Apple is extending product return policies after it made the decision to close all retail stores outside of Greater China amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In its updated Temporary Retail Store Closures document, the company says customers will be able to return items for up to 14 days after stores reopen.
Apple’s iPhone shipments in India grew by more than 55 percent during the first two months of 2020, a positive piece of news for the tech giant in what is an otherwise constant barrage of coronavirus-related stories about setbacks.
Apple has invested heavily in India, one of the few remaining growing smartphone markets. Over the last couple of years, the iPhone maker has established manufacturing in the country and will soon open its first Apple Store.
Apple employees at the company’s Culver City offices may have been exposed to COVID-19 after an employee tested positive for the virus. Culver City is Apple’s entertainment hub where much of the work on Apple TV+ and Apple Music is done.
Apple vs. Samsung is the modern Apple vs. Microsoft — a battle between seemingly unstoppable tech titans. In his new book, Samsung Rising, author Geoffrey Cain charts the surprising story of the South Korean electronics giant. He also reveals how a burning desire to beat Apple drove Samsung’s successful strategies.
Cain, a former reporter for Time and Fast Company, based his book on more than 400 interviews. Over the years, he spoke with top Samsung and Apple executives to gain an insider’s perspective on the battle between the two companies. In this exclusive interview with Cult of Mac, he serves up surprising insight into a tech rivalry for the ages.
Many Apple employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly run into problems because of this company’s efforts to keep details on future projects from leaking out. This is forcing some of them to keep coming into the office.
Apple is prepared to pay authorized repairers maximum payouts for qualifying products amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a leaked internal memo distributed to Authorized Service Providers.
Cupertino has closed all of its own stores outside of Greater China, leaving third parties to tackle repair needs. It reportedly wants to ensure that those partners are supported financially while the outbreak spreads worldwide.
U.K. cellular network O2 has brokered a deal with Disney to become the UK’s exclusive mobile network distributor for the Disney+ steaming service.
The deal means that new and upgrading monthly customers get six months of Disney+ on O2 as a special offer. This mirrors a similar deal by Apple to offer a year’s free subscription to Apple TV+ for anyone buying a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac computer.
Apple on Tuesday made its new Beats Powerbeats headphones official after a series of big leaks. The $149 wireless buds pack the same technology as Powerbeats Pro, including the newest H1 chip, and last up to 15 hours in between charges.
You can order yours this Wednesday, March 18.
Apple Card owners who are impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have the option to skip their March payment without incurring interest.
In an email to customers, Apple said it understands that it may be difficult for some to keep up with their payments during the outbreak. The company is “committed to helping you lead a healthier financial life,” it added.
You must be aware, however, that you need to tell Apple if you don’t intend to pay this month.
France’s competition watchdog announced on Monday it has fined Apple 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) for reportedly violating antitrust laws, the biggest antitrust fine it has ever levied.
The French watchdog accuses Apple of exhibiting anti-competitive behavior through its distribution network, including reported abuse of the economic dependence of its resellers. The company plans to appeal.
Apple’s newest iOS 13.4 update could roll out to everyone on Tuesday, March 17, according to leaked Alipay marketing materials. It should be accompanied by iPadOS 13.4, tvOS 13.4, watchOS 6.2, and macOS 10.15.4.
The iPhone update, which is currently in beta testing, is expected to bring Alipay support to Apple Wallet for the first time. That would make this release a pretty big deal for iPhone owners in China.
Apple’s Powerbeats 4 headphones have landed in Walmart — and, potentially, other retailers — without any word of an official announcement.
An image of the new wireless buds was posted on Twitter on Sunday. Twitter user Eddie Wap shared an image of the new Powerbeats in red, white, and black color options. They are listed at $149, making them $50 cheaper than the $199.95 Powerbeats 3.
Apple’s forthcoming A14 processor for the iPhone 12 series will be the first Arm-based mobile processor to exceed 3GHz, a report published Sunday claims.
According to Research Snipers’ report, the new supercharged chip could hit a GeekBench 4 running score of 3.1GHz. That would be 400MHz higher than the current A13 Bionic chips’s 2.7GHz.
This week we “watch” our to-dos with Things, read the news really, really fast with NetNewsWire, make Keynote-style presentations with Markdown, and more.
There’s won’t be a COVID-19 version of Pac-Man, or any other equally tacky game. Apple today banned all entertainment applications that use this pandemic as a theme.
In addition, Apple reiterated an earlier rule requiring software that provides information about this global health crisis be from official sources.
Many Apple Stores across the United States are closed to consumers, but a select number are being staffed to handle pre-existing orders and already-scheduled repair pickups, according to social media posts, calls to selected stores and physical visits.
Cult of Mac was able to confirm 22 stores across the U.S. were manning their locations Saturday with a skeleton staff to finish fulfilling existing orders and repair jobs. Some stores and online agents said locations will be staffed into Sunday and as far out as March 16.
iOS 14 leaks came fast and furious this week. We rounded ’em all up in one place to give you a look at possible new features coming to iPhones and iPads this year. Yep, basically it’s everything we think we know about iOS 14.
Plus, we’ve got the lowdown on WWDC 2020 going online-only due to COVID-19 (and a related post on how to work remotely without going nuts, among other timely how-tos). And we wrap up with a review of the second episode of Amazing Stories, streaming now on Apple TV+.
You’ll find it all in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now and read it on your iPad or iPhone. Or get the links below.
Bonus: Enter now for your chance to win an Apple TV (or other streaming hardware), delightfully paired with a free one-year subscription to the streaming service of your choice.
In an unprecedented move, Apple said late Friday it will immediately close all its retail stores outside Greater China in an effort to battle the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The stores will remain closed through March 27.
CEO Tim Cook revealed Apple’s decision to close hundreds of stores late Friday in an open letter-style press release titled “Apple’s COVID-19 response.” He wrote, “This global effort — to protect the most vulnerable, to study this virus, and to care for the sick — requires all of our care, and all of our participation.”
Apple has shuttered its 11 retail stores in Spain in an abundance of caution as the coronavirus continues to spread through Europe.
Cult of Mac has confirmed the closings will take effect Saturday after all the stores were open for business Friday. Social media reports indicate a small number of stores closed early on Friday.
Apple has suspended all filming of Apple TV+ projects currently in production, according to a published report Friday.
The shows include the science fiction series For All Mankind, the Stephen King miniseries Lisey’s Story, the science fiction drama See, the TV drama The Morning Show, the psychological horror television series Servant, and the Isaac Asimov sci-fi series Foundation.
A fully functional and complete Apple-1 computer, hand-built by Apple founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs back in 1976, was auctioned off yesterday for over $458 thousand.
There are only a handful of these left. This particular unit appeared recently on the TV show Pawn Stars.
President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency provided some much-needed relief to Apple’s stock price just before the market closed this afternoon.
Apple shares jumped up over $20 in value during the last 30 minutes of trading today, just after President Trump announced that the U.S. government will free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
An Apple Store employee, who went on leave earlier this month to care for a relative, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Apple and the employee from the Third Street Promenade store in Santa Monica learned of the positive test late Thursday, according to reports. The employee has not been back to the store since taking leave on March 2.
Out of appeals, Apple cut a check to VirnetX for more than $454 million to end a lengthy patent infringement case.
VirnetX, which sued Apple over patents relating to FaceTime, iMessage and VPN technologies, announced the payment in a one-paragraph press release Friday.
Internet service providers AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Verizon and many more have pledged to not cut off service from customers who can’t pay their bills because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Internet access is important during the crisis to keep the public informed, but also to let people work from home, attend school remotely, and keep in touch despite social distancing.