MacRumors

In late June, San Francisco held its 44th annual Pride parade, which saw several companies, including Apple, marching in support of the LGBT community.

Apple CEO Tim Cook attended the event and walked alongside Apple's Environment Director Lisa Jackson and thousands of other Apple employees. Employees wore special T-shirts for the event and handed out iTunes gift cards good for a free song download.

Apple has now posted a new video of the event on its YouTube channel, depicting the company's preparation for the parade, which included the aforementioned T-shirts, a pre-event celebration, special bicycles, and thousands of rainbow-colored flags. The song playing in the background of the video is Coldplay's "A Sky Full of Stars."

On June 29, thousands of Apple employees and their families marched in the San Francisco Pride Parade. They came from around the world -- from cities as far as Munich, Paris, and Hong Kong -- to celebrate Apple's unwavering commitment to equality and diversity. Because we believe that inclusion inspires innovation

Apple CEO Tim Cook has expressed a deep belief in equality in the past, supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which lobbied to add lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals to the U.S.'s existing nondiscrimination law. He also spoke at Auburn University in December of 2013, noting that Apple has long had protections for LGBT employees.

During the Pride event, Tim Cook tweeted a congratulations to the 5,000 Apple employees and their families that attended the parade, saying "inclusion inspires innovation," the same line later used in the video.

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.

iOS 8 beta 3, which was released to developers earlier today, allows Apple's Health app to access the iPhone's M7 motion coprocessor, letting the app natively track movement like steps taken.

Available in newer devices like the iPhone 5s, the iPad Air, and the Retina iPad mini, the M7 "motion coprocessor" functions alongside the A7 chip in those devices, measuring accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass data for enhanced fitness tracking capabilities.

As noted by 9to5Mac the Health app's "Steps" section now tallies the number of steps a user has taken as measured by the iPhone 5s. Users accessing the Health app today will be able to access a full week's worth of data on their devices.

The M7 has been leveraged by several third-party app developers, such as Nike and Strava, but this is the first time the data has been made available directly via Apple's own Health app and it is also the first real data the Health app is able to display.

Along with M7 integration, the Health app also has a new "Caffeine" section in the Nutrition portion of the Health Data tab. This appears to track how much caffeine is consumed and will likely integrate with third-party caffeine tracking apps such as UP Coffee from Jawbone, which lets users track the amount of coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages that are consumed on a daily basis.

At the current point in time, the Health app is rather limited, but by the time iOS 8 is released, dozens of device manufacturers and app developers will likely have built HealthKit into their apps, allowing the Health app to aggregate data from multiple sources into one easy-to-access spot. Health is also rumored to be heavily tied to Apple's upcoming health-tracking wearable device, the iWatch.

As described by Apple, Health aims to be a one-stop dashboard for health and fitness data, tracking metrics measured by various devices and apps, including heart rate, food consumed, cholesterol, sleep quality, and more. Apple's iOS 8 Health page says "It might just be the beginning of a health revolution."

iOS 8 is currently available only to registered developers and will likely be released to the public in the fall, after several more beta iterations to refine the look and feel of the operating system.

The Wall Street Journal has released a new profile of Apple under Tim Cook, highlighting the changes the CEO has made to the company following the long and famous reign of Steve Jobs. While most of this information was previously known, it is a solid overview of the changes Cook has introduced to Apple and it does give a few new details on Cook's plans.

Described as a "kinder, gentler" workplace, Apple under Tim Cook has a new focus on deep collaboration between employees. Cook is said to be less involved in product development and more willing to delegate tasks to employees, expanding the roles of several executives and giving design chief Jonathan Ive more control over product development. He's also made major moves like acquiring Beats and hiring high-profile executives like Angela Ahrendts, and he's also said to be working on adding new board members.

According to people familiar with the company, Mr. Cook is actively seeking new directors to add to Apple's eight-person board, known for its loyalty to Mr. Jobs. Six of the seven outside directors are aged 63 or older. Four of them have served for more than a decade, including two who have been on the board since the late 1990s: former Intuit Corp. Chief Executive Bill Campbell and J. Crew Group Inc. Chief Executive Millard S. "Mickey" Drexler.

Cook is labeled as more of a manager and less of a visionary, causing current and former Apple employees to worry that without Steve Jobs, Apple is losing its "frenetic pace and focus" on new products. Employees also worry that the company may be working on too many projects at once.

Under Mr. Cook, current and former employees say Apple may be spreading itself too thin, pursuing too many ideas and compromising the "laser focus" that Mr. Jobs used to create the iMac, iPhone and iPad.

"It was Steve's job to say no," one of these people said. "Tim is not as comfortable doing that."

The Wall Street Journal's full report has a much more detailed comparison of Cook and Jobs and it offers insight on other changes Cook has brought to the company, including lessening its impact on the environment and pledging to match employee charity donations.

Apple today released the third beta of iOS 8, which brings a number of improvements, changes, and bug fixes to the beta software that was first introduced on June 2.

iOS 8 beta 3 also includes several minor interface tweaks and modifications that make the beta feel both faster and more polished. We've gathered up a comprehensive list of the enhancements that have been bundled into the release below, and to find out about all of the under-the-radar tweaks in iOS 8, make sure to check out our iOS 8 Hidden Features Roundup.

Find My Friends - iOS 8 beta 3 includes a new beta version of the Find My Friends and Find My iPhone apps. According to the release notes, Find My Friends allows users to move their friends list to an iCloud account if necessary.

iCloud Drive - There's a new popup window in beta 3 giving users the option to upgrade to iCloud Drive. Introduced at WWDC, iCloud Drive lets users store any type of file. Though iCloud Drive can be turned on, it does not appear to be fully functional at this time.

iCloud Drive Settings - There's a new section for iCloud Drive settings within the iCloud portion of the Settings app.

Handoff - There's a new Handoff setting in the General menu of the Settings app that allows users to toggle Handoff on and off. Handoff allows users to seamlessly transfer tasks between iOS and OS X.

QuickType Keyboard - There's a new option in the Keyboards section of the General menu in the Settings app that lets users toggle QuickType on and off.

Wallpapers - iOS 8 beta 3 includes a new white/gray gradient wallpaper option.

Weather - Some minor changes have been made to the way information is displayed within the Weather app.

App Analytics - After installing the beta, there's a new option to opt into App Analytics. Users can choose to share crash data with app developers along with statistics about how apps are used.

Photos - In the Photos app, Shared Photo Streams have been renamed Shared Albums. Events and albums from Aperture are now available again in the Photos app as well, and there's a new indicator for the amount of time left before Recently Deleted photos are permanently removed.

Messages - In the Settings menu for Messages, there's a new option to automatically keep audio and video messages. Normally, these messages are deleted after a short period of time to save space.

WiFi Calling - T-Mobile users with iOS 8 beta 3 can now access WiFi calling. WiFi calling lets users make phone calls over WiFi instead of using a Cellular connection. WiFi calling can be enabled in the Phone section of the Settings app and requires users to enter an emergency address.

Custom Keyboards - Developers are now able to move the cursor location with a custom keyboard in iOS 8 beta 3.

Additional features in iOS 8 beta 3 will be added here as they are discovered. Apple is likely to continue pushing regular updates to iOS 8 at two or three-week intervals to bring minor performance boosts and changes ahead of the operating system's launch. iOS 8 is expected to be released to the public in the fall. For more information on iOS 8's features, major and minor, make sure to check out our roundups.

Alongside iOS 8 beta 3, Apple today released a new version of OS X Yosemite, three weeks after releasing the second Developer Preview and over a month after introducing the new operating system at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

The update, build 14A283o, can be downloaded from the Mac App Store or the Mac Dev Center.

OS X Yosemite brings a flatter, more modern look to OS X, with an emphasis on translucency and redesigned dock, windows, and more. It also includes a multitude of new features, such as improved integration with iOS 8 through Continuity, a new "Today" view in Notification Center that offers integration with third-party apps, a retooled Spotlight search with new data sources, and several new features for apps like Mail, Safari, and Messages.

Ahead of today's new beta release, Apple announced plans to wipe all CloudKit data for the iOS and Yosemite betas, including data from iCloud Drive, iCloud Photo Library, and Mail Drop.

OS X Yosemite is currently only available to developers, but Apple plans to offer a beta version of the software to Mac users at some point during the summer. A public release of OS X Yosemite is expected in the fall, after several additional beta iterations.

New Features:

Dark Mode - First previewed during WWDC, Dark Mode is now officially available as of the third developer preview of Yosemite. Previously, Dark Mode could only be enabled via terminal command.

Interface tweaks - System Preferences, Mail, and iCloud Preferences have all seen some interface tweaks in DP3 as noted by 9to5Mac. There are also larger App Icons for Notifications and a new font in the Notification Center/Safari Favorites Bar.

QuickTime - QuickTime has an updated icon.

Settings - Apple appears to have removed the Continuity/AirDrop settings from the System Report in Developer Preview 3. Previously, these settings let users know if Continuity and AirDrop were accessible on their machines. Apple also removed an "Allow Handoff between this Mac and Your iCloud devices" toggle from System Preferences on some machines.

Apple today released the third beta of iOS 8 to developers, three weeks after releasing the second beta update and more than a month since unveiling the new operating system at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

The update, build number 12A4318c, is available through Apple's over-the-air updating system on iOS devices and can also be downloaded via the iOS Dev Center. Apple has also released a new beta version of Find My iPhone, a brand new iOS 8 version of Find My Friends, a new Apple TV beta, Xcode 6 beta 3, and updates to Swift, the programming language the company introduced at WWDC.

iOS 8 introduces a range of new features, including improved integration with OS X through Continuity, a Health app, Family Sharing features, interactive notifications, a new QuickType Keyboard and improvements to several apps like Safari, Mail, and Messages.

The third iOS 8 beta includes several tweaks to the operating system, like new options for iCloud Drive, a new Settings toggle for Handoff, and a new option to enable or disable QuickType. There's also been some changes to the look of the weather app and a few new simple wallpapers. For a full list of the changes to iOS 8 in beta 3, make sure to check out our Beta 3 Tidbits post.

A June report suggested iOS 8 beta 3 would be released on Tuesday, July 8, but it appears the beta has come a day early. Today's update comes just after Apple announced plans to wipe all CloudKit data for the iOS and Yosemite betas, including data from iCloud Drive, iCloud Photo Library, and Mail Drop.

iOS 8 is currently only available to developers, but it is expected to be released to the public this fall after several beta iterations. Based on past history, iOS 8 will likely be launched alongside new iPhones, and possibly the much-rumored iWatch.

Frequent iOS device part leaker Sonny Dickson has shared a new video of what appears to be the previously seen iPhone 6 front panel being subjected to a limited bending stress test. The panel survives the testing, but is not subjected to extreme bending in the brief video.

The title of Dickson's video mentions sapphire, but there does not appear to be any confirmation that the part is indeed made of the material. The iPhone 6 has been rumored to be adopting a sapphire crystal display cover for increased durability and scratch resistance, but none of the front panel part leaked seen so far have been confirmed to be made of sapphire.

Apple currently uses Corning's Gorilla Glass as the iPhone display cover, and Corning has argued that Gorilla Glass offers a number of benefits over sapphire, including better resistance to breakage. Some rumors have suggested that sapphire may only used on the 5.5-inch iPhone 6, so the smaller 4.7-inch model may still include a Gorilla Glass display.

Update 8:18 AM: Dickson has now posted the remainder of the video showing hands-on measurements of the part and comparison to the iPhone 5s.

A recent survey suggests consumers are looking forward to improved battery life as well as a bigger screen in the iPhone 6. But according to Chinese media reports (via GforGames), Apple's next-generation iPhone may disappoint with a lower-than-expected battery capacity that will provide only a slight boost from the battery used in the iPhone 5s.

Chinese media sources claim the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 will ship with a battery between 1,800 and 1,900 mAh, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will include a 2,500 mAh battery. Though larger than the 1,560 mAh battery in the iPhone 5s, these modest capacity increases place Apple behind competitors with similar sized handsets, and leave some wondering if Apple is keeping the battery too small in order to design an ultra-slim device. The larger screens on the iPhone 6 will naturally create more volume for larger batteries while maintaining a slim profile, but the displays themselves are likely to require increased battery to support the higher resolutions.

Of course, these rumored battery capacities for the iPhone provide only part of the equation, with Apple's tight software-hardware integration also contributing to overall battery life. It is also possible that real-world battery life may be better than these speculated hardware specs imply due to underlying performance improvements added to iOS 8.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 6 during a September media event. The company may debut both a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch version that could feature a faster A8 processor, an upgraded Touch ID scanner and an improved camera with some form of image stabilization.

At a recent shareholder meeting, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou announced that the company will soon deploy robots to help assemble devices, noting that Apple will be the first company to use the service, reports IT Home (Google Translate, via GSMDome).

Named "Foxbots", each robot will be able to assemble an average of 30,000 devices and costs anywhere from $20,000 to $25,000 to make. Gou stated that the assembly devices are undergoing their final testing phase, as Foxconn plans to deploy 10,000 robots to its factories.

Foxconn has been Apple's longtime primary partner in assembling its iPhones, iPads, and iPods. In 2011, it was reported that Foxconn would be replacing a portion of its workers with 1 million robots, although it was not clear at the time how many jobs would be replaced by the robots.

As a part of its 2013 10-K annual report last year, Apple also revealed that it was investing a record $10.5 billion on advanced supply chain technology, with some of that investment going towards advanced machinery including assembly robots. A report earlier this year noted that Apple would be moving production of iPhone batteries to automated lines, allowing suppliers to reduce manpower demand and shift resources towards production efforts on other parts.

Foxconn has recently ramped up its production efforts ahead of the launch of Apple's iPhone 6 this fall, with the company bringing on 100,000 new workers to help assemble the iPhone 6. Production of the new device is reportedly set to ramp up next month ahead of a launch around September. The iPhone 6 is expected to come in two sizes of 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches, and feature a thinner profile, an improved camera, a faster A8 processor, and more.

Apple has notified developers of plans for a server-side data wipe on CloudKit public and private databases for both the beta versions iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. The wipe, which will take place on Monday, July 7, will erase data for iCloud Drive, iCloud Photo Library, and Mail Drop.

The wipe comes just a day ahead of the rumored launch date of iOS 8 beta 3 and also the likely launch date of the third Yosemite Developer Preview. Apple commonly seeds early versions of its iOS beta operating systems on roughly two-week intervals, moving on to three-week intervals later in the testing period. OS X beta updates have followed a similar update pattern in the past as well.

Apple's second iOS 8 and Yosemite betas came approximately two weeks after the software was first provided to developers at the Worldwide Developers Conference, and it has now been three weeks since those updates were seeded.

Both iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite are expected to be released to the public in the fall, after an extended beta testing period.

Thanks, Daniel!

Apple appears to have made another important iWatch-related hire as the device's rumored debut approaches, with CNBC reporting that the company has poached the sales director of luxury watch brand TAG Heuer.

The hiring was revealed by Jean-Claude Biver, head of Jewelry and Watches at TAG Heuer's parent company LVMH. Biver had claimed earlier this year that Apple had been trying to hire some of his employees but at that point none of them had agreed to join Apple.

Biver said the watchmaker's sales director left as recently as last week, "to take a contract with Apple" in order to launch the iWatch. LVMH owns Swiss watchmakers TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith. [...]

Biver said he was happy for the employee as the new role represents a great opportunity for him.

"If it had been a direct competitor, I would have felt a bit betrayed, but if he goes to Apple I think it is a great experience for him," he said.

With Apple reportedly looking toward an October introduction for the iWatch, the company is building a formidable team with experience in the fashion industry.

At the top of that list is new retail chief Angela Ahrendts, who officially joined the company two months ago from Burberry. In another high-profile move, Apple last year hired Paul Deneve, CEO of French luxury label Yves Saint Laurent. Deneve reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook and is working on "special projects" for the company, with most speculation centering around the iWatch.

Update: TAG Heuer confirmed to MacRumors that Patrick Pruniaux is the employee who left for Apple. Pruniaux's former position was Vice President Global Sales & Retail.

Rumors and past release date info have thus far pointed towards a September launch date for the iPhone 6, which has now been confirmed by a reliable source that spoke to MacRumors.

Mass shipments of the iPhone 6 from China to the United States are expected to occur during the last two weeks of August and it is likely that Apple will announce the iPhone 6 during the first or second weeks of September. The first deliveries of the device will come later in the month on a corresponding Friday, roughly a week and a half after the event.

An early September event is in line with previous rumors and with the event dates of the last two iPhone generations. The iPhone 5 was announced on Wednesday, September 12 with availability occurring on September 21 and the iPhone 5s/5c was announced on Tuesday, September 10 with availability starting on September 20.

It remains unknown if the September iPhone 6 event will include just the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 or both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch variations. Early rumors pointed towards production issues that might delay the launch of the larger phone, but those problems appear to be solved and a recent rumor from Bloomberg has suggested both devices could launch at the same time.

A report from earlier today pointed towards a September 25 launch date for the iPhone 6, but Apple typically releases the iPhone on a Friday, making this prediction unlikely. September 12, 19, and 26 are all probable launch dates for the iPhone 6, based on production speed and available inventory.

Apple's iPhone 6 is expected to include a larger display size along with a thinner iPod-touch style design, an A8 processor, and camera improvements. The 5.5-inch iPhone has thus far been positioned as the premium version and may include upgrades like optical image stabilization and a larger storage capacity, with a $100 price premium.