Apple has issued Beta 2 of iTunes 10.5.1 to developers tonight to provide further testing for the upcoming iTunes Match service:
iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2 is now available and includes a number of important stability and performance improvements. iTunes Match is also now available for testing on Apple TV.
iTunes Match stores your music library in iCloud and allows you to enjoy your collection from anywhere, any time, on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, computer and now your Apple TV.
iTunes Match is Apple's $25/year subscription service that will match your existing iTunes library with 256-Kbps versions in the iCloud. The service was expected to be launched at the "end of October", but has since missed that target.
Apple has provided no new estimate for a launch date for the iTunes Match service.
Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device.
This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time.
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Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9.
While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models.
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Wednesday September 2, 2026 6:31 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's former hardware engineering chief John Ternus became its CEO on Tuesday, and the company made a controversial decision on his very first day in charge.
As of Tuesday, Apple Maps users in the U.S. see the name "Lake America" instead of Lake Ontario for the Great Lake that straddles the New York—Ontario border.
Apple made this change after the U.S. Geographic Names Information...
As a Beta user of iTunes Match since Day 1 I must say that you WANT to wait. It's been buggy as all hell. I noticed already that this release is MUCH faster so far.
Please be patient people... Apple just wants to do the right thing and release a great product. That's the difference between Apple and everyone else.
If I understand correctly, Apple wants me - the average Mac-fan - to pay $25 a year in order to:
1. Lose control and privacy over my music library.
2. Become completely dependent on a good internet connection at any time.
3. Become completely dependent on iCloud to work well and smoothly at any time.
4. Listen to all my stuff on downgraded quality.
I certainly missed something, but I'll stick to old school methods:
1. I'm the only one to rule over my music collection. I decide who to share my music with. I'm still the king in my little network :o
2. I can listen to anything I like everywhere, anytime, even if the net's not available :)
3. My music collection (with backup) is stored in my iPod and hard drives that I have physical control over. If anything fails I see it right away and can deal with it :eek:
4. All my stuff has a bit rate of at least 320 kbps and I don't want anything less ... even if my ears can't hear the difference :rolleyes:
5. I'll spend $25 a year on music instead :p
