Apple has released macOS 10.12.2 beta 2 for Mac. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October, followed by a slightly updated build earlier this month. Today’s build has version 16C41b, up from 16C32f, and is available from the Mac App Store. macOS 10.12.2 includes Unicode 9.0 emoji support, which matches compatibility in beta versions of iOS 10.2 and watchOS 3.1.1. macOS 10.12.2 will be released to everyone in the future, and the beta allows developers to test pre-release versions of the software update before it’s released....

Apple has added a new addition to its W1 lineup, the Beats Studio 3 over-ear headphones ($349). The new models utilize the W1 chip for automatic pairing to iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch as well as boasting up to 40 hour battery life. These look very much like Beats’ answer to the Bose QC35 headphones. The other flagship new addition for the Studio 3 series is adaptive noise cancelling. The headphones listen dynamically to the surrounding environment and algorithmically adjust the intensity of noise cancellation....

Apple’s Education announcement is later today at the Guggenheim in New York City and we will be covering it live. We have so far heard that it is education related and Apple’s iWork lead Roger Rosner is involved in what seems to be textbook creation and distribution tools. Moreover, leading textbook publisher McGraw Hill will be involved, according to various reports. Long time Apple watcher Jason O’Grady from ZDNet said he heard that some software is on tap today including Pages ’12 with support for publishing to iBookStore, an iBooks 2 app that will also work on Macs with Lion and Textbook rentals....

As we first discovered in the iOS software code a year ago, Apple is finally ready to implement Bluetooth in its Apple TV products. The latest Apple TV beta not only has a new Bluetooth menu but you can pair wireless keyboards to both the second- and third-gen Apple TV. Once connected, you can use a wireless keyboard to completely control the Apple TV without using the included remote. The arrow keys function for navigation, the Return key is the play/pause, and the Escape key maps to ‘menu’ or up ‘one level’ functionality....

Ahead of a BBC special exploring work conditions in Apple’s supply chain airing tonight (update: video embedded below), BBC.com today published a story revealing the results of its investigation. The news outlet went undercover into Apple’s supply chain and claims “Apple’s promises to protect workers were routinely broken” while citing a number of workplace violations: It found standards on workers’ hours, ID cards, dormitories, work meetings and juvenile workers were being breached at the Pegatron factories…Exhausted workers were filmed falling asleep on their 12-hour shifts at the Pegatron factories on the outskirts of Shanghai… One undercover reporter, working in a factory making parts for Apple computers, had to work 18 days in a row despite repeated requests for a day off....

Apple has today added a new guideline to the App Store Review Guidelines, the first clause specifically targeted at Apple Watch development. This rule that Watch apps that only tell time will be rejected has actually been enforced since Apple started accepting WatchKit submissions as many developers complained to find their apps had been rejected for this reason. The documentation change now formalizes this rule into an official policy. The Apple Watch does not currently allow third-parties to create custom watch faces....

As is tradition, Apple will be shutting down App Store Connect for the holidays in December. This year sees the same dates as past years for downtime that developers will want to plan app submissions around. Like previous years, Apple will be shutting down App Store Connect during the week of Christmas from December 23-27. Apple shared the news on its developer site today: Apple Store Black Friday: get up to $150 gift card with purchase of iPhone, iPad, Mac and more Best Black Friday Apple Deals: AirPods with Qi Case $150, Apple TV deals from $122, more Apple unveils holiday gift guide featuring iPhone 12 and more, opens holiday return window The busiest season on the App Store is almost here....

We are getting reports that Apple Stores are receiving packages that aren’t to be opened until Tuesday. Perhaps they are fluffy little iClouds – or maybe new Airport adverts? Or, yes, Lion and iOS 5 Thanks Jmfm! A new Apple store to open near the North Carolina iTunes super datacenter by year’s end (9to5mac.com) AirPort, Time Capsule out of stock at some Apple Stores (9to5mac.com) The iconic Fifth Avenue Apple Store is New York’s top photo attraction (9to5mac....

Apple is promoting Hour of Code at its retail stores next week for the fifth year running with free coding classes for kids. Apple is also rolling out a new Swift Playgrounds challenge for Hour of Code to promote the company’s developer language using its educational iPad app. Registration for the free Apple Store workshops is now open with sessions available December 4 through 10. For Swift Playgrounds on iPad, you can use the Hour of Code challenge to create a digital robot “with new parts including cyborg eyes and electric hula hoop arms” from anywhere....

Apple is taking legal action against its former materials lead, Simon Lancaster, over allegedly leaking trade secrets to the media. The lawsuit accuses Lancaster of abusing his “position and trust within the company to systematically disseminate Apple’s sensitive trade secret information in an effort to obtain personal benefits.” The court document detailing the lawsuit was made public on Thursday. Lancaster allegedly used his senior role at Apple to “gain access to internal meetings and documents outside the scope” of his job as materials lead at Apple....

Apple is continuing to take advantage of low interest rates and bond sales to fund its giant stock buyback program. The Financial Times reports that Apple is preparing its third bond sale of the year to the tune of $7 billion: Apple has already announced a $12 billion bond program in February as well as a $1 billion bond sale in Taiwan last month. Apple has previously done bonds in the US, Japan and Australia to avoid repatriating overseas funds at higher-than-desired tax rates....

Apple today released an update for Final Cut Pro X that addresses a couple of annoying bugs that some users may have been experiencing. Version 10.4.2 of Final Cut Pro X arrives three weeks after version 10.4.1, a major update that brought about new features like closed captioning workflows and ProRes RAW support. Version 10.4.2 addresses two specific bugs that may have plagued some users: Bug fix number one fixes an issue related to selecting multiple clips on the timeline using the Shift key or when using a marquee selection....

That new iOS 11.3 beta from Monday? It’s already out of date. In a special Friday release, Apple has seeded iOS 11.3 beta 6 to registered developers to test on iPhone and iPad. We’ll dig in to the new version and detail any changes below. (Update: iOS 11.3 beta 6 is also now available for public beta testers too.) Beta 1 4 new Animoji on iPhone X: Lion, Skull, Bear, and Dragon ARKit 1....

Update to iOS 7.1.2 To make sure you get the update, go to Settings > General > Software Update and download the update. On my iPad mini with Retina display (16 GB version), I wasn’t able to install it at first because it needs 1.5 GB of storage space available. If this happens to you, tap on Usage Settings, and you’ll get a list of all the apps installed on your device and the amount of space they are taking....

Roughly two weeks after the previous build with Apple Music support included, Apple has released iOS 9 beta 4 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to registered developers. iOS 9 includes new or redesigned built-in apps including the Flipboard-like News app and an overhauled Notes app, powerful iPad multitasking features, and a new system feature built around search and intelligence called Proactive. The previous beta included the first look at Apple’s News app, support for Apple Music and Beats 1, and other changes including Screenshots and Selfies albums in Photos and 4×4 app folders on the iPad....

Apple has released a supplemental security update to OS X El Capitan, the version prior to macOS Sierra. The update weighs in at 623.9MB and can be found in the Mac App Store on compatible machines. Today’s supplemental security update pushes a fix to El Capitan to help mitigate a kernel issue where the Mac would occasionally become unresponsive. Users currently running OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 can find Security Update 2016-003 in their Mac App Store Updates tab....

Following yesterday’s misfire on the public beta channel, Apple has released OS X El Capitan Beta 7 (build 15A263e) to developers. The fifth public beta has also returned after being pulled yesterday afternoon. That version comes with a build number of 15A262e, which puts it a few builds ahead of yesterday’s. The developer update is available in the updates tab of the Mac App Store and will be on the Developer Center shortly....

Further pushing toward the idea of a plugin-free internet, Apple has issued an update to Java for OS X that removes the Java applet plugin. Attempting to use a Java applet through any OS X web browser will now prompt users to download the latest version directly from Java maker Oracle. This is not the first time Apple has stopped shipping a specific browser plugin with their computers. With OS X Lion, users discovered that their Macs no longer came with Adobe’s oft-derided Flash Player plugin due to its instability and security issues....

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts is set to appear as a featured speaker at this year’s Global Retailing Conference scheduled for next month in Tucson, Arizona. Ahrendts has led Apple’s retail and online stores since leaving her CEO position at Burberry between 2013 and 2014. Here’s how the Global Retailing Conference (via @setteBIT) is described: Macy’s CEO Terry J. Lundgren will moderate this year’s discussion at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort on April 20 and 21....

Apple just announced its fiscal third quarter earnings and as usual offered some stats on progress since last checking in. Among the notables: the company’s revenue in China is up 112%, it returned $13 billion to shareholders through its capital return program, and it sold a record number of iPhones and Macs during the quarter. The company, citing its own research, noted that users switching from Android to iPhone was at an all-time high, while giving us some insight into Apple Watch usage....