While it has been in the works for years, Apple Music has officially launched “Apple Digitial Masters” as a way to bring its “Mastered for iTunes” hi-res recordings into one global catalog. Reported by Billboard, Apple has today confirmed that it is combining its collection of hi-res recordings from the Mastered for iTunes program with an initiative called Apple Digital Masters for Apple Music. The report notes that Apple has been slowly rolling out this content over the past years but today is the first time the company has made an announcement about it....

Update: Here is Apple’s The Rock x Siri Dominate the Day full commercial: https://youtu.be/ufBLI6bB9sg Update: Despite initially touting it as a “movie, ‘Johnson now says his partnership with Apple is a “crazy fun” commercial. Seemingly out of nowhere, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has announced on his personal Twitter account that he will soon be starring in a movie created in partnership with Apple. Co-starring alongside The Rock is none other than Siri, Apple’s artificial intelligent assistant....

[UPDATE: Brazilian Carnival-themed ad included below the fold.] Apple has published new iPhone 7 Plus video ads that highlight Portrait Mode with the flagship model’s Camera app. The first video is called Soul Mate and explains how Portrait Mode makes the subject stand out from the background when Blur Effect is applied. While Portrait Mode was first tuned to work best with people’s faces, this video demonstrates the feature on a dog sitting still (which may be the hardest part)....

Apple today released an update to GarageBand for Mac with version 10.3 introducing free downloadable Artist Lessons alongside new Drummers and sounds. Included in today’s update is a push towards educational content for the classroom with in-app Artist Lessons now available for free in 150+ countries. Previously the content was available for $4.99 as in-app purchases in just 20 countries. Other new features in GarageBand below: The update also includes new traditional Chinese and Japanese instruments including the Guzheng, Koto, and Taiko drums alongside five new Vintage Mellotron patches....

Three weeks after the previous beta, Apple just pushed out iTunes 10.5 beta 9. This leading up to their iPhone media event slated for October 4. The beta will be required for devs interested in trying out the upcoming iTunes Match service and of course includes the usual list of known issues. MacRumors provides us with the list of known issues from the release: – “Scan and match” feature is not yet complete....

Following up on launching the first macOS 12.4 beta for developers and public testers two weeks ago, Apple has seeded the second macOS 12.4 beta today to developers. Update 4/20: Apple has released the second macOS 12.4 beta for public testers. If you’re not already enrolled you can get started at Apple’s public beta website here. macOS 12.4 beta 2 is now available via OTA for developers already enrolled in the beta as well as being available soon from Apple’s Developer website....

Apple has released macOS High Sierra beta 4 for developer testing. macOS High Sierra includes the new Apple File System, HEVC video playback, Metal 2, Photos and Safari upgrades, and more. macOS High Sierra beta 4 is currently only available to registered developers for now. Apple typically holds new public beta versions for a few days for major updates. We’ll update with any changes discovered in the latest macOS High Sierra release below....

Alongside the new iTunes 11 desktop app, Apple has released a new version of its Remote iOS app. Remote is Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch app that allows you to control iTunes and Apple TV media playback. The new update introduces a completely revamped interface for the iPad. The old Remote app on the iPad featured a UI akin to that of iTunes 10, and this new version looks much like the new iTunes 11 computer app....

In line with our reporting from yesterday and from September, Apple has provided Mac users with a pair of important updates. The company has released a new version of the previously released OS X 10.8.5. This new release is a “Supplemental Update” and provides bug fixes for MacBook Air FaceTime Cameras, USB, HDMI, and Bluetooth adapters: Also available is iTunes 11.1.1, an update to version 11.1 that brought iTunes Radio. This update brings bug fixes for Podcast Management and iTunes Extras:...

Backing up rumors that have surfaced over the past couple weeks regarding Apple’s media event on Thursday, ArsTechnica brings more wood to the fire and claimed Apple will announce a “GarageBand for E-books” on Thursday. Apple already dropped a few hints, such as “Join us for an education announcement,” when it sent out invites last week. Wall Street Journal also announced that Apple has reportedly been working with publisher McGraw-Hill since June....

TechCrunch’s lead Apple reporter Darrell Etherington quietly stopped writing for the news site at the end of June, and we’ve learned that he left to take up a job in Apple’s PR office in Toronto, Canada. Etherington’s modern journalism expertise should be beneficial for Apple as it improves its approach to press relationships, while the admiration of his former colleagues should go a long way in fostering those ties… Etherington’s move is just the latest in a string of journalists who have been hired by Apple, but none of the career changes appear to be related....

Along with other software releases today, Apple has also announced the release date for tvOS 12 during its iPhone event this morning. The company has also revealed details regarding upgrade pricing as well as future pricing for Dolby Atmos pricing through iTunes. Apple says tvOS 12 will be released on Monday, September 17. This update is a rather minor one, only adding Dolby Atmos support as well as a few new space wallpapers....

Apple’s antitrust mess keeps getting worse, with today’s Apple Pay announcement as the latest example. The company is now under fire on so many flanks in so many countries that it spends half its PR life trying to defend its stance – and legislation is ultimately going to force it to change anyway. To me, the most baffling thing about the company’s stubbornness on this issue is that the mess could so easily be resolved, and my bet is that it wouldn’t even cost the company much money....

Apple’s Beats brand has launched a new campaign and short film today, the goal of which it says is to celebrate Black joy and resilience. At the heart of the new campaign is a short film called “You Love Me,” which is available on Apple Music and YouTube starting today. Beats explains: Included in the new campaign are a variety of celebrities and athletes: “You love Black culture, but do you love me?...

Earlier this week, iOS users discovered that the App Store was experiencing some technical issues that caused every item for sale to become unavailable. Now, only two days later, the company’s status page indicates that the App Store on Mac and iOS, iBooks Store, and various iTunes services such as the music store and Radio, are all suffering from even more downtime. According to the status page, the issues first cropped up around 4:30 PM and have persisted for about three hours so far....

Over the weekend, Apple posted its latest EEO-1 statement: the Equal Employment Opportunity form follows government regulations to note diversity of Apple’s employee base (via AppleInsider). The newly-released 2015 statement shows that 30 percent of Apple’s employees in the United States are female, a rise of 1% over the numbers posted in the 2014 statement. Black and Hispanic employees make up 8.6 percent and 11.7 percent of the workforce, respectively....

Josh Shaffer, Apple’s engineering director for UIKit and SwiftUI has joined John Sundell on his podcast Swift by Sundell in the latest episode to give a detailed look into what inspired SwiftUI, how Apple is using and improving it, and much more. In the most recent Swift by Sundell episode, A major step forward, John talks with Apple’s SwiftUI engineering director, Josh Shaffer, for a fascinating and comprehensive conversation about the framework....

Apple’s new iPad Pro and MacBook Air on sale Meanwhile, you can snag the new iPad Pro in the 11-inch configuration from $750. Only the Wi-Fi model is discounted at this time. Notable features here include an 11-inch display featuring edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display with ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color. Learn more in our review roundup. B&H clears out prev-gen. MacBook Pro B&H is currently taking up to $650 off various previous-generation Apple MacBook Pro models....

Per Apple’s support document, they will now fix the issue with the rubber bottom on the white unibody MacBook coming off due to issues with glue. This applies to any MacBook purchased between October 2009 and April 2011. The program is available free of charge via your local Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Providers. There’s another option, too. A self service is available as well where you order a replacement bottom case kit online....

The Apple Music free trial for students is normally the same three months as anyone else, before you’re offered the option of a half-price subscription with Apple TV+ thrown in as a sweetener. But Apple is currently doubling the free period to six months for higher education students in selected countries. The exact qualifying requirements vary a little by country … The 8-Bit notes eligibility criteria for US, Canada, and Japan....