The successful Apple Original ‘Wolfwalkers’ scores another win in an award ceremony, this time, the animated film won five Annie Awards, including Best Indie Feature and Best Direction. ‘Wolfwalkers’, which is one of the contents available on Apple TV+ that were nominated for this years Oscars, won its first Annie Awards from ASIFA-Hollywood on Friday night in the following categories: Best Indie Feature; Best Character Design; Best Direction; Best Production Design; Best Voice Acting....

Several banks have between them announced that Apple Pay is coming to seven more European countries ‘soon.’ Bizarrely, Mobile bank N26 deleted the Facebook post in which it named five of the countries, but its Twitter accounts confirmed one of them and announced another, with those posts still up … The countries are: Austria Estonia Greece Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia A MacRumors reader first drew attention to the N26 announcement....

Apple Pay is reportedly coming to Austria within the next few months. Negotiations with Apple are being undertaken on behalf of all Austrian banks by Payment Service Austria (PSA) … derStandard cites two sources stating that negotiations are expected to successfully conclude within ‘the coming months.’ PSA confirmed to the site that it is negotiating with Apple, but declined to say when the service would launch. Apple declined to comment....

We’ve been hearing rumors about AirPods 3 for a while now, and there’s strong evidence that Apple will introduce the next generation of its entry-level wireless earbuds next week. Meanwhile, ahead of all these rumors, Apple has just shared a new advertisement highlighting AirPods Pro. Titled “Jump,” the new video shows an AirPods Pro user running and jumping as he listens to a song with Apple’s wireless earphones. At the same time, the ad highlights the Active Cancellation Mode, which reduces noise from the external environment....

Along with iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4, Apple has released ARKit 3.5 to let developers take advantage of the new LiDAR Scanner in the new iPad Pro. The latest ARKit release features Scene Geometry, Instant AR, and improved Motion Capture and People Occlusion. Apple announced the update in a post on its developer site today: Here’s how Apple describes the three major changes that come with ARKit 3.5: Apple has shared some examples for how the LiDAR Scanner on the iPad Pro will improve some of the existing AR experiences out there but we’ll have to wait until this summer or fall to hear more about all-new AR tools and apps that could be enabled by the new hardware....

Apple has begun seeding the fourth watchOS 3.2.3 beta for Apple Watch. The update is only available to registered developers for testing. watchOS 3.2.3 beta follows the release of watchOS 3.2.2 for all users. Both updates focus on bug fixes and performance improvements. watchOS 3.2.3 is only available to registered developers. Apple features a public beta program for iOS and macOS while watchOS and tvOS are developer only. We’ll update if any changes or release notes are discovered or shared....

iOS 13.2.3 for iPhone and iPadOS 13.2.3 for iPad Apple continues to work out the kinks in iOS 13, which was released back in September. Today’s update fixes odd issues related to the Spotlight system search feature with Mail, Files, and Note apps. Mail is also being updated to resolve a problem in getting new messages. And this update fixes a problem with apps not downloading content in the background. To download and install today’s latest update on your iPhone or iPad, head to Settings > General > Software Update....

In a small change to their online checkout system, Apple has removed the support for bank transfer payments (also known as prepayment) from their online store in Germany. It’s unclear if any other countries are currently affected in the online store change but the change today leaves German buyers with the choice of using a credit card, PayPal, or financing as payment options. The prepayment option previously offered to German Apple online store customers allowed buyers to complete a bank wire transfer instead of using a credit card or PayPal to purchase their products....

If you ever looked at the HomePod mini and thought it could work as a battery-powered smart speaker, you’re not alone, as a report indicates Apple discussed and prototyped a product like this. In the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman talks about Apple’s plan for a battery-powered HomePod. Although the company ultimately scrapped its plans, it’s surprising to discover that it thought about a new kind of smart speaker for its lineup....

Update: When reached for clarification, Apple said “This is not a new guideline. We have never allowed apps on the App Store that are designed to interfere with the performance or capabilities of other apps.” It also said it would remove other apps that offer features that block advertising in third-party apps if they “may have snuck on to the App Store.” Apple added, “We have always supported advertising as one of the many ways that developers can make money with apps....

The goal of Worlds AIDS Day, recognized on December 1st in the UK, US and many other countries, is to raise awareness for the AIDS pandemic with a number of charities and organizations showing support and throwing events during the first week of December. One of those organizations is Product(RED), a charity that that Apple has long contributed to by selling red versions of its products. In September, the official (Product)RED Twitter account revealed that Apple’s contributions to the charity had reached $65 million, making it the largest contributor to the charity out of all participating companies....

Fortune reports that Apple’s stock repurchase scheme – buying back some of its own shares – is proceeding more than three times faster than scheduled. If Fortune‘s numbers are correct, then Apple has already spent almost all of the $17B it borrowed back in April. Accelerating the planned repurchase program makes sense if you expect the stock to cost less now than it will later. In other words, if you’re expecting the stock price to climb … If you’re wondering why a company awash with cash (now standing at $146B) would need to borrow money, the reason is tax....

Apple last month launched its traditional Back to School campaign in the US and Canada. This year, the offer gives students and educators a free gift card of up to $150 for those who purchase eligible Mac and iPad models. Now it seems that Apple is getting ready to launch the campaign in Europe as well. The Portuguese website iFeed.pt has heard from sources familiar with the matter that Apple’s 2022 Back to School campaign will be launched in European countries next week....

Apple’s new iCloud Web apps are built using the same SproutCore Javascript engine that was used throughout MobileMe. If the favicon above doesn’t prove it, looking at the underlying code below seems to offer undeniable evidence. SproutCore describes itself as an open-source framework for building blazingly fast, innovative user experiences on the web. Here’s a nice interview with Charles Jolley, one of the founders of SproutCore and previous MobileMe Javascript Frameworks Manager....

As promised, Apple has begun pre-orders for the anticipated iPhone 4S. Pre-ordering is now available in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom through Apple’s website. Additionally, carriers in these countries are offering pre-orders through their individual websites. In the US, the iPhone 4S is available for order right now through AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and for the first time, Sprint. Pre-orders placed in time through Apple will be delivered on the October 14 release date....

We got word that Apple will release a set of new Lightning cables at today’s event. The four cables and prices are below. Note: Apple has broken out the Lightning USB adapter from the SD card kit, and it is charging $29 for each (thanks!). Most people will probably opt to buy the Lightning USB adapter and a cheap USB-to-SDCard adapter. Also, note that a new 60W MagSafe power adapter is available almost certainly for new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro....

As found in some durability tests, the black iPhone 5’s back tends to scratch much easier than its glass-backed iPhone 4/4S predecessors. However, the aluminum back obviously stands up to drops much better than glass. When given the option, I would probably take the scratches. Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color. That is normal. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OSFKVq36Hgc] We can also confirm Schiller is up and answering customer emails at 6:13 a....

In a press release, Apple has announced it is opening a new development office in Hyderabad, India. The team located here will apparently focus on improving Apple Maps, which is deeply integrated across Apple’s hardware and software as dedicated apps and embedded in other services, like Siri. The new center will create up to 4000 new jobs in the local economy. It is currently unclear as to the nature of the workforce, as Apple has preferred to keep its core software engineering team in California with most working solely in Cupertino....

New banks and credit unions across the United States have joined Apple’s list of participating partners as part of the first expansion of Apple Pay in September. Check out the latest Apple Pay banks below: Community National Bank & Trust of Texas First State Bank of Mendota First State Bank Southwest Great Plains Bank Great Southern Bank Holyoke Credit Union Icon Credit Union Landings Credit Union Mascoma Savings Bank McIntosh County Bank Park National Bank Texas Brand Bank Xplore Federal Credit Union In addition to the latest participating banks to work with Apple Pay, Apple announced some new features at WWDC coming to the mobile payment service with iOS 11 and watchOS 4....

Following a lawsuit filed three and a half years ago by NetAirus Technologies LLC, Apple is preparing for a legal battle in Los Angeles federal court over a patent regarding the iPhone and smartphone technologies, Bloomberg reports. California man Richard L. Ditzik filed for a patent in 1997 that describes smartphone technologies and behavior, but Apple believes his claim should be invalidated based alone on capabilities of its Newton message pad three years prior....