Welcome to Thursday, when Apple typically refreshes its app and content stores with new apps, games and media. Bloomberg said last week that Apple was working on a totally overhauled Apple Store shopping app that should include a “For You” tab and have the same basic features and interface across the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Reports on Twitter and MacRumors reveal that a banner for the new Apple Store app has now gone live on some international App Stores, suggesting imminent launch.
We've seen our fair share of iPhone 7 mockups and dummy cases, but these are all based on rumors. Not once in the past did we see images or videos showing a prototype, if not a fully assembled iPhone 7. Well, that may have changed today as French blog NowhereElse.fr re-published photos from a Weibo account of what site owner Steve Hemmerstoffer described as a possibly functional iPhone 7. The images depict a device with Apple-like fit and finish, the display turned on and showing what's unmistakably the iOS interface.
UPDATE: The claimed device has been caught on video, too.
An earlier report from Japanese blog Macotakara alleged that the next iPhone might bring out a new deep blue color option, later described as being closer to a “dark Space Black,” similar to that used for the Space Black stainless stell Apple Watch.
Be that as it may, a new video from Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy shows off an iPhone 7 mockup with kind of blue-ish, purple-ish tone to it. It’s “a very unusual color for Apple and it doesn’t exist anywhere else in the product line,” says Hilsenteger.
An Apple-designed A10 chip that will power the next iPhone should be outfitted with 3GB of RAM on the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus model, according to previous analyst reports from TrendForce, Deutsche Bank and KGI Securities. DigiTimes has now corroborated these rumors, noting that the mobile DRAM capacity of the next-generation iPhone is “expected to increase to 3GB from 2GB previously”.
A lot of people seem to be excited for the supposed iPhone 7 variant in Space Black, resembling the Space Black stainless steel Apple Watch or the dramatic Darth Vader-like black-clad appearance of the iPhone 5. Dutch publication TechTastic.nl on Monday published a photo of an alleged Mute switch for the next iPhone.
What's especially interesting about this particular part leak is the part's finish that strongly suggest—assuming the component is genuine—that the next iPhone will in fact be offered in Space Black.
Aside from other rumored hardware improvements, a second-generation Apple Watch should ditch the current Glass on Glass (G/G) Retina touchscreen and replace it with a thinner and lighter display based on so-called One Glass Solution (OGS) screen technology, according to Apple supplier TPK Holding cited Friday by Taiwan's infamous hit-and-miss trade publication DigiTimes.
Because OGS eliminates a layer, adopting the technology should help the Apple Watch 2 conserve space and potentially even accommodate a larger battery.
Apple is currently working on a redesigned version of its Apple Store mobile app with new recommendation features, reports Bloomberg. Citing sources familiar with the project, the outlet says the updated app could be rolled out in the next two weeks.
At the heart of the refresh is expected to be a "For You" tab, that will suggest products based on prior orders—similar to what Amazon.com does with its recommendations. So after buying an iPhone, the app could recommend cases and other accessories.
Apple's rumored electric vehicle project has shifted its focus towards autonomous driving systems although that shouldn't be interpreted as Apple abandoning efforts to design its own vehicle, Bloomberg reported today.
After bringing former hardware chief Bob Mansfield back from retirement to run its Project Titan initiative, Apple has now hired BlackBerry and Ford talent to help perfect its secret self-driving software.
Apple's stubbornness and “hard-nosed” negotiation tactics have backfired and “alienated” cable providers, who say the firm is a cheapskate in terms of paying for digital content, reports The Wall Street Journal. For years, Apple's been persuading cable firms to let it sell their cherry-picked programming in a skinny TV bundle of its own for about $30 per month vs. $80+ for traditional cable subscriptions.
Last week, revered leakster Evan Blass of @EVLeaks predicted that Apple's next iPhone would launch on the week of September 12. He later clarified that he was referring to the iPhone 7's retail release—which should happen on Friday, September 16—not the launch event. Following up on his claims, Blass wrote today on Twitter that Apple will kick off pre-orders for the device on Friday, September 9.
DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication that more or less accurately reports unknown features of unreleased Apple products (although the timing on its rumors is usually off), is out with a new story Wednesday claiming that USB Type-C connection is coming to a next-gen MacBook Air, implying Apple might update its most popular notebook after all.
If you believe certain analysts, supply chain chatter and reports from outlets like Mac Otakara, Apple's next iPhone will feature an all-digital, touch-sensitive Home button flush with its front face. A pair of new rumors, first discovered by AppleInsider, have now reaffirmed that the iPhone 7's non-moving Home button won't physically click when pressed, instead simulating a click with vibration much like the trackpad on MacBooks uses haptic feedback to provide a click sensation.