San Francisco (AP) — San Francisco launched free Wi-Fi access at more than 30 public parks, plazas and recreation areas on Wednesday, thanks to a grant from Google. “Wi-Fi in our city’s parks is another step toward a larger vision of connectivity for our City as a whole, bridging the digital divide and ensuring that…
Apple’s iPhone 6 Gets Approval for Sales in China
BEIJING (AP) — China’s phone regulator said Tuesday it has approved Apple Inc.’s iPhone 6 for use on Chinese networks after the company promised never to install “backdoors” to give other governments access to users’ information. Apple said sales start Oct. 17. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s announcement reflected Chinese unease about the…
Apple: 10 Million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Sold
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple says it sold more than 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models, a record for a new model, in the three days after the phones went on sale. A year ago, Apple Inc. said it had sold 9 million of the then-new iPhone 5C and 5S models. The iPhone…
Apple Releases Tool to Remove Free U2 Album
NEW YORK (AP) — Some iPhone users are not happy that U2’s new album, “Songs of Innocence,” was automatically added to their iTunes music library, free of charge. In response, Apple has released a special tool that lets people remove the album from their collections. U2 played at an Apple event last week that included…
Apple iPhone 6 Pre-Orders Exceed Supply
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple says it had more than 4 million pre-orders of its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 24 hours, exceeding its initial pre-order supply. The company says the phones will be delivered to customers starting Friday and throughout September, but many won’t be delivered until October. Phones will be…
Microsoft Acquires Minecraft Maker Mojang for $2.5B
NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft will acquire the maker of the popular game Minecraft for $2.5 billion. The technology company said it will buy Stockholm-based game maker Mojang. Minecraft, which lets users build in and explore a virtual world, has been downloaded 100 million times on PC alone since its launch in 2009. It is…
Apple Shares Take Hit as New Samsung Phones Launch
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple shares are getting bit by a rival. The iPhone maker’s stock fell more than 4 percent Wednesday after Samsung unveiled two new smartphones at a trade show in Berlin. Samsung announced the Galaxy Note Edge phone, which has a side display for quicker access to the flashlight, Twitter, news and…
Apple Loses Bid to Block Sales of 9 Samsung Phones
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge has rejected Apple’s attempt to block the sale of several older Samsung smartphones that copied features in the iPhone. Wednesday’s rebuff comes nearly four months after a jury awarded Apple Inc. $119 million in damages for Samsung’s infringements on technology used in the trend-setting iPhone. The amount…
Los Angeles Schools Halt iPad Deal Amid Criticism
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Faced with criticism about the planning and rollout of a $1 billion effort by the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide iPads to all students, Superintendent John Deasy on Tuesday suspended future use of a contract with Apple Inc. The move follows disclosures that Deasy and his top deputy had…
Fitbit Denies Claims It Sells Personal Data
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Fitbit, the maker of a popular line of wearable fitness-tracking devices, said Friday that it does not sell personal data to advertisers, contrary to concerns raised by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer. The San Francisco-based company spelled out its privacy policy on its website after Schumer warned of a potential “privacy nightmare”…