MacRumors

Following the release of iOS 12.1.4 on February 7, Apple has stopped signing iOS 12.1.3, the previous version of iOS that was available to consumers.

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 12.1.4 will no longer be able to downgrade to iOS 12.1.3.

iOS 12.1.4, available on all devices able to run iOS 12, was a bug fix update that addressed a serious Group FaceTime security vulnerability.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 12.1.4 is now the only version of iOS that can be installed on iPhones and iPads, but developers and public beta testers can download iOS 12.2, a major update that's currently being beta tested and is expected to be released next week.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Aramark, a food and beverage vendor, today announced a new Apple Business Chat feature that will allow Cleveland Cavaliers fans to order drinks from their seats through iMessages.

Fans who attend games at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and sit in designated sections of Cavs and Cleveland Monsters games can use the Messages app to access a menu, order beer and water, and have those drinks delivered right to their seats.

Scanning a QR code on the seat back brings activates the iMessage bot, which allows fans to access a menu and place drink orders. After an order has been placed, payment is done through Apple Pay, and the drinks are delivered.

This will prevent attendees from having to leave their seats and miss key game moments in order to get refreshments.

The pilot program is being tested for the remainder of the season to allow Aramark, the stadium's food and beverage vendor, to evaluate how well it works and whether it's popular with fans.

"The intersection of technology, service and convenience continues to motivate us, and we're pleased to be working with our partners at Aramark on this innovative approach to ordering," said Nic Barlage, Cavs and Quicken Loans Arena President of Business Operations. "Finding a way to provide an enhanced game experience with much easier and faster ordering capability for our fans adds another convenient feature at The Q that we're proud to pilot for the remainder of the Cavs and Monsters season."

Aramark made a similar feature available at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, last year.

Apple's new iPad Air and fifth-generation iPad mini both work with the Apple Pencil, but are limited to the first-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌ rather than the second-generation model, which only works with 2018 iPad Pros.

If you're looking for a more affordable alternative, though, it turns out both new ‌iPad‌ models are compatible with the Logitech Crayon, an Apple Pencil-like stylus that previously was only compatible with the sixth-generation ‌iPad‌.

Apple updated its online store listing for the Crayon following the launch of the new ‌iPad‌ models, noting compatibility with both.

Priced at $70, the Crayon is a lower-cost alternative to the ‌Apple Pencil‌ that works in the same way. It features a slim aluminum body and Pencil-like tip, with palm rejection and the same latency and tilt that you get with the ‌Apple Pencil‌.

It does not, however, feature pressure sensitivity support, so that's one feature you'll miss out on choosing the Crayon over the ‌Apple Pencil‌.

Logitech designed the Crayon for students (and schools can buy it for just $50), so it has a flat surface to prevent rolling, a tethered rubber end cap, a grip that's meant to be comfortable for small hands, and it's durable enough to withstand drops of up to four feet.

The Crayon charges using a built-in Lightning port, so you can use a standard Lightning cable to charge it up. The battery lasts for approximately 7 and a half hours before needing to be recharged. No Bluetooth pairing is needed to connect the Crayon to an ‌iPad‌ - it works automatically.

Logitech's Crayon is available from the Apple online store and in Apple retail stores.

Effective today, the Apple Pencil no longer needs to be purchased at the same time as an iPad to be eligible for AppleCare+ coverage, according to an announcement shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers today.

This means that if a customer has AppleCare+ for iPad, coverage now extends to any first-generation or second-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌ the person may own even if purchased separately. ‌AppleCare‌+ for ‌iPad‌ covers up to two incidents of accidental damage to the ‌Apple Pencil‌, each subject to a fee of $29 plus tax.

‌AppleCare‌+ covers both the ‌iPad‌ and ‌Apple Pencil‌ for two years from the date the plan is purchased. ‌AppleCare‌+ must be added within 60 days of purchasing an ‌iPad‌, but when the ‌Apple Pencil‌ was purchased does not appear to matter.

The news coincides with the launch of new iPad Air and iPad mini models. ‌AppleCare‌+ is $69 for both devices.

Sony today announced that its PlayStation Vue app for the Apple TV has been updated with multi-view support, allowing users to watch up to four live channels on one screen.

The new PlayStation Vue feature for ‌Apple TV‌ comes just ahead of the NCAA March Madness season, with the goal of letting sports fans keep an eye on all of the ongoing games or mix and match live games with news or other TV programs.

Multi-view has long been available on the PlayStation 4, but prior to today it wasn't an option on the ‌Apple TV‌ platform.

PlayStation Vue is Sony's streaming TV service, offering live and on-demand content at prices starting at $44.99 per month. Sports packages start at $49.99 per month.

PlayStation Vue works on PlayStation consoles, the ‌Apple TV‌, iOS devices through the PS Vue app, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Android mobile devices, PC, and Mac.

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth beta and more than a month after releasing the tvOS 12.1.2 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.2 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌Apple TV‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode. Once the initial beta has been downloaded, subsequent betas can be installed over the air.

tvOS 12.2, paired with iOS 12.2, lets users ask Siri to play specific media on an ‌Apple TV‌ from an iOS device. You can, for example, ask ‌Siri‌ to play Modern Family on the TV in the living room, or Pitch Perfect on the TV in the bedroom. This works for music and TV shows, and movies.

No other new features were discovered in the tvOS 12.2 beta as of yet, and it can be difficult to determine what's new because Apple does not provide release notes for tvOS betas or releases. If additional features are discovered in tvOS 12.2, we'll update this post.

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.2 update to developers, one week after seeding the fifth watchOS 5.2 beta and two months after releasing watchOS 5.1.3.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the ‌iPhone‌.

The watchOS 5.2 update introduces a set of new Hermès watch faces. The watch faces are available in pink and blue, and feature a gradient-style design that changes much like other Hermès watch faces. There are customizable numbers and an option for a single complication.

There could be changes coming to the way the ECG feature works in other countries. In iOS 12.2 and watchOS 5.2, when setting up a new Apple Watch, Apple is using location to make sure the ECG feature is available in a particular region, suggesting the company may be planning to geofence ECG functionality and limit it to the United States.

This would potentially prevent customers who purchased a U.S. Apple Watch but live in another country from using the ECG feature. Location is verified via SIM card and can't be bypassed during Apple Watch setup.

We haven't seen any other major changes in watchOS during the beta testing period, but we'll get a better look at what's included when Apple releases watchOS 5.2 to the public complete with release notes. We're expecting Apple to release watchOS 5.2 alongside iOS 12.2, tvOS 12.2, and macOS 10.14.4 following the company's March 25 event.

Despite starting at a higher price of $499, the new 10.5-inch iPad Air released today qualifies for the same $69 tier of AppleCare+ as 9.7-inch iPad and iPad mini models. AppleCare+ for the latest iPad Pro models remains $129.

‌AppleCare‌+ is an optional warranty plan that extends the ‌iPad Air‌'s warranty period to two years from the original purchase date of the device, and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $49 plus applicable taxes in the United States. Prices vary elsewhere.

The plan also covers accidental damage to the Apple Pencil for up to two years with a $29 fee plus tax per incident.

‌AppleCare‌+ provides 24/7 priority access to support advisors via online chat or phone for up to two years after the ‌iPad Air‌'s original purchase date. Without the plan, ‌iPad Air‌ owners are covered by Apple's limited one-year warranty and an initial 90 days of complimentary telephone support.

‌AppleCare‌+ for the new ‌iPad Air‌ can also be financed with monthly payments of $3.49 for up to 24 months.

Apple will charge a fee of $249 for accidental damage to the new ‌iPad Air‌ without ‌AppleCare‌+, so as with most forms of insurance, the plan can pay for itself if ever used. ‌AppleCare‌+ must be added within 60 days of purchasing a device.

Alongside new iPad mini and a new 10.5-inch iPad Air, Apple today launched new Smart Covers for each device line. There's also one new color for the Smart Folio case that fits the third-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

For the iPad mini and 10.5-inch iPad Air, you can get a Smart Cover in Papaya, Charcoal Gray, Pink Sand, and White. The ‌iPad mini‌ Smart Cover costs $39.00 and the 10.5-inch ‌iPad Air‌ Smart Cover costs $49.00.

Meanwhile, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's Smart Folio has gained a new Pink Sand color option. This is for the third-generation ‌iPad Pro‌ with Face ID and no home button. Other colors available include Charcoal Gray and White.

To find more information on the newly released tablets, visit our posts for the iPad mini and 10.5-inch iPad Air.

Apple today announced that its iWork suite of apps for iOS will be updated next week with enhanced Apple Pencil integration. Keynote, for example, will gain new animation options that let users draw an animation path for any object, and an all-new user interface for implementing build effects such as move, rotate, and scale.

iWork apps for iPhone and iPad include Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. All three apps are available for free on the App Store.

Other new features will include the ability to create and share animated GIFs by exporting one or more slides in Keynote on iOS and macOS, add vertical text in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages to the body of Pages documents on iOS, increase max zoom to 400 percent in Numbers on iOS, and more.

All three iWork apps for iOS will also gain:

• Improvements to collaboration: edit grouped objects while collaborating. Maximum file size has increased to 2GB.
  

• Save and sync shapes, templates, and themes: save custom shapes, templates, and themes on iOS. These will sync across macOS and iOS devices using iCloud.
  

• Image placeholders: create image placeholders to replace images without affecting the formatting of your page, slide, or spreadsheet.

The news was shared alongside the launch of new iPad mini and iPad Air models today.

There are two noteworthy flash sales happening today only, with discounts that knock the price of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro to new all-time-low prices. As a note, the MacBook Pros on sale are the latest 2018 models, while the ‌iPad Pro‌ is the older model with a home button that launched in mid 2017.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You'll find the MacBook Pro sale at Best Buy, with seven total configurations on sale that are up to $500 off. There are both 13-inch and 15-inch models on sale, and every version has a Touch Bar. Additionally, these MacBook Pros have a Retina display with True Tone, Touch ID, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and up to 10 hours of battery life.

B&H Photo has the iPad Pro sale, marking the 512GB and Wi-Fi only model down to just $749.00. This price point is $400 off the original $1,149.00 price, and $50 below the previous low price among the major Apple resellers.

2018 MacBook Pro Sale

• 13-inch with Touch Bar, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,399.99, down from $1,799.99 ($400 off, lowest price)
• 13-inch with Touch Bar, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $1,599.99, down from $1,999.99 ($400 off, lowest price)
• 15-inch with Touch Bar, Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,899.99, down from $2,399.99 ($500 off, lowest price)
• 15-inch with Touch Bar, Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $2,299.99, down from $2,799.99 ($500 off, lowest price)

2017 iPad Pro Sale

• 12.9-inch, 512GB, Wi-Fi Only - $749.00, down from $1,149.00 ($400 off, lowest price)

Head to our full Deals Roundup for more information on the latest sales.

Apple has stopped selling the second-generation 10.5-inch iPad Pro, originally released in June 2017, after launching a new 10.5-inch iPad Air today.

The 10.5-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ had remained available from $649 following the release of 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models in October 2018, but it has been replaced by the 10.5-inch iPad Air with a cheaper starting price of $499.

The new ‌iPad Air‌ features a 10.5-inch Retina display, A12 Bionic chip, and Apple Pencil support and is available to order on Apple.com starting today.

Apple also released a new iPad mini with an A12 Bionic chip and ‌Apple Pencil‌ support today. The 9.7-inch iPad was not updated.