Apple

Apple Watch 2’s larger battery shouldn’t make the device any thicker

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 6, 2016

Byte, a UK-based retailer that sells Apple-certified accessories and parts, recently posted a video in which they showed off a few supposedly genuine parts for a second-generation Apple Watch, including a thinner OLED Force Touch display and a significantly thicker battery potentially giving the wearable device a few more hours of run time.

Today, Byte published precise measurements for the above components and the numbers lead to the conclusion that Apple may have been able to squeeze in a much more powerful battery without making the Apple Watch 2 any thicker.

Apple Events app updated on Apple TV with text and graphics for iPhone 7 keynote

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 6, 2016

Apple over the weekend pushed an update to its Apple Events application for the Apple TV containing appropriate text and graphics for tomorrow's iPhone 7 keynote. For Apple TV owners planning on following the announcement on their big screen TV, the app will provide a live-stream of the event tomorrow. It also includes video replays of past events.

All iPhone 7 models are allegedly capable of shooting 4K video at a silky smooth 60 FPS

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 6, 2016

The iPhone 6s series brought the biggest camera jump so far, with the front shooter upgraded to a five-megapixel lens and the rear one going from eight to twelve megapixels with the ability to capture 4K video at thirty frames per second (FPS). Aside from other changes in the camera department, the next iPhone is said to double the frame rate for 4K recordings, letting you capture action at a silky smooth 60 FPS, according to a Vietnamese site that has allegedly used a real iPhone 7.

Here’s your final look at latest iPhone 7 dummies before Apple’s big reveal

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2016

Tech reviewer Michael Kukielka aka DetroidBORG recently published a quick preview of what the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are probably going to look like when they're announced this Wednesday. The video on his YouTube channel actually compares high-quality iPhone 7 dummies that are mostly based on rumor-mill reporting. Now, I know we've posted our fair share of these mockups in past months.

But with Apple's big reveal almost upon us, I thought you guys might want to take another look at the iPhone 7's design before the shiny new devices are unveiled.

iPhone 7 could provide at least 33 percent faster CPU performance than iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2016

Alleged GeekBench CPU scores posted back in the summer suggested modest performance gains for the iPhone 7’s A10 chip versus the iPad Pro's A9X processor, but were debunked as fake soon after.

Today, genuine-looking results of the GeekBench 4 synthetic benchmark of the iPhone 7's CPU were posted on the website of PrimateLabs, the company that makes and sells the GeekBench suite.

According to the published data, the iPhone 7 could have its CPU performance boosted by at least one third, or about 33 percent, versus the iPhone 6s.

Piano Black and Dark Black colorways “confirmed” by new iPhone 7 test unit stickers

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2016

A pair of images posted Monday on Twitter by smartphone leakster The Malignant gave as another hint that the iPhone 7 lineup could introduce two new dark-shaded colorways: a highly glossy variant, called Piano Black, and its matte counterpart, aptly named Dark Black.

The photographs show alleged stickers used to identify test iPhones that seem to have been obtained from Foxconn. The stickers label these prototype iPhones in the rumored Piano Black and Dark Black colors.

Sonny Dickson posts video showing a supposedly working iPhone 7 Plus

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2016

Australia-based Sonny Dickson used to be a prolific gadget leakster before he went on to work on other projects. Understandably, he still leaks out stuff from time to time. Last month, for example, Dickson posted claimed photographs showing a 4.7-inch iPhone 7 next to its 5.5-inch brethren.

And now, he's back with another leak in the form of a short video that appears to demonstrate a working iPhone 7 Plus in the wild.

Concept imagines iPhone 7 Plus in rumored new Piano Black and Dark Black finishes

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2016

Mac Otakara, a fairly reliable Japanese blog, recently learned that a claimed new Apple Watch-like Space Black color option for the next iPhone it originally described as Deep Blue actually resembles a Darth Vader-like glossy black. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo followed up with a report of its own, describing two new colorways replacing the current Space Gray choice: one called “Dark Black” and the other named “Piano Black”.

Thanks to a new concept created by Arabic blog called AppleArab.com, we now have a good idea what an iPhone 7 Plus in the new glossy/matte finishes would look like.

Apple increases iPhone 7 production orders ahead of Wednesday’s event

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2016

With just two days left until Apple's big reveal, the Cupertino firm is said to have increased production orders for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. According to supply chain sources that spoke with Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes, Apple has boosted its original prediction by ten percent for parts and components needed for production of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 7.

Apple begins selling $99 gift cards for Apple Music annual subscriptions

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 2, 2017

The individual Apple Music tier is $9.99 per month, which works out to an annual cost of $120. But now, you can bring the price of your monthly subscription down to $8.25 by purchasing Apple's new gift card that gives you full twelve months of Apple Music in exchange for $99. These redeemable codes are available from Apple Stores, eBay (with email delivery) and a number of other retailers.

Foxconn giving bonuses to assembly line workers ahead of iPhone 7 introduction

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2016

iPhone manufacturer Foxconn is giving bonuses to employees in an effort to maintain workforce ahead of the iPhone 7 introduction, trade publication DigiTimes quoted Taiwanese media as saying this morning. The contract manufacturer has reportedly been “encouraging internal recommendations” by treating each employee who recommends qualified workers to a cash bonus of up to CNY1,400, or about $209.

Apple pushes new music discovery feature to beta testers ahead of iOS 10 release

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 3, 2016

First announced at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, a pair of forthcoming music discovery features went live on Apple Music this past Friday for iOS 10 beta testers.

Rechristened from “Discovery Mix” to “My New Music Mix” and available through the For You section of the Music app on iOS 10, this new curated playlist suggests tunes based on your previously played music.

As a bonus, you also get another personally curated playlist—“My Favorites Mix”. These two auto-updated playlists should take the pain out of discovering new artists and music from Apple Music's vast content library, as first reported on by AppleInsider.