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Only one day after the official launch date of the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets, users are already reporting problems.
The latest comes from those who are putting heavy loads on the new A10 Fusion CPU, which reportedly causes the handset to exhibit a strange hissing noise.
It's been a crazy week, what with the iPhone 7 launch and all. So we know everyone is ready to kick back and relax this weekend with some fun new apps and games. The latest edition of our Apps of the Week roundup includes a unique reading app, a TV series manager, and a new raw camera app. Plus we have a couple of new games for you to check out.
Game publisher Niantic has launched a minor update for the popular GPS-based Pokémon GO game for the iOS platform bug fixes.
Version 1.7.1 can now be downloaded from the App Store and comes just three days after the update that enabled buddy Pokémon in the game.
The iPhone 7 packs in a bigger, more sophisticated Taptic Engine that one in the iPhone 6s. Taptic Engine, of course, is Apple's fancy marketing moniker for force feedback. The iPhone 7's enhanced Taptic Engine is capable of reproducing a range of subtle vibrations.
In fact, it's so good that Apple has decided to provide a new API to developers to add custom vibratory feedback to their apps. If you dislike this feature, you can turn off iPhone 7 haptics for things like system controls and other interactions.
Yesterday, we speculated that a faux speaker grille at the bottom of the iPhone 7 created by the removal of the headphone jack is for visual symmetry, based on drawings on Apple's website and a quote from John Gruber's iPhone 7 review. Today's teardowns from iFixit and Chipworks hint at a new component where the headphone jack would've been, suspected to channel sound from outside the phone into the mic.
Putting an end to speculation, Apple itself has gone on the record to confirm that the faux speaker grille acts as a “barometric vent.” According to the company, it's needed after all the waterproofing to help built-in barometer sensor measure altitude accurately.
Following iFixit's analysis of the components and internal layout changes in the iPhone 7 Plus, semiconductor experts over at Chipworks and TechInsights have performed a joint in-depth analysis of the chips in the 128GB iPhone 7 model “A1778” to identify the key integrated circuits at play.
The Apple-designed A10 Fusion chip is “incredibly thin,” Chipworks has discovered, thanks to TSMC's InFO packaging technique resulting in a thinner package. Perhaps more interesting than that, the AT&T and T-Mobile edition of the handset indeed comes with Intel's LTE modem inside versus Qualcomm's that powers cellular connectivity in other hardware versions of the device.
Repair wizards over at iFixit flew out to Japan to obtain their iPhone 7 Plus (in Rose Gold), performing their ritual teardown dance which has helped confirm what we've been suspecting all along: that a second grille at the bottom doesn't house a second speaker.
Other interesting observations gleaned from peeking under the hood of the iPhone 7 Plus include a replaceable Home button, a lot bigger Taptic Engine than in the iPhone 6s, a bigger 2,900 mAh battery, dust and water-proofing measures and other tidbits.
If you pre-ordered the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, or are hoping to score one in-store during launch weekend, you're going to want to start thinking about accessories. We've already recommended some good cases and Bluetooth headphones, and now it's time to talk about screen protectors.
Despite its largely familiar design, the iPhone 7 features a few tiny changes (wider earpiece, for example) that likely mean your iPhone 6 and 6s screen protectors won't fit properly. But never fear, we've rounded up some great, inexpensive options to help keep your screen scratch-free.
Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Super Phantom Cat. This means that for the next 7 days, you can download this popular retro platformer for both iPhone and iPad for free—a solid savings of $2.
This charming side scroller is beloved for its beautiful retro graphics and whimsical character design, retro styling, and easy Mario-esque controls. It also features an awesome chip tune soundtrack, unlockable characters, and bonus levels.
One of the smaller but no less important features included in both new iPhone 7 models is an entirely new and “immersive” stereo speaker system that Apples claims provides twice the sound. Risking to be chastised in comments for bringing this up, I do feel we need to clear up the confusion and reiterate that a second speaker grille at the bottom of the phone does not actually house a speaker and is there purely for cosmetic reasons.
Remember Motorola? Yes, they're still in the business and some of the handsets they make come with cool features, like quick customization modules that snap onto a phone using integrated magnets to add features like powerful speakers, external battery packs and so forth. It also made the first Android handset with a special low-power chip which made possible an always-listening “OK Google” mode.
With the iPhone 7 sales about to kick off, the Lenovo-owned company is now telling customers to “skip the sevens” and has produced a video in which supposedly genuine Apple fans express their disappointment with incremental iPhone 7 improvements like “a little better camera” and “a little faster processor”.
What happens next is a typical marketing crap.
At each iPhone introduction, Apple would usually invite one or more game developers on stage to demonstrate titles which show off the power of its latest chips. This month's iPhone 7 introduction was no exception. To showcase what's possible with the new A10 Fusion chip, Apple invited This Game Studio co-founder Heather Price on stage to show off a mobile game called Oz: Broken Kingdom, which just launched in the App Store as a freemium download.
A new take on Oz, Broken Kingdom sports crisp and detailed Metal-driven graphics that take full advantage of the A10 Fusion chip, although it supports older devices as well.