iPhone 7

Update: As expected, BeatsX earphones now available to order (Apple.com, Best Buy).

The delayed BeatsX earphones will be available to buy from this Friday, February 10, in the US at Apple.com and Apple retail stores. The BeatsX are a new neckband design from the company and the last set of wireless headphones with W1 chip to be released, following the launch of the Powerbeats 3, Solo3 headphones and the Apple AirPods.

Beats have also unveiled two new colors, grey and blue, in addition to the white and black finishes (via CNET). Only the white and black BeatsX will be available this week, the other colors will come later.

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Apple this evening has shared a new Shot on iPhone 7 ad that highlights images taken by photographers around the world. The ad is entitled “One Night” and set to a jazzy piano track, coming in at 1 minute in length.

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According to Bloomberg, Apple is again asking for permission to sell used refurbished iPhones in India. The company tried asking for this before but was shot down by government officials in the country.

Apple is planning to manufacture new iPhones in India as soon as April but is again negotiating to sell refurbished devices as well, assumedly at lower prices than the brand new models.

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Apple has hit walls introducing Apple Pay into Australia with the banks arguing Apple’s business practice was anticompetitive. The banks demanded access to the NFC hardware in the iPhone to be able to offer competing contactless mobile payments services. Apple refused and the banks went to court.

Although draft rulings indicate that the court will rule in favour of Apple, the final decision will be announced in March. Today, Apple continues to lay on the criticism accusing the Australian banks for attempting to ‘delay or even block’ the Apple Pay rollout.

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Apple’s decision to limit the dual-camera setup in the iPhone 7 Plus to the larger model may have been driven by space constraints, but the move has apparently also been good for Apple’s bottom-line.

Cowen & Co sales estimates cited by the WSJ suggest that iPhone 7 Plus sales accounted for a massive 40% of all iPhone 7 sales. By way of comparison, the firm estimates that just 17% of iPhone 6 buyers opted for the larger, more expensive model.

That difference filters through into increased income for Apple …

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Following reports late last week that Apple is suing its iPhone modem supplier Qualcomm for $1 billion in the US, today Beijing’s Intellectual Property Court said Apple has also filed a similar suit in China seeking 1 billion yuan or over $140 million in damages (via Reuters).

In response to the new lawsuit, Qualcomm today issued its own press release and noted that Apple is claiming the company is in violation of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law. The press release also said that Apple is requesting “determination of the terms of a patent license” regarding the two companies’ cellular standard essentials patents, in response to which Qualcomm’s lawyers claimed Apple was offered deals consistent with the rest of the industry:

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Apple is apparently looking for next-gen flexible LCD screen technology from Japan Display to use in future iPhone models. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is ‘considering’ the new panels for future iPhone designs which could pave the way for bendable smartphones becoming mainstream.

Japan Display’s technology uses LCD and plastic rather than the typical LCD and glass, which makes it able to flex and bend as shown in the photo above (left).

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Gamevice is one of the more popular options for Apple-certified, Made-for-iPhone (and iPad) game controllers. Today the company is introducing a new version of the controller specifically designed for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus with a built-in headphone jack and a Lightning port for charging. It also has second-generation controllers launching today and later this month for iPads.

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In this week’s top stories: Flying with AirPods, iPhone 8 and MacBook update rumors, we explore what’s next for iOS, Apple releases Logic Pro X and GarageBand updates, and much more.

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Late on Friday, Apple announced that it would be suing Qualcomm for approximately $1 billion due to a dispute over patent royalties. Qualcomm licenses many wireless patents as well as being a modem supplier for the iPhone. Naturally, Qualcomm is rejecting Apple’s claims of misconduct and will fight the case.

In a statement, it said the claims are baseless and Apple has ‘intentionally mischaracterized our agreements and negotiations’.

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There are a big expectations for the iPhone 8; namely a major redesign featuring a large OLED display that wraps around the sides of the device with a front face featuring almost no bezels; the fingerprint Home Button will somehow be integrated into the screen.

In addition to the radical new design, KGI has a new report today adding another new feature to the list: a new, improved, 3D Touch system for enhanced pressure sensitivity …

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LifeProof is releasing a new version of its NUUD waterproof case with a new design fit the for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The new style accommodates the larger cameras on both models and increases the water resistance from splash resistant to water proof for up to 6.6 feet.

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Today is the 2017 Presidential inauguration for President-elect Donald Trump and there are many ways to watch the events unfold live on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. On top of live official coverage on Twitter from PBS, there are also live video streams from the big TV broadcasters that are available in iOS and Apple TV apps as well as through Facebook and various websites if you’re watching on your Mac. There are even some 4K and 360-degree live streams available for all on YouTube. Telemundo will have Spanish coverage. 

If you’re looking for how to live stream the Trump inauguration on your Apple device, head below for the full list of websites and apps offering live streams today. 

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The iPhone 8 is being fabled by all sides as a major upgrade, following three years of the same chassis design for the iPhone. One of the flagship iPhone 7 features was the addition of waterproofing.

Along with a glass chassis redesign and bezel-less screen, The Korea Herald reports that the new iPhone will also best the iPhone 7 with even higher resistance to water and dust.

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Filmic Pro has long been my go-to app for shooting anything but the most frivolous content on my iPhone. It’s an app that affords a level of control over the filming process that’s unlike anything we’ve seen from an iOS app. If you’re serious about filmmaking with your iPhone, then it’s a no-brainer to have Filmic Pro as part of your repertoire. To illustrate the sheer amount of features contained within the app, we created a video that covered its basic concepts, and it was over 13 minutes long.

Filmic has recently been working hard on the next big version of its app. The forthcoming update will introduce a new log mode that allows filmmakers to shoot videos with a flat picture profile containing additional stops of dynamic range. This is the type of feature that’s normally reserved for more expensive standalone cameras, but it will soon be available to iPhone users.
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The latest Kantar data shows that the iPhone’s U.S. market share grew 6.4% year-on-year in the three months ending in November of last year. iOS made gains in seven of the nine key markets monitored by the market intelligence company.

The company says that early holiday sales helped three iPhone models top the charts, ahead of Samsung.

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 6s were the three most popular smartphones in the US at the beginning of the holiday period, for a combined 31.3% share. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge were the fourth and fifth best-selling phones in the US, with Samsung capturing 28.9% of smartphone sales.

The most dramatic iPhone gain was made across the Atlantic in the UK …

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On the Backchannel blog, Steven Levy has posted a concise interview with Apple SVP Phil Schiller timed with the iPhone’s tenth anniversary. The post includes Levy’s anecdotes about Steve Jobs back in 2007 at the original iPhone launch followed up with some questions to Schiller about the success of the iPhone looking back and looking forward.

Regarding voice-only personal assistant devices like the Amazon Echo’s Alexa, Schiller says that the best intelligent assistant is the one that’s always with you, and that you can’t discount the value of a color display to present information …

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Apple today has shared a new ad for the iPhone 7 Plus on its YouTube channel. The ad focuses on the device’s dual-camera design and the Portrait Mode feature that comes along with it..

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