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TechThe Mobile Executive

Apple AirPods Arrive In Time for CEO Tim Cook to Become A Meme

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
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By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
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December 17, 2016, 9:00 AM ET
Trump Holds Summit With Technology Industry Leaders
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 14: (L to R) President-elect Donald Trump, Peter Thiel and Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, Inc., listen during a meeting with technology executives at Trump Tower, December 14, 2016 in New York City. This is the first major meeting between President-elect Trump and technology industry leaders. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)Drew Angerer—Getty Images

It only took one picture for Apple CEO Tim Cook to become the company’s biggest story this week.

In a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, Cook was photographed looking sullen while flanked by other technology executives. The image quickly went viral, becoming one of the bigger Apple-related news stories of the week.

But that wasn’t all Apple-watchers focused on this week. At long last, Apple started selling its AirPods wireless earbuds, and once again, the media speculated about whether the company planned to build a car.

Apple also quietly withdrew an update to its wearables operating system, watchOS, after users complained about the problems it caused to their devices.

This is Fortune’s weekly roundup of the biggest Apple news this week. To see last week’s roundup, click here.

Read on for more about Apple’s (AAPL) past week and some of the bigger headlines surrounding the Cupertino, Calif.-based company.

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  1. A picture of Tim Cook sitting near President-elect Donald Trump and other tech executives this week went viral showing Cook with a displeased look on his face. People shared the image on Facebook and Twitter, with many people saying Cook’s demeanor reminded them of how they feel about the impending Trump presidency.
  2. Apple started selling the AirPods in the company’s online store this week. The wireless earbuds, which cost $159, quickly sold out, requiring online customers to wait weeks before they can get a shipment. People who want to take a shot at getting the AirPods sooner should go to Apple and brick-and-mortar stores of mobile carriers on Monday. A limited number of AirPods will reportedly be available that day.
  3. The long-awaited Nintendo game Super Mario Run landed in Apple’s App Store. It’s already the most popular free game in the App Store.
  4. Apple has reportedly hired Alexander Hitzinger, former technical director in Porsche’s race car program. It’s unknown what Hitzinger will do for Apple, but considering his history in the car business, he may work on the company’s rumored self-driving car technology.
  5. Apple tweaked its corporate bylaws this week to make it easier for outside investors to nominate board candidates. The change was on Apple activist investor wish lists.
  6. Apple pulled a watchOS update this week after users reported it that it had made their Apple Watch units useless. Apple took down the update, watchOS 3.1.1, about a day after it was released. When uses tried to update to watchOS 3.1.1, their Apple Watch units would display a red exclamation point. They were unable to restart the Apple Watch, forcing them to take the smartwatch back to Apple and have it shipped out for repair. Apple hasn’t commented about what went wrong.
  7. While Apple finally started selling its AirPods this week, a report by Apple-tracking blog 9to5Mac said the company had delayed its Beats X earbuds until next year. Apple announced Beats X at its September iPhone event and promised a fall 2016 release. An email sent from B&H Photo to people who had preordered the Beats X earbuds says shipments have been pushed back another two to three months.
  8. Apple has responded to user reports about spam in its iCloud Calendar. When users see fake events in Apple’s cloud-based calendar, they can “report junk” and instantly remove the item from their calendars. The feature is expected to come to iOS and macOS Calendar versions at some point in the future.

For more about Apple’s iPhone 7, watch:

One more thing…This week, Apple released the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 10.2, which comes with a nice addition: a new batch of emoji. The new symbols include ones for teachers, scientists, and firefighters. Click here for instructions about how to get them.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
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