Apple News is gaining its first-ever editor-in-chief, according to a new report from Politico. Lauren Kern will take on the newly created role at Apple after serving in prominent positions at both The New York Times Magazine and New York Magazine.

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Apple has patents for virtual keyboards on MacBooks dating back as far as 2009, but a continuation patent application published today shows that the company is still exploring the idea.

A virtual keyboard was of course a headline feature of the iPhone when it was launched in 2007, and Apple also introduced the feature to the latest MacBook Pro models in the form of the Touch Bar. Patently Apple put together the above graphic based on the patent, showing what is in effect a giant Touch Bar replacing a physical keyboard.

If the idea fills you with horror, as it does me, we may not need to worry too much …

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IK Multimedia, a popular maker of mobile audio recording solutions and software for iOS and Mac, is introducing a massive new plug-in instrument for Mac and Logic Pro today. The new Syntronik is a sample-based virtual synthesizer and features 38 painstakingly multi-sampled virtual versions of some of the most classic synthesizers that have ever existed. more…

Gatwick Airport, the second-largest of London’s airports, has installed around 2,000 iBeacons to help passengers find their way around the terminals.

While phase 1 of the project is rather basic – merely showing people where they are on a digital map – the second phase will provide augmented reality navigation, guiding passengers to their gates by overlaying arrows on live images of the terminal. The airport is also considering a more ambitious third phase …

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AOL, now part of Verizon, is today launching an updated version of its Alto email app that it first launched back in September of last year. Today’s update includes new calendar integration, Amazon Alexa support, and more.

One of the highlight new features arriving in today’s update is full calendar integration in the app’s Dashboard interface:

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Apple has been gradually switching its international app store pricing from US dollars or Euros to local currencies, doing so in eight countries at the end of last year. It told developers last week that it would be doing the same thing in a further nine countries ‘within 7-10 days,’ and these changes have now taken effect …

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After a change of heart, Belkin has now officially announced that it will bring HomeKit support to its ecosystem of Wemo smart home accessories later this year with the unveiling of a new HomeKit Wemo Bridge.

The bridge will enable all Wemo devices currently on the market to interact with an Apple user’s HomeKit setup. This will allow voice control of Wemo lights, plugs and switches via Siri as well as manual control through the iOS 10 Apple Home app.

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Two days ahead of the opening of the first Apple Store in Singapore, the company has provided a press preview of the interior.

One notably missing feature is the glass staircase which has traditionally been a signature design element of Apple’s retail stores. There is instead what is being reported as a stone staircase but may be a ceramic one. This design was first seen in the Nanjing store in China, and appears to be destined for the refitted 5th Avenue store in NY too …

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Apple has today officially transitioned away from its ageing press portal in favour of the modern Apple Newsroom, which combines company press releases, photo coverage and other news into one place. All links to apple.com/pr now redirect to apple.com/newsroom.

At the same time, the company has also updated its executive biography pages with a fresh design update to fit in with the company’s recent website design trends and adopts the San Francisco typeface, finally retiring the Lucida Grande font.

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Apple’s chief design officer Jony Ive has been appointed chancellor of London’s famous Royal College of Art (RCA). The RCA has been ranked as the world’s best university for art and design for three years running.

Ive, who was awarded an honorary doctorate by the RCA back in 2009, says he is thrilled by the news …

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