MacRumors

liquidmetal.pngApple has renewed its exclusive rights to use Liquidmetal Technologies' unique metal alloys in its line of products, according to a document filed today with the SEC. The new agreement extends Apple's relationship with Liquidmetal Technologies until February 5, 2016.

On June 17, 2015, Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. (the "Company") and Apple Inc. ("Apple") entered into a third amendment (the "Third Amendment") to the Master Transaction Agreement that was originally entered into on August 5, 2010 and amended on June 15, 2012 and May 17, 2014 (the "MTA"). Under the MTA and its first two amendments in 2012 and 2014, the Company was obligated to contribute to Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC, a special purpose subsidiary of the Company, all intellectual property acquired or developed by the Company from August 5, 2010 through February 5, 2015, and all intellectual property held by Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC was exclusively licensed on a perpetual basis to Apple for the field of use of consumer electronic products under the MTA.

Liquidmetal's alloys are of interest to Apple and those who follow the company due to their unique properties including high strength, corrosion resistance, light weight, and malleability. Apple has used Liquidmetal's technology to develop the SIM removal tool for the iPhone 3G, but no other confirmed use of the alloys is known.

Apple continues to work with Liquidmetal technology, as evidenced in an array of patents that have surfaced over the last several years, and the company has been rumored to be considering Liquidmetal for iOS device home buttons, touch sensors, and tamper-resistant screws.

Apple today released the second beta of iOS 9, introducing a number of performance improvements, feature updates, and bug fixes to the beta software that was first seeded to developers on June 8.

iOS 9 beta 2 includes several minor design tweaks and feature updates that have been introduced as Apple works to refine the software ahead of its public release this fall. With the changes, the beta is already feeling faster and more polished, with a much improved search function. We've gathered up a full list of the minor changes we've found in iOS 9 beta 2 below.

Podcasts - The Podcasts has a newly updated icon that's bolder. The layout of the app has also been updated slightly, changing the position of some of the download buttons.

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Handoff - Handoff is again being displayed in the App Switcher screen. Handoff was not available in the App Switcher in the first iOS 9 beta.

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Search - Search appears to be much improved in iOS 9 beta 2, bringing up both more results and a wider range of results for each search query.

Apple Watch app - The Apple Watch app has a new, simpler name, having been renamed to "Watch."

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News setting - There's now a "News" toggle under iCloud in the Settings app, but toggling it on does not do anything as the News app is not yet available.

Search settings - In the Settings app under General --> Search, there's now a list of all installed apps with the option to toggle them on or off in search results. Previously, this menu showed only Apple search results and options like Bing Web Results, Documents, Found in Mail, Safari Suggestions, and more.

iPad keyboard tweaks - The edit functions on the iPad keyboard have been tweaked slightly. There's now an undo/redo option that shows up as the default edit function in place of the cut/paste tool. The cutting and pasting edit tools continue to be available, showing up when text is selected.

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Auto app delete/reinstall - This is actually a beta 1 feature, but it was discovered as users installed beta 2. When attempting to install iOS 9 on a device with insufficient space, there's an option to temporarily delete apps to make room, with the OS automatically reinstalling deleted content after the update is completed.

Safari - In beta 2, the option for "Content Blockers" in the Settings app under Safari is hidden until a Content Blocker is installed. There are also new options to toggle on the Tab Bar and Favorites Bar.

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Additional feature updates in iOS 9 beta 2 will be added here as they are discovered. Apple should continue to release regular updates to iOS 9 at two to three week intervals throughout the beta testing period to bring minor performance boosts and changes ahead of the operating system's official launch. iOS 9 is expected to be released to the public in the fall, but a public beta test will come first, in July.

Related Forum: iOS 9

Known for providing a variety of storage solutions for desktop and mobile devices, SanDisk continues its trend of easy-to-use storage devices supporting multiple connector standards with its new Dual USB Drive Type-C. Taking aim at the growing use of USB-C in the tech industry, the Dual USB Drive includes connectors for both USB-A 3.0 and USB-C that allow users to transfer files between a traditional USB-supporting computer and a machine like Apple's new 12-inch Retina MacBook that uses the new USB-C standard.

While similar to the company's iXpand Flash Drive line -- which pairs a USB connector with a Lightning connector for a more mobile-friendly storage solution -- the Dual USB Drive is definitely lighter and slimmer than the iXpand line. The new drive is actually part of the line of SanDisk's "Dual" USB Drives, the other two of which focus on a more Android compatible transfer process. Only coming in a 32GB option, the Dual USB Drive Type-C has plenty of storage for all kinds of files, from music and photos to documents and slideshows.

SanDisk Drive 2
I've spent the past week or so testing the Dual drive, but as with any other basic flash drive, it either works hassle-free or it doesn't. Thankfully, SanDisk's new USB-C supported solution is a breeze when it comes to data storage and transfer. The drive took essentially the entire contents of my new 12-inch MacBook and in a few seconds had successfully pasted copies of the files into its 32GB storage.

➜ Click here to read more...

Tags: SanDisk, USB-C

Developers who are installing the second beta of iOS 9 have discovered a highly useful iOS 9 space management feature, which will help users who have little space on their devices install major operating system updates.

When attempting to install iOS 9 on a device with insufficient space, there's a popup that offers to temporarily delete some apps in order to make room for the update. Apps that are deleted are then reinstalled and replaced after the operating system update is completed.

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With iOS 8, many users with 16GB devices were disappointed with the large installation size of the operating system. As it was over 4GB, few users with 16GB devices had the space for the update, which may be one of the main reasons that iOS 8 installation rates were slow for several months following release. Given the disappointment that many customers expressed with the install size of iOS 8, Apple's made efforts to make iOS 9 much more space efficient.

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Apple has significantly reduced the installation size of the operating system to just 1.3GB to make it easier for people to find the space for an update, and this new auto app deletion feature will ensure that almost all customers can upgrade their devices with little hassle. Other features, such as app thinning for developers, will also help free up space on devices by installing only the necessary app assets for each device.

Related Forum: iOS 9

Instagram today began rolling out a small but noteworthy update to its iOS application, namely focusing on expanding and deepening the features of the "Explore" tab inside the app.

The first feature focuses on showcasing trending topics and places, with "dynamically updated content" that promises to give each user a real-time look at events and pictures happening nearby. Users will also be able to select from locations around the globe if they prefer to not be locked into local content.

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Secondly, curated collections will let Instagram users explore a constantly rotating array of people and places -- from topics like extreme athletes to national parks -- all hand picked by the Instagram team. The new update will also allow users to search by location in "Places search," to explore exotic destinations across the world, or even see what users in your local town are posting.

The new redesigned Explore tab is unfortunately only available for Instagram users in the United States, but the team has taken steps to improve basic search functionality for everyone else. These features include search by location and the traditional search all posts option.

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Speaking with Wired, Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom pointed toward the new update as a way for people to have instant visual updates on world news in one convenient place. It's "what we've been shooting for all along," Systrom said of the real-time spotlight focus on news and information.

Early on, he and cofounder Mike Krieger “had this vision that if we could grow large enough and have a system that allowed people to tag who they were with, they could see what is happening right now.” He used the example of Hurricane Sandy, a storm that decimated parts of New York City two-and-a-half years ago.

Even back then, traditional media outlets featured images from Instagram as part of their storm coverage. “But if you wanted to see photos, you had to know Sandy [was happening in the first place] and and to go look for that hashtag,” said Systrom. “We want to be the first place to cover it, and to have broad reach to cover the real things happening on the ground.”

Instagram's new update is rolling out now, and should be available to most users throughout the rest of the day, and the app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple today released the second beta of OS X 10.11 El Capitan to developers for testing purposes, just over two weeks after unveiling the new operating system at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference. Any new changes found in the second El Capitan beta will be detailed below.

The update, build 15A204h, is available through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer Center. Apple has also released OS X Server 5.0 beta 2.

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OS X El Capitan largely builds on the features introduced with OS X Yosemite, focusing on improving performance and user experience. Behind-the-scenes improvements in El Capitan have made a number of apps and processes on the Mac much faster, and the introduction of Metal makes system-level graphics rendering 40 percent more efficient.

Along with a new systemwide font, El Capitan includes a revamped Mission Control feature, a new Split View feature for using two full-screen apps at once, deeper functionality for Spotlight, and several new features for Safari, including Pinned Sites for housing frequently-visited websites and a universal mute button that quiets all tabs.

Mail's been updated with new iOS-style gestures and Smart Suggestions, and Photos, Notes, and Maps have also gained small improvements.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan is currently only available to registered developers, but Apple plans to offer a public beta of the software in July. Following testing, El Capitan will see a final release in the fall of 2015.

Related Forum: OS X El Capitan

ios_9_iconApple today released the second beta of iOS 9 to developers for testing purposes, just over two weeks after unveiling the new operating system at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference. Changes that are new to iOS 9 beta 2 are covered in our iOS 9 beta 2 tidbits post.

The update, build 13A4280e, is available as an over-the-air update and it is also available for download through the Apple Developer Center. Apple has also released Xcode 7 beta 2.

According to the iOS 9 beta 2 release notes, today's update includes fixes for many bugs and problems that were present in the first beta. AirPlay connectivity is improved, changing a password in the Family section of iCloud Settings now works, restoring from a backup created in iOS 9 is faster, Mail no longer crashes when trying to print a message, and third-party keyboards work in search results.

There are many lingering problems with the beta. FaceTime calls do not work on the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the iPad Air 2, Lightning video dongles don't work, Activation Lock may say it's activated for Apple Watch when it is not, creating an Apple ID via Game Center may cause crashing, signing into an iTunes account when restoring from backup with 2fa can get stuck sending a verification code, the Music app doesn't show the Music tab, and more.

iOS 9's biggest focus is on intelligence and proactivity, allowing iOS devices to learn user habits and act on that information, providing recommendations on places we might like, apps we might like to use, and more. Siri is smarter in iOS 9, with the ability to create contextual reminders, and search is improved with new sources.

Many of the built in apps have been improved, including Notes, Maps, and Mail. Apple Pay has been renamed to Wallet, and iOS 9 introduces split-screen multitasking for the iPad along with a revamped keyboard. In addition to these consumer-facing features, iOS 9 brings significant under-the-hood performance improvements.

With battery optimizations, iOS devices have an additional hour of battery life, and a new Low Power Mode extends the battery even further. iOS updates take up less space in iOS 9, and many app install sizes are smaller due to a feature called app thinning. iOS 9 is capable of running on all devices that support iOS 8.

iOS 9 is currently only available to developers, but Apple plans to introduce a public iOS 9 beta in July before the final release of the software in the fall.

Related Forum: iOS 9

Apple-Watch-Midnight-Blue-250x299Apple today seeded the second watchOS 2 beta to developers, just over two weeks after announcing the new operating system update at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

watchOS 2 requires iOS 9 and can be downloaded over-the-air through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update.

watchOS 2 is the first major update to watchOS, the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The new software brings many new features that Apple Watch developers can take advantage of, including native apps that run on the Apple Watch itself instead of the iPhone.

It also allows developers to access the Taptic Engine and a number of other sensors in the Apple Watch, including the heart rate monitor, the microphone, and the accelerometer.

Along with these features for developers, which will lead to much more complex and full-featured third-party Apple Watch apps, the update introduces new watch faces (photo albums and time-lapse), third-party Complications, Time Travel for viewing upcoming events in a watch face Complication, and a Nightstand mode that's activated when the watch is charging, displaying the time.

New communication features include the ability to add more than 12 friends to your friends list and the ability to create sketches in multiple colors. Mail's also being updated, making it possible to reply to Mail messages using dictation, and FaceTime Audio support is included.

watchOS 2 is currently only available to registered developers who have also installed iOS 9 on their iPhones. Apple plans to release the software to the public in the fall.

Update: Apple has temporarily pulled watchOS 2 beta 2.

Update 2 6:30 p.m.: watchOS 2 beta 2 is available for download again.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Google today announced that it's adding a free tier to its Google Music subscription service, just a week ahead of the launch of Apple Music. Apple Music doesn't include a free listening tier, but it is accompanied by a free ad-supported radio service that provides users with a way to access music without shelling out cash.

Google's free listening tier is built around Songza, the radio-based streaming service that Google purchased last July. It includes curated radio stations and playlists, which Google describes as human-curated and crafted "song by song" for moods and activities like working out or driving. It's currently available in the United States and rolling out to Android and iOS devices this week.

At any moment in your day, Google Play Music has whatever you need music for--from working, to working out, to working it on the dance floor--and gives you curated radio stations to make whatever you're doing better. Our team of music experts, including the folks who created Songza, crafts each station song by song so you don't have to. If you're looking for something specific, you can browse our curated stations by genre, mood, decade or activity, or you can search for your favorite artist, album or song to instantly create a station of similar music.

Apple's own upcoming revamped radio service also has a heavy focus on human curation, headlined by the live Beats 1 radio station that will play music chosen by human DJs 24/7. It will be broadcast in more than 100 countries and led by former BBC DJ Zane Lowe and other famous DJs from Los Angeles, New York, and London, airing not only music but also exclusive interviews and music news.

Google, like Apple, is hoping that its free radio service will entice customers to subscribe to the company's paid music service. Google Play Music is priced at $9.99 per month and it offers a free 30-day listening trial.

General Motors today announced that select 2016 model year Buick and GMC vehicles will support CarPlay and Android Auto through the IntelliLink system, including the 2016 Buick LaCrosse and Regal and 2016 GMC Canyon, Yukon and Sierra. Buick and GMC will support CarPlay at the beginning of the model year and add Android Auto compatibility to select vehicles later in the model year.

2015 GMC
The built-in IntelliLink screen will indicate when a CarPlay or Android Auto compatible smartphone is connected via USB, enabling quick and easy access to Maps, Phone, Messages, Music, Podcasts and third-party apps such as Spotify, Rdio, iHeartRadio, CBS Radio and MLB At Bat. CarPlay also uses Siri voice control and interfaces with your vehicle's knobs, dials and buttons for hands-free or eyes-free control of your iPhone.

GM announced in late May that it is adding CarPlay and Android Auto support to 14 new 2016 Chevrolet models later this year, with the 650 HP Corvette Z06 the first vehicle to roll off the assembly line and head to dealerships. GM's luxury car brand Cadillac will also be adding CarPlay and Android Auto support to its 2016 model vehicles equipped with a CUE 8-inch multi-touch screen, excluding the SRX Crossover.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

After posting an open letter to Apple on her Tumblr page about Apple's free streaming policy for its upcoming music service, popular artist Taylor Swift managed to get the company to change course -- Apple now planning to pay artist royalties during its three-month free trial period of Apple Music. But, thanks to a new statement provided to The Wall Street Journal, it appears artists' satisfaction with the policy change could become turbulent again, with the Cupertino-based company suggesting the royalty rate during the free trial period will be somewhat lower than normal.

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Apple declined to say how much it plans to pay during the trial period, though it said the rate will increase once customers start paying for subscriptions. In the first three months of the service’s life there will be no subscriber royalty rate on which to base the rates. The company could find other ways to calculate a rate and is expected to share its plans with music companies soon.

Apple risks raising the ire of Ms. Swift and others if it comes in with what would appear to be a lowball offer.

Attempting to ballpark Apple's possible payment rate for the free trial, The Wall Street Journal compares the Apple service to Spotify's free, ad-supported option, which they point out pays royalties of "about one-fifth of the subscription service." Last December, that was essentially 0.14 of a cent for each listen in the United States, which Spotify had to pay a grand total of $5.8 million for its free tier alone for the month.

If Apple goes in under its traditional 71.5 percent revenue sharing policy -- which is likely to happen given the wording used when speaking to the WSJ -- it could still end up paying out millions of dollars to the various artists, songwriters, and producers that Swift became the defacto figurehead of after Apple listened to her letter over the weekend.

Although, as the WSJ points out, some in the industry appeared content with the original free trial period policy, given Apple's promise of an above-industry standard of 71.5 percent royalty payment, compared to the basic 70 percent payed out by competitors such as Spotify and Google. Apple has yet to comment any further on the issue, but its shifting viewpoint on the topic, so close to Apple Music's launch, is undeniably an impressive feat for Swift.

Apple has become a promoting member of the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) alongside existing promoters Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Nokia, and Toshiba, giving the company the ability to vote on Bluetooth SIG corporate matters and allowing the iPhone maker to hold a continual seat on the SIG Board of Directors.

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“Apple has long been a key participant in the Bluetooth ecosystem,” said Toby Nixon, chairman of the Bluetooth SIG Board of Directors. “Since 2011, the company has provided guidance and knowledge to the Bluetooth SIG through its participation as an Associate Board Member. We’re excited to welcome Apple to its new role in the organization and on the SIG board.”

Bluetooth SIG provides companies with the opportunity to influence the direction of Bluetooth technology, with promoter members having greater input towards the strategic and technological directions of Bluetooth. Apple uses Bluetooth in a number of products and services ranging from Mac, iPhone and iPad to AirDrop, Continuity and Handoff.

Chinese team TaiG has released an iOS 8.3 untethered jailbreak tool on Windows for compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. TaiG warns that some jailbreak tweaks are not compatible with iOS 8.3 as Jay Freeman (saurik) has yet to update Cydia Substrate/Mobile Substrate to be compatible with the latest jailbreak. An iOS 8.3 jailbreak tool for OS X has not been released.

iOS 8.3 Jailbreak TaiG
Jailbreaking enables iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users to install unapproved third-party apps, tweaks, mods, custom themes, utilities, and other content (called "packages") from Cydia, which is essentially an App Store alternative for jailbroken devices. In other words, jailbreaking allows users to further customize and enhance their iOS devices beyond the limits that Apple imposes.

It is highly recommended that you back up your data through iTunes or iCloud before attempting to jailbreak your device, as there are various issues that could require downgrading or restoring your device and result in data loss. TaiG offers more information on its Twitter and has posted step-by-step instructions on how to use the iOS 8.3 untethered jailbreak on its website.

TaiG 2.0 supports iOS 8.1.3 - iOS 8.3.

As an entire computer that fits on our wrists, the Apple Watch already seems like something out of a science fiction novel, but a new video from software developer Nick Lee demonstrates just how far computing has come in the last two decades.

Lee's hacked an Apple Watch running watchOS 2 to run a port of a 20-year-old Macintosh OS, System 7.5.5, using the Mini vMac Macintosh emulator.


When System 7.5.5 was released in 1996, it required a full PowerPC-based Mac to run, and in their smallest incarnation, those machines were clunky, heavy, and pretty far from the portable devices that we have now. Today, that same operating system can run on a tiny 38mm to 42mm wrist-worn computer.

Construction on Apple's spaceship-shaped second campus is progressing, as detailed in a new close-up video shared by Skycore on Vimeo. Shot last Monday, the video offers a look at the current state of construction, depicting a finished foundation, the first walls of the ring-shaped structure, and work on an underground parking facility.


Apple has had some issues with campus construction as of late, and in May, the company hired Silicon Valley company Rudolph & Sletten to take over as general contractor, replacing Skanska USA and DPR Construction as work begins on the interior of the building. It is not clear why Apple parted ways with the original general contractor on the project, but according to Skanska, an agreement could not be reached for "the revised scope of work."

Apple's campus features a massive 2.8 million square foot ring-shaped main building, an underground parking lot, a 100,000 square foot fitness center, and a 120,000 square foot auditorium for hosting major events. The entire campus will be covered with hundreds of trees and there will be a central garden with outdoor dining areas. A second phase of development will add several nearby research and development facilities.

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Campus 2 is costing Apple upwards of $5 billion, and it is unclear if its recent contractor shift has increased initial cost estimates. It's also unknown if the project is still on track for a late 2016 completion, but Apple has not notified the City of Cupertino of any delays, so it may still be finished at the end of next year.

In late May, General Motors and its Chevrolet brand announced that its first 2016 cars equipped with CarPlay would be available later this year. Less than a month after the announcement, the first Chevy CarPlay vehicle, a silver Corvette Z06, has rolled off the production line. Chevy shared images of the maiden Corvette with TechCrunch, and told the site its Corvette Z06 vehicles are now heading to dealerships and consumers.

Chevy's Corvette Z06 is the second vehicle with CarPlay that's actually available for consumers to purchase, following the Ferarri FF. The Ferarri FF has been the only vehicle sold with built-in CarPlay support since CarPlay was announced in March of 2014, but the service has also been available to consumers through aftermarket solutions from companies like Alpine and Pioneer.

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Chevy's very first vehicle with CarPlay support, courtesy of TechCrunch

The 2016 Corvette Z06 has a base MSRP of $79,000 and comes equipped with an 8-inch color touchscreen that uses Chevrolet's MyLink system alongside CarPlay. The Z06 is the most powerful production car that General Motors has created, with 650 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 650-lb ft of torque at 3,600 rpm.

At Chevy's May CarPlay media event, which MacRumors attended, there was no mention of the Corvette Z06 launching as the first Chevy CarPlay car, with Chevrolet representatives instead pointing towards the Tahoe, Suburban, and Volt as the first CarPlay-equipped vehicles. Those cars are expected to go into production in July, with the rest of the Chevy CarPlay lineup rolling out later in 2015. A full list of Chevy vehicles that will be released with CarPlay support is below.

- 7-inch Screens: Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Camaro, Camaro Convertible, Silverado, Silverado HD

- 8-inch Screens: Cruze, Malibu, Impala, Volt, Camaro, Camaro Convertible, Corvette, Corvette Convertible, Colorado, Silverado, Silverado HD, Tahoe, Suburban

As we learned at Chevy's media event, the first CarPlay vehicles from the company will not include an upcoming iOS 9 feature -- wireless CarPlay support. Chevy's 2016 vehicles will require a user's iPhone to be connected via a Lightning cable. iOS 9 also includes new features that allow it to be more deeply integrated with in-car systems, letting car knobs control CarPlay functions, but it is not clear if Chevy's vehicles will take advantage of this upgrade when Apple's new operating system launches in the fall.

Several other car manufacturers are expected to launch CarPlay-compatible vehicles in 2015. Volkswagen has promised that its first CarPlay vehicles will come in 2015, and at Apple's "Spring Forward" media event in March, Tim Cook said that more than 40 car models with CarPlay support would be available by the end of the year.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed China's integral part in the company's decision to pursue a gold design option in many of its devices. Speaking with a Chinese-language version of Bloomberg Businessweek, Cook stated that the addition of a gold option within the iPhone 5s lineup in 2013 "reflects in part the popularity of that color among Chinese users."

Gold Apple Products

Apple Inc. takes Chinese consumer tastes into account when it designs many of its products, Chief Executive Tim Cook said, underscoring the country’s importance to the iPhone maker.

The decision to offer a gold iPhone last year reflects in part the popularity of that color among Chinese users, he added. Greater China, which includes Taiwan and Hong Kong, is now Apple’s second-largest market and has become a battleground for the company as it vies with Samsung Electronics Co. and Xiaomi Corp. for smartphone supremacy.

Apple's decision to tailor major aspects of its devices to China makes sense, given the Greater China area has become the company's second-largest market over the last few years. In the second quarterly earnings call of 2015, Cook detailed an all-time quarterly revenue record for the Greater China province, growing 71 percent year over year to a grand total of $16.8 billion. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, China accounted for a total of 29 percent of Apple's revenue in the March quarter.

In the same interview, the Apple CEO reiterated strong developer support for the Apple Watch with over 3500 apps available for the new wrist-worn device. That compares to roughly 500 apps available for the iPhone at the 2008 debut of the App Store and 1000 for the iPad at its 2010 launch.

Cook finished the interview by noting Apple plans to begin more than 180 trial programs in various schools in China, with an aim to "transform traditional educational models and help students contribute to society." Cook and Apple hope to do this through various Apple-inspired training programs, from helping kids learn the ins-and-outs of music composition with GarageBand to teaching hearing-impaired children how to use smartphones. The company hopes to see the program double in number by the end of 2015.

Tag: China
Related Forum: iPhone

Apple plans to seed iOS 8.4 Golden Master (GM), which has historically been release candidate software, to registered developers today ahead of the Apple Music launch on June 30, reports BGR. iOS 9 beta 2 is also reportedly scheduled for release today, although it is possible that the release date is pushed back by one week to next Monday, June 29.

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The iOS 8.4 GM will succeed iOS 8.4 beta 4 and will most likely be the final pre-release version before the software update is publicly released. Apple Music for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch requires iOS 8.4, so the update should be released for all users within the next eight days, with the new streaming music service built into the revamped stock Music app.


Apple Music was announced earlier this month as an all-in-one streaming music service, live global radio station and social platform for artists to connect with fans. The subscription-based service will cost $9.99 per month after a three-month free trial for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC. Apple TV and Android versions of the service will be available in the fall.

Update: BGR's report proved inaccurate as Apple seeded iOS 9 beta 2 on Tuesday and has yet to release the iOS 8.4 GM.

Related Forums: iOS 8, iOS 9