The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a program that ranks computers and displays based on environmental attributes in accordance with IEEE 1680.1-2009. According to Robert Frisbee, CEO of EPEAT, Apple asked the organization last month to pull its 39 certified desktop computers, monitors and laptops, which included past versions of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The likely reason is the new Retina MacBook Pro. Its glass display is fused with the top of the case, while the batteries are glued to the bottom, making it extremely difficult to repair or recycle....

Apple has lost the right to the exclusive name of the iPhone trademark in China after the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court ruled against the company. Apple retains the right to the trademark for electronic goods, but a local company that has been using the name for leather goods remains able to do so. The ruling was reported by Legal Daily, which the BBC says ‘is widely recognised as the official mouthpiece for the country’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission....

Apple today released macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 to the public, alongside supplemental updates for macOS Catalina 10.15.7 and macOS Mojave 10.14.6. In addition to a fix for MacBook Pro charging issues, the update also brings a notable security fix for a Sudo bug that was reported last week. As we explained last week, the Sudo bug could allow an ordinary user to gain root access to a Mac, though an attacker would also need to combine with malware or a brute-force attack to gain user access in the first place....

Update 3: PKO BP in Poland is also testing Apple Pay currently, we’ve learned. Sounds like a big expansion is in the works. Update 2: The post has been further updated to report the names of three retail chains said to be launch partners in the region: Pressbyrån, 7-11 and Elgiganten. Update: MacPro has updated its story to say that the service is launching in Finland and Denmark too, with ‘several key retail partners lined-up....

Apple is quietly expanding some Apple Pencil features to more languages with additional Scribble functionalities in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, and French. As spotted by MacRumors, Apple’s iOS and iPadOS “Feature Availability” page shows these five languages can now be used when copying handwriting as text and also receiving data detector support. Early this year, Apple had already made Scribble available in all these languages, but now it’s expanding some features....

Apple may be planning on unveiling an all new Mac that is “absolutely different from current products”, according to a rough translation from the sometimes reliable macotakara.jp. The site’s track record is less than perfect, however they did accurately predict the iPad 2’s march release. The report seems to claim the product will be so different from current product lines that it will indeed be given a new name. Other than that, there aren’t many details offered up in terms of specs on the potential next-gen Mac (iOS/OS X hybrid?...

The Apple TV is an advancement in many ways over the third-generation model (faster processor, App Store, Siri) but there are also a couple of regressions, features that existed before that are missing and/or removed. One such example is Podcasts. The third-gen Apple TV featured a pre-installed Apple Podcasts app, which would sync with your iTunes subscriptions on the desktop and iOS devices. However, it is nowhere to be seen on the new fourth-generation Apple TV yet …...

Earlier this month Apple announced its decision to notify customers of law enforcement requests for user information. Today the company also published a new set of guidelines for law enforcement officials regarding how it will handle such requests, what types of information can be obtained, and more. Most of the document contains information regular customers won’t ever need to know, but for those interested in Apple’s participation in the legal process will find a wealth of information here....

The iOS 15 beta fun continues today. Apple is releasing the iOS 15 beta 4 and iPadOS 15 beta 4 to developers. This comes two weeks after the release of beta 3, which brought notable changes to the controversial Safari redesign and more. iOS 15 beta 4 and iPadOS 15 beta 4 are available to developers via an over-the-air update in the Settings app. As usual, if the update does not immediately appear for download, keep checking, as it sometimes takes a few minutes to roll out to all registered developers....

In addition to today’s release of iOS 14.5.1, Apple is also releasing macOS Big 11.3.1. This comes one week after macOS Big Sur 11.3 was released to the public with security improvements, deeper HomePod integration, and more. macOS Big Sur 11.3.1 is available now and the OTA should be showing up in System Preferences > Software Update. Keep checking back if you don’t see it yet, as sometimes updates take some time to roll out to all users....

One day ahead of the all-new MacBook Pro notebooks arriving to the first customers, Apple has officially launched its latest major update for Mac. macOS Monterey comes with a new Safari experience, Shortcuts app, Focus mode, Live Text, AirPlay to Mac, SharePlay, and more. macOS Monterey is available now for all users. You can head to the Mac App Store to download the new OS but it is rolling out via OTA – head to System Preferences > Software Update....

Apple has released the third iOS 12 public beta for iPhone and iPad. The new version follows iOS 12 developer beta 4 which was released yesterday. The new version includes more Activity app stickers in Messages, more Memoji customization, and more. macOS Mojave public beta 3 was released yesterday, and tvOS 12 public beta 3 is also available today. The latest version also includes cellular data for apps organized by usage, interface tweaks in Wallet and Photos, and more....

Apple was recently granted a trademark extension for the name “Mammoth” in the computer operating system category, hinting at a possible name for next year’s release of macOS. The trademark extension was approved on November 16 according to filings. Apple’s “Mammoth” trademark is owned by the shell corporation Yosemite Research LLC. Yosemite Research LLC has previously collected and held onto Apple trademarks for macOS, including the name “Yosemite” for macOS 10....

Apple declared its own operations 100% carbon neutral back in 2018, and last month said that it would achieve the same thing for its entire supply chain by 2030. That’s actually a far bigger promise, because Apple’s suppliers use more energy than the company itself. But steps toward this target have highlighted the workaround Apple uses to make its claims… Bloomberg this week noted this in a piece earlier this week....

Apple’s planned R&D center in Yokohama, Japan, appears to have fallen behind schedule. We got our first look at renders of the funky-looking building a little over a year ago, when the city’s mayor reported that construction would begin in 2015 and complete in 2016. But Japanese blog Macotakara now reports that a construction board outside the site says that it will instead complete in March 2017. We first learned of plans for the building back in 2014, when the Japanese prime minister said that the facility “will be on par with Apple’s biggest R&D centres in Asia....

In a new Apple Music series, K-pop band BTS will show their journey to becoming the hit they are today. The three-episode limited series, BTS Radio: Past & Present, will air weekly on radio station Apple Music 1. The first episode will release on May 28 at 9 a.m. ET and will feature the groups story of how they formed, with songs that inspired their music. The second episode, airing June 3, will feature BTS fan’s (dubbed BTS ARMY) favorite songs....

Apple News is gaining its first-ever editor-in-chief, according to a new report from Politico. Lauren Kern will take on the newly created role at Apple after serving in prominent positions at both The New York Times Magazine and New York Magazine. While Apple News doesn’t produce original content, editorial decisions are made from staff about which stories to promote and feature in various sections including News Editors’ Picks and News Top Stories....

From today, Apple is bundling 6-month free trials of Apple Music with purchases of eligible AirPods and Beats products. The free period is available to new buyers of AirPods and Beats headphones as well as existing owners. Customers have up to 90 days to redeem the offer, after first pairing the newly-purchased headphones to a device. Existing owners of AirPods or Beats have up to 90 days from the time that they upgraded to the latest iOS version....

While those of us who would happily trade thinner iPhones for better battery-life may be in the minority, even fans of ultra-thin phones expressed disappointment at the camera bump in the iPhone 6 and 6s. The problem Apple faced is that the laws of physics determine just how thin you can make a sensor and lens arrangement for any given aperture while retaining quality. But a patent application originally filed in 2013, continued last July and granted today could provide a solution....

Apple today updated its list of banks, credit unions and card issuers that support Apple Pay to note the addition of 17 more U.S. institutions now supporting the payments service. The full list of banks and credit unions added today includes: Enrichment Federal Credit Union First Security Bank of Arkansas Marion & Polk Schools Credit Union Merchants Bank of Indiana Northern Michigan Bank & Trust Ohnward Bank and Trust Postel Family Credit Union River Cities Bank River Town Bank Simplicity Credit Union SouthPoint Bank TexasBank The Peoples Community Bank Town & Country Bank (IL) Town & Country Bank (UT) Trius Federal Credit Union Woori America Bank Apple had just added another 30 banks and credit unions to support the service in the U....