Apple today seeded the first beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 to public beta testers, one day after releasing the beta to developers and two days after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.5, a minor update with bug fixes and other improvements.
Beta testers who have signed up for the Apple beta testing program will receive the macOS Sierra 10.12.6 beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
Those who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and macOS Sierra betas.
No notable features were discovered in macOS Sierra 10.12.6 developer beta, suggesting this update is minor in scale and focuses on internal improvements like bug fixes and security enhancements rather than outward-facing changes.
Apple today seeded the first beta of iOS 10.3.3 to its public beta testing group, one day after providing the beta to developers and two days after releasing iOS 10.3.2, a minor bug fix update.
Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will receive the iOS 10.3.3 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper configuration profile on their iOS device.
iOS users who want to be a part of the beta testing program can sign up to participate through Apple’s beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and macOS Sierra betas. Because betas are not always stable and can introduce bugs, they should be installed on a secondary device.
No significant changes were found in the first developer beta, suggesting iOS 10.3.3 is another minor update that focuses primarily on bug fixes and security improvements.
Apple Music executive and recording industry mogul Jimmy Iovine recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Music Business Worldwide, reflecting upon his desire for more people to start paying for music.
The spread of free music has proliferated since the earliest days of the internet, starting with shady peer-to-peer services like Napster and LimeWire and progressing to legal, ad-supported platforms like Spotify and YouTube. Iovine thinks it's wrong, and insists artists should get paid for their work.
However, he admitted that free music is "so technically good" that many people simply aren't willing to pay up. In fact, he said if Apple Music were to offer a free tier like Spotify, it "would have 400 million people on it" and make his job a lot easier. But that's not what he nor Apple believe in.
I’ve put my money where my mouth is: Beats Music didn’t have a free tier. Apple Music doesn’t have a free tier.
I’m not just talking it; I’m walking it. That’s why I aligned with Eddy and Tim and Steve. They thought the same way.
I think what’s going on [with free music] is wrong. I just do.
To change that, he said "you've got to put everything into making the experience for people who are paying feel special."
In the beginning of Apple Music, I was very frustrated; I tried to fight [Spotify] and all those things.
Now all we can do is make Apple Music such a special place that people want to come and that will encourage more people [to subscribe].
Apple Music has also had exclusives with major artists such as Chance the Rapper, Drake, Frank Ocean, and Taylor Swift, and Iovine said those deals will continue occasionally, but he admitted that record labels "don't seem to like it."
Iovine continues to believe that Apple Music will be "on the forefront of popular culture," a sentiment he has echoed in manyinterviews.
Apple's first iOS Developer Academy opened in Naples, Italy last October, providing 200 students with practical skills and experience to help turn their app ideas into reality and bring them to market on the App Store.
One of those students is a young Neapolitan man named Lucio, who left Naples for the United Kingdom to find a technology job, but was enticed to return to the city upon hearing about Apple's Developer Academy.
The Independent says after Lucio applied for the academy, he left his job at Starbucks so that he could study properly. He felt it was a risky move, but fortunately, he passed the test and joined the first year's class of students.
Lucio described the academy as the "opportunity of my life" and, nearly eight months later, said he would "totally recommend" the experience to anyone looking to come from elsewhere in the world.
“I was taking a risk, but this was the opportunity of my life,” he says. He had tried university already, and found it lacking because it had so little focus on student’s enjoyment and the work of actually solving problems and working with other people.
The Independent explains how Apple's Developer Academy has made Naples a more attractive city for young people to thrive in, after years of suffering from "brain drain" following an industrial decline.
“If you stay here you are part of an ecosystem that will continue to train developers,” says Giorgio Ventre, a professor at the University of Naples Federico II. “This is something that you do need if you want to open a company. You want to count on yourself - but you want to count on the skills you need to help your company grow. If you stay here you can find it.”
Apple is accepting applications for the Developer Academy's second year until May 31. Scholarships are available, and each student inducted receives a free MacBook and iPhone to use during the one-year program. Courses are held at the University of Naples Federico II in Naples suburb San Giovanni a Teduccio.
The academy will accept up to 400 students for the new academic year, twice as many as the first year. The program is open to students from across Italy and around the world, with Apple encouraging developers from the United Kingdom and elsewhere to apply in an effort to have a more diverse group of people.
Last year, Apple said it expects to expand its Developer Academy program to other countries around the world in the future.
Comcast and Philips Lighting today announced a partnership that will introduce integration of Philips Hue directly into Comcast's home security system, Xfinity Home. With the update, Xfinity Home users will be able to control Hue bulbs directly within Comcast's Xfinity Home app [Direct Link], as well as create "rules" that synchronize Hue bulbs with the security system.
For example, users will be able to set Hue to turn off when they activate the security system and leave the house, or turn on when the alarm is deactivated. Additionally, subscribers to Xfinity's X1 TV service who use Xfinity Home will soon be able to use the voice control-enabled remote to interact with their Philips Hue lights.
“Our partnership with Philips Lighting advances our commitment to bring our customers best-in-class devices they can trust and easily manage on one, integrated platform – the Xfinity Home platform,” said Daniel Herscovici, senior vice president and general manager of Xfinity Home.
“With the Philips Hue family of products, our customers can customize their lighting according to their own needs and daily routines. They can also set up simple automated commands, such as turning on the hallway lights when they enter the home and disarm the system.”
The Xfinity Home Security package comes with three door/window sensors, one motion sensor, one touchscreen controller, and one wireless keypad. Users can add on indoor and outdoor cameras, thermostats, outlet controllers, smoke detectors, and more, at additional costs. Plans and pricing for Xfinity Home vary due to local availability, professional installation, and the inclusion of TV and internet services, but the base plans start around $29/month for the first 12 months on a 2-year agreement.
Earlier this week, Philips Hue launched a new line of lighting fixtures and table lamps in its White Ambience category of bulbs. The new lighting accessories cost between $99 and $199, and the company's full range of new products is expected to begin shipping in the middle of June.
In the ongoing feud between Apple and Qualcomm, the latter company today has brought four of Apple's main iPhone and iPad suppliers into the legal battle by filing a breach of contract complaint against Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal.
Qualcomm has sued the four manufacturers for "breaching their license agreements" by failing to pay royalties on the use of Qualcomm's technology in the assembly of Apple's devices. For its part in the production of iPhones, Qualcomm supplies the LTE modem in Apple's smartphone.
The cessation of royalty payments by the iPhone manufacturers isn't too surprising, as it follows a report from April in which Apple itself stopped paying its suppliers for royalties related to Qualcomm. According to Qualcomm, "the manufacturers say they must follow Apple’s instructions not to pay," so in retaliation Qualcomm is suing the four companies, asking them to comply with long-standing contractual obligations as well as pay any withheld royalties.
Qualcomm said that Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal are still paying royalties for Qualcomm technology related to non-Apple products "under the very same agreements that apply to the Apple products." Qualcomm further mentioned that its license agreements with the manufacturers began before Apple even sold its first iPhone, meaning that "Apple is not a party to the agreements" and shouldn't be able to interfere so heavily in its business.
“It is unfortunate that we must take this action against these long-time licensees to enforce our agreements, but we cannot allow these manufacturers and Apple to use our valuable intellectual property without paying the fair and reasonable royalties to which they have agreed,” said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm.
“As Apple continues to collect billions of dollars from consumer sales of its Qualcomm-enabled products, it is using its market power as the wealthiest company in the world to try to coerce unfair and unreasonable license terms from Qualcomm in its global attack on the company. Our license agreements with Apple’s manufacturers remain valid and enforceable. The manufacturers must continue to live up to their obligations under these agreements and Apple should immediately cease its tortious interference.”
In the original report relating Apple's suspension of royalty payments, the move was suggested to hurt Qualcomm to the tune of $500 million, causing the company to adjust its third quarter guidance from $5.3 billion - $6.1 billion in revenue down to $4.8 billion - $5.6 billion. The argument between the two companies originates back to an FTC complaint regarding Qualcomm's anticompetitive patent licensing practices, for which Apple sued Qualcomm, accusing the company of charging unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with."
The feud reached a boiling point in April due to Apple's decision to stop royalty payments to its manufacturers in relation to Qualcomm technology, and would continue doing so until the conflict was resolved. The move particularly hurt Qualcomm because the company's licensing deals are directly with iPhone suppliers, like the four it is now suing, and not Apple itself.
In a statement given last month, Apple said, "We've been trying to reach a licensing agreement with Qualcomm for more than five years but they have refused to negotiate fair terms." The company called Qualcomm's demands "unreasonable," arguing that Qualcomm has been "charging higher rates" based on Apple's own innovation in its devices, "not their own."
The U.S. Senate has approved popular encrypted messaging app Signal for official use by staffers in the chamber, it was revealed yesterday (via ZDNet).
The news came in a letter sent on Tuesday by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), known to be a staunch privacy advocate, in which he underlined his belief that "backdoor-free" encryption should be embraced by the state at all levels rather than something the government should fear.
I have long argued that strong, backdoor-free encryption is an important cybersecurity technology that the government should be embracing, not seeking to regulate or outlaw. My own Senate website, which has used HTTPS by default since 2015, was the first Senate website to do so. With the transition to default HTTPS for all of the other Senate websites and the recent announcement by your office that the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal is approved for Senate staff use, I am happy to see that you too recognize the important defensive cybersecurity role that encryption can play.
Signal by Open Whisper Systems is widely considered by security experts to be the most secure mobile messaging platform on iOS and Android, due to features like end-to-end encryption of text, picture, and video messages, support for private calling, and a lack of separate logins.
Members of Congress are for the most part exempt from record-keeping laws, so long as encrypted communications are not "historically valuable", or do not include committee documents. However, workers of the federal government and those who work directly with the president are governed by federal and presidential record-keeping laws. Indeed, communications over encrypted apps may fall foul of the Presidential Records Act, which requires staff to keep records of those conversations.
In January, The Wall Street Journal reported that political aides close to the president had been using Signal, but the White House declined to comment on whether the Trump administration has set up data retention policies for its encrypted messaging use.
Last year, Apple was embroiled in a public dispute with the FBI over a request to create a backdoor into iPhone software so that it could unlock the phone of the San Bernardino shooter. Apple refused to comply with the request, claiming that the code would lead to weaker smartphone encryption and inevitably get into the wrong hands.
Eventually the FBI backed down in its request and resorted to third-party hacking tools, but throughout the case, Apple CEO Tim Cook remained adamant on the company's continuing stance for user privacy, calling the FBI's request for entering an iPhone "the software equivalent of cancer".
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
After monthsof reports that suggested Apple was gearing up to begin iPhone production within India as a way to boost its presence in the country, a report by The Wall Street Journal today has confirmed the first ever iPhone assembly trial run completed in India earlier this month. As it was previously reported, assembler Wistron handled the iPhone production trial run, specifically focusing on the assembling of iPhone SE devices.
Apple further confirmed that it has begun the initial production of an unspecified "small number" of iPhone SE devices in its Bangalore plant, and plans to begin the first official shipment of Indian-created iPhones to local customers as soon as this month. Retail stores are expected to get their first shipment of iPhone SE handsets "as early as this week or next," according to people familiar with the manufacturing plans.
The manufacturing of Apple’s cheapest iPhone model, the SE, was handled earlier this month by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron Corp., which has an assembling unit in the southern state of Karnataka, a state official with direct knowledge of the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
Apple said in a statement that it has begun initial production of a small number of iPhone SE handsets in Bangalore and will begin shipping the Indian-made devices to domestic customers this month. The first devices could hit stores as early as this week or next, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The cost of the device remains unclear, with some Indian government officials hoping that the iPhone SE could be up to $100 cheaper than $320, the current average going rate for iPhone SE devices in the country. In most markets, including the United States, the iPhone SE starts at $399, but some analysts watching Apple's move in India argued for the need of an "aggressive" pricing on the smartphone in order for Apple to compete with the wide variety of cheap devices available.
Bringing its price down below $250 would help make it more affordable, analysts say, though it would still be well above the average smartphone price in India which research firm IDC says is around $150.
“Apple is likely to sell a good number of iPhones if it prices them so aggressively,” said Faisal Kawoosa, principal analyst at research firm CMR. “In three to five years, these users will be able to graduate to a standard-priced iPhone.”
Looking forward, some of the government officials said that Apple "could seek more production" within India down the line, potentially opening up manufacturing on other iPhones. Additionally, India is open to granting Apple more land and resources for its contract manufacturers to expand their operations throughout the country.
Last year, Apple began discussing its expansion in India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was trying to boost his "Make in India" initiative, at the same time as it looked to set up a local distribution center that could help consolidate its logistics and supply chain in the country. Apple's struggles in the country have been reported to center around the iPhone's expensive price tag -- a fact that CEO Tim Cook has admitted himself -- with a Strategy Analytics report last summer outlining a total 35 percent fewer iPhone devices sold in 2016 than in 2015.
Steve Jobs once tried to convince Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum to become "the voice of Apple," it emerged yesterday.
Goldblum disclosed his contact with the late Apple co-founder during an interview on the Today Show in Australia, according to CNET.
"Steve Jobs called me up a few decades ago to be the voice of Apple," said Goldblum. "That was early on, and I did not know it was Steve Jobs."
The star of movies like Jurassic Park and The Fly offered no further details on the timing of the phone conversation with Jobs, but Goldblum did appear in a short series of "Think Different" Apple ads in the late 90s.
CNET suggested Jobs may have seen a role for Goldblum as the voice of Siri, but Apple didn't purchase the company responsible for the virtual assistant until 2010, making the suggestion seem unlikely.
Goldblum is currently in Australia to promote Menulog, a new food ordering app in the same vein as Seamless and DoorDash.
Apple Pay is now available in Italy, and iPhone users in the country are able to add eligible credit and debit cards to the Wallet app for use with Apple's payments service in stores and online.
According to Apple's Italian Apple Pay website, Visa and MasterCards issued by Boon, Carrefour, and UniCredit can be used with Apple Pay in Italy. The site says support for additional banks will be added later this year.
Rumors of Apple Pay's expansion to Italy have been circulating for several weeks as Apple worked to add support for its payments service in the country, and the service has been listed as "Coming Soon" on the Apple Pay Italy site since March.
Apple Pay is available as a purchase option wherever contactless payments are accepted, with several official partners listed on Apple's website including Auchan, Autogrill, Eataly, LaGardenia, H&M, Leroy Merlin, Limoni, OVS, Simply Market, Unieuro, and more.
Along with Italy, Apple Pay is also available in the United States, UK, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and Ireland.
Apple today updated its YouTube channel with a series of Accessibility videos, highlighting the different ways the Accessibility features built into the iPhone and iPad are used to help people accomplish a range of tasks.
In one video, for example, a sight impaired singer and drummer named Carlos Vasquez shares how he uses features like VoiceOver to promote his band on social media sites.
Carlos is the lead singer, drummer and PR manager for his metal band Distartica. Using VoiceOver, with Screen Curtain on iPhone, he can hail a ride, take a photo, and get the word out about his band's album release while keeping his screen entirely black.
Another video features a middle school band teacher named Shane, who uses Made for iPhone hearing aids along with her iPhone to listen to her students perform.
Shane is a middle school band and choir director who uses Made for iPhone hearing aids in her classroom so she can hear every note.
There are a total of seven videos on Apple's YouTube channel, each of which features a unique, personalized story highlighting the myriad ways Accessibility features benefit iOS users.
Back in October, Apple also published a new Accessibility website that demonstrates the extensive Accessibility options that Apple has built into its products and how those features are used to make Apple devices accessible to all.
Drone maker DJI this week announced the launch of a new Apple TV app, which is designed to allow users to watch aerial content and 4K videos captured from around the world using DJI drones.
"We've made flying and capturing aerial footage easy with our drones, and now with the DJI Smart TV App, creators will have more ways to share their work with the world. This is really an opportunity for people to be inspired, intrigued, travel to places they would have never imagined and see the world in a whole new way," said Paul Pan, Senior Product Manager.
The app can be used both to watch drone footage and upload drone footage that can then be shared with other users. Content currently available is curated by DJI and is organized into various categories.
DJI's Apple TV app can be downloaded on the fourth-generation Apple TV through the tvOS App Store. It's also available on Samsung Tizen TV platforms.
At an event in New York City today, hearable company Bragi announced a trio of updates coming to its line of wireless Bluetooth headphones, including The Dash Pro, The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey, and Bragi OS 3. The updates follow the launch of The Headphone device that Bragi debuted earlier this year at a lower cost to The Dash, allowing The Headphone to enter the market as a more direct competitor to Apple's AirPods.
The Dash Pro
The Dash Pro's major updates center around what Bragi described as "professional grade" Bluetooth connectivity that provides audio to users "without interruption," improving on some connection issues that owners of the original Dash faced. Other improvements include a five hour battery life on a single charge (up from three), with a carrying case that can recharge The Dash Pro up to five times, totaling 30 hours of battery life on the go.
All of the advancements represent what Bragi is calling a "powerful ear computer," and not just a normal headphone or hearable device.
The Dash PRO contains more than 150 micro-components, a 32-bit processor, artificial intelligence powered by Dash AI and 27 sensors, all in a package about the size of your fingertip. Those sensors help ignite Bragi’s unique Kinetic User Interface, which enables users to literally turn their body into the device with a tap of the cheek or a nod of the head through the Virtual 4-D menu.
One-touch setup with any Apple, Android, or Windows device takes seconds, according to the company, and the audio transparency feature of The Dash has made it to the new device as well. With it, users can allow external sound to pass through into The Dash Pro, or cancel out any noise they don't want to hear to focus on in-ear audio. Audio quality has been bumped up with a new advanced audio codec with reduced white noise, and all-new foam tips (FitSleeves will be in the box again, too) provide stronger bass thanks to a better in-ear seal.
The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey
Bragi has also partnered with hearing technology company Starkey and will be launching The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey, with personally-tailored fitting and more nuanced audio-boosting features at 5,000 audiologists throughout the United States and Canada. The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey is set to benefit users by allowing them to use "Fourth Platform" contextual computing interfaces that enhance their ability to interpret audio while enabling UI interactions through The Dash's motion sensing.
“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Dash PRO tailored by Starkey Hearing Technologies. As the world’s first custom-made wireless ear computer, this product is going to empower consumers to lead with confidence in everything they do,” said Brandon Sawalich, Senior Vice President, Starkey Hearing Technologies. “Our partnership brings a whole new dimension of personalization and customization to hearable technology to the market.”
Users will be able to purchase the tailor-made device and get a fit that is exactly customized to their ear canal, providing the "best isolation and a perfect fit with an emphasis on clarity, detail, and no loss of bass frequencies." Bragi said that professionals in precision-based fields will see benefits from such a highly personalized in-ear fit, including musicians, content creators, athletes, and more. The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey will also include HearClear replaceable WaxGuards to allow for long-term wear and minimal cleaning.
Tim Cook's fifth annual CharityBuzz auction ended this afternoon, earning more than $680,000 for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.
More than 30 people placed bids for the chance to eat lunch with Tim Cook, and at over $680,000, the auction broke past earnings records which previously topped out at $610,000 in 2013.
Today's auction winner will be able to eat lunch with Tim Cook at Apple Park, Apple's brand new campus that is still in the final stages of construction. The winner is able to bring one additional person to have a ~one-hour lunch with Cook, and while the cost of the lunch is included in the auction price, travel and accommodations are not.
Unlike past years, Cook's 2017 auction is limited to lunch alone and does not include tickets to an upcoming Apple keynote event.
All proceeds from today's auction will benefit the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, a charity that Tim Cook has now supported for five years. The RFK Center aims to achieve "a just and peaceful world by partnering with human rights leaders, teaching social justice, and advancing corporate responsibility."
Apple in April announced plans to begin offering "Today at Apple" educational classes at all of its 495 stores around the world, and as of today, the company has launched a new website to allow customers to sign up for the sessions.
More than 4,000 sessions are being offered each day this week across all of Apple's retail stores.
The "Today at Apple" program, which has been in place at Apple's Union Square location since the store opened, offers a range of classes on topics like coding, art, music, design, and photography. There are classes designed for both beginners and more experienced users, as well as classes for all ages, including children.
Most sessions are taught by trained employees known as "Creative Pros," but in select cities, there are classes taught by well-known artists, photographers, and musicians. Session content will vary across different locations, but all 495 of Apple's retail stores are expected to offer "Photo Walks" and "Kids Hour" sessions by May 20.
Today at Apple classes focus on everything from basic iPhone, iPad, and Mac skills to more advanced topics like mixing music on a Mac, editing photos on an iPhone, and drawing on an iPad. There are also "Studio Hours" where customers can bring in personal projects and get help from Apple staff.
Most sessions are an hour in length, with the exception of Studio Hours, which last for an hour and a half.
Apple Store chief Angela Ahrendts says the "Today at Apple" classes are designed to turn Apple locations into a "modern-day town square" where everyone is welcome to "discover a new passion" or take a skill to the next level. "We think it will be a fun and enlightening experience for everyone who joins," she said in a statement when the program was announced.
Apple is planning to announce refreshes for its notebook lineup at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference set to take place in June, reports Bloomberg. New versions of the MacBook and MacBook Pro are expected to be announced, and Apple is also considering updating the MacBook Air, its most affordable notebook.
The MacBook Pro, which was just updated in October with a slimmer design and a Touch Bar, will be refreshed with a faster Kaby Lake processor, an update from the Skylake processors in the current machines. It will look the same as the current model, adopting only internal updates.
Apple has been working on a custom-designed ARM chip that could handle low power features in the MacBook Pro, but the chip may not be ready for the June MacBook Pro refresh.
Apple's MacBook, last updated in April of 2016, will gain an updated processor, also likely to be in the Kaby Lake family.
Apple has not updated its MacBook Air since March of 2015 and has been phasing it out in favor of the MacBook and the MacBook Pro, both of which are now thinner than the "Air" model, but Bloomberg suggests Apple is thinking about refreshing it with an updated processor, which would mean the MacBook Air could stick around for at least another few years as a low-cost notebook option. Sales of the MacBook Air "remain surprisingly strong" due to its affordability.
The new notebooks are likely to be announced at Apple's June 5 keynote, which is set to kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Rumors also suggest Apple could use the event to introduce both a new Siri speaker and the long-rumored 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which is said to feature slimmer bezels for a nearly edge-to-edge design.
Today's report makes no mention of the iMac or Mac mini, two of Apple's desktop machines that have not been updated in some time. It has been more than 580 days since the iMac was last updated in October of 2015, and more than 940 days since the Mac mini was updated in October of 2014.
Apple has said it has updated iMacs in the works, but it is not clear when the machines will debut.
Apple's first retail store in both Singapore and Southeast Asia will open Saturday, May 27 at 10:00 a.m. local time, according to an official opening date recently added to the white facade covering the long-awaited Orchard Road location.
As noted by The Straits Times, workers were seen adding the opening date on the white facade that covers the front of the store at the Knightsbridge shopping complex close to midnight on Tuesday night local time.
Earlier this month, Apple began removing construction barriers around the store, revealing a large mural and 12 smaller pieces of artwork that showcase the Apple logo, a heart, and a little red dot, referencing Apple's love for Singapore. "Little red dot" is a widely known nickname for Singapore, home to over 5 million people.
