Apple has released iOS 14.5 beta 6 to developers, coming one week after the release of beta 5. iOS 14.5 packs a variety of new features including the ability to unlock your iPhone using Apple Watch. It’s expected to be released to the public as soon as sometime in April. Today’s update includes major changes to Siri: starting with iOS 14.5 Siri will no longer default to a female voice....

This year marks the first time Apple has offered a public beta for the latest Apple Watch software. Following the watchOS 7 public beta debut last week, Apple has released beta 2 of the public build today. If you’re already enrolled in the watchOS 7 public beta, you can find the update by heading to the Watch app on your iPhone > General > Software Update. Keep checking back if you don’t see beta 2 right away as it’s still rolling out to devices....

Apple is rolling out the sixth watchOS 3.2 beta for developer testing on Apple Watch. watchOS 3.2 beta includes Theater Mode which disables raise-to-wake and mutes alerts. Apple is also introducing SiriKit to Apple Watch with watchOS 3.2 beta. SiriKit lets developers integrate their apps with Siri for select uses. Prior to watchOS 3.2 beta, SiriKit was limited to iOS apps. As for Theater Mode, this is how Apple describes the new feature:...

Alongside the release of iOS 14.5 beta 2 today, Apple is also releasing the second developer beta of watchOS 7.4. This update includes the corresponding watchOS features to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch while wearing a mask. To enable the Unlock with Apple Watch feature, open the Settings app on your iPhone, then look for the “Face ID & Passcode” setting. Once you flip this toggle, your Apple Watch will be able to authenticate your iPhone as long as the following conditions are met:...

Apple’s machine learning efforts have been highlighted in the past, but the company’s artificial intelligence director dove deeper during a speech this week. As outlined by Wired, Ruslan Salakhutdinov took the stage to offer a closer look at how Apple is using machine learning… Salakhutdinov’s speech was at a machine learning conference called NIPS, which has been held for the last thirty-one years and has grown exponentially over recent years, attracting 8,000 people this year....

Following today’s Keynote address, Apple has updated its refurbished storefront with several price drops and new listings. The most notable savings can be found on previous-generation iPhone and iPad models. Apple Watch Series 3 is also seeing reduced pricing. As always, this is a great way to save further on Apple devices, as each listing comes with a full warranty, original accessories, and eligibility for Apple Care. Many of today’s price drops are reflected on legacy products, including iPhone 7 and 8 along with the 6th-generation iPad....

As it always does ahead of earnings season, Apple today updated its Investor Relations webpage to announce that it will hold its Q3 2017 earnings call on Tuesday, August 1st, 2017. The call will be held at 2PM PT/5PM ET with the earnings release dropping 30 minutes before that… Apple’s third quarter earnings release follow a strong performance in Q2, which saw the company bring in revenue of $52.9 billion on sales of 50....

Today’s special Apple event can already be replayed on Apple’s website and on the company’s official YouTube channel, as well as the videos of new products. Apple announced during its September 2020 event the 8th generation iPad, 4th generation iPad Air, Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, Apple One subscription bundle, software updates, and more. This was Apple’s second totally online event following WWDC 2020 in June, as the press was unable to attend the event in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic....

Apple Arcade is leveling up in Apple Stores across the world with eye-catching new displays and a sharper focus on accessories to enhance the gaming experience. The new merchandising designs began appearing today at Apple’s latest stores in countries where Apple Arcade is available. Apple Stores have featured a kids and gaming Avenue for several years, long before Apple Arcade was announced. The display began as a place to highlight gaming accessories for iPad and Apple TV and evolved into a hub for learning and coding accessories and iOS-connected toys....

Apple updated its “Cards” app for creating and sending physical greeting cards that originally launched in October of last year at the iPhone 4S unveiling. Included in version 1.1 of the iOS app are new letterpress cards for Mother’s Day, which are just in time for the holiday that is celebrated in most countries during April or May (May 13 in the United States this year). Other additions include “Get Well” cards, new designs for birthdays, thank yous, and other categories....

Apple has shared two new videos highlighting how to use its new Portrait Lighting feature that iPhone 8 Plus and soon-to-be iPhone X customers can use. The short how to videos are in the same style as Apple’s other recent Apple Pay videos with clear, simple steps explained with text and screenshot footage with punchy, upbeat electronic music. The new videos are called ‘How to shoot with Portrait Lighting on iPhone 8 Plus’ and ‘How to edit Portrait Lighting effects on iPhone 8 Plus’ and are about forty seconds long each....

Apple has sent an email to customers who recently made in-app purchases on their iOS devices informing them that any purchases made by a minor were subject to a refund. This is the latest in a series of steps Apple has taken to ensure that children do not make unauthorized purchases on a parent’s device or iTunes account. The email tells customers that if they suspect a purchase was made by a minor, they can request a refund by logging into their iTunes account and reporting a problem with the purchase:...

The beta testing process of macOS 11 Big Sur continues today, with Apple releasing the tenth beta of the operating system to developers. This comes as we inch closer towards a final public release of Big Sur, perhaps as early as next month. Developers can update to the tenth beta of macOS Big Sur by heading to the System Preferences application, then looking for the Software Update option. Safari in macOS Big Sur beta 4 now supports 4K YouTube video stream Apple adds Apple Pay support for Catalyst apps with macOS Big Sur beta 2 Hands-on: 85+ new macOS Big Sur changes and features [Video] Here’s a first look at the new Control Center and widgets on macOS Big Sur New in macOS 11....

At last night’s ADC Awards in New York City, Apple was honored for their work on last May’s ‘Barbers’ ad, a 1-minute piece promoting Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus. Each year, the ADC (Art Directors Club of New York) celebrates leaders in creative communications. The most prestigious award given is the Black Cube for Best In Show. Apple and production company Furlined not only picked up the Black Cube, but a Gold Cube award for Best In Motion And Film Craft as well....

Apple’s annual Back to School sale in Australia and New Zealand has gone live with a promotion for qualifying students to receive Apple Store credit with the purchase of a Mac, iPad, or iPhone. Similar to last year, the Back to School sale includes the usual education pricing on Macs and iPads, but this year Apple is including Apple Store gift cards rather than App Store gift cards like last year....

Update: 2013 FileMaker Developer Conference registration now open. Apple subsidiary FileMaker Inc. announced today that its FileMaker Go iPhone and iPad apps have surpassed 500,000 downloads. FileMaker’s Vice President of Marketing and Services, Ryan Rosenberg, said the milestone “demonstrates FileMaker’s position as a leading platform for development and deployment of custom business solutions for iOS,” noting businesses are using FileMaker to “manage everything from sales contacts to medical information on iPads and iPhones....

Patently Apple analyzed a new patent application from Apple from last week which details several improvements for children’s books in iBooks through the use of new gestures: You could also press and hold a beginning and last word in a phrase to bring up the presentation of media content related to the phrase. Still images could be used to explain nouns and short clips would illustrate and define verbs, the document states....

In Taipei, Apple is putting the finishing touches on its second official Taiwanese retail store. After opening its first location on the island in 2017 at Taipei 101, Apple is expanding outdoors with an open pavilion at street level in the Xinyi District of Taipei. Overnight, promotional graphics were installed on the building teasing its imminent arrival and name: Apple Xinyi A13. 10 minutes from Taipei 101 on foot is the Far Eastern Group’s Xinyi A13 shopping mall, a massive new retail endeavor that has been under construction since 2016 and in planning for many years longer....

Gartner is today out with a report detailing its estimates for Q2 2013 global and U.S. PC shipments. Globally, the industry average for shipments is down 10.9%. This is the fifth consecutive decline for this specific metric. Gartner doesn’t specify Apple’s estimated numbers in the first table, but does pin the company up against other computer makers in terms of U.S.-based shipments. As can be seen in the table (above), Apple’s estimated shipments are down 4....

The latest update to Apple’s WWDC app includes new features for iOS 10, tvOS 10, and watchOS 3. Apple’s developer conference app now works with Dark Mode on the Apple TV when running tvOS 10. The change should reflect whichever mode the Home screen is using which you can set with Siri or in the Settings app. The WWDC app also supports more 3D Touch interactions for iPhone 6s and later, plus you can now use filters to find locally stored videos and videos you haven’t viewed yet....