Apple has released the tvOS 10.1.1 software update for Apple TV. tvOS 10.1.1 is likely a software update focused on bug fixes and performance improvements. tvOS 10.1 was a feature update that included the new TV app for the first time. Release notes for tvOS 10.1 listed these changes: Apple TV Software Update 10.1 TV app: Discover new content or pick up where you left off in a current show or movie—all in one unified place....

Apple has added a second Apple Watch manufacturer, according to China’s EDN (via Digitimes). The report claims that this is in part to boost total production capacity in the light of ‘an optimistic sales outlook for the device’ … Quanta Computer currently has an exclusive contract to make the Watches. It should be noted that supply chain reports tend to be more reliable on the ‘what’ rather than the ‘why.’ Suppliers would not be privy to Apple’s reasons for the move....

We told you earlier this week that Apple would send for the first time one of its employees, a manager for the platform security team, Dallas De Atley, to speak at the Black Hat conference on iOS security. Unfortunately, while many hoped we would get an inside look at iOS security technologies, a wrap up of the event from The New York Times described the talk as “the equivalent of reading aloud a white paper, timed to a PowerPoint deck, before escaping out a side door....

My 2018 iPad Pro was hardly in need of a revival last week, but that’s exactly what Apple delivered for it. I have the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 256GB of storage and built-in cellular for internet access almost anywhere. The full-screen design and build quality are unbeatable even now. Speed-wise, its performance still outpaces my needs for a tablet. But sometimes a new accessory comes along that dramatically improves the product for which it’s made....

Apple has announced that it’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will begin this year on 2nd June, running for five days. Apple today announced that it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) June 2 through June 6 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. At this year’s five-day conference, developers from around the world will learn about the future of iOS and OS X®, giving them the latest tools and technologies to continue creating the most innovative apps for the millions of iOS and Mac® customers worldwide....

While Apple introduced its App Transport Security feature in iOS 9, which ensured that all connections between apps and servers must be encrypted, it wasn’t compulsory for developers to use it – and Google even helped them disable it. All this will end on January 1st next year, reports TechCrunch, when Apple will require all apps to use HTTPS connections to servers to ensure that only encrypted data is transmitted …...

Apple Pay has launched in three more countries in the last month or so, and a local site suggests that the Czech Republic may be joining the list within the next couple of months … SmartMania cites sources saying that it’s coming to Moneta Money Bank soon, with a planned launch date sometime in August. The site says this supports a previous investor note which showed Apple Pay in a schedule document, though that wasn’t a very specific one, simply showing that it listed for sometime in the early Q1 to early Q3 timeframe....

Apple’s 505th retail store will soon open in the Chinese city of Suzhou. While a date and time for the grand opening have not yet been announced, construction at the new space has wrapped just in time for the launch of new iPhone and Apple Watch models set to be announced next week. Located just west of Shanghai, Suzhou is a wealthy and rapidly growing business hub. Apple’s newest store will be nestled at the foot of the Gate to the East, a uniquely arched skyscraper and Suzhou’s tallest building....

Apple has released iOS 11 developer beta 4 for developers on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 11 brings new features like drag-and-drop and a redesigned multitasking interface for iPad, a new customizable Control Center, and much more. Changes below: iOS 11 beta 4 is currently only available to registered developers for now. Apple typically holds new public beta versions for a few days for major updates. Apple’s previous iOS 11 beta introduced refinements to Notification Center, changes to multitasking on iPad, new TV Provider placeholder listings, and other minor tweaks....

Apple is continuing the beta testing process for macOS 11 Big Sur today with the release of the sixth developer beta. Today’s update continues to refine the macOS 11 Big Sur experience ahead of its public release later this fall. Developers can update to the sixth beta of macOS Big Sur by heading to the System Preferences application, then looking for the Software Update option. If you don’t immediately see macOS Big Sur beta 5 available for download, keep checking as the update is still rolling out and could take a while to hit your Mac....

Apple has released the second developer beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 today, and it includes a major change to how macOS manages MacBook charging. The Battery Health Management feature aims to improve the long-term battery health of a MacBook. Jason Snell at Six Colors first reported on this new feature. The goal of the change is to “reduce the rate of chemical aging of the MacBook’s battery, thereby extending its long-term lifespan,” but without compromising battery life....

A long-running patent dispute between Apple and mobile comms pioneer Ericsson dating has been settled, said the Swedish company, announcing that a license deal for its 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE patents had been reached. The amount Apple agreed to pay for use of the patented technology has not been disclosed, but Reuters cited an estimate in an investment note from a Nordic bank. The two companies have been in dispute since 2012....

In an interesting development, Pitchfork reports that Apple is making music videos for artists in-house. It claims the music videos for Pharrell William’s ‘Freedom’, Drake’s ‘Energy’ and Eminem’s ‘Phenomenal’ were all made by Apple content studios. These artists have certainly helped with the Apple Music launch (with both Pharrell and Drake having their own radio show on Beats 1) so it wouldn’t be out of the question that Apple is ‘compensating’ them with produced music videos....

Less than a month away from the Apple vs. Epic trial, Facebook is getting involved. According to a letter filed with the court, Apple requested some documents from Facebook, but Facebook doesn’t want to provide them. Since Facebook’s VP of gaming Vivek Sharma is set to testify on behalf of Epic, Apple is asking for more than 17,000 documents related to Sharma that the company finds relevant for the case, which Facebook responded as an “untimely, unfair, and unjustified request to redo fact discovery....

Apple is rolling out the second iOS 10.3 beta for developer testing on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The upcoming software update includes Find My AirPods support, CarPlay improvements, Apple’s new filesystem, and more. We’ll update and highlight any changes discovered below. iOS 10.3 is currently only available in beta for registered developers and public beta testers. The public beta version of each update usually follows a few days after the developer version if not the same day....

Apple today has continued its rollout of transit support in Apple Maps. The company has now started to roll the feature out in Buffalo, New York… With transit support, iOS users in Buffalo can now use Apple Maps to quickly find trains, buses, and various other forms of transportation directly from the app. Apple Maps originally launched support for transit directions in 2014, starting with Baltimore, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, and a slew of cities in China....

Apple’s latest iPad Pros are $100 off in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break, along with deals on 2020 Retina 5K iMacs, and the first discount on the Sonos Five speaker. Head below for all that and more. Take $100 off Apple’s latest iPad Pros Apple’s 2020 iPad Pro features a new camera system with 12 and 10MP lenses and a LiDAR scanner support on the back. Face ID is another standout here, doing away with any physical buttons for an even sleeker design....

Apple is holding its annual September event in less than an hour, where we expect new Apple Watch hardware, an all-new iPad Air 4, and more. Read on as we round up all of the news from Apple’s September ‘Time Flies’ event as it happens! What to expect during Apple’s September event | While a September Apple event usually means the iPhone debut is imminent, that’s not the case this year....

Image via MacRumors Apple has stopped offering TV show rentals through iTunes today, Apple has confirmed to AllThingsD. Now that TV show rentals – which Apple heavily pushed for prior to the launch of the second-generation Apple TV – are missing, users can only purchase a full episodes. The advantage of full episodes of the $0.99 rentals is the ability to re-watch the episode an unlimited amount of times, for just a dollar more than the formally existing rental price....

Apple is offering visitors to its stores across the world an opportunity to watch March 25th’s Special Event with friends and other Apple fans on the big screen. Stores with Video Walls will host special Today at Apple sessions to livestream the keynote from Steve Jobs Theater. Like last October’s event held at Brooklyn’s Howard Gilman Opera House, anyone can sign up for free to attend the keynote stream at a participating Apple Store....