Apple Updates GarageBand for Mac With New Electronic/Hip Hop Synths and Drummers [Mac Blog]

Following the launch of Apple Music, Apple today updated GarageBand for Mac to version 10.1, adding new features and a huge amount of new content for musicians and sound makers to work with. The update to GarageBand was first announced in mid-June.

The update brings 10 new Drummers with beats appropriate for electronic music and Hip Hop styles like House, Trap, Techno, and Dubstep, plus it adds more than 100 EDM and Hip Hop-inspired synth sounds, each of which includes Transform Pad Smart Control for tweaking sounds to each user’s personal taste. There are also 1,000 new Apple Loops made from a wide variety of instruments.

Today’s update brings support for the Force Touch trackpad when GarageBand is used with the MacBook or new MacBook Pros, and it includes a new feature that lets music be shared directly to Apple Music Connect, Apple’s new social networking platform aimed at artists.

-10 new Drummers that produce beats in a variety of electronic music and Hip Hop styles including House, Trap, Techno, Dubstep and more
– Over 100 EDM and Hip Hop-inspired synthesizer Patches featuring the new Transform Pad Smart Control for sound morphing
– Record the movements of software instrument Smart Controls to capture performances of effect and tone adjustments
– 1,000 new Apple Loops from a variety of popular instruments and genres including EDM, Hip Hop, Indie, Disco, Funk, and Blues
– Share directly from GarageBand to Apple Music Connect
– Adds support for Force Touch trackpad
– Resolves an issue which prevented the export of long recordings
– Contains multiple enhancements to Accessibility

Apple has also released a minor update for its GarageBand app for iOS, introducing bug fixes and the ability to share music directly from the app to Apple Music Connect.

GarageBand for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]

GarageBand for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]

Leaked Photos of Next-Generation ‘iPhone 6s’ Show Only Minor Internal Differences

The next-generation iPhone, often referred to as the “iPhone 6s,” will likely retain the same exterior design as the iPhone 6, based on purported images of the device’s rear shell obtained by 9to5Mac. The report claims the rear shell is identical to the iPhone 6 on the outside, including the same thickness and width, with only minor internal differences.

The leaked photos of the “iPhone 6s” reveal that the Lightning connector, speakers, microphones, headphone jack, volume rocker, mute button, sleep/wake button, SIM card slot, antenna lines and cutout for the rear-facing camera and LED flash are all identical to the iPhone 6, which is unsurprising given that “S” model iPhones have historically looked almost identical to the iPhone released one year prior.

While the exterior design on the “iPhone 6s” looks unchanged, the rear shell has a notably different internal mounting structure that suggests a new logic board and other components are incoming. In particular, the next-generation iPhone is rumored to include an A9 processor with 2GB of RAM, Force Touch, 7000 Series aluminum and improved 12-megapixel camera, among other changes.

Beats 1 Radio Accepting Song Requests from Listeners [iOS Blog]

One of the upcoming segments on Beats 1 radio is called “Requests,” and it appears this broadcast will feature songs that have been requested from Beats 1 listeners around the world. According to a tweet from the Beats 1 Twitter account, users can request a song by calling in to the station.

The Apple Music Tumblr site has a page that’s dedicated to requests, listing phone numbers around the world for listeners to call to request a song. In the United States, the number for making a request is 1-310-299-8756, or 1-877-720-6293 for toll free.

Hi – In a few hours we turn the show over to you.
Hit us w/ your requests for @ilovetmills: http://t.co/9uRuyaRchl
#Beats1Requests

— Beats 1 (@Beats1) June 30, 2015

There are also phone numbers listed for Canada, the U.K., France, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Australia, Italy, Ireland, and New Zealand.

“Requests” will play at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and the segment will be hosted by Travis Mills, who is located in Los Angeles. Mills’ show will come on following Ebro Darden, who goes live at 3 p.m. Pacific Time. It is not clear if the requests that Beats 1 is asking for will be limited to the “Requests” segment or if they’ll also be played at other times on Beats 1 radio.

Beats 1 radio debuted today at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time in hundreds of countries around the world. It provides 24/7 live music and will also include news segments, interviews, and more. Beats 1 radio is part of Apple Music, which also includes a new on-demand streaming service (free for three months) and Apple Music Connect, Apple’s new artist-focused social networking feature.