Apple

Apple announced the sale of its billionth iPhone on Wednesday, nine years after the smartphone first went on sale.

"We never set out to make the most, but we've always set out to make the best products that make a difference," Apple CEO Tim Cook said at an employee meeting on Wednesday, according to a statement. "Thank you to everyone at Apple for helping change the world every day."

The milestone is a reminder of the nearly unprecedented reach and success of the iPhone.

The US tech giant sold 40.4 million iPhones in its third quarter, slightly above forecasts of 40.02 million.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the results reflected "stronger customer demand... than we anticipated".

The firm said it expected sales to fall again in the fourth quarter to between $45.5bn (£34bn; €41.4bn) and $47.5bn.

The company is reportedly exploring the idea of buying Tidal because of its strong ties to big artists like Kanye West and Madonna.

Sources have told the Wall Street Journal that "exploratory talks" are taking place and may lead to a deal being done.

A Tidal spokesman has denied that it has discussed a deal with Apple.

Jay Z launched the service in March last year as a rival to Spotify.

 The company is working on a technology that can disable phones' photo and video recording capabilities using an infrared signal, a newly approved patent filing has shown.

The technology could stop people from making illegal recordings at concert venues, in cinemas or theaters.

Last week the tech firm released a preview version of iOS 10.

Its kernel - the central component that controls how software is processed by a device's hardware - was unencrypted.

The move should make it easier for researchers to flag flaws that could otherwise be exploited by hackers.

However, the BBC understands that was not Apple's motivation for making the change.

Even so, experts say it could make it harder for organisations to keep secret techniques they have used to overcome privacy measures on iPhones and iPads.

The iPhone 6 and 6S models are similar to Shenzhen Baili's little-known 100C phone, the authority ruled.

In theory, this could lead to iPhone sales being halted in Beijing but sales continue as Apple has appealed to a higher court.

The tech giant said the handset is still available throughout China.

That’s the conclusion many are drawing after credible leak after credible leak revealed a device that’s a minimal upgrade on the iPhone 6S. But there might just be a very good reason for this…

South Korea-based Samsung on Monday appealed a $399 million judgment for illegally copying patented aspects of the look of Apple's iPhone, the latest round in a long-running fight between the two tech-industry giants.

The seven books are getting a makeover with more than 200 new illustrations in enhanced e-books made for Apple devices. More than half of the illustrations are animated or interactive, with such touches as a golden snitch from Quidditch matches flying away as you tap it on the screen. Series creator J.K. Rowling also goes deeper into some of the characters and story lines with a handful of pop-up annotations.

"Sales for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple's history," CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "Customers' feedback is incredible and they are loving 3D Touch and Live Photos."

Last year, Apple sold 10 million units and prior to that 9 million units in 2013. This year Apple released the new iPhone model in China on day one, which helped increase its sale numbers significantly.