Apple CEO Tim Cook stops into Palo Alto Store to meet iPhone SE/iPad Pro buyers

As is becoming a tradition, Apple CEO Tim Cook stopped by the Palo Alto Apple Store close to Apple’s Campus today to meet and greet folks buying up Apple’s latest releases, the iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7. While the store wasn’t quite packed, it does appear that Cook got to meet and get some ‘facetime’ with both employees and customers.

Cook wasn’t the only CEO greeting customers buying up a new product today.

Video via CNBC follows: more…

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Inc, Apple Store, iPad Pro, iPhone SE, Palo Alto, Tim Cook

iPhone SE first impressions: Migrating from the iPhone 6s Plus is huge

My experience with using every iPhone and iPad screen size to date has taught me two things: one size does not fit all, and you can usually get used to using any screen size if you use it long enough. The tricky part is that it’s not super easy to know immediately which screen size is right for you, and using any one screen size for an extended period of time tends to make it feel normal.

iPhone displays were at first large by most standards at 3.5-inches diagonally in 2007; BlackBerry “smartphones” had tiny displays and large keyboards. Android handsets gradually raised the scope of what qualified as a phone, pressuring Apple to go bigger with the 4-inch iPhone 5 in 2012. Then even bigger and much bigger in 2014 with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

I spent just a few days with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus before I decided I needed to exchange it for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, but after a year with that screen size I decided to size up with the iPhone 6s Plus last September. The experience has been mostly okay as I really think we can all get used to any screen size (even 3.5-inch!), but extended use this go around has made the drawbacks for me very clear. More on that below, but as promised I’m venturing over to the 4-inch iPhone SE at least until the new iPhones come out in September. These are my day one observations after making the jump:

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Filed under: iOS Devices, Opinion Tagged: iphone 6s plus, iPhone SE

Apple releases iOS 9.3.1 for iPhone and iPad, addresses crashing bugs when tapping links

Apple has released iOS 9.3.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The bug fix update to iOS 9.3, released last week, contains a crucial improvement for iOS users. Notably, iOS 9.3.1 addresses the widespread issue where apps (and sometimes the whole OS) would crash or hangs when tapping links.

We’ll update the post if we spot anything else notable, although the Release Notes do not suggest anything else has changed …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: bug fixes, iOS, iOS 9.3, iOS 9.3.1, iPad, iPhone 6, iPhone SE, performance, Software Update

9to5Toys Lunch Break: iOttie iPhone Car Mount $13, TP-LINK Travel Router $8, Philips Wake Up lights from $65, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

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iOttie Car Mounts for iPhone/Android Devices: Easy One Touch 2 $13 (Reg. $20), w/ Qi Charger $40 (Reg. $55)

tp-link-pocket-router-dealHit the road w/ TP-LINK’s 802.11n Portable Travel Router for $8 Prime Shipped (Reg. $13)

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Amazon Gold Box – Philips Wake up lights up to 39% off: Colored Sunrise Simulation $104 (Reg. $140), more

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Apple 21-inch Retina 4K iMac 3.1GHz/8GB/1TB (newest version): $1,300 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

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MacID for iOS: Unlock your Mac with your iPhone/Apple Watch for $1 (Reg. $4)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

App Store Free App of the Week: Motorsport Manager goes free for the first time ($2 value)

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Buy a refurbished Apple AirPort Express Wi-Fi router w/ 1-yr warranty for $49 shipped (Orig. $99)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

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Headphones: AKG Tiesto DJ-style $30 (Reg. up to $80), earbuds from $14, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

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Smart 120Hz LED HDTVs: Samsung 50-inch 4K $639 (Reg. $950+), Sony 55-inch 1080p $700 (Reg. $800), more

Smart 4K 60Hz LED UHDTVs: Samsung 60-inch $949 (Reg. $1,200), LG 49-inch $499 (Reg. $600), more

Samsung 50-inch 4K 3D 120Hz Smart LED UHDTV w/ 4 HDMI inputs: $749 shipped (Reg. $1,400)

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Apple Watch 42mm Space Gray Milanese Loop Band + Aluminum Dock: $27 Prime shipped (Reg. $35)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

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Sony’s new RX10 III digital camera goes big with a 24-600mm lens and 4K capabilities

R2D2 unboxing

Unboxing the awesome, pricey C-3PO and Stormtrooper Bluetooth speakers [Video]

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 802.11n, 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, iOttie Car Mount, iPhone mount, Philips Wake-Up Lights, Portable Travel Router, Retina 4K iMac, TP-LINK, video games

Kanye West’s ‘Life of Pablo’ album might actually reach Apple Music & Spotify tomorrow in latest Tidal U-turn

Recode today reports that Kanye West might be making a full u-turn with his latest album by actually offering it to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. Just this week one of the tracks from the album hit Apple Music, further driving speculation that a full release was imminent.

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Filed under: Apple Music Tagged: Apple Music, Jay-Z, kanye west, Spotify, The Life of Pablo, Tidal, TLOP

9.7-inch iPad Pro diary: Day one, first impressions

When Apple launched the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it was a device I definitely wanted to try, but didn’t expect to keep. That gorgeous screen was more tempting than I’d expected, but it didn’t sell itself to me as a replacement for the smaller version, and in the end I decided I couldn’t justify keeping both.

The 9.7-inch version is a very different proposition. I absolutely love my iPad Air 2, a device that gets used for both consumption and creation, and the smaller iPad Pro retains the exact same form-factor while adding to its capabilities. For simplicity, I’ll skip the size references from now on and simply refer to it as the iPad Pro.

But will those enhancements be enough to make the upgrade worthwhile? I’m posting my first impressions today, and will report back again after around a week’s use. As ever, I’ll update in between if I have anything notable to say, but in this case I think that’s unlikely …

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 9.7-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro diary, 9.7-inch iPad Pro review, Diary, iPad Pro, iPad Pro diary

Crowdfunding Roundup: smart clothing, collapsable universal cable, & more

Crowdfunding campaigns from sites like Kickstart and Indiegogo are great ways to support cool projects, but it can be difficult sometimes find the gems at times. Rather than make you sift through all of these projects, we’re tracking down the best or most notable crowdfunding projects from around the web and delivering them to you in a simple roundup. If there’s a project that you’ve backed – or even a project that you founded – be sure to leave a link below so it can be considered for the next roundup.

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Filed under: Tech Industry Tagged: crowdfunding roundup

iPhone SE demand not high enough to offset declining iPhone 6s sales, say supply chain sources

Supply-chain sources cited by the variably-reliable Digitimes claim that Apple’s Q2 chip orders are down on previous years, and that demand for the iPhone SE is not high enough to offset declining demand for the iPhone 6s/Plus.

Shipments for the new iPhone SE will be unable to offset the fall in shipments for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices in the second quarter, the sources continued. The shipment target for the SE in the second quarter is four to five million units, the sources said.

Apple did caution that the current quarter’s revenue would see its first year-on-year fall in 13 years, the company predicting a drop of around 11%, which will be in large part due to (probably temporary) ‘peak iPhone.’ This latest report suggests that the slump may continue into the following quarter …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: AAPL, AAPL Q2 2016, iPhone, iPhone 6s, iPhone sales, iPhone SE