Alongside the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, today also marks the first day of availability for the new iPad Air. To celebrate the latest iPad Air, Apple has shared a new video on YouTube promoting the device’s features and color selection. The video first premiered during the iPad Air’s announcement event. Apple says: The new iPad Air was announced last month alongside the Apple Watch Series 6, but it wasn’t actually released for pre-order until last week....

Apple has released an updated build of the OS X 10.10.3 beta for both developers and public beta testers. The latest build is the same for both: 14D113C. Developers, however, also have access to Yosemite Recovery Update 3.0. OS X 10.10.3 includes the brand new Photos app which replaces both iPhoto and Aperture with support for iCloud Photo Libraries and an overhauled design. The first public beta for OS X 10....

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iui_BLtj4wg] One of our readers took it upon himself to jailbreak one of the Apple Store iPad 2 Smart Signs (video above). If you aren’t familiar, the Smart Sign is the iPad in front of each Apple product. As we revealed earlier this year, this sign explains and provides specifications for the product it sits beside. Customers are not able to actually use this iPad for anything but the Smart Sign application, but with the right top-secret gesture anything is possible....

Apple Pay is now available from over 40 more banks and credit unions around the United States as part of the latest expansion wave. Apple’s mobile payment service launched just over two years ago with hundreds of additional regional banks and credit unions added every few weeks. You can find the latest banks added below. America First Credit Union American Bank & Trust Company Ascentra Credit Union Associated School Employees Credit Union Banc of California Beaver Valley Federal Credit Union Bofl Federal Bank Carolina Federal Credit Union Central Bank (AR) Central Maine Credit Union Citizens State Bank of New Castle Direct Federal Credit Union East Boston Savings Bank FBT Bank First Exchange Bank First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust First National Bank & Trust Company of Weatherford First Northern Bank of Wyoming FNB Bank Freedom First Gateway State Bank Gulf Coast Community Federal Credit Union Hanmi Bank Kinderhook Bank NCPD Federal Credit Union New York Community Bank Northland Area Federal Credit Union Olympia Federal Savings Santander Bank South Atlantic Bank Southern First Bank Texana Bank True Sky Credit Union TrustBank Two Rivers Bank (IA) Two Rivers Bank (NE) UBI Federal Credit Union United American Bank Valwood Park Federal Credit Union Washington Area Teachers Federal Credit Union WashingtonFirst Bank WesBanco Bank Western States Bank As for new businesses, we wrote last year about the opportunities to expand support in the United States at many retail categories based on reader feedback....

Apple Pay has been growing at a brisk pace recently, and Tim Cook is making a point to emphasize that fact. During Apple’s Q4 2019 earnings call today, Cook touted that revenue and transactions for Apple Pay doubled year-over-year as the service continues to outpace PayPal. During Apple’s Q3 2019 earnings call earlier this year, Cook pointed out that Apple Pay was growing faster than PayPal. This time around, Cook continued that comparison – but with some more data....

With yesterday’s release of iOS 14.3, Apple officially rolled out its new ProRAW photo format to iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max users. Travel photographer Austin Mann has now published an in-depth look at the new ProRAW photo format, calling it a “massive leap forward” for the iPhone. Mann starts off with a short explanation of why ProRAW is an important step forward for the iPhone: The comparison image below shows “dramatic difference in detail in the rock and the sky” when using ProRAW versus HEIC:...

Following an analyst this morning saying Apple may not release a 5G iPhone until 2021, a report from Fast Company this evening sheds more light on Apple’s modem efforts. The report details the company’s increasingly strained relationship with Intel, and the growth of its in-house modem team. According to the report, Apple has between 1,000 and 2,000 engineers working on modem chips for future iPhone. The company has reportedly recruited engineers from both Intel and Qualcomm....

Apple began unleashing iAds across the world last week, with ads from the service reported to begin appearing on iOS devices outside of the USA. Now a report tells us Apple’s more than happy to explore partnerships in some key geographies to build up its service. That’s because Apple and The Dentsu Group today announced a partnership to expand Apple’s iAd mobile advertising network to Japan in early 2011. Dentsu will be responsible for the selling and creative execution of iAds in Japan, and Apple will host, target and deliver the iAds to its iPhone and iPod touch users....

One week after the last public beta and 9 days after the last developer beta, Apple has released OS X 10.11.4 beta 5 for both developers and public beta testers. The update is said to improve Mac stability, compatibility, and security. Focus areas mentioned include iBooks, Messages, Notes, and Photos. Changes coming with OS X 10.11.4 include support for viewing and sharing Live Photos taken on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus through iMessage using the Messages app as well as the ability to password-protect items in the Notes app for the first time....

A brief report in The Korea Economic Daily claims that Apple is working with LG on a new dual camera module ‘which enables 3D photographing.’ LG already supplies the dual-camera module used in the iPhone 7 Plus. The LG Innotek system is said to be destined for one or more of next year’s iPhone models, but the report is unclear what 3D applications Apple might have in mind. Apple has patents for 3D object and gesture recognition going back many years....

Apple is rolling out the eighth macOS 10.12.4 beta for developer testing. The upcoming version of macOS Sierra is the first to bring Night Shift to the Mac. macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta is currently only available to developers and public beta testers. Public beta versions usually come a few days after developer versions if not the same day. macOS 10.12.4 beta also includes changes to Siri, Dictation, and Apple’s PDF API:...

We’ve been watching the progress of the new Chicago River Apple Store for several months now, and today DNAInfo has shared current shots of the construction progress. As the site reports, the latest Foster+Partners project looks like a giant MacBook Air landed next to the Chicago River… Back at the end of March, we saw curved glass and the roof to the upcoming Apple Store being put in place. DNAInfo adds today that the construction crew has installed a giant Apple logo seen from the aerial view that makes the metallic roof look like a giant MacBook from afar....

Update: Images of the new store’s facade below via @MikesiOSHelp and @thequinntaylor. With Apple’s redesigned company store set to open this weekend, details of changes to the new store have been highlighted in a memo to employees (via MacMagazine). Among the changes, the new Apple company store will for the first time sell Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, Macs, and Apple Watch. The store is also re-opening with a new collection of Apple-branded merchandise including clothing, mugs, and other collectibles that are only available at the company store....

Just after its opening keynote this afternoon, Apple released OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 4 (build 12A239) and Server Preview 5 (build 12S254j) to developers. Unlike previous developer previews of Mountain Lion, Apple does not ask developers to look into any certain issues, perhaps because Mountain Lion is going to ship in July for $19.99 (a GM to come soon?). Apple also does not list any issues out of the ordinary, as you can see in the release note after the break....

After being updated with support for Apple Watch last month, the Apple Store app on iOS has been updated today with a pair of highly requested features. With today’s update, which bumps the app to version 3.3, users can now use Touch ID to view orders, access EasyPay receipts, and make reservations at retail locations. In addition to Touch ID integration, today’s update also adds support for two-step verification. This functionality appears to only apply when you place an order, however....

In contrast to the supply constrained launch of the iPhone 5s, Apple will offer Personal Pickup for the iPad Air beginning on the November 1st launch date, we’re hearing from sources. MacRumors is reporting the same. When the Apple Online Store goes live on November 1st at midnight Pacific Time (3 AM EST), customers will be able to order iPad Airs to be shipped to their addresses… With Personal Pickup, these new tablets will be able to be reserved for pickup at their local Apple Retail Store....

Apple has released a new video highlighting some of the new features of the iPhone 8 on what is becoming the quietest launch day we’ve seen… The latest ad from Apple is an effort to show consumers the various new features and benefits that come along with the iPhone 8, even though the devices share the same basic chassis as the iPhone 6/6 Plus and on. The video titled “8 things to love about iPhone 8” starts off with the claim that the device features “The most durable glass ever in a smartphone....

Apple TV+ today announced its first French original production, a contemporary thriller drama named Liaison. The series will star actress Eva Green and actor Vincent Cassel, as reported by Le Figaro. Liaison will explore the “devastating impacts of past mistakes on the future” in a thriller with political and espionage plot-lines. The series is currently being filmed in London, and will feature a mixture of French and English dialogue. Apple TV+ faces pressure to increase the amount of European productions as EU governments are trying to introduce new laws that would require streaming services to make a certain proportion of their overall content output domestically....

Update: Sony told us it was a mistake and they have no further news about the app launch for everyone, but it’s clearly coming in the near future since some people already got it. Apple announced back in March that it would take the Apple TV app to other platforms, including Smart TVs from LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio. Although only Samsung TVs have received the app so far, some users have noticed today that the Apple TV app is now available on some Sony TV models....

You may have heard there’s a new iOS update out and you should update from the beta … every time you unlock your iPhone or iPad. While iOS 12 is technically still in beta, Apple has issued the twelfth developer beta version (and tenth public beta version) to address the pesky alert that started spamming users last night. iOS 12 includes several significant changes for iPhone and iPad including performance improvements, especially on older devices; ARKit 2....