Apple is gearing up for the launch of its huge iOS redesign, and now that iOS 26 public beta is live, they are one step closer to its full rollout, which is expected to arrive in September. One of the star features of iOS 26 is AutoMix in Apple Music, which has garnered a lot of attention.

Apple Music’s AutoMix function (which uses AI to mix between songs on the spot) was announced at WWDC and immediately went viral. It was a hit in developer beta, resulting in a wave of viral videos showcasing its clever beat-matching abilities, and is now even more accessible since rolling out to public beta.

During its early roll-out stages, users have praised AutoMix for enhancing the Apple Music experience, adding that it could spark an even more competitive relationship between other music streaming platforms, most notably Spotify. But despite the positive reception, there’s one common limitation that test users have picked up on.

There’s no denying that AutoMix can do almost everything a DJ can during a live set, and it’s a huge step up from the standard crossfade setting. However, its uniqueness has been shadowed by its song-shortening habits, which haven’t gone unnoticed by Apple Music fans on Reddit and TikTok.

Many users have spotted that when a song comes to an end and AutoMix starts doing its thing, it has the habit of starting the mixing process far too early, chopping the last 30 seconds off a song. In some cases, AutoMix will even sacrifice the beginning of the next song in the queue, starting playback 30 seconds into a track.

One user shared a video on TikTok mixing two Taylor Swift songs, showing the first song ending with 25 seconds remaining and the second song starting 49 seconds in – completely skipping over the first verse.

While this isn’t the case for all AutoMix examples, it’s been a common occurrence for a number of users, leading them to question whether AutoMix needs a few more touches here and there before its wider rollout. But as with any AI feature, it’s not guaranteed to get it right every single time, but when it does, it sounds pretty good – just take a look at the video below, which shows AutoMix at its best without cutting the songs short.

@ai.volution_ Aura x Abracadabra #ios26 #applemusic #automix #ladygaga #artpop #abracadabra #abracadabraladyaga #mayhem ♬ Originalton - AI.volution

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Apple will announce its "California Streaming" fall event on Tuesday after months of speculation. On 14 September, tech fans expect Apple to pull back the curtain on both the iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7.

However, those likely aren’t the only two products Apple has in the works for this fall. According to a series of tweets from PineLeaks (run by Max Weinbach), Apple also plans to reveal the AirPods 3 at its September event alongside the new iPhone and Apple Watch.

The tweets from PineLeaks include a number of interesting details about the new products. Many heard these rumors before, but the leaker also offers some surprising new tidbits. The most interesting of the bunch concern the third-generation AirPods

Apple bringing its new headphones to this event is not especially surprising, but the leaks surrounding the AirPods 3 have not been quite as abundant as those of the iPhone 13 or Apple Watch Series 7. Therefore, everyone still had some doubt that the ublic would see the headphones at this event in September.

PineLeaks not only corroborates rumors of the AirPods 3 debuting at the event, but also offers some specifics. Apple's AirPods 3 Charging Case will supposedly have around a 20 percent larger battery than that of the AirPods 2. The case also includes wireless charging by default. The second-gen AirPods Wireless Charging Case costs an extra US$ 40. Finally, while the sound quality of the AirPods 3 should be similar to its predecessor, there will be "noticeably better bass and low ends."

That wasn’t the only battery-related news from PineLeaks. The batteries inside the AirPods earbuds "should be around the same size as the ones found on the current AirPods Pro." Also, Apple Watch Series 7 will bring the "first real battery life improvement since the original Apple Watch."

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TechCrunch reported that Apple’s expensive smart speaker is going away. The original HomePod was confirmed to have been shelved after people noticed it going out of stock on the company’s website.

In a statement, Apple said it would focus instead on the US$ 99 HomePod mini, which is sad news for all fans of pricey speakers from tech companies. HomePod joining Google’s Home Max on the scrap heap is good news for specialists like Sonos, but to me it’s just another example of why people are skeptical of investing in these niche devices made by tech companies.

Last year Sonos’ ‘recycle-mode’ effort tried to push users away from devices that were as much as a decade old, and owners still revolted. Apple and Google have promised ongoing support and updates for their speakers, but how long do you really think it will be until these speakers are unplugged from their respective ecosystems?

It’s spring, and for many of us that means one thing: allergies. Nicole Lee tried out the Mila air purifier that takes a different approach from many other high-end options as it focuses on being more customizable. There are seven different pre-configured air filters for people with different concerns, whether they’re pets, allergies, smells or something else. It’s a pricey option at $360, but worth considering if you’re just trying to get through your day without another sneezing attack.

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Anytime now, Samsung made Apple Music available on its smart TVs, becoming the first third-party smart TV platform to do so. Now, Samsung is adding Apple Music' real-time synced lyrics to its Smart TVs, too.

Beginning today, when customers with a 2018 to 2020 Samsung Smart TV begin playing a song through Apple Music, the real-time lyrics will appear. This feature is available for millions of songs in the Apple Music library. Users can scroll through songs by flipping through the lyrics, jump to a verse or skip to the chorus. Users can also search lyrics in order to find a song they can't name.

Apple first introduced the real-time lyrics last year, when they arrived on iOS 13. They're now available on other Apple devices, including Apple TV. In most cases, the lyrics are more useful on a TV than your phone and might transform your TV into a kind of basic karaoke machine.

When Samsung first added Apple Music, we noted that the app had been an incentive to buy an Apple TV. But Apple appears to be focussing more on its services, as hardware becomes less of a guaranteed money-maker. By making Apple Music available in more places, like Samsung’s Smart TVs, it might encourage new users to sign up. As part of today's announcement, Samsung said its users can try Apple Music free for three months.

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Owners of Apple's AirPods will have something to be excited about when Apple launches its next major software updates in the fall.

Apple is finally making it easier to switch between devices while wearing AirPods, meaning users won't have to manually connect the wireless headphones when they want to switch from their iPhone to their Mac or iPad.

Apple made the announcement during its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) presentation last 22 June.

Currently, users must navigate to the Bluetooth settings on the device that they would like to switch to while wearing AirPods to jump between supported devices. That means if they're watching Netflix on their iPad but want to switch to their iPhone to take a call or listen to music, they'd have to choose their AirPods from the iPhone's Bluetooth settings.

But when Apple's new software updates for the iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, and iPad launch this fall, users will be able to switch between devices automatically so long as they're all associated with the same iCloud account.

This feature will only work for the second-generation AirPods and AirPods Pro, not the original AirPods that debuted in 2016. Other Apple headphones like Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro. will also be getting the new automatic switching capability.

Apple has made improvements in the past when it comes to how quickly AirPods are able to connect to devices. It's one of the few differences between the second-generation AirPods that Apple released last April, for example, and the original model. In addition to supporting hands-free Siri access, those newer AirPods were able to connect to devices more quickly than their predecessor, which I noticed when I reviewed them around their launch.

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The development of a pair of Apple-branded over-ear headphones was first reported on around two years back. However, there are reports recently showing what appear to be the first images of the rumored headset with an official Apple origin have arisen.

Within some leaked code of Apple's next, currently unreleased operating system iOS 14, 9To5Mac reportedly discovered the first official images of the company's upcoming over-ear headphones which were first said to be in development over two years ago. While the pictures are actually just a pair of icons, they nevertheless seem to confirm the devices existence and their general design.

Apart from the form factor, the icons suggest that the headphones will come in two colors, a dark version and a white version; perhaps that means that a black or space gray iteration of the AirPods will also be coming soon, as well.

In terms of specs, everything is entirely unknown, but it's logical to predict that they will adopt some features from their earbud counterparts including automatically pausing and resuming playback when the headset is removed and put back on. They could also share some features with Apple's over-ear Beats models like noise cancellation.

When the headphones were first speculated about back in 2018, they were predicted to be shipped the same year. Now, after two years, they could finally be launched this year. Considering that iOS 14 is expected to be announced in September, the headset could simultaneously make an appearance.

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Apple has killed off its iTunes music-management software after nearly two decades - marking a major shift in its software. This software was originally introduced in 2001 by Steve Jobs as a way to load songs onto the then-new iPod.

It will be replaced by separate apps for music, video and podcasts for PCs, the company revealed at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WDC).

The update will come in Apple’s upcoming MacOS 10.15 software update and could mean that users who have bought content via the store are still able to use their purchases.

On Macs, Apple’s new OS will allow users to update their phones without having to launch a separate app.

The move comes as users shifted towards managing music on their phones, and iTunes itself had become increasingly bloated.

Later versions let users manage music and movies as well as handle backups and updates to iPhones and iPads.

Apple rolled out the software 16 years ago to sell and manage digital music for the iPod, which paved the way for the iPhone.

Apple has already phased out iTunes from the iPhone and iPad, but the software had endured on Mac and PC.

Instead of iTunes, separate apps for music, video and podcasts will now be offered for computers, mirroring how Apple already handles those services on mobile devices.

Although it's still popular, the iPhone is no longer reliably driving Apple's profits the way it has for the past decade.

Sales have fallen sharply for the past two quarters, and could suffer another blow if China's government targets the iPhone in retaliation for the trade war being waged by President Donald Trump.

Apple is trying to adapt by squeezing money from digital services tailored for the more than 900 million iPhones currently in use.

As part of that effort, Apple is supplementing its music streaming service with a video gaming bundle and a Netflix-like video streaming service scheduled to debut this autumn.

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It has been almost three months since Apple's last incremental update for various devices like Apple Watch, iPhones and Apple TV. While the upcoming iterations of the company's operating systems (iOS 12, watchOS 5 and macOS Mojave are still in beta, users can now update your Apple gear to the latest current release of each.

Apple's iOS 11.4.1 is mostly bug fixes, reports 9to5Mac, but it does add a more reliable Find My AirPods feature.

More specifically, the update fixes a problem that kept some users from seeing the last known location of Apple's true wireless earbuds with the Find My iPhone tool. It also also improves the reliability of syncing Mail, Contacts and Notes with an Exchange account.

The new watchOS 4.3.2 is apparently similarly basic, mainly consisting of bug fixes and stability improvements. tvOS 11.4.1 is also available, though there don't seem to be any readily available release notes on Apple's developer site. macOS High Sierra's latest update (10.13.5) appears to have gone live on June 1st.

This third software update to HomePod, says 9to5Mac, is similarly basic, bringing stability and quality improvements to Apple's smart speaker.

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When iOS 12 comes to iPhones everywhere later this year, Apple's very popular US$ 159 AirPods will get Live Listen, a nifty feature that makes it easier to hear conversations in noisy places.

The addition of Live Listen to the AirPods was first reported by TechCrunch last 5 June. Live Listen has been around since 2014, but only on select Apple-certified hearing aids.

Essentially, Live Listen turns your iPhone into a microphone: "If you're in a crowded bar, point your iPhone's microphones at the person across the table from you, or even slide it over, and you'll hear what they have to say in your hearing aid — or, soon, your Apple AirPods."

The AirPods, which have been hailed as one of Apple's greatest inventions in recent memory, will expand the reach of Live Listen, and let far more people take advantage of a potentially very handy feature. That said, people with hearing loss should still get an actual medical device, and not rely on a pair of consumer earbuds like the AirPods.

The really exciting part is when you look at what this could mean for the future of the AirPods, and for Apple itself.

When Apple first launched the AirPods back in 2016, Slate's Will Oremus referred to them as "Apple's first ear computer."

For Apple, the sky seems to be the limit. Because AirPods give users one-touch access to the Siri virtual assistant, and because they linked up with the iPhone's tremendous galaxy of apps, pundits were hopeful that the AirPods could enable all kinds of superpowers beyond what any other headphones could do. Almost two years later, though, those superpowers have yet to manifest, and the AirPods are still best suited for music and maybe phone calls.

Still, everyone has gotten a glimpse of what the future could look like, thanks to some of Apple's competitors. Doppler Labs, a startup, released the Here One, a pair of earbuds that could increase the bass at a concert to quiet the sounds of a crying baby. Google, for its part, recently launched the Pixel Buds, which feature real-time language translation.

Those products may have been too far ahead of the curve: Doppler Labs went out of business in 2017, after its cool technologies couldn't overcome the inherent challenges of the hardware market. And the Google Pixel Buds received lukewarm reviews, and they haven't become nearly as ubiquitous among gadgetheads as the Apple AirPods.

So it's no wonder that Apple, which famously prefers being right to being first, has been slow to push nontraditional uses of the AirPods. With the addition of Live Listen, though, it means that Apple is still right on track to bring so-called audible computing to the masses, even if it's happening slower than some would like.

Once it gets going, though, things are going to get wild. It's not hard to imagine how Apple's App Store would get apps specifically for the AirPods — language translation is an obvious one, but what about putting Apple's Shazam acquisition to work by automatically cataloging every song you hear in a day? Or prank apps that make it sound like your boss has inhaled helium during your big weekly meeting?

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Apple's AirPods are proven to be a big hit even if they are not perfect. One of the major drawbacks of iPhone's wireless headphones is the fact that they're wireless, and aren't compatible with anything lacking Bluetooth.

Twelve South, which has a reputation for making attractive, smart Apple peripherals, thinks it's solved the issue with AirFly, which is priced at US$ 40 (£40 in the UK and €45 in Europe). The dongle ensures that AirPods are now compatible with pretty much anything with a 3.5mm headphone jack. As everyone expect, given its name, the AirFly was made for in-flight entertainment.

While it's not the first company to offer a hardware solution (there are non-branded Bluetooth-broadcasting gadgets around Amazon and the rest), Twelve South's offering is sleeker: The AirFly is slimmer than your the AirPod charging case, but a little longer. It's charged through a micro-USB port, and connects to AirPods (or any other other wireless headphones or earbuds) to anything with a 3.5mm audio jack. The company adds that it'll last for about eight hours of audio playback - which is longer than Apple's wireless earbuds last anyhow.

The dongle, while still not the most elegant solution, ensures that favorite Bluetooth headphones can work with older tech lacking wireless connectivity and, beyond the tiny screens found on planes, local gym's treadmill and other cardio machines are also a smart option for an AirFly upgrade, allowing the user to tap into those rows of muted TVs without a wire tugging at them during your work-out. The device is lightweight enough to hang from the tensile strength of the headphone cable without much fear over it breaking.

The portable console lacks support for Bluetooth audio. While there are workarounds if the user is using the dock, playing it standalone has meant wired headphones until now.

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The European Commission has just announced that they will undertake a review of Apple's acquisition of music discovery service Shazam. This was a response to request made by several countries to weigh competition concerns.

Apple officially announced it was buying UK tech veteran Shazam back in December. It did not disclose the price-tag for the deal but sources suggest it's paying in the region of US$ 400 million.

At the time it described its Apple Music streaming service and Shazam's music discovery offering - aka an algorithmic music recognition engine that can ID whole tracks just by listening to a few seconds - as "a natural fit", adding: "We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.”

In a press release last 6 February, the Commission said it had accepted a request by seven European countries to assess the proposed acquisition - which it says "may threaten to adversely affect competition in the EEA" (European Economic Area).

A provision in EU law allows Member States to submit a request to the executive body to examine a merger that does not have an EU dimension - on account of it not meeting the turnover thresholds set by the EU Merger Regulation - but which nonetheless affects trade within the EU Single Market and threatens to significantly affect competition within the territory of the countries making the request.

The EC said EU Member State Austria submitted the initial request, with Iceland, Italy, France, Norway, Spain and Sweden joining subsequently.

"On the basis of the elements submitted by Austria and the countries joining the referral request, and without prejudice to the outcome of its full investigation, the Commission considers that the transaction may have a significant adverse effect on competition in the European Economic Area," it writes. "The Commission has also concluded that it is the best placed authority to deal with the potential cross-border effects of the transaction."

The Commission added that it will now ask Apple to notify the transaction.

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Apple reported last 17 November that it was delaying until early next year the release of its HomePod speaker set to compete with Amazon's Alexa-powered devices and Google Home as a smart home and music hub.

The delay means Apple will miss the key holiday shopping season in the fast-growing segment of connected speakers.

"We can't wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple's breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it's ready for our customers," Apple said in an emailed statement.

"We'll start shipping in the US, UK and Australia in early 2018."

Apple announced the device at its developer conference in June.

Powered by Apple's Siri digital assistant, HomePod is priced starting at US$ 349, at the high end of the market, and is designed with high-quality audio to pair with the Apple Music subscription service.

But Apple is late to a marketplace dominated by Amazon and Google, with a handful of other players entering the race.

While Amazon and Google have released no specific sales figures, a survey by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners showed Amazon Echo having an installed base of 20 million units in the United States, or 73 percent of the market, at the end of the third quarter.

Google Home had sold 7 million devices, grabbing a 27 percent market share.

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Apple Touch just became the last iPod standing last 27 July as Apple removed nano and shuffle stand-alone digital music players from its lineup.

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the devices some 12 years ago with his legendary showmanship flare, and the small, easy to operate players helped the company revolutionize how music was sold.

Apple confirmed to AFP that it is no longer selling nano and shuffle, and the MP3 players vanished from the Apple website.

"Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch now with double the capacity starting at just US$ 199 and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano," the company said in an email.

Industry trackers and California-based Apple itself have long acknowledged that the do-it-all iPhone would eat away at sales of one-trick devices such as iPod MP3 players, so the farewell was met more with nostalgia than surprise.

The trend toward streaming music services, including the launch of one by Apple, has made devices designed just for carrying digital tunes around less enticing for consumers.

Shuffle devices about the size of matchbooks and featuring click-wheels for control but no screens debuted in early 2005, with Jobs touting that they let people carry broad libraries of music right in their pockets.

The small gadgets became popular with runners and others involved in physically active endeavors due to the ease with which they could be toted.

The iPod nano also hit the market in 2005, featuring click wheels and screens that improved the ability to select songs. Nano devices evolved with subsequent models, leading to one with a multi-touch screen and the look of an iPhone.

Neither the shuffle nor the nano linked to the internet, instead relying on downloading music from Apple online shop iTunes through computers.

Three years ago Apple discontinued the last version of the original iPod Classic, introduced in October of 2001.

The remaining products in the line are iPod touch models boasting much larger storage capacity and the ability to link wirelessly to internet hotspots for online content such as music streamed from services such as Apple Music.

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