MacRumors

Apple today updated its Apple Beta Software Program website to announce that iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, and tvOS 11 public betas will be available for public beta testers in the near future.

Apple has offered macOS and iOS public betas for several years now, giving non-developers a chance to try out new software features ahead of a public launch while also providing Apple with extra feedback, but tvOS is a new addition.

For the first time, with tvOS 11, Apple plans to allow non-developers to install the beta software. To download the tvOS 11 beta, public beta testers will need to connect an Apple TV to a computer running iTunes using a USB-C cable. The tvOS software is then installed on the Apple TV using iTunes, with subsequent updates available over-the-air.

The tricky installation requirements are likely the reason why previous tvOS betas haven't been made available publicly.

It's not entirely clear when the tvOS beta will be made available to public beta testers, but during the keynote, Apple said iOS and macOS High Sierra would be available for public testers in late June, so that's presumably when the new public tvOS 11 beta will also be available.

As for features, Apple has not yet detailed what's new in tvOS 11 and it received little coverage during the keynote event aside from the mention of a new Amazon Prime Video app that's coming to the Apple TV later this year.

In an interview today with Bloomberg TV, Apple CEO Tim Cook said customers will be "blown away" by the experience of the HomePod.

"I think people are going to love it. I know they are," said Cook. "I think they're going to be blown away by the experience."

When questioned about why a customer should choose to purchase the HomePod over the Amazon Echo or Google Home, especially considering it's the most expensive of the three, Cook said Apple's focus was on creating a "breakthrough speaker" that delivers a high-quality audio experience in the home.

"What we tried to do is build something that is a breakthrough speaker first," said Cook. "Music is deep in our DNA, dating back to iTunes and iPod. We wanted something that, number one, sounded unbelievable. I think when people listen to it, they're going to be shocked over the quality of the sound."

Nevertheless, Cook acknowledged that both Apple and customers want a speaker that does more than simply play music.

"Of course, it does a lot of other things, right, and all of those are important as well, but we wanted a really high-quality audio experience," said Cook.

"There's a lot of things you can do with it," he added. "There's a lot of things that Siri knows how to do from the phone. We'll start with a patch of those as [Apple marketing chief] Phil [Schiller] showed today during the keynote, and then you can bet there's a nice follow-on activity there as well."

Cook said Apple has been working on the HomePod for "multiple years," and as usual, it wasn't focused on being first to the market.

"We didn't have the first MP3 player. We didn't have the first smartphone. We didn't have the first tablet," he said. "For us, it's not about being first. It's about being the best, and giving users an experience that delights them every time. We don't let that impatience result in shipping something that's just not great."

Cook also briefly reflected on today's iOS 11 announcements, ARKit serving as a "foundation" for Apple's augmented reality efforts, and why he elected against joining U.S. President Donald Trump's various councils and committees.

HomePod will be available in December for $349 in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. It'll launch in other countries next year.

On Apple's Developer site, there's a section outlining an upcoming iOS 11 Messages feature called "Business Chat."

Business Chat wasn't mentioned during the keynote event, but based on the text that describes the feature, it's going to allow businesses to make themselves available for quick chats directly in Messages for customer service purposes. Customers will be able to find businesses using Safari, Maps, Spotlight, and Siri, and then initiate iMessage conversations.

Business Chat is a powerful new way for businesses to connect with customers directly from within Messages. Using Business Chat, your customers can get answers to questions, resolve issues and complete transactions on their iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Customers can find your business and start conversations from Safari, Maps, Spotlight, and Siri.

As The Verge points out, Business Chat will allow Apple to compete with social networks like Facebook and Twitter, where businesses use direct messaging functionality to interact with customers.

Features like Apple Pay and calendar integration will be added to the Business Chat option, allowing customers to make purchases right in a chat session, and it will also support third-party apps so businesses can develop custom features.

Apple plans to provide more details on Business Chat during a developer session that will take place on June 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

With the debut of new iPad Pro models today at WWDC, Apple has introduced a few new accessories for its tablets. Two of the new additions to the iPad Pro accessory line are called the Leather Sleeve for 10.5-inch iPad Pro and the Leather Sleeve for 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and they include a sleeve for the iPad Pro as well as a slot for users to store their Apple Pencil. The cases cost $129.00 for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and $149.00 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

To match, Apple has also debuted a new $29.00 Apple Pencil Case, which acts as standalone storage for Apple's stylus accessory. Both the Leather Sleeve and Pencil Case come in Saddle Brown, Taupe, Midnight Blue, and Black.

Users interested in the more traditional Smart Cover can buy a version of Apple's popular case for their new 10.5-inch iPad Pro at a price of $49.00, in seven colorways: Mist Blue, Pollen, Flamingo, White, Pink Sand, Midnight Blue, and Charcoal Gray. A Smart Keyboard for 10.5-inch iPad Pro is up for sale on Apple's website at $159.00.

Both iPad Pro sizes have received new Leather Smart Cases as well, with the 10.5-inch iPad Pro version costing $69.00 and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro version costing $79.00.

To stay up-to-date on all the latest WWDC news, or to catch up with anything you might have missed, be sure to check out the MacRumors WWDC 2017 event recap post.

In iOS 11, Apple has eliminated built-in integration with Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Vimeo, a feature that allowed users to store their account information and access it within third-party apps that needed to use those services.

The Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Vimeo options have been removed in the Settings app, and according to Axios, the four apps will now be treated like other apps, using the iOS sharing extensions that were introduced back in 2014 with iOS 8.

Rather than continue to add support for different social services, Apple went with a different approach, adding sharing extensions with iOS 8 in 2014. Until now, it has maintained the single sign-on for Twitter and Facebook in addition to supporting the sharing extensions for a wider range of apps.

Direct sign-in options were first introduced in iOS in 2011. Twitter integration was made available in 2011, while Facebook integration came in 2012. Support for Flickr and Vimeo was added in 2013 with iOS 7.

Alongside a new version of the watchOS operating system for the Apple Watch, Apple today quietly debuted a selection of Apple Watch bands in new summer colors.

Apple Watch Sport Bands are available in Mist Blue, Pollen, and Flamingo for both the 38 and 42mm Apple Watch. As with all sport bands, the new bands are priced at $49. The only new leather band is a yellow Sunflower Classic Buckle, priced at $149.

The new Nike Sport Band options that match the Nike Air VaporMax Flyknight Day to Night shoe collection are also available. The bands are priced at $49 each and come in Light Violet/White, Violet Dust/Plum Fog, Blue Orbit/Gamma Blue, and Obsidian/Black.

The final watch band that's new today is a Pride Edition Woven Nylon band that features a rainbow stripe. Priced at $49, the band is available for both 38 and 42mm Apple Watch models. The Pride band was originally given out to employees during last year's Pride parade in San Francisco.

All of the new bands are available for purchase today with the first shipments arriving later this week.

Following today's WWDC keynote event that saw the debut of iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, and watchOS 4, Apple has seeded the first beta of the new tvOS 11 operating system for the Apple TV to developers for testing purposes.

Registered developers can download tvOS 11 by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.

tvOS 11 saw little screen time at today's event, and in fact, it wasn't even officially announced on stage. The new operating system was largely glossed over, with the exception of an announcement for an upcoming Amazon Prime Video app.

According to Apple's release notes, tvOS 11 brings automatic light/dark appearance switching, Home screen syncing options, new background modes and notification support, Focus API improvements, custom sound support, network-based pairing and development support, and improvements to Mobile Device Management.

tvOS 11 is only available for registered developers at the current point in time, but Apple's beta site now includes tvOS 11, suggesting a public tvOS beta is coming.

Apple today announced new versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS at the keynote event of its Worldwide Developers Conference, and is now providing betas to developers for testing purposes. watchOS 4, the latest version of the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch, is now available for download.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the watchOS 4 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 must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 4 introduces three new watch faces, including a dedicated Siri watch face that displays dynamic information unique to each individual, new Disney-themed Toy Story watch faces starring Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Jessie, and a Kaleidoscope watch face designed to turn static images into "mesmerizing patterns."

There are new complications for Now Playing and Apple News, and an enhanced Workout app. GymKit, a new technology platform, will allow the Apple Watch to interface with gym equipment for workout data sharing purposes, and Activity app will offer up intelligent coating and tailored encouragement, plus new monthly activity challenges.

A redesigned Music app syncs automatically with the Apple Music new Music Mix, and there are auto-sets for for swim workouts. There's also a new High Intensity Internal Training workout option, and the Apple Watch supports the new person-to-person Apple Pay feature.

watchOS 4 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers, so non-developers will need to wait until the software is officially released in the fall to try it out.

Apple today shared the first two ads for the new iPad Pro, including the all-new 10.5-inch model just announced, on its YouTube channel.

The 15-second spots are the latest in Apple's ongoing ad campaign that reads out actual Twitter complaints and then promotes the iPad Pro as a solution.

In "a whole new kind of computer," Apple recommends the person purchase a new iPad Pro, which will allow them to quickly forget about their broken computer.

In "so many things to love," Apple quips that the person who tweeted "I hate everything" is going to "hate" the new iPad Pro because they can do "pretty much everything" with it, like type, take notes, and multitask.

The new iPad Pro is available to order today in 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch sizes starting at $649 and $799 respectively in the United States.