MacRumors

At its October 27 Mac-centric event, Apple announced a new "TV" app, which is designed to serve as a sort of TV guide, helping users discover new content and find TV shows and movies to watch. The TV app is meant to work across multiple devices, including iOS devices and the Apple TV, and as of today the TV app is available in the iOS 10.2 beta.

Apple's new TV app works hand-in-hand with features like Siri Live Tune-In and Single Sign-On, simplifying the television-watching experience.

In addition to a Library section that displays all the iTunes content a user has purchased, the TV app also features a "Watch Now" section that houses a collection of TV shows and movies from iTunes and other television apps a user has installed on an Apple TV or iOS device.

An Up Next feature keeps track of TV shows and movies across devices so you can pick up where you were watching, whether in the middle of a movie or the next episode of a TV show, and there are lists of curated and trending TV shows and movies.

A dedicated store lets users purchase content from iTunes or from other sources like HBO Go. The Store section also lets users sign in with their TV provider to find content available through an authenticated cable subscription.

Apple's release notes state that the TV app isn't yet fully functional, and it does not appear to be available in the tvOS 10.1 beta just yet. Apple has said the TV app will see an official release in December.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 10.2 update to developers, one week after seeding the first beta of iOS 10.2 and two weeks after releasing iOS 10.1, the first major update to iOS 10.

Registered developers can download the second iOS 10.2 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air with the proper configuration profile installed.

iOS 10.2 doesn't have a single main feature like Portrait mode in iOS 10.1, but it does offer several smaller feature tweaks. New emoji have been added in the update, including clown face, drooling face, selfie, face palm, fox face, owl, shark, butterfly, avocado, pancakes, croissant, and more. There are more than a hundred new emoji, including several profession emoji available in both male and female genders, such as firefighter, mechanic, lawyer, doctor, scientist, and more.

Apple has also redesigned many existing emoji, adding more detail and making them look much more realistic.

Along with new emoji, iOS 10.2 includes new wallpaper, new Music sorting options, a new "Celebrate" Screen Effect," an option for preserving camera settings, a Videos widget, Single-Sign On support for watching live TV via apps, and more.

Apple has called iOS 10 its "biggest release ever" for iOS users, with a revamped lock screen, a Siri SDK for developers, an overhauled Messages app, a dedicated "Home" app for HomeKit users, new facial and object recognition capabilities in Photos, and redesigned Maps and Apple Music apps.

What's new in iOS 10.2 beta 2:

TV app - iOS 10.2 includes the "TV" app that was shown off at Apple's October 27 event. The app is designed to serve as a TV guide to help users discover new content and decide what to watch.

SOS - There's a new SOS feature that will call emergency services when the power button on the iPhone is pressed five times. According to Apple's release notes, SOS works in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, UK, and US. Settings for SOS are available in the Settings app under the General section.

Music - There are more prominent Shuffle and Repeat buttons available in the Music app when playing a song.

AT&T plans to gift a free Apple TV to DirecTV Now subscribers who commit to at least three months of paid service, according to documents seen by Variety. Likewise, customers who pay for at least one month of service will allegedly receive a free Fire TV stick. The promotion ensures early subscribers will have at least one device with access to DirecTV Now when it launches.

DirecTV Now is AT&T's internet-based live TV streaming service slated to launch in late 2016. The cord-cutter service will start at $35 per month and provide access to more than 100 channels, such as ABC, A&E, CBS, ESPN, Fox, HBO, MTV, NBC, Nickelodeon, and Discovery, on smartphones, tablets, streaming boxes, and other devices. Availability of channels may vary based on regional restrictions.

DirecTV Now will reportedly include a 72-hour catch-up window, allowing subscribers to watch TV shows they missed up to three days later, alongside a video-on-demand library of up to 14,000 titles. A free 7-day trial will be available upon launch.

Apple plans to add a "Jet White" color option for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models, according to Japanese website Mac Otakara. The report did not outline when Apple might add the sixth color to the lineup, and it also warned the information obtained from supply chain sources "may be unreliable."

Mac Otakara has accurately leaked information about Apple's upcoming plans in the past, including the new Jet Black color and no 3.5mm headphone jack on iPhone 7. It was also correct about several other iPhone 7 details, including its naming, flush Home button, longer earpiece cutout, and lack of Smart Connector.

Nevertheless, the blog has been wrong on occasion, such as when it said the iPhone SE may come in a brighter pink shade that's different than Rose Gold. Moreover, given the lack of confidence in its own source, this rumor may not materialize and should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt.

Samsung said on Sunday it will launch its first AI virtual assistant in next year's Galaxy S8 smartphone, based on technology gained through its acquisition of Viv.

Viv is the AI firm run by Dag Kittlaus, co-creator of Apple's Siri. Last month, Samsung bought Viv with the intention of allowing it to operate as an independent company, while providing Samsung with a readymade AI solution that will enable it to go toe-to-toe with Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon's Alexa.

According to a Reuters report, Samsung now plans to integrate the AI platform into its Galaxy smartphones and expand voice-assistant services to home appliances and wearable devices.

Samsung hopes the AI technology will help revive its momentum in the smartphone industry following the recall and discontinuation of this year's flagship Galaxy Note 7, which will cost the company $5.4 billion in profit through the first quarter of 2017.

Samsung didn't mention what types of services the AI would offer in its Galaxy S8, which is due to go on sale next year, but Viv features enhanced contextual understanding which allows it to understand the intent of a user's queries and create its own programs on the fly.

"Developers can attach and upload services to our agent," said Samsung Executive Vice President Rhee Injong during a briefing, referring to its AI assistant. "Even if Samsung doesn't do anything on its own, the more services that get attached the smarter this agent will get, learn more new services and provide them to end-users with ease."

With the preponderance of AI assistants in consumer devices – most recently in Google's Pixel smartphones – Viv is a technology that Samsung is eager to exploit, and is likely to make its way into the company's non-mobile devices, like washing machines, refrigerators and TVs.

In May, it was reported that Apple was planning on introducing a next-gen natural language API in its rumored Amazon Echo competitor. The technology behind the API is the work of VocalIQ, a natural language outfit purchased by Apple in October 2015. The API has the ability to do "session-based" contextual responses similar to Viv.

Apple will not refresh the iPhone SE in the first half of 2017, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The lack of refresh comes as Apple attempts to maintain high margins on its high-end iPhone models, Kuo said in a new research note.

Kuo forecasts that total shipment volume of iPhones will decline in the first half of 2017 due to tepid demand in China, slow shipment volume of 4.7-inch iPhones and the lack of an iPhone SE refresh in the second quarter of the year. Kuo argues that shipment volume came in higher in the first half of 2016 due to "upbeat demand for the iPhone SE."

Instead, Kuo believes Apple will exert pressure on its iPhone component makers to drop prices in an effort to maintain its margins. He expects suppliers to begin price reductions on components in either November or December of this year.

However, Kuo notes that not all suppliers will cut prices. Most iPhone component makers, like those that make the device's panels, have weak bargaining positions with Apple due to fierce competition amongst suppliers. Some suppliers, like Samsung, are the main supplier of certain components for iPhones and have stronger bargaining positions than Apple. Kuo believes Samsung may even raise its prices. And finally, Kuo says there are a few suppliers like TSMC that are unlikely to be affected by Apple's attempt to maintain its margins.

Overall, Kuo forecasts that iPhone shipment volume will drop year-over-year in the second quarter of 2017, sitting between 35 to 40 million, less than last year's 40.4 million in the second quarter of 2016.

Apple introduced the iPhone SE in March 2016, packing in many of the iPhone 6s' features and component into a 4-inch frame similar to that of the iPhone 5s. It's unclear what kind of upgrade schedule Apple will adopt for the device, but it's internals are powerful enough to remain a capable phone for a couple of years.

Along with dropping the prices on all of its USB-C adapters accessories to help new MacBook Pro owners transition to USB-C more affordably, Apple has also introduced some significant price cuts to the 4K and 5K LG UltraFine Displays that were announced at its October 27 Mac event.

The LG UltraFine 5K Display is now priced at $974, a $325 price cut from its original price of $1,299.95.

The LG UltraFine 4K Display is now priced at $524, a $175 price cut from its original price of $699.95.

Each of LG UltraFine Display was designed in partnership with Apple to work specifically with the new MacBook Pro. The displays connect to the Apple's new MacBook Pro machines over Thunderbolt 3 and have features like built-in USB-C ports, charging capabilities, stereo speakers, P3 wide color gamut support, and on the 5K monitor, a camera and a microphone.

LG's 4K display is available for purchase immediately from the online Apple Store and will ship out to customers in five to six weeks. The 5K Display is not yet available for purchase, with Apple planning to launch it in December.

The price drops on the two displays are labeled as "Special Pricing" and will last until the end of the year. Apple also plans to discount its USB-C adapters until the end of 2016.

To make it easier for customers who purchased a new MacBook Pro to make the transition to USB-C, Apple has dropped the prices on all of its USB-C adapters by $6 to $20.

The simple USB-C to USB Adapter, formerly priced at $19, is now $9, while the more expensive USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, formerly $69, is now available for $49. Even Apple's newly released Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter has seen a price drop from $49 to $29.

A full list of prices on the adapters in the United States is below:

- USB-C to USB Adapter - Was $19, now $9
- Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter - Was $49, now $29
- USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter - Was $69, now $49
- USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter - Was $69, now $49
- USB-C to Lightning Cable (1m) - Was $25, now $19
- USB-C to Lightning Cable (2m) - Was $35, now $29

Apple is also dropping the prices on all third-party USB-C peripherals available from Apple,com and Apple retail stores. USB-C accessories will be discounted by about 25 percent, with some accessories, such as SanDisk's USB-C SD card reader, seeing a steeper $20 discount, dropping the price from $49 to $29.

Apple's price cut on USB-C adapters and accessories may assuage customers who have been dissatisfied with the high price of the MacBook Pro coupled with the need to buy a wide range of adapters to use the new notebook with older peripherals. Apple's lower prices also make its adapters more competitive with the wide range of third-party adapters available on the market. Apple explained the pricing cut in a statement that was given to The Verge:

"We recognize that many users, especially pros, rely on legacy connectors to get work done today and they face a transition. We want to help them move to the latest technology and peripherals, as well as accelerate the growth of this new ecosystem. Through the end of the year, we are reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple's USB-C adapters and cables."

Apple did not mention a solution for customers who have already purchased adapters to use alongside their new MacBook Pros, but recent purchases can still be returned to the Apple Store and repurchased at the new lower price.

Update: According to MacRumors reader Philip, Apple will refund the price difference for customers who have already purchased adapters for their MacBook Pros. Customers who still have orders pending will also automatically see a price drop.