Apple has released the third iOS 9.3 public beta to non-developer testers today. iOS 9.3 public beta 3 follows this week’s third developer iOS 9.3 beta release as well. The latest beta cleans up issues introduced in the last version while adding some new features as well. iOS 9.3, which is expected to be released to everyone next month, adds loads of new features for iPhones and iPads including Night Shift mode to change the display temperature for evening reading, Touch ID/secure passwords to protect Notes, new 3D Touch shortcuts on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, enhancements to the Health and Activity apps, iCloud for iBooks PDF syncing, and much more....

Steve Jobs went ballistic, giving Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer an earful for stealing the most important games developer then on the Mac, Bungie Software, way back in 2000. As a result of Jobs’ angry call to Ballmer, Ed Fries, the former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft, and the man central to Microsoft’s acquisition of Rare and Bungie, was told to broker a deal with Apple to appease Jobs. As the video above shows, Jobs was particularly annoyed at the Microsoft deal because he’d hosted a public preview of Halo at a Macworld Apple event just months before....

Google Maps may no longer hold the spotlight in iOS 6, but a new report indicates its direct competition in Russia is apparently able to power some Apple Maps features. Yandex sports the majority market share in Russia, and a report from TechCrunch this morning, which cited sources “close to the situation,” claimed the search engine’s built-in API serves up details on local businesses when iOS 6 users seek information in Maps....

Apple has scored a belated additional victory against Samsung in its endless patent trial battle with the smartphone rival. Apple had originally asked the court for two remedies: financial compensation, and an injunction forbidding Samsung from continuing to sell devices which infringed its patents. The court said yes to the first, no to the second. As the WSJ reports, a federal appeals court judge has ruled that the court should have also granted the injunction....

About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that has been uploaded to the Google Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Apple may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect....

Apple’s first pair of applications for Android, Apple Music and Move to iOS, may be the start of Apple opening up even further to Google’s mobile platform. According to a new job listing on Apple’s website, the Cupertino-based company is “looking for engineers to help [Apple] bring exciting new mobile products to the Android platform.” The presence of the word “new” seems to indicate that Apple’s plans go beyond the already announced Apple Music and Move to iOS apps…...

In a new promo for Drake’s newly dropped album Scorpion, Apple Music is letting users create their own personalized album art based on the new record cover. This is done by uploading your own photo (or someone else’s if you’re being creative) and supplying your own signature in place of Drake’s… Dubbed Make Your Drake, the tool can create some unique, personal artwork for users to share and save. Drake’s new album is available today on Apple Music, and features artists including Jay-Z and the late Michael Jackson....

Apple this weekend has started accepting donations via the iTunes Store for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. CEO Tim Cook announced the efforts in a post on Twitter this morning as damage is assessed around areas of Texas where Hurricane Harvey made landfall. Apple is partnering with the American Red Cross to allow iTunes users to easily donate to relief efforts. Customers can donate in $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, and $200 denominations and Apple will transfer 100 percent of the proceeds to the Red Cross....

As part of its quarterly earnings call release, the company announced that its services bundle Apple One will be officially launching tomorrow, on Friday 30th. Apple One combines Apple Music, iCloud, Apple Arcade and Apple TV+ at a discounted price for individuals and families. For $30 a month, the top tier plan Apple One Premier includes 2 TB of iCloud and Apple News+. It will also include access to Fitness+, Apple’s upcoming workout videos service that will debut before the end of the year....

Pictured above: The Rosenstraße Galerie Apple store in München According to a German-language blog, Macerkopf.de, the Mac maker will open four more stores in the country this year. Hamburg should get its second store this year, Augsburg will get one and the aforementioned Berlin store is due later this year. The latest news is that another store is set to open in Sulzbach near Frankfurt as well, pointing to several job openings in the Sulzbach, Hessen region....

Apple is preparing for upcoming openings of two new notable retail stores including its first in Mexico and its second store in Cologne, Germany. Both stores are preparing for openings with Apple’s usual practice of large barricades blocking public view while the company puts on finishing touches and prepares for grand openings, as pictured above and below. The first store in Mexico has been covered with a colorful barricade with text that translates to “Hello Mexico, we have much to celebrate,” a welcome for the country’s first official Apple retail store to be located in the Centro Santa Fe shopping mall....

Apple has rolled out a more granular System Status Page for its slew of online services, as noted by The Next Web. The new page covers the system status of all of Apple’s internet services, stores, and individual iCloud features. Additionally, the new website features an easy to track time graph of downtime across all of Apple’s online services. Earlier today, we noted that Apple’s iCloud services had been seeing unexpected downtime over the past few days....

iBeacon, Apple’s new framework for using low-cost Bluetooth LE devices to beam notifications to nearby smartphones and tablets, will soon be getting a bigger push from Apple and third-party manufacturers through its Made-For-iPhone program. While “iBeacon” is often used in the media to describe any Bluetooth beacon, Apple is now implementing tighter control over who can use the ‘iBeacon’ branding. Much like it requires for manufacturers placing the “Made-for-iPhone” branding on Apple authorized devices, Apple is now requiring manufacturers meet certain specifications before using ‘iBeacon’ on their products....

Apple has released the second iOS 10.3 public beta for testing on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 10.3 public beta 2 follows the second developer version of the upcoming software update. Apple’s public beta program is free to participate in unlike its paid developer program. iOS 10.3 will be released to everyone likely this spring, and the public beta allows more users to test pre-release versions of the software update before it’s finalized....

In addition to the release of iOS 14 beta 3, Apple today has also released watchOS 7 beta 3 to developers. watchOS 7 includes new features such as sleep tracking, new watch face features, fitness improvements, and more. watchOS 7 beta 3 can be installed by developers through the companion Apple Watch app on iPhone or by heading to the Settings app on the Apple Watch itself. If you don’t yet see the new beta on your device, be sure to keep checking as it’s still rolling out to all developers....

Apple today is releasing the fourth developer beta of iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4. This update comes a week after the third release of iOS 13.4 for developers. iOS 13.4 includes new features like iCloud Drive folder sharing and much more. Update: The fourth developer betas of iOS 13.4, macOS Catalina 10.15.4, iPadOS 13.4, and tvOS 13.4 are now available. watchOS 6.2 remains in its third beta version. Apple is also releasing the fourth public beta versions today as well....

According to Bloomberg Law’s story, the proposed union would include 107 workers at an Apple Store in Cumberland Mall in northwest Atlanta, with 70% of workers signing cards of support and planning to file an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board. Bloomberg report that organizers plans to raise base wages to $28 an hour, which is $8 more than Apple currently pays. That said, this is still below the living wage of $31 per hour as a single parent with one child needs to live there, according to the Massachussets Institute of Technology....

After years of rumors and speculation, Apple has spoken publicly for the first time about their plans to restore the historic Tower Theatre in downtown Los Angeles into a flagship retail location, screening renderings of the space and discussing their goals for the project. In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Apple’s senior director of retail design BJ Siegel explained that the planned stored will be “in the upper echelon of what Apple does,” noting its distinction from the other three Apple retail locations in the L....

Apple has officially announced its new wireless charging accessories for the iPhone 12. In an all-new line of MagSafe for iPhone accessories, there are cases, chargers, and more. There are a variety of accessories from Apple under the new MagSafe for iPhone branding, including new silicon, clear, and leather cases, wireless chargers, and a wallet case. There is also a MagSafe Duo charger that allows you to charge your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time....

Last year’s Back to School $100 gift card We heard from sources that Apple Stores began receiving several boxes of $100 App Store/iTunes Store/iBookstore cards. These cards are apparently for a reboot of Apple’s “Back to School” promotion. With the boxes delivering this weekend, it seems likely the promotion will kickoff tomorrow. Apple is holding its Worldwide Developers Conference today and plans to announce several new Macs. It would be the perfect time to kickoff the Back to School promotion for 2012....