Re/code reports today that Apple has chosen longtime Apple PR deputy Steve Dowling to lead Apple’s public relations efforts as interim PR chief. The report notes that Dowling’s role as head of Apple PR is not yet permanent as Apple continues to look for candidates outside of the company. Apple’s former longtime head of Apple PR Katie Cotton announced her retirement from the company earlier this year with her last day in the role taking place at the end of May....

Apple today added two new accessories for Apple Watch that will make the wearable fit wrists as large as 245mm. The first accessory, simply called Link Bracelet Kit, costs $49 from Apple and includes six additional links to expand the Link Bracelet to fit wrists as large as 245mm. Apple also today introduced a new Sport band size in L/XL that also fits up to 245mm wrists. Previously, the Sport band only extended to 210mm....

AirTags can be attached to any item in order to track it using the Find My app. Earlier this month, Apple also announced the initial set of third-party products that will be integrated into the app. AirTags include UWB functionality called “Precision Finding,” which enables precise location when looking for a lost item nearby, including haptic feedback. As we’ve seen before, the pairing process for AirTags is very similar to that of AirPods: just bring an unpaired AirTag next to your iOS device in order to add it to your iCloud account....

The availability of Apple Pay at sporting events continues to expand today. Square has announced that it is partnering with the Washington Nationals to bring its Caviar Pickup service and Square Terminal platforms to Nationals Park for the 2019 Major League Baseball season. Through this partnership, fans at National Stadium will be able to place orders through Square’s Caviar app for skip-the-line pickup. In the app, users can place food and drink orders, pay via Apple Pay, and receive a notification when the food is ready to pickup....

Quoting the ACSI Report: It’s clear Apple is growing, and continues to get consumers to buy its latest gadgets. The question is what about Windows-based PC manufacturers? Have any of them stepped up to the plate or made large strides recently in innovation or overall consumer satisfaction? Again ACSI has something to say on this: I’ve been feeling this myself over the past few years. Looking over the last 5 years, I can’t think of ANY innovation coming out of the DELL, HP, Lenovo brands....

Among a modest number of other fixes and improvements, it addresses a security issue for third-party keyboard apps. The bug could allow third-party keyboards to run entirely standalone and give “full access” and transfer data over the internet without your permission. The update also addresses a battery drain issue as well as problems with Siri requests on iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. Full iOS 13.1.1 Release Notes: iOS 13....

iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 beta testing continues today. Apple today is rolling out iOS 15.1 beta 3 to developers alongside iPadOS 15.1 beta 3. iOS 15.1 includes the return of SharePlay as well as updates to the Apple Wallet and Apple Health app for storing COVID-19 vaccination cards. Update: Now available to public beta testers as well. Today’s new release of the iOS 15.1 beta 3 is available to developers via an over-the-air update in the Settings app....

Apple has released the second beta version of iOS 9.2 to users running the iOS public beta. The pre-release software was pushed out to developers yesterday alongside new versions of OS X, Xcode, and tvOS. In this new beta, users will find the ability to take advantage of AT&T’s NumberSync offering, which allows other devices such as a Mac or iPad to make and receive phone calls using a customer’s iPhone number without actually being connected to the phone....

A couple of weeks following the previous seed, Apple has released OS X 10.9 Mavericks Developer Preview 7 to registered developers. The update is available via Software Update in the Mac App Store. If you find anything new, you can let us know at tips@9to5mac.com. We’ll be updating this post as changes are discovered. A new Apple Remote Desktop 3.7 seed has also been issued. – Several new wallpapers included in System Preferences....

Following reports yesterday that Apple’s suppliers are prepping an HDTV in 32-inch and 37-inch variants for a summer 2012 launch, a new report from DigiTimes today suggested Apple will use its own custom chips, similar to the A5 chips found in iPhone 4S and iPad 2. According to the report, three manufacturers are currently bidding to win contracts to provide components for Apple’s smart TV including: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Siliconware Precision Industries, and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering....

The latest news in the long-running Japan Display saga is that Apple’s $200M investment in the company has now been finalized. Rather than a cash injection, the iPhone maker is purchasing equipment to be used by the display maker … Background For anyone fuzzy on the details, here’s a recap we prepared earlier. Apple’s $200M investment appeared to provide reassurance, as an asset manager then agreed to put in a further $830M....

As the year comes to a close, Apple has shared an update on its Employee Giving program that’s making a big impact around the world through both direct donations and time from over 76,000 volunteers. The company also shared stories about how the efforts are making the world a better place. Apple shared the update on its 11-year-old Employee Giving program in a Newsroom post this morning: “Since its inception 11 years ago, Apple’s Employee Giving program has raised over $880 million dollars for almost 44,000 organizations globally....

As previously announced by Tim Cook earlier this year, Apple is preparing to open its first retail store in Turkey with a new store currently under construction in Istanbul. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has picked up around 21,000 square feet of space inside the Zorlu shopping center between Burberry and Louis Vuitton stores. The store is expected to open in early 2014 and would make for the 13th country that Apple currently operates at least one retail store in....

Aircel offers the iPhone 4 in India with the following prepaid tariffs Apple’s practice of limiting iPhone sales to cherry-picked wireless operators while leaving other operatorsout of the picture is raising red flags with the Indian government which is on the verge of probing the company for alleged anticompetitive behavior, reports PCMag. Apple on its parts says that both carriers sell unlocked iPhone 4s with optional data plans. Some third-party retailers also carry the handset separate of any wireless contract....

Apple has today launched a iPhone XS and iPhone XR trade-in promotion offer in China, including a prominent banner on the Chinese version of Apple.com’s homepage. The deal is similar to what we have seen Apple aggressively promote in the United States. The boosted trade in values mean that a Chinese customer can pick up an iPhone XR for 4,399 RMB ($640), or iPhone XS for 6599 RMB ($960), when trading in an iPhone 7 Plus....

As it has done several times in the past, Apple is offering a free download of a popular iOS app via the Apple Store app. This time, the company is offering popular sketching app Procreate for iPhone for free. Apple touts that Procreate is a “must-have” for artists and enthusiasts, allowing them to create works of art right from their iOS device. Unfortunately, the more expensive iPad version of Procreate doesn’t quality for this deal....

Apple has announced a new partnership with leading customer relationship management company Salesforce. In addition to iOS app features created by Salesforce, opportunities are being created for third-party developers. The CEOs of both companies said the deal would marry the best hardware and software. Features unique to the iOS app will include Siri Shortcuts, Face ID and business chat. Reuters provided examples of what that means in practical terms. “With this partnership, we’re bringing together the world’s number one CRM platform with iPhone and iPad, the world’s best devices for business,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and co-CEO, Salesforce....

All of Thursday’s best deals are headlined by Apple Pencil 2 dropping to $100. That’s alongside the first discount on elago’s new W7 iPod shuffle AirTag Case and $40 off Apple Watch Series 7. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Apple Pencil 2 is an iPad must-have at $100 Verizon Wireless is now offering the Apple Pencil 2 for $100. Normally fetching $129, you’re looking at the second-best price to date at $29 off....

Right on the heels of releasing the free Find My Friends app just moments ago, Apple has also issued the long-rumored AirPort Utility app which lets you manage your AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express and Time Capsule base station right on your iOS device. In fact, the app comes with some pretty advanced features letting you effectively manage your networks and base stations, akin to its desktop sibling. The software is provided as a universal binary which supports both iPhone/iPod touch and the iPad’s bigger canvas....

Following the launch of the new App Store Connect experience earlier this month, Apple on Tuesday updated its App Store Connect API with new features. The new version is now available for developers and brings features such as more flexibility, custom workflows, and more. With the update, developers can create and submit in-app events and even custom product pages using the API. All the new features introduced with the new App Store Connect experience, which includes sending multiple items in a single submission and changing app details without having to submit a new app version, are also part of the new API....