The day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. Apple has officially introduced its new iPhone lineup and announced an entirely new product in the wearables department. There was quite a bit of information between most of the major announcements from today, and because of that, we thought it would be helpful to condense the “need to know” information into a short video… Apple has finally introduced the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and a 5....

Apple is currently sending out emails to Apple Music subscribers with promo codes to buy a brand new HomePod with a significant discount. So far, UK customers are receiving codes worth £50, bringing the price of a HomePod down to £269 direct from Apple. A £50 discount beats average eBay prices. Some third-party outlets are selling HomePod as low as $250 and we’re seeing it for even less at 9to5Toys, so the deal isn’t unprecedented, but represents a significant discount from Apple itself....

Apple Pay may soon be available in another country. Following last year’s expansion to more countries in Europe, including Slovakia and Portugal, there’s now evidence that Apple’s payment service is coming to Mexico. According to some users on Twitter, it’s already possible to add cards from Mexican banks to the Wallet app by changing the iPhone region to another one that already supports Apple Pay. The cards are successfully added, but it’s not yet possible to verify them with the bank since Apple has not yet officially launched Apple Pay there....

Now-deleted code on an Apple server suggests that Apple Pay Octopus support is coming as part of iOS 13 – almost certainly with the Express Transit feature, meaning no authentication is needed. The physical Octopus transit card is used by almost everyone in Hong Kong, thanks to a combination of convenience, automatic top-up and a rewards scheme … Octopus notes that the cards can be used for more than just travel....

Apple shared which Macs will be compatible with the Pro Display XDR and very notably, the iMac Pro wasn’t on the list. However, we’ve got confirmation today that it will work, but with a limitation. In the Pro Display XDR Display’s tech specs, Apple only lists a few Macs able to drive the 32-inch 6K display(s). Those include the 2019 iMacs, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro (plus any Thunderbolt 3 Mac paired with a Blackmagic eGPU)....

Apple has released the first iOS 9.2.1 beta to developers for testing on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The new software version features build number 13D11 which compares to last week’s iOS 9.2 release at 13C75. The update is available for registered developers currently through the iOS Dev Center. The first iOS 9.2.1 update likely includes further bug fixes and performance improvements after last week’s public iOS 9.2 release. That new version included a long list of under-the-hood tweaks plus a few public facing features including more 3D Touch support in iBooks, better support for Classical music in Apple Music, Arabic Siri, and support for Apple’s Lightning to SD Card Reader adapters, both new and old....

Apple released the third beta of its iOS 7.1 software (build 11D5127c) to registered developers today. Apple released the first iOS 7.1 beta for developers in November bringing with it a handful of UI tweaks, performance improvements, and accessibility features. That release was followed by a second iOS 7.1 beta in mid-December which brought button shapes as an accessibility feature as well as a calendar design mirroring iOS 6 and prior....

Somewhat out of the blue, Apple has released a minor software update for the third-generation Apple TV. This is technically listed as iOS 7.2.1, the same version number as the previous public Apple TV operating system. However, the build number has been bumped up, indicating Apple has rolled in some minor bug fixes and improvements. The update comes as a welcome surprise for third-generation Apple TV owners, who had felt somewhat abandoned ever since Apple released the brand-new tvOS-based Apple TV 4 last fall....

Update: watchOS 8.5 beta 4 now available to public beta testers as well. Apple is releasing watchOS 8.5 beta 4 to all developers. This version comes one week after the previous beta, and 12 days after the company made available watchOS 8.4.2 to all users. Today’s build is 19T5238a. Different from other operating systems, watchOS 8.5 doesn’t have any major changes. As a matter of fact, watchOS 8 updates have been pretty weak as watchOS 8....

Apple this week has launched a new beta version of iCloud on the web with the overhauled Reminders app, a new launch screen, and more. The change was first pointed out by Federico Viticci on Twitter. The Reminders app on iOS 13 and macOS Catalina was given a major overhaul, and now the same app can be accessed directly on the web. On the non-beta version of iCloud on the web, Reminders is simply listened as “coming soon....

Customer experience tests of three recent iPhone ads find that Baby Boomers – those aged 55 plus – find them annoying and worrying. The tests were carried out by UserTesting, who also explained why Apple likely made the decision to run the ads despite knowing the effect they would have on older people … The firm studied the reactions of two age-groups to three different video ads (shown below). Gen Z (18-25) Baby Boomers (55+) The panel of 200 people included both iPhone and Android users, and found that there was little difference in their reactions....

Apple released a new iPad Air 2 campaign during Sunday football today showcasing various unique physical and software applications for the iPad Air 2. Featuring the song “Who Needs You” by The Orwells [iTunes Store, YouTube], the ad is a departure from last year’s iPad Air which were focused on a single user. [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROZhrRm88ms] iPad Air 2 isn’t just the thinnest and lightest iPad we’ve ever created. It’s the most powerful....

There has been a lot of speculation regarding what artists will be available on Apple Music. Earlier this week, it was reported that artists signed to indie labels, like Adele and the Arctic Monkeys, had still not signed on to appear on the service. BuzzFeed now reports that Taylor Swift’s hit album ‘1989’ will not be available on Apple Music either. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, though, seeing that ‘1989’ is currently not available from any existing streaming services like Beats and Spotify....

Apple is ready to show the first fruits of its Beats acquisition next week. As we first reported in early March, Apple is planning to introduce its long-awaited Beats-based streaming music service at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, June 8th. Blending Apple interface design and features from the Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine-created Beats Music app, Apple’s service, known internally as “Apple Music,” is built to take on Spotify and Pandora with several new features and a subscription model....

All of today’s best deals are headlined by a rare discount on Apple Pencil 2 at $115. That’s alongside up to 50% off Twelve South Apple gear and the latest Anker sale from $11. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Apple Pencil 2 sees rare deal to $115 Redesigned for the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air, the second-generation Apple Pencil improves on the original model with wireless charging, magnetic attachment, and a refreshed form factor....

What better way to show someone you care than by presenting them with a laser-engraved iPad? Alright, there’s as many different ways to express care as there are humans standing underneath the sun, but now it seems Apple is preparing to unleash engraved iPad messages to contribute to that smorgasboard of choice. Just like those really rather popular engraved iPods, right? This report emanates from tech blog Erictric, who claim their (anonymous) source is saying Apple intends offering personalization (engraving) on demand....

Apple’s latest video series promotes an iOS 10 Photos feature called Memories that automatically builds collections of related images and videos around themes like dates, places, and people. The series includes both a full-length iPhone ad as well as a new tutorial on using the Memories feature. The iPhone commercial is one of the warmer, more sincere ads out recently as it centers around showing real memories and photos and videos kept in the Photos app to create Memories....

Apple’s 1m USB-C to Lightning Cable, which allows faster charging for compatible iPhones and iPads, has been reduced in price. When the cable debuted, the original price was $25 for the 1m version, and $35 for the 2m version. It appears that last month, Apple quietly dropped the price of the 1m USB-C to Lighting Cable by $6, going from $25 to $19. This change comes amid rumors that new iPhones will drop the USB-A-equipped Lightning to USB Cables in favor of USB-C cables that are able to facilitate faster charging....

Update: The ‘Designed By Apple In California’ book is now available to buy at Apple Stores, if you are so inclined. Both sizes, $199 small or $299 large, are shipping in one business day in the United States. Original story below … Apple has announced a new hardbound book, available for $199 or $299 online at Apple.com and Apple retail stores from tomorrow, which charts a 20-year history of Apple design from the iMac in 1998 to the Apple Pencil in 2015....

Just the week following the public release of iOS 9.1 with bug fixes and new emojis, Apple has seeded the first beta of the upcoming iOS 9.2 to developers. The new download for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch is available via the Developer Center. We recently noted that internal Apple testing of iOS 9.2 has increased over the past couple of weeks. The first indications from testers are that this upgrade includes notable bug fixes and changes to how third-party apps handle embedded Safari views:...