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Last week, a rumor said that Apple was getting rid of the space gray iPhone and replacing it with a ‘deep blue’ iPhone 7.  Most folks, myself included, didn’t really like the idea of Apple’s default iPhone color shifting to a blue variant.

But, just as he did with the MacBook Pro’s rumored upcoming OLED display, Mockup designer Martin Hajek is back with some beautiful iPhone 7 renderings in a deep blue color. All of a sudden, this deep blue iPhone 7 doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

More ‘Deep Blue iPhone 7’ images follow:

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Deep Blue, iPhone 7, Martin Hajek

Earlier this year, a leaked pricing list indicated that BMW was set to bring CarPlay support to its X5 M and X6 M models this year, a first for the company. Now, BMW’s pricing list for the 2017 M3 and M4 have emerged, and it again lists CarPlay as an option for customers.

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Filed under: CarPlay Tagged: CarPlay

In this week’s top stories: WWDC coverage kicked into full gear ahead of Apple’s event on Monday, we discussed USB-C and upcoming MacBook Pros, and Apple announced welcomed subscription and revenue changes for the App Store.

Apple’s plan to become an energy company by selling off its excess renewable electricity was revealed this week, and we also showed you how to drive a 4K display at 60 Hz with the new 2016 MacBook in this week’s top video.

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: AAPL, Apple, iOS 10, iPhone 7, MacBook Pro, OLED, top stories, WWDC 2016

Siri is widely expected to make up a big part of Monday’s WWDC keynote (alongside iOS 10, macOS 10.12 and more) but it seems like it is already inadvertently tipping the hat on what is going to be announce. Brian Roemelle found that by asking the voice assistant about “windows” on his phone, Siri would start referencing the “Finder” app in its responses.

Obviously, iOS doesn’t have a Finder app but OS X does. It seems like Siri is unintentionally leaking the unveiling of Siri for Mac ahead of schedule, or perhaps even a brand new Finder app for iOS 10 …

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Finder, iOS, Mac, SDK, Siri, Siri for Mac, voice, Voice Assistant

Apple has started decorating its venues for WWDC 2016, which kicks off on Monday, with workers starting to apply a massive Apple logo onto the side of Moscone West. Apple will use Moscone West for all of the week apart from Monday; the WWDC keynote will be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

Apple usually puts up banners teasing the announcements in the theme of the invites to build excitement for the show, often revealing tidbits about the new software OS’s. Apple has put a small logo up at Bill Graham but due to the split venue (and late scheduling), there’s a chance the banners tradition will not continue this year until after the Monday keynote at 10 AM …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, banners, Bill Graham, iOS, Logo, moscone, moscone west

Reuters reports that Amazon is preparing to take on Apple Music, Spotify and the other music streaming services with a similar, full-fledged competitive subscription music service. That would be a step-up from the limited catalog of music it currently offers to subscribers of its Prime shipping service that bundles perks for various Amazon services for a monthly or yearly fee.

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Filed under: Apps Tagged: Amazon Music, Apple Music, iOS, Music, Prime, service, Spotify, subscription

At WWDC on Monday, Apple will unveil the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 10. With the conference being light on hardware, expectations are high for Apple to announce some major new features for iOS 10 on iPhone and iPad. The rumor mill is quieter than usual, so there’s definitely a bigger opportunity to be surprised with this year’s keynote.

We have some idea about what to expect but we want to hear what you want to see Apple announce next week. Join in the poll after the jump to have your say on what you want to see in iOS 10 …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple, features, iOS, iOS 10, iPad, rumors, WWDC, WWDC 2016

What will Apple unveil at its event this Monday, June 13 to kick off WWDC 2016? Below we roundup the latest reports along with some of our own information on what Apple is currently planning for the keynote.

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Filed under: Apple TV, Apps, iOS, Mac Tagged: 10.12, Apple pay, iOS 10, iPhone 7, June 13, keynote, MacOs, Monday, roundup, Siri, what to expect, what’s new, WWDC 2016

While the name of the next software update to the Mac isn’t nearly as important as new features — like Siri and new iTunes — changing it from OS X to whatever Apple has up its sleeves will be a big deal.

There’s been plenty of evidence that OS X will become MacOS… or macOS… or something similar, but which one should win? There’s also the version number and California location name. We’ll find out on Monday when the WWDC keynote kicks off at 10am PT/1 pm ET, and take our polls in the meantime to cast your vote.

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Mac, WWDC

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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Best Buy is knocking up to $350 off select Apple 27-inch Retina 5K iMacs, prices start at $1,450 w/ .edu

Best Buy’s two-day sale is packed w/ deals on accessories, HDTVs, more: Logitech K480 Bluetooth Keyboard $25, more

Smartphone Accessories: Aukey 300W Power Inverter w/ Dual Outlets & 2.4A USB Ports $22 Prime shipped, more

Upgrade to Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB for $1,600 shipped (Reg. $1,999)

Best Buy is taking up to $200 off Apple Watch Stainless Steel: 38mm from $349, 42mm starts at $399

Pebble Steel Smartwatch for iOS and Android $80 shipped, Apple Watches up to $200 off, more

Start your week with a $100 discount on iPad mini 4 & Air 2, priced from $300 shipped

Apple’s 12.9″ 128GB iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular is all the way down to $800 (Reg. $1,079)

App Store Free App of the Week: Drop Flip puzzler goes free for the first time ever (Reg. $2)

Rovio’s Bad Piggies for iPhone/iPad goes free for the first time in years (Reg. $1)

Colorware tricked out a MacBook with an Apple IIe design and it’s awesome

Father’s Day Gift Guide Hub: One Place with all the best deals

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Daily Deals: Sony Bluetooth Speaker w/ AirPlay $220, Brother Color Laser Printer w/ AirPrint $255, more

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Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Apple, Aukey, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, iMac, keyboard, Logitech, video games

If you have the new Apple TV, you can now use Siri or the Search app to find movies and TV shows from four more channels: Bravo, E!, SyFy, and USA. Apple TV only gained apps for Brave, E!, and SyFy two weeks ago so Apple’s turnaround time for adding universal search support is notably fast.

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Filed under: Apple TV Tagged: Apple TV, Siri

Late last year we got an early look at improvements coming to the next version of Bluetooth, and now the Bluetooth Special Interest Group has revealed the name of the upcoming version plus more specifics about the new standard. Bluetooth 5 will be the successor to Bluetooth 4.2, which was released at the end of 2014, suggesting a notable release this year. The new standard will be announced next week, and this is what we know so far.

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Filed under: Tech Industry Tagged: Bluetooth, Bluetooth 5

Novelists and app developers have a lot in common. An author puts a lot of work into writing a novel, but when it’s finally published it’s competing with millions of other books out there. Unless you’re a big-name writer, most people will never even get to know that yours exists.

You can try to be creative with your marketing. For example, I did a Kickstarter campaign for my first novel, 11/9, and included the opening scene of The Billion Dollar Heist at the end of it to drive sales through to that. But it’s impossible to compete with the big publishing houses.

The same is true of small-time app developers. Your app may be the greatest in the world, but it steps out into a world that already has around 1.5 million iOS apps and where nobody has ever heard of yours. And with Apple now allowing successful companies to buy even more App Store visibility through search result ads, it can only get tougher for the little guy.

Which is why I think Apple could usefully learn from a new model being used for books by Amazon …

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Filed under: Developers, Opinion

I wouldn’t normally describe a portable battery as being beautiful, but Kanex’s just-released $99 GoPower Mac Portable Battery fits that description. Its aluminum body is like a mix of Apple’s space gray and silver colors, but it’ll look good when paired with any 12″ MacBook.

Good looks are nice, but the real world performance of a battery pack is crucial. How does Kanex’s offering stack up? Check out our hands-on impressions. more…

Filed under: iOS Devices, Mac, Reviews Tagged: 12″ MacBook, 12-inch MacBook accessories, Battery pack, external batteries, Kanex, MacBook, review, USB battery pack, USB-C, video

It wasn’t that long ago when creating 360-degree photos that you could share with others online required special camera kit, and you had to post them on websites that supported the feature. It’s since got much easier, and as of the latest update to the iOS Facebook app, you don’t need anything more than your iPhone and the stock camera app.

Simply take a panorama with your phone […] and then post it on Facebook as you would a normal photo. From there, we’ll convert it to an immersive 360 photo that people can explore, similar to how people experience 360 videos on Facebook … 

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Filed under: Apps Tagged: 360-degree photos, Camera, Facebook, panoramas, Panoramic photos, photos