Apple appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday to argue that it shouldn't be held liable for iPhone-related distracted driving accidents, in response to a lawsuit filed against the company earlier this year.

California resident Julio Ceja filed a class action complaint against Apple in January, accusing the company of placing profit before consumer safety by choosing not to implement a lock-out mechanism that would disable an iPhone's functionality when being used behind the wheel by an engaged driver.

Ceja said his vehicle was involved in a collision with another vehicle in which the driver was texting on an iPhone.

Apple, however, told the court that it's a driver's fault if they choose to misuse an inherently safe iPhone while operating a vehicle. Apple essentially said it cannot be blamed simply because it manufactures the device, according to court...

According to a new report today, movie studios are considering whether to ignore the objections of cinema chains and forge ahead with a plan to offer digital rentals of films mere weeks after they appear in theaters

Apple was wise to nail down a huge contract with Samsung for OLED displays and invest in new displays with LG as a second supplier for OLED displays because supply is going to be very tight for the rest of the smartphone manufacturers. A new report published today in China by a major research firm confirms that a supply shortage for the flexible displays is likely to continue for at least the next couple of years.

Apple published a new iPad ad blitz last night that promotes the new features coming to the next generation iOS 11 that will be formerly introduced this fall.

In iOS 11, Apple has added an "Emergency SOS" feature that's designed to give users a quick and easy way to summon emergency services should the need arise. As it turns out, there's a secondary benefit to Emergency SOS - it's also a way to quickly and discretely disable Touch ID.

Emergency SOS is activated by pressing on the sleep/wake button of an iPhone five times in rapid succession. When the requisite number of presses is complete, it brings up a screen that offers buttons to power off the iPhone, bring up your Medical ID (if filled out) and make an emergency 911 call.

Along with these options, there's also a cancel button. If you hit the sleep/wake button five times and then hit cancel, it disables Touch ID and requires a passcode before Touch ID can be re-enabled. Touch ID is also disabled if you actually make an emergency call.

This is a handy hidden feature because it allows Touch ID to be disabled discretely in situations where someone might be able...

Apple today updated its online store for refurbished products to add the new 27-inch iMac models that were first released in June of 2017.

This is the first time those particular machines have been available through the refurbished store since their introduction at the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference. The iMacs feature Kaby Lake processors, faster SSDs, and AMD discrete graphics.

Apple has a dozen refurbished iMac models available at the current time, with prices discounted by approximately 15 percent. An entry-level model with 8GB RAM, a 1TB Fusion Drive, a 3.5GHz i5 processor, and a Radeon Pro 575 is priced at $1,699, for example, a $300 discount off the standard price.

Apple has a range of configurations available, from low-end to top-of-the-line. As with all refurbished products, stock will fluctuate regularly based on the machines Apple is getting in for repair.

All...

Matthew Roberts has shared his latest drone tour of Apple Park, providing a closer look at Apple's new headquarters as construction wraps up.

There aren't many notable changes since the July video, but August's edition reveals further landscaping efforts, including more trees — there will be over 9,000 in total — planted within the inner circle of the main building.

Apple has also begun paving certain areas of Apple Park, including the walkway to Steve Jobs Theater. Many areas of the campus remain covered in dirt, however, so it's clear there is still a lot of landscaping work to be completed.

Some of Apple's employees have already moved into the new headquarters, while others like design chief Jony Ive and his team will follow suit later...

Two of Apple's latest patent filings about advanced stereo and home theatre systems surfaced this month (one and two). The second patent filing that was discovered in Australia earlier this month was about a smart multi-speaker audio system designed for TV and live-streaming. Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that delves deeper into the multi-speaker system in filing titled "A rotationally Symmetric Speaker Array." In many respects the patent shares some of the technology used with Apple's new HomePod equipped with spatial awareness.

Last week Patently Apple posted a report titled "Ireland close to a deal with Apple over holding Billions of Euros during the EU Tax Ruling Appeal Process." Today we're learning that Ireland's Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe went on record with a German newspaper to say that the EU's demand for Apple to pay it 13 billion euros in back taxes is unjustified.

A new version of the ESPN App for Apple TV is now available for U.S. customers which includes a feature called MultiCast that provides the ability to view up to four simultaneous live streams at once.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus remained the world's most popular smartphones in the second quarter, ahead of Samsung's newer Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics.

Apple shipped an estimated 16.9 million iPhone 7 units and 15.1 million iPhone 7 Plus units worldwide in the quarter, which corresponds with April through June, according to the firm's latest Smartphone Model Tracker report.

"iPhone 7 remains the world's most popular smartphone model overall, due to a compelling blend of user-friendly...

When it rains it pours. After reporting on Apple hiring Matt Cherniss for their entertainment programming development yesterday and a wild rumor about an HDTV from Apple now being tested earlier this morning, we're now learning that "Apple’s ambitions around creating original content seem set to grow with a budget of around $1 billion ..

Apple has earmarked $1 billion to acquire and produce original television content over the next year to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The plans could see Apple procure and produce as many as 10 television shows, according to people familiar with the matter, thanks to a budget figure that is about half of what Time Warner's HBO spent on content last year and around the same amount as Amazon spent in 2013, after it announced its own move into original programming.

The budget will reportedly be controlled by Hollywood veterans Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, who were hired by Apple in June from Sony to oversee content acquisition and video strategy. Apple also recently...

In one of their first major moves since joining Apple as heads of worldwide video programming, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht have brought in Matt Cherniss to oversee programming development.

Former president and general manager of WGN America and Tribune Studios Matt Cherniss has jointed Apple to help oversee the development of the company's worldwide video unit, reports Variety.

Cherniss will serve under Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, two former Sony executives who joined Apple earlier this year to lead Apple's video programming efforts on a worldwide scale. Erlicht and Amburg report to senior vice president of internet software and services Eddy Cue.

Back in June, Cherniss stepped down from his role as president at WGN America and Tribune Studios after Tribune was acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Cherniss led WGN's own push into original content and away from re-runs, overseeing the launch of shows like "Salem," "Outsiders," "Underground," and "Manhattan," so he's...

As Intel prepares to unveil its 8th-generation Coffee Lake processors next week, the company has released basic information on an upcoming 10-nanometer "Ice Lake" chip, which will serve as the successor to the 14-nanometer Coffee Lake and 10-nanometer Cannon Lake chips.

Details on the Ice Lake architecture, which will be made on Intel's 10nm+ process, have been shared on Intel's codename decoder.

"The Ice Lake processor family is a successor to the 8th generation Intel(R) CoreTM processor family. These processors utilize Intel's industry-leading 10 nm+ process technology," reads the site.

As AnandTech points out, Intel's decision to share details on Ice Lake is odd because the company has not announced or shared details on...

In a new South China Morning Post we learn today that "Apple appears to have tightened its sales policy for Hong Kong as it did last year with another custom tailored restriction to deter scalpers from getting their hands on the much-awaited launch next month of its iPhone 8 model.

On Aug 4 Patently Apple posted a report about the next-gen cellular ready Apple Watch titled "The Apple Watch Breakthrough that we've all been waiting for may arrive in Q4." Now sources have reportedly told CNBC that in fact "Apple is gearing up to release a new Apple Watch which will not require tethering to an iPhone for key functions like calls...

Samsung has invented a smartphone with a built-in breathalyzer. The smartphone has a 'gas sensor' that extends out from the phone and doubles as a phone microphone. It sounds crazy, but if it saves you an accident or a ticket it would pay for the phone. The design would seem to be a part of a future Note smartphone design

IDC published their latest tablet report covering shipments to Western Europe. In total, 7.0 million devices were shipped in the region, which shows an almost complete recovery of the market in the region. Apple's new tablets and the improvement of the macroeconomic situation in several countries were some of the drivers for 2017Q2 and were key to the further stabilization of the consumer segment.

It's being reported this afternoon that Apple has "told its contract manufacturers and chip suppliers to prepare for a massive ramp-up in manufacturing of the supposed 'iPhone X' starting next quarter.

It's being reported today that "Qualcomm disclosed further details about the impact of an ongoing dispute with Apple, responding to questions from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Apple and Aetna are discussing ways to offer discounted Apple Watch models to millions of consumers with Aetna insurance, reports CNBC. Citing people with knowledge of Apple's plans, the site says Apple and Aetna held discussions last week that included senior officials from Apple, Aetna, and several hospitals.

Aetna already offers a program that provides the Apple Watch at no cost to its 50,000 employees and subsidizes the cost for some subscribers, but the insurance company is said to be negotiating with Apple to offer a free or discounted Apple Watch to all Aetna members.

Apple's Myoung Cha, who has the title "special projects, health," led the discussions, said one of the people. The move by Aetna is part of its push to increase customer interest...

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of iOS 11 to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing the fifth beta and more than two months after introducing the new update at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the sixth beta of iOS 11 from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed.

Today's beta brings a fix for an issue that caused the DirecTV app to crash on launch, but introduces a new issue that could cause Audiobus 3 to crash. Launching the App Store no longer stops other audio that's playing, several bugs with Family Sharing features have been fixed, and all phone numbers are now displayed during a multiparty conference call.

There are also fixes for Notes, addressing an issue that...

Inventec Appliances has been a rumored supplier for Apple's HomePod smart speaker since before the device was announced at WWDC in June, and now the manufacturer has indicated that supplies for HomePod might be limited at launch, in line with most Apple product launches (via Nikkei).

The news came from Inventec Appliances president David Ho during a press conference today. Although his comments never specifically mentioned "HomePod," the estimated time frame given for the release of the product -- late in 2017 -- and its description as a high-profile "smart home device," suggest it to be Apple's upcoming speaker. At WWDC, Apple...

During Apple's financial conference call earlier this month, Apple CEO touched on the topic of 'Services' by stating that "Services revenue hit an all-time quarterly record of $7.3 billion representing 22% growth over last year. Today we're learning that Google is paying Apple billions of dollars to remain the default search engine on iPhones and iPads which adds greatly to Apple's services revenue.

Less than one month before Apple is expected to unveil its new iPhone lineup, two videos have surfaced that may show the so-called iPhone 8 passing through the production line at a factory presumably located in China.

The videos surfaced on Chinese microblogging service Weibo earlier today, and were later uploaded to YouTube by Dutch blog TechTastic.

Both videos are short and blurry, so it's hard to make out exactly what is being shown. The production line could simply be for the multitude of iPhone 8 dummy models that have surfaced over the past few months.

Apple's contract manufacturers like Foxconn have strict security measures in place to prevent employees from bringing smartphones inside factories, so the videos could very well be completely unrelated to real...

On August third Patently Apple posted a report titled "Xiaomi is the World's Leader in Bottom of the Barrel $29 Fitness Band Wearables while Apple Leads in Smartwatches." Apple is the leader in true advanced smartwatches with no equal. Throwing Apple into a broad category like 'wearables' has them appear to be losing to cheap band makers like Xiaomi and Fitbit. Now the market is going to get more interesting with the arrival of smartwatches with cellular capability.

On Saturday Patently Apple posted a report titled "Foxconn's Missed Quarter was Due to Heavy Nokia and Snapdeal Losses and nothing to do with the iPhone." Today we're learning that Foxconn reported 7% growth in consumer electronics ...

A Google engineer got fired this week for distributing a 10-page memo arguing that the gender gap between men and women working in tech and leadership positions is due to biological and psychological differences. Yesterday a series of anti-google fake ads began to pop up with one showing the late Steve Jobs ..

As the launch of Apple's "iPhone 8" approaches, we've seen multiple images and dummy models outlining what the device will look like, but non-functional dummy devices don't include software and don't offer a complete picture of what we can expect.

Designer Maksim Petriv has mocked up several iPhone 8 images that take into account current rumors to demonstrate what iOS 11 might look like on the new device.

Rumors and leaked firmware information suggest the iPhone 8 includes both a top notch that houses the front-facing camera and sensors for a facial recognition system and a function area with a virtual Home button, both of which are imagined in Petriv's images.

Petriv's photos include status bar information located at the top of the device on either side of the notch, and a small Home button area at the bottom. We're not yet sure what Apple plans to do with that area of the iPhone 8, but...

Apple today updated its online store for refurbished products to add a selection of 13-inch 2017 MacBook Pro models equipped with a Touch Bar.

This is the first time the 2017 machines have been available through the refurbished store since their June 2017 release following the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Apple was offering approximately 15 models at the time this article was written, with each MacBook Pro approximately 15 to 16 percent off. A top-of-the-line 3.5GHz/16GB/1TB model that normally sells for $2,899, is available for $2,459 in the refurbished store, for example.

Apple has both Silver and Space Gray models in a range of configurations, with prices as low as $1,529 for the entry-level Touch Bar machine.

15-inch MacBook Pro machines released in June of 2017 are not yet available in the refurbished store, but could be added soon.

All of Apple’s...

Chinese company Huawei will likely become the world's second largest smartphone maker in the third quarter, based on shipments from July through September, according to Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.

The report, citing sources from Taiwan's handset supply chain, said sales of Huawei's high-end smartphones like the P10 and Mate 9, as well as its more affordable Honor-branded models, have continued to gain momentum. Enough momentum, perhaps, to briefly overtake Apple's iPhone.

Huawei shipped 38.4 million smartphones last quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Buoyed by seasonal factors, the supply chain sources believe Huawei will continue to ramp up its shipments to over 40 million units this quarter, which could eclipse iPhone shipments over the same period.

Apple...

Yesterday, HomePod firmware revealed that the iPhone 8's facial recognition software will seemingly support Apple Pay, multiple facial profiles, and third-party apps. Now, as the uncovering of Apple secrets within HomePod firmware continues apace, developer Steven Troughton-Smith has revealed details on Twitter about the iPhone 8's virtual home button, stating that it "resizes" as needed to fit certain tasks on the smartphone.

Specifically, Troughton-Smith described a "periphery" area of the system user interface that expands/minimizes and shows/hides the iPhone 8's virtual home button as it's needed. There will be tab bars that extend under this periphery area, and no evidence was discovered of an ability for this part of...

On May 30, Patently Apple posted a report titled "Andy Rubin's 'Phone' was Unveiled today and he'll be talking about it Tonight with Mossberg at the Code Conference." Today Reuters reports that Essential Products will be sold at Best Buy and Amazon this fall with Carriers Sprint in the U.S. and Telus in Canada.

According to a new Financial Times report, "Apple is facing accusations of anti-competitive behavior in China, one of its largest iPhone markets, adding to the tech giant’s regulatory problems in the US and Europe. The case filed with Chinese regulators alleges that Apple is abusing its control of the iOS App Store ...

With the upcoming OLED "iPhone 8" bringing major design and functionality changes, its two LCD companion devices, the 4.7-inch iPhone 7s and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus haven't received much attention, despite the fact that these two iPhones are also going to see some design tweaks.

YouTuber Danny Winget today shared a new video that focuses on the iPhone 7s Plus, comparing an iPhone 7s Plus dummy model to an iPhone 8 dummy model and an existing iPhone 7 Plus.

The iPhone 7s Plus features the same silver glass backing that we've seen used in iPhone 8 dummy models, and these colors are in line with information sourced from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says Apple is planning to release all three devices in just three colors - silver, gold, and black. The device also includes a shiny metal frame connecting the two glass halves.

It's believed that all of the...

Ahead of the launch of iOS 11, developers have been tinkering with ARKit, Apple's upcoming augmented reality platform, and showcasing the myriad ways that it can be used in apps and games.

The latest demo comes courtesy of Osama Abdel-Karim, who uses ARKit to virtually paint on a notepad using his fingers.

According to Abdel-Karim, an iOS 11 library named Vision was used to develop the virtual drawing feature. Vision includes an object tracking feature that is able to detect the thumbnail of a finger and track its movement to enable the drawing.

Abdel-Karim has outlined the steps he used to create his ARKit demo and provided the full source code for the project.

When it launches this fall, ARKit is positioned to become the largest AR Platform in the world, using the camera, processors, and motion sensors in the iPhone and iPad to create some incredibly impressive...

Apple supplier Lumentum has received over $200 million in bookings for the rest of the 2017 calendar year, related to components for vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL), believed to be aimed at Apple's advanced 3D sensing camera on the iPhone 8. The bookings represent a noticeable increase in revenue for the supplier, in comparison to a reported $5 million in 3D sensing revenue during its last fiscal quarter.

Because of this, LoupVentures analyst Gene Munster believes that the September launch of the iPhone 8 will see an increase in the number of iPhones with advanced 3D sensors supporting augmented reality applications. Lumentum is believed to be one of around three companies supplying Apple with VCSEL components,...

Apple's audio team has been busy lately with several patents surfacing. Patently Apple posted a report over the weekend about an advanced multi-speaker audio system designed for TV and live-streaming and another published in April that could be used in an amphitheater, perhaps like the one the Milan Apple Store will have working in the future. In a newly granted patent that surfaced yesterday at the U.S. Patent Office, Apple's latest audio patent covers a system that could one day work with a desktop, a MacBook, a home entertainment system and even an amphitheater. More specifically, Apple's patent covers a system for reproducing a stabilized phantom center audio channel ...

Force Touch is a technology that was developed by Apple that enables trackpads and touchscreens to distinguish between different levels of force being applied to their surfaces. Today we're learning that Samsung will be bringing their 3D Touch technology to their new Note 8 on August 23.