With tvOS 17.4 beta 5 now available‚ Apple doesn't have notable features for this software update. However‚ this beta cycle was full of references for unreleased products and operating systems. With beta 1‚ the company added references to unreleased homeOS software. Most likely‚ this software could be used for a HomePod with a screen. Bloomberg and other outlets have reported on a HomePod with iPad integration‚ like an Amazon Echo Show product. Apple is also apparently working on a HomePod with a circular display. That said‚ instead of the current wave animations that we have on the HomePod‚ we could see music and weather data‚ for example. That would come in handy‚ as tvOS 17.4 beta was adding a SharePlay feature for Apple Music. iPhone users could scan a QR code on the Apple Music app for the Apple TV and join a SharePlay session to add songs to a list and create a listening party. Unfortunately‚ Apple removed this function in previous betas. Besides that‚ tvOS 17.4 beta 5 also hints at a new HomePod with a screen. 9to5Mac‘s Filipe Espósito found references to an upcoming HomePod with a screen‚ which is in an “advanced stage of development.” According to Espósito‚ here’s what he could find with tvOS 17.4 beta: This unreleased device is identified as Z314 It is powered by an A15 Bionic chip (which both the newest Apple TV 4K and the iPad mini 6 also are) tvOS 17.4 beta 3 adds support to new SwiftUI frameworks for the HomePod‚ including a tool used to debug unresponsive UI in iOS apps. This all leads the journalist to believe Apple is indeed working on a HomePod with a screen. Alongside tvOS 17.4 beta 5‚ Apple is also seeding the Release Candidate version of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4. BGR will let you know if we learn anything new about this or any other upcoming operating system update. Don't Miss: tvOS 17: Features‚ release date‚ Apple TV compatibility‚ more The post tvOS 17.4 beta 5 now available for Apple TV users appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals This $16 clip-on lens kit fits the iPhone or any Android phone‚ and it’s awesome Amazon deal offers a 7-inch Android tablet for under $43 Save 61% on a 6-port USB rapid charger on Amazon Save 75% on a Canon black and white multifunction laser printer on Amazon

macOS 14.4 beta 5 is now available to developers as Apple aims to release this new operating system update in March. While macOS 14.3 was already a mild update‚ 14.4 doesn’t look much more than that. That said‚ Apple is pretty much adding small new features across the macOS 14.4 beta system. For example‚ with macOS 14.2‚ Apple added support for multiple timers on macOS Sonoma. With macOS 14.4 beta‚ the company is expanding this feature with all ringtones currently available. Previously‚ only the classic tones were available. For Apple Music‚ Books‚ and Podcasts apps‚ Apple switched the Listen Now tab to Home. Although there aren’t other changes‚ it’s interesting that Cupertino decided to make this move. One of the most interesting macOS 14.4 beta features is Apple adding 108 new emojis in RC. Most of the figures are skin tone modifiers and gender variants. Still‚ the new emojis include a lime‚ shaking heads‚ a phoenix‚ and four new gender-neutral family emojis intended to be represented via silhouettes. Apple is also aware of a bug that the Weather app might crash on launch on Intel Macs. The company is working on a fix‚ which means it’ll likely be fixed by the time Cupertino releases macOS 14.4 to all users. With macOS 14.3‚ Apple added the following features: Collaborate on playlists in Apple Music allows you to invite friends to join your playlist and everyone can add‚ reorder‚ and remove songs. Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist in Apple Music. Apple Care &; Warranty in Settings shows your coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID. Besides macOS 14.4 beta 5‚ Apple is also seeding the Release Candidate version of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4. BGR will let you know once we learn more about the features of this operating system update. Don't Miss: macOS 14 Sonoma: Release date‚ features‚ Mac compatibility The post macOS 14.4 beta 5 now available with 108 new emojis and several tweaks appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals This $16 clip-on lens kit fits the iPhone or any Android phone‚ and it’s awesome Amazon deal offers a 7-inch Android tablet for under $43 Save 61% on a 6-port USB rapid charger on Amazon Save 75% on a Canon black and white multifunction laser printer on Amazon

Apple's electric car may be dead in the water. The decade-long project has reportedly been nixed after Apple began moving its resources to work on generative AI systems. The decision was supposedly shared internally this week. Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that the decision was shared by Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Kevin Lynch‚ the vice president of technology at Apple. The sources say that the executives said that the team working on the car‚ the Special Projects Group‚ or SPG‚ will soon be shifted to Apple's artificial intelligence division under John Giannandrea. This shift is likely being made to help push Apple's generative AI development forward. The work on Apple's EV project will continue to wind down. This team has hundreds of hardware engineers and car designers‚ Bloomberg notes‚ but it's unclear how many will survive incoming layoffs from the shift in development resources. Open AI's ChatGPT start page. Image source: Jonathan S. Geller It really isn't surprising to see Apple making a shift like this. While the company has been working on an electric vehicle for years‚ it doesn't appear to have been any closer to releasing anything than it was five years ago. That said‚ generative AI is a growing market that Apple will undoubtedly want to find ways to capitalize on‚ especially as its competitors‚ like Google and Samsung‚ continue to find ways to utilize it. An Apple-designed electric vehicle has always been a bit of a pipe dream‚ too‚ especially since Apple's latest imagining saw the car likely priced at around $100‚000‚ which would make it hard to compete against other electric vehicles that are already more established in the market. Further‚ Apple Car's release target had slipped back as far as 2028. That said‚ seeing the project cashed out like this is absolutely disappointing for anyone who was hoping Apple would create a truly innovative EV. Further‚ it is always sad to see the job losses that development shifts like this bring with it. Don't Miss: Delta offers April eclipse viewing flight from 30‚000 feet The post Apple reportedly cancels electric car development to focus on AI appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals This $16 clip-on lens kit fits the iPhone or any Android phone‚ and it’s awesome Amazon deal offers a 7-inch Android tablet for under $43 Save 61% on a 6-port USB rapid charger on Amazon Save 75% on a Canon black and white multifunction laser printer on Amazon

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul‚ R-Texas‚ vowed to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress if he does not produce review documents relating to the Biden administration's "catastrophic withdrawal" from Afghanistan.

House Speaker Mike Johnson was "very optimistic" after Tuesday's meeting with President Joe Biden and the other three top Congressional leaders that a government shutdown will be averted before Friday's deadline.

The judge overseeing the election interference case against former President Donald Trump determined this week that the former law partner of Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade can testify about Wade and District Attorney Fani Willis' relationship.

A bill that would allow chaplains to act as volunteer spiritual counselors in Florida public schools is headed to the state Senate for a final vote.

Three days after the South Carolina primary there was one little-reported result that could have a major implication on future selection of Republican presidential nominees: the rise in voters choosing to select their candidates through early voting.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday a conflict between Russia and NATO would be inevitable if western troops are deployed in Ukraine‚ Politico reported.

Fast-food chain Wendy's hinted during a recent earnings call that it's considering a "surge-pricing" model similar to those used by Uber or Lyft.