Black Lives Matter, USB-C iPad Air, a new stock record: Here's all the Apple news you should have read this week

Imore Homepage Hero
Imore Homepage Hero (Image credit: Stephen Warwick/iMore)

The news this week has rightfully been dominated by George Floyd, protests in the U.S., and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It's no surprise then that much of our Apple news this week comes through this lens, as Apple took to making statements, suspending Apple Music for a day and more, all in support of the cause. In between, we heard about a big potential change in the next iPad, a new stock record, and more. Here's all the Apple news you should have read this week.

Apple closes retail stores... again

Apple Store Minneapolis

Apple Store Minneapolis (Image credit: @Ben Goggin)

Unfortunately, protests about George Floyd and police brutality in the U.S. have been marred by rioting, violence, and looting. Following attacks on several Apple stores, Apple decided to close some stores, in particular ones damaged by looters.

Riots, looting push Apple and others to shut down retail stores ... again

"We must do more"

Tim Cook

Tim Cook (Image credit: Apple)

Tim Cook sent a memo to all Apple employees, describing the killing of George Floyd as senseless, and saying that Apple must do more.

Tim Cook says "we must do more" in memo to employees about George Floyd

Black Out Tuesday

Apple Music

Apple Music (Image credit: iMore)

Apple changed the programming of Apple Music in solidarity with 'Black Out Tuesday', playing a curated playlist of music by black artists.

Apple Music observing 'Black Out Tuesday' to support #BlackLivesMatter

Apple News+ Audio

Apple News Audio

Apple News Audio (Image credit: 9to5Mac)

A new audio feature for Apple News+ stories has been spotted in the latest iOS 13 beta.

Apple News+ Audio feature leaked in iOS 13.5.5 beta

USB-C iPad Air

iPad Pro USB-C

iPad Pro USB-C (Image credit: iMore)

A new report suggests the new iPad Air might feature USB-C.

New report claims the next iPad Air will switch to USB-C just like iPad Pro

A new record

Apple Park photo of the side of the main building

Apple Park photo of the side of the main building (Image credit: Apple)

Apple's share price broke a new record of nearly $328 on Friday. The landmark also represents a full recovery from Apple's COVID-19 induced slide, which began in February.

Apple share price cracks new all-time high marking full recovery from COVID-19 slide

Open letter

Tim Cook

Tim Cook (Image credit: Apple)

Finally, Tim Cook posted an open letter titled 'Speaking up on racism', which was shared on the homepage of Apple's website.

Tim Cook pens open 'Speaking up on racism' letter

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9