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.
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.
Microsoft is keen to go ahead with this year’s Build conference, but the event will now be online-only, the company confirmed on Friday. Build was scheduled to take place in Seattle from May 19 to May 21. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced Microsoft to go completely digital instead.
Microsoft’s announcement came just before Apple announced that WWDC 2020 will also go ahead with “an all-new online format.”
Apple on Friday confirmed that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference will go ahead in June with “an all-new online format” and not take place at a conference center as has happened since the first WWDC in 1987.
The high-tech giant said the approach was essential amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but that it was determined to deliver a full program with an online keynote and developer sessions. Apple has also confirmed it will commit $1 million to local San Jose organizations to offset revenue loss as a result of WWDC going online-only.
Apple is continuing to take preventative measures against the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. by canceling all ‘Today at Apple’ sessions at Apple stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Earlier this week, ‘Today at Apple’ sessions in Seattle and San Francisco stores were canceled until March 29. Cult of Mac confirmed Friday that the company has canceled all further sessions at all retail locations in the U.S. and Canada for the foreseeable future.
Production halts in China last month caused by the COVID-19 outbreak have resulted in iPhone shortages in some US stores, according to market analysts.
Fortunately, Apple’s top contract manufacturer said today it’s ramping production back up.
Apple’s updated gadget cleaning guidelines give you the tips you need to keep your iPhone clean during the COVID-19 pandemic. But if you bought a Galaxy smartphone instead, Samsung will clean it for you.
The South Korean company on Thursday launched the Galaxy Sanitizing Service — a free program that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light to rid your handset of germs and bacteria.
It’s apparently nearly back to business as usual at Foxconn, the company that assembles most iPhones. Its general manager says plants in China and Vietnam are once again getting the components they need.
Production had been tremendously slowed by the COVID-19 outbreak in China, but the epidemic is now nearly over in that country.
The cast and crew of The Morning Show will halt production for two weeks over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
The break is a precaution and not because of possible exposure. The series studio, Media Res, and Apple made the decision together, according to reports.
Open up a newspaper, visit a news site or turn on the TV, and you’ll see the end of the world is nigh. And, of course, the COVID-19 coronavirus is serious business, especially if you are in one of the vulnerable categories.
But that doesn’t mean you need to panic. In fact, panicking about anything usually just makes things worse. So, how do you stay informed about the rapidly spreading disease without succumbing to media terror?
Apple has told its retail store employees worldwide not to recommend customers physically try on an Apple Watch or in-ear AirPods, in an effort to cut down on the spread of coronavirus.
Customers can still ask to try on the products, but employees have been told not to offer the opportunity, according to a published report Wednesday.
Apple is set to shutter all of its stores in Italy beginning Thursday until further notice as the country goes into total lockdown due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
All 17 stores in Italy have updated their webpages showing that doors will close early Wednesday and the company isn’t saying when they will be reopened.
The COVID-19 coronavirus claimed another planned convention Wednesday with the postponement of the National Association of Broadcasters convention, scheduled for late April in Las Vegas.
Dozens of the show’s exhibitors create a variety of products that work with Apple equipment, including Blackmagic Designs, Avid, Adobe, Padcaster, Microsoft, Boris FX, Panasonic, Canon, and Sony.
Thanks to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus, lots of people are being told to work from home. And that’s good, work-wise, because working from home can be relaxing, highly productive and, of course, very convenient. But depending on your family situation, your home layout and your guilty stress from feeling like you’re not doing enough, it also can be a nightmare.
Most of the Cult of Mac team works from home, so I asked for their top telecommuting tips. Here they are.
It’s now easier to keep track of the latest COVID-19 developments with Apple News. The service on Wednesday added a new coronavirus special coverage section dedicated to providing readers with updates on the outbreak.
Apple, Facebook, Google and other tech heavyweights are reportedly heading for the White House on Wednesday. There they’ll meet with officials from various government agencies to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak.
Apple on Tuesday confirmed that an employee at its Cork, Ireland, campus has contracted COVID-19.
The employee is now in self-isolation while Apple is deep cleaning all its offices, and some workers have been asked to remain at home while further assessments are carried out. Apple insists, however, that the risk to others is low.
Apple cancelled classes in its retail stores in two cities in California and Washington where the novel coronavirus is spreading. A check of the calendar for “Today at Apple” in both Seattle and San Francisco finds nothing scheduled.
However, this doesn’t seem to be a first step toward closing the Apple Stores in these cities. Even temporarily.
The global coronavirus outbreak is wreaking havoc on iPhone sales, but one Apple fan thinks Apple should turn its attention to the booming surgical facemask market with its own solution. Meet the Apple Mask.
Graphic designer Justin Ciappara whipped up this hilarious Apple Mask concept that perfectly hits all the Apple cliches. You’ve probably never seen a surgical mask that looks this good. And of course, it’s got a big price tag to match.
Check out the different options:
Apple’s iPhone sales declined to just 494,000 in China during February as the country grappled with the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, official figures from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology published Monday show.
CEO Tim Cook told Apple employees at company headquarters and other locations around the world to “please feel free to work remotely if your job allows” this week.
This guidance came in response to the COVID-19 disease that’s spreading across the United States.
Thanks to abject terror of the COVID-19 virus, I’ve started washing my iPhone along with my hands with ordinary soap and water.
It may prove to be a big mistake, but so far it’s fine. My iPhone 11 Pro Max is highly water-resistant and seems quite happy being soaped down a couple of times a day.
Apple has sent out a work-from-home recommendation to all of its Cupertino-based employees due to fears of the growing coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
It is unclear if the notice to employees at Apple Park and Infinite Loop was a suggestion and not a requirement and for how long the company is recommending its workers refrain from reporting to their offices.
