One element of the DOJ antitrust lawsuit against Apple addresses iMessage, and Apple’s decision to keep the app exclusive to iPhone. But it goes further than arguing that this is anti-competitive, and attacks the use of green chat bubbles for Android users as creating “social stigma.”

A lawyer commenting on this claim says that it effectively amounts to the Department of Justice complaining that people think the iPhone is cooler than Android phones …

The EU has today announced that it is not satisfied that Apple’s App Store changes comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the company is now officially under investigation for non-compliance.

If that investigation confirms that Apple failed to comply with the antitrust law, then the iPhone maker could be fined up to 10% of its worldwide turnover – increasing to 20% for repeat infringements …

Apple is about to roll out a big change to its retail stores in the United States: “Presto within Apple.” This system will let Apple Store employees wirelessly update iPhone software while the phone is still in the box, using a pad-like device. Here’s how it works.

According to a new analyst note from Jeff Pu at Haitong International Tech Research, seen by 9to5Mac, Apple is planning changes to the A18 Pro chip specifically for on-device artificial intelligence. Pu also writes that Apple is ramping up A18 Pro chip production earlier than usual.

The news comes as we continue to learn more about Apple’s plans for AI features this year, including how it will balance on-device versus cloud-based solutions.

Apple Vision Pro is currently only available in the United States, but Apple has promised that it will come to other markets before the end of the year. During a visit to China this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered confirmation that China is one of the countries in which Vision Pro will launch this year.

In today’s edition of Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman writes that users should expect updates to the iPhone home screen as part of iOS 18. Although light on details, he says iOS 18 will make the home screen “more customizable”. Update: MacRumors says one of the changes will mean that iPhone users will be able to place app icons freely on the grid, making gaps on the screen possible for the first time.

Apple apparently believes iOS 18 will be its biggest update ever. AI will be a key focus, with artificial intelligence powered features integrated across the operating system. Apple may also integrate chatbot functionality via Google’s Gemini.

Update: Apple released details on the security patches for iOS 17.4.1, iPadOS 17.4.1, visionOS 1.1.1, as well as macOS 14.4.1. They all patch an integer overflow vulnerability in two separate frameworks. Apple didn’t say whether it was being actively exploited. More details can be found here.

Last week, Apple released iOS 17.4.1 with rather vague release notes claiming to include important bug fixes and security patches. Two days later, the company has yet to add any specifics. This is unusual for Apple, which typically lists critical security patches hours after a release and suggests that the ones in iOS 17.4.1 could be significant or something else entirely…

Episode 012: Jeff and Fernando discuss the DOJ Antitrust lawsuit against Apple, iPad Pro matte display rumors, and iOS 17 Photos app tips and tricks.

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In 2002, Apple’s venture into the server hardware market led to the creation of the XServe, a line of rack-mountable servers designed for organizations built around Apple. Despite its innovative approach to serving computing needs, XServe never dented the Linux and Windows Server market share.

Threads, Meta’s microblogging platform, is getting another update this week – this time with great news for sports fans. As announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the Threads app will now show sports scores, starting with NBA games.

A family who found themselves stranded in Mt. Hood National Forrest this week turned to Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature to contact search and rescue teams. The message kick-started what would ultimately be a 24-hour rescue process.

After the US Department of Justice (DOJ) officially filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, the company immediately defended itself against the accusations with a series of statements. Interestingly, Apple even confirmed that it considered making the Apple Watch compatible with Android at some point. However, doing so wouldn’t be easy for Apple from a technical and strategic standpoint.

There are countless options for HomeKit native bulbs that you can buy to transform how your smart home operates completely. The problem for many people is that when you’re looking to change your entire home from traditional bulbs to HomeKit bulbs, it can get pricey in a hurry. Options like Philips Hue are fantastic, but they’re more costly. What if there was an option for a low cost bulb that worked great with HomeKit? That’s what I’ve found in the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb. It’s HomeKit compatible at a price that isn’t that much higher than normal LED bulbs.

One of the many bizarre claims throughout the Department of Justice’s 88-page lawsuit against Apple is that Apple somehow killed the Amazon Fire Phone. Also, Apple is apparently to blame for HTC, LG, and Microsoft exiting the smartphone business.

Spring cleaning continues at Apple. Per Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple no longer plans to design and produce its own displays for the Apple Watch. Apple has reportedly been investigating moving from OLED to custom microLED screens dates since at least 2016.

RR Auction just closed the sales of its latest lot of Apple memorabilia. As it happens, one of the most expensive items was a very rare, Steve Jobs signed business card in “virtually perfect” condition that netted an impressive $181,183. Here’s why it was worth that much and what else sold alongside the rare item.

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Friday’s best deals are here to wrap up the work week. Through the end of the day, you can score an all-time low on Apple’s latest AirPods 3 at $140 to go alongside a collection of official iPhone 15 silicone cases from just $15. Plus, the first discount on the Sonos Move 2 portable speaker with AirPlay 2 is live at $359. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

It’s happened, Spotify has finally launched a miniplayer for desktop that supports music and video (including podcasts). As shown above, you can use a few designs including a minimal bar, or resizable square or rectangle.

After literally years of investigation, the DOJ antitrust lawsuit is finally official. Apple is accused of using a dominant market position to lock in customers, block competitors, profiteer, and stifle new technologies.

The lawsuit mirrors moves made in the EU, most notably through the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which obliges Apple and other tech giants to adopt a less aggressive approach to protecting their own financial interests against competition …

Earlier this week, news broke that Apple was in talks with Google to license its Gemini models to be used to power some generative AI features in the upcoming version of iOS, iOS 18, for the iPhone. It was also said to have spoken with OpenAI about a possible deal.

Today, the Wall Street Journal says Apple also held talks with Baidu, to license its models. This would likely be intended to serve AI requests to Apple customers in China, as Chinese law requires models to be approved by its regulator before they are allowed to be used.