One day after the official release of iOS 12 and watchOS 5, Apple has released new developer software beta versions for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Both iOS 12.1 developer beta 1 and watchOS 5.1 developer beta 1 are now available for testing. tvOS 12.1 developer beta 1 is also available. The new developer software betas are available on Apple’s web portal for registered developers. The updates should appear as an over-the-air update shortly....

Apple has released an updated build of iOS 14.5 to developers today. This comes after the release of beta 1 earlier this week. The new build released today is still referred to as beta 1, but it features a new build number. The updated version iOS 14.5 beta 1 is available to developers via an over-the-air update in the Settings app. As usual, if the update does not immediately appear for download, keep checking, as it sometimes takes a few minutes to roll out to all registered developers....

According to Bloomberg, Apple is currently considering the purchase of Hulu. The popular online video playing service has reportedly been up for sale for a few months now, with potential buyers like Google in the running. Adding Apple to the mix just spices things up with Apple’s $76 billion in the bank and hints at some “neat” new iTunes-related features. Apple also has their Apple TV platform, which they are still exploring, and this potential Hulu purchase would take that to the next level....

We may finally have a reason for why Apple Stores and some other stores are installing new NFC payment hardware ahead of the iPhone 6 launch. Apple is reportedly planning on implementing a security feature called tokenzation in the system, which removes the necessity to transmit account numbers or other critical personal details wirelessly (via Bank Innovation). This tokenization system employs secure codes become useless after being used once. That boosts security by ensuring that any information captured by nefarious third-parties doesn’t give them access to your account or money....

Apple is rolling out a small but useful improvement to developers today. It has overhauled the Payments and Financial Reports section of iTunes Connect with a modern interface and new design that combines all relevant financial numbers into one table. This screen was long overdue for a redesign, until today featuring ugly iOS 5 era buttons and textured backgrounds. The new look reflects Apple’s modern design philosophy: flat, white and clean....

It must be a cold day in Hell. Apple is consorting with Google, Samsung, LG Electronics, and various ventures and firms to bid as a group on Kodak’s intellectual property. Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection in January, according to The Wall Street Journal, and it is looking to auction its patents to raise money for surviving a Chapter 11 court protection. Kodak could barter all 1,100 digital photography-based patents or end the auction without a deal, as the company announced it would name the winning bidders on Monday but eventually pushed the deadline upon talking with creditors....

Apple Music is making a big expansion today as Apple has launched an all-new web app for the streaming music platform. Through this new browser-based interface, Apple Music subscribers can stream from anywhere without having to use a platform-specific application. Apple Music has generally offered a very basic web experience, but Apple is now taking things to the next level. If you’re an Apple Music subscriber, this new web interface should look very familiar....

Update: Apple has issued an EFI firmware update for the new machines, to cure a black-screen issue when using Boot Camp while both an external optical drive and USB thumb drive are connected. Apple has launched an updated line of iMacs with faster processors, improved graphics, faster 802.11ac WiFi connectivity, and improved Flash storage. The new iMacs are now available from Apple’s online store. The new iMacs, like the MacBook Airs that launched in June, include Intel Haswell processors....

Apple machine learning projects span almost every aspect of the company’s activities, but in a new speech at an AI conference, a senior exec spoke specifically about the benefits for accessibility and health. Ge Yue, Apple VP and managing director of Apple Greater China, gave her speech at the 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai … NPR reports: Ge Yue gave the example of the Assistive Touch feature on Apple Watch, which the company introduced last year, alongside eye-tracking on iPad....

September 1 is ushering in a new month as well as a fresh batch of discounts ahead of Labor Day. Kicking things off, we have the best price of the year on Apple’s official MagSafe charger at $30 joined by a sitewide sale from one of our favorite accessory makers, Twelve South, in honor of the holiday. Not to mention ongoing AirPods Max deals from $370. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break....

Despite its attempts, Apple has never been known as a gaming company — even though it has one of the most popular mobile gaming platforms in the world with iOS. While it’s not impossible for Apple to compete with the big names in the gaming market, the company needs to change its mind if it wants to appeal to gamers. Following the announcement of its Q4 2021 fiscal results last week, Apple said in a regulatory filing that its devices compete with PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox as gaming platforms....

An Apple patent granted today describes how the front-facing camera, light sensor and proximity sensor found in existing iPhones could be used for health measurements. It also considers using additional sensors mounted in the same area for further health measurements … For example, it describes electrical contacts similar to those found on some more sophisticated bathroom scales to measure body fat. The same contacts could also be used to provide an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading, a technique that’s already been seen in at least one iPhone case....

[Update: Apple says the issue is now resolved after roughly seven hours.] If you’re having trouble setting up Apple Pay this morning, it’s not just you. Apple is currently reporting an hours-long issue with adding credit cards and debit cards to the mobile payment service. The issue only appears to be affecting Visa cards, not American Express, MasterCard, or Discover cards, which suggests it could be an issue on Visa’s side....

Earlier this year, Apple announced that it would be relocating its flagship Downtown San Francisco to the Union Square District. The new store, with a fully glass front, would be larger, and it would be able to serve more customers and employee more workers. Since then, the new store design came under scrutiny from San Francisco officials because it would remove a famous fountain designed by Ruth Asawa. In late August, Apple submitted redesigned renderings of the upcoming store that retain the historical fountain....

Last year, Apple debuted a short film entitled “Apple at Work” to promote the enterprise integration of iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Now, “The Underdogs” from that video are back, this time focused on working from home — and the associated struggles — amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this wacky, 7-minute short film is to highlight how Apple hardware and software help people working from home “unleash their creativity and productivity....

Apple has released firmware updates for the AirPort Base Station and Time Machine, Camera RAW, and MacBook Pro this evening. The AirPort Base Station and Time Machine have been updated to version 7.6 which issues a fix with performance on overlapping wireless networks, AirPlay audio streaming, and configuring multiple entries for DNS servers. The MacBook Pro has been updated to firmware version 1.5 featuring a fix for random shutdown issues when under a high load....

Apple has seeded a new preview version of the upcoming OS X Server version 3.1. The update has a build number of 12S4122. OS X Server 3.1 is expected to be released at some point in the near future to accompany OS X 10.9.2, which was released last month. Developers can grab the beta now from Apple’s Developer Center. The seed notes are below: OS X Server Preview (Build 13S4122) Seed Note OS X Server Preview (Build 13S4122) is now available for testing on OS X Mavericks 10....

Apple has released new beta versions of iOS, watchOS, macOS, and tvOS for developers to test. iOS 11.2.5, watchOS 4.2.2, macOS 10.13.3, and tvOS 11.2.5 beta 4 are all available now on the developer center and rolling out over-the-air. We’ll update to the latest versions and note any changes below. The latest betas follow the official release of iOS 11.2.2 for iPhone and iPad. We haven’t seen version numbers in between the official release and the beta release (so maybe these are placeholder numbers pending additional bug fix updates)....

Following today’s event, Apple has just released the third iOS 14.2 beta developer. The update is now available to developers via an over-the-air update in the Settings app. Update: iOS 14.2 beta 3 is also now rolling out to public beta users as well. As usual, if the update does not immediately appear for download, keep checking as it sometimes takes a few minutes to roll out to all registered developers....

As expected, Apple has released iOS 8 beta 5 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to developers this morning. This update, like the past betas, includes various performance and bug fixes. The previous beta brought various minor user-interface touch-ups and a new Tips app to iOS 8. We’ll be updating this post as new discoveries are made in iOS 8 beta, and you can send us what you find to tips@9to5mac....