MacRumors

Apple today opened up a new section of its iOS App Store called "For Those Who Serve" in honor of Veterans Day today, November 11. The company said that the collection of apps within the new category focus on "the latest military news, essential health and wellness info, and other valuable tools for everyday life." Each app in the section can be found listed below.

News
- MarinesMobile [Direct Link]
- US Army News & Information [Direct Link]
- The Official U.S. Navy App [Direct Link]
- AF Link [Direct Link]
- Military News from Stars and Stripes [Direct Link]
- Military 24/7 for iPhone [Direct Link]

Resources
- Hero Care by American Red Cross [Direct Link]
- Blue Star Families [Direct Link]
- USAA Mobile [Direct Link]
- Transition by Military.com [Direct Link]
- USCG HSWL [Direct Link]
- Base Directory [Direct Link]
- RallyPoint [Direct Link]
- Vetmoji [Direct Link]
- Army OneSource Services Locator [Direct Link]

Wellness
- Charity Miles [Direct Link]
- Sesame Street for Military Families [Direct Link]
- PTSD Coach [Direct Link]
- Moving Forward [Direct Link]
- Stay Quit Coach [Direct Link]
- MOVE! Coach [Direct Link]
- Navy PRT [Direct Link]
- Mindfulness Coach [Direct Link]
- Army First Aid [Direct Link]
- Headspace [Direct Link]
- Calm [Direct Link]

Apple CEO Tim Cook also tweeted out support for military veterans this morning, including those working within Apple. There's a new "Saluting Our Veterans" section on Apple Music today as well, featuring playlists filled with music handpicked by "a diverse group of former service members."

iPhone display supplier Japan Display is in "advanced talks" with the government-backed fund Innovation Network Corp. of Japan to receive around ¥75 billion ($703 million) in financing, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The bailout deal could help Japan Display improve its LCD display technology to better compete against OLED displays, while the investment could also go towards trying to set up its own manufacturing lines for mass-producing OLED displays.

Apple is widely expected to launch at least one new iPhone with an OLED display next year, with rumors pointing towards a curved 5.5-inch-or-larger model with glass casing. Japan Display's domestic rival Sharp recently said it is building a new OLED facility in Japan to manufacture the displays for a "key customer," while Samsung and LG Display are reportedly in the mix as well.

OLED displays typically have sharper color contrast and brighter colors compared to LCD displays, while the technology allows for flexible, curved designs. OLED panels also typically have faster response times and better viewing angles compared to LCD technology, with the option for an always-on mode. Samsung smartphones have used AMOLED displays, based on OLED technology, for years.

Rumors suggest Apple will release at least two traditional 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone models with LCD displays next year, as it has used since the original iPhone in 2007, so Japan Display may still have time to ramp up its OLED efforts.

INCJ already owns a controlling 36% stake in Japan Display, a joint venture formed in 2012 by the display making divisions of Hitachi, Sony, and Toshiba. Japan Display has struggled as of late due to the rise of OLED, with its revenue in the July-September quarter declining 25%. The company posted a quarterly net loss of ¥4.9 billion, but it projects a small operating profit for the full fiscal year.

Sharp received a similar financial infusion when it was acquired by Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn for $3.5 billion earlier this year.

In September, Yahoo confirmed that at least 500 million of its users' accounts had been compromised during an attack in late 2014. Now, in a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, it was revealed that the company knew about the hack when it originally happened in 2014, but waited two years to divulge it to the public (via TechCrunch)

Describing the investigation, the new SEC filing notes a "state-sponsored actor" who gained access to the company's network in late 2014, along with Yahoo's awareness and identification of the individual in question during the same time period. Information stolen included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords, and encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.

In late July 2016, a hacker claimed to have obtained certain Yahoo user data. After investigating this claim with the assistance of an outside forensic expert, the Company could not substantiate the hacker’s claim. Following this investigation, the Company intensified an ongoing broader review of the Company’s network and data security, including a review of prior access to the Company’s network by a state-sponsored actor that the Company had identified in late 2014. Based on further investigation with an outside forensic expert, the Company disclosed the Security Incident on September 22, 2016, and began notifying potentially affected users, regulators, and other stakeholders.

Now a board made up of independent counsel and a forensic expert is said to be investigating "the scope of knowledge within the company in 2014," as well as Yahoo's basic security measures and related incidents. The filing describes $1 million in losses for Yahoo relating to the security breach so far.

Additionally, Yahoo said that 23 class action lawsuits have been filed against the company by consumers targeted by the security breach in 2014, in both federal and state courts, as well as foreign courts. Plaintiffs in the cases claim to have been "harmed by the company's alleged actions and/or omissions" relating to the hack. The scope and monetary damages sought by each consumer was not divulged.

In attempts to move past the incident, Yahoo is cooperating with federal, state, and foreign governments and agencies who are investigating the hack. The biggest blowback for Yahoo might still be in its planned sale to Verizon, the latter company now asking for a $1 billion discount due to Yahoo's current turbulent drama with the news of the 2014 hack.

Snapchat's video-recording Spectacles became available to buy in the U.S. on Thursday, not online or in stores, but from pop-up vending machines.

Called 'Snapbots', the giant vending machines will dispense the Spectacles in either Black, Coral or Teal, and allow customers to try them on virtually using a built-in augmented reality display.

For those unfamiliar with Snapchat's first hardware product, the $129 Spectacles are a one-size-fits-all pair of sunglasses that can record 10 seconds of video at a time and sync wirelessly with the mobile Snapchat app, which was updated on Tuesday.

According to Recode, Snapchat plans to deposit the machines "soon" throughout the U.S., with the first machine appearing in Venice Beach, California. Reminiscent of Snapchat, the machines will only remain in one location for a day before being removed. The company said it will announce new Snapbot locations 24 hours before they appear, via the "Find a Bot" map on the Spectacles website.

Upon discovering a bot, customers press one of the large circular buttons to 'try on' their chosen color of sunglasses, after which they must insert a debit or credit card to purchase. About 10 seconds passes as the transaction is processed, before the Bot's mouth lights up and the spectacles are dispensed along with a receipt.

Snapchat, now dubbed Snap, has been developing the Spectacles for years and considers them "a toy" best used at concerts and outdoor events. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said the limited-distribution product was made "because it's fun" and the company wants people to figure out if the glasses fit into their lives.

Apple has quietly introduced a new tvOS app for kids called "iBooks Storytime," designed to allow children to read along with interactive books on their television sets.

iBooks Storytime features a selection of children's books from the iBooks Store that feature Read-Along capabilities. Read-Along books are audio-enhanced with different character voices, vivid sound effects, and word-for-word narration that children can follow along with.

Parents can purchase Read-Aloud books chosen by App Store editors directly from the Apple TV and control the voice narration with the Siri Remote or turn on an automatic reading feature.

Some of the Read-Along titles include Lava, based on the Pixar short film, Green Eggs and Ham, Meet Tracker, The ABCs of Cookies, The Little Red Hen,
and Goodnight Moon. Apple is offering Dora's Big Buddy Race Read-Along Storybook as a free title for testing the feature.

Read-Along titles are also available on the iPhone and iPad, and previously-purchased selections will show up on the Apple TV. iBooks Storytime is a free download on the Apple TV. [Direct Link]

An update rolling out to the iOS, Android, and Windows 10 Instagram app today has introduced the company's standalone app "Boomerang" directly into its new Snapchat-like stories feature. Boomerang allows users to take a burst of photos that cycle forwards and backwards quickly, creating an animated GIF that they can share to Instagram and Facebook directly within the app.

Today, when users swipe left-to-right to open the stories camera, there will be a new format picker under the shutter button which can be toggled between "Normal" and "Boomerang," and shared directly to their story.

Mentions are also making an appearance in stories, allowing Instagram users to tag friends and family members using the @ icon normally found in comments and captions of posts. Whenever a friend taps the @ mention on a story, they'll be directed to that user's profile. Anyone who's mentioned in a story will also receive a direct message with a link to the image or video they were tagged in.

Additionally, a "See More" tag for some verified accounts will help users dig deeper into that person's media content.

Watching someone’s story and want to dig deeper? You may spot “See More” links at the bottom of some stories. This is a test that lets verified accounts add links so it’s easy to learn more. From discovering the latest music by Chance the Rapper (@chancetherapper) to learning about a new movie starring Dwayne Johnson (@therock) or reading a related article from Bustle (@bustle), tap “See More” or swipe up to view the link right inside the app.

Instagram is available to download for free from the App Store [Direct Link], and the 9.7 update will continue rolling out to users throughout the day.

Apple's annual extended holiday return policy began today in the United States and several other countries.

Most products and accessories purchased between November 10 and December 25 of this year are eligible for return until January 8, 2017 in the United States, Australia, Canada, and select other regions, or until January 20, 2017 in many European countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Apple products that can be returned include, among other things, the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. The few items that cannot be returned include Apple or iTunes gift cards. Apple products can be opened and used prior to the return date, but must be returned undamaged with the original packaging.

When making a purchase at an Apple retail store, we recommend that you ask for printed and emailed copies of your receipt. Both printed and emailed receipts will indicate the return date for each product purchased, while Apple also lists the cutoff date under the "Your Account" section on its website.

All purchases made before today or after December 25 are subject to Apple's standard 14-day return policy in most countries.

Update: The extended holiday return policy is now reflected on Apple's delivery and pickup page.

Apple Maps has recently been updated with all-new traffic data in Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Slovenia, providing users with real-time updates about vehicular traffic in three more European countries. As usual, highly congested areas will display orange or red lines along the roads to indicate that drivers may face delays. The traffic feature is also now available in Gibraltar, a small British territory on Spain's south coast.

Apple Maps traffic data is available in over 40 other countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Greece, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Gibraltar, and select other regions in Europe.

Apple recently expanded the universal search feature on its fourth-generation Apple TV to include MUBI, Hopster, and CW Seed. MUBI's universal search functionality has been added in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, while Hopster has been added in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, only users in the U.S. can take advantage of having CW Seed in universal search.

For those unfamiliar, MUBI is a $5.99 per month service that gives subscribers a new film every day, with up to a month to watch it, "so there will always be 30 extraordinary films" for users to watch each time they open the app. Hopster is also a straight-forward $4.99 per month streaming service, aimed at providing "safe and ad-free" entertainment for kids. The CW Seed app is an offshoot of the main CW network, and is home to shorter digital series, as well as older shows like Pushing Daisies and V, but it doesn't include currently-running CW series, which are housed in the main app for The CW.

With these apps added, users will now receive content updates from each service within relevant universal search prompts. Universal search lets Apple TV users conduct Siri voice searches or text-based searches to find TV shows and movies across any app supporting the feature. When the Apple TV launched, not many apps were included in universal search, but Apple has slowly been expanding its reach ever since.

The current list of all apps supported in universal search, broken down by countries, can be found here.

Following Target's Black Friday ad shared yesterday, today electronics retailer Best Buy posted its Black Friday deals, showcasing doorbusters and all-day sales that include a few Apple products. Sixteen sales in total are even beginning now, one on the 13-inch MacBook Air with Intel Core i5, 8GB memory, and 256 flash storage, which is $200 off its original price of $1,199.00.

For every other deal, customers will have to wait until Best Buy's doors open at 5 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving, November 24, and the sales mentioned in the advertisement will run through November 26. For those willing to wait in line, Doorbusters include deals on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac.

- $125 off all 9.7-inch iPad Pro models
- $200 off 13-inch MacBook Air with Intel Core i5, 8GB memory, and 128 flash storage
- $200 off 13-inch MacBook Air with Intel Core i5, 8GB memory, and 256 flash storage
- $200 off 21.5-inch iMac with Intel Core i5, 8GB memory, and 1TB hard drive

Deals running throughout the day on Black Friday include $40 off the fourth-generation Apple TV, iPad Air 2 discounts, and a few installment plans savings for those interested in the iPhone 7 and iPhone SE.

- $40 off fourth-generation 64GB Apple TV
- $125 off all iPad Air 2 models
- $50 off Apple Watch Series 1
- $200 off 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display, Intel Core i5, 8GB Memory, and 1TB Hard Drive
- Buy one, get one 30% off for all iTunes gift cards
- $160 off iPhone SE installment plans with Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint (starting at $9.99/month for 24 months)
- Up to a $250 Best Buy gift card when purchasing iPhone 7 installment plan with Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint

Best Buy also has some savings on iPhone cases and accessories, smart home products, as well as speakers and headphones. Anyone looking for Beats products can get $150 off the Solo 2 over-ear headphones, and $110 off the PowerBeats2 Wireless in-ear headphones.