Michael Jackson once tried to raise a billion dollars in an effort to partner with or buy Apple, Disney Studios and Marvel Comics, his former manager contends in a tell-all book announced Wednesday.

Contact-tracing apps could play a key role in lifting border restrictions after the coronavirus pandemic — but don’t expect them to become a mandatory part of future travel. At least not in Europe.

In a European Commission document seen by Reuters, officials stress that such tools can be extremely useful “on a voluntary basis.” While the report, published Wednesday, doesn’t offer 100% confirmation, it does suggest that fears that contact-tracing apps could become a requirement of regular travel may be overblown.

Sitting in a movie theater is a luxury many of us won’t get to enjoy again for a long time. So bring the cinema home to you with huge savings on Anker projectors today only.

Prices start at under $160 (down from $229.99) for the Nebula Prizm II, which offers 1080p video, built-in speakers, and a long-life lamp that lasts up to 30,000 hours before it needs changing.

Who retweeted your tweet with a comment? Now on the iOS app for iPhone and iPad, users can find out more easily and quickly all in one place with a simple tap.

The battle over decentralized versus centralized contact-tracing apps continues to rage. Some public health officials feel forced to adopt Google and Apple’s Exposure Notifications system — even if they don’t necessarily think it’s the right approach, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Others are avoiding the system altogether, despite the fact that its privacy-first approach has been praised by privacy advocates.

Fixing typos and other errors while typing on iPhone can be frustrating if you’re still stabbing away at the screen with your fingertips. Instead, turn iPhone’s keyboard into a trackpad for more precise cursor placement.

Find out how in today’s pro tip.

Wall Street analysts are reportedly combing through Apple mobility data to get clues about when the economy might get moving again, a report for Bloomberg Quint, published Wednesday, claims.

Of all the services launched by Apple, its premium Apple News+ has seemingly made the least impact. And now Apple is reportedly pivoting to audio to try and raise user interest in its all-you-can-eat news and magazine subscription service.

That’s according to a report by DigiDay, published Wednesday. The publication claims that Apple has started asking publishers for permission to produce audio versions of its stories. These could be listened to like mini-podcasts or audio briefings.

For better or worse, Foxconn has long been the contract manufacturer most associated with Apple — but Apple is looking to reduce its reliance on the company, a report published Wednesday claims.

Nikkei Asian Review notes that Apple is pushing one of its Chinese AirPods assemblers to make a “major investment” in an iPhone and MacBook metal casing provider. This could help make it a viable alternative to Foxconn, the world’s biggest electronics contract manufacturer.

Any developer taking flack for not yet adding Dark Mode to their software can take solace in the fact that the Apple Store app for iOS only now adopted this alternate look.

Shop for a new device or look for Today at Apple sessions in the dark more easily, thanks to this new version.

Apple reportedly plans to gradually return its corporate employees to work over the next few months, likely starting with those focused on major hardware projects.

The phased plan will return thousands of Apple workers to locations around the world, including the company’s main campus in Silicon Valley, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The iPhone 12 Flip is the foldable iOS device many are hoping for. This proposed concept fits a large screen into a tiny package.

While currently only a dream, Apple is hard at work on technologies that could eventually make it real.

Watch a video of the iPhone 12 Flip concept now:

Sofia Coppola is developing an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country for Apple TV+, according to a report Tuesday from Deadline.

As Apple reopens its retail stores throughout Germany, regulators are considering investigating whether temperature checks of customers to ensure the safety of visitors and employees is a violation of European Union privacy laws.

For a mere $699, you can add a set of wheels to the Mac Pro. Or, for the same stunning amount of money, you can attach those wheels to a skateboard.

Braille Skateboarding did just that. Watch the ridiculous video they created.

The Cult of Mac Store’s big Mother’s Day sale is still running — but not for long. Today is the final day to save up to 30% on brilliant AirPods, Apple Watch, and iPhone accessories from Twelve South, Elago, and Form Function Form.

Enjoy the discounts before they disappear!

Apple on Tuesday introduced the first firmware update for second-generation AirPods since late last year.

This should benefit those who received a replacement AirPods bud last month with unreleased firmware. They can now update both to the same firmware version so they’re usable again.

The people behind the popular iPhone, iPad and Mac email client Spark announced Tuesday full support for trackpad and mice on iPadOS, as well as the ability to add emoji reactions to shared emails or comments.

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MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models that launched in 2013 and 2014 moved onto Apple’s list of “vintage and obsolete products” at the beginning of May.

Despite what the name implies, this doesn’t mean these devices just became useless. It might be harder to get them serviced, though.

Remote home security company August Home announced Tuesday it’s new HomeKit-enabled Wi-Fi Smart Lock is now on sale, after its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show this past January.

The electromechanical lock at $249.99 is 45% smaller than the original model with integrated Wi-Fi and easy setup for Apple’s HomeKit that lets users control smart-home appliances using Apple devices. 

When concept designers imagine the future of iOS, they often pack in new features. A new design goes the opposite route, simplifying the look of the iPhone to “keep you focused,” in the words of the artist.

Still, it finds space for some Home screen widgets, which are supposed to debut in iOS 14.

SteelSeries, the worldwide leader in gaming peripherals, announced its new Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller for Apple devices Tuesday.

The Nimbus+ improves on the original Nimbus controller by adding a plethora of new features. These include clickable joysticks, new Hall effect triggers, and an impressive 50-hour battery which should make it perfect for gaming during your weekly commute. Once those become a thing again.

Sometimes you have to trust your gut when you launch a new app, believing that if it’s good enough people are going to find out about it. Other times, the demand is so great that you quite literally can’t ignore the clamor.

This second scenario is the one that 34-year-old artist, designer, and programmer Cyril Diagne recently found himself in. After showing off one of the coolest AR demos seen in ages on Twitter, he was inundated with requests to turn the futuristic “copy and paste” demo into a real app. Less than two weeks later, Diagne has done exactly that.

These days, we could all use a little inspiration. Whether you want to gain new insights into your own work, or just stimulate your brain with new and exciting ideas, this series of video lectures from leading artists, experts and educators is just what you need.

Short-form video app Quibi has had a rough start since launching in April, and co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg says there’s only one thing he blames: COVID-19.

“I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus,” Katzenberg told the New York Times in a report published late Monday. Katzenberg said that the initial app downloads have not been “close to what we wanted.” Now Quibi is going to let iPhone users watch it on their TVs to try and make up some of the lost ground.