Apple on Saturday opened its biggest Asian store yet in Beijing, with hordes of shoppers descending on the three-floor complex that highlights the growing importance of China to the US tech giant.

To mark the one-year anniversay of Steve Job’s death a limited edition Apple MacBook Pro is being auctioned for charity.

As stories continue to circulate on Apple‘s message boards and on Twitter of iPhone 5s arriving in less than perfect condition, one London firm believes it may have found an elegant and suitably aspirational solution to the problem.

On Sep. 27, Gold & Co is set to unveil what it claims is the world’s first 24-karat gold-plated iPhone 5 at the Collector’s Palace in Dubai Mall, United Arab Emirates.

Apple has been named as the UK’s coolest brand, taking first place from luxury car brand Aston Martin in the 2012 CoolBrands rankings.

In fact, the exclusive and much idolized carmaker, which has held the top spot in the annual CoolBrands list for six of the past seven years, was beaten not just by Apple in first place, but also by YouTube, which moved up into second place.

Leica and Apple, two of the most desired brands in the world of design, are getting together to produce yet another fascinating — and very expensive — product.

The German photography company is working with Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Senior VP of Industrial Design, on the design of a one-off version set to be auctioned for charity.

Apple‘s forthcoming 7.85 inch tablet, expected to be launched at an event in October, will be named the iPad Mini according to Apple blog site Macotakara.

Component parts manufacturers have been ordered to gear up for mass production of the tablets in September, indicating the launch may be drawing near.