Apple today started inviting its retail employees to participate in testing macOS 10.12, the latest version of Apple’s Mac operating system unveiled earlier this week during a press event at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference. An excerpt from Apple’s memo to employees below:
Digital Music News is once again reporting that Apple is contemplating removing iTunes downloads for good, focusing solely on its Apple Music streaming service for distribution. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Apple is open to multiple scenarios depending on future market conditions, which could include ditching traditional music download model. However, it doesn’t sound like there are firm plans to do that anytime soon; Apple has already denied similar reports saying ‘It’s not true’.
More interestingly is the report’s take on Apple’s WWDC plans for iTunes. It claims that Apple will unveil a major overhaul of the iTunes app to simplify the core functions of the app (music) and better present the different music offerings Apple has, removing points of confusion about how Apple Music works alongside the iTunes Store.
In this week’s top stories: iPhone 7 leaks, more on the rumored upcoming MacBook Pros with OLED touch bar, what’s in store for WWDC 2016, and much more.
Apple also launched its Back to School promo for 2016, and designer brand Coach started preparing for a launch of its Apple Watch bands next week. Head below for all of the handy links to these and our other top shared Apple stories this week.
Earlier this year, we reported that Mac OS X 10.12 would bring Siri support as one of the tentpole features. Apple is likely to introduce the next big update to OS X in just a few weeks at its annual WWDC event, and now we’re learning a bit more about what the company has in store. A new report today brings to light the possibility that Apple could add Touch ID support to OS X with 10.12, as well.
9to5Mac first reported back in February that Apple is planning to finally bring Siri to the Mac starting with OS X 10.12 later this year. Apple’s voice assistant started on the iPhone in 2011 and has since made its way to the iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, so bringing it to the Mac is expected to be a tent pole feature in the next major software update. With the next big update to the Mac operating system set to be introduced in a few weeks at WWDC, new images have surfaced purportedly showing how Siri’s iconography will appear on the Mac.
In our regular Feature Request series, 9to5Mac authors offer their opinion on how to improve popular hardware or software products. Since we started the feature back in November of last year, the majority of installments in the series have focused on Apple’s own software and hardware, including a number of ways the company can improve its current iOS and Mac OS X software as well as possibilities for upcoming iOS 10 and Mac OS X 10.12 releases.
And some of the other Feature Requests we’ve published included features for the new Apple TV, the upcoming next-generation Apple Watch 2, Apple Music, iCloud, and more. Below we’ve compiled a hub for the series giving you an easy way to stay up to date and hopefully some hints at what to expect at WWDC this year and other upcoming Apple product launches…
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While the Apple vs FBI controversy was the top Apple story from last week, the case takes back seat this week to news surrounding Apple’s upcoming March 21st iPhone and iPad event. But Apple and the FBI stories still come in right behind in this week’s top stories, followed by news of Apple’s latest iOS 9.3 beta release, plans for Siri on the Mac this fall, and the more on the upgraded camera system rumored for iPhone 7.
A few months following the launches of both iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple has shifted a large portion of its software engineering resources over to development of the upcoming iOS 10 and OS X 10.12. While iOS 9.2 and OS X 10.11.2 remain under development, 2016’s mobile and desktop Apple operating systems are now moving forward at full speed, sources indicate.