December 23, 2005: Apple files a patent application for its iconic “slide to unlock” gesture for the iPhone.
At this point, the iPhone remains a secret research project. However, the ability to unlock the device by sliding your finger across it signifies Apple’s big ambitions for its smartphone. Cupertino wants the iPhone to be easy to use, intuitive and miles ahead of the competition technologically.
October 4, 2011: With the unveiling of the iPhone 4s, Apple introduces the world to Siri.
A groundbreaking example of artificial intelligence in action, Siri’s debut fulfills a long-term dream at Apple. The company first predicted such a feature in the 1980s — with the Siri launch coming at almost the exact month Apple envisioned.
Some sources suggest Apple TV+ has already signed a deal for the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket. Now a new report say the football league’s planned NFL Plus streaming service could sweeten the deal for Apple — or another winning bidder, as the case may turn out to be.
The two services together on Apple TV+ could offer fans a great selection of viewing options.
Rather than letting existing financial companies handle all its payment processing, Apple wants to bring some of it in-house, according to an unconfirmed report. And the Mac-maker would also like to take on a range of other related services itself.
The goal is to reduce the amount of money Apple has to pay outside companies for financial services.
Apple this week acquired Credit Kudos, a credit checking startup based in the United Kingdom, according to sources familiar with the matter. An update to the Credit Kudos website confirms it is now an Apple subsidiary.
The move has ignited rumors of an upcoming Apple Card expansion into the U.K. Apple fans on the other side of the pond have been eagerly anticipating its arrival since Apple Card first made its debut in the U.S. in 2019.
December 14, 1999: Apple acquires the domain name www.iphone.org, prompting years of speculation that Cupertino is considering building a cellphone. While the news generates interest, some take it as a warning sign.
Apple only recently abandoned the kind of non-computer projects like games consoles, PDAs and digital cameras that proved to be dead ends earlier in the decade. An Apple phone could never be a thing, right?
Apple TV+’s true comedy The Shrink Next Door heads into its endgame this week. Manipulative psychiatrist Ike has all but moved into his patient Marty’s house in the Hamptons. And the bad doctor has started professionally throwing parties.
However, the longer the party goes on, the less fun it feels. The same is true of this show, which increasingly feels like it should have been a two-hour movie — if it needed to exist at all.
Apple Music’s purchase of classical music service Primephonic will give fans of the genre a richer experience, Cupertino said Monday.
Apple said it will work to incorporated the service’s features into a standalone classical app that will launch next year. The company promised high-quality audio, expert recommendations and playlists, exclusive audio content, “extensive contextual details on repertoire and recordings” and other advanced features for classical fans.
Screen legend Tom Hanks will reportedly soon star in a second Apple TV+ movie. Finch will be the story of a man, a robot and a dog.
It follows Hanks’ Oscar-nominated Greyhound, which ended up on Apple’s streaming video service last summer when the pandemic closed theaters.
Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill Monday that would ban mergers and acquisitions by companies with market caps in excess of $100 billion. If passed, the bill could have a massive impact on technology companies, including Apple.
Apple, for the record, currently has a market cap of $2.2 trillion. Other tech giants worth upward of $100 billion include Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb and Netflix.
