Posts

Today, Apple has made available the open-source components of OS X Mavericks’ code to the public. Apple regularly does this for both iOS and OS X as prescribed by the license agreements of the open source code Apple uses. Under the license terms of these components, Apple can use the open source code but must share its own contributions and improvements with the community, so that others can benefit. Therefore, as Mavericks was released to the public on Tuesday, Apple was due to post the open-source code shortly after....

Yesterday Apple quietly pushed an update to Final Cut Pro X, the first update since its big 10.4.4 update back in November. Final Cut Pro X 10.4.5 doesn’t add any new features, but includes several stability improvements. Here’s the full change log for Final Cut Pro X 10.4.5: Improved performance when generating waveforms for clips with no audio channels Improves stability when sending a project to Compressor using the keyboard shortcut Shift-Command-E Improves stability when pasting Arabic or Hebrew text into a title Improves stability when switching tabs in the Timeline Index There are no exciting new changes in this update, but given how critical an app Final Cut Pro X is, stability and performance enhancements are music to my ears....

Apple has released macOS 10.12.2 beta 4 for Mac. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October and multiple additional builds since. Today’s build comes in at version 16C53a, up from 16C48b, and is available from the Mac App Store. macOS 10.12.2 includes Unicode 9.0 emoji support, which matches compatibility in beta versions of iOS 10.2 and watchOS 3.1.1. macOS 10.12.2 will be released to everyone in the future (likely December), and the beta allows developers to test pre-release versions of the software update before it’s released....

Following the release of the first iOS 14.3 developer beta last Thursday, Apple has just released iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3 beta 2 to developers. The update comes with some minor tweaks in addition to the Apple ProRAW mode for iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The most notable change in iOS 14.3 is related to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Users with these two iPhone models can now enable Apple ProRAW mode, which captures RAW images directly on the Camera app....

Apple has quietly released the latest versions of its video and motion effects software. Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Motion, and Compressor all have new versions available for Mac users with some new features along with stability and performance improvements. Notably, Final Cut Pro now has native support for RED RAW decoding and playback. Spotted first by Aaron Zollo, the latest builds of Apple’s video suite are showing as updated yesterday but appear to have started showing up widely for users today....

Apple is making a big push with gift cards for the holidays with the most notable change being gift cards for its retail stores arriving through third-party retailers, according to sources. The company already sold iTunes/App Store gift certificates through a number of retail parters, but it has just recently started selling its Apple Store gift cards outside its own channels as well. Apple Retail will also make changes to repair procedures tomorrow including the introduction of in-store repairs for Beats products....

Apple today announced a major expansion of its Independent Repair Provider Program in the US, adding hundreds of new authorized locations. Businesses in Canada and 32 countries in Europe will also be able to sign up for the first time. The repair program began last fall as a way for more customers to access safe and high-quality iPhone repairs with genuine Apple parts. With many Apple Store locations across the US still closed or reclosed due to COVID-19, access to repair options has become more important than ever before....

In addition to hyping today’s event with a countdown on the home page, Apple has debuted a dedicated page on its website to presumably break down the announcements shared by the company later today. The microsite so far includes photographs, captions, and a tweet from Apple CEO Tim Cook hyping the event under the header Apple Live. The blog-style page marks a first for Apple and how it presents its special events....

While we’ve seen the accessory discounted a few times in the past, Apple this evening has started selling a refurbished Apple Pencil via its online store for $85 in the United States… Apple charges $99 for a brand new Apple Pencil, so users will save about $14 if they go the refurbished route. As with all refurbished Apple products, the company highlights that refurbished Apple Pencil units have gone through a “rigorous” refurbishment process, while you also get a one-year warranty covering manufacturing defects....

Following the debut of Apple TV+ at the beginning of the month, Deadline reports that Apple’s head of current scripted programming and unscripted content is leaving his role. The report says that Kim Rozenfeld is leaving his executive role, and shifting back towards a creative role. Rozenfeld was an early hire for Apple TV+, joining shortly after Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht in 2017. Before joining Apple, Rozenfeld served as head of current programming at Sony TV....

The coronavirus is having ripple effects across the industry (and the world) and one such area is TV production. Many TV shows are halting production for the time being and Apple’s original content is no exception. Last night, we heard news that The Morning Show had paused production on season two as a result of coronavirus concerns. Update: Apple TV+ series Little America has postponed casting for its second season. Sci-fi series SEE — which is currently shooting its second season in Toronto — has also stopped production due to coronavirus fears....

Since OS X Maverick’s launch last year, there have been complaints from users of the official Mac Mail app with Gmail accounts. Apple has fixed up many of the bugs in various patches, but one of the still recurring bugs prevents the Mail app from loading up new messages. Instead of releasing another patch today, Apple has outlined a fix on its support website: So, essentially, Apple is providing a workaround that normally requires quitting and re-opening Mail....

Apple has released the fifth beta version of iOS 11.2 beta for developers. tvOS 11.2 beta and macOS 10.13.2 beta 5 are also available for testing. There doesn’t appear to be a new watchOS 4.2 beta today. Here’s what we’ve seen so far: iPhone 8 / 8 Plus / X marketing still wallpapers now available on older iPhones (download here) Feedback app included during beta No sign of Messages in iCloud yet, some level of AirPlay 2 present Calculator bug caused by slow animation fixed Some emoji are tweaked Additional Live wallpapers for iPhone X (see here) Apple Pay Cash beta for testing New introductory pricing option for subscription apps New Control Center explainer for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth behaviors New Control Center indicator on iPhone X (previously spotted from Apple but not in prior iOS versions) Faster wireless charging tvOS 11....

Following the release of the iOS 14.5.1 update to the public, Apple has just released watchOS 7.4.1 for Apple Watch users. The company doesn’t say exactly what has changed with today’s update beyond mentioning that this version brings security improvements. watchOS 7.4 was released in late April with an important new feature that lets iPhone users unlock their device with the Apple Watch while wearing a mask, instead of using Face ID....

Apple has just released the seventh beta of watchOS 7.4 to developers. This update brings an important new feature that lets Apple Watch users unlock iPhone models with Face ID when wearing a mask instead of asking for a password. Update: Apple has just released watchOS 7.4 beta 7 for public beta users as well. For example, you can check your shopping list on your phone in the grocery store without entering your passcode a dozen times if you wear an Apple Watch with a passcode....

Earlier today, Apple was criticized by Chinese state media for allowing a a Hong Kong protest app into the App. Now, Apple has reportedly removed the Quartz application from the App Store at the request of the Chinese government. According to Quartz investigations editor John Keefe, Apple has removed the Quartz app from the iOS App Store. The website, which has been covering the Hong Kong protests in detail, has also been blocked across all of mainland China....

Apple today updated its website to reflect that it will open its fourth retail store in Hong Kong on Canton Road at 9:00 AM local time on July 30th. We first saw photos of this store under construction back in February. The store is located at 100 Canton Road in the southern portion of Kowloon in the high-end retail area Tsim Sha Tsui. Plans for the store were announced all the way back in 2013....

A Chinese State-owned film studio is suing Apple, alleging that the company sold its animated movies on iTunes without permission, reported the South China Morning Post. The 3.3m CNY ($531,000) lawsuit follows five consecutive days of media attacks by the State-owned People’s Daily, claiming Apple’s customer service and refund policies in China are inferior to those offered in other countries. Apple is also being sued by a Shanghai-based company that alleges Siri infringed a patent used in its own ‘Xiao i Robot’ voice-recognition systems …...

It’s been six or a dozen years since Apple bought TestFlight, the beta software distribution platform for iOS, and there’s still no official TestFlight for Mac for sharing and updating app betas without hunting for obscure computer identifiers. But TestFlight for iPhone and iPad does have a fancy new app icon with a level of detail that would fit right in on the Mac! TestFlight 2.7 is a standard bug fixes and improvements update....

Apple is reportedly running low on parts for 42mm Series 1 and original first-generation Apple Watch repairs. Apple Authorized Service Providers are being told to replace these Apple Watch models with a Series 2 instead. According to an internal document (via MacRumors), Apple is permitting Apple Authorized Service Providers to replace 42mm first-generation or Series 1 Apple Watch models with a Series 2 if a customer is needing a repair. This is due to supply constraints and will start in February and run through April....