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Apple offers customers even more options for safe, reliable repairs New Independent Repair Provider Program Expands Genuine Parts Access to More Repair Businesses Cupertino, California — Apple today announced a new repair program, offering customers additional options for the most common out-of-warranty iPhone repairs. Apple will provide more independent repair businesses — large or small —  with the same genuine parts, tools, training, repair manuals and diagnostics as its Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs). The program is launching in the US with plans to expand to other countries. “To better meet our customers’ needs, we’re making it easier for independent providers across the US to tap into the same resources as our Apple Authorized Service Provider network,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “When a repair is needed, a customer should have confidence the repair is done right. We believe the safest and most reliable repair is one handled by a train...

Improving Siri’s privacy protections At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right. We design our products to protect users’ personal data, and we are constantly working to strengthen those protections. This is true for our services as well. Our goal with Siri, the pioneering intelligent assistant, is to provide the best experience for our customers while vigilantly protecting their privacy. We know that customers have been concerned by recent reports of people listening to audio Siri recordings as part of our Siri quality evaluation process — which we call grading. We heard their concerns, immediately suspended human grading of Siri requests and began a thorough review of our practices and policies. We’ve decided to make some changes to Siri as a result. How Siri Protects Your Privacy Siri has been engineered to protect user privacy from the beginning. We focus on doing as much on device as possible, minimizing the amount of data we collect with Siri. When we store Sir...

Apple Card launches today for all US customers Apple Card, a new kind of credit card created by Apple and designed to help customers lead a healthier financial life, is available 1 in the US starting today. Customers can apply for Apple Card through the Wallet app on iPhone in minutes and start using it right away 2 with Apple Pay in stores, in apps and on websites. Built on simplicity, transparency and privacy, Apple Card has no fees, 3 encourages customers to pay less interest, offers an easy-to-understand view of spending and provides a new level of privacy and security. This launch follows the Apple Card preview earlier this month, during which a limited number of customers were invited to apply early. “We’re thrilled with the overwhelming interest in Apple Card and its positive reception,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay. “Customers have told us they love Apple Card’s simplicity and how it gives them a better view of their spending.” More Merchants...

Apple celebrates America’s national parks this August Ahead of the 103rd anniversary of the US National Park Service, Apple today introduced new ways customers can enjoy and support America’s parks, including an Apple Pay donation program, an Apple Watch Activity Challenge and special content and collections on Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and more. “The beauty in our parks is obvious to all observers but their most profound contribution is to our spirit,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are proud to support them.” From August 17 through August 25, Apple will make a $10 donation to the National Park Foundation for each purchase made with Apple Pay at an Apple Store,  apple.com  or the Apple Store app in the US. 1  Apple’s donation will support programs across the country that help to connect young people who wouldn’t otherwise have the means with transformative park experiences. These programs range from elementary classroom field trips to immersive multi-day ...

Apple’s US job footprint grows to 2.4 million Thirty-three years ago, five friends sat down at a kitchen table in Tulsa, Oklahoma and decided to start a company. Among them: president of Maccor Andy MacKay and his wife Helen, who runs personnel. Today, less than a mile from that spot, Maccor now occupies 80,000 square feet of space and has earned itself a reputation as the top manufacturer of battery testing systems in the world. Maccor is one of 9,000 American suppliers that Apple spent a collective $60 billion dollars with in 2018, which supports 450,000 jobs. Altogether, Apple is responsible for creating and supporting 2.4 million US jobs across all 50 states, four times the number of American jobs attributable to the company eight years ago. Apple is on pace to directly contribute $350 billion to the US economy by 2023, which the company announced in January of 2018. “The relationship with Apple has been tremendous and company-changing for us,” says Andy. “We want to build the a...

Apple brings contactless student IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch to more universities In the coming school year, more than 100,000 college students will enjoy the ease and convenience of carrying their student IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch. Students at Clemson University, Georgetown University, University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, University of San Francisco, University of Vermont, Arkansas State University, South Dakota State University, Norfolk State University, Louisburg College, University of North Alabama and Chowan University will soon be able to use their student ID in Apple Wallet to get into dorms, buy lunch and more. “We’re happy to add to the growing number of schools that are making getting around campus easier than ever with iPhone and Apple Watch,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “We know students love this feature. Our university partners tell us that since launch, students across the country have purchased 1.25 million ...

Searching for gold with habitat restoration in mind In the Alaska-Yukon region, salmon is as precious as gold. There are hundreds of small and large placer mining operations in Alaska actively producing gold in the US. Placer mining sites sit along creeks and streams, giving miners the chance to re-mine for any nuggets or fine gold left over from the Yukon’s Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s. Meanwhile, since 1991, 12 Pacific salmon runs have been listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These routes that salmon use to make their run to their spawning beds each year are often adjacent to placer mining sites. “Salmon to our people is absolutely the most important aspect of the whole environment,” says Allen Edzerza, a Tahltan Nation elder and advisor to the British Columbia First Nations Energy and Mining Council. “But … in the pursuit of the metals, you see big scars on the landscape.” “We’ve actually created a really stable restoration program which a lot of miners don’t...

Creativity and community come together at Apple’s Teacher Coding Academies This feature is part of a series of stories spotlighting teachers and students using innovative technology in the classroom. For educators like Tara Bordeaux, named Texas Teacher of the Year in 2018, Apple’s Teacher Coding Academies are transformative. “The training makes you feel like you really can accomplish anything,” says Bordeaux. “It was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” The elementary, high school and college educators who attended this summer’s academies came from different states, schools and backgrounds — but they all shared one new and very important responsibility: shepherding their students into a world where coding is a common language. The teachers are determined not only to teach their students about coding, but to show them how they can channel that knowledge to make the world a better place, starting with their communities. On that front, they’re leading by example. In Boise, the t...