Apple has released new beta versions of iOS and tvOS for developer testing. iOS and tvOS 11.2.5 beta 6 are now available on the developer center and over-the-air. We’ll update to the latest versions and note any changes below. The latest beta follows the official release of iOS 11.2.2 for iPhone and iPad. We haven’t seen version numbers in between the official release and the beta release (so maybe these are placeholder numbers pending additional bug fix updates)....

You see them worn by people desperately wanting to ignore you and live in their own blissful bubble. It seems as if you’re not of the modern world unless you have the unfinished earrings known as AirPods inserted into your very being. At first, they seemed a little strange. But Apple types swiftly committed themselves to constant AirPod wearing. So much so that, in one infamously informative survey, 17% of AirPod owners insisted they kept them on during coital conflagration....

Apple’s claim that mobile chipmaker Qualcomm has for years been engaged in monopolistic behaviour got a boost today from a Taiwanese ruling. An investigation by Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission ruled that Qualcomm has been violating antitrust rules for at least seven years … Bloomberg reports that the commission levied a $773M fine on the company. Qualcomm owns the rights to a number of radio technologies that are an essential element of any modern mobile phone....

Siri has gotten its fair share of scrutiny over the years, with many believing it’s falling behind in the smart assistant game despite being the first major company to market with the technology. Bill Stasior, who was responsible for Siri over the last seven years, has recently left the company. According to a report from The Information, Stasior joined the Siri team in 2012, focusing on leading the group. This was after two of Siri’s creators had left the team, however, they remained at Apple working on other projects....

While the Xserve will be officially discontinued next week, Apple has updated the Xserve buy page to reflect an April shipping date. This could very well mean that the product’s final orders will only ship in April of this year, or could simply be an automated date based on the amount of units Apple has in stock. Apple is looking to replace the Xserve for business customers with their already existing Mac mini server product and the new Mac Pro server....

It seems Apple’s supply of the iPhone 5 is finally keeping up with the demand — or demand is lower due to the Android competition. And now you can get the phone without the hassles of a carrier contract. To get one, go to iPhone’s 5’s page on the Apple Store and choose a color — black or white. Then scroll past the prices for the smartphone with a wireless service plan and click “Or get iPhone unlocked and contract-free”....

Apple is making some big changes as it seeks to focus more on Services revenue at a time when it’s struggling to grow its hardware business. The company has set itself a goal of generating $50B per year from Services by 2020. How successful it will be in using Services to replace lost hardware revenue is the key question, and commentators are pointing to a mix of good and bad news …...

On its Newsroom website today, Apple is sharing the story of an Apple team member who is “giving people in need new beginnings.” The story specifically focuses on the Saints of Steel nonprofit. The Saints of Steel nonprofit was founded by Jaz Limos, the manager of the Apple Park Visitor Center. Saints of Steel is a nonprofit pop-up barber shop and makeover event, designed for people looking for “employment, housing, and a fresh start....

Alongside officially announcing details for its Word Wide Developer Conference, Apple this evening has launched an entirely redesigned webpage with guides on how to make “great apps for the App Store.” On the webpage, Apple details how interested users can join the Apple Developer Program, manage applications, promote applications, and much more. The App Store makes it simple for users around the world to discover, download and enjoy your apps. Grow your business with resources designed to help you create great apps and reach more users....

Apple has declared that Apple Pay is off to a “great start” almost a year after its launch with the company seeing steady growth in Apple Pay transactions every month. In a statement to Bloomberg, the company said: Apple Pay launched last year with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the US. The service expanded to the UK a few months ago. In Apple’s January investor call, Cook claimed 2015 was “the year of Apple Pay”....

Following IDC’s report this morning that highlighted Apple’s continued growth among mobile phone marketshare worldwide, while coming second to Samsung in global smartphone marketshare, research firm comScore just released its numbers for United States mobile subscribers for the three-month period ending March 2012. According to comScore, Apple posted impressive growth during the quarter with 30.7-percent marketshare among smartphone platforms in the U.S (up from 29.6-percent). Increasing from 47.3-percent in December 2011 to 51 percent in March 2012, Android was able to grab the top position for platforms during the quarter....

Apple has issued a fifth developer and public beta release of iOS 9.3.3 ahead of its general release. iOS 9.3.3 beta 5 follows the last build issued a week ago which suggests a general release will soon follow. Apple is likely testing iOS 9.3.3 heavily as it could be the last version of iOS 9 before iOS 10 is released later this fall. OS X 10.11.6 and tvOS 9.2.2 updates to the Mac and Apple TV have also been in development over the last several weeks as macOS 10....

Apple is releasing the first beta of iOS 14.2 to public beta testers today. This comes after the release to developers last week, as well as last week’s release of iOS 14 to everyone. iOS 14.2 includes a few notable changes for iPhone users. In iOS 14.2 beta 1, there are revamped now playing controls on the lock screen alongside redesigned AirPlay 2 controls in the Control Center. Another one of the new changes in iOS 14....

After first teasing it last December and releasing it in beta at WWDC, Apple’s new ‘Apple TV Remote’ app for the new Apple TV is now available to download from the App Store. The app can replace previous Remote app that lacked support for some of the new features on the fourth-gen Apple TV, although it’s missing a few features in the initial version. For example, the new Apple TV Remote app isn’t available as an iPad-optimized app and you won’t find the same Home Sharing features that let you control iTunes on a Mac....

Apple has released the watchOS 3.1.3 software update for all Apple Watch users. The release notes confirm that the update is focused on bug fixes and performance improvements as suggested by the version number. watchOS 3.1.1 was the previous public version of the Apple Watch operating system, although the update was temporarily pulled after issues with bricking certain hardware. watchOS 3.1.3 is the current version, and a watchOS 3.1.2 update was not released....

While all eyes are on the iPhone 8/Edition due to be announced next week, Apple is of course already working on next year’s models. A supply-chain report hints at one new feature: a camera offering more than 12MP resolution … The Digitimes report claims that Apple has already placed orders for the higher-resolution camera modules. However, the timing rules out use in this year’s iPhones. The report says that small-volume production will begin in October, and ramp up into Q4....

In its latest original content efforts, Apple is working on closing a deal to turn the film Time Bandits into a TV series. As reported by Deadline, the show will be co-produced by Anonymous Content, Paramount Television, and Media Rights Capital. The report doesn’t give much more information beyond that, but that’s expected. Especially, if the company is still working on closing the deal and has yet to start production....

Following the attempted breach into Apple’s iOS and Mac Developer Center and its subsequent closing, Apple has posted an iCloud-like Status Page so developers can track Apple’s work for re-implementing Developer Portal Features. Additionally, Apple has outlined its approach to restoring these features. Apple will first restore Certificates and Provisioning, forums, bug reporting, documentation, and videos so that developers can continue developing apps at their old pace. Later, the iOS, Mac, and Xcode seeds will become available for download online....

The eventual resolution of last year’s big patent trial between Apple and Samsung is one step closer after Samsung was denied a retrial over one of the patents concerned: the ‘bounce-back’ or ‘rubber-banding’ effect when a user scrolls past the end of a document. At the trial, which concluded a year ago tomorrow, each company accused the other of infringing on a range of patents … The jury found that Apple didn’t infringe any of Samsung’s patents, while Samsung was found to have wilfully infringed five of Apple’s patents, including Patent ‘381: the rubber-banding effect....

Bono’s (Product)RED charity, which Apple contributes to by selling special red versions of iOS devices and accessories, today announced Apple’s contributions to the charity have reached $70 million. Back in September, the charity announced that Apple’s contributions had reached $65 million making it the largest contributor out of participating companies donating portions of profits from products sold under the (Product)Red branding. Apple currently sells red versions of the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPad Smart Cover, and iPhone cases under the (PRODUCT)RED branding....