Apple’s Online Store Down Ahead of Today’s iPhone 7 Event
Apple’s online storefront has been taken offline this morning, less than six hours prior to the company’s upcoming “See You on the 7th” media event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, where Tim Cook and other senior executives are expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, second-generation Apple Watch, new Beats products, and possibly other updates.
Apple will provide a live stream of the keynote on the Apple TV and on iOS and Mac devices through its website, starting at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors will also have full coverage of the event, with a live blog on our front page at MacRumors.com and updates in 140 characters or less through our @MacRumorsLive account on Twitter. Last week, we outlined what to expect at the event.
We’ll also have specific coverage of today’s announcements in separate news stories, and our community forums are a great place for readers to discuss the announcements before, during, and after the event. Be sure to keep tabs on the iPhone and Apple Watch sections in particular for the latest discussions.
Tags: Apple retail, September 2016 event
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Apple iPhone 7 launch today: iOS 10, Lightning headphones, dual camera expected
Apple will be taking to the stage in San Francisco today to unveil its latest smartphone update, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Following the two-device update strategy we’ve seen since the iPhone 6, it’s expected that Apple will launch two phones, with the larger making a change to the cameras with dual lens functionality.
Apple has remained tight-lipped about design and features of the new handsets, but it’s expected to officially see the consumer launch of iOS 10, bringing in a range of changes for existing iPhone owners, although not a radical change in the metal design of the phone.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is expected to offer a hardware upgrade for greater power, enhanced displays, a redesigned home button and, perhaps controversially, drop the 3.5mm headphone socket.
With rumours suggesting that Apple will only offer a Lightning connection, that may usher in a new era of Lightning headphones. Apple is no stranger to dropping connections – it ditched the Ethernet connection from the MacBook Air, for example, and more recently only put a USB Type-C connection on its skinny MacBook.
You can follow all the action as Apple unveils the iPhone 7 online, with live streaming via a number of different avenues.
- Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know
- How to watch iPhone 7 and 7 Plus launch: Livestream on iOS, Apple TV, Mac or PC
- Best Lightning headphones to buy – no matter your budget
In typical Apple style, we’d expect pre-orders to open on 9 September and delivery from 16 September.
We will, of course, be bringing you all the details as they are confirmed.
LG Unveils V20 Android Nougat Phone With 3.5mm Jack, Audiophile Smarts
LG unveiled its new flagship V20 smartphone in New York on Tuesday evening, just 24 hours ahead of Apple’s iPhone 7 event in San Francisco.
A successor to last year’s LG V10, the new 5.7-inch phone is pitched as a “multimedia heavyweight” and boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, a 2560×1440 QHD IPS LCD display, and a fingerprint sensor home button.
The front of the handset boasts an always-on screen “ticker” strip along the top that can display mini apps and notifications, such as music controls and calendar events.
The V20 sacrifices a unibody aluminum design in favor of a miroSD slot (up to 2TB) and a removable 3200mAh battery via a metal backplate, while the top and bottom parts of the phone are made from silicon polycarbonate, earning the V20 a MIL-STD 810G drop and shock resistance rating. The device packs a USB-C port, water resistance is non-existent though.
While Apple is expected to drop the headphone jack with the iPhone 7 series, LG is very much relying on the analog port to appeal to audiophiles: the V20 boasts a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and a 72-stage volume control fine-tuned by Bang & Olufsen, with support for most lossless music formats including FLAC and Apple Lossless. It also includes a HD audio recorder able to capture “studio quality audio” from three ultra-sensitive built-in microphones.
The rear of the phone houses a 16-megapixel camera with a 75-degree field of view backed by optical image stabilization and laser, phase, and contrast autofocusing, with a second wide-angle 8-megapixel sensor boasting a larger 135-degree field of view. The front-facing 5-megapixel camera also packs a wide angle mode.
Software-wise, the V20 is the first phone to come pre-installed with Android 7.0 Nougat, which features vertical split screen view, picture in picture, VR mode, file-based encryption, and more.
With Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 suffering from a disastrous global recall due to reports of exploding batteries, LG’s feature-packed V20 phablet finds itself first in line to go up against the iPhone 7 Plus, at least for now. While LG is yet to announce pricing and availability, consumers can expect the V20 to hover around the same $800 price point as the iPhone 7 Plus and Note 7.
MacRumors will have full coverage of Apple’s iPhone 7 event today, with a live blog on our front page at MacRumors.com and updates in 140 characters or less through our @MacRumorsLive account on Twitter.
Tag: LG
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Google helps your favorite websites fight hackers
Google’s Safe Browsing initiative already prevents you from accessing shady websites, among other things. Now, the initiative is also making it easier for your favorite online destinations to combat various security issues as soon as they hit. The Safe Browsing console has expanded its Security Issues report to provide website owners with more context and detailed explanations about a particular security problem it finds. That could be any of the six types it can detect, including malware, deceptive pages, and harmful or uncommon downloads.
Besides the detailed reports, the Safe Browsing console now also recommends different courses of action website owners can take, along with sample URLs they can use to unearth the source of the problem. These new features could help website developers fight off hackers and address potential security breaches as soon as possible, which can keep you and your information safe in turn.
The team’s announcement post comes with a call to register for developers who haven’t taken advantage of Safe Browsing yet:
“We on the Safe Browsing team definitely recommend registering your site in Search Console even if it is not currently experiencing a security issue. We send notifications through Search Console so webmasters can address any issues that appear as quickly as possible.”
Source: Google
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall: how to replace your UK phone
It’s only been five days since it confirmed the Galaxy Note 7 battery problem and issued a global recall for its highly-rated smartphone, but Samsung is moving quickly to limit the damage. A couple of days after it issued replacement instructions for US consumers, the company has kicked off the exchange process in the UK, confirming that the small number of customers who received their units before the official UK launch will have their devices replaced from September 19th.
The smartphone maker says that UK providers and operators will now begin contacting buyers to arrange their exchange. Alternatively, customers can call Samsung’s customer support team on 0330 7261000 and initiate the process with the company directly. Although Samsung managed to limit the impact on UK customers by issuing the recall on the day of the UK launch, some pre-orders were sent out early and will need replacing.
At a briefing last week, Samsung admitted that a small number of Galaxy Note 7 batteries had exploded while on charge. While there have been 35 cases reported to date, the company decided to issue a global recall just to be sure. Customers in different markets will receive different advice as to when they’ll get a new Galaxy Note 7, but in the UK, expect things to ramp up in a couple of weeks time.
Source: Samsung UK
‘Forza 6: Apex’ adds racing wheel support and exits beta
Steering wheel support is essential for any racing simulation that wants to be taken seriously. And now, some four months after launch, the free-to-play Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is finally ready for the pricey — and extremely precise! — accessories. The PC game will play nicely with a number of wheels from Logitech and Thrustmaster (including the latter’s very nice T300RS). A post on Xbox Wire notes that more wheels will be supported later this month.
Specifically? The high-end Fanatec CSR and ClubSport V2 Xbox One Hub. More than that, H-pattern shifters are getting some love too for the total (virtual) racing experience. That starts with Logitech wheels, with more brands coming onboard “in the future.”
And to cap off the latest update, the developers at Turn 10 are removing the “beta” tag. That’s right, apparently racing wheel support was the final piece of the puzzle. Sure, the game isn’t as full-featured as, say, Project Cars is (on PC or otherwise), but Apex is free. To see if your specific wheel will work with the game, hit the source link below.
Source: Xbox Wire
Amazon adds restaurant deliveries to Prime Now in London
As if there weren’t enough ways to order takeout in London, Amazon has jumped in with a Deliveroo-style competitor. If you live in the English capital and subscribe to Prime, you’ll soon see a postcode option inside the Prime Now app. Chuck it in and — provided you’re in a supported neighbourhood — you’ll get a list of cafes and restaurants that are available for delivery. Amazon promises to complete each order in under an hour; in the US, the average drop-off takes less than 45 minutes, it claims.
Amazon has over 100 restaurants signed up for its new service, however most are small or independent establishments. Scanning down the list, there’s no Wagamama, Pizza Express or Gourmet Burger Kitchen. A few businesses do stand out, however, such as Strada, Tossed and Velo. As for delivery coverage, well, you’ll need to be in one of the following postcodes: E1, E2, E3, E5, E8, E9, N1, N16, EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4, SW1, SW3, W1, SW3, W1, WC1, WC2, SE1, SE11. Unsurprisingly, Amazon says it has “plans to expand further,” although it’s unclear exactly when and where that will happen.
Amazon already offers a brain-melting number of food-related services. There’s Prime Now for basic one-hour deliveries, Amazon Pantry for “everyday essentials” and Amazon Fresh for, you guessed it, fresh groceries. All of these are designed to compete with traditional supermarkets, however, rather than takeaway couriers such as Just Eat and Hungryhouse. Today’s launch is different, as it provides direct competition for Deliveroo and UberEats. Those two have come under fire recently for their courier pay-outs — Amazon will be hoping to avoid such negative press, earning the support of drivers, cyclists and customers in the process.
Source: Amazon
GE puts up $1.4 billion to acquire two 3D printing firms
GE has so far invested around $1.5 billion in 3D printing tech over the past six years, and its planned acquisition of Germany’s SLM Solutions Group and Sweden’s Arcam would only bolster its position in the business. At a combined cost of $1.4 billion, both companies offer an expansion of GE’s additive manufacturing efforts, which is, as GE chairman Jeffrey R. Immelt explains, “part of GE’s evolution into a digital industrial company.”
If the acquisitions go through, both companies would end up under David L. Joyce, chief executive and president of GE Aviation, with both facilities from Arcam and SLM retaining their own management and employees. Though the pricing breakdown for both companies wasn’t yet made public by GE, the company had offered about $33.26 (285 Swedish kronor) a share for the company, with about $42.40 for SLM Solutions.
Via: The New York Times, Ars Technica
Source: GE
Blood test results could help predict bipolar symptoms
Researchers have discovered a possible link between bipolar disorder and certain blood markers. The UK-based longitudinal study (PDF) started when kids were nine years old, examining if the presence of the infection-fighting interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein and asthma or eczema had a link to hypomania when the participants were 22 years old. Turns out that higher levels of IL-6 at childhood are indicative of hypomanic symptoms later in life — depression and psychosis — which can lead to bipolar disorder.
“Those in the top third of IL-6 at nine years had an increased risk of hypomanic symptoms aged 22 years, compared with those in the bottom third,” the research paper says. What’s more, that association apparently gets stronger when factors like sex, ethnicity and socio-economic status are taken into account. Asthma, eczema and C-reactive protein? None of those showed any relationship to hypomanic symptoms, while IL-6 and hypomania remained constant.
IL-6 itself is naturally produced by the body at times of aerobic exercise, fever, infection and other trauma. New Scientist writes that the chemical can alter how the brain works as well. Specifically, the subgenual cingulate area where anxiety, memory, mood, sleep and self-esteem are governed. Treating those affected areas could help allay the effects of bipolar disorder.
Via: New Scientist
Source: Psychological Medicine (PDF)
iPhone 7-compatible Lightning headphones you can buy right now – CNET
Tomorrow, Apple will take the wraps off the iPhone 7, and it’s a pretty poorly held secret that this model could be the company’s first major product without a headphone jack.
For now let’s table the discussion over whether this is no big deal (Lightning-powered headphones do deliver a true digital audio experience — in your face, analog jack) or a blunder so colossal it’ll drive you to Android. Instead, let’s get practical: Millions upon millions of iPhone fans will buy the new handset, and some of those folks will want compatible wired headphones.
Good news: Some such products are available already, and more will invariably follow (starting with the inevitable Beats headphones that are sure to accompany the iPhone 7 tomorrow). But if you want to be among the first to plug headphones into the iPhone’s Lightning port, here are seven options you can order (or at least preorder) right now.
Lightning headphones
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Philips
Audeze, makers of premium audio gear, already offers two options for the Lightning crowd: the Sine headphone ($449) and the EL-8 series ($699 for the open- or closed-back model, $799 for the Titanium version). All of them are made in the US, in case that’s of interest.
The Sine headphone goes on your ears; the EL-8 goes over them. Both promise pro-grade fidelity due in part to a 24-bit digital Lightning cable, while the Audeze iPhone app serves up a 10-band graphic equalizer for tweaking the sound to your liking.
If those headphones fall beyond your budget, consider the Philips Fidelio M2L/27, which are currently available via Amazon (and only Amazon) for about $200.
The on-ear Fidelio serves up just the basics, without any kind of inline controls or noise cancellation features. This is just a mid-range headphone for folks who want the benefits of a Lightning connection without the sky-hight price.
Lightning earbuds
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Brightech
Available from Amazon for $49.99, the Brightech Lght8pn earphones feature a tangle-free flat cord (in an eye-catching neon color), noise-isolating earbuds, inline controls and a 3-year warranty.
Just take note, however, that while inline controls include a microphone for hands-free calls, these don’t.
Because the Lightning port can supply power, even earphones can now deliver active noise-cancellation features. The JBL Reflect Aware sport earphones ($199.95) deliver sweat-proof design, inline controls (including a microphone), reflective cables and your choice of colors: black, blue, red or green.
What’s more, a JBL companion app lets you adjust the level of outside noise the Reflect Awares let in — good if you’re, say, out for a run and want to make sure you can hear oncoming cars.
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Libraton’s Q-Adapt earphones offer four levels of active noise-cancellation, one for every environment.
Libratone
More from Apple’s event
- Looking for big iPhone changes? Wait till next year
- Apple’s September live blog: Start time, where to watch and what to expect
- Full coverage of Apple’s event
The Libratone Q-Adapt Earphones offer similar capabilities — adaptive active noise cancellation here referred to as CityMix. Just by pressing a button on the inline remote, you can toggle between four levels of noise blocking.
These definitely aren’t designed for exercise, though, as they’re not sweat-proof or otherwise gym-friendly. Pricing has yet to be determined, but the Q-Adapt will likely sell for around $200.
Have you found another Lightning-compatible earphone or headphone you like better than these? Tell us about it in the comments!
AIVAnet 