Apple Weekly News Roundup: iTunes 12 and Yosemite Betas Released, iPhone 5 Batteries to be Replaced, and More

Apple last Thursday released public beta versions of OS X Yosemite and iTunes 12 to members of the OS X Beta Program for testing. OS X Yosemite is expected to debut this fall and is expected to feature connectivity options to provide for continuity between desktop Macs and mobile iOS devices. iTunes 12 will have many new features including the new Family Sharing feature that will allow users to share iTunes and App Store downloads with up to six family members without sharing their accounts. Here are some of last week's other notable news and rumors:

Apple to replace faulty iPhone 5 batteries for free

On Friday Apple announced the launch of a free battery replacement program for iPhone 5 batteries. This was decided upon after it was discovered that a "small percentage" of batteries issued to handsets in the first five months after the iPhone

5 launch (Sept. 2012 - Jan. 2013) contained faulty components that resulted in shorter battery life.

Earlier in the week, leaked images emerged showing a lightning-to-USB cable with a reversible USB, a feature that would end the all to common frustration of reaching behind a computer to plug in your USB only to find you are holding it backwards. Interestingly enough, a patent application from Apple for a reversible USB appeared at the USPTO on Thursday, which would suggest the leaked images were of a third party product, not an Apple product.

Other leaked data last week, from French site igen.fr purported to show Foxconn specifications for the iPhone 6 that showed it will have a protruding camera lens. It appears that the lens will stick out .77 mm from the handset.

GforGames last week reported that the new iPhone will be equipped with a Qualcomm MDM9625 modem, which will allow for speeds of up to 150 Mbps. If true, this is a far cry from the 300 Mbps that an LTE Category 6 modem would provide (if the network allowed it). Many were expecting a Cat. 6 modem.