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In an interesting new promotional angle for Apple TV+, the company has uploaded the first episode of its new original series The Afterparty to YouTube, for anyone to watch in full for free. This means Apple can take advantage of the natural discovery and virality aspects of YouTube platform to spread awareness of the show, which then hopefully convert into paid viewers of the remaining episodes on Apple’s streaming service....

The Apple TV app on both Android TV and Google TV no longer offers the option to buy or rent movies, while Apple TV+ subscriptions can still be purchased. It’s being suggested that the change may have been made to avoid Google’s 30% commission on sales through its platforms … FlatpanelsHD confirmed earlier reports by Reddit users. The site site suggests this may be over in-app purchase commissions. The Apple TV app arrived on Google TV in early 2021 and on Android TV in the summer of 2021, complete with Apple TV+ access, channels, and the ability to rent and purchase iTunes movies directly on the device....

Apple today is rolling out a small update to its iMovie video editing software on the Mac. The update bumps the app to version 10.1.2 and follows an update that fixed YouTube sharing bugs and improved stability. Today’s update includes a couple of changes that improve navigation, as well as your standard bug fixes and stability improvements. First off, Apple has made it easier to find the “New Project” button in the Projects browser and has also introduced something it is calling “fast project creation” to easily begin editing footage with a single click....

We’ve seen an increasingly heated Apple versus Facebook battle over the upcoming App Tracking Transparency feature, which will require apps to seek permission to capture data that can be used to deliver personalized ads. Facebook has claimed that the change will hurt small businesses by making their ads much less effective. But a piece in the Harvard Business Review says that this is misleading … Background For advertisers to show you personalized ads, they need to be able to uniquely track you, and Apple has long provided a privacy-respecting method of doing so: Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA)....

Apple Watch is designed to be charged on a nightly basis. However, a small subset of users prefer to charge Apple Watch throughout the day to track sleep at night. If you’re in the minority that charges Apple Watch during the day, follow along as we guide you through how to disable Nightstand mode for Apple Watch. How to turn off Nightstand mode On Apple Watch, head to Settings > General > Nightstand Mode....

We’re heading into the weekend with all of the best Apple deals, which are headlined by up to $140 in savings on the Apple Watch Series 6. That’s alongside Apple’s new iPad mini 2021 dropping to $459 as a pre-order and the official Leather MagSafe Wallet at $49. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Not sold on Series 7? Save up to $140 on Apple Watch Series 6 Going with the Apple Watch Series 6 doesn’t mean you’re going to be sacrificing too much....

. NetworkWorld has a great pull of a Jony Ive deposition which references looks at early iPad prototypes which were much thicker, made of plastic and buttonless on the face: During the course of the deposition, Ive at one point is shown photos of a three dimensional mockup of a tablet that Apple produced as part of the discovery process. It’s referred to as the 035 mockup or prototype. Ive is then asked if he’d seen the mockup before, and if so, when....

Following the launch of Apple News+, Apple confirmed last month that it would shut down Texture at the end of May. Apple originally acquired Texture in March of 2018, using it as the basis for what would become Apple News+. Now, a new report from the New York Post offers more information on the details of Apple’s Texture acquisition. According to the report, Apple will have paid $485 million when it is all said and done for Texture....

Apple’s chief financial officer Luca Maestri has said that the company expects its growing revenue from services like iCloud and Apple Music to boost Apple’s overall profit margin, but the exact impact will depend on the product mix within the category … Maestri was quoted by Reuters. It’s an interesting statement, as Apple’s company-wide margin currently sits at 38.3%. Apple says that the App Store is the largest component of services revenue, but Apple’s gross cut is 30% of sales and 15% of subscriptions – both before operating costs....

Earlier this month, Apple started pushing back the estimated shipping times for its new line of 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously warned prior to the launch of the new lineup that the company expected significant delays leading into the holidays. While the 21.5-inch iMacs are still listed at “7-10 days” on at least Apple’s United States and Canada online stores, the 27-inch model is now listed as shipping in “January”....

Apple today announced that, despite production concerns and struggles, the iPhone X will be available in retail stores for walk-in customers on Friday, November 3rd. Some had speculated that initial orders would be limited to online only. Apple obviously didn’t address how many units will be available in store, but it’s likely that supply will be incredibly constrained. Apple even says that walk-in customers “are encouraged to arrive early.” Last year, Apple announced ahead of the iPhone 7’s release that all Jet Black iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models had sold out during pre-orders and that there would be no in-store availability....

Apple today announced that it will be reinstating the Siri audio program later in the year with some new policy changes. Apple apologized for how it previously handled user data. The company says it will no longer retain audio recordings by default. Users will have to opt in if they want Apple to use voice samples, and Apple will aim to delete any recordings that are inadvertent activations. Also, Apple says that only Apple employees will be allowed to listen to Siri recordings from now on....

A source has just dropped a load of unconfirmed information on us for what is being internally referred to as “Apple Store 2.0.” Apple Store 2.0 is a major makeover for the Apple retail store experience. Apple has been working on this new type of Apple store for a while now and the development’s ceiling does not only reach Apple’s Senior VP of Retail Ron Johnson, but was led by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Apple design chief Jony Ive....

A Los Angeles landmark is ready to shine again. Apple will soon premiere its historic Tower Theatre restoration project in the Broadway Theater district. ➤ Apple Tower Theatre will become one of Apple’s most significant flagship stores and is the first Apple Store in Downtown Los Angeles. Apple today decorated the store with artwork confirming a grand opening on June 24. ➤ Working with architects Foster + Partners, Apple completed a comprehensive restoration of a cherished L....

Apple is continuing to grow its international content ambitions. Today, Variety announced a first-look deal between Apple and AR Content, the production company led by Academy Award nominated producer and directory Alexander Rodynansky. AR Content will produce Russian-language and multilingual shows for Apple TV+. Rodnyansky says Apple is the first global streaming platform to form a strategic partnership with a Russian production company. The Apple TV+ slate is currently dominated by US and Canadian content, almost exclusively in English....

The Apple TV app is taking a page out of the playbook of other streaming services and pushing “Featured” content over the more useful “Up Next” aggregation. With a change rolling out starting today, the first thing you’ll see when you open the TV app is a dedicated row for “Featured” content… This new dedicated row for “Featured” content replaces the new previous top-level row for “Up Next.” The Up Next row aggregates the next episodes of TV shows you’re watching from any app that integrates with the TV app, which is essentially any streaming service app other than Netflix....

With new Apple products available to all customers, Apple VP of Product Marketing for Home and Audio Tim Twerdahl sat with Express to talk about the new “future-proofing” Apple TV 4K and its second-generation Siri Remote, which was inspired by the iPod. According to Twerdahl, in this new interview, he took a look back in the first remotes for on-demand formats: “If you think about it, since we first had on-demand formats, like the VCRs and DVDs, we’ve been stuck with those 2X, 4X, 8X kind of control speeds and it’s just not very intuitive or useful....

IDC is out today with its numbers on the global sales of wearables for 2017. Without any surprise, the data shows Apple Watch on top, like we saw confirmed from other firms last month. IDC’s report shows Apple as the global leader in wearables for Q4 2017 with 8 million units shipped. Fitbit came in a relatively distant second place with 5.4 million sales. Apple also took the number one spot for 2017 sales overall with 17....

A new Counterpoint Research says global smartwatch shipments had a 35% jump YoY in Q1 2021. The Apple Watch accounts for a third of the smartwatch market in this quarter, according to the new data. According to the report, Apple maintained its leadership position catalyzing the overall market growth by recording a 50% YoY increase in the demand for the Series 6 models. Apple saw its market share climb by 3%....

While Apple has expanded its band lineup for spring 2017 with several new styles and colors, it has also limited the band options that come with new Apple Watch purchases. Apple Watch Series 2 is now only available with Sport Band and Milanese Loop when purchased new, essentially increasing the cost of the premium leather and metal link bracelets at least for new buyers. Apple has previously offered Apple Watch with several different options without buying separate bands including Classic Buckle, Leather Loop, Modern Buckle, Woven Nylon, and Link Bracelet....