Apple earlier this week seeded macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 beta 2 to developers, and today the company has issued an update to beta 2. The original second beta was labeled 17E150f, but the newer version from today is 17E150g. It’s unclear as to why Apple has pushed out an updated version and there haven’t been any reported major bugs in this release so far. For those who are already on the beta, an update can be found by heading to the Mac App Store....

Apple is reportedly telling its supply chain partners to expect in excess of 100 million orders for the iPhone 12 next year, as reported by Digitimes. For 2019, the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro is expected to sell around 80 million units. A jump to 100 million or more would represent a significant increase in sales demand. This level of customer interest is apparently fueled by the 5G ‘super cycle’ although the iPhone 12 is also expected to feature significant hardware upgrades compared to the last couple of years....

Apple currently has only one other Apple Store in New York City outside of Manhattan that is located in Staten Island. Things could change, however, according to a new report from NY Daily News that clamed retail developer Yeheskel Elia is working with Apple to bring an “iconic store” to Queens, New York. The specific location of the store would be Austin Street in Forest Hills. Nothing is official because Elia and Apple are still working on more details....

Today’s best deals include Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro at $1,879, plus iPhone XR sees a rare discount, and Apple Watch bands are discounted, too. Hit the jump for all that and more in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Apple Watch Bands from $13 Pad & Quill takes 20% off leather Apple Watch bands Just after Apple unleashed its next-generation wearables, Pad & Quill is offering some solid deals on its leather Apple Watch bands....

Update (9/10 7:30am): Apple has posted the entire 2 hour 4 minute Keynote as a free HD video download (1.40GB) on iTunes. Update (9/9 7:50pm): It’s back! Update (9/9 7:00pm): Looks like Apple is having even more issues with the stream. We’ll let you know when it’s back. This morning’s iPhone 6 and Apple Watch unveiling is now available for replay. There’s no doubt you probably missed a large chunk of the presentation due to video dropouts and random translators talking over presenters....

iPhone and iPad The operating system updates in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 share many of the same design changes across both platforms. Most of these UI changes focus on shrinking borders and pop-ups and giving the space to other processes. The result is a more refined look that better maximizes the screen. Key Changes The next time you receive a phone call on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll notice the banner no longer takes over the entire screen....

Apple today announced a new accessibility service called SignTime coming to Apple Store and Apple Support customers. The service will connect people with AppleCare and Retail Customer Care teams using sign language. SignTime launches May 20. Apple says SignTime will be available in American Sign Language (ASL) in the US, British Sign Language (BSL) in the UK, or French Sign Language (LSF) in France. Sessions connect within a web browser....

Our sources nailed it. What is being referred to as Apple Store 2.0 internally has officially launched Down Under. Australia is close to a day ahead of us in the United States. Just like we told you, paper signs and information cards have been swiped from Apple’s wood tables and have been replaced with super-interactive iPad 2s. These specially equipped tablets provide a simple and easy-use-view into the product right beside it....

You can now make purchases from the Apple Store with just a few taps on your wrist. The latest version of the Apple Store app for Apple Watch lets you actually purchase accessories that you’ve favorited from your account. You can favorite items from Apple’s website or the Apple Store app for iPhone and iPad. Payments are made using Apple Pay right on the Apple Watch. The new feature doesn’t apply to Macs and other high dollar products; purchasing from the favorites section is limited to just accessories for now....

A series of weekend Apple Store closures in Italy are being implemented as the country struggles to contain the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. Italy has suffered the second-highest number of deaths after China. Three Italian Apple Stores were closed last weekend, and another one has been announced for the upcoming weekend after a government decree … AppleInsider spotted tweets by setteBIT. We learned yesterday that Apple has been installing hand sanitizers at store entrances, as well as heavily restricting staff travel....

Of the upcoming Apple TV+ original series available at launch, For All Mankind looks as though it could be a crossover hit, as the new trailer for the series offers greater detail of its alt-history designs. The space race drama from executive producer Ron D. Moore sees the Battlestar Galactica and Outlander mastermind turn his sights to American history, and how the United States’ identity and collective worldview would have been forever changed had Russia been the first country to successfully land a man on the moon....

What is Apple Pay? First introduced in 2014, Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service that’s available to use on multiple devices, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and select Macs. To use Apple Pay, your bank or issuer must support it and the service must be available in your country. Apple Pay serves various functions, including making payments in stores and within apps, on the web in Safari, and person to person....

Apple has released a new environment focused video today in the same style as those shown off last month celebrating Earth Day. The previously shared videos discussed the company’s environmental efforts and the science behind it all. The comical illustrations featured Apple Execs like Vice President Lisa Jackson. Today’s video re-illustrates LIAM, Apple’s environmental robot that takes apart iPhone components for recycling. Titled “Does my iPhone believe in Reincarnation,” Lisa Jackson, Sarah Chandler, and TJ Tyler of Apple’s Environmental Initiatives explain the goal with the recycling system:...

Apple has today announced that it is removing the Catalogs category, as well as the Educational and Dice subcategory (under Games) from the App Store. Apple has sent out emails to developers who are affected by this change, those that have apps currently listed under the Catalogs category or Dice subcategory. Apps currently listed under the Educational or Dice subcategory of Games will simply be found under the generic Games category, unless developers choose an alternate subcategory....

Apple’s worldwide digital music sales through iTunes have dropped up as much as 14% in 2014, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal citing sources close to the situation. That’s a big decrease, as the report points out, when compared to data available for digital sales last year: The dive in download sales is stark compared with a much shallower dip last year. Global revenue from downloads fell 2....

The rivalry between Apple and Samsung may be about to intensify: the WSJ reports that the iPhone maker is considering opening up an Apple Store very close to Samsung’s HQ in Seoul, South Korea. Perhaps very close indeed! The move could be a very smart one for Apple … Apple looked at sites across the street from the Samsung ’s longtime headquarters in Seoul, according to people familiar with the matter....

MacRumors has discovered a new addition to the iTunes App Store update page and that is a new sentence hinting at an upcoming feature called Automatic Download. The greater meaning of Automatic Download is not completely clear at this point but it seems as if Apple will give iOS users the option to have their iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch automatically download and install App Store app updates. The leak also hints at this being an option, so perhaps Apple has an iOS update up its sleeve for an imminent release....

Image courtesy of The Verge Apple’s Phil Schiller has just announced the iPhone 4S, which is both GSM and CDMA compatible, sports the new dual-core A5 chip, a redesigned 8-megapixel camera system, and the graphics are up to 7 times faster than the previous iPhone. Full details below. As part of the new camera system, you can now record 1080p HD video with real-time video image stabilization, and real-time temporal noise reduction....

Going seemingly under the radar, Apple has quietly killed off its the Modern Buckle Apple Watch band entirely. Looking at Apple’s Watch band page now, it is no longer selling the band at all. Apple routinely updates its Apple Watch band lineup, usually for the new season, killing off old colors while introducing new, fresh colors. Sometimes even bringing in a brand new material. However, this is the first time we’ve seen Apple kill off a material entirely....

Apple ranks in at number 5 on the latest Fortune 500, the annual list that ranks US companies by revenue, this time for fiscal year 2014. The company maintains its same position as last year behind Berkshire Hathaway (no. 4), Chevron (no. 3), Exxon Mobil (no. 2), and Wal-Mart Stores (no. 1). While Apple comes in at fifth place for revenue, Fortune notes that it “boasts both the biggest profits of any company on the list ($39....