From The Editor’s Desk: Taking ‘stock’

We need to re-evaluate what we mean by “stock Android” in light of this year’s crop of Samsung phones.

On most Android sites, when you read or hear someone referring to “stock” Android, it’s usually with Google’s idea of Android in mind: clean home screen, light color scheme, and the bare minimum of accoutrements. Stock Android is also considered by many in the know to be the Platonic ideal of what Android should be, and it’s the standard bearer for all comparisons to Android skins from third-party manufacturers.

In recent years, whether through an overt campaign by Google itself or just a flattening and maturing of Material Design guidelines, most manufacturers have come to terms with differentiation as a selling point; from Samsung to Huawei, distinctiveness is looking considerably more familiar these days.

That being said, when I and many of my colleagues review a device, such as the upcoming Galaxy Note 8, we often talk about how, while the default launcher is tolerable, it’s easy to change. And if you don’t like the keyboard, here’s an alternative. The default messaging app? It sucks, here’s another one. These tend to be throwaway comments from people who don’t tend to consider the other side of the coin — again, myself included — that the vast majority of Android phone buyers (the vast majority of whom are Samsung phone buyers) don’t change any of these settings.

Given that it’s the waning days of summer, I’ve been attending baseball games, fairs, and plenty of other gatherings where it’s easy to glance at a person’s phone and the way he or she uses it. When I see an Android user, I try to make time to ask what goes into that setup process; Android is, after all, a supremely customizable operating system. Almost all of them say a variation of the same thing: “I don’t touch it.”

That’s the real “stock” Android; if you’re looking at it from the perspective of the most common shared experience, we should be referring to stock Android as that of the default Samsung experience which, while it changes from year to year and generation to generation, is generally quite different from what you’d find on the Google Pixel or devices whose skins try to mimic it.

Samsung and many other companies have tried really hard to get on the right side of Android design.

When I received my demo Note 8, I decided to follow this idea to its logical conclusion. I resisted changing the launcher to my go-to alternative, Nova Launcher, and did not download Gboard as my keyboard or Android Messages as my SMS client. In other words, I kept Google’s influence over my Samsung experience as far away as possible while trying to respect and appreciate Samsung’s decisions as much as possible. I don’t purport to think this is any sort of drastic action, but it has helped, over the last few days, understand some of the ongoing criticisms and compliments Samsung has received on its way to the most successful and influential smartphone brand in the Android space.

What’s remarkable about Samsung in 2017 is the effort it has undertaken to simplify the user experience for even the most novice of users. From the first boot to the clear and concise explanations of how its launcher and various native apps work, Samsung has done a better job than perhaps any other company, even Google, in creating a consistent experience in its apps. Everything is swipeable, from contacts within the Phone and Messages apps to tabs within the Gallery and Internet apps.

The camera app, even on the Note 8 with its second lens and its varied abilities, has stayed relatively simple, with swipe-friendly gestures between front and back cameras and the various modes. Even the Note 8’s settings menu, while deep, is fairly easy to navigate.

This achievement took Samsung a long time; just think back to the horror show of superfluous and duplicative apps, camera modes and terrible design decisions that pervaded TouchWIZ in 2013 around the release of the Galaxy S4. (There was also the awful Broadway-themed announcement itself that today still stands as one of the most tone-deaf, sexist and generally unenjoyable launch events of all time. In contrast, the Note 8’s, while slightly too long, was tasteful and respectful.)

Talking specifics for a moment, I am thoroughly impressed with the improvements to Samsung’s keyboard which, after playing with a few settings, is just about as usable as any I’ve found. Some decisions, like disabling punctuation assist by default, are vexing, but after a few days I feel no need to crawl back to Gboard, and that’s not something I would have said even a year ago. Similarly, Samsung’s browser (which has gained well-deserved recognition in recent months) has some features that I wish Google Chrome would imitate, while its Gallery app reinforces why I believe Google should separate Google Photos the service from Google Photos the local phone gallery.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot closer to great than ever before.

Sure, are aspects of the “stock” experience that I dislike. I find Samsung’s launcher navigation — swipe vertically to enter the app drawer and horizontally to browse them — to be unintuitive at best, and its flagrant disregard for Google’s app shortcuts feature on Android 7.1 (which the Note 8 launches with) is a wasted opportunity. I also dislike how some preloaded apps, such as Facebook, are still updated through the Galaxy Apps store even when a newer version is likely available in Google Play.

But these are minor quibbles when in years past I wouldn’t even give Samsung the benefit of the doubt. I’m glad I did, because I can review this phone the way millions of Note 8 owners are going to use it, and wean myself off the notion that “stock” — that stock, not this new version — is always best.

In other news this week:

• IFA came and went, and there were plenty of interesting announcements. I am especially fond of the LG V30, which surprised me with its thoughtful design, excellent sound features, and forward-thinking camera settings. Since my initial hands-on, I have taken hundreds of low-light photos and am concerned, as are many others, that LG’s decision to use a comparatively small sensor to minimize the reviled “bump” will come back to haunt the company. It’s not bad in low light, but even its super-wide f/1.6 aperture can’t truly compensate for pixels on the sensor roughly 12% smaller than the one on the V20 (and 40% smaller than those of the Galaxy Note 8 and HTC U11).
• I am pretty pumped about the Huawei Mate 10. The Mate 9 still gets regular rotation in my phone lineup nearly a year after its release, and given how well the Kirin 960 has aged even next to newer solutions like the Snapdragon 835, I’m very curious to see what adding a dedicated AI chip to its newly-announced Kirin 970 will do for camera quality and battery performance, not to mention gaming.
• Given my affinity for Motorola’s software experiences, I am cautiously optimistic about the Moto X4. I have no doubt the phone will perform well, and it certainly looks good, but Motorola’s history with camera quality on the X line is spotted with misses, and I worry that by doubling down on dual cameras before shipping a phone with a great single-camera experience, the fundamentals will be sacrificed. All I want is a Motorola phone with a really reliable camera.
• Disney is run by a bunch of genius marketers. This Star Wars AR collab with Lenovo is going to sell in the trillions.
• I can’t say too much yet, but I’m using an upcoming Android Wear watch that I really like. Yeah, I’m just as surprised as you.
• The iPhone 8 event is set for September 12, which means that phone(s) will likely be out on the 22nd, a week after the Note 8 hits stores in the U.S. Suffice it to say, Samsung has its marketing work cut out for it this year.
• Fantastic IFA podcast with three of the OG hosts, Andrew, Alex and Phil. Great listen.

That’s enough from me this week. If you have it off, have a wonderful and safe Labor Day, and I’ll talk to you soon!

-Daniel

Nokia 8’s dual-camera is good, but rival phones offer more

The Nokia 8 broke cover in the run-up to IFA 2017, so while it wasn’t officially launched at the show in Germany, it’s one of several phones vying for your cash ahead of a certain company’s next phone. It’s the most accomplished Android phone that Nokia has made, but with a tradition of pushing mobile imaging forward, how does it fare against the mighty cameraphone competition in 2017? We took an early device around Berlin to see how it fared.

So has Nokia kept up? It’s certainly tried to. Pairing two camera sensors together is the 2017 thing to do with flagship phones, and with the Nokia 9 it’s a combination of two 13-megapixel sensors. One deals in monochrome, the other in color. That monochrome sensor helps the phone to deal with low-light and other difficult shooting environments, while also offering the opportunity for true black and white photography — right from the source.

My monochrome shots turned to be some of my favorite images — it was a feature that several editors at Engadget also loved on Huawei’s P10. However, it doesn’t quite pack the punch of that phone, which used a mightier 20-megapixel sensor — that’s seven megapixels beyond the Nokia handset, and so images are a little flatter, a little less textured.

Mat Smith, Engadget

So how about ‘twin’ mode, which combines the input from the two sensors all at once? They’re good, but not stellar. Damning with faint praise perhaps, but while some pictures came out wonderfully, I was often disappointed by either the dynamic range (blue skies would wash out anything else in frame), or underperforming focus. Many of the test shots you see here are my “best” ones: 13 megapixels should be more than enough for crisp shots, but the Nokia 8, despite those Zeiss lenses, delivered merely good images — not great. Color accuracy was generally good, but I felt many of my images were a little muted compared to reality, even with HDR mode turned on. A sunny day in Berlin is the chance for a smartphone to shine, but my photos don’t seem to show that. This was further compounded when comparing the results against LG’s V30 in similar conditions.

Mat Smith, Engadget

Also, after being spoiled with the camera app control options of Nokia’s Lumia phones years ago, the lack of true manual controls and tweaks was also disappointing. There are three focus modes: include center-weighted, evaluative — which generally involves face detection — and old-fashioned auto, while there’s similarly limited options for focal range photography. Macro, infinite distance and auto are your three only options. And that software-driven bokeh mode that we’re seeing on most smartphones with two lenses? The Nokia 8’s interpretation of it is just not that good. It typically smeared objects outside of the main area of focus, and usually neglected to take into account the details of, say, the stag statue antlers.

That’s not to say there’s nothing to play with inside the camera app. The simple control UI includes the ability to combine the front facing camera with the rear-facing duo for simultaneous photos and video. This is what a “bothie” is made out of.

The good parts: The cameras on both the front and back use the same resolution, so your images don’t look particularly uneven. There were, however, times when the front-facing camera struggled with changes in lighting. The biggest problem was the physical challenge of lining up what you’re trying to capture. I took some “bothie” video as we drove around the Berlin Victory Column during the photography testing, and it was hard to balance capturing both the building and myself in the back of the car. You could say that’s fine for rough-and-ready live broadcasts, but it’s difficult to make anything look particularly good. A wider-angle lens on the front facing camera would have alleviated things.

And about that livecasting: Nokia added the ability to livestream directly from the camera app to YouTube or Facebook — which is a smart idea. However, when trying it out, I barely seemed to notice that hyped-up Nokia OZO-branded audio recording. Despite promises of 360-degree directional audio, and three microphones embedded inside the phone, the quality was pretty rough. My voice blasted out on Facebook, while video compression wrecked the quality of the video. This isn’t completely the fault of the Nokia 8: phone signal quality and Facebook’s own compression tricks are all involved. But the point is that I don’t want to share something that sounds grating and looks muddy. What’s the point in that?

Another issue I had was the delay in switching between the two sensors on the back of the Nokia 8. This was an problem with several of the first wave of dual-lens camera phones last year, but most have figured out how to speed up this transition. We got to test this Nokia 8 ahead of its retail launch in Europe, so there is the chance that the company can tweak some of these issues through software updates. At this point, there’s certainly plenty for the engineers to work on.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

You can pay at a restaurant by smiling at a camera

As easy as it is to make purchases in the era of tap-to-pay services, it’s about to get easier still. Alipay (which handles purchases for Chinese shopping giant Alibaba) has launched what it says is the first payment system that uses facial recognition to complete the sale. If you visit one of KFC’s KPRO restaurants in Hangzhou, China, you can pay for your panini or salad by smiling at a camera-equipped kiosk — you need to verify the purchase on your phone, but you don’t have to punch in digits or bring your phone up to an NFC reader.

The system (Smile to Pay) is purportedly resistant to spoofing with photos and other tricks. It relies on both depth-sensing cameras and a “likeness detection algorithm” to make sure it’s really you. Reportedly, the technology is good enough that it can accurately identify people even when they’re disguising themselves through makeup or wigs. You shouldn’t have to worry about someone buying lunch on your dime just because they look vaguely similar, in other words.

It won’t be surprising if this payment system spreads in China, but don’t expect to see it gain much ground elsewhere. Countries like the US have stricter rules on biometric data, and there’s frequently greater stigmas around handing face data to someone else. Not everyone feels comfortable handing face data to a payment giant, even if they know the data should be kept secure. Still, this could represent the future of fast payment (or a commonplace option) in some parts of the world.

Source: SCMP

The LG V30 is better for video recording than photography

LG has made a name for its V series by stuffing the phones with top-notch multimedia recording features, and its latest addition takes this much further than before. The new V30, unveiled here at IFA 2017, is the first smartphone to offer a glass lens with a f/1.6 aperture, and offers nifty video-recording tools that should excite aspiring Spielbergs. To see if it really lives up to LG’s promises, I took the V30 around on a trigger-happy tour of Berlin’s Tier Garden, and found it a versatile, powerful camera (at least, in daylight). In fact, its filmmaking features made me feel like I could pass for a somewhat experienced director.

Thanks to its glass lens with f/1.6 aperture, the V30 captured impressively bright, vibrant and crisp pictures at Berlin’s Tiergarten one sunny morning. My close-up shots of flowers in the rose garden came out clear, and I was taken by the striation details in the petals even when I zoomed in on the picture afterwards to beyond 100 percent. That wide aperture also helps in low-light conditions, allowing the V30 shoot in the dark with relative ease. My pictures of Berlin streets at night were accurately colored and clear, although I still noticed noise in pictures that were taken in extremely dark places.

The wide angle lens came in particularly handy when I tried to shoot all of the Victory Column and the round island it sits on. By tapping a button at the top of the viewfinder, I switched over to the 13-megapixel wide-angle sensor and immediately gained extra room on either side of the scene. The problem with the wide-angle lens is that it’s less adept at managing dynamic range than the regular camera, so my pictures often had blown-out skies and dark shadows.

In fact, I’ve found that both of the V30’s rear cameras tended to slightly overexpose. This generally happened in pictures with large dynamic range (i.e. very dark areas as well as very bright spots in the same scene), which can usually be addressed by HDR software. Auto-HDR is conveniently enabled by default on the V30. However, it caused some strange discoloration on the pictures — clouds appeared purple, while the side of my colleague’s face had green streaks along his hairline.

Dynamic range wasn’t the V30’s only weakness. LG’s software also appeared to be oversharpening pictures, causing pixelated edges in some situations. In particular, images shot in low light sometimes appear muddy. So far it’s hard to tell the conditions that are causing this artifact, and since the device I was using has pre-production software, it’s possible that this could be addressed before the phone ships to consumers.

These issues are minor compared to some of the benefits you get with the V30, though. The biggest advantage is LG’s new Cine Video mode, which lets you shoot moody, cinema-quality videos with the phone. I didn’t care very much for the filters when I first saw them at a briefing in New York, but after trying them at the majestic staircase in our hotel’s lobby, I have to admit I’m impressed. The footage of Engadget’s senior editor Dan Cooper walking down the steps looked suitably dramatic when I shot it with the “Summer blockbuster” filter applied, and took on a nostalgic tone reminiscent of an old-school mafia movie with the “Noir” option selected.

The highlight of Cine Video is the new “Point zoom” feature, that lets you pick any part of the frame to focus on. Then, when you drag the onscreen zoom slider to get close to your subject, the V30 will keep your selected area centralized. I really dug this feature for the flexibility and convenience it affords an aspiring filmmaker. Another V30 offering that’s a nice touch for videographers is the ability to save your files in Cine Log format, which gives you more room to tweak your color profiles after exporting them to your computer.

Selfie aficionados like myself may be underwhelmed by the V30’s relatively low-res front camera. Its 5-megapixel sensor is not as sharp as the competition, but it still delivered vivid selfies with adequate detail. I puckered up next to a statue of a moose in the park, and the V30’s front camera captured individual strands of my hair, as well as fur patterns on the moose.

The portraits were also exposed evenly: my selfie with the Victory Column behind me rendered a deep blue sky, puffy white clouds in the background, while my face and the golden statue were just as clear. I also appreciated the wide-angle mode on the front camera, too, which let me squeeze in two more colleagues in a group-fie from the back of a cab. In that picture, though, details like my hair and my colleagues’ stubbled faces were muddy, most likely due to motion blur.

My time with the V30 so far has left me inspired to record more video and landscapes. Its still photography is respectable, although Samsung and Apple’s flagships deliver similar, if not better, quality shots in general. Still, few devices come close to offering the suite of powerful video tools that LG does with the V30 — owning the niche it has carved out.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Tim Cook Says 250 Apple Employees Are ‘Dreamers’ as Donald Trump’s Decision on DACA Nears

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Sunday tweeted that Apple employs 250 so-called “dreamers,” or individuals who were brought to the United States at a young age when their parents or guardians illegally immigrated to the country.

Image: Nicholas Kamm/Associated Free Press/Getty Images
“I stand with them,” said Cook. “They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values.”

250 of my Apple coworkers are #Dreamers. I stand with them. They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 3, 2017

Cook’s tweet comes shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce whether he will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program as he promised.

Last week, Cook and around 300 other business leaders signed an open letter urging Trump to preserve the program, and to pass the bipartisan DREAM Act or similar legislation as a permanent solution.

DACA allows many illegal immigrants, who entered the United States at age 16 or under, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit in the country.

The program was created by way of an executive order signed by former President Barack Obama in 2012.

Trump vowed to end DACA during his presidential campaign, but he later admitted it would be a tough decision. Trump said young individuals enrolled in the program will be treated with “great heart.”

If the program is ended, nearly 800,000 undocumented young individuals that fall under its protections would have the right to work legally until their two-year work permits expire, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

“Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), also known as work permits, are generally valid until they expire or the government demands they be returned,” it said in an advisory posted to its website last week.

It’s unclear if U.S. immigration authorities would then target those individuals for deportation, but it’s certainly the feared outcome among those protected. Trump’s decision is expected to be announced by Tuesday.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: Tim Cook, Donald Trump
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Best new songs to stream: The National, Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, and more

Every week, there are thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves — and it’s just too much for your two ears to handle. With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks that deserve a thumbs-down click — you want the best new songs to stream right now.

But don’t worry, we’re going to save you the hassle. We listen to some of the most-hyped and interesting songs each week, and tell you which are worthy of your precious listening time.

Here are our five best new songs to stream this week. And don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify page for a playlist of our weekly picks, which can also be found at the bottom of this post. Not sure which streaming service is best for you? Check out our post about the best music streaming services, or go in depth and learn the differences between Apple Music and Spotify to better weigh your options.

The National — Day I Die

The National are gearing up for their upcoming album Sleep Well Beast — out September 8 — by releasing three new singles to whet fans’ appetites. Out favorite, Day I, Die uses a tom-filled drumbeat and descriptive vocals to create a fun rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere — just the sort of of forward-leaning tune that helped vault the popular band to international acclaim in the first place.

Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett — Over Everything

Indie rock giants Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett join forces on Over Everything, a fun and wordy song propelled by a punchy bass line and layered electric guitars. Barnett and Vile trade places in the included music video, singing each others’ parts in various locales.

DJ Kay Slay — Cold Summer (featuring Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Kevin Gates)

Kendrick Lamar leads off the latest single from DJ Kay Slay with a heavy-hitting verse about responsibility and work ethic, followed by verses from Mac Miller and Kevin Gates that share similar hardworking perspectives. The three famous rappers are just a few of DJ Kay Slay’s recruits for the producer’s upcoming album The Big Brother, out September 22). Other songs will feature Rick Ross, Jay Rock, 2 Chainz, Busta Rhymes, and more.

Wolf Parade — You’re Dreaming

Wolf Parade‘s new single, You’re Dreaming, is a driving rock song that will quickly have you moving your feet like the animated man in the song’s music video. Full of cool keyboard and guitar tones, the Canadian rockers’ lyrically dark song was written about the aftermath of the 2016 election, but its upbeat musical energy somehow creates a desire to work on yourself and your community.

OCS (Oh Sees) — Memory of a Cut Off Head

Popular psych-rockers Oh Sees have a long and prolific history of recorded output, having recently released their 19th studio album in two decades, Orc. As usual, fans can expect even more new music soon, with frontman John Dwyer announcing the band’s next album, Memory of a Cut Off Head, will be out in November. The newly released title track is a return to form for the band that features past band member Brigid Dawson. It relies heavily on beautiful folksy melodies instead of shredding guitar energy.

That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more songs to stream, and check out the playlist loaded with our recent selections below:

‘Metroid: Samus Returns’ trailers show action-packed gameplay and new abilities

Why it matters to you

After disappointing receptions for the last two games, Nintendo hopes to return one of their flagship franchises to its former glory.

Leading up to the launch of the highly anticipated 3DS game, Nintendo has unleashed a couple of new Metroid: Samus Returns trailers that show Samus in action. The first is a TV commercial with the tagline “Summoning All Heroes.” The second, at more than four minutes long, explores some of the new gameplay elements and additions to the game.

A remake of the original Game Boy classic Metroid II: Return of Samus, the new game features 3-D graphic enhancements and a vibrant color palette. It’s still the side-scrolling blaster you remember though, with numerous items to collect and new areas to explore. It should play great on the 3DS, with the map continuously available for reference on the lower screen. There’s even a limited-edition Metroid 3DS XL console available featuring the armored space mercenary ready for action on the front.

In addition to the legendary bounty hunter’s familiar arsenal such as the Morph Ball and Space Jump, Samus now has a melee counter ability and free aim with her blaster. She also has access to some new “Aeion” abilities, which are powered by a separate energy meter that replenishes over time.

• Scan Pulse: Check your surroundings for hidden paths.
• Lightning Armor: Repel physical attacks with temporary invincibility.
• Beam Burst: A super destructive blaster with triple beams.
• Phase Drift: Slows down time in the immediate area.

Samus Returns also has Amiibo support, with the figures unlocking bonuses like extra Aeion energy and a gallery of original Metroid artwork, as well as a more challenging “Fusion” difficulty level after beating the game. Some fans, however, aren’t so happy that the most challenging difficulty can only be accessed by purchasing the Amiibo figure.

The packaging for the Special Edition of the game includes a novel feature – you can flip the packaging to display the original cover art for Metroid II: Return of Samus from 1991. The Special Edition also includes the game soundtrack on CD.

Nintendo has promised that the adventures of Samus Aran won’t end here. As revealed at E3 2017, a brand-new Metroid game for the Nintendo Switch is in development, but won’t see the light of day until 2018.

Metroid: Samus Returns will be available for the Nintendo 3DS on September 15, 2017.

Leave your wallet at home and pay with smiles at this KFC in China

Why it matters to you

Smile to Pay is just another example of China expanding its use of facial recognition software by businesses and government agencies.

You won’t have to worry about having your wallet at this KFC store in Hangzhou, China. All you have to do is pay with a smile … literally. Yum China Holdings Inc, the biggest Chinese fast food chain, has created the “Smile to Pay” facial recognition system at a KFC restaurant located in Hangzhou called KPro. No cash, credit cards, or even smartphones are necessary.

Diners at this establishment will place their order at a kiosk which scans their face, analyzing more than 600 facial features. Once it matches with the image on the photo ID stored in its system, the customer then types in their phone number and just like that, the payment transaction goes through. This type of tech will certainly come in handy if you’re the type to always leave your wallet at home.

The system being used here is based on Alipay, which is a digital payment platform from Ant Financial. Alipay has more than 500 million users across the globe and it lets people to sign into its Chinese app by using facial recognition. Smile to Pay is just another step forward for China when it comes to facial recognition technology being used by businesses and government agencies. Ant Financial, who created the facial recognition software, also wants everyone to know that Smile to Pay is totally secure and safe to use.

“Combined with a 3D camera and liveness detection algorithm, Smile to Pay can effectively block spoofing attempts using other people’s photos or video recordings and ensure account safety,” Jidong Chen, Ant’s director of biometric identification technology, said in a statement.

According to Ant, the KPro in Hangzhou is the first physical store in the entire world that uses facial recognition software to process payments.

The store itself has a menu that offers seasonal produce, made-to-order salads as well as paninis. It serves “roasted” chicken, and drinks on offer include juices that are freshly squeezed, gourmet coffees, and even delicious craft beer.

The president of Yum China, Joey Wat, says that the store was created for “young, tech savvy consumers who are keen to embrace new tastes and innovations.”

Apple’s Watch-Sized iPod Nano is Officially Obsolete

The sixth-generation iPod nano is officially obsolete, meaning Apple will no longer repair or service the portable media player.

Apple added the sixth-generation iPod nano to its internal vintage and obsolete products list on August 30, according to a memo distributed to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers seen by MacRumors.

Apple repairs and services products for up to five years after they are no longer manufactured. The sixth-generation iPod nano was released in September 2010 and discontinued in September 2012.

As required by statute, sixth-generation iPod nano owners in California may still obtain service from Apple Stores or by contacting AppleCare at 1-800-APL-CARE. The extended coverage period will likely end in September 2019.

The sixth-generation iPod nano was notable for its square-shaped design. A number of third-party straps and accessories were released that essentially turned the device into an early, dumbed down version of the Apple Watch.

Unlike the fifth-generation iPod nano, the sixth-generation model lacked a click wheel, video camera, and speaker. Instead, it had a touchscreen and adopted the iPod shuffle’s clip to make it wearable on the go.

Apple returned to a rectangular design for the seventh-generation iPod nano, and added a Home button to the device. The design remained the same until Apple discontinued the entire iPod nano and iPod shuffle lineups in July.

Apple has yet to list the sixth-generation iPod nano on its public vintage and obsolete products list, but the device will likely be added soon.

Tag: vintage and obsolete
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After Math: Business as Usual

It was a fairly uneventful week for the tech industry. Apple continued its quest to know everything about its customers. The FDA finally approved a genetic therapy for the first time Lyft spread its operation to 32 more states. And Juicero, purveyors of a $400 juice maker, shut down completely. Numbers, because how else will you know you’ve overpaid for a proprietary bag squeezer?