iPhone 5s

449 'iPhone 5s' stories January 2013 - October 2013

Released in mid-September 2013, the iPhone 5s ($99 to $149 from the Apple Store) is a cosmetically minor but internally significant update to the iPhone 5. Featuring the same aluminum and glass design as the iPhone 5, including the same 4″ screen size, dimensions, and weight, the iPhone 5s introduced gold and space gray options to Apple’s product lines, while remaining available in the same white and silver combination as the iPhone 5.

From the outside, the most obvious change was the addition of Touch ID: a fingerprint sensor inside of the iPhone’s Home button. Ringed with metal color-matched to the iPhone 5s’s body, the sapphire-crystal coded fingerprint reader can unlock the screen by matching its scan to 5 distinct fingers, and similarly substitute a scan for a password when making iTunes purchases.

Internally, the iPhone 5s makes significant improvements over the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c in two main categories: processing and cameras. Replacing the iPhone 5’s A6 processor is a new A7 chip with twice the speed, much improved graphics, and a 64-bit architecture. The A7 enabled the iPhone 5s to be the first 64-bit smartphone, capable of enhanced gaming, video processing, and even more advanced apps in the future. It continues to support LTE cellular networks and 802.11n wireless.

The camera system benefitted from an all-new rear 8-megapixel sensor with improved light sensitivity for low-light photography. Also new is a True-Tone flash, a dual-LED flash that increases skin color accuracy when taking photos in the dark. Apple also added a Burst Mode feature to capture 10 photos per second, and a new Slow-Mo video capture mode to take 120FPS video.

As of 2015, the iPhone 5s is in the middle of the iPhone pack in performance, but still the best option available for users with small hands and/or small pockets. Everyone else should give serious consideration to the thinner, faster, and longer-running iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. The iPhone 5s is sold only in 16GB and 32GB storage capacities, the former very small. If you’re going to buy this model, we’d strongly advise spending the extra $50 for the 32GB model.

How Apple will handle replacements for iPhone 5s units with battery problems

Mark Gurman Oct 31 2013 - 12:31 pm PT

17 Comments

Earlier this week, Apple confirmed that some iPhone 5s units are affected by battery-life issues due to a manufacturing glitch. Apple said that customers with affected units would be contacted to receive a replacement device. Now, sources have shared some details into how exactly that process will work. Besides what is listed in the quote from Apple’s PR department, Apple has told AppleCare representatives that the issue can cause “shortened battery life, longer charge times, or a battery that will no longer charge…”

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Apple to Devs: Gold iPhone not best for marketing materials

Jordan Kahn Oct 31 2013 - 7:45 am PT

4 Comments

Earlier this month we reported that Apple had changed its developer marketing guidelines after years of only allowing images of the black iPhone in marketing material. Since Apple’s new lineup of iPhones features a number of new colors for the device for the first time, we noted that Apple tweaked its guidelines to allow other colors of the device, including white and certain iPhone 5c colors. Now, Apple has updated its guidelines once again, this time specifically excluding the gold iPhone 5s from the list of colors allowed in photography and video marketing material (via MacRumors):

Feature only the most current Apple products in the following finishes or colors: iPhone 5s in silver or space gray, iPhone 5c in white or blue, iPad Air in silver or space gray, and iPad mini in silver or space gray. If multiple Apple products are shown, display them in the correct relative sizes.

You’ll notice that it’s also not allowing certain colors of the iPhone 5c (only blue and white are listed), so gold specifically doesn’t seem to be the issue. As it did previously, Apple provides downloads of iPhone images for developers to place their screenshots on and use for marketing purposes. Those downloads are limited to the iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 5s in Silver/white and Space Gray, and the iPhone 5c and iPod touch in black and blue models.

It’s unclear Apple’s reasoning for not allowing the gold model of the iPhone 5s and certain colors of the iPhone 5c. It could possibly be due to Apple’s desire to keep the popular colors unique to its own marketing material, or perhaps Apple thinks screenshots do not show as well on certain colors as they do on black and silver models.

Over half analysts surveyed expect AAPL to beat its own high-end guidance today

Ben Lovejoy Oct 28 2013 - 5:45 am PT

5 Comments

Update: The analysts were right to be optimistic, but not optimistic enough

As we wait for Apple to announce its Q4 results in this afternoon’s earnings call, more than half of the analysts included in Fortune’s survey expect the company to beat its high-end guidance of $37B. The average is driven up by the amateurs, who come in at $37.38B, while the professionals expect just a touch under the top end at $36.95B.

Predictions on both revenues and earnings do vary markedly, however. While the consensus view is that year-on-year revenues will be up 3 percent and earnings down 6 percent, even among the professionals the earnings estimates span a 15 percent range.

Top: FBN’s Shelby Seyrafi: $39.18 billion (up 9% year over year)
Bottom: Cantor Fitzgerald’s Brian White: $34.57 billion (down 4%)

Apple beating its own guidance wouldn’t have been remarkable in the days when Apple gave absurdly pessimistic guidance and then blew it away, but would be impressive since Cook started offering realistic ranges …
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Still waiting for that gold iPhone 5s? There’s always the Goophone i5S …

Ben Lovejoy Oct 23 2013 - 5:20 am PT

9 Comments

Goophone, a Chinese company specialising in counterfeit phones, has launched the Goophone i5S. On the outside, it’s a very, very close copy of the real thing (complete with fake Touch ID sensor that does nothing). On the inside, though, it’s just a cheapo Android.

Boost Mobile to Offer iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on November 8

Seth Weintraub Oct 21 2013 - 5:20 am PT

2 Comments

Along with US Cellular who announced on Friday, Boost Mobile will now also offer the iPhone 5s and 5c on November 8th according to short press release this morning (below).

Boost is a Sprint Co. pre-paid sister site of Virgin, which also announced iPhone 5s and 5c availability last month with $100 off retail pricing and $30/month plans. Boost Mobile iPhone media (above) was leaked last month.

Nine other regional carriers have announced iPhone 5s/5c availability on November 1st.
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Apple unveils its first Gold iPhone 5s TV video ad, ‘Metal Mastered’

Seth Weintraub Oct 20 2013 - 12:06 pm PT

16 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYsSiaBZmRk]

Apple revealed its first magazine ads for the iPhone 5s this past week and they were gold, featuring the gold iPhone 5s. During today’s football games, Apple released its first TV ad with the same affinity for the ‘Midas model’.

The video above (via Verge) shows a similar video shown at the launch event with a quick demo of TouchID.

What conclusion can we draw from this?

Gold is best.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRwcIumf-mI&start=261]

Update: Apple has added the ad to its website

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Sketchy photos want you to believe Touch ID is coming to the new iPads

Michael Steeber Oct 19 2013 - 5:01 pm PT

10 Comments

Independent reports from CTechCn and 2014 News claim that Touch ID, which debuted last month in the iPhone 5s, will make its way to the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2. The new Apple tablets are scheduled to be announced this upcoming Tuesday at Apple’s media event.

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Why iPhone longevity means iOS carrier activation share doesn’t resemble sales

Ben Lovejoy Oct 18 2013 - 7:20 am PT

21 Comments

There was a lot of confusion yesterday when Verizon’s results were discussed, with more than one commentator confusing activations and sales. For the record, what Verizon announced was that 51 percent of its activations were iPhone, not 51 percent of its phone sales.

If you doubt the importance of this distinction, I have one word for you: T-Mobile. As of 11th April, the carrier had two million iPhone activations. Its iPhone sales as of the same date? Zero: T-Mobile didn’t start selling iPhones until the following day.

The difference between the two numbers is particularly dramatic with high-end handsets like the iPhone …
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Cricket Wireless will begin carrying iPhone 5s & 5c on October 25

Jordan Kahn Oct 14 2013 - 6:33 am PT

2 Comments

A number of regional carriers in the U.S. previously announced October 1st availability of Apple’s new iPhone 5s and 5c, and today AT&T-owned prepaid carrier Cricket Wireless becomes the latest.

The carrier announced today that it will begin carrying both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c later this month on October 25:

Cricket Communications, Inc. today announced Cricket Wireless will offer iPhone 5s, the most forward thinking smartphone in the world, and iPhone 5c, the most colorful iPhone yet, to customers beginning on October 25, 2013. Customers may pre-register interest today at www.mycricket.com/register. For more information please visit: www.mycricket.com. For more information on iPhone, please visit: www.apple.com/iphone.

Twice as many people buying iPhone 5s as iPhone 5c (latest claim)

Ben Lovejoy Oct 14 2013 - 6:16 am PT

11 Comments

With no word from Apple on the breakdown of its record-breaking iPhone sales between 5s and 5c (and no word expected during the company’s earnings call either), everyone is posting their estimates.

First to the punch was Localytics, who used iPhone connections to mobile and web apps to come up with an estimate of three to one in favor of the 5s. KGI’s Mingchi Kuo disagreed, using supply chain analysis to put the figures closer to 50/50, and suggesting that, if anything, sales of the 5c might be slightly higher. Now we have Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (via AllThingsD) using consumer surveys to suggest that the 5s is outselling the 5c two-to-one …
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As expected, Apple Store iPhone trade-in program reaches the UK

Ben Lovejoy Oct 14 2013 - 5:38 am PT

5 Comments

You may recall we broke the story that Apple’s iPhone trade program, launched in the U.S. in August, was coming to the UK. It’s now launched – but you may not want to use it.

Apple says it will offer up to £175 for iPhone models in its UK stores. Apple offers up to $250 in its U.S.-based locations. The program allows a customer with an iPhone 3G or newer to receive a gift card with the trade-in-value for use towards a new iPhone. The new device must be activated in-store.

An online version, based on a different recycling firm, launched in the UK last year.

But for those who really don’t want the hassle of dealing with private sales, it’s at least an option to make that shiny new iPhone 5s a little cheaper …

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New iPhone 5s stock-tracking site offers insights into which models are in demand

Ben Lovejoy Oct 14 2013 - 4:19 am PT

2 Comments

A second iPhone 5S stock-tracking web app, this one available in all countries where the new handset is sold, has provided a few stats showing what people are searching for.

60 percent of people searching www.stock5S.com are looking for the gold model, with silver and space gray coming in at 20 percent each. The most highly-sought model is the 16GB gold model at 30 percent, followed by 32GB gold at 17 percent.

More than half are searching for 16GB models, almost a third looking for 32GB and just 14 percent wanting 64GB.

Note that these numbers don’t necessarily reflect actual demand: they are the models being sought for in-store pickup by those who have so far been unable to find them in-store. If 32GB Space Gray handsets are widely available, for example, fewer searches would be made online for those.

Are iPhone 5c sales low or supplies high?

Ben Lovejoy Oct 11 2013 - 8:04 am PT

36 Comments

Image: abcnews.com

KGI’s Mingchi Kuo, an analyst with a solid track-record, and the man who came closest (almost) to calling opening weekend sales of the iPhone, now believes Apple shipped ‘just’ 11.4M iPhone 5c handsets in September, rather than the 17M he had earlier forecast, reports Business Insider.

Kuo is now estimating Apple shipped 11.4 million 5Cs in the September quarter, a 33% drop from his original estimate. He also says he expects 5C sales to be just 10.4 million units for the December quarter, a 10% sequential drop.

This makes some sense of the rampant discounting seen on the 5C (which actually started at Walmart before launch), but doesn’t necessarily mean that iPhone sales as a whole are down …
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Apps crashing twice as often on iPhone 5s as on other models

Ben Lovejoy Oct 11 2013 - 5:47 am PT

24 Comments

Apps running on the iPhone 5s crash twice as often as the same apps on other models, according to data released by app performance monitoring company Crittercism (via AtD).

The usual rate for app crashes on iPhones is a little under 1 percent, while the rate on the iPhone 5s is closer to 2 percent.

Levy said that perhaps the reason that the iPhone 5s is seeing more crashes than the equally new iPhone 5c is that, while developers were able to check their apps for compatibility with iOS 7 during several months of beta testing, the new hardware wasn’t available ahead of time. The iPhone 5s packs a new 64-bit A7 chip and an M7 coprocessor, while the 5c is nearly identical internally to the iPhone 5 […]

“The good news is that Apple is certainly aware of issues. they’ve pushed out two iOS updates for iOS 7… Apple is doing a really old job of addressing these issues as they come up.”

Reports of bluescreen issues are still making the news (video below), despite the iWork bug having been fixed in 7.0.1. The current version is 7.0.2, and 7.0.3 is expected soon.
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Literal camera shootout tests iPhone 5s slo-mo by shooting iPhone 5c

Ben Lovejoy Oct 8 2013 - 6:32 am PT

1 Comment

Whenever a new phone comes out, there are always a bunch of drop-test videos, keen to see how the handset fares when dropped onto various surfaces. Rated RR‘s tests are a little more … extreme. Generally involving a 50-cal rifle.

So when they wanted to see how the iPhone 5s 120fps slo-mo performs, what else would they do to find out but shoot a defenceless iPhone 5c? It may not be quite as pretty as some demos, but it’s certainly impressive.

Japan’s DoCoMo feeling the pain as iPhone 5s buyers flock to competitors

Ben Lovejoy Oct 8 2013 - 4:42 am PT

0 Comments

Japan’s DoCoMo, a carrier which was late to adopt the iPhone, lost more than 66,000 subscribers last month through a combination of having limited stocks of the iPhone 5s, and competitor carriers offering better deals. CNET alerted us to the number in a Nikkei report yesterday.

The iPhone has been reshaping Japan’s telecommunications market — one of the largest in the world — as it gains in popularity. DoCoMo’s problem is that it was late to the Apple phone game: the 5S and 5C are its first phone products from Apple.

Both Softbank and KDDI are offering incentives for upgrades to the 5s, and likely have better availability due to their long-established relationships with Apple. With DoCoMo also on board, the iPhone is expected to become the market leader in Japan.

Phil Schiller tweets links to iPhone 5s photos in National Geographic

Ben Lovejoy Oct 8 2013 - 4:11 am PT

5 Comments

Apple’s Senior VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller tweeted a link to a National Geographic feature in which photographer Jim Richardson used his iPhone 5s for a photo feature on Scotland in the definitive landscape photography magazine.

iPhoneography http://t.co/1MYjDgV2sj

— Philip Schiller (@pschiller) October 8, 2013

Richardson said that the transition from his usual Nikon kit wasn’t an easy one.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t struggling to make pictures. Walking down the Royal Mile surrounded by all things Scottish nothing seemed worth a picture. Out of desperation I took a few glib shots. Awful! Surrounded by great subjects I could see nothing. Made me feel worse.

But that using it over four days, he came to be impressed …
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iPhone 5s takes top slot from Samsung Galaxy S4 at U.S. carriers; good showing by 5c too

Ben Lovejoy Oct 7 2013 - 4:10 am PT

2 Comments

The iPhone has long been the best-selling phone on AT&T, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 has for some time held that slot at Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, with the iPhone 5 in second place. No more. September sales figures from Canaccord (reported in Fortune) show that the iPhone 5s now has top billing on all four major U.S. carriers, with the iPhone 5c also beating Samsung on AT&T and Sprint. While the news isn’t unexpected, the numbers do seem to put the lie to one rumor …
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Unlikely fingerprint hack plus Airplane Mode from lockscreen prevents remote wipe

Ben Lovejoy Oct 4 2013 - 6:35 am PT

23 Comments

For those paranoid spy folks out there, SRLabs has pointed out an additional security weakness which could help an attacker use the fingerprint hack to access an iPhone 5s.

The fingerprint hack takes time: around half an hour of actual work, plus drying time. Provided you notice your phone has gone before the thief gains access, you can simply remotely lock or wipe the phone. But with Airplane Mode accessible from the control center on the lockscreen, a thief can simply enable this to prevent the phone being wiped while they are dealing with the fingerprint …
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9to5Toys Last Call: OtterBox Defender $20, Call of Duty Mac bundle $40, $100 off Virgin Mobile iPhone 5s/5c, more

Oct 2 2013 - 3:00 pm PT

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From 9to5Toys.com:

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+.

Today’s featured deals:

OtterBox iPhone 5 Defender Series case in multiple colors $20 shipped (Reg. $50)
Lifeproof iPhone 5 Frē water/dirt/snow/shock proof case $40 shipped (Reg. $80)

Call of Duty Bundle: $40 (Reg. $130) – incl. Black Ops, Modern Warfare and COD 2
Rayman Legends: $40, Splinter Cell Blacklist: $40, iOS freebies, more

iPhone 5s for $549, 5c for $449 (both $100 off) unsubsidized at Virgin Mobile

Worldwide Giveaway: Just-Mobile HeadStand precision-engineered aluminum headphone hanger ($50 value)

Other great deals from today:

New! Philips Twin Play portable iPhone, iPod, iPad video viewer w/ two 9″ LCD displays $80 shipped (Reg. $220)
New! Dell 23″ 1080p full HD IPS LED monitor (Refurb.) $99 shipped (Reg. $167)
New! Home Theater Upgrades: 3D Blu-Ray Player $45, Subwoofer and Soundbar $65, more
New! Sony HDR-PJ200/B 1080p camcorder w/ built-in projector (refurb): $155 (Reg. up to $415)
New! Panasonic Lumix 16MP 8x Zoom Digital Camera with 3″ Touchscreen $80 shipped (Reg. $200)
New! Apple Airport Extreme 5th Gen (Refurb): $75 shipped (Reg. $180 new)

The best deals that are still alive:

$25 for $50 worth of protective gear from Speck for your iPhone, iPad, Galaxy and more
Logitech K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard $50 (Reg. $100), K400 w/ touchpad $30 (Reg. $40)
Apple iPod Touch 16GB 5th gen. (Refurb.) $149 (Reg. $229 new)
Pre-order: Breaking Bad complete series on Blu-ray w/ replica money barrel, Los Pollos Hermanos apron, more
NBA 2K14 now available on iOS, 50% off Batman Arkham games for Mac, iOS freebies, more
Apple online store now offers 128GB iPad starting at $679 (up to $140 off new)
3M Projector Sleeve for iPhone 4/4S $80 shipped
The best Apple-certified (MFi) Lightning cables in various lengths, colors, and styles

Mac software bundles:

Parallels is getting into the bundle game with its own “update bundle” which includes the Parallels 8->9 Update (which you need to run on Mavericks). Included is a 6 month subscription to Parallels Access for iPad and the CleanMyMac 2.
TuneUp iTunes cleaner $30 – Ends tonight!
The Mac Freebie Bundle 2.0: 10 Apps To Enhance Your Design, Photography & Productivity
$50 MacUpdate Bundle: Snapheal Pro, Civ V Gold, PDF Pen, TechTool Pro 7, ScreenFlow, more – Ends tonight!

New product announcements & reviews:

Belkin announces Express Dock for iOS devices w/ adjustable dial to accommodate cases
GoPro’s new HERO3+ cameras are smaller, more capable, and ready for next-level action
Valve announces Steam Machines hardware beta for SteamOS
Amazon freshens up the Kindle Fire HD, now starts at just $139
Roku announces refreshed lineup of devices starting at $50

Still looking for that elusive in-store iPhone 5s? Screen-scraper web app is here to help

Ben Lovejoy Oct 2 2013 - 5:11 am PT

4 Comments

If you’re still hoping to pick up an iPhone 5s from your local Apple retail store, developer Mordy Tikotzky has put together a web app to help.

Just go to the iPhone Check website, put in your ZIP code (it’s US-only at present), select your desired color and carrier and hit the Submit button. The web app carries out the search for you, screen-scrapes the results from apple.com and then presents a neat, color-coded table of results.

Apple briefly introduced an in-store pickup option, pulled it after one day and restored it a few days ago. The tool is a very handy way to check availability, but if my quick tests are anything to go by, you’re still not going to have much luck finding a gold one (other solutions are available …).

Verizon confirms software glitch allowed upgraders to keep unlimited plan, but deal will be honored

Ben Lovejoy Oct 1 2013 - 3:51 am PT

1 Comment

AllThingsD has confirmed our suspicion that it was a software glitch that allowed iPhone upgraders to keep their unlimited data plans.

There is, however, good news for those lucky enough to have upgraded their phones before the glitch was caught:

[Verizon] said it would honor the unlimited plans of those customers who managed to upgrade while Verizon was working to fix its software.

Chinese iPhone buyers desperate for gold turn to $2 stickers

Jordan Kahn Sep 30 2013 - 6:23 am PT

6 Comments

The new gold color option for the iPhone 5s might be driving higher demand over the 5c in China, but for those unable to find or afford the more expensive model, gold stickers and skins have quickly become an inexpensive alternative. The Wall Street Journal reports that a long list of retailers in the country have started offering gold skins for the iPhone 5/5s, allowing users to give their iPhone a similar gold appearance for as little as $2.

“Dear, you don’t need to sell your kidney for the new iPhone,” one of the ads said.“Instead of paying 5288 yuan (the retail price of the 16-gigabyte iPhone 5S in China), you only need to spend 35 yuan to make your iPhone 5 look like a golden iPhone 5S in seconds.”

The report notes that online retailers through taobao.com have sold thousands of gold iPhone skins in less than a month, and there is certainly no shortage of similar options through Amazon and other online retailers.

The new gold iPhone is in limited supply at most retailers around the world, and even Apple’s own retail stores have had extremely limited supply of the model compared to other color options since the device’s launch on September 20.

As noted by WSJ, the gold iPhone 5s is considered somewhat of a status symbol in the country with local Chinese media often referring to the gold 5s model as “Tuhao Jin” or “local tyrant’s gold.”
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Samsung: We’ve been making gold phones longer than Apple has been making phones

Jordan Kahn Sep 27 2013 - 1:03 pm PT

52 Comments

With Apple’s new gold iPhone 5s getting the most attention of any of the new colorful iPhones it released earlier this month, Samsung wants you to know that it isn’t copying Apple with its new gold Galaxy S4.

In a blog post on its official Samsung Tomorrow blog titled, “Golden History of Samsung Phones,” the company makes a point of noting that it announced the Gold Galaxy S4 on August 27th and launched it in stores on September 8– over a week before Apple’s gold iPhone 5s launch. It also showed off some gold phones it’s made dating back to 2004.

Some were unreleased like special edition phones for the Olympics and one for Ocean’s 13, and Samsung notes that “this is definitely not a complete list of gold-colored products made by Samsung.”
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iPhone 5s

OtterBox iPhone 5 Defender Series case in multiple colors $20 shipped (Reg. $50)

Lifeproof iPhone 5 Frē water/dirt/snow/shock proof case $40 shipped (Reg. $80)

Call of Duty Bundle: $40 (Reg. $130) – incl. Black Ops, Modern Warfare and COD 2

Rayman Legends: $40, Splinter Cell Blacklist: $40, iOS freebies, more

iPhone 5s for $549, 5c for $449 (both $100 off) unsubsidized at Virgin Mobile

Worldwide Giveaway: Just-Mobile HeadStand precision-engineered aluminum headphone hanger ($50 value)