Jordan manages the internal Partner Program for sponsorships and partnerships across the 9to5 network’s media brands including 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Electrek.co, SpaceExplored and DroneDJ.com.
Jordan also writes about all things Apple as a Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.
Contact Jordan with partnership inquiries and long-winded complaints:
In this week’s top stories: iPhone 7 leaks, Pokémon GO mania continues, Apple recruits developers for its ‘Planet of the Apps’ reality TV show, and much more.
We kick things off with the latest iPhone 7 reports, including one alleged leak of the device on video, and yet more leaks claiming to show Lightning EarPods as Apple’s ‘AirPods’ trademark surfaces once again.
The iPhone 7 leaks keep coming. Earlier today the latest alleged spy shots showed what appeared to be fully assembled devices, which are most likely the clones based on leaked designs that often surface ahead of a new iPhone launch. Now, a video from unknown sources on Chinese website Weibo (via techtastic.nl) shows a similar design to previous leaks.
Reports from local French newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré (via iPhone.fr) claim Apple has signed contracts to open a new R&D lab in Grenoble, France focusing on imaging technologies.
Hit mobile game Pokemon Go plans to soon implement advertising via “sponsored locations,” tapping into its ability to drive foot traffic to retail stores, reports Financial Times.
The iDevices Socket is an adapter that goes between your lighting fixture and a standard bulb to add Wi-Fi and iPhone app control to any lightbulb. It also adds support for control via Siri voice commands and the iOS 10 Home app through Apple’s HomeKit platform.
SanDisk’s latest iXpand product is a Lightning flash drive in the form of an iPhone case, allowing you to easily have extra storage for your iPhone at all times. And the iXpand Memory Case has an optional battery pack that attaches magnetically, turning the case into a single solution for both extra storage and battery life.
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In this week’s top stories: Apple launches public betas for upcoming releases of iOS 10 & macOS Sierra, Pokemon Go tops the app charts, the latest iPhone 7 leaks, and much more. Head below for these and the rest of this week’s top stories:
Apple’s new European iOS App Development Center, announced back in January, is about to officially launch as the Università di Napoli Federico II in Italy today confirms it has partnered with Apple on the initiative (via Macerkopf).
When Apple first announced its plans for the new development center, the first of its kind to offer training for app developers in Europe, it didn’t say which school it would be partnering with to push the specialized curriculum. Today it confirmed the Università di Napoli Federico II will play host to the “iOS Developer Academy” with a dedicated facility that will offer Apple’s specialized app development training to a couple hundred students.
The program will begin in October and last nine months.
Could the iPhone SE get even cheaper with the iPhone 7 launch?
When Apple launches a new iPhone, it usually maintains pricing for the top models as the previous generation models get price reductions and possibly discontinued. It typically bumps the oldest models out of production entirely, keeping four to five models for sale including the new flagships.
With the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus introduction, for example, Apple kept the iPhone 5s and an 8GB iPhone 5c around at reduced prices. With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, it discontinued the 5c and kept the 6/Plus, 6s/Plus, and 5s at reduced price points until ultimately replacing the 5s with the new 4-inch iPhone SE in March.
But this year there are some questions about what Apple will do with the iPhone lineup following the iPhone 7 launch this fall. Reports of increased storage options and a new “Pro line” for iPhone 7 could change Apple’s usual approach if true, not to mention the new iPhone SE, now the only 4-inch device in the lineup, was a rare mid-year iPhone release earlier this year.
Can iPhone SE get even cheaper with iPhone 7 launch? Will Apple keep the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus around or discontinue those models while offering discounted 6s and 6s Plus models only?
As one of the major Apple Pay holdouts among retailers, Walmart today officially launched its own digital payment solution called Walmart Pay nationwide.
Apple lost share of the Chinese smartphone market with a decline in iPhone sales during May, pushing it to fifth place behind local brands Huawei, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi. The data comes from Counterpoint Research and was published today by Bloomberg.
A new project called Thinga.Me from Microsoft’s experimental Garage team aims to offer users a way of organizing and sharing real-world objects through a new iPhone app.
Skype is adding new features today across platforms that improve file sharing. You’ll now be able to share files, photos, and videos up to 300MB at a time with contacts even when they’re offline, and users will now be able to access and download shared files more one than once.
Update: Verizon’s new plans and features are now official.
Verizon is planning an announcement tomorrow and CNET reports that it’s part of a big overhaul of its plans that will see increased data caps come alongside price hikes and other new features. Customers will also reportedly soon get access to unlimited usage through a new feature dubbed ‘Safety Mode’, rollover data options, and more.
Today yet another alleged spy spot of iPhone 7 shows a redesigned antenna and camera consistent with past leaks. It’s unclear if the component is legitimate, but the photo was published by techtastic.nl, a site that in the past has had accurate leaked photos of iPhone packaging and components found floating around China.
If you’ve been holding out for a new standalone desktop display from Apple, you’re either going to take news of the Thunderbolt Display being discontinued as a sign of good things to come, or as a cue to finally purchase a new 4K or 5K display from someone else. For most, especially considering Apple itself is recommending you purchase a third-party display, the latter option is going to be the more likely.
While Apple didn’t recommend any specific third-party alternatives during its discontinuation announcement of the Thunderbolt display last week, we’ve done the work for you and put together our top picks for the best 4K & 5K displays for Mac available to buy right now.
In this week’s top stories: Space Black iPhone 7 leaks, more MacBook Pro rumors, and Apple dukes it out with Spotify as reports emerge that Apple is in negotiations to acquire Jay-Z’s Tidal streaming service. Head below for all the handy links to these and our other top shared stories from the past week:
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The MLB today announced a deal with Blast Motion that will see it allow teams to use the accessory maker’s Blast Baseball iPhone-connected swing analyzer sensor.
One month after his last drone flyover of Apple’s under construction Apple Campus 2 site, Matthew Roberts has sent over an update for July that gives an up-close look at progress in recent weeks.
Google is rolling out an update to its Keep note-taking app that brings new auto-created topics that group notes together for automatic organization and easy searching.
Cirrus Logic today announced a new development kit that makes it easy for companies to develop headphones using Apple’s Lightning connector. The announcement comes ahead of Apple’s next-generation iPhone 7 this fall which is expected to remove the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack for the first time.
Yahoo is updating its Sports app today, which offers a selection of personalized news streams, scores, notifications and video content. The company notes the new design is inspired by recent updates to its Homepage and News site, which should make for a more consistent experience between the desktop news sites and Sports mobile app.
The next iPhone might be more of a minor, in-between year upgrade if the latest reports are to be believed, and that could even inspire a branding change this year. But could a new dark black color option rumored for iPhone 7 be enough to encourage an upgrade for you?
That’s the question we’re asking in today’s poll just as new reports this week, including our own, add yet more evidence that a darker color option is at least being considered for iPhone 7 this fall.
For some, Apple’s next major important product unveiling might not be the iPhone 7. It could be the rumored upcoming MacBook Pro expected to sport a new touchscreen OLED strip to replace the function key row on the keyboard. That will likely be a standout new hardware feature that Apple will want to highlight and launch during a public event, but it likely won’t be the only notable hardware upgrade for a new 2016 MacBook Pro.
Head below for our roundup of everything we know so far about Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro…
