Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Seeds Second Beta of iOS 12.3 With New TV App to Developers
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 12.3 update to developers, a week and a half after releasing the first beta and two weeks after the launch of iOS 12.2, an update that introduced Apple News+, new Animoji, and more.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.3 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 introduce a new version of Apple's TV app, which has been updated with a new look and fresh functionality.
In the new TV app, Watch Now and Up Next are still front and center for keeping track of what you're watching, but there's a new machine learning-based recommendation engine that will suggest content based on what you like to watch.
The app's interface has been streamlined with sections for movies, TV shows, sports, and kids content, and on iOS, there's a separate bottom bar for the library, search, and Watch Now options.
There's a new "Channels" feature in the TV app, which is one of the major new components. Channels are subscription services that you can sign up for and watch within the TV app without having to open up another app.
So, for example, if you come across a show you want to watch on your iPhone or Apple TV that's on Showtime, you can tap to subscribe to Showtime right in the TV app, and then you can watch that show without leaving the app.
Some of the new Channels that will be supported include CBS All Access, Starz, Showtime, HBO, Nickelodeon, Mubi, The History Channel Vault, and Comedy Central Now. During the beta, though, users can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, and Tastemade.
You'll still get recommendations for content from services that aren't a part of Channels, you'll just need to watch non-channel content in a third-party app. When Apple debuts its Apple TV+ service this fall, all of the company's original TV shows and movies will be accessible in the TV app.
iOS 12.3 will be in beta testing for the next few weeks ahead of a May launch, the month when Apple said the new TV app will be released.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.3 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 introduce a new version of Apple's TV app, which has been updated with a new look and fresh functionality.
In the new TV app, Watch Now and Up Next are still front and center for keeping track of what you're watching, but there's a new machine learning-based recommendation engine that will suggest content based on what you like to watch.
The app's interface has been streamlined with sections for movies, TV shows, sports, and kids content, and on iOS, there's a separate bottom bar for the library, search, and Watch Now options.
There's a new "Channels" feature in the TV app, which is one of the major new components. Channels are subscription services that you can sign up for and watch within the TV app without having to open up another app.
So, for example, if you come across a show you want to watch on your iPhone or Apple TV that's on Showtime, you can tap to subscribe to Showtime right in the TV app, and then you can watch that show without leaving the app.
Some of the new Channels that will be supported include CBS All Access, Starz, Showtime, HBO, Nickelodeon, Mubi, The History Channel Vault, and Comedy Central Now. During the beta, though, users can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, and Tastemade.
You'll still get recommendations for content from services that aren't a part of Channels, you'll just need to watch non-channel content in a third-party app. When Apple debuts its Apple TV+ service this fall, all of the company's original TV shows and movies will be accessible in the TV app.
iOS 12.3 will be in beta testing for the next few weeks ahead of a May launch, the month when Apple said the new TV app will be released.
Related Roundup: iOS 12
[ 35 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
23 weeks ago
I don’t think I like that Apple seem to have eliminated the traditional ‘movie poster’ style image for purchased movies…
It appears - from the screen shots here, and in previous example images from the ‘Show Time’ event - that movies’ posters are destined to be replaced with the ‘brick’ used to promote the film on the store.
This isn’t good for quick recognition when scanning the library visually, since a film’s poster (colours, layout, characters etc.) often becomes a visual shortcut aiding recognition, and the store ‘brick’ images are sometimes quite distinct from the movie’s original poster (not to mention landscape over portrait orientation, which, aside from cutting down on the number of assets for content, is the likely reason for this change as it allows more items to be displayed vertically).
It appears - from the screen shots here, and in previous example images from the ‘Show Time’ event - that movies’ posters are destined to be replaced with the ‘brick’ used to promote the film on the store.
This isn’t good for quick recognition when scanning the library visually, since a film’s poster (colours, layout, characters etc.) often becomes a visual shortcut aiding recognition, and the store ‘brick’ images are sometimes quite distinct from the movie’s original poster (not to mention landscape over portrait orientation, which, aside from cutting down on the number of assets for content, is the likely reason for this change as it allows more items to be displayed vertically).
23 weeks ago
Harry Potter and the G. Harry Potter and the D. Harry Potter and the P. That ol' theme. They waste all of that screen space with nothing but blank screen and then make titles like that all over the place. Music, TV shows, Movies. Some bunch of programmers at apple should be slapped HARD.
23 weeks ago
I don’t have any bloody streaming services - I miss the old Videos app when I could open the thing without seeing any “suggested content” and only see what I synced to my device from my personal library.
At least let me turn it off! Same for Apple Music, you can turn it off but it’s always there haunting you in the Music app.
At least let me turn it off! Same for Apple Music, you can turn it off but it’s always there haunting you in the Music app.
23 weeks ago
Harry Potter and the G. Harry Potter and the D. Harry Potter and the P. That ol' theme. They waste all of that screen space with nothing but blank screen and then make titles like that all over the place. Music, TV shows, Movies. Some bunch of programmers at apple should be slapped HARD.
It wasn't that long ago that Apple would take someone else's crappy semi-functional product, refine it, make it magical and release something fantastic that "just works". Now they're taking other companies' decent products that "just work" and releasing an Apple version that breaks everything good.
23 weeks ago
I don’t think I like that Apple seem to have eliminated the traditional ‘movie poster’ style image for purchased movies…
It appears - from the screen shots here, and in previous example images from the ‘Show Time’ event - that movies’ posters are destined to be replaced with the ‘brick’ used to promote the film on the store.
This isn’t good for quick recognition when scanning the library visually, since a film’s poster (colours, layout, characters etc.) often becomes a visual shortcut aiding recognition, and the store ‘brick’ images are sometimes quite distinct from the movie’s original poster (not to mention landscape over portrait orientation, which, aside from cutting down on the number of assets for content, is the likely reason for this change as it allows more items to be displayed vertically).
Amen. And isn’t it time to move on from space wasting large poster layouts, if not also move on from the amateurish and unfinished looking light blue on all white look?
23 weeks ago
It’s sadly too common with today’s Apple, where ellipses that provide no help to discern options are too often used in place of helpful text that’s instead pushed offscreen due to the mis-prioritization of fashion over form.
I do wish that Apple would appoint a UX czar to fix this stuff. It doesn’t even matter what conventions they choose as long as they put a tiny bit of thought into it and actually make it consistent.
23 weeks ago
I don’t think I like that Apple seem to have eliminated the traditional ‘movie poster’ style image for purchased movies…
It appears - from the screen shots here, and in previous example images from the ‘Show Time’ event - that movies’ posters are destined to be replaced with the ‘brick’ used to promote the film on the store.
This isn’t good for quick recognition when scanning the library visually, since a film’s poster (colours, layout, characters etc.) often becomes a visual shortcut aiding recognition, and the store ‘brick’ images are sometimes quite distinct from the movie’s original poster (not to mention landscape over portrait orientation, which, aside from cutting down on the number of assets for content, is the likely reason for this change as it allows more items to be displayed vertically).
It’s sadly too common with today’s Apple, where ellipses that provide no help to discern options are too often used in place of helpful text that’s instead pushed offscreen due to the mis-prioritization of fashion over form.
23 weeks ago
So there is nothing new for people who live outside the US or don‘t want to pay for even MORE subscriptions?
Cool Apple...
Cool Apple...
23 weeks ago
They sure as heck better do something in iOS 13 about multiple users. Especially given the TV app stuff.
[ Read All Comments ]
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test...
Shazam, the song discovery app owned by Apple, was today updated to add Dark Mode support ahead of tomorrow's iOS 13 launch.
Following the update, Shazam will be displayed in Dark Mode...
Apple today seeded eleventh beta of an upcoming tvOS 13 update to developers and public beta testers, one week after seeding the tenth beta and more than two months after unveiling the tvOS 13...
Facebook today announced a new set of Portal video chat devices, including one that is aimed to compete in the streaming TV market. This device is called the Portal TV, and it connects to a TV set...
Apple this week published environmental reports for the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, revealing that the Taptic Engine in all three devices is made of 100 percent recycled rare...
Amazon this week is discounting numerous Apple notebooks and tablets, offering new all-time-low prices in each instance. You can save as much as $400 in these sales, which relate to the 2019...
NBCUniversal today revealed that the name of its upcoming streaming television service is "Peacock," a reference to the company's logo. The service is still set to launch in April 2020,...
Amazon today introduced a new tier of Amazon Music, called Amazon Music HD, which offers lossless versions of audio files for streaming or downloading. This tier will cost $14.99/month, or...
