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MapQuest has become the top navigation app in Apple's App Store after hundreds of thousands of downloads in recent days. The surge follows the company's statement that it will not rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America,' despite a Trump executive order calling for the change.
MapQuest declined to rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' despite a Trump executive order pushing the change, while Google Maps updated its listing to comply. The decision triggered a surge in downloads, pushing MapQuest to No. 4 overall on the U.S. App Store and No. 1 among navigation apps, with usage spiking 50 times above normal.
Phil Schiller is stepping back from overseeing the App Store and Apple's product events, roles he held even after moving to an Apple Fellow title in 2020. The App Store will now fall under Eddy Cue's services division, with Carson Oliver managing daily operations, while Nola Weinstein takes charge of events reporting to communications VP Kristin Huguet Quayle.
MapQuest announced it would not rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' despite a Trump executive order directing federal agencies to update the name. Following the decision, MapQuest's iOS app jumped to No. 4 among all US App Store apps and became the top-ranked navigation app, with hundreds of thousands of new downloads and usage climbing to 50 times normal levels.
After Google renamed Lake Ontario to align with President Trump's push to call it 'Lake America,' MapQuest publicly refused to make the same change on its maps. That stance went viral on social media, driving MapQuest's mobile app to the top navigation app spot on Apple's US App Store and into the top ten overall, with strong gains in Canada as well.
Phil Schiller is relinquishing his roles overseeing the App Store and Apple's product events, according to Bloomberg. He will retain his Apple Fellow title and continue working on unspecified projects, while the App Store division moves under services chief Eddy Cue, with Carson Oliver remaining in charge of daily store operations.
Laytr is a new iPhone app that lets users save links, screenshots, and other content via the native share sheet, then organize them into Now, Timeline, and Library tabs for later reference. Unlike most bookmarking tools, it stores everything locally on-device with no accounts or iCloud syncing involved.
A recent Apple Vision Pro adopter shares that the headset's standout use case is watching movies and TV shows while lying down, echoing comments Tim Cook has made about his own viewing habits. The writer notes that while Vision Pro's broader software experience—like multitasking and typing—remains clunky, its content consumption strength, particularly for reclined viewing, is what keeps the device relevant despite its bulk.
Apple announced App Store tax updates taking effect immediately in Morocco, the Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania, reflecting new or increased VAT and digital sales taxes. Starting September 14, Apple will also update app and in-app purchase prices in Israel, Indonesia, Morocco, and the Republic of the Congo for developers who haven't set those regions as their base storefront.
A ZDNET piece revisits how Apple built its tightly controlled App Store ecosystem after CEO Tim Cook's 2014 jab at Android as a 'toxic hellstew of vulnerabilities.' The article argues that a decade later, the competitive and regulatory battles have shifted from app-store control to AI, with Apple's new Siri raising fresh concerns.
A longtime Apple user dug up his original 2011 iPhone 4 and found it still powers on using its old 30-pin dock connector, but its outdated hardware and software make it functionally useless today. The device runs only on 3G networks, has an 8GB capacity and slow A8 chip, and can no longer access iCloud, Safari or most apps due to modern security requirements. He concludes the phone's best remaining role is as a basic iPod, with recycling as the more practical option.
Apple has begun silently pushing App Store updates to fix Apple Watch apps that failed to launch under the watchOS 27 beta. The updates carry a note stating Apple itself repackaged the app for compatibility, with no new features added. Apple told developers this automated fix rollout will wrap up by August 31, ahead of watchOS 27's public release expected in mid-September.