'NFL Now' Channel Coming to Apple TV Later This Month

While many NFL fans have been hoping the Sunday Ticket subscription service will make its way to the Apple TV someday, the league appears set to make its first foray onto the set-top box with an upcoming NFL Now channel, reports 9to5Mac .





Announced earlier this year for a launch this month, NFL Now is a personalized digital video library of on-demand news, features, highlights and more, as well as live streaming of press conferences and other events, but not games. The new service will be launching across a number of platforms later this month as the 2014 NFL season begins, but Apple TV support had not been confirmed.



Sports content has been a major theme for Apple TV content, with MLB.tv, NBA League Pass, NHL GameCenter, and MLS Live subscription services all available on the platform. Other sports channels on Apple TV include Watch ESPN, action sports channel Red Bull TV, college-focused ACC + Campus Insiders, and cricket channel Willow.

New Photos Claim to Show Purported Rear Shell of iPad Air 2

Taiwan-based accessory maker Yi Lin Enterprises has posted new photos on Weibo showing the purported rear shell of Apple's iPad Air 2 (Google Translate, via Mac Otakara ). The images show off a gold housing with a number of design changes, including a new speaker grille with larger holes and a relocated rear microphone alongside the iSight camera.





Last month, an alleged "perfect replica" of the iPad Air 2 surfaced, showing off a Touch ID home button for the device and recessed volume buttons along with the same refined speaker grille. The prototype followed the leak of a supposed front panel from the iPad Air 2 this past April, which showed an integrated display that may hint at a thinner form factor for the tablet.



Apple's iPad Air 2 is expected to launch alongside the iPad mini 3 later this year, and is expected to include a faster A8 processor in addition to the aforementioned Touch ID fingerprint sensor and refined physical features. Rumors have also suggested that Apple is working on a larger, 12.9-inch iPad Pro, however recent reports have indicated that plans for the tablet may be on hold for the foreseeable future.

Apple Constructing Second Retail Store in Turkey, May Open This Fall [Mac Blog]

Work has begun on Apple's second retail location in Turkey, reports Turkish website ElmaDergisi (Google Translate, via ifoAppleStore ).





According to the report, the store will open in Istanbul's Akasya Shopping Center and may coincide with the launch of the iPhone 6 this fall. Photos of the store's construction show workers laying out flooring and wooden tables, as the store's front glass exterior and trademark logo already appear to be put up.



Apple's first location in Turkey opened this past April at Istanbul's Zorlu Center, and features a unique cubic design with glass sides and a glass ceiling. Apple's manager of retail stores Steve Cano also led a press tour of the store before its opening.

Apple Continues App-Focused TV Ad Campaign With 'Dreams' Spot

Apple launched a new television ad in its "You're More Powerful Than You Think" campaign, this time called "Dreams". The song in the ad is "When I Grow Up" by Jennifer O'Connor.



It is the fourth ad in the series, with previous spots "Powerful", "Strength", and "Parenthood" focusing on the sheer variety of apps on the iPhone, workout apps, and apps for parents.






Like the other ads, "Dreams" shows the iPhone used in various situations in everyday life, extended with apps from the App Store. Apps and accessories featured in the spot include:



- Vaavud Wind Meter , an anemometer that plugs into the iPhone's headphone jack

- Response Deck , an app for fire and EMS first responders

- iTranslate Voice , a near-real time language translation app

- Veterinary AliveECG , a portable heart monitor for pets

- ForeFlight Mobile, a civil aviation mapping and weather app for pilots

- SAM-1, an appcessory for measuring water pH and other data



"Dreams" debuts just over a month after the previous spot, "Parenthood", was released at the end of June.

Beats Pill Mascots and Siri Join Forces in New 'Apple and Beats' Video [Mac Blog]

Beats Electronics today posted a new video to its Twitter account, celebrating Apple's acquisition of the company alongside Beats Music. The short video (via 9to5Mac ) features Beats Pill mascots Tina and Mikey excited about the acquisition, with Siri informing the two that Dr. Dre would be having a party to celebrate.






When the two ask Siri for directions to the party, Siri informs them that the party is by invitation only. When pressed further, Siri responds "Sorry, I didn't get that", poking fun at virtual assistant's typical response when it doesn't work properly.



Earlier today Apple updated its website with a new page celebrating the Beats acquisition, titled "Welcome to the family".

Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers to Also Head Up iTunes Radio

Apple’s $3 billion acquisition of Beats was finalized today, and as the two companies merge into one, the positions some former Beats employees will take on at Apple are becoming clearer.



According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal , Ian Rogers, who serves as the CEO of Beats Music, will take Apple’s own iTunes Radio streaming music service under his wing, heading up both streaming music services. Rogers will likely report to Eddy Cue, the SVP of Internet Software and Services at Apple, who oversees all of Apple’s content stores.

Rogers, a former Yahoo executive, will run both teams to create cohesion in Apple’s streaming-music options, according to the people familiar with the matter. Pandora and Spotify, the two-biggest streaming music services, each offer both a free ad-supported service and a subscription-based service.

As previously reported, Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young (aka Dr. Dre) are also expected to take on senior roles at the company, and while it remains unclear exactly what the duo will do at Apple, Iovine may also become involved with iTunes, securing deals and marketing opportunities.



Earlier today, Apple posted a message on its website welcoming the Beats team to the family, as Beats shut down its own online store. While many former Beats employees are transitioning to Cupertino or continuing to work in a Los Angeles office, approximately 200 employees in human resources, finance, and other areas where there was overlap with Apple have only been given temporary positions as the company tries to find new roles for them.