Vox - All about the iPhone 7https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52517/voxv.png2016-09-20T14:30:08-04:00http://www.vox.com/rss/stream/126119592016-09-20T14:30:08-04:002016-09-20T14:30:08-04:00What the iPhone 7 reveals about Apple’s augmented-reality plans
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<p>Tim Cook can’t stop talking about how big an opportunity augmented reality represents.</p> <p id="TpsCaI"><em>A version of this essay was originally published at </em><a href="https://techpinions.com/what-the-iphone-7-says-about-apples-future-augmented-reality-plans/47207"><em>Tech.pinions</em></a><em>, a website dedicated to informed opinions, insight and perspective on the tech industry.</em></p>
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<p id="uKK5AJ">I believe that Apple’s next big iPhone release is going to feature augmented-reality technology. Obviously, nobody at Apple has said anything about such a product. But the now-shipping iPhone 7 Plus, complete with dual-camera technology, is the latest hint Apple is moving in that direction. This, along with several high-profile company purchases (Metaio in 2015 and PrimeSense in 2013), points to this technology eventually appearing in products.</p>
<p id="tFk7sV">One more thing: Apple CEO Tim Cook can’t stop talking about how big an opportunity augmented reality represents.</p>
<h2 id="MhCtnP">Dual-camera technology</h2>
<p id="Rfd2Fr">Apple executives spent a great deal of time during the recent iPhone 7 launch event talking about the current and future capabilities of the two 12-megapixel cameras integrated into the iPhone 7 Plus. The first camera is a 28mm-equivalent lens that most would consider wide angle (the iPhone 7 has the same camera). The second is a 56mm equivalent and, while Apple’s Phil Schiller kept calling it a telephoto lens, the reality is that it’s actually more of a portrait lens. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="ZfMZ1v"><q>Here’s my bet: When Apple heads toward its next big hardware revision, we’ll see an iPhone (and maybe an iPad Pro) with AR capabilities.</q></aside></div>
<p id="j5JFji">In addition to giving the phone an effective 2x optical zoom, the dual cameras enable a long list of software capabilities that should result in notably better photos for most users. That’s interesting (and very useful), but what interests me more about this hardware is the fact that Apple could use the dual cameras to capture information about the objects and space in front of the cameras. Two cameras allow the device to capture and create depth-mapping information.</p>
<p id="T47bEh">Earlier this year, <a href="https://techpinions.com/lenovos-tango-phone-a-preview-of-ar-for-the-masses/46319">I wrote about Lenovo’s Phab Pro 2</a>, the first Tango-enabled smartphone. Tango is Google’s handheld augmented-reality platform. The Lenovo phone actually uses three cameras and a host of other sensors to capture motion, depth and local area information about the phone’s surroundings. The result is a device that knows where it is in space, which lets you do many fascinating things in augmented reality. To vastly oversimplify, think about what Pokémon Go does on your current smartphone, but many times smarter and more powerful.</p>
<h2 id="T0NOS7">Two key Apple acquisitions</h2>
<p id="HvOho1">Apple’s recent purchase of Metaio and PrimeSense makes me think it’s moving toward this handheld augmented-reality future. <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2015/05/28/apple-metaio/">Apple bought Metaio in May, 2015</a>. It was a German company, started in 2003, that sold software that pulled together camera images and computer-generated objects. Before the purchase, numerous companies used the technology to create applications for use in different vertical markets including retail, industrial and automotive. After completing the purchase, Apple took the product off the market. Many assume that Apple is working to create custom silicon in conjunction with this software for future products.</p>
<p id="rS4aEG">PrimeSense was an Israeli 3-D sensor company that <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/11/24/apple-primesense-acquisition-confirmed/">Apple purchased for $345 million in 2013</a>. The company had a mobile-sized 3-D sensor (code-named Capri) that worked with its software technology to scan and capture three-dimensional objects. The company was also a founding member of the open source framework called OpenNI (Natural Interaction) designed to capture body motion and hand tracking. Stories at the time of the acquisition noted that the Capri sensor was relatively expensive to produce, which kept it from gaining the attention of other device manufacturers. This is the type of tech Apple loves to integrate into its hardware to drive additional differentiation from the rest of the market.</p>
<h2 id="irlb7X"><strong>Tim Cook on augmented reality</strong></h2>
<p id="dYJzEu">Finally, there are Tim Cook’s comments. <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/7/26/12290920/apple-augmented-reality-ar-tim-cook">In the most recent Apple earnings call</a>, Cook pointed out that, while he thinks both virtual and augmented reality are interesting, he sees a much bigger opportunity in augmented reality, especially regarding commercial use cases (I strongly agree). More recently, in an interview on “<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/exclusive-apple-ceo-tim-cook-prefers-augmented-reality/story?id=42064913">Good Morning America</a>,” Cook once again spelled out his enthusiasm for augmented reality. He noted that by using AR, two people can share a common experience, which is hard to do in the heavily isolated world of VR.</p>
<p id="zIFiwO">Now, it may well be that Cook’s recent comments around AR versus VR are meant to throw people off Apple’s trail. In fact, I think it’s highly likely that Apple is working on both technologies and, eventually, we may well see some eyewear that utilizes not only the technologies above but a future version of the company’s new W1 chip currently shipping in the AirPods. But here’s my bet: When Apple heads toward its next big hardware revision, we’ll see an iPhone (and maybe an iPad Pro) with AR capabilities.</p>
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<p id="BgjzoB"><a href="https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=PRF002764"><em>Tom Mainelli</em></a><em> has covered the technology industry since 1995. He manages IDC’s Devices and Displays group, which covers a broad range of hardware categories including PCs, tablets, smartphones, thin clients, displays and wearables. Mainelli is also driving new research at IDC around the technologies of augmented and virtual reality. Reach him </em><a href="https://twitter.com/tommainelli"><em>@TomMainelli</em></a>.</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/20/12990110/apple-iphone-7-augmented-reality-plans-tim-cookTom Mainelli2016-09-19T06:00:09-04:002016-09-19T06:00:09-04:00The iPhone 7 handled a bit of water swimmingly, but fell down during a drop test
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<img alt="The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus after a drop test." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sqqB1nQCOdrAd2Ow9I4_J0yMIO8=/280x137:1521x1068/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50912811/iPhone7_Breakability_CornerDrop_lo.0.png" />
<figcaption>SquareTrade</figcaption>
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<p>Headphone jack or no, it also bends like its predecessors.</p> <p id="Yf74GR">As soon as a new iPhone comes out, the folks at gadget insurer SquareTrade rush to see how easily it will break.</p>
<p id="9wqrKA">Now, with the iPhone boasting some measure of water resistance, SquareTrade had to see if they could <em>drown</em> the poor thing.</p>
<p id="avS7yh">The good news, for Apple and owners of its phones, is that they survived the dip fine, lasting the promised half hour in a meter of water.</p>
<p id="JSbGr2">On the other hand, the new iPhone broke when dropped at roughly the same rates and stresses as its predecessors, although the 7 Plus did better with SquareTrade’s Tumblebot than did the 6s Plus. No iPhones do well when dropped on the sidewalk, which is reason enough to ensconce the device in a case.</p>
<p id="0dOPMF">But what fun is talking about dropping and soaking the iPhone when you can see it for yourself?</p>
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<div id="IUaHqy"><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8WpA08OIsEI?wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
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<p id="HcuXdr">Here’s a chart SquareTrade put together with the results. </p>
<p id="YtiGsK"> </p>
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<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/19/12963090/iphone-7-water-drop-testIna Fried2016-09-15T01:33:31-04:002016-09-15T01:33:31-04:00Apple won’t have any iPhone 7 Plus models for sale in stores on Friday
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<figcaption>Apple</figcaption>
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<p>It’s completely sold out, as is the smaller iPhone in jet black.</p> <p id="ekxNym">Apple said late Wednesday (Sept. 14) that it has sold completely out of its initial supply of its larger iPhone 7 model, with no inventory left for Friday, when the phone officially goes on sale in stores.</p>
<p id="WLQXpM">While the iPhone 7 Plus is completely sold out, Apple said its stores will have limited quantities of the iPhone 7 in all colors except jet black, which is also sold out.</p>
<p id="k0ycQ3">“We couldn't be happier with the initial response to iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and we are looking forward to beginning sales through our retail stores and partners around the world,” Apple said. </p>
<p id="FheEzo">Apple said customers looking to find a specific model through a carrier or other retailer should check with them for availability. Customers can also place an order on Apple’s website, and those orders will ship as more phones become available.</p>
<p id="hbnw1P">What Apple isn’t saying is just how many iPhones have been sold. The company said last week that it would <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/8/12847630/apple-no-iphone-7-metrics">depart from past practice and hold off giving out first weekend sales figures</a>.</p>
<p id="gt4tMi">“We sincerely appreciate our customers’ patience as we work hard to get the new iPhone into the hands of everyone who wants one as quickly as possible,” Apple said.</p>
<p id="Gol4pW">One group that has grown impatient are those looking to take advantage of the Apple Upgrade Program introduced last year.</p>
<p id="SBXGjP">Apple is facing a lawsuit on behalf of such customers, with <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/12/12893158/iphone-7-upgraders-apple-lawsuit">lawyers charging Apple prioritized new phone buyers</a> and made it difficult for those in the upgrade program to secure a new model.</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/15/12925820/apple-iphone-7-sold-outIna Fried2016-09-14T08:00:08-04:002016-09-14T08:00:08-04:00Apple of my ear: The iPhone 7’s missed audio opportunity
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<figcaption>The Verge</figcaption>
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<p>Apple could singlehandedly and dramatically improve the state of digital audio quality around the world. Now, that would take courage.</p> <p id="JRo91w"><em>A version of this essay was originally published at </em><a href="https://techpinions.com/apples-missed-audio-opportunity/47119"><em>Tech.pinions</em></a><em>, a website dedicated to informed opinions, insight and perspective on the tech industry.</em></p>
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<p id="fr0c5x">Apple has a long, rich history in the fields of music and audio, and its complex and highly influential relationship with those fields was on display once again at the company’s recent <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/13/12896952/iphone-7-review-mossberg">iPhone 7</a> launch event.</p>
<p id="5jbPLW">The biggest audio-related news of the event was, of course, the <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/7/12838034/iphone-7-headphone-jack-airpods-rage">removal of the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack</a> from the iPhone 7. The impact of that one decision will be rippling through the audio industry for years to come. Why? Because of the level of influence Apple and the iPhone have, both with other smartphone makers and with audio accessory and component makers.</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="TSqlIn"><q>The ability to deliver the highest possible raw media quality — regardless of the device upon which it is played back — should be the goal of any media playback device, and particularly one that’s so incredibly influential.</q></aside></div>
<p id="00I0Kk">The problem is that the implications of the move on audio quality are not likely to be good for most people. For all of its convenience, wireless audio connections are generally lower-quality than wired connections because of the need to compress the file over the available wireless bandwidth. Given that most people are starting with highly compressed MP3 or AAC-encoded music files to begin with, that essentially means you’re degrading an already degraded signal. Not good.</p>
<p id="AKLnZt">There is debate on how much of a difference many people can hear across different levels of audio-encoding algorithms as well as wireless transmission compression methods, but common sense tells you that mixing the two together can’t be good. (And to be clear, yes, I think most everyone would be able to hear the difference between a wired connection of an uncompressed file and a wireless connection of a compressed file.)</p>
<p id="EnLCGo">Plus, you don’t hear anyone saying, “Oh, well, HD video is good enough, because that’s the maximum resolution of the iPhone’s screen, so why bother with 4K video? Why should audio be treated differently?” The ability to deliver the highest possible raw media quality — regardless of the device upon which it is played back — should be the goal of any media playback device, but particularly one that’s so incredibly influential.</p>
<p id="wAiDte">Of course, some of this harkens back to Apple’s largest impact on music: The creation of the iPod/iTunes combination that completely rewrote the rules of music distribution. The iPod created an amazing level of convenience, flexibility and portability for music that is hard to imagine not having on all our devices today.</p>
<div class="c-float-left"><aside id="HylLM5"><q>The iPod sacrificed audio quality for convenience, and the implications of its focus on highly compressed music extend to today.</q></aside></div>
<p id="urIvYO">However, the iPod also sacrificed audio quality for convenience, and the implications of its focus on highly compressed music extend to today. The big problem in the early days of digital music was sound files were very large and took up too much storage capacity in uncompressed, CD-quality form. Audio-encoding techniques like MP3 and AAC offered 10x reductions in file size, while leveraging a variety of psychoacoustic techniques to keep the music still sounding reasonably good. It was just too tempting a trade-off to pass up.</p>
<p id="T6A2f4">Today, however, storage costs are significantly lower and network bandwidth speeds are significantly higher, so there’s no longer a really viable technical reason to stick with compressed audio. Yet compressed audio still dominates the landscape, primarily because of Apple’s initial and ongoing influence.</p>
<p id="Xpwgtx">With the company’s efforts and investments in growing its Apple Music service — which it mentioned has now reached 17 million subscribers at the beginning of the iPhone 7 launch event — there is a clear opportunity to once again set a new standard for audio file formats. By choosing to offer uncompressed CD-quality (16-bit, 44 kHz) digital audio files — or even better, high-resolution 24-bit, 96 or 192 kHz — as standard, Apple could singlehandedly and dramatically improve the state of digital audio quality around the world. Now, that would take courage.</p>
<p id="SeXnyG">Of course, there’s also the possibility that the rumors of Apple purchasing Tidal — a music streaming service that offers uncompressed and high-res audio streaming — could come to pass, and Apple would “inherit” the capability.</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="MuyQki"><q>Apple could singlehandedly and dramatically improve the state of digital audio quality around the world. Now, that would take courage.</q></aside></div>
<p id="JaGSJR">In addition to improving the quality of the audio files, Apple could have used the announcement of the headphone jack removal to highlight the second part of the audio quality equation — the quality of the connection to headphones and speakers. Though few know it, Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector supports the ability to transmit uncompressed and even high-resolution audio in digital format to external devices. Essentially, it provides raw access to the files before they’re converted from digital into audible analog format. In addition, Lightning can provide power for enabling features like noise cancellation without a battery in connected headphones, and access to additional controls, such as triggering Siri. It’s a powerful though underutilized interface. Part of the problem is that using Lightning requires paying a royalty to Apple, whereas using the 3.5mm audio jack never did.</p>
<p id="2n2ox4">While Apple kept an audio DAC (digital-to-analog convertor) in the iPhone 7 for the built-in speakers, with Lightning-based headphones, that digital-to-analog conversion needs to be done by headphones or other speakers directly connected to the Lightning jack.</p>
<p id="InVXOm"> While that does add costs to these devices, the good news is that this allows peripheral companies like Sony, Philips, JBL, Audeze and others to build headphones that leverage high-quality DACs and produce really great sound — depending, of course, on the original resolution of the file being converted — hence my earlier comments. Though details remain unclear, the new Apple Lightning-based earbuds included with the iPhone 7s have none of these extended features, and likely use the same more generic-quality DAC that Apple uses in the iPhone.</p>
<p id="n4ORhn">What’s odd, and perhaps telling, about Apple’s commitment to higher-quality audio is that it now owns one of the best-selling headphone makers in the world in Beats, and yet they don’t currently offer a single set of Beats headphones with a Lightning connector and external DAC. Even if Apple wanted to somehow keep the removal of the headphone jack a secret from Beats staffers, there’s no reason they couldn’t have encouraged the development of a set of high-quality, Lightning-based Beats headphones. Yet none exist, nor did Apple even announce one.</p>
<aside id="emMZhP"><q>For a company that talks a lot about how much it loves music, Apple sure doesn’t seem to care that much about audio quality, and that’s frustrating.</q></aside><p id="bq5hDo">Instead, it focused its efforts on announcing wireless Beats headphones based on Bluetooth and some proprietary extensions enabled by its new W1 chip. While there’s obviously nothing wrong with that, the new Solo3 and other Beats headphones seem once again to be focused on convenience over audio quality. In theory, later versions of Bluetooth could support wireless transmission of uncompressed audio, which takes 1.41 Mbits per second, but most Bluetooth audio leverages 128K-256 kbits per second compressed audio. Apple also chose not to support Qualcomm’s AptX technology (originally developed by CSR, the Bluetooth silicon maker that Qualcomm acquired), which offers support for high-quality audio streamed over Bluetooth.</p>
<p id="3NOYCH">The new <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/7/12838810/apple-airpods-wireless-headphones-hands-on-first-look">Apple AirPods</a> offer similar capabilities, limitations and, likely, audio quality (though much shorter battery life). Again, the focus is on convenience over quality. If Apple had developed some new higher-quality, lossless methods of transmitting audio to these W1-equipped devices, the company clearly would have touted it, yet it didn’t. Instead, much of the focus and concerns around the AirPods were on the possibility of losing them. For the record, I believe this is a big issue, but not as much of one when you’re wearing them as when you’re not. Just ask anyone who’s ever misplaced a Bluetooth headset. It happens all the time.</p>
<p id="va5J8H">Given how much time Apple spent justifying the removal of the headphone jack at their event, it’s clearly cognizant of what a momentous impact the decision represented and how poorly some might perceive the move. Yet, instead of turning that negative into a positive — as it clearly could have done — Apple added insult to injury by calling the development “courageous.” Frankly, it was a missed opportunity of potentially enormous proportions.</p>
<p id="4DPMzg">The bottom line is, for a company that talks a lot about how much they love music, Apple sure doesn’t seem to care that much about audio quality, and that’s frustrating.</p>
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<p id="rJE6UR"><em>Bob O’Donnell is the founder and chief analyst of </em><a href="http://www.technalysisresearch.com/"><em>Technalysis Research LLC</em></a><em>, a technology consulting and market research firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. Reach him </em><a href="https://twitter.com/bobodtech"><em>@bobodtech</em></a>.</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/14/12904906/apple-iphone-7-audio-sound-quality-opportunity-airpodsBob O'Donnell2016-09-13T14:45:53-04:002016-09-13T14:45:53-04:00Apple confirms there was an iOS 10 glitch, but says the issue is resolved for those now downloading
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<figcaption>The Verge</figcaption>
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<p>Those who experienced the problem should connect their device to iTunes.</p> <p id="3AcNX6">Apple says it has identified and fixed a <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/13/12904698/ios-10-causing-iphone-problems">bug that caused some people to have their phones and tablets rendered unusable</a> after updating to iOS 10.</p>
<p id="A7coTV">"We experienced a brief issue with the software update process, affecting a small number of users during the first hour of availability,” an Apple representative told <strong>Recode</strong>. “The problem was quickly resolved and we apologize to those customers. Anyone who was affected should connect to iTunes to complete the update or contact AppleCare for help."</p>
<p id="iO18aS">For those who encountered the issue, attempting to install the iOS 10 update left both iPhones and iPads displaying a message indicating the device needed to be connected to iTunes.</p>
<p id="yVgXCT">While Apple said the problem is now fixed for users just starting a download, those who began their download some time ago might want to scrap it and start over.</p>
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<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/13/12905104/apple-confirms-ios-10-glitchIna Fried2016-09-13T14:11:42-04:002016-09-13T14:11:42-04:00You might want to hold off on updating your iPhone to iOS 10
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yHgT_Y_nTAxeh_Z9zB5nO-V_lw0=/77x0:922x634/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50823059/Screen_20Shot_202016-09-13_20at_2011.10.50_20AM.0.png" />
<figcaption>screenshot by Recode</figcaption>
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<p>Twitter users are reporting that Apple's software update is rendering phones unusable.</p> <p id="nPzFCc">If you haven’t already installed Apple’s iOS 10, you should probably hold off for a bit.</p>
<p id="XIgYGW">A number of Twitter users, including reporters at CNET and the Wall Street Journal, say that installing the update <a href="https://twitter.com/sharatibken/status/775754663652040704">left their phones unusable</a>.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Anybody else have their iPhone 6S killed by iOS 10? Mine is making me connect to iTunes and says it may have to factory reset my phone</p>— Shara Tibken (@sharatibken) <a href="https://twitter.com/sharatibken/status/775754663652040704">September 13, 2016</a>
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<p id="RKMRe2">The Wall Street Journal’s Geoffrey Fowler said the update left 10 journalists there without a working phone.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The iOS 10 update just did this to ten of my <a href="https://twitter.com/WSJ">@wsj</a> colleagues' iPhones. Definitely stand by before upgrading. <a href="https://t.co/Mv87cFkHSM">pic.twitter.com/Mv87cFkHSM</a></p>— Geoffrey A. Fowler (@geoffreyfowler) <a href="https://twitter.com/geoffreyfowler/status/775757203269648385">September 13, 2016</a>
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<p id="sH02ac">An Apple representative was not immediately available for comment.</p>
<p id="qZEIKg">The free update, which <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/13/12892984/reasons-to-upgrade-ios-10">adds improved Siri and messaging</a>, was made available earlier Tuesday morning.</p>
<p id="lz882b"><strong>Update:</strong> Apple confirmed there was a glitch with the updating process, but says it is <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/13/12905104/apple-confirms-ios-10-glitch">now fixed for those downloading iOS 10</a>. Anyone with a problem should try connecting their device to iTunes or contact Apple’s customer support, the company said.</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/13/12904698/ios-10-causing-iphone-problemsIna Fried2016-09-13T06:30:02-04:002016-09-13T06:30:02-04:00Here are the three biggest changes coming with iOS 10
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<img alt="The new photos experience in Apple's iOS 10
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<figcaption>Apple</figcaption>
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<p>The software is available on Tuesday as a free update.</p> <p id="wJRcdJ">While they won’t be able to get their hands on a new iPhone until at least Friday, Apple customers can give their current phone or tablet a new lease on life by downloading <a href="http://www.apple.com/ios/ios-10/">iOS 10</a>, which is being made available later Tuesday.</p>
<p id="V1AWGJ">Apple is billing the free update as the biggest overhaul ever of its mobile operating system. Whether or not that is the case, there are definitely some significant changes. Here are three of the biggest.</p>
<h2 id="8Ud0SB">Messages are getting more fun</h2>
<p id="djfeuD">From bubbles to invisible ink to handwriting and stickers, the Messages app is getting the biggest overhaul in iOS 10 as Apple looks to compete with third-party efforts like Snapchat and Facebook Messenger. Also, for the first time, developers will be able to plug into iOS 10, integrating bots and commerce.</p>
<h2 id="cC7fiz">Siri is getting more useful</h2>
<p id="kPJhuV">Developers will also be able to connect with Siri for the first time, so Apple’s voice assistant will finally be able to do things more complicated than calling up a song or telling you the weather or a baseball score. For example, you will be able to request a car from a ride-hailing service, send payments to friends and use third-party workout apps.</p>
<h2 id="r5vl7Z">Little is big</h2>
<p id="VzbBYb">There are a bunch of tweaks in iOS 10 that by themselves might not be game-changers, but are nonetheless welcome little enhancements. Among the changes are multilingual typing, more interactive notifications and the ability to easily tell which songs are physically on a device, as opposed to those stored in the cloud. You’ll also be able to hide Apple’s default apps from your home screen.</p>
<h2 id="qKo1yh">But ...</h2>
<p id="NoUu3U">While there clearly some good reasons to upgrade, there is one big reason to potentially hold off a bit: Bugs.</p>
<p id="aKfcXQ">It’s often prudent to wait until the first or second minor update of a new operating system to make sure any issues have been ironed out and that more software has been made compatible.</p>
<p id="iGkNbC">That said, Apple now widely beta tests its releases, theoretically meaning the new release should be less glitch-prone than in the early days.</p>
<p id="j9DQeD">You also need to make sure your device is compatible. To run iOS 10 you will need an iPhone 5 or later, any iPad Air or iPad Pro or the fourth-generation iPad, the iPad mini 2 or later or the sixth-generation iPod touch.</p>
<p id="95F8tv"><strong>Update:</strong> A number of those who initially downlaoded iOS 10 on Tuesday <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/13/12904698/ios-10-causing-iphone-problems">experienced problems</a>, but <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/13/12905104/apple-confirms-ios-10-glitch">Apple says the issue is now fixed</a>.</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/13/12892984/reasons-to-upgrade-ios-10Ina Fried2016-09-13T06:00:08-04:002016-09-13T06:00:08-04:00Mossberg: Choosing the iPhone 7 is tougher than in the past
<figure>
<img alt="A 4-second GIF of a black iPhone 7 on a black background slowly rotating so that the logo catches the light. Oooh. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wDxrjTACX6m_vx-xx9M7rYQoTpc=/72x0:792x540/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50812957/20160912-apple-iphone-2.0.gif" />
<figcaption>Apple</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s a great phone, but where’s my headphone jack?</p> <p id="xSFMRq"><em>Welcome to Mossberg, a weekly commentary and </em><a href="http://www.theverge.com/label/walt-mossberg-verge"><em>reviews column on The Verge</em></a><em> and </em><em><strong>Recode</strong></em><em> by veteran tech journalist Walt Mossberg, now an executive editor at The Verge and editor at large of </em><em><strong>Recode</strong></em><em>.</em></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="eIACKN">
<p id="Go4IRX">At a glance, you’d be hard-pressed to tell Apple’s new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models, which go on sale Friday, from their 2015 and 2014 counterparts. They look almost identical and are the same sizes. But once you get your hands on them, the differences are clear: Better cameras, longer battery life, water resistance, doubled memory at essentially the same prices and more.</p>
<p id="fhm6B3">Oh, and upon closer inspection, you’ll notice something else: The disappearance of the age-old, standard, perfectly fine audio jack that fits every earbud and headphone you own. Yeah, I know. I’m not crazy about that change either.</p>
<p id="Gov3IU">I’ve been using both the 4.7 inch-iPhone 7 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus for nearly a week, equipped with the much improved iOS 10 operating system (which will be available for older models as well starting today). And I’m impressed. But I’m also annoyed. And impatient. All at the same time. Let me explain.</p>
<h2 id="yAnrty"><strong>The impressive</strong></h2>
<p id="sTZh0U">The most important thing about the 2016 iteration of the iPhone is that, overall, it takes a truly excellent smartphone and makes it significantly better in a host of ways, even without overhauling the exterior design and despite the removal of the standard audio jack. </p>
<p id="qjMKXW">From Apple’s usual long list, I’ve picked five big improvements that impressed me most.</p>
<p id="7eshUL">First, Apple is doubling the memory at every price point on both models, starting with 32GB at the low end ($649 for the smaller iPhone 7) and going all the way to 256GB ($969 on the costlier iPhone 7 Plus). The increase in base memory is long overdue, but it’s great to see higher memory at essentially the same price on costlier models (the larger Plus costs $20 more this year than last.)</p>
<p id="ls6wKY">Then, there’s battery life. Apple claims it’s adding two hours of battery life between charges to the smaller model, and one hour to the bigger one. This is mainly because of a bigger battery plus a clever new processor, which uses low-power cores for routine phone functions and only kicks in high-power cores when needed.</p>
<p id="GSprV6">Battery life on phones is notoriously hard to test because it depends so heavily on what you’re doing and on how hard the phone has to work to find a strong cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Still, in my short test period, on both coasts, the new iPhones had great battery life. </p>
<p id="8ktx8C">The bigger Plus easily turned in 13- to 15-hour days, often with power left in the tank, doing a wide variety of tasks. For instance, my test iPhone 7 Plus was at just a few minutes shy of 14 hours with 14 percent left when I got to my DC-area home after flying from San Francisco and using the phone heavily on cellular networks, and hotel, airport and airplane Wi-Fi. That’s a scenario I usually find to be a battery-killer. The smaller model was typically in the 12- to 14-hour range, even after hours of streaming video and music.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="An iPhone 7 partially submerged in water, taken from an Apple promotional video. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tF6MoeQTJgQbJ795jLcaCko6N40=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7090235/20160912-apple-iphone-wet-water.jpg">
<cite>Apple</cite>
</figure>
<p id="n0rwMU">Then there’s water resistance — the ability to withstand being submerged in a toilet, sink or puddle for long enough to fish it out and still find it fully functioning. (Samsung phones have been water resistant for a while.) I left an iPhone 7 submerged in a large mixing bowl of water for about 20 minutes (it can go deeper and longer, Apple says — 1 meter for 30 minutes). It was fine when I fished it out and dried it off. No rice needed. The only effects were somewhat gravelly sound quality for about five minutes, and an admonition not to charge it for five hours thereafter.</p>
<p id="xJotrz">Next, cameras. In my opinion, as a determined amateur who has never bought expensive cameras, the iPhone already had the best camera I owned. But Apple has redesigned it, with a larger, f/1.8 aperture that pulls in more light, a better flash and the ability to capture a wider range of colors. Yet that’s just the start. On the smaller iPhone, the camera now has optical image stabilization, which limits shaky shots — a feature available only on the larger model last year.</p>
<p id="Jay4Xv">And that costlier iPhone Plus now has two cameras, one a wide-angle version and one a telephoto version. Through software, they act as one single camera, with easy, elegant controls. With just the tap of a button labeled “2X,” I was able to get vivid, detailed shots at true 2X optical zoom, not the grainy digital zoom smartphone users have been wise to avoid forever. For me, and I suspect many other average folks, real zooming is a huge deal, bigger than some of the more esoteric effects photo hobbyists might value. In fact, this beautiful zooming dual camera is the first feature I’ve seen that might lure me to a large-screen phone.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A side-by-side comparison of photos taken with the iPhone 7. On the left, a table with a caddy containing ketchup, salt, oregano and hot peppers. On the right, a closer version of the same image in which the flecks of oregano are sharply visible. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3Em0sY6K6Mp91OguhlIiH8sp-J0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7090081/20160912-mossberg-iphone-7-zoom-oregano.jpg">
<cite>Walt Mossberg</cite>
<figcaption>The zoom feature on the iPhone 7 gets you close enough to smell the oregano.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="Meo0f4">Then there’s the operating system. This isn’t a review of iOS 10, which is a separate product from the iPhone 7. But since it comes with it out of the box, the two are wedded. And I found almost every aspect of it to be faster and better. Lock-screen notifications, widgets and the Control Center are more logically organized and easier to use. Messaging, maps, music, news and other features are improved. And then there are small things: For instance, to my surprise, the phone even automatically saved a map of and directions to where I’d parked my car.</p>
<p id="5n1P3t">The phone is also faster and its screen is brighter, and it has stereo speakers. But I wasn’t wowed by these things in my testing. You might be.</p>
<p id="CoIiqc">Apple has also replaced the home button with a non-mechanical, non-moving button that uses a vibration “engine” to simulate the feel of pressing a button. Three people I know said it felt like the whole bottom of the phone, not just the button, was being pushed. But it didn’t bother me, and it’s one less mechanical component to break.</p>
<h2 id="h52ftZ"><strong>The annoying</strong></h2>
<p id="fVmWft">What did bother me was the aforementioned removal of the headphone jack. Yes, <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/9/11/12872672/iphone-7-headphone-jack-steve-jobs-interview">Apple has a long history of removing (and also pioneering) standard components</a>, going back to the removal of the floppy disk from the first iMac in 1998. </p>
<p id="rSfm3G">I have often complained that Apple was acting too soon, but I always agreed that the move made sense at some point, because the displaced component (the floppy, the optical drive, the Ethernet jack) was being used less and less and there was something better (optical drives, the cloud, Wi-Fi) to replace them.</p>
<p id="RlRgyl">In this case, I see zero evidence that the 3.5mm audio jack is being used less or has hit a wall. It’s happily transmitting music, podcasts and phone calls to many millions of people from many millions of devices as you read this sentence. Apple says it needed replacing to make more room for bigger batteries and other components.</p>
<p id="aAXduf">I also don’t see that Apple has come up with a better replacement. The company is clearly trying to move the whole industry toward wireless audio, which has never been great due to patchy Bluetooth connectivity, poor fidelity — especially for music — and limited battery life.</p>
<p id="enAq5N">As a transition, the iPhone 7 includes Apple’s familiar white earbuds — and a free adapter — only with a Lightning connector at the end instead of the standard audio plug. It sounds the same. But now you can no longer charge your phone while making long phone calls or listening to music without a bulky adapter or dock. I label that worse, not better. </p>
<p id="sZeSS0">Apple says very few people do charge and listen at the same time. I respectfully disagree.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Two wireless AirPods — wireless earbuds — next to the iPhone 7 on a white background. They are white and shaped a bit like periscopes. The one on the bottom has some kind of design that looks like an exclamation point. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kRHPL1p9sNoxIXlC0GbQinCZ5oE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7090103/599948276.jpg">
<cite>Stephen Lam/Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="S9BcJr">Next month, Apple will ship its take on wireless Bluetooth earbuds — called AirPods — which it hopes will solve some of the old wireless headphone woes and push the transition. Using a custom chip called the W1, the sophisticated AirPods supposedly make Bluetooth connections steadier and Bluetooth audio better. In my tests of pre-production AirPods, they delivered on these promises. And I could charge the phone while listening.</p>
<p id="wCp0mV">But the $159 AirPods only give you five hours of music listening time and two hours of talk time between charges in a handy little white case that provides 24 hours of additional juice. Apple notes that it’s proud of those numbers and that a 15 minute charge in the case gets you another 60 percent of rated battery life. It adds that if you use only one AirPod for phone calls and keep swapping it out for a fresh one, you could talk on and on. Still, to me, they impose a limitation that standard, wired earbuds don’t have.</p>
<p id="Tr3Z9C">(Note: During my testing one of the AirPods had trouble holding a charge, so Apple swapped it out. It didn’t affect my tests of connecting and listening and, since the product isn’t due out until late October, I can’t assume production units would have that problem.)</p>
<p id="VyGisr">Not only that, but you have to charge the case periodically. Oh, and they kind of look like white plastic earrings. So you should hope that’s your style, if you’re planning to buy them.</p>
<p id="Zm0xDO">I’m sure the wireless earbud and headphone revolution is upon us now and that, in a few years, the battery life will double or triple. For now, though, this Apple change of a standard component adds a hassle to your phone use, whether you are wired or wireless.</p>
<p id="O0amnA">It’s an annoyance and a negative.</p>
<h2 id="4o7bTp"><strong>The impatient</strong></h2>
<p id="4NxR3R">I am impatient for Apple to do a top-to-bottom redesign of the iPhone, and the iPhone 7 isn’t it. Apple concedes this and strongly suggests a dramatic redesign won’t appear until next year, the iPhone’s 10th anniversary.</p>
<p id="v7Vahk">Let me stress: I am not for a redesign just for the hell of it. There are good reasons to change the look and feel of the iPhone, some of them evident in Samsung models. For instance, Samsung and others manage to fit a large screen like the one on the iPhone Plus into a smaller body and still squeeze in a big battery. But the iPhones still have big footprints for their screen sizes and big top and bottom bezels.</p>
<p id="WrFVGT">Another example: The iPhones still lack wireless or inductive charging. Adding that might require a redesign.</p>
<h2 id="7Toeii"><strong>Bottom Line</strong></h2>
<p id="5OEcgF">The iPhone remains an outstanding smartphone, and this latest model makes it even better in many ways. And, unlike rival Samsung, Apple isn’t beset with the very serious problem of <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12767670/samsung-galaxy-note-7-recall-fire-risk">exploding batteries</a>. But the whole audio jack thing makes choosing the iPhone 7 more difficult than it might have been. </p>
<p id="U8ESm3">You won’t go wrong buying the iPhone 7 if you can tolerate the earbud issue, especially if you’re on an installment plan like Apple’s that just gets you a new iPhone every year. You could get the iPhone 7 and then the big redesign next year, as long as you keep paying the monthly fee.</p>
<p id="EaSwX8">But despite the undisputed improvements, this new iPhone just isn’t as compelling an upgrade as many of its predecessors. Some might want to wait a year for the next really big thing — and maybe a better audio solution to boot. </p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/13/12896952/iphone-7-review-mossbergWalt Mossberg