MacRumors

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.3 update to developers, a week and a half after seeding the first beta and two weeks after releasing tvOS 12.2).

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌Apple TV‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

tvOS 12.3 brings a newly updated TV app that was first shown off at Apple's March services event. The TV app is a revised version of the original TV app, providing access to TV shows, movies, sports, news, and more, along with a dedicated section for children's programming.

The TV app features a refined interface with an updated look and feel that's more modern. It keeps the "Watch Now" section with the "Up Next" feature for keeping track of the TV shows and movies you're watching, and there's a new machine-learning based "For You" feature that surfaces content based on what you've previously watched.

There's a new "Channels" feature built in to the app, which is a major part of Apple's new services push. Channels are subscription services that you can subscribe to and watch right in the TV app without having to swap over to a third-party app.

During the beta, you can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, and Tastemade, but additional Channels will be available when the new TV app launches.

In the future, Apple plans to add its new TV+ subscription service to the TV app, with TV+ offering all of Apple's original TV shows and movies. The TV app is available on the ‌Apple TV‌ and iOS devices so you can pick up whatever you're watching no matter which device you're on.

The new TV app is set to be released in May, so tvOS 12.3 will be in beta testing until then.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.2.1 update to developers, a week and a half after seeding the first beta and almost two weeks after the release of the watchOS 5.2 update, which introduced AirPods 2 support and expanded the ECG feature to Europe.

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.

It's not yet clear what features will be introduced in the watchOS 5.2.1 update, but as 5.x.x software, it's likely to focus on bug fixes and other under-the-hood performance improvements.

No changes were found in the first watchOS 5.2.1 beta, but should we find new features in the second watchOS 5.2.1 beta, we'll update this post with details.

Ikea today revealed more information about its upcoming line of Sonos smart speakers, which the Swedish furniture company has dubbed "Symfonisk" (via The Verge). There will be two products in the line: The Symfonisk Table Lamp with Wi-Fi Speaker ($179) and Symfonisk Bookshelf with Wi-Fi Speaker ($99).

Each device will be controlled through the Sonos app, and Sonos CEO Patrick Spence suggested that the Table Lamp's audio quality will be similar to the Sonos One speaker. It has two class-D digital amplifiers, one tweeter, one mid-woofer, and a sealed enclosure. The Table Lamp and Bookshelf can also be stereo paired, used for multiroom audio, and they both support Apple's AirPlay 2.

A brief ad on Ikea's Italian YouTube channel shows off both products. The Symfonisk line aims to produce Wi-Fi smart speakers that also perform some kind of secondary furnishing purpose, such as an extra shelf on a wall and lighting in a room.

The ad showcases two people dancing around to music playing from the speaker, with bright and colorful lights strobing from the Symfonisk Table Lamp. As with any other standard lamp, users will be able to place a smart light bulb into the Symfonisk (such as Philips Hue) and connect the bulbs to their existing ecosystem of lights.

More information about the Symfonisk smart speaker line from Ikea and Sonos is expected to come out of the Milan Furniture Fair, which takes place April 9 through April 14 this year. The products will then go on sale in August 2019.

Sphero last summer acquired a company called Specdrums, which made finger-worn rings that are designed to turn colors into music. Specdrums are now being sold under the Sphero brand, and are now available in Apple retail stores.

Specdrums fit on an index finger and are meant to allow kids and adults alike to play a musical note when tapping one of the rings against a specific color, creating music by using different colored notes. We tested out the Specdrums ahead of their Apple Store release to see if they're worth the $65 asking price.

Design

Specdrums are small, silicone rings that have optical sensors embedded into the front. The silicone is stretchy, so it can fit a small finger or a larger finger without issue.

I have relatively small fingers and the Specdrums fit comfortably and snugly, and it was not a problem to wear it for a long period of music making. There's a slit at the bottom that allows the ring to expand if necessary.

Specdrums are meant to be worn on an index finger with the optical sensor in the front facing downwards so that you can tap it on various colored surfaces to make sounds.

On the side of the Specdrums, there's a micro-USB port that's used for charging through the included micro-USB cable that comes with it. At the top of the silicone ring, there's a Sphero logo, and at the bottom, the Sphero name.

The optical sensor built into the Specdrums will light up when tapped against a surface, and the rectangular front of the sensor takes up most of the ring. It's comfortable to tap on things and was very responsive, easily recognizing different colors.

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Last month we shared news of StackSocial's Epic Mac Bundle, which discounts eight useful Mac apps to a low price of $29.99 (valued at $478.71). This week, StackSocial gave us a heads up that this bundle will be ending for good on April 10 and ahead of that expiration date our readers have a chance to save even more on the bundle with an exclusive coupon code.

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

To save on the Epic Mac Bundle, visit StackSocial, add the $29.99 bundle to your cart, and then head to the checkout screen. Once there, on the right side of the page enter the code LAST25 in the promo code box and click Apply. This will result in the bundle's $22.50 discount price, which is lasting for about six more days and will end Wednesday, April 10.

The Epic Mac Bundle

• Fantastical 2 ($49.99 value): Manage your contacts, events, reminders, and more with Flexibits' popular app.

• PDF Expert ($79.99 value): Quickly and easily edit PDF text, images, links, and outlines.

• Flux 7 ($99.00 value): An HTML and CSS designing tool that enables you to create fully functioning websites.

• Pagico 8 ($50.00 value): Stay organized and on task with an interactive flow chart that helps manage your projects and contacts.

• Command-Tab Plus ($34.99 value): A keyboard-centric application switcher designed to let you switch between apps in a faster way than the typical Command + Tab.

• iStat Menu ($14.99 value): Track useful Mac stats like real-time CPU, GPU, RAM, drive and network usage, Wi-Fi stats, and more.

• iLocker Pro ($79.80 value): Password protect your apps and unlock them with Touch ID.

• Ultdata Recovery ($69.95 value): Retrieve lost files from Macs, removable storage devices, partitions and volumes, and iOS devices

There is another discounted bundle on StackSocial this week, this one focused on creative apps from Corel. The Corel Creative Mac Bundle is valued at a total of $309.95 and available at a discounted price of $39.99 through June 30, 2019.

Just like with the Epic Mac Bundle, our readers have a chance to use an exclusive discount code and mark down the bundle even more. You can save 15 percent on the Corel Creative Mac Bundle by adding it to your cart on StackSocial and applying the code COREL15 during the checkout process. This will discount the bundle to $34.00 exclusively for MacRumors readers.

The Corel Creative Mac Bundle

• Toast 17 Titanium ($99.99 value): Easily capture your screen, burn digital media onto discs, and edit videos.
• AfterShot Pro 3 ($79.99 value): RAW photo editing software that lets you upload, edit, and manage high quality images.
• Painter Essentials 6 ($49.99 value): Sketch and draw on a blank canvas with realistic painting tools and effects.
• WinZip ($29.99 value): Software that makes it simple to work with large groups of Zip files, so you can exchange large amounts of information with ease.
• ParticleShop ($49.99 value): A powerful brush plugin for Photoshop and AfterShot 3 with 11 built-in custom brushes.

More deals and discounts can be found in our full Deals Roundup.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Velvet Caviar to give MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company's iPhone cases, Phone Ring Holder, or power bank.

Velvet Caviar is best known for its range of unique, eye catching iPhone cases for all of Apple's iPhones from the iPhone 5 to the ‌iPhone‌ XS. If you've ever seen a marbled ‌iPhone‌ case on Instagram or Snapchat, it's probably from Velvet Caviar.

Velvet Caviar has a wide selection of ‌iPhone‌ cases with a marbled pattern, including some with holographic accents, and every one of them is impressive and attention grabbing. They're affordable too, with most priced at $30.

If marble isn't your thing, there are also adorable flower patterns, fun liquid glitter options, camo designs, clear cases with a fun selection of designs, more practical wallet cases, and even cases covered in fuzzy faux fur.

All of the Velvet Caviar cases look great, but are also protective. A plastic shell lined with Firm Flex shock absorbing material protects your ‌iPhone‌ from drops of up to eight feet, and a 3mm lip at the front of the case keeps your display safe too.

Along with cases, Velvet Caviar has nifty little rings that are an alternative to the Pop Socket. The $10-$12 Phone Holder Ring features a fun shape or pattern while offering the utility of a ring that gives you a better grip on your ‌iPhone‌ for taking pictures, FaceTiming, and more.

The Phone Holder Ring also doubles as a handy stand for watching videos, and it attaches securely to your phone or phone case using a strong (but removable) adhesive.

Velvet Caviar also offers a selection of other accessories, including screen protectors, stickers, and 4,000mAh battery packs in patterns that match the ‌iPhone‌ cases, which can give your ‌iPhone‌ a little extra juice when you need it.

We have 10 $50 gift cards to the Velvet Caviar website to give away, which can be used to purchase an ‌iPhone‌ case and an accessory like a Phone Ring Holder. To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (April 5) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on April 12. The winners will be chosen randomly on April 12 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

The National Post has shared the story of a Canadian accountant who was caught after buying nearly $7 million worth of iPhones and iPads with her company credit card and reselling them to the owner of a small electronics store.

Nadia Minetto, who was as an accounting manager at Mississauga-based software company Wescom Solutions, started buying thousands of Apple products with her company-issued American Express card in 2011. It had been her job to approve business expenses for all employees, so her spending went unnoticed.

Over the next two and a half years, the Ontario Superior Court found that Minetto sold 5,321 iPads and 4,942 iPhones to businessman Gabriel Fung, who in turn sold them at his store Plus One Solutions in the Toronto area and to wholesalers in Hong Kong, turning a profit of just over $1 million.

Fung first met Minetto after responding to her ad for an iPad on Kijiji, a popular Craigslist-like classifieds site in Canada. Their transactions eventually became more elaborate, often involving 10 to 20 devices at a time, ultimately leading to bulk shipments to the address of a virtual business set up by Fung.

The scheme came to an end in July 2014, when consultant Kristine Pacy discovered spending irregularities as Wescom was contemplating becoming a publicly traded company. The court determined that at least $6,831,834 of Wescom's money was misappropriated dating back to May 2009.

Minetto admitted to her actions and, in October 2014, she consented to a judgment in the amount of $6,831,834.17 plus interest. Wescom also won a judgment for more than $5 million against Fung, but he was awarded his cross claim for the same amount against Minetto, potentially reducing his amount owed.

This week, an Ontario appeals court dismissed Fung's appeal over his judgment, potentially bringing the case to an end.

Ember, the company that sells iPhone-connected mugs and thermoses, recently launched a new version of its Ember Ceramic Mug that is now available in a larger, 14oz size for U.S. users only. Like its previous products, the company has also partnered with Apple to sell the temperature regulating smart mug on Apple.com and in Apple stores.

Previously, the only size that the Ceramic Mug was available in was a 10oz option. While we enjoyed the overall quality and usefulness of the Ceramic Mug in our review, this sizing issue was one of the biggest downsides to the product, since it barely left any room for creamer in coffee and often led to spills.

With a bigger capacity these problems should be alleviated, but the 14oz option does come with a steeper price tag of $129.95, compared to the 10oz version at $79.95. The two mugs are identical other than their sizes, and let you set a desired temperature, track caffeine consumption via the Health app, and customize the mug's LED.

The main feature of the Ceramic Mug is that it lets you set a specific drinking temperature for your coffee or tea via the iPhone app. Over the course of a few minutes, the mug will lower its internal temperature to that setting, and then keep your drink at your desired level of warmth while you drink it.

They also both have a one hour battery life on a single charge, but if you place the mugs on the included charging coaster you can keep your drink at the desired temperature all day. The 14oz and 10oz cups are made from stainless steel with a ceramic coating so the mugs themselves are cool to the touch even with hot drinks inside.

Ember also sells a Travel Mug with all of the same temperature-regulating features as the Ceramic Mug, for $149.95. At this time, it appears that the 14oz Ceramic Mug is only available in Black on Ember.com and on Apple.com. On Apple's website, store pickup is available and shipping on the new mug arrives as soon as early next week.