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Apple Watch goes up for preorder on April 10 and becomes available April 24 through retail stores and online, but some of Apple’s online stores are listing ship dates ranging from April 24th to sometime in May depending on the model. Earlier today some of Apple’s online stores, including its German and UK stores, listed various shipping dates for the device for those willing to do a little digging on the site....

So, what is this M1 chip and why is it so important to Apple, and Apple consumers? The M1 is custom built for Apple devices, whereas previous Apple devices have used off-the-shelf or modified versions of existing processors. This means its design was tailored specifically to meet the needs of Mac devices. As such, it offers better performance and efficiency - Apple claims that the M1 is “the world’s fastest CPU core in low-power silicon”, “the world’s best CPU performance per watt”, and offers “the world’s fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer....

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has joined Microsoft, Twitter, Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, and other giants in the tech industry in calling for a reform of the NSA’s surveillance tactics. Earlier this year it was revealed that the National Security Agency was using information from these companies and more to monitor citizens across the nation without warrants. The companies allegedly involved in the “PRISM” program denied turning over any user data to the government, but a leaked NSA slidedeck (seen above) seemed to imply the opposite....

Let the deluge begin… Not long after the Super Mario Run iMessage sticker pack was made available to iOS 10 users, Apple has unleashed the entire iMessage App Store. The iMessage App Store, which is available for iOS 10 users, features sticker packs from companies like Disney, Bandai Namco, Sanrio, and others. In addition to the sticker packs, the iMessage App Store features full-fledged iMessage apps and games. Several of the apps that were demonstrated during the WWDC 2016 keynote are here, such as Square Cash, OpenTable, and JibJab....

Developer James Thomson of popular calculator app PCalc announced today via his Twitter account that Apple is forcing him to remove the app’s Today Widget due to a restriction that iOS widgets “cannot perform any calculations.” Apple’s new Today Widgets feature in iOS 8, which allows developers to build functions into the system-wide Notification Center, does have some limitations that Apple outlines in developer documentation. For example, Apple encourages developers not to use Today Widgets for multistep tasks: “If you want to create an app extension that enables a multistep task or helps users perform a lengthy task, such as uploading or downloading content, the Today extension point is not the right choice....

Apple has been awarded the Green Supply Chain CITI Outstanding Brand title in China, the company announced today. As part of receiving this award, Apple will work to help further “promote environmental management.” Apple made the announcement in a post on its China Newsroom today. The award comes after Apple consistently ranked first in the Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI) over the last five years. The award is meant to recognize Apple’s “environmental leadership across the entire supply chain....

While Siri did get smarter with the launch of iOS 10, it’s still widely believed that the Apple’s virtual assistant lags behind offering from Google and even the original creators of Siri. Today, tech veteran Walt Mossberg penned a column that asks the question, “Why does Siri seem so dumb?” Throughout the piece, which highlights a variety of common complaints with Siri, Mossberg notes of discussions he’s had with Apple concerning Siri’s flaws....

In the video, which will surely be removed soon, Apple mentions AirTags in reference to the Find My app’s offline finding feature: The Apple tracker tags will allow customers to locate real-world objects — like keys or suitcases — in the Find My app. As Apple’s video teases, the tags will use the offline features introduced in iOS 13 to allow anyone’s device to be able to detect the tracker signal....

Included in the update is a new feature that makes it possible to use Face ID while wearing a mask or facial covering without requiring an Apple Watch. You’ll need to enable the new Use Face ID With a Mask feature, which you can read more about here. iOS 15.4 now allows users to start a SharePlay session directly from an app that supports the FaceTime sharing feature. Siri gained a new voice for those who speak English....

Apple has released iOS 7.1.2 to end users today over-the-air with the following changes: The update is available over-the-air or via iTunes for the latest iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. The fix for Mail addresses a well-publicized security problem regarding attachments. Apple has also released OS X 10.9.4 with various bug fixes and security enhancements. The build number is 11D257 and it comes in at approximately 30 MB over-the-air on the iPad and 32 MB on the iPhone....

Apple has released several updates for Mac today including macOS 10.15.7 and new versions of Final Cut Pro X and iMovie that squash a number of bugs and improve stability. macOS 10.15.7 includes fixes for a WiFi issue and an iMac graphics card issue. The FCP X update solves problems with brightness levels, keyframes, exporting, and more. First up, macOS 10.15.7 comes about a month after we saw 10.15.6 arrive last month with fixes for a virtualization issue and trouble with the 2020 iMac display....

With macOS Monterey beta 4, Apple said in the release notes that Universal Control had been enabled before the mention was quickly pulled. macOS Monterey beta 5 is now available for developers and hopefully, the anticipated new feature is live for the first time. Update: No Universal Control in beta 5. macOS Monterey beta 5 is showing up now via OTA for developers already enrolled. You can also download it from Apple’s Developer website if you’re not running the beta yet (full guide here)....

Apple just published the Gold Master seed of OS X Mountain Lion, which will go on sale to the public later this month. It is available now in the OS X Dev Center on Apple’s Developer website. The Mountain Lion GM build number is 12A269. The previous build was 12A526. The 10.8 Golden Master comes out to a 4.34 GB Mac App Store download. We are hearing from people who have installed the GM that it is smoother....

Update: iOS 13.2 beta 4, iPadOS 13.2 beta 4, watchOS 6.1 beta 5, and tvOS 13.2 beta 4 are now available. iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2 public beta 4 also now available. Apple today is releasing the fourth developer beta of iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2. Today’s release comes exactly one week after the release of the third iOS 13.2 beta with Deep Fusion camera technology, Siri changes, and more....

With a 20 percent discount, the single-person Apple Music plan would come in at $7.99 per month, which is $2 less than the current $9.99 price point. The family package, which allows for up to six people, currently comes in at $14.99, but with the price cut would come in at $12.99. The $4.99 student tier would remain the same. Here’s how the new plans would look compared to the old ones:...

The Financial Times has an interesting detail not disclosed or previously reported about Apple’s new payment system introduced earlier this week and due out next month. Through Apple Pay, which uses a combination of NFC and Touch ID for authorizing mobile payments, the iPhone maker will collect 0.15% of each transaction that goes through the service. That means that every time you use your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus to check out at a supported vendor, a feature which is likely going to save you time, Apple is positioned to build a new revenue stream of its own for facilitating the transaction....

Apple appears to be finally pulling the plug on its iTunes LP format this year. For music sold in the iTunes Store, iTunes LP has served as a useful but not popular digital solution for including a rich multimedia experience with digital music. Like physical records and CDs, iTunes LP content can include lyrics, photos, and liner notes as well as access to video — but the format has never been optimized for iPhone and iPad....

Financial site Bank Innovation reports that Apple has negotiated lower transaction fees with American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Citigroup, and JP Morgan Chase ahead of the debut of its mobile payment system expected to be announced alongside the new iPhone models next week. The report notes that the banks were likely willing to lower rates to ensure participation and due to Apple’s security measures including the iPhone’s Touch ID sensor....

Update, 9:34 AM: Apple has now updated its System Status page to confirm the outages we reported earlier this morning. Apple reports some users experienced issues with account & sign in for iCloud, purchases for iTunes, Game Center, and creating new Apple IDs: Over the last couple of months Apple’s iCloud servers have been experiencing major outages approximately every couple of weeks and today a growing number of users are once again complaining of issues accessing various iCloud services....

In a profile of Apple SVP Eddy Cue, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple’s new iTunes 11 app will debut tomorrow (Thursday). The report further claims that the new media player was delayed due to engineering issues that required some re-building. iTunes 11 was originally scheduled for an October debut, but Apple announced in late October that the software would arrive by the end of November. The new app includes a new interface, a new MiniPlayer, improved iCloud media content synchronization, and other new features to improve the music listening experience....