Following an initial teaser earlier in May, Universal today released the first official full-length trailer for the upcoming Steve Jobs movie.
The two-and-a-half minute trailer provides the longest look at the Danny Boyle-directed biopic that anyone has seen yet, balancing focus between Steve Jobs' various behind-the-scenes product launches and his intense personal life regarding his relationship with daughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs.
The trailer also gives more in-depth looks at Jeff Daniels and Kate Winslet, especially, as John Sculley and Joanna Hoffman, with various through-the-years glimpses of Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs. After various casting calls and set photo leaks earlier in the year, excitement around the somewhat troubled film has only been steadily building. Fans can expect to see the full movie in theaters October 9.
Following the release of iTunes 12.2 with Apple Music support yesterday, one MacRumors user has discovered graphics depicting iPods in colors not currently offered by Apple. The composite image of an iPod touch, nano, and shuffle is shown when setting up or restoring an iPod in iTunes.
The new colors include a darker blue for the iPod touch, a new gold or beige color for the iPod nano, and a brighter pink color for the iPod shuffle.
Apple has not updated its iPod color lineup in several years, most recently shifting the previous "slate" color to "space gray" back in 2013. Apple has typically updated its iPod lineup during the month of September, although it is unclear whether these new colors are actually in the works and what their release timeframe might be.
Update: Several observers have pointed to the Calendar icon on the iPod touch screenshot showing a date of Tuesday the 14th, leading to speculation the new models could launch on Tuesday, July 14. Readers have also noticed the new image does not depict a wrist strap attachment post as seen in the lower left corner of the current models.
Apple Music made its worldwide debut in over 100 countries on June 30, with a free three-month trial available for customers to try the streaming music service. Apple requires having a valid payment method associated with your iTunes account to enable the trial, such as a credit card, and both Individual Plan and Family Plan subscriptions are set to automatically renew after the trial. For those that only want to try the Apple Music trial, learn how to turn off automatic renewal below.
How to Disable Automatic Renewal
Tap on the Account icon in the top-left corner of any tab in Apple Music.
Tap on "View Apple ID" and sign into your iTunes Store account.
Tap on "Manage" under the "Subscriptions" menu.
Tap on your Apple Music Membership, which should currently be "Active."
Toggle off "Automatic Renewal" under the "Renewal Options" menu. Confirm the action.
Turning off automatic renewal will enable you to try out Apple Music on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch without the streaming music service renewing after the free three-month trial period expires. To reenable a recurring Apple Music subscription, simply follow the steps above and toggle on automatic renewal again. Your settings will also be applied to the iTunes version of Apple Music on Mac and PC.
Olloclip is today introducing a new line of "Studio System" accessories designed to work with its existing Olloclip lenses, further enhancing the iPhone's photographic capabilities. The system, available for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, includes a Studio Case, a Finger Grip, a Kickstand, tripod mounts, and Cold-Shoe Adapters for attaching accessories like microphones and flashes to the iPhone.
A rugged protective case is the key piece of the Studio System, because it includes a built-in mounting solution that can accommodate the other Studio parts. Once the Studio Case is attached to the iPhone, an adjustable and removable Finger Grip slides onto the back of the case, fitting neatly into the rail grooves.
The Finger Grip is designed to allow for smoother, less bumpy photos and video, and it can also be used as a stand, as can an additional Kickstand. Cold-Shoe Adapters attach to the side of the case to hold equipment like microphones or flashes, and the whole system can work with tripods, grips, and handles using the two included 1/4-20 clips, with one each for landscape and portrait modes.
The olloclip Studio system combines an all-new, more-protective case design with an integrated mounting solution (patent pending) and a series of mobile photography accessories. Both the case and accessories are designed to intuitively work together the moment you pick them up. Unlike many of today's modular mobile grip systems, olloclip's Studio components work together seamlessly, so photographers can focus on quickly capturing the opportunity in front of them and not on building a rig.
Because Olloclip is entering a new product category with the Studio System, the company has decided to return to its roots - Kickstarter. Olloclip started out on Kickstarter back in 2011, and since then, demand for its accessories has grown as the iPhone has become a more popular photography choice, replacing point and shoot cameras.
The Studio System is debuting on Kickstarter, and Olloclip tells MacRumors that it made the choice to use the crowdfunding site in order to gauge customer interest and get feedback on its new accessories. For example, Olloclip will choose colors for the Studio Case based on customer feedback.
According to Olloclip, its new Studio System was designed in response to both customer and retailer demand, and it's something customers have requested for quite awhile. In the future, Olloclip plans to introduce additional accessories that can work with the new Studio System based on what customers ask for.
Olloclip is offering several different reward options for the Studio System. The most inexpensive tier includes the Studio Case and a Kickstand for $35, while the whole Studio Case and Accessory Kit are available for $60. Additional tiers include the Studio System and various Olloclip lenses.
To thank the people who support the new system in its early days, reward tiers are being offered at 30 to 40 percent off retail price. Olloclip expects to ship rewards to backers in September of 2015, at the end of the month.
While Apple Music launched today with the releases of iOS 8.4 and iTunes 12.2, many members of Apple's developer program are currently running beta versions of iOS 9 that do not support most aspects of the service. Apple's Eddy Cue confirmed late last week that Apple will be releasing a new iOS 9 seed with Apple Music support, but he did not provide a timeframe for the release and one did not appear today.
In a pair of responses to Twitter users tonight, Cue has clarified the new iOS 9 seed with Apple Music support will be arriving "early next week."
The last beta seed came on Tuesday, June 23, so next Tuesday would mark Apple's typical two-week interval for beta releases.
Cue is also answering a few other Apple Music questions from Twitter users tonight, noting users can "easily" turn off auto-renew on Apple Music to prevent unexpected charges when the free trial ends and that the bitrate of Apple Music streaming varies depending on whether the user is on a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
Earlier today, Apple launched their much anticipated Apple Music streaming service. The iPhone app includes dedicated tabs called "For You", "New", "Radio", "Connect", and "My Music". The first two tabs offer areas for music discovery, while "Radio" provides themed stations as well as Apple's own Beats 1 Radio. Meanwhile, the last tab, "My Music" provides you with access to the rest of your existing music catalog as well as any new songs you might add from Apple Music.
The "Connect" tab, however, is a new service from Apple which is described as a place where "musicians give their fans a closer look at their work, their inspirations, and their world." Similar to a social network, it allows users to "follow" their favorite artists and see additional content.
If "Connect" doesn't interest you, MacRumors reader Eric points out a handy tip to replace the "Connect" tab with a dedicated "Playlists" tab which he describes as "much more useful".
Under Settings -> General -> Restrictions, Apple allows you to disable "Apple Music Connect" which removes the Connect tab and provides the alternate Playlist functionality.
Earlier today Apple released OS X 10.10.4, an under-the-hood update to OS X that introduced several bug fixes and improvements. One improvement, according to Ars Technica, is support for TRIM for third-party SSD hard drives. We previously covered TRIM likely coming natively to the next version of OS X El Capitan but it appears support has already arrived.
Photo via ArsTechnica
With today’s OS X 10.10.4 update, however, Apple has added a command line utility that can be used to enable TRIM on third-party SSDs without having to download and install anything. Called trimforce, the utility can be executed from the OS X terminal, and it requires a reboot to start working.
TRIM is a system-level command that allows the operating system and the drive to communicate about which areas of the drive are considered unused and thus ready to be erased and rewritten to. In the absence of TRIM, users can see significantly slower drive writes as the drive begins to fill up. Most modern operating systems support TRIM but for Apple's OS X, it has only included support for its OEM SSDs. This means that Mac users looking to install an after-market SSD in a machine originally intended for spinning disc hard drives would run into trouble without the help of other third-party tools.
To enable TRIM, a user just has to type "sudo trimforce enable" into the Terminal window. Ars Technica points out that running TRIM prompts a "scary" message from the system, but notes it's largely because each SSD implements TRIM in a different way, with older disks sometimes acting in a way OS X would not expect.
MacRumors forum readers have been testing and discussing the update in our forums and sharing their experiences.
Apple has posted a list of over 115 countries where some combination of Apple Music, Apple Music Radio, Beats 1 Radio and iTunes Match are available per iPhone in Canada. Apple Music and Apple Music Radio are available in 110 countries as of today's launch, while Angola, Puerto Rico, Israel, Taiwan, and Turkey are five countries where the streaming music service has yet to launch.
Apple Music's "For You" section for curated playlists and music recommendations
Beats 1 Radio is currently unavailable in select countries, including the Bahamas, Bahrain, Burkina-Faso, Egypt, Hungary, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mozambique, Namibia, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. iTunes Match, technically available through Apple Music and as a standalone service, is available in all countries listed except for Romania.
To check the availability of Apple Music, Apple Music Radio, Beats 1 Radio, and iTunes Match in your region, be sure to look at the full list of countries on Apple's website. Apple has also posted a similar list of regions where Apple Music will be available across the U.S. and Canada, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Not all features of Apple Music will be available in each country.
Apple's much-anticipated music service, Apple Music, launched this morning as part of iOS 8.4, bringing on-demand streaming music, the Beats 1 radio station, and Apple Connect, Apple's new social network aimed at letting artists connect with fans in new and unique ways.
We went hands-on with Apple Music in iOS 8.4 to give you a look at how the new service works, what it looks like, what it costs, and how to use it. Check out the video below to get a thorough overview of all three Apple Music components.
Apple Music's main streaming feature is a "For You" section within the Music app that offers up on-demand music recommendations based on preferences you've entered and music you've listed to previously. "For You" is able to offer more refined, tailored recommendations as you listen to more and more music.
Apple today released iTunes 12.2 for OS X Yosemite users, introducing desktop support for the new Apple Music service. Launched today as part of iOS 8.4, Apple Music lets iTunes users to listen to on-demand music, create playlists, find music suitable for every activity, and more. Apple Music is also accompanied by Apple Music Connect, Apple's new artist-centric social network, and the Beats 1 24/7 live worldwide radio station.
iTunes 12.2 can be downloaded immediately through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store. Apple has also released a new version of iTunes 12.2 for Windows users.
This update includes:
For You. Get playlist and album recommendations you'll love, selected just for you based on your musical tastes. The more you listen, the better For You gets.
New. Discover the best new music, handpicked by our music editors. Explore mixes created just for activities like exercising, or find great handcrafted playlists in a wide variety of genres. With Apple Music, you'll always have the perfect soundtrack for any occasion.
Connect. A single place to connect with your favorite artists. See thoughts, photos, music, and videos shared from your favorite artists. You can comment on or love anything an artist has posted, and the artist can respond to you directly.
Beats 1. Tune in to Beats 1, broadcast live from cities around the globe. Enjoy music, interviews, exclusive radio shows, and the best of what's going on in the world of music. Beats 1 -- worldwide and always on.
Apple Music Radio. Radio has been completely redesigned. Play from Featured Stations, where our music experts hand select every song you hear. Or, start a new station from any artist or song. In addition, it's now easy to quickly return to your favorite stations with Recently Played.
My Music. Find all your music in one place, including iTunes purchases, music you've imported from CD, and now songs from Apple Music.
iTunes Store. The iTunes Store is still the best place to buy your favorite music -- one song or album at a time.
Apple Music in iTunes 12.2 brings several new sections to the music portion of the app, including "For You," which displays recommended music that you might like based on preferences you've entered and past music you've listed to, and a "New" section that offers up new and trending music.
iTunes' new Apple Music "For You" section
There's also a section for Apple Music Connect, Apple's new artist-centric social network. With Connect, you can read status updates and see photos, videos, and more from your favorite artists. A radio section houses the Beats 1 radio station and other radio stations curated by music experts or based on various songs and artists.
Apple Music Connect in iTunes
iTunes 12.2 is the second major update to iTunes 12, which debuted alongside OS X Yosemite. iTunes 12.1, the previous major update, brought an iTunes widget for the Notification Center and performance improvements.
All iTunes users can access Apple Music for free for a three month trial period. After that time, an individual subscription can be purchased for $9.99 and a family subscription with support for up to 6 users can be purchased for $14.99. Beats 1 radio and existing iTunes Radio stations will continue to be available at no cost.
One of the upcoming segments on Beats 1 radio is called "Requests," and it appears this broadcast will feature songs that have been requested from Beats 1 listeners around the world. According to a tweet from the Beats 1 Twitter account, users can request a song by calling in to the station.
The Apple Music Tumblr site has a page that's dedicated to requests, listing phone numbers around the world for listeners to call to request a song. In the United States, the number for making a request is 1-310-299-8756, or 1-877-720-6293 for toll free.
There are also phone numbers listed for Canada, the U.K., France, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Australia, Italy, Ireland, and New Zealand.
"Requests" will play at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and the segment will be hosted by Travis Mills, who is located in Los Angeles. Mills' show will come on following Ebro Darden, who goes live at 3 p.m. Pacific Time. It is not clear if the requests that Beats 1 is asking for will be limited to the "Requests" segment or if they'll also be played at other times on Beats 1 radio.
Beats 1 radio debuted today at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time in hundreds of countries around the world. It provides 24/7 live music and will also include news segments, interviews, and more. Beats 1 radio is part of Apple Music, which also includes a new on-demand streaming service (free for three months) and Apple Music Connect, Apple's new artist-focused social networking feature.
The next-generation iPhone, often referred to as the "iPhone 6s," will likely retain the same exterior design as the iPhone 6, based on purported images of the device's rear shell obtained by 9to5Mac. The report claims the rear shell is identical to the iPhone 6 on the outside, including the same thickness and width, with only minor internal differences.
The leaked photos of the "iPhone 6s" reveal that the Lightning connector, speakers, microphones, headphone jack, volume rocker, mute button, sleep/wake button, SIM card slot, antenna lines and cutout for the rear-facing camera and LED flash are all identical to the iPhone 6, which is unsurprising given that "S" model iPhones have historically looked almost identical to the iPhone released one year prior.
While the exterior design on the "iPhone 6s" looks unchanged, the rear shell has a notably different internal mounting structure that suggests a new logic board and other components are incoming. In particular, the next-generation iPhone is rumored to include an A9 processor with 2GB of RAM, Force Touch, 7000 Series aluminum and improved 12-megapixel camera, among other changes.
Following the launch of Apple Music, Apple today updated GarageBand for Mac to version 10.1, adding new features and a huge amount of new content for musicians and sound makers to work with. The update to GarageBand was first announced in mid-June.
The update brings 10 new Drummers with beats appropriate for electronic music and Hip Hop styles like House, Trap, Techno, and Dubstep, plus it adds more than 100 EDM and Hip Hop-inspired synth sounds, each of which includes Transform Pad Smart Control for tweaking sounds to each user's personal taste. There are also 1,000 new Apple Loops made from a wide variety of instruments.
Today's update brings support for the Force Touch trackpad when GarageBand is used with the MacBook or new MacBook Pros, and it includes a new feature that lets music be shared directly to Apple Music Connect, Apple's new social networking platform aimed at artists.
-10 new Drummers that produce beats in a variety of electronic music and Hip Hop styles including House, Trap, Techno, Dubstep and more - Over 100 EDM and Hip Hop-inspired synthesizer Patches featuring the new Transform Pad Smart Control for sound morphing - Record the movements of software instrument Smart Controls to capture performances of effect and tone adjustments - 1,000 new Apple Loops from a variety of popular instruments and genres including EDM, Hip Hop, Indie, Disco, Funk, and Blues - Share directly from GarageBand to Apple Music Connect - Adds support for Force Touch trackpad - Resolves an issue which prevented the export of long recordings - Contains multiple enhancements to Accessibility
Apple has also released a minor update for its GarageBand app for iOS, introducing bug fixes and the ability to share music directly from the app to Apple Music Connect.
GarageBand for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]
Apple has reached a partnership with mobile connectivity company GigSky to expand Apple SIM cellular data plans to over 90 countries and territories around the world. iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 users that have Apple SIM installed can now purchase short-term data plans while traveling in a long list of countries throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, South America and other regions worldwide.
Apple SIM is now available for purchase at Apple Retail Stores in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Apple SIM cellular data plans were previously limited to participating carriers in the United States and United Kingdom, including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile in the U.S. and EE in the U.K.
"With Apple SIM in iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models, you get the convenience of choosing a cellular data plan from select carrier partners right on your iPad. And when you travel abroad, Apple SIM gives you the added flexibility to stay connected in more than 90 countries and territories around the world. So when you reach your destination and want to check your email, find directions, or send a message back home, you can purchase a cellular data plan for the duration of your trip — whether it’s a day, a week, or a month."
GigSky cellular data plans are available on a pay-as-you-go basis with no long-term commitments. Exact prices are listed on GigSky's website and vary based based on the country, data amount and length of plan. Given that iPads are unlocked, travelers can also insert a SIM card belonging to a local carrier if preferred.
Following the launch of Apple Music alongside iOS 8.4, Apple's Beats 1 radio station led by Zane Lowe has begun broadcasting. Available in more than 100 countries, Beats 1 is a 24/7 radio station that will play music around the clock with live DJs and guests.
The inaugural song played on Beats 1 radio right when it kicked off at 9:00 a.m. was Spring King's "City," which was followed by Beck's "Dreams" and Jamie xx's "In Color." Spring King was picked by Lowe as a great upcoming band from Manchester. In a move that might be somewhat controversial, Apple has decided to censor explicit content on the Beats 1 radio station, something listeners experienced when a song from Dr. Dre's Chronic album was played.
Beats 1 features several shows by various on-air personalities, and a full lineup of what's going to be on can be found at the Beats 1 website, which forwards to Apple's new Tumblr page for Apple Music and Beats 1. The Tumblr page has a complete schedule that displays what's playing, and it adjusts to your time zone based on location.
Beats 1 will include exclusive interviews and news broadcasts, with the first interview taking place tomorrow with Eminem. According to Zane Lowe, today's focus is on the music, and several exclusive songs will be played over the course of the day.
Apple Music is available now and is free for all listeners for the first three months. Following the trial period, the service will cost $9.99 per month for individuals or $14.99 for families of up to 6.
Update: Apple has confirmed that it is censoring explicit content on its Beats 1 radio station.
Update 5:35 PM: It appears the Beats 1 radio station is currently experiencing an outage and is unavailable for some listeners. Attempting to play the station results in an unknown error.
Apple today released OS X Yosemite 10.10.4, an under-the-hood update that introduces several bug fixes and performance improvements. Most notably, 10.10.4 includes the removal of the problematic Discoveryd process, which has caused multiple networking issues for some users in OS X Yosemite.
The OS X 10.10.4 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store. There are also accompanying security updates available for OS X Mavericks and OS X Mountain Lion users.
Unlike 10.10.3, which brought Yosemite's first outward-facing changes including the Photos for OS X app and new emoji features, OS X 10.10.4 is a behind-the-scenes update that focuses primarily on fixing bugs and introducing better performance through stability improvements.
The OS X Yosemite v10.10.4 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.
This update:
- Improves networking reliability - Improves Migration Assistant reliability - Addresses an issue that prevented some external displays from functioning properly - Improves the reliability of upgrading iPhoto and Aperture libraries to Photos - Improves reliability when syncing photos and videos to iCloud Photo Library - Addresses an issue that could cause Photos to unexpectedly quit after importing some Lecia DNG files - Resolves an issue that could delay outgoing email messages in Mail - Fixes an issue where a website could prevent the user from navigating away by presenting repeated JavaScript alerts in Safari
The biggest change in OS X 10.10.4 is the elimination of the discoveryd process that's been accused of being responsible for some significant networking and WiFi bugs within Yosemite. Discoveryd is a networking process that was introduced in Yosemite to replace mDNSresponder, but it caused problems like slow wake from sleep, failures to resolve DNS names, duplicate machine names, WiFi disconnects, excessive CPU usage, battery drain, and more. In 10.10.4, discoveryd has been replaced with the older mDNSresponder process.
OS X 10.10.4 was in testing for approximately two months before seeing a public release, having been seeded to developers in mid-April. It's likely we'll see at least one more update to OS X Yosemite in the months preceding the public launch of OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple's next-generation Mac operating system that's also in the works.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today upheld a 2013 decision that found Apple guilty of conspiring with publishers to raise the prices of e-books, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple is now expected to pay a $450 million fine originally set in July 2014 to settle the case, with a majority of that settlement earmarked for consumers as part of a class action lawsuit.
Apple filed the appeal in the antitrust case in December 2014, and the outcome was originally expected to favor the iPhone maker, although federal judge Debra Ann Livingston ultimately determined that the company colluded with publishers to fix the prices of e-books. The decision was finalized by a 2-1 ruling in the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on Tuesday.
"We conclude that the district court correctly decided that Apple orchestrated a conspiracy among the publishers to raise e-book prices,” wrote Second Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston. The conspiracy “unreasonably restrained trade” in violation of the Sherman Act, the federal antitrust law, the judge wrote.
Apple today released iOS 8.4, the fourth major update to iOS 8. First seeded to developers in April, iOS 8.4 includes a newly revamped Music app and Apple's long-awaited on-demand streaming music service, Apple Music.
iOS 8.4 is available immediately as an over-the-air download, and the new Apple Music service is located within the Music app. Apple Music will be available immediately after iOS 8.4 is installed, while the Beats 1 radio service will kick off at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
Introduced at the recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple Music is an on-demand streaming music service that's much like Apple's former Beats Music service. It allows users to listen to an unlimited amount of music for $9.99 per month or $14.99 for a family plan that supports up to 6 listeners.
Apple Music is accompanied by the Beats 1 radio station, which features 24-hour live human-curated music at no cost, and Apple Music Connect, a social networking platform that allows artists to interact with fans and share content like photos and videos. Apple Music includes millions of songs from iTunes and is launching simultaneously in more than 100 countries.
Along with Apple Music, today's iOS 8.4 update includes a complete overhaul of the built-in Music app. It incorporates Apple Music and it features a new design that shows pictures of artists in the Artists view and a new MiniPlayer with a revamped "Now Playing" look. There are personalized playlists, global search capabilities that make it easier to search within the Music app, and a streamlined design for the radio feature to bolster music discovery.
Other minor changes in iOS 8.4 include the relocation of audiobooks from the Music app to the iBooks app, consolidating all books, print, and audio into one convenient spot, and a new Audiobooks for CarPlay app, giving drivers a standalone app dedicated to playing their audiobooks.
Apple today released OS X Yosemite 10.10.4, an under-the-hood update that introduces several bug fixes and performance improvements. Most notably, 10.10.4 includes the removal of the 
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today upheld a 2013 decision that found Apple 
