MacRumors

Apple Pay is now available in Italy, and iPhone users in the country are able to add eligible credit and debit cards to the Wallet app for use with Apple's payments service in stores and online.

According to Apple's Italian Apple Pay website, Visa and MasterCards issued by Boon, Carrefour, and UniCredit can be used with Apple Pay in Italy. The site says support for additional banks will be added later this year.

Rumors of Apple Pay's expansion to Italy have been circulating for several weeks as Apple worked to add support for its payments service in the country, and the service has been listed as "Coming Soon" on the Apple Pay Italy site since March.

Apple Pay is available as a purchase option wherever contactless payments are accepted, with several official partners listed on Apple's website including Auchan, Autogrill, Eataly, LaGardenia, H&M, Leroy Merlin, Limoni, OVS, Simply Market, Unieuro, and more.

Along with Italy, Apple Pay is also available in the United States, UK, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and Ireland.

Belgium, Germany, Taiwan, and South Korea could all see Apple Pay support in the near future based on current rumors.

Apple today updated its YouTube channel with a series of Accessibility videos, highlighting the different ways the Accessibility features built into the iPhone and iPad are used to help people accomplish a range of tasks.

In one video, for example, a sight impaired singer and drummer named Carlos Vasquez shares how he uses features like VoiceOver to promote his band on social media sites.

Carlos is the lead singer, drummer and PR manager for his metal band Distartica. Using VoiceOver, with Screen Curtain on iPhone, he can hail a ride, take a photo, and get the word out about his band's album release while keeping his screen entirely black.

Another video features a middle school band teacher named Shane, who uses Made for iPhone hearing aids along with her iPhone to listen to her students perform.

Shane is a middle school band and choir director who uses Made for iPhone hearing aids in her classroom so she can hear every note.

There are a total of seven videos on Apple's YouTube channel, each of which features a unique, personalized story highlighting the myriad ways Accessibility features benefit iOS users.

Back in October, Apple also published a new Accessibility website that demonstrates the extensive Accessibility options that Apple has built into its products and how those features are used to make Apple devices accessible to all.

At an event in New York City today, hearable company Bragi announced a trio of updates coming to its line of wireless Bluetooth headphones, including The Dash Pro, The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey, and Bragi OS 3. The updates follow the launch of The Headphone device that Bragi debuted earlier this year at a lower cost to The Dash, allowing The Headphone to enter the market as a more direct competitor to Apple's AirPods.

The Dash Pro

The Dash Pro's major updates center around what Bragi described as "professional grade" Bluetooth connectivity that provides audio to users "without interruption," improving on some connection issues that owners of the original Dash faced. Other improvements include a five hour battery life on a single charge (up from three), with a carrying case that can recharge The Dash Pro up to five times, totaling 30 hours of battery life on the go.

All of the advancements represent what Bragi is calling a "powerful ear computer," and not just a normal headphone or hearable device.

The Dash PRO contains more than 150 micro-components, a 32-bit processor, artificial intelligence powered by Dash AI and 27 sensors, all in a package about the size of your fingertip. Those sensors help ignite Bragi’s unique Kinetic User Interface, which enables users to literally turn their body into the device with a tap of the cheek or a nod of the head through the Virtual 4-D menu.

One-touch setup with any Apple, Android, or Windows device takes seconds, according to the company, and the audio transparency feature of The Dash has made it to the new device as well. With it, users can allow external sound to pass through into The Dash Pro, or cancel out any noise they don't want to hear to focus on in-ear audio. Audio quality has been bumped up with a new advanced audio codec with reduced white noise, and all-new foam tips (FitSleeves will be in the box again, too) provide stronger bass thanks to a better in-ear seal.

The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey

Bragi has also partnered with hearing technology company Starkey and will be launching The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey, with personally-tailored fitting and more nuanced audio-boosting features at 5,000 audiologists throughout the United States and Canada. The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey is set to benefit users by allowing them to use "Fourth Platform" contextual computing interfaces that enhance their ability to interpret audio while enabling UI interactions through The Dash's motion sensing.

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Dash PRO tailored by Starkey Hearing Technologies. As the world’s first custom-made wireless ear computer, this product is going to empower consumers to lead with confidence in everything they do,” said Brandon Sawalich, Senior Vice President, Starkey Hearing Technologies. “Our partnership brings a whole new dimension of personalization and customization to hearable technology to the market.”

Users will be able to purchase the tailor-made device and get a fit that is exactly customized to their ear canal, providing the "best isolation and a perfect fit with an emphasis on clarity, detail, and no loss of bass frequencies." Bragi said that professionals in precision-based fields will see benefits from such a highly personalized in-ear fit, including musicians, content creators, athletes, and more. The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey will also include HearClear replaceable WaxGuards to allow for long-term wear and minimal cleaning.

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Apple in April announced plans to begin offering "Today at Apple" educational classes at all of its 495 stores around the world, and as of today, the company has launched a new website to allow customers to sign up for the sessions.

More than 4,000 sessions are being offered each day this week across all of Apple's retail stores.

The "Today at Apple" program, which has been in place at Apple's Union Square location since the store opened, offers a range of classes on topics like coding, art, music, design, and photography. There are classes designed for both beginners and more experienced users, as well as classes for all ages, including children.

Most sessions are taught by trained employees known as "Creative Pros," but in select cities, there are classes taught by well-known artists, photographers, and musicians. Session content will vary across different locations, but all 495 of Apple's retail stores are expected to offer "Photo Walks" and "Kids Hour" sessions by May 20.

Today at Apple classes focus on everything from basic iPhone, iPad, and Mac skills to more advanced topics like mixing music on a Mac, editing photos on an iPhone, and drawing on an iPad. There are also "Studio Hours" where customers can bring in personal projects and get help from Apple staff.

Most sessions are an hour in length, with the exception of Studio Hours, which last for an hour and a half.

Apple Store chief Angela Ahrendts says the "Today at Apple" classes are designed to turn Apple locations into a "modern-day town square" where everyone is welcome to "discover a new passion" or take a skill to the next level. "We think it will be a fun and enlightening experience for everyone who joins," she said in a statement when the program was announced.

Apple is planning to announce refreshes for its notebook lineup at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference set to take place in June, reports Bloomberg. New versions of the MacBook and MacBook Pro are expected to be announced, and Apple is also considering updating the MacBook Air, its most affordable notebook.

The MacBook Pro, which was just updated in October with a slimmer design and a Touch Bar, will be refreshed with a faster Kaby Lake processor, an update from the Skylake processors in the current machines. It will look the same as the current model, adopting only internal updates.

Apple has been working on a custom-designed ARM chip that could handle low power features in the MacBook Pro, but the chip may not be ready for the June MacBook Pro refresh.

Apple's MacBook, last updated in April of 2016, will gain an updated processor, also likely to be in the Kaby Lake family.

Apple has not updated its MacBook Air since March of 2015 and has been phasing it out in favor of the MacBook and the MacBook Pro, both of which are now thinner than the "Air" model, but Bloomberg suggests Apple is thinking about refreshing it with an updated processor, which would mean the MacBook Air could stick around for at least another few years as a low-cost notebook option. Sales of the MacBook Air "remain surprisingly strong" due to its affordability.

The new notebooks are likely to be announced at Apple's June 5 keynote, which is set to kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Rumors also suggest Apple could use the event to introduce both a new Siri speaker and the long-rumored 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which is said to feature slimmer bezels for a nearly edge-to-edge design.

Today's report makes no mention of the iMac or Mac mini, two of Apple's desktop machines that have not been updated in some time. It has been more than 580 days since the iMac was last updated in October of 2015, and more than 940 days since the Mac mini was updated in October of 2014.

Apple has said it has updated iMacs in the works, but it is not clear when the machines will debut.

Apple 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."