Apple rolls out new Beats headphones with AirPod tech built-in

Apple just confirmed it’s ditching the old headphone jack, and also rolling out upgraded wireless headphones called AirPods. Naturally, its Beats brand is getting in the game, announcing headphones with the same W1 chip inside and slick wireless capabilities when used with an iPhone 7. All three models announced today include Class 1 Bluetooth to work across all kinds of media sources and some form of Fast Fuel charging. On the new BeatsX earphones, that means a promised 2 hours playback based on just five minutes of charging via Lightning cable, or eight hours on a full charge. They’ll be available this fall in black or white for $150.

Click here to catch all the latest news from Apple’s “See You” event.

Otherwise, there are newly enhanced Solo3 Wireless cups and Powerbeats3 wireless earphones. The Powerbeats3 Wireless promise an improved fit, plus an hour of playback after 5 minutes of charging via microUSB, or 12 hours from a full charge, at a price of $200 when they arrive this fall.

The Beats Solo3 Wireless can apparently run for up to 40 hours on a full charge thanks to the W1 chip, and play for three hours after five minutes of charging via microUSB. Preorders for those start today, at a price of $300. For more info check out the website here, or video previews of the new audio devices below.

Source: Beats

Apple kills off 16GB storage for the iPhone 7

If you’re looking for just a little bit of on-device storage in your next phone, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus aren’t for you. At its fall announcement event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Apple revealed that its newest handset iterations will no longer offer 16GB hard drives. Instead, the new phones will offer a minimum of double that and be available all the way up to 256GB. But don’t think you’re getting these devices for cheap. The iPhone 7 starts at $649 for the 32GB model and the iPhone 7 Plus starts at a jaw-dropping $769. Luckily, with Apple’s installment plan, those figures work out to $27 and $32 a month, respectively.

Click here to catch all the latest news from the Apple’s “See You” event.

Apple warns the new Jet Black iPhones are prone to scratches

If you’ve always preferred shiny gadgets, the Jet Black iPhone 7 is totally up your alley. A word of warning, though: Apple admits that you might have to take extra good care of it to keep it scratch-free. In the new iPhone 7 page on the company’s website, part of the fine print at the very bottom reads:

“The high-gloss finish of the jet black iPhone 7 is achieved through a precision nine-step anodization and polishing process. Its surface is equally as hard as other anodized Apple products; however, its high shine may show fine micro-abrasions with use. If you are concerned about this, we suggest you use one of the many cases available to protect your iPhone.”

That said, other shiny phones are also prone to scratches, so it’s not exactly surprising. You’re probably better off considering the other, more matte options if you don’t want to deal with both scratches and fingerprints. Especially if you tend to keep your phone in your pocket with the keys, candy wrappers and last week’s trash.

In case you can’t say no to the siren song of the Jet Black iPhone, though, just think of it this way: you’re bound to buy a case to keep your new purchase safe anyway. You can always get a transparent one to protect your device if you want its beauty to shine through — we’ll bet plenty of casemakers are already on it.

Click here to catch all the latest news from Apple’s “See You” event.

Via: Daily Dot

UK pricing for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

As one of the biggest tech events of the year draws to a close, it’s time to catch our breath. By now, you may’ve heard all about Apple’s new iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and second-generation Watch, as well as the slew of software release dates also announced today. But let’s revisit the two new smartphones unveiled on stage and get down to the brass tacks of how much they’re gonna cost.

iPhone 7

The iPhone 7 isn’t significantly different from its predecessor in terms of design, though the antenna bands have been rearranged and cover less surface area than before. The main changes include IP67 waterproofing, a new haptic home button, A10 Fusion processor, improved display colour range and better cameras up front and round back. As expected, the 3.5mm headphone jack is gone, with Lightning EarPods and a 3.5mm adapter replacing it. Also, this time around, there is no 16GB storage option, with the base model now packing 32 gigs as standard. Bear in mind the new Jet Black colour is only available in 128GB and 256GB configurations, though.

iPhone 7 Plus

Take all the new bits and bobs on the iPhone 7, stick them in a bigger chassis with a 5.5-inch display, and you’ve got the iPhone 7 Plus. That is, apart from the camera, which is where the model differs most meaningfully from its smaller sibling. A first for iPhones, Apple has equipped its latest large-screen handset with dual rear-facing cameras. Similar setups have been explored by several other manufacturers before, so the feature set is pretty familiar. They allow for a 2x optical zoom and take two distinct pictures, meaning you can play with focal point and depth of field after the fact. Or, at least, you will be able to when a software update drops later this year. As with the iPhone 7, the Jet Black variant is only available with 128GB or 256GB of internal storage.

This is all direct-from-Apple pricing of course, but as you’d expect, a preliminary email blast from the four major carriers confirms both phones will indeed be sold on contracts by EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.

AirPods

Now Apple has officially bid farewell to the 3.5mm headphone jack, it’s time to sell you some wireless cans. The new iPhones come with Lightning EarPods and a 3.5mm adapter in the box, but Apple also announced its own set of truly wireless earbuds today. These “AirPods” will go on sale towards the end of next month for £159.

Apple-owned Beats By Dre is also releasing a new product line with AirPod (aka Bluetooth) technology built in. The in-ear BeatsX and Powerbeats3 will be launching this autumn for £129.95 and £169.95, respectively. The over-ear Wireless3 headphones, on the other hand, are available to buy today for £249.95.

Click here to catch all the latest news from Apple’s “See You” event.

Apple Watch Series 2 UK release date and pricing

Apple’s iPhone 7 event may be over, but now is the time to unpack everything we’ve seen. One of the biggest announcements of the evening was the Apple Watch Series 2. At first glance, the second-generation Apple Watch is almost indistinguishable from the first. The companion device is still a familiar square shape, but it’s beneath the improved OLED display that the major improvements are to be found.

Tucked away inside the water-resistant wearable is a dual-core processor that is 50 percent faster and offers double the graphics capabilities of the original. There’s a brighter display, coming in at 1,000 nits, which will make it a lot more usable in direct sunlight. But how much will it cost? You can find pricing for all of the different Series 2 variations and the reduced pricing for Series 1 smartwatches below.

Apple Watch Series 2

Apple also has options for the Stainless Steel Case with Space Black Link Bracelet and with a Milanese Loop, which start at £699 and range up to £1,049. The Series 1 has also seen a price cut, which means the first-generation wearable — complete with the new dual-core processor — will now start at £269.

Source: Apple

Courage is not how you sell iPhones

Today, during its annual iPhone event, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller said Apple was ditching the headphone jack found in pretty much every audio device ever made because of “courage.” Yeah, not so much.

According to Dictionary.com (I use my actual book dictionary to prop up my monitor) the definition of courage is: “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.”

Let’s break that down really quick. Is Apple facing difficulty, danger or pain without fear by removing the mini-jack? One of the reasons it is removing the audio port is space. Apparently there’s not enough room for all of Apple’s fancy new chips and cameras for the port. The difficult thing would have been to make everything fit.

As for danger. It seems unlikely that Apple is any immediate peril. Unless of course there’s some malevolent creature threatening the company’s employees with physical harm if they don’t kill the headphone jack. Maybe it was awakened by the construction of the new Apple headquarters. It’s probably like that creepy monster from Stranger Things.

That leaves pain. In reality the only pain being felt will be in users’ wallets when they lose their $9 lightning-to-mini-jack connector or throw down $160 for those AirPods. You should really stock up on this adaptor that gives your new iPhone a tail.

Maybe every time a new iPhone is sold, someone gets pinched. Probably by that awful monster that lives under the new Apple headquarters. Creatures can make you do some crazy things. We miss you Barb.

Maybe Apple needs to be reminded what courage actually means. Like when first responders put their lives on the line to save others. That’s pretty courageous. Oh and let’s not forget the men and women that are part of the armed forces. While their bravery is on display, it’s very rare for them to bring up a proprietary wireless audio standard for a new product.

What Apple did today isn’t courage. It’s another ‘C’ word: Consumerism.

Click here to catch all the latest news from Apple’s “See You” event.