Apple has long talked about blurring the line between technology and fashion, especially with the launch of the Apple Watch, and today it partnered with fashion guru Alexander Wang to launch a fashion channel on Apple Music. As reported by Vogue, Wang has partnered with Apple to launch a series of three playlists: Chill, Hype, and Vibe. Apple Music’s first fashion channel comes following the company’s decision to sponsor the 2016 Met Gala, which focused on merging the technology and fashion industries....

While Apple appears to view the Lightning port as the future headphone connector of choice, with some manufacturers already on board, there are plenty of us who’ll be reluctant to replace our existing, expensive headphones. Which poses something of a problem as iPhones and iPads continue to get slimmer, and existing ones barely accommodate the 3.5mm socket. Apple, however, has a potential solution to this in a patent granted today (via Patently Apple)....

Update: Here’s Apple’s comment on the matter: Apple has today pulled iOS 9.3.2 for the 9.7 inch iPad Pro, following reports that users were seeing their iPads bricked after updating to the latest iOS release on Monday. The bug does not affect the larger, 12.9 inch iPad Pro. After updating, users seeing the bug would be prompted to Connect to iTunes on the iPad display. However, aside from an Error 56 debug message, the device could not be restored through iTunes or DFU....

Apple has released iOS 6.1 to iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV users. This public release follows five beta seeds to developers. The update is currently coming through over-the-air. To download the update directly from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, head to Settings, then General, then Software Update. Your device will include installation instructions and release information here. The update includes the following improvements for iOS device users:...

Apple has just released a new download for users on OS X Mavericks to address the recently-discovered “Shellshock” bug. Apple previously noted that that only a few Macs were actually impacted by the bug and that most users were protected by default. The company promised to release an update shortly to address those who had manually configured their computers in a way that left them exposed. For users on older versions of OS X, the Mavericks fix will not work....

Following news of a few new office openings outside of Cupertino lately, Apple has reportedly moved into office space in Lund, Sweden recently as well. The report comes from news agency Rapidus, which confirmed with the building’s owner that Apple is indeed moving in. “Anna Stenkil, from the property owner Vasakronan, confirms that Apple has moved in. − It’s true that they are working here. I cannot tell you anything else, she says to Rapidus....

A month after removing Infowars podcasts from Apple Podcasts, Apple today has removed the Infowars application from the App Store. The company confirmed the decision to BuzzFeed News late on Friday evening. Apple didn’t offer specific reasoning for the removal, instead pointing to its general App Store Guidelines. As BuzzFeed News notes, the App Store Guidelines are blatantly against defamatory statements, with the first clause prohibiting: Apple confirmed that the ban of the Infowars application is permanent and that the application will never be allowed back on the App Store....

Apple has a big announcement for the repair industry today. The new “Self Service Repair” program will allow customers to complete their own repairs on their devices, including common repairs such as battery replacements, iPhone screen replacements, and more. Through the new Self Service Repair program, customers will have access to Apple genuine parts and tools to complete the repairs. Apple says that Self Service Repair will first be available for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, followed by M1 Macs in the future....

Apple has enabled a new category on the iOS App Store designed to help shoppers find apps for specific retailers. The Shopping category is now rolling out worldwide and includes apps from companies including Apple, Target, eBay. and Groupon. As the inclusion of these apps demostrates, the section can be used to track down not only products, but also deals, coupons, and auctions. Previously such apps were grouped into the Lifestyle section, which wasn’t the best fit as that also included apps with a wide variety of purposes ranging from keeping up with the Kardashians to connected appliance management....

Apple’s Canadian HQ used to be located in a 78,000 square foot building on the outskirts of Toronto, but the company has recently moved into a smaller downtown location as it looks for a tenant to take over its previous headquarters for the country, according to sources close to the situation. It’s unclear if the seemingly smaller location, located at 120 Bremner Boulevard Suite 1600, will be the new Canadian HQ for Apple, but sources say the company is already in the process of selling its old headquarters located at 7495 Birchmount Road in Markham, Ontario through DTZ Property Services....

Apple originally launched its own News app for iOS last June and now the company looks to be expanding the ad offerings of which publishers can take advantage. According to a support document updated recently, Apple will soon start allowing ads that resemble normal articles in the Apple News app (via BI). According to the document, the new format will be “displayed directly in the content feeds, inline with News articles” and carry an appearance nearly identical to that of normal articles....

Someone identifying as “Thrax” has managed to successfully send an offensive notification to Apple News users through Fast Company’s account. Evidence of the apparent hack began populating Twitter on Tuesday night as iPhone users posted screenshots confirming the same experience. The offensive notification ended with the message that “Thrax was here”, although it’s currently unclear who this identity is claiming to be. While it’s not known how exactly this actually happened, it is highly unlike that the Apple News platform was compromised in any way....

Apple today has taken the wraps off of a new (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The device was unveiled alongside a new iPad and a new social video editing app. Apple made the announcement in a press release, which contained quotes from Tim Cook and offered up more details on the (RED) initiative. In the press release, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained that (RED) gives customers an unprecedented way to contribute to the Global Fund for AIDS research....

As part of a broader push in late night TV advertising, Saturday Night Live is partnering with Apple to create commercial content. According to a report from Variety, Apple has agreed to a deal with SNL for humorous commercial content starring cast members from the show… The report explains that SNL has also inked a deal with Verizon for a similar partnership. This deal will see Saturday Night Live “Weekend Update” anchor Colin Jost write a commercial spot for the carrier, while the ad itself will star Kenan Thompson....

Apple Pay continues to pick up new banks and credit unions every few weeks — and soon three new countries. These are the latest new entries with banks added in the US, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, France, and Spain. United States Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Chesapeake Bank Citizens National Bank (TX) Classic Bank Dowell Federal Credit Union Embarrass Vermillion Federal Credit Union Farmers Bank and Trust (both KY and TX now) First Bank (MI) First Farmers State Bank First Point Federal Credit Union First State Bank and Trust Houston Police Federal Credit Union incrediblebank Kelly Community Federal Credit Union Magnolia State Bank North Central Bank Ocean Financial Federal Credit Union Oregonians Credit Union Scott and White Employees Credit Union Southern Heritage Bank State Highway Patrol Federal Credit Union (OH) Summit Ridge Credit Union Surrey Bank & Trust The First National Bank of Dennison Trademark Federal Credit Union TruChoice Federal Credit Union Australia...

Despite Kodak filing for bankruptcy and planning to sell its digital camera business, Bloomberg reported that Apple asked permission from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to sue Kodak over patent infringement related to digital cameras, printers, and digital picture frames. Apple will also file a lawsuit in Manhattan with the U.S. District Court and a complaint with the International Trade Commission. If Apple is allowed to continue with the suit, it could request a block on the majority of products Kodak plans to focus on after closing its camera business:...

Apple is releasing the first public beta of iOS 13.4.5 and iPadOS 13.4.5 today. Apple started beta testing this update earlier this month for developers, and released the second developer beta yesterday. [U: Now available] iOS 13.4.5 is focused primarily on bug fixes and performance improvements. The release notes for this update are generic. “This beta version of iOS 13.4.5 contains bug fixes and improvements,” Apple says. One change is that with iOS 13....

After debuting iOS 14.3, watchOS 7.2, and more yesterday, Apple has released iOS 14.3 for HomePod and HomePod mini. iOS 14.3 for Apple’s smart speakers comes with the generic and sparse release notes: “This update includes general performance and stability improvements.” It doesn’t look like this release includes the new handoff experience between HomePod mini and iPhone’s with the U1 chip. But unless Apple pushes back the timeline, we should see it before the end of the year....

What’s New in the iOS 11.3.1 Update and Should You Upgrade? If you replaced your iPhone 8 display recently through a third party using non-genuine or non-OEM parts, you might have gotten a surprise when you updated to iOS 11.3; the touch screen stopped working or did not respond accurately. This was partly due to a chip included in the new iPhones that disables core functionality such as touch when modifications have been made....

One big change for Apple with the unveiling of OS X Yosemite today is Bing web searches in the completely revamped Spotlight feature. Spotlight, which allows users to look up anything locally on their Mac as well as perform web searches, received a redesigned user experience in Yosemite, but it might have also received a switch to Bing from Google search. To be fair, the “web search” feature of spotlight prior to Yosemite actually just defaults to the default search engine in your browser of choice....