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Apple to expand iPhone trade-in program to China next week, Foxconn to resell devices on secondary markets

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Apple will begin rolling out an iPhone trade-in program in China in the near future. The option may become available in stores as soon as March 31st, allowing Chinese users to take advantage of the program that has helped boost iPhone sales in several countries already, including the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

Chinese retail employees will determine the condition of the phone being traded in, and offer Apple Store credit to customers, Bloomberg reports. Devices that are traded in will be sold to Foxconn by Apple. The manufacturing partner will then make any necessary repairs and resell them through its own online outlets:


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Apple seeds second public build of iOS 8.3 beta, fourth beta for developers

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Apple has just seeded the latest beta of iOS 8.3 to its public beta users. The first beta was sent out just under two weeks ago. The build is also available over-the-air to developers, making it the fourth beta for those users. It’s also available on the iOS developer center.

Along with the new iOS beta comes a new Xcode beta. The Xcode 6.3 beta comes with a build number of 6D554n and includes support for Swift 1.2. A beta update for the third-generation Apple TV has also been pushed out.


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Apple launches new website to provide free Apple Pay decals to businesses, publishes payment mark guidelines

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Apple has launched a new website today that allows business owners to order Apple Pay decal packs for their stores. Each of these packs includes two glass decals in different sizes, two register decals (also in different sizes), and a tool for affixing the ads to the appropriate surfaces.

Businesses can order up to five of these packs (for a total of twenty decals) absolutely free of charge, but those who need more than five will need to call Apple to place an order.

Earlier this month Apple made the Apple Pay logo available for download and provided a PDF explaining its guidelines for using the payment mark. In its guideline document, Apple specifies that the Apple Pay logo should be placed ahead of similar marks for other payment services like MasterCard and Visa.

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There are also rules for sizing the icon for physical signs, mobile and desktop websites, and emails. The guidelines document and a vector version of the payment mark are available for download from the Apple Pay web page.

Earlier this month Apple also published an Apple Pay FAQ page, and AppleCare started handling support for businesses that accept the mobile payment service.

Are Apple Watch orders being slashed as reported by Taiwan media?

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Apple has allegedly slashed its initial order of Apple Watches in half, cutting the number of units from around 3 million to just 1.5 million, a new report out of Taiwan claims. As has previously been the case with Apple device launches, supplies of the new wearable are expected to be constrained due to manufacturing difficulties.

The problem seems to stem from Apple’s decision to switch to a new type of display for the watch. Those new AMOLED panels are being manufactured by LG, but the company is having trouble producing enough to keep up with demand. LG was originally expected to produce 5 million panels per month.

But maybe Apple isn’t cutting its supply. Maybe something else is afoot…


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Apple discontinues Boot Camp support for Windows 7 on latest MacBook models

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Apple’s latest MacBook Pro and the upcoming MacBook will not support running Windows 7 through Boot Camp according to a support document for the software. Starting on the newest machines, users will need to upgrade to Windows 8 or later in order to take advantage of the Mac’s dual-boot capabilities.

Of course, for users who still rely on Windows 7, there are solutions that allow you to run the operating system on your Mac. Both Parallels Desktop 10 and VMWare Fusion 7 Pro support versions of Windows back to XP and feature an integrated experience designed for the latest version of OS X.

Microsoft recently announced that it would be taking a page from Apple’s playbook and allowing existing Windows 7 and 8 users to upgrade to the upcoming Windows 10 for free, giving those stuck on older versions a chance to update to a Boot Camp-compatible system.

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Apple introduces automated buying and improved customer targeting for iTunes Radio ads

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Advertisers looking to make automated ad purchases on Apple’s iTunes Radio platform will finally be able to do so thanks to changes the company is rolling out now. While in-app iAds have been available for automated targeting for some time now, audio ads that run on free iTunes Radio accounts have always only been available through Apple’s sales representatives.

Enhanced customer targeting is also being added to the iAd offering. User phone numbers and email addresses can be anonymously compared against advertisers’ in-house data. iAd Workbench will also allow advertisers to target specific segments of the iTunes Radio userbase, utilizing the Customer Match feature that has been available to in-app ads since it was released last year.

As with banners and other iAds, users who opt-out of targeted advertisments will be exempted from the service. While Apple is planning to revamp its Beats Music service later this year, iTunes Radio is expected to remain its own separate product

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Apple releases security update for Yosemite 10.10.2, iPhoto update to improve transition to Photos

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Apple has released a new security update for OS X Yosemite, and a separate version of the update for Macs released in early 2015, including the new 13″ MacBook Pro with Force Touch trackpads and the upcoming MacBook.

The update is available for users running OS X 10.10.2 in the Updates tab of the Mac App Store, or as a standalone installer at the links above. Users on the public beta of OS X 10.10.3 apparently do not need the update, since the newer operating system likely already includes fixes for the problems addressed by this release.

Apple has not yet released the update notes to explain what has been fixed.

iPhoto has also been updated to improve compatibility with the upcoming Photos app that replaces it:
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CARROT Weather’s forecast includes a 100% chance of snark

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You all remember CARROT, right? The sadistic, sarcastic artificial intelligence that powers a collection of productivity and fitness applications has returned for a fifth app. The latest piece of software to join the CARROT family is CARROT Weather.

As you may have gathered from the title, this new app helps you track current and upcoming weather conditions with the snark that only CARROT can really nail. The Weather app is much simpler in presentation than its predecessors, but it’s just as robust as you’ve come to expect from this line of apps.


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Apple reportedly offering viewer data to TV partners to help solidify content deals

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With rumors flying about an Apple television subscription service in the works for release this year, new details have started to emerge about what kinds of deals the tech company will make with its content partners. The NY Post says that these deals will involve Apple turning over certain data about its users to programmers to help solidify its agreements.


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Photos from the set of upcoming biopic provide latest look at Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs

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Some new photos posted to Instagram from the set of the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic have given us our second look at star Michael Fassbender in the lead role as the Apple co-founder (via MacRumors). One of the photos, seen above from Instagram user “raqu3l” shows Fassbender as Jobs filming on a street outside the San Francisco Opera House.

The second photo (seen below, via Instagram user “seannung”), features a prop poster from the same location. On the poster, Fassbender poses with the NeXT Computer. That imagery, paired with a NeXT slogan, logo, and a quote from Steve Jobs, indicates that production crews are filming scenes surrounding the unveiling of the first NeXT product. That machine was revealed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall across the street from the Opera  House.


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New video shows Android Wear accepting incoming iPhone call, no jailbreak needed

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Last month developer Mohammad Abu-Garbeyyeh managed to get an Android Wear-based smartwatch to display notifications from an iPhone, even though Google’s wearable OS doesn’t support Apple’s mobile devices (at least, not yet).

A new video posted by the software dev today shows an Android Wear watch working with the iPhone’s calling function. In the video, an incoming call on the iPhone is answered using the Android watch. Abu-Garbeyyeh says he simulated the gesture to answer to phone call on the watch in software to avoid filling the video frame with his hand, but the functionality works perfectly just as it would with an Android device.

Keep reading to watch the video…

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Reuters: Apple could be considering purchase of Boeing communications satellite

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Apple may be considering a deal to purchase a communications satellite built by Boeing, a report from Reuters says.

The deal is apparently still in the earliest stages, and Reuters lists Google, Facebook, and other tech companies as potential interested parties, though Boeing hasn’t confirmed any companies currently involved in the talks.

Jim Simpson, vice president of business development and chief strategist for Boeing Network and Space Systems, told Reuters the big technology firms were keen to expand Internet access around the world to help them grow.

“The real key to being able to do these type of things is ultra high-throughput capabilities, where we’re looking at providing gigabytes, terrabytes, pedabytes of capability,” Simpson told Reuters after a panel at the Satellite 2015 conference.

There aren’t many details on what might be involved in the deal. Boeing is hoping to close the deal by the end of the year. What exactly Apple would do with the satellite is a mystery, if the company even goes through with such a deal, which seems unlikely. It’s possible that the satellite could be useful for GPS or mapping data.

Upcoming biography reveals Steve Jobs turned down liver donation from Tim Cook, wanted to buy Yahoo, and more

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More details about the upcoming biography Becoming Steve Jobs have been revealed through the book’s preview on Amazon (which has since been cut down significantly), revealing several interesting tidbits about the Apple co-founder’s life that were previously unknown (via Cult of Mac).

One example is a story about an offer then-COO Tim Cook made to Jobs when the latter was battling cancer. Cook says that he discovered he shared a blood type with Jobs and decided to undergo numerous medical tests before offering to donate part of his liver to the executive.


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Apple removing Jawbone and Nike fitness bands from retail stores ahead of Apple Watch launch

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Ahead of the April 24th launch of its first wearable, Apple has started removing competing health and fitness products from its retail stores. Re/code reports that the company is pulling fitness bands from Nike and Jawbone from its shelves.

It’s not the first time Apple has stopped selling a product to avoid competition. Last year the retailer removed Bose products from its stores after the NFL banned Apple-owned Beats headphones from appearing on camera to accommodate a Bose sponsorship deal, and Bose filed a lawsuit against Beats.

Bose’s products eventually reappeared in Apple Stores. Whether Jawbone and Nike will have similar luck once the Apple Watch has picked up some sales is unknown, but unlikely.

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Pad & Quill introduces line of Apple Watch accessories, including travel kits and a charging stand

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iOS accessory maker Pad & Quill has introduced its line of Apple Watch accessories. The lineup includes the Luxury Pocket Stand (69.99), which doubles as a watch stand and a charger, and the Roll Up Kit ($49.99). You can get both of the aforementioned items in the Luxury Travel Kit and the Luxury Travel Pouch (each $119.99).

As with Pad & Quill’s other products, these handmade Apple Watch accessories are available in a selection of wood and leather finishes. You can pre-order them on the Pad & Quill website. The watch itself will go on sale on April 24th, with pre-orders starting on April 10th.

WSJ: Next iPhone to include Force Touch, Apple considering pink color option

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Apple is reportedly planning to bring its Force Touch technology to the next version of the iPhone, the Wall Street Journal says. The tech was first introduced in the Apple Watch last September, then made its way to the latest MacBook model during yesterday’s “Spring Forward” event.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that the next-gen phone will support Force Touch. Even in 2013, rumors were flying that Apple was looking into improved pressure sensors for use in the iPhone.


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Apple’s ability to drive mall traffic allows it to negotiate significant rent decreases

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The Franklin Park Mall Apple Store <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2014/12/02/toledo-ohio-apple-store-opens-saturday-along-with-revamped-store-in-portland-oregon/" target="_blank">opened in December</a>

Apple Stores are so effective at bringing shoppers into malls that the company has been able to negotiate much lower rent deals than most shops, the Wall Street Journal said in a report today. While most tenants have worked out deals to pay about 15% of their sales in rent, Apple’s ability drive traffic has enabled the company to keep its rent as low as a meager 2%.

The only way things could get better for Apple, it seems, is if the Cupertino tech maker was able to secure the same agreement as large department stores, which pay nothing in rent and simply pay fees to help manage the up-keep of the mall’s common areas.


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Jay Blahnik provides details of the Apple Watch creation process in memo to employees

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Following today’s keynote, Apple has posted a memo to employees on its internal website with quotes from former Nike fitness expert turned Apple Watch engineer Jay Blahnik about the design and development process behind the company’s first wearable.

The memo says that the creation of the Apple Watch “touched almost every team” at the Cupertino company, and looks to Blahnik for example of how the health and fitness aspects of the device were developed. The health expert says that Apple has “studied more people, in more conditions than most university research has ever done.”


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Apple begins inviting iOS developers to WatchKit lab in Sunnyvale to test apps on Apple Watch

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Apple has started sending emails to registered iOS developers today inviting them to participate in a WatchKit lab held at the company’s Sunnyvale, CA campus. The lab will run from March 16th until April 30th, so developers will still have the ability to take advantage of the offer even after the device has shipped.

The lab will give developers a chance to test their software on the actual device instead of the simulator built into Xcode. This will be especially important for those who want to submit their apps for day-one availability, since Apple has instituted a rule that all watch app submission must include a screenshot created on the device itself, not in the simulator.


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