MacRumors

In the midst of the publication of multiple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus reviews, one tidbit within The New York Times' mostly positive review of the 2016 iPhone briefly looked forward to the much-anticipated "mega cycle," ten-year anniversary model of next year's iPhone. According to the publication, who spoke with two anonymous Apple employees, "next year’s iPhone will have a full-screen face with the virtual button built directly into the screen."

While not new information, the comment does continue a rumor of a drastically redesigned iPhone in 2017 that will introduce an edge-to-edge OLED display and eliminate the top and bottom bezels, where the front-facing FaceTime camera and Touch ID Home Button are currently housed. The redesigned Home Button of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (which isn't an actual button, but packs in Apple's Taptic Engine to mimic a button press) will be completely gone in 2017, and fused with the OLED display, along with Touch ID functionality.

But taking the leap to the 7 may be a wise bet, even for late technology adopters. Apple is likely to continue making iPhones without headphone jacks, and next year’s iPhone will have a full-screen face with the virtual button built directly into the screen, according to two people at the company who spoke on condition of anonymity because the product details are private. Apple declined to comment on next year’s iPhones.

With an all-glass, edge-to-edge display, Apple design chief Jony Ive's vision of an iPhone that looks like a single sheet of glass could finally come true in 2017. Regarding the display, it's said to be flexible OLED rather than an LCD, allowing Apple to introduce a thinner device that consumes less power and offers a better display with higher contrast ratio and more true to life colors.

It may also feature edges that are curved on both sides, similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. That curved model could potentially be placed as a 5.8-inch premium addition to the line, with the other 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch, lower-priced iPhone 8 tiers including flat LCD displays.

Coming up sooner, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be launching this Friday, September 16, to the first round of pre-order customers. While an iterative design, Apple has made a few notable changes to the iPhone line this year, including the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, a flush Home Button, improved water resistance, and major overhauls to the camera, especially with the dual-lens system on the iPhone 7 Plus.

(Thanks, Anthony!)

Although Apple revealed a lot of information about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus last week, the technical specifications of each device's mAh battery capacity and RAM were left undisclosed, as per usual with iPhone announcements. Now, new information from a technical certification obtained by Chinese site TENAA (via WCCFtech) appears to confirm previous rumors that placed the iPhone 7 Plus with 3GB of RAM and the iPhone 7 with a 1,960 mAh battery.

Specifically, the performance specifications list the iPhone 7 with 2GB of RAM and a 1,960 mAh battery, an improvement over the 1,715 mAh battery in the iPhone 6s. The rumors of an improvement in battery life emerged over the summer from OnLeaks' Steve Hemmerstoffer (who's known to share details and part leaks on devices before they launch), as well as an alleged iPhone 7 battery image leak that marked the new iPhone as having a capacity of 7.04 watt-hours, larger than the 6.61 watt-hour battery in the iPhone 6s.

The iPhone 7 Plus appears to be facing a similar uptick in battery, with the filing depicting the 5.5-inch iPhone as having 3GB of RAM and a 2,900 mAh battery, another slight but noticeable improvement over the 2,750 mAh battery in the iPhone 6s Plus. What might be more interesting to some is the inclusion of 3GB of RAM, which has been rumored as a potential upgrade in the larger-screen iPhone 7 Plus because of the increased resource demands of the dual-camera system. A seemingly legitimate Geekbench benchmark test gave more credence to the rumor last week.

The resolution of the display for each iPhone also falls in line with what was previously known, with 1134 x 750 (326 ppi) for the iPhone 7 and 1920 x 1080 (401 ppi) for the iPhone 7 Plus.

If accurate, today's filing also pinpoints an interesting return to the battery life of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which Apple lessened in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus with lower-capacity batteries to potentially make room for 3D Touch's Taptic Engine. The iPhone 6 had a 1,810 mAh battery, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a battery capacity of 2,915 mAh.

As we near September 16 and the launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, more information and opinions regarding the new smartphones will continue to come to light. This morning, embargoes lifted on reviews for Apple's new smartphones, with the consensus stating the models are "terrific," foundational blocks for future iterations, but if you skip this generation you won't be missing out on much.

The official launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is still three days away on September 16, but the first reviews of the new smartphones have started showing up online this morning. Some of the sites have been quietly testing out the new handsets for around a week, and general impressions have been positive, despite the lack of a radical design overhaul compared to last year's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

The Verge offered perhaps the most balanced perspective on the iPhone 7 series, which it called "terrific phones" but also "incomplete", given that the wider color gamut, and the real potential of the Taptic Engine and the iPhone 7 Plus's dual-lens camera – which rely on software updates – won't be realized at launch.

The Verge said non-adopters "won't actually be missing out on much" if they don't get an iPhone 7, which it described as a "transitional step to a vision of the future" and a "foundation" for how the next generation of iPhones will integrate into our lives.

The entire time I was using the iPhone 7, I felt like I had a prototype of next year’s rumored drastic iPhone redesign disguised as an iPhone 6. All those bold bets on the future are legitimately exciting, but here in the present using the iPhone 7 in a case feels a lot like using a iPhone 6S with a weirder home button and more adapters.

Meanwhile, Mashable offered a more enthusiastic line of thinking for early adopters, calling both devices "worthwhile upgrades" that "inch us ever-closer to the completely sealed, moving-parts-free ideal of a smartphone slab". The review notes that both phones are "fast" and the stereo speakers "really shine" when it comes to gaming, while battery life was impressive, with the larger handset closing in on two days with moderate use.

It also put the phones through some underwater ordeals, the result of which was "pretty awesome" and offered peace of mind for those prone to dropping their phones in the toilet, but it didn't recommend going for a swim with the devices.

I had a good time placing the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus under running water and dropping them into water-filled containers and sinks. Not only did they hold up, but both phones continued to function in the drink.

Each time I tried this, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were unharmed. I fished them out of the water and dried them with a cloth and then continue using them. One thing you cannot do right after submerging your phone, though, is charge it. Apple recommends letting the Lightning port dry out for five hours before attempting to charge either device again.

TechCrunch got hold of a glossy black iPhone 7 and remarked that it definitely showed scratches and abrasions after a weeks' use. It also mentioned that the home button's Taptic Engine feedback makes it feel as if the whole bottom half of the phone is clicking, yet it called the implementation a "flawless transition" from the physical home button that prepares users for when the button disappears entirely. It said Apple's new flagship devices are "fast, capable, and functional" and "probably the best portable cameras ever made".

This is quite simply the most sophisticated camera and image processor pairing ever seen in a smartphone or any camera period. There have been a couple of other applications of dual camera setups in phones, but the execution is crude by comparison.

The optical zoom works great, and the 56mm lens naturally adds that nice compression of facial features and slight blurring of background that a standard lens gives, especially up close.

It won't be long before Apple customers begin to receive the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus handsets themselves, as the September 16 launch date approaches. Images have emerged online of iPhone 7 shipment batches ready to leave factories in Zhengzhou, China, while some customers have already received shipping confirmation.

Other reviews: Business Insider, BuzzFeed, The Wall Street Journal, Daring Fireball, Wired, Ars Technica, The Loop, CNET.

Ahead of the public launch of iOS 10 coming tomorrow, Apple today made the Messages App Store live, aggregating all of the apps, games, and sticker packs that can be used in the Messages app and making them available for download.

The Messages App Store looks almost identical to the iOS App Store, so the interface will be immediately familiar to iOS 10 users. There are featured apps and stickers displayed at the top of the store, along with editorial picks like "10 iMessage Apps We Love" and "Games in Messages? Sweet!"

Apps for the Messages App Store are already available, including titles like Games With Friends, Tic Tac Toe, Star Walk, Carrot Weather, Yelp, IMDB, OpenTable, Zen Brush 2, and more.

A number of sticker packs are also available from well-known app developers, including Pac-Man, Star Wars, Angry Birds, Hello Kitty, Crossy Road, and more. iOS 10 sticker packs and apps started rolling out earlier today.

On devices running iOS 10, the Messages App Store and apps compatible with iOS 10 are immediately available. The Messages App Store is accessible by following these steps:

- Open the Messages app
- Tap the App Store icon to open the app interface
- Tap the icon at the bottom that looks like four circles
- Tap the "+" button to open the Messages App Store

The Messages App Store is a little bit sparse right now because apps are still being released, but when iOS 10 becomes available tomorrow, there will be dozens if not hundreds of apps and sticker packs ready to download.

iOS 10 is expected to debut at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, September 13.

Boston law firm Block & Leviton today announced it has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple on behalf of iPhone Upgrade customers who are dissatisfied with how Apple handled iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus pre-orders last Friday.

When customers who participate in the iPhone Upgrade Program went to pre-order an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, they were forced to reserve a device from a local Apple retail store rather than being able to make a traditional online purchase. Many retail stores did not have sufficient stock to meet demand, leaving some customers unable to select the model, color, or storage capacity they desired.

Many iPhone Upgrade Program members were unhappy with the ordering process and an inability to reserve a desired iPhone for launch day. Apple has responded to customer frustration and has been collecting customer information to attempt to get customers their iPhones as soon as possible. Apple's efforts have not, however, prevented today's lawsuit, which claims iPhone Upgrade Program users will face future upgrade delays due to the situation.

But, the lawsuit alleges, iPhone Upgrade Program customers, unlike every other customer, were shut out from reserving the most in-demand phone models and colors.

These customers are unable to "get in line" to reserve their favored devices. Instead, they are told to simply "check back." In the meantime, they will continue to be required to make monthly payments on their older iPhones, and their eligibility for future iPhones will be delayed, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit asks Apple to reimburse iPhone Upgrade members who are forced to make extra payments while waiting for a new iPhone, make upgrade members eligible for a 2017 iPhone in September regardless of upgrade delays, and seeks to require Apple to make all of its iPhone inventory available to upgrade members.

Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program, arguably designed for the company's staunchest fans, allows customers to upgrade to a new iPhone each year. Customers can upgrade after as little as six months, so long as they have made 12 iPhone payments and trade in the iPhone in question when upgrading.

At last Wednesday's media event, Apple introduced two new processors - the A10 Fusion for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and the S2 for Apple Watch Series 2. Although Apple only briefly covered the S2 during the presentation, it did spend a good deal of time talking about A10 Fusion. The 'Fusion' suffix refers to the heterogeneous architecture that the A10 features, which has two high-power, high-throughput cores and two much smaller cores that are more power efficient.

Apple also introduced another very important piece of standalone silicon in its new AirPods, dubbed the W1 chip. In total, this represents a great deal of engineering work done by Apple over the last year, and the A10 is the most significant to Apple's system-on-a-chip (SoC) line since the company's transition to 64-bit.

Apple unveiled the biggest technical changes featured in the A10 at the very beginning, boasting a four-core CPU with 3.3 billion transistors. While Apple never disclosed a transistor count for the A9, it very likely fell somewhere in the middle between the 2 billion count on the A8 and the 3.3 billion of the new A10. A transistor count well under 3 billion seems probable for the A9; otherwise it would have been worth boasting about on its own.

The 3.3 billion number for the A10 is well over 50 percent larger than the A8, and the large jump is likely mostly thanks to the addition of two new, albeit small, CPU cores along with a greatly enhanced image signal processor (ISP). Apple also disclosed that the GPU remains a six-cluster design, while benchmarks suggest that the L1 and L2 cache sizes remain unchanged.

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Ahead of the official launch of iOS 10 tomorrow, apps designed for the new operating system update have started hitting the iOS App Store, including those that will be available in the Messages App Store.

Rock-Paper-Scissors [Direct Link], for example, a Messages app that allows two people to play a classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors right in Messages, is now in the App Store. It is not, however, showing up in the dedicated Messages App Store, which will presumably launch tomorrow. Other apps for Messages, like Snappy Browser, are also starting to become available.

The Messages App Store is an app storefront located within the Messages app, accessible on a device running iOS 10 by tapping the app icon, opening the app drawer (tap the icon that looks like four circles) and then choosing the "+" store icon.

Using the Messages App Store, iOS 10 users will be able to install a huge variety of sticker packs and apps to enhance the chat experience in Messages. Stickers are used a lot like emoji but can be animated and stuck on top of chat bubbles, photos, and more, while apps can do things like offer weather updates, a Safari browser for looking things up without using Messages, provide collaborative food ordering tools, and more.

iOS 10 offers a huge number of new features for developers, and in addition to Messages apps, we'll also be seeing apps that can take advantage of the new features in Maps and apps that offer third-party Siri support. Expect to see significant app updates coming out throughout the week, leading with tons of app releases tomorrow.

Last week, we reported that the iPhone Upgrade Program caused frustration for some customers attempting to pre-order an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus.

Specifically, some customers enrolled in the program were unable to select the model, carrier, color, or storage capacity they desired, or any iPhone in some cases, due to limited stock seemingly as soon as pre-orders began.

The underlying reason appears to be that iPhone Upgrade Program members were placed into a separate stream than regular pre-order customers, and forced to reserve a new iPhone from a local Apple retail store -- many of which were sold out. Some customers were not even able to access the reservation system at all.

Since then, it appears that Apple has acknowledged those concerns and is attempting to help make the situation right for those affected.

Over the weekend, Apple updated its upgrade reservation page with fine print that recommends customers call its support team at 1-800-MY-APPLE and mention the iPhone Upgrade Program. By doing so, the company said a Specialist will help customers find the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus model they want.

Due to high demand, the model you’d like may not be available. Please call 1-800-MY-APPLE and mention the iPhone Upgrade Program. A Specialist will help you find the model you want.

A number of MacRumors readers that followed through with calls said Apple was very apologetic and is manually collecting information while it works on a solution. Each customer was told they would receive a phone call back within 24-48 hours, but it isn't entirely clear what action Apple plans to take.

MacRumors reader Fikester shared his experience in our discussion forums:

The guy I talked to apologized profusely for Apple dropping the ball on this, took all my info regarding what model I wanted, and while he didn't promise anything, said they are working on a solution for it. He said they will call me within two business days with more information and sent me his direct contact info should I have questions. The whole call took about 30 minutes.

Some customers were given the impression that Apple will be prioritizing orders for iPhone Upgrade Program customers, possibly with some in-store stock reserved specifically for upgraders on launch day and possibly afterwards.

MacRumors readers Modernboy and Aaroncbell:

They've said that they are looking to prioritize iPhone Upgrade Program upgrades over the next couple of weeks so that we can get our phones. I highly suggest anyone who had the same issues I had to call and ask to speak to someone in the iPhone Upgrade Program department.

They transfer you to a special group who will take down all your info and what iPhone you want. They say they will then be in touch in 48 hours letting you know when your iPhone can be picked up. They told me they were very sorry that iPhone Upgrade Program users had issues and that they weren't prepared and are trying to make it right. They said their goal is to have iPhones ready for pickup on launch day for Upgrade Program users who call in.

Whether those enrolled in the iPhone Upgrade Program receive their new iPhones on launch day remains to be seen, but it is clear that Apple is doing what it can to improve the situation. In the meantime, customers can try their luck at Apple retail stores on September 16 on a first come, first served basis.

After sharing a collection of photographs taken with the iPhone 7 Plus at the Titans-Vikings game yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook this morning tweeted out another group of photos captured with Apple's new 5.5-inch iPhone, now providing a few examples of low-light photography.

The new set of photos were taken by ESPN photographer Landon Nordeman during the U.S. Open. According to the publication, "the autofocus and exposure performed exceedingly well in various lighting conditions -- so that even with one hand, he could get the shot."

Better low-light photography was emphasized by Apple in the new ad for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The improved conditions in low-light situations, as well as crisper and brighter photos, come at the hands of the iPhone 7's 28mm 12-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization, a wider f/1.8 aperture 6-element lens, wide color capture, and a new Apple image signaling processor.

The iPhone 7 Plus has all of these features, with the addition of a second 12-megapixel 56mm telephoto lens with an f/2.8 aperture, enabling a new and highly-detailed 2x optical zoom ability. Nordeman's style -- described as "surprising moments from unique perspectives, using color and composition without distracting his subjects" -- was enhanced thanks to the portability of the iPhone 7 Plus, which provides various DSLR-quality features without needing a cumbersome camera system.

Yesterday, an enterprising Redditor used EXIF data from the photos shared by Sports Illustrated to derive the sizes of the main and secondary camera sensors on the iPhone 7 Plus, also using information known about the sensor on the iPhone 6s. According to the user, the main lenses on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are nearly identical in size to the one on the iPhone 6s.

The actual focal length of the main camera is 3.99mm, derived from one of the photos EXIF data. A 1/3in sensor has a crop factor of 7.21, and the iPhone 6S' sensor is 1/3in. The math is below:

iPhone 6S (1/3in sensor) = 4.15mm x 7.21 = 29.92mm for a 35mm equivalent lens.
iPhone 7 Plus main sensor = 3.99mm x (7.21?) = 28.7679mm, very close to Apple's claimed 28mm.
iPhone 7 Plus telephoto sensor = 6.6mm x (8.6?) = 56.8mm, very close to the claimed 56mm as well. For a 1/3.6in sensor, the crop factor is 8.6.

Edit: For context, a larger sensor size allows for shallower depth of field, or the use of bigger and/or more pixels. Generally, the smaller the sensor, the worse it performs; however, we all know Apple pushes out some quality components so this doesn't necessarily mean it's true. Example: The 6S cramming 4million more pixels, and its pixel size being reduced from 1.5microns to 1.22microns to retain the same 1/3in sensor size, yet, they kept image noise performance still similar to the 6, basically having more detail at almost no cost.

The first iPhone 7 pre-order customers have already begun receiving shipment notifications regarding their incoming orders, which are preparing to arrive this Friday, September 16. Also launching this Friday is the Apple Watch Series 2, which the company announced alongside the iPhone 7 last week in San Francisco.

Check out the full collection of photos taken with the iPhone 7 Plus at the US Open here.

Over the weekend, Microsoft launched a new ad for the Surface Pro 4, continuing its marketing strategy of comparing the tablet computer to Apple's products, this time the 13-inch MacBook Air. The ad is the newest in Microsoft's anti-Apple theme of commercials, previously comparing the iPad Pro with the Surface Pro 4, the MacBook Pro with the Surface Book, and OS X with Windows 10. Just a few weeks ago, the MacBook Air was the focus of another Surface Pro 4 ad.

Simple titled "Get the Surface Pro," the new ad has a focus on the tablet's ability to write and doodle on the screen with the included stylus. Using the same musical accompaniment of the previous MacBook Air comparison spot, the singer in the new ad tells potential customers that "if you try to write on a plain old Mac, the difference can be seen. It doesn't work." Other advantages highlighted in the ad include the detachable keyboard, and the ending tagline states, "Surface does more. Just like you."

Microsoft positions the Surface Pro 4 as a true combination tablet and personal computer, leading to ads comparing it to both an iPad Pro and MacBook. In the previous iPad Pro commercial, Microsoft's personal assistant Cortana let customers, and Siri, know that the iPad lacks an Intel Core i7 processor, full access to Microsoft Office beyond the mobile app versions, a trackpad, and external port options, making Microsoft's tablet more of a computer than Apple's 12.9-inch tablet.

The 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 starts at $899 for 128GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM, and goes up to as much as $1,799 for 256GB of internal storage and 16GB of RAM. Comparatively, the 11-inch MacBook Air starts at $899, with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, increasing to $1099 for 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, while the 13-inch model starts at $999 for 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, and rising to $1199 for 256GB of storage.