Reports from local French newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré (via iPhone.fr) claim Apple has signed contracts to open a new R&D lab in Grenoble, France focusing on imaging technologies. Apple has already had a team of researchers working secretively in the area, according to the reports, but a new 800 square meter R&D lab will allow it to expand to a team of approximately 30 people. Apple is said to have chosen the location due a collaboration with semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics, a supplier of components for various Apple products including past iPhone models and Apple Watch....

Apple has opened a new studio in New York City for its always-on Beats 1 radio station. Fast Company reports that the studio is located in Manhattan’s Union Square, and that artists and hosts will be able to broadcast live from the studio, as well as pre-record shows whenever that happens to be more convenient. The new Manhattan studio joins existing studios in Los Angels and London. Beats 1 shows, specifically those hosted by Ebro Darden, have been broadcast from New York City on a regular basis, but not from a dedicated studio....

Apple has just updated its Supplier Responsibility page to say that it is performing a “fact-finding visit” to Bangka Island, Indonesia to investigate whether or not its suppliers are sourcing tin from illegal mines (via The Verge). In an effort to “better understand the situation,” the company says that it has funded a new environmental task force to send to the area. Apple currently has 249 suppliers using tin in components of its products, more than any other metal....

Following reports late last week that Apple is suing its iPhone modem supplier Qualcomm for $1 billion in the US, today Beijing’s Intellectual Property Court said Apple has also filed a similar suit in China seeking 1 billion yuan or over $140 million in damages (via Reuters). In response to the new lawsuit, Qualcomm today issued its own press release and noted that Apple is claiming the company is in violation of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law....

Apple has released new spring-infused colors two popular 10.5-inch iPad Pro accessories — the Leather Sleeve and Smart Cover. The Leather Sleeve is a high quality, all leather product with a slot for Apple Pencil storage. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro also features a first party Leather Sleeve accessory, but these two new colors appear exclusive to the smaller, and likely more popular, 10.5-inch iPad Pro. Along with the Leather Sleeve colors, Apple has also introduced two Smart Covers for the iPad Pro featuring new colors....

If you’re wondering whether your car’s wireless phone charger will work with this year’s iPhones, an Apple support document has the answer. It lists 14 brands whose chargers will work with the iPhone 8. Although Apple doesn’t yet list the iPhone X, the same chargers should work, though there are a couple of provisos to note with both the iPhone 8 Plus and four of the car brands … Apple says that the wireless chargers in cars made by the following ten manufacturers support the Qi standard and will work with the iPhone 8:...

As Apple’s next-generation iPhone festivities come closer to reality, Apple appears set to discontinue their Bumper case – the controversial $30 accessory which Apple provided free of charge to users complaining about their iPhone 4 antenna connection. Some have said that $30 is a bit expensive for a piece of rubber. As Apple transitions its iPhone line to the iPhone 5, some may not find Apple’s discontinuation of an iPhone 4 accessory surprising....

Apple may be planning to launch an updated version of the iPhone SE with a faster chip early next year, according to at least one rumor. Apple upgraded the storage options for the current iPhone SE earlier this year, but the processor and other specs remained the same. If the current rumor comes to fruition, the iPhone SE would see a speed boost by switching from the A9 chip used in the iPhone 6s from late 2015 to the A10 chip used in the iPhone 7 from late 2016....

With five days to go before WWDC, Apple now is the official registrant behind iCloud.com. It appears that there may just be some live iCloud demos in store (shocking, we know). Also, it explains why Apple had to go public about the iCloud.com – the domain registration would have went public beforehand anyhow iCloud to get EDU-only discount pricing? (9to5mac.com) Conveniently, Apple trademarks iCloud in Europe (9to5mac.com) Official: Steve Jobs to unveil iCloud, iOS 5, and Lion June 6 at WWDC (9to5mac....

As anticipated, Apple today confirmed its intention to launch iAds in Europe next month — the company had been expected to begin its ads system earlier in the region. In a press release distributed this morning in Europe, the company revealed its launch ads partners will include L’Oréal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier & Unilever. CUPERTINO, California—November 18, 2010—Apple today announced it will expand its revolutionary iAd mobile advertising network to the UK and France this December, with Germany to follow in January....

The Apple ID websites appleid.apple.com and iforgot.apple.com are not working properly for some users, with reports of a variety of glitches starting from yesterday afternoon. Some are reporting that the sites are completely down for them, while others describe problems ranging from being trapped in password-update loops to problems updating verification devices. I was able to verify one of the problems myself … Apple ID is completely down. — Ash (@ashvrmedia) May 11, 2016...

While Apple TV apps were limited to 200MB in size when the device was first announced back in 2015, Apple has announced this evening that it is now accepting larger tvOS binaries. This means that developers can now submit apps as big as 4GB. With today’s change, tvOS apps can now be just as big as iOS apps, which are also capped at 4GB. Apple says that this increase in size will allow for developers to “provide a complete, rich user experience” right from installation....

It’s Two For Tuesday. Two tech problems and two workarounds we found for you. This week our focus is on iOS 5 and two common issues a lot of you might have to deal with. Join us for Two for Tuesday every week at Groovy. And send us your ideas and workarounds at gina@Groovypost.com. Do you get this error while trying to upgrade iOS 5 on some iPhone 4 devices?...

iPhone XS, XS Max and XR are one of the best smartphones due to its advanced features that is sure to stun all the buyers. These phones have the best camera clarity, dual SIMs, advanced features that can never be compared with any other smartphones. While you select the network mode, your choice of the network will determine the speed of the data that you can achieve. If you are not aware on how to select the network mode for 4G LTE or 3G in iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, here are a few simple steps that will show you how to switch between 3G and 4G networks if you are facing problems....

Reports claim thousands of developers both small and large have applied to join the scheme, but the vast majority have been rejected, generating this hail of criticism. The reports ignore Apple’s earlier promise that it would accept only a limited number of developers for its iPhone Developer Program at this point. “During the beta iPhone SDK program, a limited number of developers will be accepted into Apple’s new iPhone Developer Program and offered the ability to get code onto iPhones for testing,” the company said in a March 6 press release....

Apple has today announced the winners of the second annual Apple Music Awards. Hip-hop artist Lil Baby took top billing, named Artist of the Year. Other categories were Songwriter of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Top Album of the Year. Apple has also promised a week of special performances, fan events, interviews, and more in early December … Apple said that it used human judges to pick the artists, while streaming data was used for the song and album of the year....

My first impressions of Apple Music weren’t great. I loved the first ‘For you’ recommendation it made, but the service then seemed to be completely ignoring what it should already know about my taste in music and offering me a lot of what I already owned. I also had a number of complaints about the user interface. One week in, I was still unhappy with it continuing to offer to ‘introduce me’ to artists whose music I already owned, and was pretty unimpressed with the radio stations, but I was enjoying its hit-rate in recommending artists new to me....

Apple is introducing a new education bundle for its professional creative apps that significantly discounts the entire collection. Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, and their companion apps can be purchased together through the bundle for $199… The Pro Apps Bundle for Education is available on Apple’s education store starting today and includes Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, Motion 5, Compressor 4, and MainStage 3. Apple’s education store is available to select customers:...

We’ve known since last summer that HomePod will play Apple Music and Apple Podcasts directly, and audio from other sources can be played over Apple’s AirPlay. With just over a week before HomePod hits stores, Apple has officially detailed what audio can be played on the smart speaker. From HomePod’s tech specs page (via 512 Pixels) detailing compatible audio sources: Apple Music iTunes Music Purchases iCloud Music Library with an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription Beats 1 Live Radio Podcasts AirPlay other content to HomePod from iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Mac HomePod has been heavily marketed as an Apple Music player since last June, but we’ve slowly been learning which audio sources that are also from the Apple ecosystem can be played directly....

Apple is once again celebrating the LGBT Pride parade in San Francisco with employees (including Apple CEO Tim Cook) joining the march earlier today, showing support of human equality and diversity across ethnicities and sexual orientation. For the first time, Apple is gifting limited edition Pride Apple Watch bands to employees who take part, with rainbow colored nylon strap and red lugs. More pics after the break … Reddit user ‘Sakusuhon‘ posted the top image of the watch band, which includes a pamphlet that reads: “This limited-edition band is a symbol of our commitment to equality and we hope you’ll wear it with pride”....