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By Heather Somerville and Jane Wardell SAN FRANCISCO/SYDNEY (Reuters) – A significant number of Apple Inc customers are reporting their mobile devices have crashed after attempting to upload the new iOS 9 operating system, the latest in a line of launch glitches for the tech giant. Twitter and other social media were awash with disgruntled customers reporting two distinct faults, with one appearing to be linked specifically to older models of Apple iPhones and iPads. “It is beyond inconvenient to not be able to use your phone for a day,” said student Pip Cordi as staff in the Apple store in central Sydney looked at her phone on Friday.

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Apple Inc's financing plan for its new iPhones is likely to force U.S. carriers to work harder to win and retain customers. Apple announced a program on Wednesday that will allow customers to finance unlocked versions of the new iPhones through monthly installments starting at $32, regardless of which carrier they choose. “Simply, carriers must respond by ensuring their installment plans and terms are competitive versus those from Apple and double down on differentiation based on network and tariff,” said Geoff Blaber, an analyst with CCS Insight.

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By Julia Love SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – With its highly profitable iPhone due for an upgrade, Apple is expected to unveil a pair of new handsets at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, analysts say, in addition to showing off a larger iPad and an updated Apple TV. When Apple executives take the stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, investors will be scrutinizing their plans for the next generation of the iPhone, which drove nearly two-thirds of the company's $49.6 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter. Apple is widely expected to keep the size of the phones the same but upgrade it with an improved camera and Force Touch, a display technology that responds differently depending on how hard users press their screens.

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Apple has ramped up its hiring of artificial intelligence experts, recruiting from PhD programs, posting dozens of job listings and greatly increasing the size of its AI staff, a review of hiring sites suggests and numerous sources confirm. The goal is to challenge Google in an area the Internet search giant has long dominated: smartphone features that give users what they want before they ask. As part of its push, the company is currently trying to hire at least 86 more employees with expertise in the branch of artificial intelligence known as machine learning, according to a recent analysis of Apple job postings.

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Swatch plans to add to its new smartwatch range, the Swiss watchmaker's chief executive told a newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. The Biel, Switzerland-based company is competing with Apple and other watchmakers in the budding smartwatch market. “Our product is called Touch Zero One and that gives enough room for Zero Five, Zero Nine,” Nick Hayek was quoted as saying by Switzerland's Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.

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By Eric Auchard, Jussi Rosendahl and Leila Abboud FRANKFURT/HELSINKI (Reuters) – Nokia is hiring software experts, testing new products and seeking sales partners as it plots its return to the mobile phone and consumer tech arena it abandoned with the sale of its handset business. Once the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, the Finnish firm was wrongfooted by the rise of smartphones and eclipsed by Apple and Samsung . It sold its handset business to Microsoft in late 2013 and has since focused squarely on making telecoms network equipment.

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(Reuters) – Antitrust authorities in Europe failed to find evidence that Apple Inc's deals with record labels and online music streaming services are blocking rivals' access to its music streaming platform, Re/code reported, citing sources. The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, started an investigation in April and had sent out questionnaires to several record labels seeking information about their dealings with Apple. The investigation did not turn up evidence of any illegal activity, but the European Union will continue to monitor the market, the report said, citing sources.

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(Reuters) – Apple Inc on Wednesday launched its latest iPod touch gadget at a time when the company is looking to popularize its new music service. The new iPod features an 8 megapixel iSight camera, FaceTime high-definition camera and also houses Apple-designed A8 chip, which is used in iPhone 6. The iPod, which will give access to Apple Music, also features fitness tracking M8 motion co-processor.

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(Reuters) – Apple Inc has removed several civil war games featuring Confederate flags from its App Store, some game developers said. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on Monday called on lawmakers to take down the Confederate battle flag at the state capitol grounds. Retailers such as Wal Mart Stores Inc and Sears Holdings Corp have stopped selling the flag.

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(Reuters) – The attorneys general of New York and Connecticut are investigating Apple Inc's negotiations with music companies to look for signs of potential antitrust violations. The attorneys general want to know whether music labels colluded or were pressured into favoring Apple's paid music subscription service, which was released on Monday. Apple launched Apple Music on Monday, a $9.99-a-month streaming music service that will likely alter the dynamics of how consumers listen to music as the music industry grapples with declines in downloaded songs and tries to figure out new ways to get people to pay for music.