Apple is preparing to release a new version of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 to end-users in the coming days, according to a source. The Mac operating system update has already been supplied to Apple employees. The new version is referred to as a “Supplement Update” to 10.8.5, and will be available via Software Update in the Mac App Store… The original OS X 10.8.5 release arrived earlier this month, and it included improvements to Mail, WiFi connectivity, and screensaver functionality....

When you buy an Apple product, one of the things it doesn’t come with in the box is a full user manual. To get a full manual, you have to go to Apple’s support website or look for its iPhone user guide on Apple Books. Today, Apple has just made available an updated version of its iPhone User Guide, including new features from iOS 12.1. The user guide can be obtained for free on the Apple Books Store....

Apple’s software release week continues today following iOS 11.4 and iOS 11.4.1 developer beta. This time its iOS 11.4.1 public beta, a bug fix update to the earlier release. tvOS 11.4.1 and macOS 10.13.6 public betas are also available. While the latest beta versions include minor behind-the-scenes changes, we’re expecting the first developer beta versions of iOS 12, tvOS 12, macOS 10.14, and watchOS 5 on Monday. Public beta versions of iOS, tvOS, and macOS usually follow a few weeks after initially....

In addition to new betas of iOS 12.4 and more, Apple today has also released the fourth developer beta of macOS Catalina. This update comes two weeks after Apple released the third developer beta of the update. While Apple has released the fourth developer beta of macOS Catalina, the fourth developer betas of iOS 13 and watchOS 6 are nowhere to be found. They might still come later today, or Apple could be waiting a bit longer....

Apple has released a new update for iTunes on OS X that introduces support for a Notification Center widget. The widget will allow users to control their music and buy songs from iTunes Radio directly from the system-wide panel. iTunes 12.1 also includes a “quick tour” feature that runs on the app’s second launch. It’s the same quick tour that has been available on Apple’s website since last year, but it is now included natively in the app to help users get acclimated to the new design....

Apple has released a maintenance update to iTunes 12.2 that addresses issues related to Apple Music, iTunes Match, and Beats 1. The release specifically mentions resolving an issue where songs from iTunes Match would become classified as songs from Apple Music, which would result in unnecessary DRM being added. The update also promises better performance for streaming the Beats 1 online radio station. the launch version included issues with dropped streams during playback which required quitting and relaunching iTunes to resolve....

Apple has today rolled out a supplemental update for 2018 MacBook Air owners after the notebook has only been on the market for one day. As many will know, the 2018 MacBook Air brought the notebook into the modern era, sporting a Retina display, butterfly keys, Touch ID, and dual Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports. While it’s unclear what’s new/fixed in this latest release, Apple says it “improves the stability and reliability” and that it is recommended for all users....

Apple today is releasing the third developer beta of iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6. This comes as beta testing of iOS 14 continues separately, with iOS 13.6 likely being released to the general public sooner rather than later. [Update: Public beta 3 released too.] What’s new in iOS 13.6? One change is that the update lays the groundwork for Apple News+ Audio. Apple News+ Audio will be available through the existing News app, which will get a new “Audio” tab....

Back at WWDC in June, Apple announced that it is opening up the Find My app to third-party hardware like Tile. It seems like a positive move all around as it addresses antitrust concerns, makes business easier for third-parties, and improves choice for consumers. However, there’s a big catch that Apple hasn’t shared publicly. When Apple opened up the new Find My program for third-parties in June, it naturally came with a confidentiality agreement for developers to get started....

On the same day as the rocky iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-order, Apple is reporting on its iCloud System Status site that a small percentage of users are experiencing issues with iCloud Mail and iCloud Notes. According to the detailed timeline, the issues began about 45 minutes ago and are ongoing for 0.05% of users. August proved a rough month for iCloud uptime, with major issues reported by Apple on multiple occasions, although the current outage seems minor so far....

Google has once more posted its annual Year in Search video, covering topics as diverse as the refugee crisis, the blue/gold dress, Cecil the lion, female engineers, the discovery of water on Mars, gay marriage, Star Wars and more. It also posted the top ten search terms for a range of categories, with Apple taking three out of the top four slots in consumer tech … As last year, the latest iPhone model – the 6 last year and 6S this year – was the top search, while the Apple Watch climbed from #8 to #3 and the iPad Pro took 4th place....

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ug6XAw6hzaw] A new website recently launched by the W3C, in partnership with a number of the biggest tech companies, aims to be the ultimate resource for developers looking for information on HTML5, CSS3, and other open-web standards. Accessible at webplatform.org, the new website includes documents, forums, chat, and tutorials, and it will act as a Wiki of sorts in an attempt to “become a comprehensive and authoritative source for web developer documentation....

Apple TV+ has scored four Golden Globe Awards nominations this year for its hit comedy series Ted Lasso and the animated film Wolfwalkers, as well as the film On The Rocks. The 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards nominations were announced this morning, and this marks the second year in a row that Apple TV+ has received nominations. Update: Apple has published a new press release highlighting its Golden Globe nominations....

Apple Pay officially expanded to its sixth country yesterday with Apple adding support for Singapore and today, the company has added support for over 50 new banks and credit unions in the United States. Starting today, customers of the following banks and credit unions can add their debit and credit cards to Apple Pay and use it instead: Access Federal Credit Union Alcoa Tenn Federal Credit Union Audubon Savings Bank Bank of Stockton Barrington Bank & Trust Company N....

Data from businesses using Square’s mobile payment terminal revealed that those using Apple Pay and other forms of contactless payment are better tippers than those using conventional cards. The company found that while 67% of swipe card customers added a tip, the number jumped to 73% for NFC payments. The data is admittedly based on a single city – Portland – but Square says it was chosen because it has the greatest number of its contactless readers in use....

At WWDC last month, Apple announced that its Apple Pay mobile payments service would be coming to France, and now the service has officially went live in the country. With the rollout in France, which was first rumored earlier this year, Apple Pay is now available in 8 countries. In France, Apple Pay is supported by Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards from Banque Populaire, Carrefour Banque, Ticket Restaurant, and Caisse d’Epargne....

It was reported last month that Apple is planning to launch an iPhone model in Japan with support for the widely used FeliCa mobile payment technology. Now, Nikkei Asian Review reports that Apple is planning to partner with Sony to bring the technology to the iPhone next year. Last month’s report was somewhat unclear as to when Apple was planning to launch Apple Pay in Japan with FeliCa, today’s report details that the mobile payment will not launch in the country until next year....

Apple Retail Stores are well known for being a place where customers can not only buy new products, but also get involved in the company’s culture. Despite the huge growth in online sales in recent years, Apple still wants to invest more in its retail stores, with plans to open new stores around the world. Apple senior vice president of retail Deirdre O’Brien said in an interview with Funke Mediengruppe (via Bloomberg) that the company will not reduce its efforts in making amazing retail stores....

Some new tidbits arrive this morning in a story The Korea Times which claims a next-generation iPad will feature a display with a pixel resolution going beyond full HD (1920-by-1080 pixels): Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes and research firm IDC were among the first to assert back in January that a next-generation iPad is getting a very high-resolution display. The Korea Times report is based on “a source close to the talks” between Apple on one side and Samsung and LG on the other....

Apple has just released iOS 11.0.2 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. This marks the second bug fix update since iOS 11 launched in September. The build number is 15A421. It looks to be another round of bug fixes and performance improvements, including a fix for crackly audio during phone calls on iPhone 8, a bug that caused some photos not to show up in user’s libraries and resolves an issue relating to attachments in encrypted email …...