A reported launch roadmap from MasterCard seems to indicate that Apple Pay will be heading to Japa, Brazil, Honking and Singapore by the end of 2016. The purported roadmap, which was leaked by 9to5Mac, also indicates that Apple Pay may add support for MasterCard in Canada before the end of 2016 as well. Apple Pay in Canada currently only supports American Express cards. If the launch roadmap is to be believed, 2016 could be a big year for Apple Pay’s expansion. The mobile payments platform already made its debut in China earlier in February, and France is also rumored to see a rollout this year. …

A New York judge has ruled in Apple’s favor in an ongoing case through which the government was seeking to force the Cupertino company to unlock an iPhone by leveraging the All Writs Act. The case is separate from the current ongoing battle between the FBI and Apple over whether the government can compel Apple to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. However, it’s an important win for Apple as the fate of the San Bernardino case remains uncertain. From the ruling: For the reasons set forth below, I conclude that under the circumstances of this case, the government has failed to establish either that the AWA permits the relief it seeks or that, even if such an order is authorized, the discretionary factors I must consider weigh in favor of granting the motion. More specifically, the established rules for interpreting a statute’s text constrain me to reject the government’s interpretation that the AWA empowers a court to grant any relief not outright prohib…

The rumored 9.7-inch iPad Pro — once thought to carry the moniker iPad Air 3 — may include camera specs that top its 12.9-inch sibling, according to a new report. Specifically, 9to5Mac reports that the smaller iPad Pro might contain a 12MP camera capable of recording 4K video: Internal prototypes of the smaller model include a 12 megapixel rear camera comparable to the sensor in the iPhone 6s, according to sources. The 12.9-inch model that shipped this past November has an eight megapixel rear camera. Like the 6s, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro would also record 4K video. Like the current iPad Pro, the 9.7-inch variant is expected to include a four-speaker setup, Apple Pencil support, a Smart Connector and pack an A9X chip. It’s expected that we’ll see the 9.7-inch iPad Pro unveiled alongside the rumored iPhone SE and new Apple Watch bands on March 21. iPad Air 3 iPad Air 3 Preview iPad Air 3 News iPad Air 3 Discussion */ /*–>*/ /*–>*/ …

While Apple may have had highter aspirations for Connect, its social network that launched with Apple Music, what exists eight months after its launch seems to be frustrating for both artists and Apple Music subscribers. In a post over at Better Elevation, Airplane Mode’s Dave Wiskus outlines the failures of Connect, including issues with embedding tracks, engaging with fans, and even something as seemingly simple as changing your band’s avatar. From Better Elevation: It’s also not a very good broadcast medium. Sure, I can post to Connect and share out to Twitter and whatnot, but why? There’s nothing unique or powerful about Apple’s system that makes it a good hub. Because I have no idea how many followers we have, I can’t even make a numerical argument for Connect-first posting. And since we can’t even invite people from other places to follow us on Connect, there’s no incentive to try. As a fan, it’s a confusing mess. As an artist, it’s a black hole. All media, no socia…

Before he co-founded connected device company Nest, Tony Fadell worked at Apple and lead the teams behind its iPod and its first iPhone devices. Fadell looks back on those days in a newly published interview. Fadell told VentureBeat about his doubts when Apple CEO Steve Jobs asked him to help create a music player. Fadell stated: The market was littered with junk. I almost didn’t take the job. We had the General Magic tale. We had the Philips tale. I turned to Steve and said, ”We can build anything. Give it enough time and money. But how can you guarantee to me that you can sell and market it? Look at Sony. They own every audio category. How do we go up against that?” He said to me, ”Look. You make it, and I guarantee I’ll use every marketing dollar I’ve got. I’ll starve the Mac to do it.” I said, ”Okay, you do what you want.” He was really passionate about it. Of course, that music player turned out to be an iPod and changed both the music and tech industries. Later came t…

Love the extra battery life you get in Low Power Mode? Turn off these iPhone features, and you can rock Low Power Mode like it’s your daily driver. Apple’s Low Power Mode, introduced in iOS 9, lets you flip a switch to temporarily reduce the strain on your battery by disabling a number of high-demand features. Your phone will automatically prompt you to enter Low Power Mode when you hit 20 percent, but you can also enable it manually via Settings > Battery. It’s one of my favorite features on my iPhone, and I find myself using it in manual mode constantly to eke out an extra hour while taking photos or getting directions. But Low Power Mode has a catch: It won’t let you use it over 80 percent battery power, and because it takes a few steps to enable, you may forget about its battery-rejuvinating powers until you’re too low to get much use out of the feature. Luckily, Low Power Mode isn’t just a gobbledeegook mystery switch: Apple details most of the processes that get disabled …

While you can find Apple TV apps through the App Store on the device, some people may be looking for a different way, and a new tool has surfaced to provide just that. AfterPad, which generally focuses on gaming on iPhone and iPad, has launched a dedicated Apple TV app and game catalog. With the catalog, you can sift through the App Store’s many categories to find which apps are ready for your flat screen. From Afterpad: This catalog aims to change that. AfterPad provides a web frontend for searching and browsing the Apple TV store, as well as curating the best of the best into an Editor’s Choice section geared towards power users. Not only does Afterpad offer separate gaming and app sections, but you’ll also find individual categories for both games and apps. Each section also contains an expandable menu for even more specific categories, such as arcade games or finance apps. It should be noted that this catalog is an early beta, so don’t be surprised if you run into some …