MacRumors

Apple today provided developers with the fifth beta of an upcoming 9.2 update to tvOS, the operating system that runs on the fourth-generation Apple TV and powers its built-in App Store. Today's tvOS 9.2 beta 5 comes just over a week after Apple released the fourth beta of tvOS 9.2 and more than a month after the release of tvOS 9.1.1, a minor update to tvOS 9.1. tvOS 9.2 has been in testing since January 11.

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. Those who have already installed the first four tvOS 9.2 betas will be able to download the fifth update over the air.

tvOS 9.2 is a significant update for the tvOS operating system and new features have been added continually throughout the beta testing process. It brings support for Bluetooth keyboards, allowing a keyboard to be paired to the Apple TV for text entry. Bluetooth keyboard support is a major feature that was missing from previous versions of tvOS and its addition should make it much easier to do tasks like entering passwords on the fourth-generation Apple TV.

Along with Bluetooth keyboard support, the tvOS 9.2 update introduces support for grouping apps into folders on the Home screen like on iOS devices, plus it includes a new look for the App Switcher interface and it brings support for iCloud Photo Library and Live Photos. There's an update for the Apple TV Remote firmware, adding improved motion sensor performance and support for additional sound bar and receiver hardware.

Support for dictation allows Apple TV users to dictate text and spell user names and passwords rather than typing them in. Dictation capabilities are available in all countries where Siri is available on the Apple TV. With tvOS 9.2, Siri also gains the ability to search for App Store apps, improving app discovery. Siri can search for a specific app or bring up a category of apps, such as games.

tvOS 9.2 also introduces MapKit so developers can incorporate maps into their tvOS apps, and it adds Siri support for US Spanish (in the US only) and French Canadian (in Canada only). UK English, Australian English, and US English are also now available as Siri options in the UK, Australian, and US Storefronts when English is set as the tvOS language.

We'll update this post with any new features that are discovered in the fifth beta of tvOS 9.2.

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.4 update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, just over a week after seeding the fourth OS X 10.11.4 beta and more than a month after releasing OS X 10.11.3. OS X 10.11.4 has been in testing since January 11.

The fifth OS X 10.11.4 beta, build 15E56a, can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center (developers only) or via the Software Update Mechanism in the Mac App Store (for developers and public beta testers).

OS X 10.11.4 offers a couple of new features, such as Live Photos support in Messages, the ability to password protect notes in the Notes app, and an option to import notes from Evernote, but like the recent OS X 10.11.3 update, it appears to focus primarily on under-the-hood bug fixes and performance improvements. Almost all of Apple's OS X updates to date have been smaller updates that improve performance rather than introduce new features.

We'll update this post with any features or significant changes that are discovered in the fifth beta of OS X 10.11.4. OS X 10.11.4 is likely to see a spring release alongside iOS 9.3, tvOS 9.2, and watchOS 2.2, with the new software coming as early as March 21, the date of Apple's planned spring event.

Eight months after posting a detailed summary of the "clunky" behind-the-scenes process musicians have to go through when using Apple Music Connect, Dave Wiskus decided to revisit his stance on the platform to see if Apple had made any notable changes to its grasps at socially connecting artists and fans. Wiskus -- an app developer and lead singer for the band Airplane Mode -- admitted in the blog post that he feels less "connected" to the musical world and thinks the actual social aspects of the experience have failed "miserably."

Similar to his post from July, Wiskus expounded on Connect's basic inability to function as a normal social network: it lacks a follow button on artist pages, a metric for how many followers a band has, and individual profile pages for a more engaged community, among other things.

One of his most interesting points detailed a blunder with Connect's support, centering around the fact that an artist with a similar name managed to change the profile picture on Airplane Mode's page. After weeks of back-and-forth with Apple Music Connect support, eventually the band discovered that Apple's solution was creating an entirely new profile for Airplane Mode and abandoning the one with the wrong picture.

Rather than swap out images, the Connect support folks created a new profile for us with the correct photo (which we still can’t change, by the way). The frustration would end here if not for one little side-effect: we lost all of our posts and all of our followers.

Worse yet, those posts and followers are still attached to a now-unmanned “Airplane Mode” profile, so not only do we not have any way of telling our fans to follow the new profile, they have no way of even knowing that we relocated. Anyone who was following us can now assume that we’ve just stopped making new things. How many followers did we lose? No idea. How do we get them back? We can’t.

Wiskus notes that, despite all of his frustrations, "Apple is in a unique position to unify and democratize the music business" thanks to Connect's ability to integrate music sharing with social interaction, if the company decided to commit to bolstering both sides of that equation, that is. As it currently stands the artist isn't sure who Connect is for, and doesn't see much of a future for the platform if Apple continues to do nothing. "Seven months later—from a company the size of Apple—this isn’t just unacceptable, it’s pathetic."

Read all of the thoughts that Wiskus has on Apple Music Connect on his blog Better Elevation.

Over the past six months there have been reports indicating that the iPhone 7 would include several new features, like a flush rear camera and stereo speakers. Tonight, Mac Otakara has issued a new report corroborating several of those rumors, including that the iPhone 7 could include a thinner Lightning port, no 3.5mm headphone jack and more.

The site reports that the new phone will not have antenna bands across the rear and will have a flush rear camera, corroborating a MacRumors report in early February. The site notes that it's likely the iPhone 7 will also come with stereo speakers, which was first predicted by Barclays analyst earlier this month.

Last September, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued a report that the iPhone 7 would approach a thinness similar to that of the 6.1mm iPod touch. Mac Otakara's report roughly agrees with that, noting that the iPhone 7 could be 1mm thinner than the 7.1mm iPhone 6s.

Mac Otakara also reiterated its earlier reports that the iPhone 7 would not include a headphone jack, instead using an all-in-one Lightning port. The site claims that the Lightning port enclosure may be thinner than it currently is, but that it will still be fully compatible with current Lightning cables.

A source on Chinese social media site Weibo claimed that the iPhone 7 would be waterproofed and use new composite materials for its shell last September. However, Mac Otakara says the iPhone 7 will include neither, instead using the same aluminum material and will be as water resistant as the iPhone 6s.

Thus far, reports have indicated that a rumored new dual-lens camera system would be included on the iPhone 7 Plus to differentiate it from the regular iPhone 7. Mac Otakara corroborates that the iPhone 7 will not have a dual-lens camera system, but notes that it doesn't know if the feature will be included in the 7 Plus. Earlier today it was reported that Apple is considering introducing a new high-end iPhone 7 Plus with a dual-lens camera system called the iPhone Pro to better differentiate it from the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

Apple is expected to announce both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus at an event in September. Unlike the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which sourced A9 chips from both Samsung and TSMC, Apple will turn to TSMC exclusively for the iPhone 7's A10 chip. Apple is also expected to announce the iPhone SE, a new 4-inch iPhone, this March alongside a new 9.7-inch iPad.

Alongside its battle with the U.S. government over an order to break into the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, Apple has also been embroiled in a dispute over a similar case in New York. In late 2015, the Department of Justice asked a NY federal magistrate judge to order Apple to help authorities gain access to an iPhone seized as evidence in a drug trafficking case.

At the time, Apple explained that while it could technically unlock the iPhone in question because it was running an older version of iOS, being forced to comply with the order could "substantially tarnish the Apple brand." This afternoon, Judge James Orenstein, who is presiding over the New York case, decided in favor of Apple (via TechCrunch), handing down a ruling that could potentially impact the much more prominent San Bernardino dispute.

According to the New York ruling, Apple cannot be forced to help law enforcement access data on an iPhone using the justification that the court has the power to make such an order under the All Writs Act, an argument the FBI also uses in the San Bernardino case. Apple has also argued the All Writs Act does not give the government a pass to "conscript and commandeer" the company.

"The established rules for interpreting a statute's text constrain me to reject the government's interpretation that the AWA empowers a court to grant any relief not outright prohibited by law," writes Orenstein. "The extraordinary relief [the government] seeks cannot be considered 'agreeable to the usages and principles of law,'" reads another section. He goes on to outline his reasoning and concludes with the opinion that the larger issue of encryption should be decided by legislation, not by the court.

In deciding this motion, I offer no opinion as to whether, in the circumstances of this case or others, the government's legitimate interest in ensuring that no door is too strong to resist lawful entry should prevail against the equally legitimate societal interests arrayed against it here. [...]

How best to balance those interests is a matter of critical importance to our society, and the need for an answer becomes more pressing daily, as the tide of technological advance flows ever farther past the boundaries of what seemed possible even a few decades ago.

But that debate must happen today, and it must take place among legislators who are equipped to consider the technological and cultural realities of a world their predecessors could not begin to conceive. It would betray our constitutional heritage and our people's claim to democratic governance for a judge to pretend that our Founders already had that debate, and ended it, in 1789.

According to TechCrunch, a senior Apple executive has suggested that while New York case does not set a binding legal precedent in regard to the San Bernardino case, it sets "an important precedent of opinion."

Apple has officially opposed an order that would require it to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook and will now face off against the government in court on March 22.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple Pay is supported by large financial institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, and China, but the mobile payments service can only be used with non-bank-issued American Express credit cards in Australia and Canada. Apple Pay does not support big banks in either country.

That could soon change in at least Canada, as MacRumors has learned that MasterCard has Apple Pay support in that country on its 2016 roadmap. The information is based on an unverified internal document, however, so the plans cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt until other evidence surfaces.

MasterCard credit cards are issued by a number of Canada's largest banks, including BMO, CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust, while store-branded MasterCards are available from large retailers such as Canadian Tire, Costco, and Walmart. Most of these stores and institutions also offer Visa, but their plans remain unknown.

MasterCard is also looking to support Apple Pay in Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore in 2016, according to the document. Apple previously announced that its Apple Pay partnership with American Express will expand to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Spain this year, while Brazil and Japan would be entirely new markets.

Earlier this month, a hidden "NetworkInterac" string was uncovered in iOS 9.2.1 code that hints at Apple Pay support at Canada's big banks. Interac is Canada's official debit card network, adopted by the country's largest financial institutions nationwide. TD already stirred speculation in October when it inadvertently listed Apple Pay as a method of payment on its website, before quickly removing it.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Apple is preparing to launch Apple Pay in France, and it could make an announcement by September 2016 -- perhaps at WWDC in June. The original report did not specify when Apple Pay will become available in French stores, nor did it have information about which French banks and participating issuers will support iPhone payments upon launch.

The rumored high-end iPhone 7 Plus with dual cameras could be named the "iPhone Pro," according to questionable information shared by Chinese website MyDrivers [Google Translate]. Apple is reportedly considering the name to distinguish the device from the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, said to include standard single-lens cameras.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously suggested Apple is working on two versions of the iPhone 7 Plus, one with a single-lens camera and one with a dual-lens camera, to be sold alongside an iPhone 7 with a single-lens camera. That rumor itself sounds questionable as it would splinter Apple's iPhone lineup, but Kuo firmly believes that is Apple's plan and has mentioned it in two separate research notes.

In recent months, MyDrivers has shared several details on the iPhone 7 and the iPhone SE, but as neither device has launched, the site's accuracy is still in question. Apple has used the same general number-based naming scheme for its lineup of flagship iPhones since the iPhone 3G launched in 2008, so the information provided by MyDrivers should be viewed with some skepticism until confirmed by a source with a solid track record.

It's possible rumors of an iPhone Pro are surfacing due to the unique name Apple's 4-inch iPhone is expected to adopt -- iPhone SE -- and the rumored naming plan for the next-generation 9.7-inch iPad. The device will reportedly be branded as an iPad Pro rather than an iPad Air 3, naturally leading to speculation that Apple could make the same shift in its iPhone lineup.

The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are not expected to debut until the fall of 2016, but multiple details about the devices have already leaked. In addition to an iPhone 7 Plus version with dual cameras, both devices are rumored to include a water resistant body, no headphone jack, and a design that does away with the rear antenna bands and protruding camera.

As we get closer to the date of Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, work on next-generation operating systems iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 is unsurprisingly ramping up based on data gathered from our site logs.

MacRumors first started seeing visits from a small number of devices running iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 in late 2015. Visits picked up starting in January, and have grown steadily throughout the month of February.

We're now seeing hundreds of visits per day from devices that have iOS 10 or OS X 10.12 installed, and we will undoubtedly see those numbers continue to climb as the months tick by.

It's still early in the development process so we haven't heard much about the new features we can expect to see in iOS 10 and OS X 10.12, but there have been a few tidbits. One of the main focal points in OS X 10.12 is said to be Siri for Mac, finally bringing Apple's voice assistant to OS X.

Both iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 may also include improvements to the Photos app, introducing some capabilities that were removed in the transition from iPhoto to Photos. Additional details about the two new operating systems will leak out as we approach the middle of the year.

While iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 are unlikely to be released to the public until the fall, Apple traditionally debuts new operating system updates at WWDC, giving developers time to get acquainted with new features and build new capabilities into their apps.

This year's Worldwide Developers Conference is expected to take place from June 13 to June 17, based on the booking schedule for Moscone West in San Francisco, where Apple has held the event for many years in a row.

MacRumors is also seeing a small number of visits from devices running iOS 9.3.1, suggesting there will be additional updates to iOS 9 ahead of the debut of iOS 10.

Tony Fadell, known as the godfather of the iPod for his role in its design, recently sat down Appvance CEO Kevin Surace at the SV Forum Visionary Salon Dinner to reminisce about Steve Jobs and his time at Apple. VentureBeat attended the event and has shared a transcript of the discussion.

Fadell has discussed his role at Apple and his relationship with Jobs many times over the years, but new details, additional color, and lesser-known tidbits tend to surface with each new interview, making them worth a read. This most recent interview covers an interesting look at the decision to bring iTunes to the PC.

Jobs was initially against introducing PC support for the iPod because he viewed the device as a way to attract people to the Mac. Fadell had a team of people working on porting iTunes to PC to give people who didn't own a Mac a taste of Apple products. Fadell describes his effort to get iTunes on the PC as a "knock down, drag out battle."

After being pressured by much of the iPod team to get iTunes to the biggest market, Jobs relented, but he insisted that journalist Walt Mossberg, who wrote for The Wall Street Journal at the time, sign off on the design.

He [Steve] finally said, "Okay. But under one condition. We're going to build these and run it by Mossberg. And if Mossberg says it's good enough to ship, then we'll ship it." He wanted to divorce himself from having to make the decision. But Walt said, "Not bad. I'd ship it." That's how we actually shipped on the PC.

Following iTunes' PC launch, Fadell says Mac sales accelerated. The iPod and iTunes were good on the PC, "but great on a Mac," enticing people to switch to Apple's platform.

Another anecdote in the interview covers Apple's early exploration of a phone. Fadell and his team began conceptualizing an "iPod phone" that was an iPod with a phone module inside it. It was designed like an iPod with a click wheel for dialing, an idea that didn't work.

It looked like an iPod, but it had a phone, and you would select numbers through the same interface and so on. But if you wanted to dial a number it was like using a rotary dial. It sucked. We knew three months in that it wasn't going to work. Steve said, "Keep trying!" We tried everything. We tried for seven or eight months to get that thing to work. Couldn't do it. We added more buttons and it just became this gangly thing.

At the same time as the iPod phone was in development, Apple was also exploring the idea of a touchscreen Mac, leading to the idea of a virtual interface on a phone.

Steve's like, "Come over here!" I didn't know about this at the time, but he showed me a ping-pong table that was the first multi-touch screen. It was a ping-pong-sized table. It had a projector of a Mac on top of it, and you could interact with it. He said, "We're going to put that in an iPod!" "Steve, it's the size of a ping-pong table!"

Apple then began work on a multi-touch display and software that brought together elements from the Mac and the iPod, eventually leading to the development of the device that became the original iPhone.

The full transcript of Fadell's interview, which includes additional details on his early career, Nest, and Apple, can be read over at VentureBeat.

Last week, schematics and renderings based on case maker's specifications came out from several sources, giving us our first look at what Apple's much-rumored 4-inch "iPhone SE" might look like when it launches in March. The two designs, one from OnLeaks and one from 9to5Mac, both depict an iPhone that looks a lot like the iPhone 5s, but the designs differ quite a bit.

9to5Mac's mockup of the iPhone SE looks almost identical to the iPhone 5s, while OnLeaks' schematic pictures a device with curved edges, leading to a look that's a hybrid of an iPhone 6 and an iPhone 5s. These differences are clear in new renderings created by Martin Hajek that compare the two designs to a purely conceptual rendering from Curved Labs imagining the iPhone SE as a smaller iPhone 6.

Multiple rumors have said the iPhone SE will be of a similar size to the iPhone 5s, with the two even able to share cases, but it's also been said it will include a slightly curved glass display, two concepts that are difficult to conceptualize. An iPhone SE that's similar in size to an iPhone 5s but with curved edges as seen in the OnLeaks schematic won't be able to use the same accessories as the iPhone 5s because of the different shape.

Despite the fact that the iPhone SE is less than a month away from debuting, we've seen few part leaks, and no leaks of the back of the device to help us nail down the true look of the device. We've heard tons of rumors, but with no visual evidence, it's still difficult to determine whether the iPhone SE is an exact iPhone 5s clone or a fresh design that takes cues from multiple devices.

Renderings agree the iPhone SE will have a power button that remains located at the top of the device, and it appears it will use a pill-shaped flash and the same round volume buttons that were found on the iPhone 5s. OnLeaks' rendering suggests the camera could protrude somewhat, a possibility if the iPhone SE adopts the 12-megapixel camera in the iPhone 6s.

On the iPhone 6s, the camera protrudes approximately 0.7mm from the 7.1mm body of the device. The iPhone 5s' thickness is 7.6mm, and the iPhone SE is rumored to have the same dimensions, so the camera could stick out slightly.

Though the iPhone SE is rumored to resemble the iPhone 5s on the exterior, its internals are said to be on par with Apple's latest devices. It will include an A9 processor, the same used in the iPhone 6s, along with the aforementioned upgraded camera and an NFC chip to support Apple Pay.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone SE at an event that's now rumored to take place on March 21. Also debuting at the event is the next-generation 9.7-inch iPad, which may be branded as a smaller "iPad Pro," and new Apple Watch bands.

Martin Hajek has several other renderings depicting the three concepts side-by-side, which are well worth checking out on his website.

Microsoft has announced that developers who applied to pre-order the HoloLens Development Edition will begin to receive invitations to purchase the device for $3,000, with shipments beginning on March 30 in the U.S. and Canada.

The development kit bundles the HoloLens with a carrying case, Bluetooth 4.1 clicker, wired charger, and an extra nose piece. Microsoft technical fellow Alex Kipman said broader consumer availability remains "further down the line."

Microsoft HoloLens is a cordless, self-contained Windows 10 holographic headset that mixes virtual reality with augmented reality.

HoloLens has see-through holographic lenses with an advanced optical projection system to generate multi-dimensional holograms that allow you to see holographic objects in your world. The headset is also equipped with multiple sensors and a built-in camera that analyze your surrounding environment.

The mixed-reality headset is powered by 32-bit Intel architecture and 2GB of RAM. The device also has 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, USB 2.0, 64GB internal storage, and up to three hours of battery life.

Microsoft will be including seven new apps, games, and tools on the HoloLens, and it encourages developers to create additional experiences for the mixed reality headset leading up to its Build developer conference on March 30.

Microsoft's augmented reality efforts precede Apple, which is rumored have a secret team of hundreds of employees working on a virtual reality headset. Our Apple VR roundup recaps the company's ambitions and competitors like Microsoft's HoloLens, Google's Cardboard, and Facebook's Oculus Rift.

Microsoft has shared a new series of ads called The Bug Chicks that promote what it believes are advantages of Windows 10 PCs over Macs. Each ad has the tagline "Windows 10 PCs do more. Just like you."

The first ad introduces The Bug Chicks, who are identified as "real people paid for real opinions," and focuses on how PCs allow them to teach kids about insects using PowerPoint and other Windows 10 apps and features.

The other three ads highlight individual Windows 10 PC features, including Cortana, Inking, and Hello. Each 15-second spot deliberately mentions how "even the new Macs don't have that" or "Mac doesn't have a touchscreen."

"Windows 10 and Cortana" demonstrates how Microsoft's personal voice assistant can be used on the desktop to find any file by simply asking. The advantage will be short-lived, however, as Siri is reportedly coming to OS X 10.12 later this year.

"Windows 10 and Inking" shows how select Windows 10 PCs have touchscreens that allow you to write and sketch directly on the screen, unlike Macs. Meanwhile, Apple has previously admitted it has no plans to release a touchscreen Mac.

"We don't think it's the right interface, honestly," said Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple, in an interview with CNET. "Mac is sort of a sit-down experience." […]

"We've really focused on building the best track pads we can, something where it feels [like] your posture's relaxed, it's a comfortable machine to use," he said. "And, of course, over the years we've experimented with all the technology, but we found it just wasn't good. ... We're not all that interested in building one."

"Windows 10 and Hello" shows one of the ladies unlocking her PC with facial recognition, using the front-facing camera, with no password required. The biometric feature works with your face, fingerprint, or iris on select PCs.

The latest data from market research firm Gartner revealed that worldwide PC shipments from Lenovo, HP, Dell, Asus, and Acer continued to decline in the fourth quarter. Apple was the sole manufacturer that saw positive shipment growth in the quarter, based on sales of 5.7 million Macs.

Most of Apple's Mac lineup is due for a hardware refresh this year with Intel's Skylake chips, Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C, and possibly new form factors. The new Macs could be announced at WWDC in June or at a media event later this fall, although updates could also be announced via press release at any time.