Teenage Engineering’s awesome, pocket-size OP-Z synth can now record and use samples. Thanks to a massive software update, it can now sample live audio in through its mic, or via its USB-C port. And yes, if you hook it up to an iPhone or iPad via USB, it shows up as a standard audio interface: You can record from, and send audio to, the OP-Z in lossless digital quality.

Today we’re going to check out these new features. A few limitations prove annoying, but Apple users should feel accustomed to that by now.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner is looking into whether Apple is following all the requirements of the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation privacy law.

The DPC has three investigations going into Apple’s business practices, each covering a different aspect of the GDPR legislation. There are far more ongoing probes into how Facebook handles user privacy.

Dying to see what Apple’s idea of a car looks like? Here’s a bumper.

OK, so a patent, like the one for an extendable bumper awarded to Apple today, doesn’t exactly give us a detailed picture. But we at least see one more piece of evidence Apple remains a committed player in the future of cars – whether we drive them or not.

Fortnite’s second content update for version 9.30 is out. This release introduces the brand new drum shotgun to Battle Royale. Players will enjoy its insanely rapid fire rate — but not its less-than-spectacular damage.

There’s a plenty of court intrigue about the reasons for Jony Ive leaving Apple.

John Arlidge, who interviewed Ive for the U.K.’s Sunday Times in 2013 and 2014, has an interesting take. In an article for Wired, Arlidge points out that Ive’s split from Apple comes at a time when it’s pivoting away from hardware.

Apple shares increased 2% on Monday, buoyed by the news that the burgeoning trade war between China and the U.S. could be over.

In all, AAPL is up almost 30% for the year. But according to an equity strategist, what happens next could be crucially important. It’s either very good news for Apple, or very bad.

Samsung today issued invites for a big Galaxy Unpacked event on August 7. The South Korean company is expected to unveil its newest rival to the iPhone XS Max — the much-anticipated Galaxy Note 10.

We recently got a glimpse at leaked photos of the device, which will offer a giant edge-to-edge display with a tiny camera cutout.

Spotify has updated its Spotify Stations app with support for CarPlay. The app is intended to provide a radio station-like experience, which customizes itself to your tastes.

With its latest update, you no longer need to use your iPhone to access the app. If you’re a CarPlay user, you can do it right from your dash.

Apple could have a surprising trick up its sleeve to save the iPhone in China.

New reports claim the company is working on a smartphone exclusively for the Chinese market. The device is expected to be significantly more affordable and will include an under-display fingerprint scanner in place of Face ID.

There’s a new challenger to the smart speaker throne — and, no, it’s not Apple’s HomePod.

According to the latest data from IDC, in Europe Google has overtaken Amazon as the market leader in smart speakers. Google Home devices accounted for 45.1% of shipped smart speakers in the region in Q1. That beats Amazon’s 41.8%. Apple’s HomePod doesn’t even even get a mention.

Dr. Mario World is now just one week away from making its much-anticipated debut on iOS. If you weren’t already hyped for the game, perhaps a sneak peek at its crazy multiplayer mode will get you more excited.

Check it out in Nintendo’s latest trailer below.

A group creative director for TBWA\Media Arts Lab, who is considered one of Apple’s lead creatives, is leaving for a new job.

Arnau Bosch Vergés has worked on a number of Apple campaigns. Notably, that included the multi award-winning Spike Jonze film “Welcome Home,” promoting the HomePod speaker.

Amazon’s Deal of the Day lets you save up to 29% on the 2018 MacBook Pro for today only. Prices start at $1,879.99 (down from $2,399.99) for a 15-inch model with a six-core Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.

And that’s just one of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup. There’s also $200 off the newest Mac mini, a rare discount on the newest AirPods with a Wireless Charging Case, and up to $100 off Apple Watch Series 4.

Plus, you can now get Amazon’s newest Echo Dot for half its usual price.

Many of these discounts are good for today only, so act fast and enjoy them while you can.

Investors will find out later this month just how badly iPhone sales have slipped. Apple updated its investor website today revealing it has scheduled its Q3 2019 earnings call for Tuesday, July 30, 2019, at 5PT.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is firing back on a report that surfaced over the weekend claiming design boss Jony Ive drifted away from the company.

Ive allegedly stopped coming into Apple HQ as frequently once the first Apple Watch launched, according to the Wall Street Journal‘s report. The newspaper also claimed Tim Cook’s inattentiveness to the design team caused the two sides to grow apart. Responding to an NBC reporter via email, Tim Cook said the story is “absurd.”

People who carry their iPhone and AirPods everywhere might really use the Power1. Not only does this battery case charge the handset, it includes a built-in AirPods charging case.

It’s just been fully funded on Kickstarter, but there are still pre-release specials available.

When you send a photo to somebody in iOS 12 or earlier, you also share that photo’s location. If you upload a picture to a classified ad or auction site, you potentially show everyone exactly where you live. And if you send a photo to a friend or family member, they may share that image publicly (on Facebook, for instance) — and share your home address along with the picture.

In iOS 13, you can disable location sharing for any photo you share. Some annoying limits hurt this new feature, and you have to remember to do it every time you share an image or video, but it’s still a lot better than what we have in iOS 12.

Apple’s wireless earbuds face some new competition from Samsung’s cheaper Galaxy Buds, but a new water-damage test shows the cheaper price tag comes at a cost.

Neither AirPods or Galaxy Buds boast waterproofing but do have some water resistance. The folks at CNET pitted the two earbuds against each other in a new real-world test along with the new Powerbeats Pro and the results were pretty bad for Samsung lovers.

The Australian Women’s Cricket Team uses Apple Watches to optimize their training and improve their performance while also reducing the risk of injury. An app allows coaches to monitor training load and heart rate, but also mood and sleep data.

Apple’s latest macOS Catalina beta revives the long-lost Expansion Slot Utility app for the new Mac Pro.

Now updated to version 2.0, the app helps users configure things like video cards, audio adapters, and more. It went away for a while after the introduction of the 2013 Mac Pro — but it will be called into action again when the 2019 Mac Pro makes its debut.

The CEO of Samsung Electronics personally took responsibility for the Galaxy Fold debacle. However, he promises his company is fixing the problems that delayed the launch of its first folding-screen handset, and still intends to release it.

Ireland has invested Apple’s back taxes into low-risk, highly rated bonds, according to a new report. The move is an effort to preserve capital amid an ongoing appeal, which could take several years to resolve.

Here’s some pretty big news for iOS musicians: AudioKit’s Digital D1 synth is now an Audio Unit. What? That means that, instead of running as a standalone app, you can now run it as a plugin inside your music app of choice. It also means you can run more than one copy, putting one instance on each track of GarageBand, for instance.

And what makes D1 more interesting than other synths for iOS? A few things. One, it’s open source and built by volunteers. Another is that it looks and sounds amazing. And finally, it’s totally ’80s, giving you the synth sounds of pop music’s best decade. Radical.

Security researches have discovered new malware that targets macOS users and evades popular antivirus tools.

“CrescentCore” is distributed as a DMG package that’s disguised as Adobe Flash Player. It can now be found on multiple websites — one of which is “a high-ranking Google search result,” according to Intego.

Another dispute between countries looms over Apple, but this one dates back to World War II and could cause the tech giant heartburn as it readies the lineup of 2019 iPhones.

Japan will tighten export restrictions on South Korea for materials used to make smartphone chips and displays beginning Thursday. Japan imposed the rule after a court in South Korea ordered Japan’s Nippon Steel to compensate South Koreans for wartime forced labor.