A new patent unearthed today shows how Apple is working to make improvements Siri and its core capabilities. Apple originally filed for the patent in 2016, but it was just made public today Essentially, this patent covers how Siri could detect when a user is whispering and subsequently “whisper” all of its replies….. As first reported by Gizmodo, Apple writes in the patent that it governs “a digital assistant that is capable of detecting a whispered speech input and providing a whispered speech response....

Filed in September 2007, the case Apple Inc.s bought against the Big Apple stems from the logo used for the city’s environmental awareness campaign, reports Crain’s. That logo uses the outline of an apple with a leaf on top – and Apple reckons it’s too similar to the logo it now uses with complete impunity, following the settlement of a long-standing dispute on the matter of the logo with The Beatles’ Apple Corps....

Apple has been quietly adding custom artwork to its Apple Music playlists, designed by iconic artists. The Verge reports that Apple’s goal is to give its content some personality and recognition. The company will be updating the more popular playlists first, and will continue to work over time to update its vast catalog of curated playlists. Apple’s global director of editorial Rachel Newman says that the custom artwork is meant to “connect more directly with the communities and the culture for which they were intended....

While health tech has to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the agency will be taking “an almost hands-off approach” to fitness-oriented wearables like the Apple Watch, says policy advisor Bakul Patel in an interview in Bloomberg. Patel said the FDA would be drawing a distinction between products whose health claims focused on fitness rather than diagnosis … “We are taking a very light touch, an almost hands-off approach,” Patel, the FDA’s associate director for digital health, said in an interview....

With many students out of school and lots of companies having employees work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, we’re seeing business and education app downloads grow almost 300%. Meanwhile, Apple is now offering a 10% bonus when you add money to your Apple ID for the iTunes and App Store. When you head to add funds to your Apple ID for the App Store or iTunes Store, Apple is now highlighting that it’s adding a 10% bonus credit to whatever amount you purchase (up to $200 purchase limit)....

Apple today launched a new Lightning to USB-C cable that allows 12.9″ iPad Pro users to take advantage of faster charging afforded by its 29W USB-C Power Adapter. The cable, which comes in 1 meter and 2 meter varieties, is priced at $25 and $35 respectively. The new cables are now available for purchase on Apple’s online store, and will only work with the larger 12.9″ iPad Pro model, not the just-launched 9....

In addition to launching its annual Back to School promotion today, Apple is also now offering students an extended Apple Music trial. Now, when you sign up for Apple Music’s student plan, you get a six-month trial of the service, double the length of a normal trial. Apple typically offers a three-month free trial of Apple Music though promotions from retailers, and carriers sometimes extend that to four months. This is the first time, however, that Apple itself has offered an extended six-month trial....

Apple has made a nice change to the Mac purchasing experience. Starting this month, the company is no longer charging users for Data Migrations with the purchase of a new Mac. Previously, Apple charged $99 for this service. The change was first noted by TidBITS, which confirmed the change with an Apple Store Operations Specialist: Data migration with new Mac purchases was originally part of Apple’s One to One training program at retail stores....

Following the release of macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 with fixes to a bug that prevented MacBook Pro battery from charging, Apple has just announced that the company will replace for free the batteries of 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models that won’t charge past 1%. According to a new support article published on Apple’s website, a small number of MacBook Pro users have experienced an issue with the battery not charging past 1%....

An interesting Apple patent application published today describes how an AI system could help car drivers identify pedestrians and other hazards when driving at night or in poor visibility … The patent application spotted by Patently Apple describes three different elements to the safety system. First, when it detects a hazard, the system may adjust the beam of the headlight to better light the danger. Second, it could use the headlight beam to warn other road users of the car’s planned path....

It’s been a long wait, but the latest Apple headphones were finally unveiled yesterday. Nobody expected them to be cheap, of course – this is Apple – but the $549 price of AirPods Max has raised quite a few eyebrows. That is $150 more than the excellent Bowers & Wilkins PX7, which is arguably the product to beat in the wireless over-ear ANC headphone category. It’s $200 more than the Sony WH-1000XM4, which have also been given rave reviews....

The Cupertino giant Apple has released its three iPhone models in September 2019 such as iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. All the three iPhone models run on iOS 13 version out-of-the-box. The iPhone 11 lineup devices are too powerful in performance. While cameras and battery are one of the main key features that users like it very much. But the iOS 13 has plenty of issues with stability and bugs....

Apple Maps detail now beats Google Maps in many respects, from things like building shapes to vegetation coverage. That’s the conclusion of Justin O’Beirne, who used to work for Apple’s maps division and has now put together an exhaustive comparison … O’Beirne begins with one complaint: that Apple’s more detailed mapping only covers 3.1% of the land area, and 4.9% of its population. Apple has promised 100% coverage by the end of next year....

Apple today rolled out the student discount tier of Apple Music to over 20 new countries around the globe. As noted by The Financial Post, Apple Music’s student discount offering is now available in Canada, Italy, Japan, and 22 other countries. With today’s new additions, the tier is available in over 30 countries in total. Apple Music’s student pricing has been available in the United States Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Denmark for a while now, but today’s countries are all new....

Apple today announced that it is removing the USB power adaptor from Apple Watch boxes going forward, citing environmental concerns. Next month, the company will announce the iPhone 12 … and is rumored to no longer be bundled with a power adapter nor wired EarPods. The company’s announcement today for the Apple Watch will help customers get used to the idea of having no bundled accessories in the box, and soften the blow when the same thing happens to the iPhone in October....

Apple has started alerting WWDC 2017 scholarship applicants of their award status ahead of the developer conference scheduled for June. WWDC scholarship winners receive free access to the conference which usually has a $1599 ticket cost for entry. This year Apple’s application process included a stronger emphasis on using Apple’s Swift Playgrounds app rather than supplying a finished app. Apple has also expanded the scholarship program to cover both the cost of entry for everyone and travel accommodations for some as well as lodging for the first time....

Back in March, app developer Qbix thought it had hit on a great new way to make money from its Calendar 2 app for the Mac. Instead of charging users, or including intrusive ads, it offered users access to pro features in return for allowing cryptocurrency mining in the background. Apple quickly put a stop to that, and has now updated its app guidelines to explicitly ban background currency mining …...

Photo of iPad 2 Smart Cover. There are no photos of the iPad Mini version yet. Apple will sell what it is calling the “iPad Mini Smart Cover” in red, dark gray, light gray, pink, green, and blue. This is according to reliable sources. These covers are actually called “iPad Mini Smart Covers,” so it may be safe to assume that the smaller iPad is, in fact, called the iPad mini....

A scant 4 months after they were released, Apple has finally caught up with iPad 2 demand. The US Store now lists shipping times of 1-3 business days for the items, the same for other Apple products that aren’t constrained. Apple still constrains purchases to 1-2 per order and many overseas stores still list 3-5 days or longer, however. Fortune notes that shipping times were stuck at 1-2 weeks from mid-April to July 8, when they were cut to 3-5 days....

Samsung has announced that beginning today, a new Apple Music app is now available for its smart TVs. The app can be downloaded on all Samsung smart TVs from 2018 through 2020. The Apple Music app for Samsung TVs works much like it does for Apple TV. You can simply sign in with your existing Apple ID and Apple Music account, or “begin the subscription process” right from the TV. If you sign up for an Apple Music account through your Samsung smart TV, you are eligible for the same three-month free trial as offered on other platforms....