With any major beta update, there are several small changes and tweaks as Apple aims to refine the operating system ahead of its public release, and iOS 10 beta three, seeded to developers this morning, is no exception.
Today's update, available as an over-the-air download for those who installed the first two betas or the beta configuration profile, features new Touch ID accessibility options, new haptic feedback when locking the iPhone, better keyboard sounds, and more.
We've rounded up all of the new features in beta three in the video below, so make sure to check it out to get a quick look at what's changed. We're also listing the changes in the post below.
Apple today seeded the third beta of macOS Sierra, the newest operating system designed for the Mac, to developers. macOS Sierra beta 3 comes two weeks after the release of the second beta and more than a month after the software was first unveiled at Apple's 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference.
The update can be downloaded through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store or through the Apple Developer Center.
macOS Sierra is a major update that brings Siri to the Mac for the first time, allowing users to conduct voice searches to quickly find files, look up information, and more. New Continuity features offer an "Auto Unlock" option for unlocking a Mac with an Apple Watch, which became available in beta 2, and a Universal Clipboard for copying something on one Apple device and pasting it on another.
Deeper iCloud integration makes files stored on the desktop or the Documents folder of a Mac available on all of a user's devices, and Photos features new deep learning algorithms for facial, object, and scene recognition. There's a new Memories feature for displaying photo collections, and Messages has features like rich links, bigger emoji, and "Tapback" response options.
Apple Pay is coming to the web in macOS Sierra, with payments authenticated through an iPhone or Apple Watch, and new features like multiple tabs, Picture in Picture multitasking, and optimized storage are available.
During the beta testing period, Apple will tweak and refine the features introduced in macOS Sierra. Any changes found in the third beta release will be listed below.
macOS Sierra is currently available to developers and public beta testers, and it will see a wider public release this fall. For full details on all of the new features included in macOS Sierra, make sure to check out our macOS Sierra roundup.
Two months before the prospective launch date of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, there are dozens of images of the two devices floating around on the internet. Some of those images are likely showcasing real parts, while others are dummy models used by case makers to get a head start on designing accessories for the new devices.
Dummy units are often accurate representations of what we can expect to see in new iPhones, but because they're constructed based on rumors, early leaks, and other third-party information, they can't always be trusted. That's the case with a new set of images shared by French site Nowhereelse.Fr, depicting front and back of an "iPhone 7 Pro" dummy model alongside iPhone 7 Plus and an iPhone 7 dummies.
The iPhone 7 Pro features a dual-lens camera and a Smart Connector, while the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 7 feature single-lens cameras and no Smart Connector. Early rumors did indeed suggest Apple was working on two versions of the 5.5-inch iPhone for release in 2016, but those rumors were later retracted and information has solidified around a single 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus with a dual-lens camera.
It is not clear why those rumors were circulating in the first place, but Apple may have been working on two separate prototypes with a single-lens version of the iPhone 7 Plus on the sidelines in case of production or supply issues with the dual-lens camera.
In any case, it seems the iPhone dummies in the images above are based on outdated specifications and we do not believe them to be entirely representative of what Apple will release in the fall. This assumption is based both on the inclusion of two 5.5-inch iPhone models and the curious "S" designation on the back of each dummy.
We do not expect to see a 5.5-inch iPhone with a single-lens camera, but a 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus with a dual-lens camera and a 4.7-inch iPhone 7 with a larger single-lens camera are in the works, so the dummies are not entirely inaccurate. When it comes to design, the three dummies do match up with rumors pointing towards relocated antenna bands, prominent camera bumps, and a look that's similar to the iPhone 6s, but one design element - the Smart Connector - is still in question.
We've seen several iPhone 7 Plus dummy models with a Smart Connector, but it continues to be unclear as to whether this is a feature we'll see in the finished device. Details surrounding the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus will become clearer as we start seeing actual shell leaks - iPhone 7 shells have been spotted, but we still have yet to come across an actual iPhone 7 Plus shell.
Apple plans to release the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus this fall. Aside from the aforementioned design changes, the two devices are also expected to feature no headphone jack, an A10 processor, and improved water resistance.
Apple today shared two new "Shot on iPhone" ad spots on its YouTube channel, highlighting the video capturing capabilities of the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. Both spots are 16 seconds in length and are accompanied by music, much like previous Shot on iPhone videos.
In the first video, shot by Tim W., a close-up of an ant is shown crawling across sand while it carries a seed pod.
The second video by Linda H., also wildlife-themed, features an adorable chipmunk filmed in slow motion stuffing a shelled peanut into its mouth.
In late June, Apple revamped its "Shot on iPhone" campaign to feature bright colors, updating all of its advertising imagery and billboards with new color-focused photos. It appears the video campaign will feature more varied video sequences as neither of today's two videos fits in with the revamped campaign.
Apple has been running its "Shot on iPhone" advertisements since early 2015 following the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It is likely to continue for some time as the upcoming iPhone 7 Plus is rumored to feature a much-improved dual-lens camera while the iPhone 7 will include a larger sensor.
Apple today released iTunes 12.4.2 with a fix for a bug that caused playback issues when listening to Apple Music tracks shorter than 60 seconds. Whenever a track shorter than 60 seconds was played, the next song would fail to play and cause a state of perpetual buffering.
This update resolves a playback issue with short Apple Music songs in your Up Next queue.
Today's iTunes update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
MacRumors readers first discovered the playback bug towards the end of June and MacRumors was able to replicate it on Macs running OS X 10.11.5 and iTunes 12.4.1. It appeared to be caused by the way Apple Music queues songs, preparing to stream the next song in a playlist or album when the current song was 60 seconds from the end. When a song was less than a minute long, the next song failed to initiate.
Apple has introduced a fix for a persistent and frustrating Apple Music bug that caused pre-existing music libraries to sometimes be improperly matched with Apple Music songs, reports The Loop.
To make sure songs are correctly matched, Apple is now using iTunes Match audio fingerprint for Apple Music, a more accurate matching method than the metadata matching that was previously employed. Apple Music matching now also offers up DRM-free music files, just like iTunes Match.
Apple has been quietly rolling out iTunes Match audio fingerprint to all Apple Music subscribers. Previously Apple was using a less accurate metadata version of iTunes Match on Apple Music, which wouldn't always match the correct version of a particular song. We've all seen the stories of a live version of a song being replaced by a studio version, etc.
Using iTunes Match with audio fingerprint, those problems should be a thing of the past.
According to The Loop, the version of iTunes Match that is now available to Apple Music subscribers is actually the same iTunes Match service that iTunes users have been paying for as a separate subscription, with all Apple Music subscribers now eligible to use the full version of iTunes Match at no cost. Confusingly, while Apple Music had song matching available previously, it was not the same service that was offered through iTunes Match.
Current Apple Music and iTunes Match subscribers can let their iTunes Match subscriptions expire while continuing to get the same functionality, and should see no changes.
iTunes Match users who are not Apple Music subscribers will need to continue to pay for iTunes Match. Apple Music subscribers will know if they have access to iTunes Match because there will be a "Matched" label in the iCloud Status of iTunes on the Mac.
Users who had songs matched incorrectly via iTunes Match will see their songs rematched to the correct song thanks to the changes that Apple has implemented, and no downloaded copies of songs will be deleted.
Apple is gradually rolling out access to iTunes Match, switching one to two percent of Apple Music subscribers over to the new version each day. The rollout will take some time, and Apple is monitoring the process to make sure there are no issues.
Apple today released iOS 9.3.3 to the public, marking the third minor update to iOS 9 since iOS 9.3 launched in March of 2016. In testing since May 23, there were five betas of iOS 9.3.3 released to developers and public beta testers ahead of the public release of the software.
Today's iOS 9.3.3 release is available as an over-the-air update for all iOS 9 users and it can also be downloaded through iTunes.
As a small 9.x.x update, iOS 9.3.3 focuses mainly on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes rather than outward-facing changes.
iOS 10 brings a host of new features, including a revamped Lock screen experience, an overhauled Messages app with new functionality and its own App Store, a new Photos app with object and facial recognition, a redesigned Music app, a centralized HomeKit app, and a Siri SDK for developers.
Apple today released a new update for tvOS, the operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 9.2.2 comes two months after the release of tvOS 9.2.1, a small bug fix update, and almost four months after the launch of tvOS 9.2, a significant update that introduced features like Bluetooth keyboard support and dictation.
The new tvOS 9.2.1 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System --> Software Update. Those who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to the new 9.2.2 operating system automatically.
As another minor 9.x.x update, tvOS 9.2.2 focuses on performance improvements and bug fixes to address issues discovered since the release of tvOS 9.2.1. No major outward-facing changes or obvious bug fixes were discovered during the beta testing process.
Apple is already working on the next-generation update to tvOS, tvOS 10. tvOS 10 brings features like improved Siri capabilities, single sign-on cable authentication, games that can require a controller, and more.
Apple today released a new software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading watchOS 2.2.1 to version 2.2.2. The watchOS 2.2.2 update comes two months after the release of watchOS 2.2.1, a minor update that also focused mainly on bug fixes.
The 2.2.2 update can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.
Apple only seeded one beta of watchOS 2.2.2 to developers before releasing the update, which appears to be minor in scale. During the beta testing period, no outward-facing changes or obvious bug fixes were discovered in the update.
watchOS 2 will be succeeded by watchOS 3, which has already been provided to developers for testing purposes. watchOS 3 introduces major interface and navigation changes to the Apple Watch along with new apps like Breathe, new watch faces, and speed improvements that allow some apps to load instantly when opened.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second beta and more than a month after first unveiling watchOS 3 at its 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference.
The third watchOS 3 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on an iPhone by going to General --> Software update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the Apple Watch charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.
watchOS 3 introduces significant changes to the watchOS operating system. A new dock, accessible by pressing the side button, replaces Glances and houses 10 favorite first and third-party apps. Apps on the dock are kept continually up to date and are stored in memory for instant launch times.
Activity Sharing options allow Apple Watch owners to share workout and activity information with friends, and there are new options for Wheelchair users. A Breathe app guides users through daily deep breathing sessions, an Apple Watch can unlock a Mac, and Apple has added apps for Reminders, Find My Friends, and accessing one's heartbeat.
Watch faces support more complications, there are three new watch faces to choose from, including a new Activity watch face, and an SOS feature will make sure an option to get help in an emergency is always right at your fingertips. On the iPhone, there's a new Face Gallery for customizing Apple Watch faces, and watchOS 3 allows the Apple Watch to be located via Find My iPhone.
For full details on the new features coming in watchOS 3, which will be released to the public this fall, make sure to check out our watchOS 3 roundup.
Apple today released OS X 10.11.6 to the public, marking the sixth update to the El Capitan operating system that was first released on September 30, 2015. OS X 10.11.6 comes two months after the release of OS X 10.11.5, a small bug fix update. OS X 10.11.6 has been in testing since May 23.
The OS X 10.11.6 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store. It is available to all OS X El Capitan users.
Many of the updates to the El Capitan operating system have focused primarily on under-the-hood improvements, bug fixes, and security enhancements instead of outward-facing changes, and OS X 10.11.6 continues that trend.
OS X El Capitan will be followed by macOS Sierra, the next-generation Mac operating system that Apple announced at the 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference. macOS Sierra includes features like Siri integration, storage optimization, Photos improvements, auto unlocking with the Apple Watch, cross-device copy and paste, and more.
Apple today provided developers with the third beta of tvOS 10, the next-generation operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 10 beta 3 comes two weeks after the release of tvOS beta 2 and more than a month after the operating system was first shown off at Apple's 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference
tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Once a beta profile has been installed on the device through iTunes, new beta releases will be available over the air.
tvOS 10 builds on the features initially introduced in tvOS last October, bringing expanded Siri capabilities with topic-based search, Live Tune-In for automatically accessing live channels, and options for managing HomeKit accessories.
Single-Sign On allows users to sign in and authenticate cable credentials just once instead of requiring authentication in all cable-supported apps, games are now able to require controllers, and there are new features for Photos and Music.
A dark mode offers a better visual experience for darker rooms, universal apps are automatically downloaded, and there's a new Apple TV remote for iOS devices that mirrors the Siri Remote.
Today's update is available as an over-the-air download to those who installed the first beta or the beta configuration profile and it's available for direct download through the Apple Developer Center.
iOS 10 is a major iOS update with a host of new features and design tweaks, including a new Lock screen experience with 3D Touch-enabled notifications, a more easily accessible camera, a redesigned Control Center, and a new widgets screen.
Messages has been entirely overhauled with features that include background animations, bubble effects, Digital Touch, handwritten notes, Tapback replies, predictive emoji, and its own dedicated App Store, and Photos has gained impressive facial and object recognition capabilities along with a Memories feature for rediscovering forgotten moments.
Over the beta testing period, Apple will tweak the features introduced in iOS 10, and in iOS 10 beta 2, Apple launched the Messages App Store and added organ donation signup functionality, among other changes. New changes in beta three will be listed below.
iOS 10 is currently available to developers and public beta testers, with a full public release planned for the fall. For full details on iOS 10, make sure to check out our iOS 10 roundup, and for details on what's new in beta 3, make sure to take a look at our dedicated tidbits post.
Apple shares rose above $100 in intraday trading today for the first time since June 6, just weeks after the stock hit its latest bottom around the $92 mark.
AAPL is up over 1 percent on the day at the time of publishing, contributing to a slight rise in the Dow Jones stock index on the day.
Beyond a short-lived rebound in March and April, Apple shares had steadily declined since the second half of 2015. Some investors have expressed concerns over Apple's recent slowdown, including its first quarterly revenue drop since 2003 and first-ever drop in iPhone sales last quarter.
AAPL is still trading for markedly lower than its year-ago price of around $132, but some analysts believe the stock is undervalued and due for a breakout.
A few weeks ago, analyst Brian White of Wall Street brokerage firm Drexel Hamilton listed AAPL as a "buy" based on a target price of $185. Other firms like Goldman Sachs and S&P Capital IQ, a division of McGraw Hill Financial, have set lower price targets of between $120 and $130 in recent months.
Apple will release its fiscal third quarter earnings results on Tuesday, July 26 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time, with a conference call to discuss the report to follow at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The third quarter will likely mark a year-over-year decline, based on Apple's guidance of between $41 billion and $43 billion in revenue.
Apple Maps has been updated with comprehensive transit data for the U.S. cities of Honolulu, Hawaii and Kansas City, Missouri, enabling iPhone users in the areas to navigate using public transportation, including buses and commuter rails.
Transit routing options in the Kansas City metropolitan area include RideKC buses and the downtown KC Streetcar. Directions extend to most suburbs in both Kansas and Missouri, including Overland Park, Olathe, Independence, Lee's Summit, Shawnee, Blue Springs, Lenexa, and other smaller communities.
Transit routing options in Honolulu include TheBus buses, with directions extending to destinations across the entire Oahu island.
Apple introduced Transit in Maps as part of iOS 9 in select cities around the world, including Baltimore, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, and 30 cities in China.
British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline recently announced the launch of a new clinical study, Patient Rheumatoid Arthritis Data from the Real World (PARADE), which will gather medical data and patient feedback using an iOS app powered by Apple's ResearchKit. Notably, GSK is the first major pharmaceutical company to implement ResearchKit into its research, which it hopes assists in lessening "the burden of patients in clinical studies by reducing the frequency of doctor visits."
The company noted that while it's "not testing a medicine right now," ResearchKit is helping put it on the path of a medicinal development process -- centered mainly around rheumatoid arthritis -- thanks to the insight and health goals of each patient that Apple's research framework provides. Through surveys and the sensors on an iPhone, the GSK PARADE app gathers info on symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, including joint pain, fatigue, and mood.
"Our goal is to engage with patients in a new way that integrates the research into their daily lives versus the traditional model that requires patients to travel to their doctors’ offices," said Rob DiCicco, Vice President of Clinical Innovation at GSK. "By making research as easy and accessible as possible for patients, we have the potential to disrupt the model for how we conduct research in the future and ultimately improve patient health."
The current goal is to track the activity and "quality of life measures" of 300 patients over a 3-month period using GSK's app. On the patient side of things, users will be able to access a dashboard which shows their own personal recordings and data from the study that they can easily share with their own healthcare providers to further investigate into more effective treatment and recovery plans.
GSK encourages anyone 21 years or older to participate in the ResearchKit-enabled trial by downloading the GSK PARADE app for free on the App Store. [Direct Link]
British chip designer and major Apple partner ARM Holdings is set to be acquired by Japanese firm Softbank for $31.4 billion, the BBC has revealed.
According to the report, the board of ARM is expected to recommend shareholders accept the offer, which amounts to a 43 percent premium on its closing market value of $22.2 billion last week.
Shares in the U.K. technology firm surged by 45 percent at the open of the London Stock Exchange this morning on news of the deal, adding $10 billion to ARM's market value.
The Cambridge-based company was founded in 1990 and employs 3,000 staff. The acquisition is said to be the biggest ever purchase of a European technology company, one that will be funded by Softbank's own cash reserves and a long-term loan from Japan's Mizuho Bank. Commenting on the deal, chairman and chief executive of Softbank, Masayoshi Son, said:
This is one of the most important acquisitions we have ever made, and I expect ARM to be a key pillar of SoftBank's growth strategy going forward.
We have long admired ARM as a world renowned and highly respected technology company that is by some distance the market leader in its field. ARM will be an excellent strategic fit with the Softbank group as we invest to capture the very significant opportunities provided by the Internet of Things.
ARM designs the processors that power all of Apple's iOS devices, as well as most of Samsung's smartphones, and receives royalties on each chip made to its specifications. Last year over 15 billion ARM-designed processors were shipped, up 3 billion on the previous year.
Softbank is one of the world's biggest technology companies, having previously acquired Vodafone's Japanese operations and U.S. telecoms company Sprint. The latter $20 billion deal was the biggest foreign acquisition by a Japanese firm at the time.
Following the announcement of today's deal, ARM said it would keep its headquarters in Cambridge and double the number of its staff over the next five years. Softbank also intends to preserve the UK tech firm's organization, including its existing senior management structure and partnership-based business model.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has reportedly secured exclusive orders for the A11 processor expected to power Apple's 2017 "iPhone 8".
According to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN), the Taiwan-based foundry will be the sole supplier of Apple's next-generation A11 chip, which will be built on a 10nm FinFET process.
TSMC co-CEO Mark Liu announced at the company's recent investors meeting that its first 10nm customer product has been produced with "satisfactory yield" and that three products had already been "taped out".
Taping out refers to the initial design of the chip having been completed for creation of the masks that will be used to print the actual chips, although further tweaks are likely as test production is carried out. TSMC is said to have begun taping out the design for Apple's A11 processor in May. Xilinx, MediaTek, and HiSilicon are said to be the other customers that will use the company's 10nm process technology.
TSMC is already the exclusive manufacturer of Apple's A10 chip which will power the iPhone 7 range expected to launch this September. TSMC is thought to have reached the deal with Apple thanks to its advanced device packaging techniques, capable of higher-width memory buses and lower-power operation, which for consumers means better performance and efficiency.
TSMC's production for Apple's A11 chips is expected to start generating revenues for the company in the first quarter of 2017, with revenues to "ramp steeply" throughout the rest of the year, according to Liu.
Apple is said to have a radical redesign planned for 2017's "iPhone 8", possibly coming with a glass body and edge-to-edge OLED display that includes an integrated Touch ID fingerprint sensor and front-facing camera.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Apple today released a new update for tvOS, the operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 9.2.2 comes two months after the 
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has reportedly secured exclusive orders for the A11 processor expected to power Apple's 2017 "iPhone 8".
