would be in their best interest to buy storage gear from both his company and Cloverleaf Communications, another party specializing in data storage solutions for big clients. The agency greenlighted the purchase of a million dollar worth of items from both Apple and Cloverleaf and carried out the transaction in the summer of 2008. The deal was essentially a no-bid contract as SEC didn’t seem fit to seek out alternative bids from more established storage vendors....

Apple has shared an investor update this afternoon focused on the guidance it provided for Q2 2020. Due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Apple says it won’t hit the March revenue guidance numbers it provided. Apple had forecast a wider-than-usual range revenue range for Q2, predicting revenue between $63.0 billion and $67.0 billion. Apple now says it won’t hit even the lower-end of that range due to the effects of the coronavirus in China:...

Update: iOS 5.0.1 expires for developers on Wednesday December 14th — interesting. Apple has just begun seeding iOS 5.0.1 (9A402) to developers. The new update features battery life fixes, multitasking gestures on the original iPad, improves Voice recognition for Australian users, and features other bug and security fixes. The update weighs in at 811MB. Go ahead and download it on the Developer Center! Confirming the release notes, Apple has shared with AllThingsD this afternoon that an update for battery life on iOS 5 will be coming in a few weeks....

Apple just announced in a press release this evening that its Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield would retire. Apple’s current vice president of iPad hardware engineering, Dan Riccio, will take over the position during the next several months. Apple CEO Tim Cook had some kind words to say about Mansfield, who has been with the company since 1999. Mansfield has played a huge role in recent hardware releases for the company: since 2008, the SVP has led Mac hardware, and he led hardware for the iPod and iPhone since 201o....

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has claimed that a pending version of Apple’s ad-tracking policy will hurt small businesses when it is introduced next year. Further, he says Apple could damage the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis. Zuckerberg’s attack relates to a privacy change Apple originally made in iOS 14 and subsequently agreed to delay to give the ad industry time to react … Background We explained previously how ad-tracking works, and why advertisers, websites, and developers like it....

Chicago Now got a sneak peak and a chat with Apple Retail chief, Ron Johnson, about the new Lincoln Park, Chicago Apple Store. Apple is calling their latest retail store “significant.” They’re placing it in the same category as their recent London, Shanghai, and Paris stores. The design of the store is gorgeous and very innovative for the neighborhood that it is located in. According to Chicago Now this particular area of Lincoln Park used to be very old looking as well as “dingy, dark, smelly....

Apple has seeded OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 build 12C50 to developers. This new build comes less than a week after 10.8.2 build 12C43. 10.8.2 includes phone number syncing for iMessage and Facebook integration, making it the iOS 6 compatibility release. Tomorrow, Apple will unveil a new iPhone and provide final iOS 6 details. 10.8.2 will likely be released later this month alongside iOS 6. OS X Lion 10.7.5 build 11G54 was also seeded to developers....

Update: Now official While not official from Apple, the store that was previously rumored to be an Apple Store in Stockholm’s Taby C mall appears pretty likely to be an Apple Store. The run-up to this day has been long for Swedish Apple users. The local MacWorld.se says doors should open around Oct. 25, which is just in time for iPad Minis and the holidays. Watch out IKEA! https://twitter.com/digitrendSE/status/240026380824346624 Perhaps most disappointing about this whole thing: Malls in Sweden look exactly like malls here in the United States....

Ahead of Earth Day celebrations planned for tomorrow, Apple today has completely revamped its environmental site with new stats alongside announcements for initiatives planned for the year to come. It also gave an interview with its new head of environmental issues Lisa Jackson. If you don’t want to dig through and read the multiple pages in Apple’s updated report, below we’ve put together a roundup of all the numbers and initiatives Apple announced today:...

As always in the run up to a launch event, the Apple Store has been taken offline for updates ahead of today’s iPad-focused event. Apple has also taken down iWork for iCloud, promising that it will be back in a few hours with “great new features.” Additionally, Apple has updated its homepage with a promo for the event … There’ll be live streaming video coverage, and we’ll of course keep you informed throughout....

In a report from professor and cryptographer, Matthew Green today, concerns were raised about Apple sharing users’ browsing data to the Chinese company, Tencent. Now Apple has offered an official response, reassuring users that actual URLs aren’t shared with third-parties. Apple has used Google to provide Safe Browsing services but with iOS 13 and macOS Catalina, it started using Tencent to comply with Chinese regulations. As we reported this morning, professor and cryptographer Matthew Green raised some concerns about third-parties seeing users’ IP addresses as well as what webpages they are viewing....

After launching Designed by Apple in California back in November, the book celebrating 20 years of Apple product design is available today in more countries including Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil, New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, and many others. The book is available to purchase now through Apple.com and also through some of its retail stores. The countries getting access to the book today join Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the UK and the US where the book launched initially late last year....

Apple’s first retail location in the Japanese city of Kyoto opens this Saturday. Ahead of its grand opening, Apple has shared some new photos and details about the multi-floor store. It was just over a week ago that Apple replaced construction barriers outside of Kyoto’s Zero Gate shopping complex with intricate window coverings themed after woven bamboo. Both the physical signage and a comprehensive digital campaign spanning wallpapers, animations, Apple Music playlists, and more promoted a grand opening date of August 25th....

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNcaMqiD64g] We reported last night that Apple officially appointed CEO of Dixons John Browett as its senior vice president of Retail following Ron Johnson’s departure in October of last year. Browett is leaving his position at Dixons Retail, which operates various United Kingdom-based retail stores including Currys, Currys.digital, and PC World. Dixons is one of the largest electronics chains in Europe, and PC World, the last on that list, is one of the largest computer/consumer electronic retailers in the U....

At the Black Hat security conference in August, a lead Apple security executive will offer new details on iOS 13 and macOS Catalina. The talk will run for 50 minutes and is entitled “Behind the Scenes of iOS and Mac Security.” The talk will be led by Ivan Krstic, Apple’s head of security engineering and architecture. Krstic spoke at Black Hat in 2016 as well. According to a teaser on the Black Hat website, Krstic will focus on three primary things during his talk....

Apple today has shared a new advertisement for the fourth-gen Apple TV. The ad follows the same theme as “The Kiss,” which was released last month and starred Allison Brie. Today’s new ad, however, features Lakers player Kobe Bryant and actor Michael B. Jordan using the Apple TV and accompanying Siri Remote. The ad, called “Father Time,” shows using the Apple TV Siri Remote to do things like rewind content and find more content to watch....

Apple is now selling an exclusive USB-C hub from Satechi, the Multiport Pro Adapter. The new device features a USB-C port for power, USB-A, SD and microSD card readers, and an HDMI port in a slim package. Native Union also has a range of new Apple accessories now available at Apple Stores and Apple.com. Satechi announced the Apple-exclusive USB-C adapter in a press release today: The Multiport Pro Adapter comes in space gray and is priced at $70, the same as what Apple’s first-party USB-C adapter normally sells for (but doesn’t have SD readers like Satechi’s new adapter)....

Following a report yesterday that the European Commission was about to launch a formal investigation into Apple’s tax practices in Ireland, the EU has now officially announced the investigation at a press conference. Bloomberg reports that the investigation will include not just Apple, but also Starbucks and Fiat Finance & Trade SA and will look at “whether the tax deals in Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are illegal state aid.” Apple responded with a statement to Bloomberg following the news claiming that it “pays every euro of every tax that we owe” and that it “received no selective treatment from Irish officials....

Apple ended its most recent quarter with nearly $66 billion in cash, increasing its war chest by an astounding $6.1 billion in just three months. Their cash pile is worth more than the combined market capitalization of Nokia, Research In Motion and Motorola Mobility – or half of Google’s enterprise value – explains Asymco’s Horace Dediu: Matter of fact, Apple’s funds have grown more than tenfold in the period between the fourth quarter of 2005 and the latest quarter....