MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

ExoLens, a company that's partnered with Zeiss to bring professional-grade lenses to the iPhone, today announced a new protective case for the iPhone 7. The case is designed to keep the iPhone 7 safe from bumps, scratches, and drops while it's being used with ExoLens' range of Zeiss lenses. Designed for the iPhone 7, ExoLens says the new accessory is an "ultra-durable dual layer case" created...

Belkin is introducing two new smart home products at CES 2017 this week, including the WeMo Mini smart plug and WeMo Dimmer light switch. The WeMo Mini is a compact smart plug that is half the size of the older WeMo Switch smart plug, allowing homeowners to stack two of them in a single wall outlet. The smart plug enables homeowners to wirelessly control lamps, heaters, fans, and more over...

iDevices today announced the latest product in its smart home lineup, debuting the iDevices Instant Switch, a remote wireless wall switch. Designed to pair via Bluetooth with existing products, the Instant Switch works with HomeKit and Alexa-enabled accessories. iDevices has designed the Instant Switch to work anywhere with either a built-in Command adhesive backing that allows it to be...

Qardio has announced that QardioCore, a wearable electrocardiogram monitor, is now available for pre-order on its website for $449. QardioCore was first introduced at CES 2015 as the world's first wearable ECG/EKG monitor, enabling users to proactively look after their cardiovascular health without the need to wear wires or patches. Instead, the QardioCore is worn as an adjustable chest...

Today at CES Sleep Number announced the technological follow-up to its iPhone-connected "IT" smart bed from last year. The new bed is the Sleep Number 360, a self-adjusting smart bed that can warm your feet, adjust to your snoring and more. The bed, which uses Sleep Number's SleepIQ technology, has four new signature features. The bed can self-adjust throughout the night, matching the sleep...

PC maker Lenovo today announced its first smart speaker with Amazon's voice-activated virtual assistant built in. Called the Lenovo Smart Assistant, the connected speaker integrates Amazon's Alexa Voice Services and offers the same speech-activated features as the Echo family of devices, but housed in a slightly redesigned unit. The speaker keeps the same cylindrical profile as Amazon's...

Although the AirPods have been well-received by a majority of users after the holidays, the largest issue persisting online centers around troublesome battery drain issues with the headphones' bundled-in Charging Case. MacRumors reported last week about an initial hubbub of concern coming from AirPods wearers and the Charging Case not living up to Apple's 24 hours of standby life. This week more...

With CES gearing up in a few days, some companies have begun revealing new products ahead of the show, and today TrackR has unveiled new updates to its range of Bluetooth tracking devices that help users keep tabs on where their most precious items are located (via The Verge). One of the new additions is the TrackR pixel, which the company is introducing as a cheaper and more colorful entry to ...

Apple partnered with 15 photographers in a number of countries around the world to capture New Year's Eve festivities with photos taken on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices, according to CNN. The photos range from Samah El Ali's shot of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks from The Royal Botanic Gardens in Australia to John Lehmann's shot of festivities in Vancouver on Canada's west...

Following reports this month that Apple has been in talks to manufacture its products locally in India, as well as set up a distribution center in the country, an article by Bloomberg today suggests that the Cupertino company is now asking India to offer up tax concessions on iPhones created within its borders. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is asking for lower import...

Foxconn is deploying a plan broken down into three phases that will eventually "automate entire factories" in China (via DigiTimes). According to the general manager of Foxconn's Automation Technology Development Committee, Dai Jia-peng, the company's first phase of the plan is "to set up individual automated work stations for work that workers are unwilling to do or is dangerous." The second...

A new trend study published by Nielsen this week looks into the top smartphone apps of 2016, as well as the operating systems that the apps were downloaded on. This year within the United States, Facebook won the top spot with more than 146 million average unique users each month. The social network company also dominated the second spot with Facebook Messenger at 129 million unique users...

Kanex today announced two additional devices to its line of GoPower Apple Watch accessories: the GoPower Watch Stand and GoPower Watch Mini. The two new accessories join the GoPower Watch Portable Battery, which debuted this past August for $99.95. The magnetic GoPower Watch Stand charges and displays both 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch variations. There's also an additional USB port on the back...

In a conversation on Twitter this morning that followed a call for ideas to improve the Twitter platform, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said he believes some form of editing function is needed on the social network. Twitter is one of the few social networks where editing content that's been shared is not possible, despite Twitter users having long desired the feature. On social networks like...

Twitter's video streaming service Periscope was today updated with support for live 360-degree video, allowing broadcasters to share a more immersive video streaming experience with their fans on Periscope and Twitter. Live 360 videos are denoted by a special badge and when viewed, users can tilt, rotate, or tap on their devices to see additional angles of an uploaded video. 360 video works...

Hulu yesterday announced it has signed a multi-year licensing deal with Walt Disney Studios, which will see Hulu granted exclusive subscription video on-demand rights to a selection of Disney movies. Hulu users are now able to exclusively stream popular Disney titles like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mulan, Pocahontas, Hercules, Sister Act, and AirBud."The Disney brand is synonymous with...

Like it did on Thanksgiving, Apple today has begun notifying Apple Watch owners of a soon-to-launch Activity challenge, hoping to encourage users to get moving and work out in the new year. To earn the achievement, Apple Watch owners will have to close all three Activity rings each day for an entire week in January. Image via MacRumors forum member friednoodles The challenge should become...

Smart home company LEDVANCE today announced the Sylvania Smart Multicolor A19 bulb, a HomeKit-enabled Wi-Fi smart light that users can control through Siri and the new Home app without the need of a separate hub. Because there's no hub installation, all users have to do is screw in the bulb into a light source and sync it with HomeKit to begin controlling the Sylvania lights. The hub-free...