In this week’s top stories: A fake iPhone 9 makes the rounds, new iOS 13.4 beta, watchOS 6.1.3 is released for everyone, March Apple keynote rumors, and more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news.
Leading off this week, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri made headlines for explaining why the company hasn’t adopted the iPad yet. According to Mosseri, the reason for Instagram’s iPhone-only app is that the company doesn’t have the resources to develop for both platforms. He explained that Instagram has “lots to do,” and all of it is apparently more lucrative than an iPad app would be.
Apple this week released the latest betas of its next round of updates, this includes iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS 13.4, as well as macOS 10.15.4 and watchOS 6.2.The first beta of iOS 13.4 included a handful of notable changes, but beta 2 works on refining those features.
One of the few changes in the second beta is that the Mail app toolbar has been redesigned yet again. In the first beta, Apple reverted the toolbar to the pre-iOS 13 design, but with this week’s update, Apple has removed the flag option completely and rearranged the icons, adding a new compose option instead.
Meanwhile, with the latest macOS 10.15.4 beta, users can now access real-time lyrics for Apple Music content in the Music app. To access lyrics in the Music app, look for the small quotation button in the upper-right corner while playing a song. Find more details in our full coverage here.
watchOS 6.1.3 was released to the public this week. watchOS 6.1.3 includes improvements and bug fixes, including a fix for an issue that prevented the irregular heart rhythm notification from working as expected for Apple Watch owners in Iceland.
In iPhone news, an iPhone 9 hands-on video made the rounds on TikTok this week — but we quickly debunked it as a fake. Read more on that story here.
Apple was forced to issue an investor update this week detailing that it won’t hit its Q2 earnings range due to the coronavirus outbreak in China. Apple cites two main reasons for this: worldwide constraints for iPhone supply and demand for Apple products within China.
Last but not least, a Bloomberg report on Thursday detailed that Apple is considering adding the ability for users to set third-party apps as defaults on iOS, overriding the built-in preference for Apple’s Safari and Mail. The company is also reportedly considering adding native support for third-party streaming services such as Spotify on HomePod.
These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.
- Apple releasing second developer beta of iOS 13.4 and more today [U]
- iOS software engineer says Apple service promos mean ‘iOS is adware’
- Should you buy an iPhone now or wait for the iPhone 9?
- Coronavirus cruise treated with 2000 iPhones deployed to everyone stuck on board
- Alleged ‘iPhone 9’ hands-on video makes the rounds on TikTok, but it’s not real
- Bloomberg: iPhone SE 2 on track to launch in March despite coronavirus production delays, new iPad Pro in first half of the year
- Ming-Chi Kuo casts doubt on 2×2 MIMO uplink support for 5G iPhone 12
- iPhone 9 mass production ‘likely’ delayed due to coronavirus, report says
- Kuo: Ultra-wide band chip production ramp predicts Q3 2020 launch for Apple AirTags
- watchOS 6.1.3 for Apple Watch available today with critical bug fixes
- Oklahoma mom credits Apple Watch with detecting SVT heart rhythm in her 13 year-old son
- Instagram CEO explains why the company hasn’t developed an iPad app yet
- Digitimes: New ’12-inch’ iPad Pro in production with 3D-sensing rear camera, likely March launch
- Developer successfully installs Microsoft’s new dual-screen Windows 10X OS on a MacBook
- Unified Microsoft Office for iOS app exits beta with Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- You can now add your Apple Music ‘Replay 2020’ playlist with most played songs of the year
- Adobe marks 30 years of Photoshop with new iPad and Mac features
- Popular habit tracking app Streaks now available on the Mac
- Apple Music now copies Beats feature for smarter handling of alternate albums
- Rumor: Apple to hold special event on March 31, release iPhone 9 on April 3
- Warren Buffett sold $800M of AAPL last quarter, remains biggest shareholder
- Tim Cook details Apple’s response to coronavirus outbreak in memo to employees
- Apple says it won’t meet Q2 earnings range due to coronavirus, iPhone supply constraints
- Apple seeks to block publication of App Store Confidential book over ‘secrets’
- Hands-on: LiteChaser Pro photo and video kits for iPhone 11 [Video]
- Comment: hands-on with Samsung Galaxy Z Flip — or why Apple should make an ‘iPhone Flip’ [Video]
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from . 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
- 9to5Mac Daily: February 21, 2020 – AirPods Pro Lite rumors, more
- 9to5Mac Daily: February 20, 2020 – Third-party default apps on iOS, new betas
- 9to5Mac Daily: February 19, 2020 – watchOS update, Apple AirTag rumors
- 9to5Mac Daily: February 18, 2020 – Apple’s investor update, March event rumors
- 9to5Mac Daily: February 17, 2020 – Instagram for iPad, Apple Music Replay 2020
Matt Birchler really gets the Apple Watch. Not just where it is and where it’s been, but where it could go next. Since watchOS 3, Matt has produced the absolute best eye candy concepts of how future software versions could evolve.
9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how the Apple Watch is affecting their lives. 9to5Mac Watch Time is available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and your favorite podcast player through RSS.
Apple Music gains new features, coronavirus forces Apple to adjust earnings guidance (again), new iPhone SE and iPad Pro rumors continue, and Apple may finaly be considering third-party default apps.
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John and Rambo continue their adventures into building apps with SwiftUI, talk about the newly released Swift Playgrounds app for Mac, and discuss the dilemma of Apple promoting their own services across iOS. Also, unit testing, monetizing an app through donations, and much more.
Stacktrace by is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Apple @ Work is a weekly series from Bradley Chambers covering Apple in education. Bradley has been managing Apple devices in an education environment since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple’s products work at scale, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for students.
- Making the Grade: Why Code.org curriculum replaced Swift Playgrounds in my coding classes
- Apple @ Work: G Suite has brought immense benefits to Apple focused organizations
- Making the Grade: How to get AirPlay 2 in the classroom without the expense of an Apple TV
- Apple @ Work: Here’s how Apple TV has quietly become a robust digital signage solution
Author: Chance Miller.
Source: 9TO5Mac
