Apple on Thursday launched public betas for iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. Apple has been releasing developer betas of the software since WWDC in June, and this afternoon it added the updates to its public beta testing program.
Folks interested in trying out the betas can sign up via Apple's Beta Software Program portal. Once you're signed up, you'll be asked to register your devices and install beta configuration profiles, and then you can download the betas.
In response to Apple Music and other competitors, Tidal on Wednesday announced new family plans for its streaming music service. The new plans will allow up to 5 users to enjoy Tidal's Premium and HiFi service tiers at a significant discount from standalone rates.
It works like this: a standalone account for Tidal Premium costs $9.99 per month, and a HiFi account costs $19.99 per month. With family plans, users can add up to 4 additional users to their account at 50% off—$4.99/month for Premium, and $9.99/month for HiFi.
In addition to new OS X El Capitan and watchOS 2 betas, Apple also released a new iOS 9 beta to developers on Wednesday. The software carries build number 13A4293f, and is available to developers either via an over-the-air update in the Settings app, or as a standalone download in Apple's developer portal.
Apple on Wednesday released the third OS X El Capitan beta to developers. The new build is available to registered developers via the Updates section of the Mac App Store or through Apple’s Developer Center.
Today's update comes roughly two weeks after Apple pushed out the second beta of OS X El Capitan, and around a month after its initial release in early June during Apple's World Wide Developer Conference.
Apple's new 24/7 radio station, Beats 1, went live this morning and is now in full effect. Initial feedback on the experiment is mixed—some people really like it, others don't—but the consensus is that Apple has managed to capture the essence of radio.
Keeping with that theme, Apple has announced that it's going to start taking listener requests for songs during at least a small segment of its Beats 1 broadcast. From the service's official Twitter account: "in a few hours, we turn the show over to you."
Apple is on a roll with software updates today. In addition to releasing iOS 8.4 and Mac OS X 10.10.4, it's also pushed out new versions of GarageBand and now iBooks Author. The software that allows you to publish iBooks moved up to version 2.3 today.
The update won't move the needle for folks who don't use the app, but it brings about some big changes for those who do. Perhaps the biggest new feature is that you can now create iBooks for both iPhone and iPad—instead of being limited to just the tablet.
Pinterest has begun rolling out Buyable Pins to iPhone and iPad users, reports TechCrunch. The feature, which was unveiled earlier this month, allows retail partners to add a buy button to pins that let users purchase products directly on Pinterest.
The button shows up on Rich Pins, which have much more information than typical Pins. Transactions are handled by Stripe, and Pinterest says it's working with companies like Apple to ensure it doesn't ever have to touch credit card information.
Apple Music launched around the world a few years, and with it comes a lengthy 3-month free trial. But after the trial period is up, you'll be on the hook for $10 per month, unless you turn off auto-renewal. Luckily, as with all iTunes-billed subscription services, this is quick and easy to do.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 2013 decision finding Apple guilty for conspiring with publishers to raise e-book prices, reports The Wall Street Journal. As a result, the company is expected to pay a $450 million settlement it agreed to with private plaintiffs, 30+ states and the DOJ last year.
“We conclude that the district court correctly decided that Apple orchestrated a conspiracy among the publishers to raise e-book prices,” wrote Second Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston. The conspiracy “unreasonably restrained trade” in violation of the Sherman Act, the federal antitrust law, she wrote.
In March, developers Lane Musgrave and John Arrow announced that they were working on a battery band for the Apple Watch. Not many details were available at the time, but now that the Watch has been out for a few months, the team is ready to make things official.
Meet the Reserve Strap. It's a band that charges your Apple Watch using embedded batteries and a connection to the device's hidden accessory port. Musgrave and Arrow claim that their product is capable of adding more than 30 additional hours of battery life to your Watch.
Disney this week launched a new keyboard app for iOS called "Disney Gif." As the name suggests, the app allows you to browse through, and quickly share from, a library of animated GIF images and emoji icons featuring Disney content.
For its launch, the keyboard features hundreds of images pulled from Disney's expansive TV and movie collection, including Star Wars, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Inside Out, The Lion King and various hit television shows from ABC.
Apple has begun early production of new iPhone models with a feature called Force Touch, Bloomberg reports. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the outlet says that volume manufacturing is expected to ramp up as soon as next month.
Force Touch was first introduced in the Apple Watch last fall, and it enables a device to sense how hard users press down on its screen. The technology has since made its way into the MacBook, and has long been rumored for the next iPhone.