MacRumors

BGR reports that Apple is planning to release the third beta version of iOS 7 to its carrier partners on Monday, July 8, with seeding to registered developers expected on the same day.

BGR has been informed by trusted sources that iOS 7 beta 3 is currently scheduled to be made available to carriers for testing on July 8th. These are the same sources who accurately foretold the release timing of Apple’s last iOS 7 beta, and just like iOS 7 beta 2, it is likely that the new software will be released to developers on the same day it reaches carriers.

A July 8 release for the third beta would come two weeks after the release of the second beta, which occurred on Monday of this week. That release came two weeks after Apple rolled out the initial beta version of iOS 7 at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

In iOS 6 beta testing last year, Apple used a similar two-week interval between the first and second releases, but then moved to three-week intervals for the third and fourth beta versions.

If a July 8 release for beta 3 is accurate, Apple may be moving to a more rapid seeding schedule to keep developers updated on the numerous changes included in iOS 7. The upcoming operating system represents the most significant visual change to iOS since its debut in 2007, and Apple is said to still be refining many of the design elements as it proceeds through the beta testing period.

French site Nowhereelse.fr shares [Google translation] a photo of what are claimed to be trays of batteries for the iPhone 5S coming off of a production line. While their identity as iPhone 5S batteries can not be confirmed due to a lack of markings on them, if the claim is true it would be further evidence that production is indeed ramping up for the next-generation iPhone.

Over the past week, we've shared several photos of a prototype iPhone 5S manufactured in December 2012, revealing that the battery offers a higher capacity than the iPhone 5 battery, moving from 5.45 Whr and 1440 mAh to 5.92 Whr and 1560 mAh, an increase of roughly 8%.

Our photos show that the battery in the prototype iPhone 5S is itself a prototype, with a number of placeholders for various regulatory logos and identification numbers.

Earlier this week, a photo of iPhone 5S display assemblies on a production line also appeared, with the new parts identifiable by a change in the design of the flex cable connectors.

The iPhone 5S is expected to be introduced later this year, with the September timeframe being the most commonly claimed window for launch.

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Google has an Android-based video game console and smart watch in the works in order to compete with products the company expects Apple to produce in the future.

Google is also continuing development on the Nexus Q, a media console that it announced last year but did not release. The Nexus Q was designed to stream music, video, and YouTube content to home entertainment systems, similar to the Apple TV.

With the watch and game console, Google is hoping to combat similar devices that Apple Inc. may release in the future, the people said.

The people briefed on the matter said Google is reacting in part to expectations that rival Apple will launch a videogame console as part of its next Apple TV product release.

This is not the first time it has been suggested that Apple could use the Apple TV to make a serious foray into the console gaming market. Tech sites have speculated for years that gaming on the Apple TV might be in Apple's future, and earlier this year, Xbox founding engineer Nat Brown said that Apple could "destroy" console gaming with third party apps on the Apple TV.

In February, TechCrunch's MG Siegler confirmed that Apple has something television related in the pipeline, which might be a television set or a revised box. Siegler suggested that gaming could be the major focal point of the new television product.

While Apple has referred to its Apple TV as a hobby project, the company has seen sales continue to rise over the years. With the second generation Apple TV and the introduction of AirPlay Mirroring for iOS devices with iOS 5, gaming on the set-top box became possible for the first time.

Clever developers have already begun using that technology to turn the Apple TV into a gaming console, with several implementing second screen capabilities that turn the iPhone or iPad into a controller. A game released earlier today goes even further, morphing the iPhone into a motion controller that serves as a tennis racket.

Now Apple has revealed that it has established partnerships with Logitech and MOGA to develop third party MFi certified gaming controllers, which would better facilitate television-based gaming, suggesting that the company may indeed be turning its focus to serious gameplay. It should also be noted that 21 of the top 25 all time best selling App Store apps are games.

It is not unexpected that Google is planning for a gaming solution of its own to compete with a potential Apple offering, as the Mountain View-based company began work on a smart watch around the same time that Apple was developing a watch of its own. News of Apple's upcoming smart watch dubbed "iWatch" surfaced in December, and hints that Google would develop a competing product surfaced in March, though the company filed for a patent on the technology at an earlier date.

Wearable computers and fitness tracking devices such as the Pebble Smart Watch, the Jawbone UP, and the Nike FuelBand have soared in popularity in recent months and in addition to Apple and Google, other companies like Samsung and Microsoft are said to be developing wearable computing devices. Google already has experience in the market with Google Glass, which it plans to release to the public next year.

According to the WSJ, Google hopes to design and market its devices in house, releasing at least one product this fall. There are no hints on when Apple could potentially launch a revamped Apple TV or a smart watch, but its gaming controllers are expected in the fall alongside the iPhone 5S and iOS 7.

Tim Cook has also suggested that the company has "amazing new hardware, software, and services" coming later in the year and throughout 2014.

Apple has applied for a patent on a computer port that combines two connectors such as a USB port and a SD card reader according to an application recently published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and noticed by AppleInsider.

The invention, which Apple calls a 'combined input port', adds contact surfaces for multiple different ports. One such example used in the application adds a SD card to the bottom of a standard USB port, with additional cuts to fit the SD card. The combined port could save room on smaller notebooks, and is one potential way for Apple to fit an SD card reader in the 11" MacBook Air.

The foregoing description has broad application. For example, while examples disclosed herein may focus on an input port for receiving a USB plug and a SD card, it should be appreciated that the concepts disclosed herein may equally apply to connectors and plugs. Similarly, although the input port may be discussed with respect to a computer, the devices and techniques disclosed herein are equally applicable to any type of device including an external connector for transferring data and/or power. Accordingly, the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be an example and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these examples.

The patent was originally applied for in December 2011 and is only now getting published. It has not yet been awarded, however.

Apple routinely applies for patents on inventions that never make it to a final product, but this does seem to have a lot of potential for production. For example, Apple could use it such a combined input port to save space on notebooks, adding an additional USB port to the location where the SD card slot currently is.

The company recently released updated MacBook Air models, though they did not receive a substantial redesign. Apple is expected to release updated MacBook Pro with Retina display models in the near future, and such a combined port could make sense on that device, though there are no guarantees that Apple would ever use it.

At its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Apple rolled out a new advertising campaign centered around the tagline "Designed by Apple in California", focusing on the company's brand and how its primary goal is enriching lives. The campaign has included a 60-second television ad, as well as a dedicated page on Apple's website and most recently two-page spreads in major newspapers.

But Bloomberg reports that the campaign is not registering well with the public, citing survey data from consulting firm Ace Metrix showing that the TV ad is Apple's lowest-scoring commercial over the past year.

The company’s latest ad, which began airing June 10, has earned the lowest score of 26 Apple TV ads in the past year, according to Ace Metrix Inc., a consulting firm that analyzes the effectiveness of TV ads through surveys of at least 500 TV viewers. The ad scored 489 on the company’s scoring system, below an industry average of 542 and far below past iconic Apple campaigns that often topped 700.

Boston University advertising professor Edward Boches notes that the campaign marks a significant shift for Apple, with the focus on the company rather than its products rubbing some viewers the wrong way.

“Apple was never a company that bragged about itself,” said Edward Boches, a professor of advertising at Boston University. “In a manifesto ad, it’s hard not to come across as self indulgent. And even though it suggests the wonderful things Apple products can do, the ad lacks joy.”

Boches goes on to point out that some view the campaign as inappropriately political, highlighting Apple as a California-based company in tacit contrast to Samsung, which is based in South Korea. He suggests that the campaign may end up being a rather short-lived one, similar to the "Genius" campaign that consisted of just three ads running for a brief period during the Summer Olympics.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple sent its iTunes Radio terms to independent record labels last week and the paper was able to review a copy of the contract. It dictates that Apple will pay record labels both in royalties on individual song plays, as well as how much advertising Apple is able to sell.

During iTunes Radio’s first year, Apple will pay a label 0.13 cents each time a song is played, as well as 15% of net advertising revenue, proportionate to a given label’s share of the music played on iTunes. In the second year, that bumps up to 0.14 cents per listen, plus 19% of ad revenue.

That's compared to the 0.12 cents -- $0.0012 -- that Pandora pays labels per play, although the paper says Apple will be paying publishers more than twice as much in royalties than Pandora. For streaming music, publishers and record labels are paid independently.

There are also restrictions in place that allow Apple to not pay royalties. Some song plays are unpaid if they are already in a listener's iTunes library or part of an album they own, tracks selected by iTunes for special promotion, or if listeners skip a song before the 20 second mark. However, Apple can only avoid royalties for two songs per hour per user.

And while these terms were sent out to independent music labels, the WSJ claims they are similar to the terms major labels like Universal Music Group and Warner Music have signed.

Apple doesn't expect iTunes Radio to generate much ad revenue, but hopes it will drive iTunes sales and help sell more iPhones, iPods and other Apple hardware. The company does hope it can help grow the iAd mobile advertising platform.

Finally, the paper says the terms include "several references to terms for the use of music in talk, weather, sports and news programming" on iTunes Radio and that Apple wouldn't have to pay royalties on music snippets used in those types of programming.

The WSJ believes it is "unlikely Apple will invest much in creating such programming, given that it has long shied from creating its own content".

The details offer a look into the terms long debated in the negotiation process between Apple and music labels. Apple reportedly agreed to higher royalty rates in early April, and then signed deals with the major labels in time to announce the new service at the Worldwide Developers Conference in early June.

This afternoon, a tipster who spoke to 9to5Mac pointed out a new feature in iOS 7's Accessibility menu, which allows iPhone users to control their devices using head movements.

The option can be found in the Switch Control area of the Accessibility menu, which is designed for users who need assistance with physical and motor movements.

Switch Control allows you to use your iPhone by sequentially highlighting items on the screen that can be activated through an adaptive accessory.

With the feature activated, specific movements can be used to correspond with actions. For example, the setting can be programmed to allow a left head movement to activate a tap, while a right head movement can be programmed to perform to another function. 9to5Mac went hands-on with the feature:

We've tested this ourselves and found it to be quite accurate, but it's quite tedious to control your device this way since it cycles through all of the options on the screen and you move your head when it is bordering around the option you want.

You can also make the left or right head movement act as a home button, start Siri, open Notification Center, open the App Switcher, decrease volume, increase volume, or simply tap.

It is important to note that Switch Control head movements are a beta function and should be used with caution, as the setting disables touch input.

Apple has always had a heavy focus on accessibility, and over the years has worked to provide accessibility options for vision, hearing, motor skills, and learning, turning the iPad and the iPhone into fully featured assistive devices. iOS 7 promises to bring even more accessibility options, further increasing the utility of Apple's devices.

Apple has given a public statement following the Supreme Court's decision to effectively strike down [PDF] California's voter-approved ban on gay marriage, as well as ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional [PDF].

The company, which previously joined a statement filed with the Supreme Court encouraging it to strike down the laws, gave this statement to AllThingsD:

Apple strongly supports marriage equality and we consider it a civil rights issue. We applaud the Supreme Court for its decisions today.

A number of other tech companies have expressed support for the ruling, as well. Google put an easter egg in the search results for 'gay', while Instagram featured pictures of celebrations about the rulings on its blog.

Apple has long been in favor of gay rights, frequently saying it was a 'civil rights issue'. The company donated $100,000 to the 'No on 8' campaign in California and has long given health benefits to same-sex couples, even where it is not required by law.

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