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Alongside software updates to iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and HomePod today, Apple has released Shortcuts 2.1. The update includes improvements to iCloud sharing, new measurement conversions, Weather integration, and more. With today’s updates, shortcuts you create can now integrate current weather and upcoming forecast information. To do this, you’ll simply need to add the “Get Current Weather” or “Get Weather Forecast” actions to your shortcut. Other new actions include “Create Alarm,” “Toggle Alarm,” and “Start Timer....

There’s a new software update awaiting Apple TV 4 owners as Apple released a small point update for all users today. tvOS 9.1.1 likely includes bug fixes and performance improvements without adding any major feature changes. The update, however, does include the new Podcasts app that first appeared in tvOS 9.2 beta. The bigger update coming in the future also includes channel folders, Bluetooth keyboard support and more. You can update your Apple TV 4 through the Settings channel from the Home screen....

Earlier today Apple released a new wireless Magic Keyboard with numeric keypad, filling a long-standing hole in its accessory product lineup. While the new keyboard is a great option for many customers, it seems Apple has removed the much more affordable $49 wired keyboard with numeric keypad from its online store… While the wired keyboard with numeric keypad definitely wasn’t for everyone, it was a cost-effective option to have full functionality while sticking with an official Apple product....

Apple Pay partner MasterCard used the PGA Tour kickoff in Phoenix earlier this year to promote Apple’s mobile payment service, and today MasterCard announced that Apple Pay will be accepted at the upcoming Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida. MasterCard says that almost all vendors at the golf event will accept Apple Pay and other contactless payment options for paying for merchandise and concessions. MasterCard and the PGA TOUR debuted contactless payment acceptance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in January, allowing spectators to use mobile payments platforms like Apple Pay for the first time at a TOUR event....

“Jeff Williams is Apple’s senior vice president of Operations, reporting to COO Tim Cook. Jeff leads a team of people around the world responsible for end-to-end supply chain management and dedicated to ensuring that Apple products meet the highest standards of quality. Jeff joined Apple in 1998 as head of worldwide procurement and in 2004 he was named vice president of Operations. In 2007, Jeff played a significant role in Apple’s entry into the mobile phone market with the launch of the iPhone, and he has led worldwide operations for iPod and iPhone since that time....

Apple has yanked popular photo-sharing app 500px for iPhone and iPad from the App Store over “concerns of nude photos,” according to a report by TechCrunch. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company pulled it from the App Store around 1 a.m. EST on Tuesday. The startup’s COO, Evgeny Tchebotarev, told TechCrunch that Apple doesn’t want children to search and find nude photos unintentionally via the app: Tchebotarev clarified that 500px does not allow pornography, as it is against the service’s terms and conditions, and the nudes found within the community tend to include an “artistic” nature....

As it continues to expand its health services for users, Apple has rehired Flipboard co-founder Evan Doll. According to Doll’s LinkedIn profile, he will work in the company’s health software department. Doll apparently rejoined Apple last month as a “director of health software engineering” (via Bloomberg). Doll originally worked at Apple from 2003 to 2009 as a software engineer. At first, he was a pro applications software engineer, though he later shifted his focus to developing an operating system for the iPhone....

Apple today released the seventh developer preview of OS X Yosemite bringing the latest build to 14A343f. The previous developer preview (build 14A329f) was released two weeks ago. Xcode 6 beta 7 was also released alongside new builds for OS X Server 4.0 Developer Preview and Apple Configurator 1.6 beta 5. If you find something new, you can let us know at tips@9to5mac.com. The release version of Yosemite is currently scheduled for the later half of October, and it will ship separately from iOS 8....

Apple Pay is now available from 23 more banks and credit unions around the United States. Apple’s mobile payment service launched two years ago with hundreds of additional regional banks and credit unions added every few weeks. You can find the latest banks added below: 3Rivers Atlantic Stewardship Bank Bank of Franklin County Bank of Southern California Bristol County Savings Bank Center National Bank Century Bank Chadwick Federal Credit Union Citizens Independent Bank City & County Credit Union Community National Bank Seneca CPM Federal Credit Union Elmira Savings Bank First Community Bank (VA, WV, NC, TN) First Keystone Community Bank First National Bank of Texas Fort Hood National Bank Freedom of Maryland Federal Credit Union Hoosier Heartland State Bank Monroe Federal Savings and Loan North Dallas Bank & Trust SC State Federal Credit Union Southside Bank As for new businesses, I recently wrote about the opportunities to expand support in the United States at many retail categories based on reader feedback....

Apple Pay’s expansion to Israel has been rumored for a long time, but we now have an official launch date. According to local news outlet Haaretz, Apple Pay will launch in Israel on May 5. Apple Pay will allow iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch users in Israel to pay in stores, online, and in-app. The launch has been rumored for nearly a year, but it is believed to have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic....

Apple has invested a lot into its Apple Pay mobile payments solution since its launch last fall. Since launching in October, the payment method is already accepted at more than 700,000 retail locations, according to the company. Reuters today has published a new report in which Apple says that Apple Pay will be accepted by half of the top 100 merchants in the United States by the end of this year, with more planned in 2016....

The same day as it released OS X 10.11.3 to the public, Apple has now pushed an update to its iMovie video editing software. The update bumps the app to version 10.1.1 and includes primarily under-the-hood bug fixes and performance updates, some of which will certainly be welcomed by users. First off, Apple says the update fixes an issue with YouTube sharing that would prevent a user from signing in if they had multiple accounts....

Apple has released the second iOS 9.3 beta for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to public beta testers. Today’s release follows the developer version Apple releases iOS 9.3 beta 2 with Night Shift, Touch ID Notes, & new 3D Touch earlier this week, which included tweaks and changes from the initial iOS 9.3 beta. These include updated Night Shift settings as well as a new toggle in Control Center and several other changes....

Apple Pay is now working with cards from HCBC France and BNP Paribas. The two banks join the 25 card issuers already supporting Apple’s mobile wallet service in France … The move follows the addition of bunq and Crédit du Nord in December of last year. Neither HSBC nor BNP are yet listed on Apple’s website, but both banks had announced that support was coming soon, and iPhon.fr reports that cards from both banks can be added as of this morning....

We first heard about Apple making its high-end iPhone models in India earlier this year. Today a new report from ET Telecom claims the company has just started the production of the iPhone XR in the country, with plans to also manufacture the iPhone 11 there in the following months. Apple has conducted several production tests over the past few weeks to ensure these devices can be produced at Foxconn Chennai in India....

If you’d like to listen in to Apple’s Q4 earnings call at 2pm PT on Monday, Apple has now posted the link for the live audio stream: www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq414. It will also remain available for replay for around two weeks afterwards. The webcast is available on any iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 4.2 or above, as well as any Mac running OS X 10.6.8 or later. Windows users can also listen in so long as they are running QuickTime 7 or later....

Apple has launched a new ad promoting the iPhone 12 durability. It’s not the first time the company has emphasized this, as in its iPhone keynote last year, it said that this model has four times better drop performance. In the ad named Cook, a clumsy cooker tries to learn a recipe while reading the steps on his iPhone 12. The result is that he spills lots of sauce on the iPhone, fills it with flour, and hits the smartphone with a pepper grinder too many times....

Apple is promoting Earth Day this Saturday with the latest Apple Watch Activity Challenge. The new Earth Day Challenge encourages Apple Watch users to go outside and complete a 30 minute outdoor exercise to unlock new iMessage stickers and a special achievement award. Check out the stickers below: The new Activity Challenge for Apple Watch users is already popping up for customers in the eastern hemisphere and should arrive overnight for users in the United States....

While you probably know the Emmy Awards, which recognizes the best talents from TV, the Television Academy also holds the Engineering Emmy Awards every year. This year, Apple won an Emmy Award for its ProRes video codec, which was also honored today during the 72nd Engineering Emmy Awards presentation. Engineering Emmy Awards, as you might expect, recognize the technologies and the companies behind them that make movies and TV shows possible....

Apple has released the fourth beta version of the upcoming iOS 8.2 software update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Previous builds include support for testing WatchKit apps for its upcoming Apple Watch release and changes to Apple’s Health app. We’ll update our coverage with what we find in the latest developer beta. – The update is currently available over-the-air through the Software Updates section of the Settings app, but should be available through the iOS Dev Center shortly (now available)...