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’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....

While one of the most common concerns has been on what might happen if other governments try and take advantage of this system for other purposes, the feature will only be available in the United States at launch. The concerns have come from a variety of notable sources, such as Edward Snowden and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The EFF wrote: All it would take to widen the narrow backdoor that Apple is building is an expansion of the machine learning parameters to look for additional types of content, or a tweak of the configuration flags to scan, not just children’s, but anyone’s accounts....

Apple, in collaboration with Major League Baseball (MLB), has announced the Friday Night Baseball schedule for August. Games are still available for free, exclusively on Apple TV+. According to a company press release, game assignments for broadcasters are going to be announced weekly. Live pre- and postgame coverage will still be hosted by Lauren Gardner. Additionally, Gardner will be joined by a rotating group of analysts and former MLB players Carlos Peña, Cliff Floyd, and Yonder Alonso....

Aqara has been a great option for people starting out with HomeKit, as their starter kits provide a low-cost way to add a number of HomeKit-compatible products all at once. Once you add a hub, you can add start adding water sensors, motions sensors, etc. Today, Aqara is unveiling a brand-new TVOC Air Quality Monitor with an e-ink design. HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework....

As fans in the US gear up for Aquaman’s theatrical release, the DCEU superhero adventure is already nearing a $100 million opening weekend for the China box office. If those numbers hold up, it will mark the highest December debut in Chinese history, besting the 2015 action-adventure Mojin - The Lost Legend. After its Chinese debut this weekend, Aquaman opens in the U.K. on December 12, along with Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Philippines and Taiwan....

Fans of Arrow may see a new John Diggle in season 6 of The CW series. Though the character will survive the explosion at Lian Yu, the Diggle that comes back from the island may not be the one we know, and throughout the upcoming season the character will continue to change - and not for the best. At San Diego Comic Con 2017, actor David Ramsey, who has played the character since Arrow began in 2012, talked about what challenges Diggle will have to endure in season 6....

Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has only just begun with Captain America: Civil War kicking things off in May. While excitement levels are high for Doctor Strange, the next film up on the docket, it is nothing in comparison to what fans everywhere are hoping for Avengers: Infinity War. Even though there are still five films between viewers and the next Avengers installment, production kicks off in Atlanta near the end of the year, with Josh Brolin already on set running through rehearsals....

While most Batman fans know the character’s alter ego is millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, here’s why he was redubbed Bruno Diaz in Latin America. Batman made his debut in Detective Comics in 1939 and hasn’t stopped fighting crime ever since. The character is easily one of the most popular comic book characters ever created, and talented writers, artists, and filmmakers have been able to take the concept and mould it in exciting new ways....

While a portion of the Internet has been using Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice as a punching bag almost since it was first announced, it’s always been hard to imagine the film not performing well at the box office. Batman and Superman are two of the most iconic characters in the history of American pop culture, and with Wonder Woman also involved in the superheroic fray, the question has become not whether BVS will do well financially but just how well it will ultimately do....

As years have gone by, certain aspects of Batman’s character have changed here and there. The color scheme has sometimes been altered, or his outlook on the world can change depending on the writer behind him. Even the various films based upon the adventures of Batman on the streets of Gotham have portrayed the iconic superhero using a variety of difference tones and visual cues. Despite all of these minor changes here and there, one aspect of Batman’s characterization has remained consistent: he does his best to avoid killing, whenever possible....

Star Wars: The Last Jedi may be set to move a lot of Porg merchandise, but BB-8 isn’t buying. For diehard Star Wars fans, the inclusion of Porgs in The Last Jedi has been known for some time. Residents of Ahch-To, where Luke has been in self-imposed exile, the tiny critters are an adorable addition to the animal kingdom of the galaxy far, far away. Of course, they’ll also make for some great toys and mascots....

Bear Grylls is no stranger to adventure, so it’s no surprise he’s venturing into unknown territory by launching a brand new series, Bear Grylls: Face the Wild, from an unexpected source: Facebook Watch. The social media platform is branching out into original content and has teamed with Grylls for a new series that aims to bring Facebook users into the survival expert’s corner of the entertainment world and test their limits....

Before Beats launched the new Studio Buds wireless earbuds, the product was seen a few times in the ears of famous athletes. Now that the Studio Buds are out, the company is promoting them with a new campaign on YouTube. Called “It’s The Music,” the campaign already has four different videos posted this week on the Beats YouTube channel. Roddy, Ricch, Druski, Serena Williams, and now Coi Leray all share what music means for them and how the new Beats Studio Buds allow them to listen to their favorite tunes....

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kandji, a modern, cloud-based platform to manage and secure your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices. Kandji saves IT teams hours of manual work with features like one-click compliance templates and 150+ pre-built automations, apps, and workflows. Request access. The argument about “bring your own device” and company-owned devices has continued for much of the last two decades. Initially, there was almost no reason for a BYOD environment as enterprise networks were heavily tied to an Active Directory environment....

In a tribute to Steve Jobs, iOS developer Colby Sheets transformed the almost two-decade-old iMac G4 into an M1 Mac machine. Have a look. Sheets posted a video of his M1 iMac G4 on October 5, the day people marked the 10-year death anniversary of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Sheets wrote: In a forum post, Sheets explained how he was able to do that, thanks to the M1 chip: In celebration of Steve Jobs’ life and his inspiration to many, I wanted to show a passion project I’ve been working on that I think Steve would be proud of....

Apple today released the third beta version of HomePod Software 15 to invited users as part of the AppleSeed program. While the release notes don’t give details of what has changed in today’s build, the update follows reports about the HomePod Software 14.6 and 15.0 beta bricking users’ speakers. Multiple users have reported that their HomePods stopped working after the HomePod Software 14.6 update, which was introduced in May along with iOS 14....

After first announcing that iOS 15 would bring support for digital IDs via Apple Wallet back at WWDC in June, the first US states that will lead the adoption of the new standard have been named. There are 8 states announced for now that are committed to using Apple Wallet IDs and interestingly, they’re probably not the ones you’d guess. The first of the 8 to launch will be Arizona and Georgia and Apple also says it is already talking with “many more states” about adopting IDs in Apple Wallet....

The Apple Support app just got a new update with version 4.3, adding paired AirPods to the list of your owned devices. Previously, if you need support for your AirPods in regards to “Audio & Sound,” “Lost Or Missing AirPods,” “Battery & Charging,” “Pairing & Connectivity,” “Physical or Liquid Damage,” or more, you had to click on a generic AirPods icon on the Apple Support app. Now, when you search for specific AirPods on the Apple Support app, you’ll find all the AirPods you own....

Apple has officially set a date for its next Apple Watch Activity Challenge. This time, the company has scheduled an Activity Challenge for Earth Day, which is set to take place on April 22. This challenge requires users to complete a workout of any category for at least 30 minutes. You’ll then unlock stickers that can be used in the Messages app, FaceTime, and more. Apple Watch Activity Challenge set for April 22 Apple says:...