Two weeks following the 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference and the release of the first beta build of iOS 8 to developers, Apple has provided iOS 8 beta 2 to developers. The new release is available over-the-air in iOS 8’s Settings menu, and it’s available for supported iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. iOS 8 officially launches this fall and includes several new features for both consumers and developers alike. iOS Device users will experience a new Health app for integrating health and fitness data, improvements to Safari, enhanced Messages features, design tweaks in Mail, and significant changes to notifications, photo management, and the keyboard....

Sonos was once believed to be developing its own voice assistant, then leadership changes happened. AirPlay 2 and Apple Music work with Sonos speakers, but Apple doesn’t license Siri to integrate directly in other devices. So what happens to speakers like the Sonos One if they lose their voice assistants? Sonos already sells a cheaper version that keeps AirPlay 2 but lacks voice control — what regular Sonos One speakers could potentially become anyway....

Back in 2015, Apple announced a new repair program for the 12-inch MacBook and Retina MacBook Pro models that in some cases had issues with the anti-reflective coating of the screen. The program has already been extended once, and it seems that Apple is still repairing eligible MacBooks for free. According to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors, Apple has informed Apple Authorized Service Providers that customers may still be able to get free MacBook display repairs in the United States....

Apple today has stopped signing iOS 12.1.3, which means it is no longer possible to downgrade from iOS 12.1.4. iOS 12.1.4 was released last month to resolve the FaceTime eavesdropping bug. Apple generally stops signing older releases of iOS within a few weeks of an update being made available. Most recently, Apple stopped signing iOS 12.1.1 and iOS 12.1.2 last month. iOS 12.1.4 was released just over a month ago following the discovery of a huge Group FaceTime bug that would allow someone to eavesdrop on another user....

Update: Bloomberg reports Apple has now won an order granting its request for Google to provide more information about its process of turning over documents in an ongoing lawsuit with Samsung: Bloomberg reports that Apple has requested Google turn over documents related to Android’s source code in an ongoing patent-infringement lawsuit with Samsung in California. According to the report, Apple took issue with Google’s process of turning over requested pretrial documents claiming Google is “improperly withholding information” and that Android “provides much of the accused functionality” in the infringement claims related to several of Samsung’s Galaxy products:...

Apple has updated its Research app for iPhone and Apple Watch with a few notable additions today. With Apple Research version 1.1.2, the app now supports AirPods Pro for the Apple Hearing Study and more. Apple launched the Apple Research app last November, allowing users in the US to enroll in three health studies: Women’s Health, Heart and Movement, and the Hearing Study. Today’s update for the Apple Research app includes AirPods Pro support for the Hearing Study....

Similar to the Complete My Album feature that debuted on iTunes in the summer of 2009, Apple today launched a similar offering for television shows aptly named “Complete My Season Pass”. As you know, iTunes Season Pass lets users buy an entire television show season and have individual episodes automatically downloaded up to 24 hours after they air on the tube. So, let’s say you previously purchased individual episodes of Desperate Housewives and now want to upgrade to the entire season, but without having to re-purchase the episodes you already own....

With Apple stepping into the home automation arena by way of offering closer device integration through its new HomeKit API announced alongside iOS 8, just about every appliance in the home is potential for being refreshed and gaining deeper connectivity with our iPhones and iPads. Honeywell, a launch partner for Apple’s new home automation development tools, is today announcing its new Lyric smart thermostat to compete against similar offerings from competitors like the now Google-owned Nest....

Apple is preparing an all-new MacBook Air for 2015 with a radically new design that jettisons standards such as full-sized USB ports, MagSafe connectors, and SD card slots in favor of a markedly thinner and lighter body with a higher-resolution display. Sources within Apple, who have used internal prototype versions of the upcoming computer, have provided in-depth details about the machine, and our exclusive artist renditions of the revamped MacBook Air provide the first close look at Apple’s first major step in mobile Mac computing since the Retina MacBook Pro launch in 2012....

Developers lucky enough to attend WWDC in previous years will know that Apple’s Company Store in the McEnery Convention Center is always a popular spot. Each year, the pop-up shop sells a variety of limited edition clothing and souvenirs only available to attendees. This year, Apple looks to make it easier for busy developers to get in, get the items they want, and get back to the conference. Update: Store visitors report that while self-checkout is active and functions as expected, store staff are directing customers to purchase with assistance instead....

Apple’s new sapphire crystal component producer GT-Advanced announced its Q4 2013 earnings results yesterday, and in addition to talking about the past quarter, the company shared some details about its future and its well-publicized partnership with Apple. We previously indicated, based on research into publicly available shipping documents, that we expect Apple and GT-Advanced to be developing sapphire crystal displays for a future iPhone model. The companies are likely to be able to produce over 100 million displays this year…...

After making it available yesterday, Apple this evening has seemingly removed the watchOS 5 developer beta from its website. The company doesn’t elaborate as to the specifics of the removal, though it acknowledges the unavailability on its website… On its developer portal, Apple says that seed 1 of watchOS 5 is “temporarily unavailable.” The company seems to suggest that the update process rendered the Apple Watch of some unusable. Apple says it is investigating an issue that occurs while updating and invites affected user to contact AppleCare....

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....

Apple continues to restrict employee travel in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Bloomberg reports today that Apple has put new travel restrictions in place for Italy and Korea, and is also making other recommendations to employees. In a memo to employees today, Apple announced that it is instituting a new set of travel restrictions for Italy and South Korea. Employees are only allowed to travel to these regions, as well as China, for “business-critical reasons....

Apple has just published the entire video of this week’s “There’s more in the making” event on YouTube. During the two-hour event held in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday, Apple announced the new iPad Pro with its edge-to-edge display, a much-anticipated new generation of the Mac mini, the new MacBook Air and more. This is the first time an iPad has ditched the Home button in favor of a gestural user interface similar to what’s been introduced with iPhone X last year....

Today brings another development as part of the never-ending patent battle between Apple and VirnetX. Reuters reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected Apple’s bid for a rehearing in the patent case. In a November ruling, a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit voided a jury’s calculation that Apple should pay $503 million in damages for infringing VirnetX patents. That part of the ruling was a victory for Apple, but it wasn’t all good news....

When Apple launched the Apple Watch, it presented the wearable as equal parts technology and jewellery, with many seeing it as the company’s entry into the fashion industry. The original gold Apple Watch Edition seemed to epitomise those ambitions. Apple hired some big names in the fashion world to help it navigate this new world, among them Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve, Tag Heuer’s Patrick Pruniaux and, of course, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts …...

DisplaySearch analyst David Hsieh noted today that Apple’s upcoming product launches and refreshes will keep the LCD supply chain in Asia very occupied during the remainder of 2012. The DisplaySearch blog explained: Apple’s business appeals to the LCD supply chain for various reasons related to production stability, but the displays are very technologically specific and present many challenges. As Hsieh further noted, Apple requires light and slim displays with high resolution, minimal power consumption, maximum color saturation, etc....

With drops in revenue and iOS device sales in what CEO Tim Cook called a “challenging quarter,” highlights from Apple’s Q2 2016 earnings today include an increase in Apple Music subscribers, more cash for Apple’s capital return and share repurchasing programs, and a “huge number of Android switchers and new to Mac customers.” Cook said the company had record switchers from Android and others platforms in the quarter and also noted an increase of 56% for iPhone sales in India despite an overall decline for iOS device sales....