In a new patent application, Apple details an idea it’s experimenting with that would have Apple Watch users shake hands to exchange data (via PatentlyApple). The idea is simple. The patent application imagines two Apple Watch wearers exchanging data, such as contact information, for example, by performing common gestures like a handshake or a hug: Certain embodiments of the present invention can facilitate the exchange of information (including but not limited to contact information) between user devices (e....

While Apple Pay has grabbed all the attention in the mobile payment field, with the Google Wallet service launched back in 2011 having failed to make the same kind of splash, it appears that Google may be benefiting from the publicity generated by Apple. Sources cited by arsTechnica report that Google Wallet service has seen the number of users almost double, with a 50% increase in weekly transactions during the past couple of months … Google Wallet works in a similar fashion to Apple Pay at the till, providing a virtual payment card on a smartphone, though without fingerprint authorization for transactions....

According to a new note from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo at KGI Securities and corroborated by our sources, Apple plans to introduce a dramatically overhauled MacBook Pro later this year. Kuo says the device will have a new “thinner and lighter” design with design cues taken from the 12-inch MacBook, as well as Touch ID support and a new OLED display touch bar above the keyboard. Kuo’s report explains that the MacBook Pro updates are the “brightest spot for Apple’s 2016 rollouts” and will come to both the 13-inch and 15-inch models sometime during the fourth quarter of this year....

Apple is rolling out the fifth iOS 10.3 beta for developer testing on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The upcoming software update includes Find My AirPods support, CarPlay improvements, Apple’s new filesystem, and more. We’ll update and highlight any additional changes discovered below. iOS 10.3 is currently only available in beta for registered developers and public beta testers. The public beta version of each update usually follows a few days after the developer version if not the same day....

Apple released a supplemental update for OS X 10.8.2, just two weeks after releasing 10.8.2 to the masses. The update is very minor, offering a fix for three issues: The update is now available through Software Update on the Mac App Store. Resolves an issue that may cause certain Japanese characters to appear incorrectly in Mail Allows Safari to access secure sites when parental controls are enabled Addresses an issue that may prevent systems with more than 64 GB of RAM from starting up Thanks, Andrew!...

Apple has begun seeding the third update to its Safari Technology Preview, iOS 9.3.2 public beta 3, and OS X 10.11.5 developer beta 3. Safari’s update today includes changes in the way it works with JavaScript, CSS, web APIs, Web Inspector, rendering, security, networking and accessibility. iOS 9.3.2’s latest developer and public betas haven’t seen any major changes as it appears that this release is turning out to be more of a small bug fix release....

Apple today has released the second developer beta of iOS 13.3 today, following last week’s release of the first beta. tvOS 13.3 beta 2 is also now available, alongside watchOS 6.1.1. Update: iOS 13.3 public beta 2 is also being released today. iOS 13.3 includes a new option in Settings to disable the Memoji keyboard from always appearing alongside the emoji keyboard. Communication Limits are also now available through Screen Time, allowing you to set limits based on your contacts....

Update: iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1 developer beta 2 now available, as well as tvOS 13 beta 9. Apple is also releasing iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1 public beta 2 today. Apple will release the second developer beta of iOS 13.1 today. This comes after Apple kicked off the iOS 13.1 beta testing process last week. Apple’s public beta builds should follow at a later date after the latest developer beta has been tested in the wild....

Less than a month after relocating an aging store in Seattle’s University Village to a dramatically larger and more modern space nearby, Apple will do the same in Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza. According to a banner posted on the company’s retail website, the grand opening of the new Apple Broadway Plaza is set for July 28th at 10:00 A.M. The planned move will come shortly after Apple Piazza Liberty opens in Milan, Italy on July 26th....

We’re heading into the weekend with all of the best deals, headlined by a sale on a pair of Apple’s official MagSafe chargers from $30. That’s alongside an Apple Watch SE sale at up to $60 off. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Apple MagSafe Charger on sale ahead of next week’s event Over at Best Buy, we’re tracking an open-box discount on the MagSafe Duo Charger at $117....

Apple’s latest iOS devices are set to go on sale in just a few hours at 12AM PT/3AM ET and as usual the company has taken its online store offline to prepare for the release. The store will stay down until pre-orders open later tonight. The iPhone SE will be available in 16GB and 64GB varieties at $399 and $499 respectively. The device features a design nearly identical to that of the iPhone 5s, but largely the same internals as the iPhone 6s....

Ahead of Apple’s ‘Spring forward’ event on Monday where we expect to hear much more about the Apple Watch, more than a dozen new banks and credit unions have added support for Apple Pay. The Apple Watch will support the mobile payment service and extend Apple Pay support in stores beyond the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5s when paired. Following the addition of 18 new banks including credit unions for American Airlines and IBM today, Apple Pay is now supported by nearly 100 institutions....

After Japan, Beijing, Shanghai and – this week – New York City, Apple Pay Express Transit in London is up next. When iOS developer Aled Samuel tweeted Transport for London to ask, the organization confirmed that it will be introduced ‘in the coming months’ … Apple Pay can already be used on London’s tubes, trains, and buses. However, you need to authenticate the transactions just as you would for any other purchase....

JCPenney is following the lead set by Kohl’s and testing Apple Pay support for its store credit cards, according to a new report. JCP shoppers in Texas are being added to a pilot program that allows them to set up their store cards on their mobile devices for use in stores. The program seems to be limited to only one store at the moment, with a full rollout planned for spring 2016....

A San Jose Mercury News report reveals that Apple is planning to expand its operations to a new Sunnyvale, CA campus. At 290,000 square feet, the Sunnyvale Crossing is a bit smaller than Apple’s previous 350,000 square foot Sunnyvale expansion (though it has one more building than the previous expansion). Apple is currently in the process of constructing its new “spaceship” headquarters, which is expected to be completed by 2016 and will help alleviate some of the need for these external campuses and allow the company to bring more of its corporate team together in one place....

Following today’s WWDC 2020 opening keynote, Apple has just released the first developer beta versions of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS 11 Big Sur, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14. These updates are available through the Apple Developer portal, for members of the Apple Developer Program. We don’t recommend that you install beta software on your main devices, as these versions often have bugs that may cause the system and installed apps to not work properly....

Apple has released iOS 12.5 for older iPhone models today, bringing support for COVID-19 exposure notifications. This is a major change as it expands contact tracing to iPhones that don’t support iOS 14, including devices like the massively popular iPhone 6 series. Here’s what Apple says about the release of iOS 12.5: Apple also adds that iOS 12.5 includes additional “security updates” and that the release is recommended for all users....

Apple has just released a new beta seed of the upcoming OS X 10.10.4 update. Users who are part of the company’s AppleSeed beta program and registered Mac developers can download the operating system from the Updates tab of the App Store or the Mac Developer Center. This is the fourth developer seed that has been released. It comes with a build number of 14E26a. The previous build was released on May 11th with a build number of 14E17e....

It’s been eight years since Apple unveiled its last retail in the United Kingdom. Now, it appears the company is readying another store in the region. As reported by Michael Steeber in his latest Tabletops newsletter, Apple has begun hiring for a brand new store in Greater London, which will be the first new store location in the UK since Apple Edinburgh opened in 2014. Steeber also notes that apart from that, the last most significant project in the region was the renovation of Apple Covent Garden in 2018....

Well, what do you know, it looks like Apple’s ambitious messaging service unveiled Monday as part of the iOS 5 software is seen as a threat to Research In Motion’s popular BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging protocol for BlackBerry devices. According to TechRadar, investors punished the BlackBerry maker’s stock Tuesday as they digested Apple’s iMessage: Why are investors worried about iMessage affecting RIM’s chat service? Well, as author Kate Solomon pointed out, “until Monday, BlackBerry Messenger was the only IM service of its kind and had proven very popular with the teenage market”....