Apple has acquired a startup, Mobeewave Inc., that developed technology to turn iPhones into mobile payment terminals, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Citing people familiar with the matter, today’s report says the deal was worth around $100 million.

Apple has been facing accusations of anticompetitive practices as the U.S. House Judiciary Committee investigates the company for potential antitrust concerns mostly related to the App Store. Following Tim Cook’s testimony at a public hearing this week, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Apple claiming the company imposes unfair conditions on developers.

Apple and Google introduced a new COVID-19 Exposure Notification API in May this year, which allows public health authorities to offer apps that can alert users when they have been exposed to the virus. The API is now getting more improvements to allow more flexibility in how the data obtained by these apps is managed and more.

It looks like the person behind the massive Twitter hack that happened two weeks ago may have been caught as a Florida teenager has been arrested for the exploit on 30 counts of felony. 17-year-old Graham Clark has been taken into custody in Tampa, Florida.

News has been building about the US looking into banning TikTok and today that’s come to a head. Reported by Bloomberg, President Trump is ready to force Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell off its US TikTok operations.

Acquisitions were a major topic of discussion during the big tech antitrust hearing earlier this week, but the focus was primarily on Apple’s competitors, including Amazon and Facebook. In a new interview with CNBC today, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered additional details on what he believes sets Apple’s acquisition strategy apart from the competition.

Because my entire home is filled with HomeKit products, I often forget that some people are getting started with HomeKit and other smart home platforms, so I wanted to take some time this week to explain some basics of how to get started with HomeKit and what products should be your first purchases. Read on to learn more about HomeKit, and what items should be your first purchases in your Homekit starter kit.
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The next time you visit an Apple Store, expect to see a lot more Memoji. After today, Apple’s retail teams will greet you wearing custom new badges printed with their likeness — in Memoji form. If you’d like a virtual badge in the same style, there’s now a way to make your very own tag.

Apple posted impressive Q3 results yesterday as well as announcing a 4-1 stock split. This morning with the market open, AAPL shares hit a new all-time high and now the company’s market value has briefly exceeded Saudi Aramco’s to become the world’s most valuable public company on its way to a $2 trillion market value.

The Exposure Notification API developed by Apple and Google is beginning to gain traction outside of the United States. This week, Health Canada has released its new COVID Alert application, which allows citizens to report positive COVID-19 test results and be notified if they’ve been exposed to the virus.

Apple impressed investors last night with strong quarterly earnings, reporting its best June quarter ever, despite the global economic uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt daily life worldwide.

AAPL stock opened today at ~$409, a new all-time high for the company, and up 6.5% from market close yesterday. Apple made headlines in August 2018 for becoming the first public company to hit $1 trillion market cap, and it is now well on its way to becoming the first public company to cross the $2 trillion mark.

Prior to yesterday’s earnings call, analysts were united in one view on AAPL’s Q3 – that whatever the numbers might be, they were going to be affected by the coronavirus crisis, so we shouldn’t read too much into them.

The assumption was that disrupted supply-chains, store closures and an economic downturn would all hit sales of Apple products. It turned out they were half-right … but very wrong!

App Store or Apple Store? The days of choosing the wrong gift card are over. Apple today introduced new Apple Gift Cards that do it all.

We haven’t much about this year’s hardware update to the Apple Watch so far. A report from Digitimes today suggests that Apple has made a manufacturing deal with supplier ASE Technology, as it prepares up the production lines for Apple Watch Series 6.

Most notably, the report claims that the Watch will include a blood oxygen sensor for the first time. 9to5Mac previously found evidence of forthcoming blood oxygen monitoring support in an early build of watchOS 7.

Lead photo via @nn744234

Apple Central World opened today, becoming the second Apple Store in Thailand and rooting Apple deep in the culture of Bangkok’s busiest social hub. Readers and Apple customers from all across the city visited the new space on opening day and shared their photos of the experience.