Apple has just released macOS Big Sur 11.4 RC to developers. This comes ahead of the final release, which is expected sometime later this month or early June. The update brings support for paid subscriptions on Apple Podcasts, compatibility with new AMD GPUs, and more. The macOS 11.4 beta comes with expanded GPU support for “cards based on the AMD Navi RDNA2 architecture (6800, 6800XT, and 6900XT).” This update also enables paid podcast subscriptions in the Apple Podcasts app, a feature that was announced last month and will soon be available to users....

Apple authorized reseller B&H Photo has drummed up some speculation this morning about what new hardware we might see at the WWDC Apple keynote on Monday, alongside the usual iOS 16, macOS 13 and other software releases. The reseller has set up placeholder product pages for an as-yet-unreleased M2 Mac mini (the M1 Mac mini debuted in October 2020) and a seemingly all-new ‘Mac mini tower‘ product, which may possibly be a reference to the new Apple Silicon Mac Pro …...

Jack Dorsey’s Square payments company has teamed up with Apple to sell the new Square Stand point-of-sale system through Apple’s large chain of retail stores, according to multiple sources. The Square Stand is an iPad accessory that works with the Square Register app to turn in the iPad into a tool that can run a business. The Square Stand’s main feature is its ability to connect to several devices like cash registers, barcode scanners, and printers....

Apple today announced Final Cut Pro X, the entirely redesigned video editing application for video professionals and prosumers for $299 (App Store Link). Motion 5 ($49 Download link) and Compressor 4 ($49 Download Link) are also upgraded today. Straight from the apple Press release: Apple Revolutionizes Video Editing With Final Cut Pro X CUPERTINO, California—June 21, 2011—Apple® today announced Final Cut Pro® X, a revolutionary new version of the world’s most popular Pro video editing software which completely reinvents video editing with a Magnetic Timeline that lets you edit on a flexible, trackless canvas; Content Auto-Analysis that categorizes your content upon import by shot type, media and people; and background rendering that allows you to work without interruption....

While smartphone growth is slowing in China, Apple managed to increase its market share from 6 to 7 percent in the final quarter of 2013, even before the China Mobile deal was struck. IDC figures reported by the WSJ show that Apple is now the fifth largest smartphone seller in the country, behind Samsung, Lenovo, Coolpad and Huawei. Xiaomi sits just behind Apple at 6 percent. Apple’s share is likely to increase significantly in the current quarter, thanks to finally being sold through China’s largest carrier, China Mobile....

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple’s miniLED plans are being accelerated, the company using the screens in more 2021 iPads and MacBooks than expected. His previous estimates had suggested that the new backlighting technology for LCD screens would be used only on the top models next year, but it now appears that it will make it into some mid-range models too … Background Apple uses OLED screens in Apple Watches and some iPhones (iPhone X, XS, XS Max, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max)....

The Verge met with SIM manufacturer Giesecke & Devrient at the CTIA Wireless trade show to get an update on the 4FF standard, also known as the “nano-SIM,” which caused Apple and Nokia to duke it out in recent times. The firm is exhibiting Apple’s design at the show (above), a 3FF micro-SIM expansion that iOS users are familiar with, while none of Nokia’s competing design was present. When questioned if that suggested the company is going with Apple, G&D said, “We work with everybody,” and then elaborated:...

Apple has today listed 20 new Flyover locations on its iOS 9 feature availability page, five of them in the USA, the rest overseas. The latest U.S. locations are: Columbus, Ohio Louisville, Kentucky South Bend, Indiana Springfield, Missouri Tucson, Arizona … The new international locations are: Adelaide, Australia Amiens, France Berne, Switzerland Bremen, Germany Dresden, Germany Eindhoven, Netherlands Johannesburg, South Africa La Rochelle, France Middlesbrough, UK Nantes, France Salzburg, Austria Taormina, Italy Toulouse, France Toyama, Japan Virgin Islands This brings the worldwide total to 240 places....

If Congress delivers on a proposed tax holiday, Apple could soon join a slew of American companies with large dollar amounts of offshore money eager to repatriate their earnings without being subject to the current corporate tax rate. News of the tax holiday being discussed comes via a report from Reuters: In the past, Apple has made no secret that it does not favor the current corporate income tax rate. With current policy, Apple’s repatriated funds would be subject to the 35% corporate income tax meaning it could really only keep 65% of its earnings…...

A year after Apple Music first became available on Google Nest and Home devices, the streaming service is now supported in five more countries. Australia, Canada, India, Mexico, and South Korea join the US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan. To enable Apple Music, open the Google Home app (Android or iOS) > the Settings gear > (under Services at the bottom) “Music.” You can also open Google Assistant settings and scroll down to “Music....

Apple has begun a new promotion in the US encouraging users to add funds to Apple ID accounts with their iPhone for app, music, movie, and game purchases. The new offer is giving up to $20 in bonus credit to users who use the iPhone funding method. Apple started sending out emails with details on the new promotion offering the 10% bonus: While this may sound confusing to US customers, in other countries, this funding/payment method is common for the App Store and iTunes Store and has been previously promoted by Apple....

At its Worldwide Developer Conference today, Apple has officially taken the wraps off of its oft-rumored speaker in the form of HomePod. The device acts as a standalone way for users to interact with Siri, play music, and more. Tim Cook touts this as Apple’s effort to “reinvent home music” just as it did with products like the iPad. Schiller explained that a successful speaker must: Rock the house Have spatial awareness Be a musicologist To offer strong sound quality, the HomePod features a 7 tweeter array with precision acoustic horns and directional control....

Apple has updated its homepage to include a new microsite officially welcoming the Beats Electronics and Beats Music team to the company. The new site marks the first official mention on Apple.com of the Beats acquisition since the initial press release describing the deal. The site features a silhouettes view of Beats headphones in the background, one of the marquee products of the company acquired by Apple, and the site contains a link to the newly refreshed BeatsByDre....

An Apple patent spotted by Patently Apple shows a spring-loaded pop-up iPhone home button that acts as gaming joystick when in the raised position. Or, in patent language: It’s a fun idea, for sure, but personally I think Apple is more likely to head in the opposite direction over time: to find ways of losing a physical home button and turning it into either a touch-only device, perhaps eventually embedding it into the screen in order to lose the extended bezel at the bottom of the device....

Apple’s latest Father’s Day promo is out now for Apple Pay users. In celebration of Father’s Day, users can receive “exclusive online offers on sports gear, clothing, gift cards, and more.” Let’s see what’s available… Through Costa, users can save an extra 10% off all sale items with the promo code “APPLEPAY” at checkout. Fair Harbor is offering 20% off beachwear as well as other items with the promo code “APPLEPAY“....

Two months after the introduction of the rose gold iPhone 6s and Apple Watch Sport, Apple has refreshed its Beats Solo 2 Wireless headphones and urBeats in-ear headphones with matching rose gold color options. If you’ve already got Solo 2 Wireless or urBeats, the only difference here is the new color option, but they do look good especially if you want to match your hardware. Apple now offers iPhone and Apple Watch color-matching versions of both headphone models with gold, rose gold, silver, and space gray....

Apple has released iOS 11.0.3 for iPhone and iPad. The latest software update includes bug fixes for iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 6s. Apple first released iOS 11 for all customers on September 19, delivering major new multitasking features to iPad and much more. iOS 11.0.1 focused solely on bug fixes and security improvements and shipped on September 26 while iOS 11.0.2 included a fix for an audio issue on iPhone 8 on October 3....

Along with macOS 11.5 being released, security updates have arrived for both macOS Catalina and Mojave. Fixes included are for flaws that could lead to malicious applications gaining root access, arbitrary code being executed with kernel privileges, and more. There are 20+ security fixes for macOS Catalina and Mojave. For many users, the risk of these security issues may be low but with some being potentially serious these are important updates to install....

Apple is officially bringing back its popular Today at Apple sessions at retail stores in the United States. This comes after in-person Today at Apple sessions were on hiatus for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple announced the return of in-person Today at Apple sessions in a press release on Thursday, explaining: Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people, also added that Apple has missed having this in-person connection during the pandemic:...

Apple officially announced its 2021 Back to School promotion today in the US. Like last year, students, teachers, and faculty can get a free pair of AirPods along with the standard education discount on Mac and iPad but there’s more complexity this time around. Here’s why you might want to wait on Apple’s Back to School promotion – at least for a bit. Apple rarely does official deals but its Back to School promo is a long-running tradition....