Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference is happening this week and the social network just announced new integration with Apple Music coming soon. Facebook is introducing new music sharing features through its Messenger platform, and Apple Music is officially confirmed as a partner. Messenger’s new music sharing feature will launch with Spotify initially, which will let users share song snippets with friends over the platform. Apple Music is already committed to integrate as well and will similarly be available in the near future....

If you are excited about Apple’s upcoming music subscription service, you probably have a few of questions that are still unanswered. And one of them, of course, is the ability to download songs for offline playback. In a statement released to Re/code, Apple has confirmed that this feature will indeed make its way into Apple Music: “As an Apple Music member you can add anything from the Apple Music library — a song, an album or a video — to your collection,....

Apple has filed a motion to drop a cross-appeal in the seemingly eternal patent battle between the Cupertino-based tech giant and rival Samsung, as noted today by FOSS Patents. As the appeals process drags on, Apple has decided to let go of certain points and accept the court’s rulings. In this case, Apple has decided not to seek an injunction against certain Samsung devices from its first trial in 2012. Apple has already tried to get an injunction against these devices twice in the past, but was denied both times....

Apple today has been hit with yet another class action lawsuit, this time concerning the company’s process of replacing damaged devices under AppleCare+ with a refurbished device. This isn’t the first time Apple has been the target of scrutiny for this process and other AppleCare issues, with other lawsuits having been filed in the past. This lawsuit, filed today in California, accuses Apple of not holding true to the AppleCare+ contract, which states that devices replaced as part of the program are the “equivalent to new in performance and reliability....

Apple is recognizing Veterans Day with a range of measures, ranging from donations to veterans organizations to highlighting relevant movies and TV shows in the Apple TV app. Apple opened its announcements with a donation to Team Rubicon … The company is also providing iPads to help vets access health services. Apple and its employees are proud to support veterans organizations that are giving back to the community, including non-profits like Team Rubicon....

Apple’s internal “GSX” tool for Apple support technicians and resellers says that the iPad mini with Retina display will become available on November 12th. We’ve confirmed the existence of the above note in GSX, which was first noted by MacRumors, with multiple independent sources. The note says that the Retina iPad mini will become available in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States local time on Tuesday the 12th....

Apple has officially announced its first processor designed specifically for the Mac, dubbed the M1. The M1 chip features an eight-core design alongside a powerful Neural Engine and GPU, offering dramatic efficiency and performance improvements for the Mac. If you’re buying a new Mac today and are confused by Apple’s M1 chip option in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, read along for all of the details on what you need to know....

Apple Music is showing off its love for the industry in a new collection called Behind the Songs. Here, Apple Music members can discover music with an emphasis on songwriters, producers, and session musicians who may not otherwise receive top credits. Behind the Songs features episodes from Apple Music Radio that highlight songwriters who created the songs we know and love, playlists that dive into specific songwriters, including artists who write their own lyrics, as well as playlists that promote the work of specific producers....

Apple today has introduced support for reader demographics and third-party advertisers for Apple News. In the shared updates, Apple announced that publishers will now be able to see reader demographics under the News Publisher Analytics section. The analytics provide insight into male and female readership and their age ranges for those that have read content within the News app on iOS 10.3. In updates to the advertising platform, Apple News now supports new ad format sizes more inline with standard web advertising sizes....

Apple’s long-rumored over-ear headphones are officially here. AirPods Max feature an over-ear design, deep integration with the rest of Apple’s ecosystem, the H1 chip, and more. They are available to order today for $549, with the first orders arriving next week. AirPods Max feature Apple’s latest H1 chip with support for spatial audio, automatic device switching, and more. They are available in five colors and include a carrying case as well....

After noting my past three reports regarding Apple’s work on a sensor-packed iWatch, along with reports noting Apple hires from both the fitness and medical industries, MobiHealthNews reported that it received a tip that Apple has also hired Dr. Michael O’Reilly. According to his LinkedIn profile, O’Reilly served as Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for nearly five years at a company called Masimo. A video of a product that company created is below:...

Apple is promoting the iPhone X’s Portrait Lighting photography features in its latest 30+ second ad spot released today. The clip includes examples of each Portrait Mode lighting effect in action with tons of examples of Portrait Mode shots from the iPhone X. Portrait Mode uses depth to create a blurred background effect on shots without requiring big lenses, and the newly added Portrait Mode lighting effects are exclusive to the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X....

Apple released the beta of iOS 5.0.1 to developers. It fixes the battery drain iOS users have reported. The response from developers using it has been largely positive too, with reports claiming it does have noticeably better battery life. On Wednesday Apple said that “A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices. We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks....

Four members of Congress have accused Apple of being “a pawn in China’s malfeasance” in putting the privacy of customer data at risk in the country. They have urged Apple to reassess its business practices in the country, and its relationship with the Chinese government … An open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook (shown in full below) was signed by Republican House Representatives Ken Buck, Scott Fitzgerald, Burgess Owens, and Dan Bishop....

Apple today updated its website listing supported CarPlay vehicles to note that the feature is now available in over 200 models, up from the 150 vehicles the site previously listed. While noting the 200 vehicle milestone, Apple has added 50 new models to its list of supported vehicles, including a number of upcoming 2017 models… Among the 50 new models added to the list of supported vehicles today are new and upcoming offerings from Audi, Honda, Maserati, Kia, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and Volkswagen....

Customers receiving their Apple Watches today are being offered online personal setup appointments in emails being sent out by Apple. We first reported last month that these at-home personal setup experiences would be offered. Apple was not initially expected to offer personal setup for the Sport model, but now appears to be offering the experience for all models … My email arrived in the early hours. Appointments were available beginning this morning, with further slots available up to May 7th....

Apple has quietly opened a new repair program for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices that experience problems powering on. Affected devices that are eligible for the program will be repaired free of charge. First reported by Bloomberg, Apple opened the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus repair program today and said that the inability to power on the affected iPhones is due to a “component that may fail.” The repair program “covers affected iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices for 2 years after the first retail sale of the unit” which means owners will be covered until August of 2021, depending on their purchase date....

Earlier this month, we reported on what fans of The Office had originally believed to be a spin-off revival, noting that it actually looked like something involving Apple. Today, that project has officially been released in the form of an ad for Apple subsidiary FileMaker… The ad stars actors Kate Flannery, Leslie David Baker and Paul Lieberstein who all had key roles in The Office. It somewhat follows the format of the failed spin-off of The Office, called The Farm....

A blog post by supplier-sourcing company Panjiva (via GigaOM) is being cited as evidence that Apple plans to launch a refreshed Apple TV alongside the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C at its media event on September 10th. While it’s possible that the timing aligns with plans to have a new model in stock this month, and a refresh is somewhat overdue, it’s rather thin evidence on which to base this assumption: it’s equally possible that this is merely a routine shipment of existing stock....

Updated with corrected & expanded hierarchies, and more detail on the Creative Pro role. Thanks to J for the additional info. Apple is complementing its redesigned and renamed Apple Stores with changes to the staffing roles, according to sources. We first heard last week that the changes would be announced on Sunday, along with a new credo. Three new positions are being introduced as of February 2017, while other roles are being renamed …...