MacRumors

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.6 update to developers, one day after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.5, a minor update that introduced a fix for a bug with USB headphones and other small improvements.

macOS Sierra 10.12.6 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or using the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

We don't know yet what's included in the macOS Sierra 10.12.6 update, but with the debut of the next-generation version of macOS approaching, it's likely to feature minor bug fixes, improvements, and security enhancements.

Development of macOS is wrapping up as Apple transitions to macOS 10.13, which will be introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 10.3.3 update to developers, one day after releasing iOS 10.3.2, a minor bug fix update that introduced minor bug fixes and a long list of security updates.

Registered developers can download the first iOS 10.3.3 beta from Apple’s Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile is installed.

We don’t yet know what’s included in iOS 10.3.3, but with a 10.x.x version number, it’s likely to be another minor update that focuses on bug fixes and security improvements rather than outward-facing changes. If anything notable is found in the beta, we’ll update this post.

iOS 10.3.3 may be one of the last updates we see to iOS 10, as Apple is starting to shift focus to iOS 11. iOS 11 will be introduced at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off on June 5. The update will be in testing for several months before seeing a fall public release.

Waiting for an iPad mini 5? You may be disappointed. BGR, citing a source close to Apple, claims the 7.9-inch tablet is being phased out. The report doesn't offer a timeline as to when the iPad mini will be discontinued, and its sources couldn't confirm if the iPad mini 4 will remain on sale for a period of time.

Apple is rumored to introduce a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro as early as the WWDC 2017 keynote on June 5, so it's conceivable to think the iPad mini could be axed then if the report is accurate. Apple's tablet lineup would then consist of the iPad Pro in 12.9-inch, 10.5-inch, and 9.7-inch sizes, and the new low-cost 9.7-inch iPad.

Apple launched the original iPad mini in 2012. Since the iPhone 6 Plus launched in 2014, it's been speculated that the 5.5-inch smartphone may be at least partially cannibalizing sales of the iPad mini, but Apple doesn't break out its tablet sales numbers on a model-by-model basis, so it's hard to say for sure.

Nearly two months ago, Apple discontinued the iPad mini 2 and stopped selling a 32GB version of the iPad mini 4. It also lowered the starting price of the 128GB iPad mini 4 to $399, which was previously the 32GB model's price point.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara claimed Apple would release a 7.9-inch iPad Pro in March with a Smart Connector, True Tone display, four speakers and microphones, a 12-megapixel rear camera with True Tone flash, and an improved processor, but it's already May and the rumor has yet to materialize.

In a new article by Wired today, Apple has shared the first in-depth look inside its new Apple Park campus, providing glimpses into the "Ring" building's original design, up-close images of the campus' construction and interiors, and even personal tidbits about former CEO Steve Jobs' connection to Apple Campus 2. As construction and updates on the site have stretched out over the years, current Apple CEO Tim Cook referred to Apple Park as the company's "biggest project ever."

Jobs' vision of the campus dates back to 2004, when he and Jony Ive began discussing a reimagined headquarters, but it wasn't until the company hired architect Norman Foster in 2009 that the plans began to ramp up. Meetings that Jobs had with architects working on the project lasted five or six hours, "consuming a significant amount of time in the last two years of Jobs’ life." Jobs was so deep into the project that he even knew at what time of year he wanted timber for the campus' walls to be cut.

He also had an idea for creativity-boosting "pods," which would be specified for work, teamwork, socializing, etc, that eventually led to the original design of Apple Park to be represented as a clover leaf, or a propeller. Multiple factors eventually caused Jobs and the designers to push for a basic, circular shape, including the fact pointed out by Jobs' teenage son that the propeller looked like male genitalia from an aerial perspective.

As with any Apple product, its shape would be determined by its function. This would be a workplace where people were open to each other and open to nature, and the key to that would be modular sections, known as pods, for work or collaboration. Jobs’ idea was to repeat those pods over and over: pod for office work, pod for teamwork, pod for socializing, like a piano roll playing a Philip Glass composition. They would be distributed demo­cratically.

Not even the CEO would get a suite or a similar incongruity. And while the company has long been notorious for internal secrecy, compartmentalizing its projects on a need-to-know basis, Jobs seemed to be proposing a more porous structure where ideas would be more freely shared across common spaces. Not totally open, of course—Ive’s design studio, for instance, would be shrouded by translucent glass—but more open than Infinite Loop.

By June 2010, Apple Park began a renewed life as the Spaceship building, or "Ring" as Apple calls it internally, that is now standing in Cupertino. Wired's article goes into the day in 2011 when Jobs, weeks before he passed away, pitched the campus to the Cupertino City Council. "I think we do have a shot," Jobs told the council, "of building the best office building in the world," after mentioning that if Cupertino failed to approve of the company's plans Apple could simply sell all of its property and move to somewhere nearby, like Mountain View.

Looking back at the fall of 2011, when he succeeded Jobs, Tim Cook remembered the last time he held a conversation with Jobs. Cook said he and Jobs were watching Remember the Titans and discussing the mundane aspects of Apple Park -- like figuring out which employees would reside in the main building -- that nevertheless "was something that gave [Jobs] energy."

Cook recalls the last time he discussed the campus with his boss and friend in the fall of 2011. “It was actually the last time I spoke to him, the Friday before he passed away,” Cook says. “We were watching a movie, Remember the Titans. I loved it, but I was so surprised he liked that movie. I remember talking to him about the site then. It was something that gave him energy. I was joking with him that we were all worried about some things being difficult, but we were missing the most important one, the biggest challenge of all.”

Which was?

“Deciding which employees are going to sit in the main building” and which would have to work in the outer buildings. “And he just got a big laugh out of it.”

The rest of the article goes into deep detail about the design and building materials Apple gathered when constructing Apple Park, and of course all the problems that came with construction. One roadblock was the canopies that are now adorned on the sides of the building, which Jobs was originally not a fan of, but were required to protect the all-glass building from the California sun.

Apple designers, including Ive's own design team, and Foster + Partners architects had to overcome problems like finding the perfect color tint to the canopies, and ensure they had the right curve to deflect rain.

The purpose of the giant glass sliding doors of the Ring's café -- for which Apple even patented a take-home pizza container -- was also inquired about by Wired:

“This might be a stupid question,” I say. “But why do you need a four-story glass door?”

Ive raises an eyebrow. “Well,” he says. “It depends how you define need, doesn’t it?”

Ultimately, the current designers and architects working on the campus believe that its end result represents Steve Jobs' vision exactly as he had it all those years ago. "I would say that the big picture has not changed at all," Foster mentioned. "If Steve could reappear, it would be as he conceived it when he last saw it as drawings. He’d find some of the details that were not addressed in his lifetime, but I believe he’d approve them."

The rest of Wired's look into Apple Park is worth a read, as it explores nearly every aspect of the campus' construction, from the staircases, ventilation, door handles, text fonts in the elevators, and more. According to Ive, "This is our home, and everything we make in the future is going to start here."

App-specific passwords are set to become a mandatory requirement for third-party apps that access iCloud user data, according to an Apple Support email sent out today.

Currently, app-specific passwords are used to allow non-native apps like email clients to sign in to iCloud accounts that are protected by two-factor authentication. The security measure ensures that users can still link up their iCloud account to apps and services not provided by Apple, while also avoiding the need to disclose their Apple ID password to third parties.

However, app-specific passwords will become a basic requirement from June 15, according to Apple. The policy change basically means that users who want to continue using third-party apps with their iCloud account will have to enable two-factor authentication and generate individual passwords for each app.

Beginning on 15 June, app-specific passwords will be required to access your iCloud data using third-party apps such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or other mail, contacts and calendar services not provided by Apple.

If you are already signed in to a third-party app using your primary Apple ID password, you will be signed out automatically when this change takes effect. You will need to generate an app-specific password and sign in again.

Two-factor authentication ensures that you're the only person who can access your Apple account, even if someone knows your password. To turn it on from any iOS device running iOS 10.3 or later, open the Settings app, tap your name at the top, and then tap Password & Security.

If you're using iOS 10.2 or earlier, you can enable it from Settings -> iCloud -> Apple ID -> Password & Security. If you're on a Mac, go to System Preferences -> iCloud -> Account Details, click Security, and enable two-factor authentication from there.

To generate an app-specific password, sign into your Apple ID account page (https://appleid.apple.com), go to App-Specific Passwords under Security, and click Generate Password.

Apple is looking for a programming chief, suggesting the company is serious about delving further into original programming, reports The Information.

In its search to find someone to lead its video efforts, Apple is said to have met with former HBO president and programming lead Michael Lombardo earlier this year to "discuss Apple's video programming strategy." Lombardo left his high-profile role as HBO president in early 2016 to become a producer because he wanted a more active creative role.

Lombardo is currently producing a show for HBO, but given his meeting with Apple, it's possible the company is considering him for the head programming role. Apple is said to be actively seeking to fill the position, which could answer some questions Hollywood has about the company's video plans.

While the company has taken on a few projects like reality competition show "Planet of the Apps" and the "Carpool Karaoke" series, many in Hollywood have been flummoxed by what exactly Apple wants to do with video. Questions include how far Apple wants to go in making its own shows and whether it wants to compete with Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in January said that Apple has a "toe in the water" testing original television programming, so it's possible Apple itself doesn't yet know how far it wants to go with original content. In early May, Cook said in an interview that Apple is experimenting with original content and learning from that experience. "We're learning and we'll see where this takes us," he said.

Apple has several original television programs in the works, including "Carpool Karaoke," "Planet of the Apps," and "Vital Signs," with the two former shows having already been announced, but none of the content has debuted as of yet.

Apple is planning to use the television shows to promote its Apple Music service, with Apple iTunes chief Eddy Cue saying Apple is not aiming to compete with Netflix, but there have been hints suggesting the company's content ambitions could perhaps run deeper than simple Apple Music promotion.

January rumors indicated Apple was building a "significant" business around original television shows with plans to launch content in the vein of HBO's "Westworld" and Netflix's "Stranger Things," and in February, Eddy Cue reportedly met with execs from Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures in pursuit of a "transformative acquisition."

Apple's television plans have, however, fallen through so many times over the years due to negotiation difficulties that it's unclear how original content will pan out.

Apple is planning major new health features for future versions of the Apple Watch, according to a new report from BGR citing sources with knowledge of Apple's plans.

The company is said to be working on implementing a new glucose monitoring feature and interchangeable smart bands, which could add new health functionality to the Apple Watch. Both features have been previously rumored in the past, but BGR suggests the functionality could be coming soon.

It has been rumored that Apple is interested in glucose monitoring, and it appears that the time may now be right. Previous rumors have stated that Apple might only be able to achieve this through a separate device that might complement the watch, however BGR has learned that this might not be accurate.

In April, a CNBC report suggested Apple had a team of biomedical engineers working to develop sensors for non-invasively monitoring blood glucose, with work on the sensors far enough along that the company had started conducting feasibility trials. BGR claims Apple has hired more than 200 PhDs in the health field in the last year with the aim of "innovating in the health space" through a glucose monitoring feature that will be released in an "upcoming Apple Watch."

The site also says Apple is working on interchangeable "smart watch bands" that would add "various functionality" to the Apple Watch, allowing Apple to introduce new features without driving the base cost of the wearable device higher. Glucose monitoring could perhaps be introduced through one of these smart bands, rather than added to the watch itself.

A smart watch band with such functionality makes some sense, as Apple CEO Tim Cook has said previously that Apple does not want to put the Apple Watch through the FDA approval process, something that would likely be required for the introduction of a glucose monitoring feature. A standalone band would allow Apple to get the approval it needs without impacting the base device.

Along with glucose monitoring, BGR says that an Apple Watch band that adds a camera to the watch is another possibility, as is a battery band that extends available battery life. Apple has filed multiple patents covering modular smart bands for the Apple Watch that connect to the device through the Apple Watch diagnostic port.

While BGR says the new features will be added to an "upcoming new version of the Apple Watch," it is not clear if that means the third-generation Apple Watch rumored to be coming in the fall of 2017. Current information about that device has suggested it will be a more minor update focusing on improving battery life and performance, with few design and hardware updates.

Apple today shared a new iPhone 7 Plus ad on its YouTube channel, once again promoting the Portrait Mode feature of its flagship device.

The spot takes place in a barbershop, with photos from the iPhone 7 Plus used to advertise the shop's skills. Images captured with the iPhone are added to the storefront, drawing in more and more customers until there's a long line out the door. "In Portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus, you don't just look good. You look fantastic," reads the ad's description.

Apple has been heavily promoting the iPhone 7 Plus Portrait Mode feature, which Tim Cook recently said is one of the reasons why the iPhone 7 Plus has been the most popular "Plus" model the company has released yet.

Interest in the iPhone 7 Plus led to constrained supplies for months, with Apple having just reached supply/demand balance early in the second quarter of 2017.

Apple has released several ads focusing on the iPhone 7 Plus and its dual lens camera, including "Take Mine" about a girl in a greek village who captures her town using Portrait Mode, and "The City," featuring two people who document a series of adventures using the iPhone 7 Plus.

Apple also recently shared a new website and a series of tutorial videos that cover how to take better photos using the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus.

Apple today released macOS Sierra 10.12.5, the fifth update to the macOS Sierra operating system that first launched in September of 2016. macOS Sierra 10.12.5 comes more than one month after the release of macOS Sierra 10.12.4, an update that introduced Night Shift for Mac. Five betas of macOS Sierra 10.12.5 were seeded to developers and public beta testers ahead of the update's release.

macOS Sierra 10.12.5 is a free update for all customers who have a compatible machine. The update can be downloaded using the Software Update function in the Mac App Store.

No feature additions, bug fixes, or other changes were found in macOS Sierra 10.12.5 during the beta testing process, and developers and public beta testers were only told that the update "improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac." According to Apple's release notes, the following bug fixes and enhancements are included in 10.12.5:

- Fixes an issue where audio may stutter when played through USB headphones
- Enhances compatibility of the Mac App Store with future software updates
- Adds support for media-free installation of Windows 10 Creators Update using Boot Camp

An list of the security fixes bundled into the update is available via an accompanying support document.

macOS Sierra 10.12.5 will soon be followed by a new version of macOS, which we expect to see introduced at Apple's June Worldwide Developers Conference. The new version of macOS will be in testing for several months, however, so Apple is likely to continue updating macOS Sierra.

Update: For those still using OS X El Capitan, Apple has issued a new 2017-002 security update. There's also a security update for OS X Yosemite.