Over the last several years, Apple has increasingly focused on its iPhone trade-in program. By offering lucrative trade-in details, often in partnership with carriers, Apple can entice iPhone users to upgrade every year. This trade-in program, however, has caused users a number of headaches, and the situation doesn’t appear to be improving… I’ve traded in a few iPhones to Apple over the years without issue. This year, however, I received an email about a week and a half after I mailed in an iPhone 13 Pro Max saying that the box had arrived at Apple’s trade-in facility, but that there was nothing inside the box....

Apple has had a personal setup service for iPhone purchases made at Apple retail stores for some time now. Since Thanksgiving, Apple has offered the same personal setup service for iPad and iPod touch purchases. Apple has not had a true personal setup service for Mac purchases, but come Tuesday, in some markets, personal setup for Mac will be available. Traditionally, Apple Stores have allowed you to ask a few questions and take a few pointers but this new personal setup for Mac service takes points from the iOS device version of the service....

[Update: All links and images of this Space Black Milanese Loop band have now been pulled from the web … We have asked Apple PR for clarification on the situation …] Apple is readying the launch of a brand new Apple Watch band, a 42 mm Space Black Milanese Loop, suitable for Space Black steel watches. Third-party aftermarket black Milanese loops have been on sale for a while, but this is Apple official — assumedly matching their Space Black Link Bracelet in color and quality....

Starting off a new week, all of today’s best deals are headlined by Apple’s official MagSafe Battery Pack falling to $90 just ahead of iPhone 14 deliveries – or if you’re not upgrading this year, official iPhone 13 leather MagSafe cases are now starting at $36 to go alongside the latest Apple TV HD with refreshed Siri Remote hitting $99. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break....

Since the M1 chip is based on the same ARM architecture as the iPhone and iPad chips, Apple has allowed developers to offer their iOS apps on the Mac App Store. However, several developers have chosen not to offer their iOS apps to M1 Mac users. Thanks to tools like iMazing, it was possible to download the IPA files of iOS apps you have purchased from the App Store and then install them manually on M1 Macs, which allowed users to run apps like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and even Netflix on macOS....

Foxccon, one of Apple’s biggest supply chain partners, is reportedly considering a new a new $9 billion factory in Saudi Arabia. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, the Saudi government is “reviewing an offer” from Foxconn for a “multipurpose facility that could make microchips, electric-vehicle components and other electronics like displays.” The report explains that Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, is looking to diversify its manufacturing presence due to “rising tensions between China and the U....

Three days after the last release, Apple has seeded an updated build of the OS X 10.10.3 software update for Mac. The new build ranks in at 14D130a, just a few steps above the 14D127 build released at the start of the week, for both developers and public beta testers. The update measures in at 1.52GB and highlights stability and security improvements. The new version of OS X Yosemite includes the all-new Photos for Mac app, new and diverse emoji characters, improved login for Google accounts, and developer APIs for Force Touch on the new 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro....

Since early September, rumors of an Apple radio service have been in the air. Several reports noted that the service is indeed on its way to compete with Spotify, RDIO, Pandora, and others, and the Wall Street Journal said we could expect it “in a matter of months.” However, CNET said today it might take longer. Greg Sandoval of CNET reported that Apple has still yet to gain major record labels for the rumored music streaming service:...

Apple has long taken a 30% cut of sales made through its various digital stores, including fees charged for subscriptions to Newsstand magazines and other recurring charges. However, Re/code reports today that the company has cut that figure in half for subscriptions charged through the Apple TV. In a move that’s likely intended to bring in content, Apple allows companies like Hulu and HBO to keep a larger portion of their subscription fees on the TV-based hub device, though charges made through iOS apps and other platforms still seem to fall under the 30% deal....

After releasing new tutorial videos for developers yesterday, Apple today has added a variety of new and more specific app categories to the tvOS App Store. The changes, first noticed by AfterPad, make it even easier for users to easily and quickly discover new apps for the fourth-gen Apple TV. The new categories bring the tvOS App Store closer to being in line with the iOS App Store. The tvOS App Store’s new categories change from apps centered around business and travel content, to medical and productivity apps....

If you’ve been holding out hope that Apple’s October 13 event will include the announcement of the long-rumored AirTag item trackers, things aren’t shaping up in your favor. A new rumor today claims that AirTags have been delayed until March of 2021. Jon Prosser reports on Twitter that he’s hearing from his sources that “Apple has pushed back the announcement and launch of AirTags to March of 2021.” This comes after a previous report indicated that the AirTag item trackers could be released alongside the iPhone 12 this month....

The son of NFL great Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, is the first college athlete to be signed by Beats as a brand ambassador. He also appears in a new video ad by the company. As reported by People magazine, this partnership comes after the NCAA decided that student athletes can now earn money from their name, image, and likeness. Shedeur calls his partnership with Beats “real” and “organic” as he grew up using Beats’ headphone products....

New M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro Laptops Play Video The critical thing that makes these new MacBook Pro laptops stand out is the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Both chips feature substantial upgrades over the regular M1 processor, and even greater speed boosts over the Intel-based models. “We set out to create the world’s best pro notebook, and today we’re excited to introduce the all-new MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max — a game-changing combination of phenomenal performance, unrivaled battery life, and groundbreaking features,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing....

Apple today has released an update to the Apple Music app for Android users. The update over month after the app’s last update that added support for saving music to SD cards for offline listening. Today’s update adds yet another feature that isn’t supported on iOS: the ability for users to add an Apple Music widget to their homescreen. The Beats Music app offered a widget when it was available for Android, but Apple Music has lacked it since release....

Suppose you’re the type of person who uses Siri as a primary way to interact with your music anyway. In that case, this new subscription is perfect for you, as it offers all of the benefits of the $9.99 per month subscription at half the price. However, you sacrifice the clean Apple Music interface. As you might expect, the plan is limited to only one user, much like the individual Apple Music plan....

Apple has today updated its GiveBack program with details on what it will offer customers to trade-in last year’s devices like the iPhone X and Apple Watch Series 3. The program was also recently refreshed to allow customers to apply the trade-in credit at the time of purchase of a new device. Apple will be giving iPhone X owners up to $525 for trade-ins, depending on the condition of the device....

Apple continues its original content efforts today with another straight-to-series order. This time, the company has given an order for a drama series about a pre-teen investigative reporter Hilde Lysiak, according to a report from Variety. Apple is said to have ordered 10 episodes of the series, which will follow a young girl who moves from Brooklyn a small lakeside town and chases a story that the town has tried to bury:...

Vimeo has updated its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application with a new, lighter design as well as some helpful new features. The “friendlier” design is easier to navigate, lighter, and cleaner and features more user-interface elements to blend into the design aesthetic of iOS 7. Vimeo became an iOS partner last year with integrated Vimeo video uploading in iOS 7. The updated application also includes a new home screen for accessing many of Vimeo’s functions....

Apple has made several changes at the executive level recently. Bloomberg reports today that Apple has promoted a handful of employees to the vice president level, which is described as “a key title reserved for the most influential players.” Paul Meade has been named a vice president of hardware engineering, while Jon Andrews is now the vice president of software engineering. According to Bloomberg, Meade has led hardware development for Apple’s augmented reality headset, while Andrews works closely with Craig Federighi on software architecture....

Update: According to Reuters, the settlement is $415 million, a big improvement over the previous $380 million offer. Apple has reached a deal with its employees over do-not-hire policies that workers claim prevented them from getting higher-paying jobs at competing companies. Judge Lucy Koh previously rejected an offer to the tune of $324 million that the plaintiff in the case said was too low. Today’s settlement is presumably for much more money than the original, since the plaintiff has accepted it, but the details of the deal have not yet been disclosed....