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Apple works to fix iPhone 7 Lightning EarPods glitch

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iPhone 7 earbuds
There's a problem with Apple's new EarPods.
Photo: Apple

Considering that some people were predicting the iPhone 7 to be a commercial and critical disappointment, the arrival of Apple’s latest iPhone refresh has gone incredibly well.

There have been challenges, however. First there was Hissgate, in which some iPhone 7 Plus owners reported that their handsets emit strange noises when under heavy load. Now there’s a glitch with Apple’s new Lightning EarPods.

Apple hires physician known for popular YouTube channel

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Dr. Evans has spoken out about the future of medicine being apps.
Photo: DocMikeEvans

Apple added another medical expert to its growing team by adding Dr. Mike Evans, a Toronto-based physician best known for his popular YouTube channel under the name “DocMikeEvans.”

According to a Canadian news report, Evans was recruited after his “peer-to-peer health care” YouTube videos — in which he voices a cartoon doctor, explaining common medical ailments — caught Apple’s attention.

Ready to trade in your old phone? Meet the folks behind our gadget buyback (highest prices, BTW)

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The guys behind MyPhones Unlimited, an Arkansas-based buyback program that we believe pays more than the competition (in nine out of ten cases).
The guys behind MyPhones Unlimited, an Arkansas-based buyback program that we believe pays more than the competition (in nine out of ten cases).
Photo: MyPhones Unlimited

We recently launched a gadget buyback program that promises to pay more for used and broken Apple devices than Gazelle, Walmart and even Apple itself. This post is about the startup company we partnered with to bring you this service.

A college friend who bought a new phone and was about to trash a defunct iPhone 3G sparked the idea for MyPhones Unlimited, a smartphone recycling service that Cult of Mac recently partnered with.

“Two main thoughts came to mind,” says MyPhones Unlimited founder Gabe Trumbo. “One is that that can’t be good for that to just be thrown away, there has got to be a better way to recycle it. And beyond that, I’m sure there’s still some value in it.”

He was right. Trading in his friend’s phone himself, Trumbo got a bigger chunk of change than he expected — and immediately saw a market coupled to an important problem.

How iFixit made its incredible iPhone 7 teardown [Kahney’s Korner podcast]

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Kyle Wiens, CEO iFixit
Thanks mostly to Kyle Wiens of iFixit, iPhone teardowns have become a tech culture phenomenon.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit’s iPhone 7 teardown involved 30 people in three countries, an X-ray machine and lots of sleepless nights. Thanks to iFixit’s hard work, iPhone teardowns have become a tech-culture phenomenon. Millions of fans eagerly await details of the internal components of Apple’s latest devices.

A lot of this has to do with Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, the second-biggest supplier of Apple parts after Apple itself, and publisher of the huge and amazing iFixit repair wiki.

In this week’s episode of Kahney’s Korner, I talk with Wiens about all the work that goes into making the iFixit teardowns for a massive global audience, and the hardware secrets of the iPhone 7.

New Google Trips travel app makes planning vacations a breeze

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Google Trips puts travel guide for 200 cities in your pocket.
Google Trips puts travel guide for 200 cities in your pocket.
Photo: Google

Planning where to go and what sights to see can take the fun out of a vacation, but Google’s new app is ready to handle all the heavy lifting for you.

Google Trips debuted today on both iOS and Android devices, putting a travel guide in your pocket everywhere you go.

Trips instantly plans each day of your vacation with just a few taps. You set the agenda based on what types of spots you’d like to visit and Google Trips shows you a variety of plans that hit up the most popular local gems.

Animators try their hand at telling the Steve Jobs story

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YouTube is a repository for animated features on the life of Steve Jobs.
YouTube is a repository for animated features on the life of Steve Jobs.
Photo: Adam Holownia,

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugWith all there is to marvel about Steve Jobs and the story of Apple, it’s easy to forget what Jobs meant to animation.

So it’s not surprising that several animators have sought to capture the near-mythological character of Jobs in animated shorts that can be found all over YouTube.

iPhone 7 display is the best LCD ever tested

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iPhone 7
Apple has perfected the LCD.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 7 display may be the new device’s most underrated feature, based on an in-depth analysis by display experts.

Apple’s new LCD display was rated as “visually indistinguishable from perfect” when it comes to image contrast and intensity. The tiniest amount of color variation, seen when viewing the screen from an angle, also yielded top marks.

Hissgate: iPhone 7 Plus emits strange noise when under heavy load

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iphone 7
Apple rode the iPhone 7 Plus' wave into 2017.
Photo: Apple

The first crisis to hit the iPhone 7 Plus is already here, and this time it could be a lot more annoying than Bendgate and Antennagate.

Some iPhone 7 Plus owners are reporting that Apple’s new devices emit a strange hissing noise when performing processor-intensive tasks. And no one is sure what’s causing it.

Hear it for yourself:

Apple debuts stylish new ads for Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 7

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This man is using his iPhone 7 to photograph a deer in a gas station. Seriously.
Photo: Apple

Apple debuted three new ads over the weekend: two of them for the new iPhone 7, and one for the Apple Watch Series 2.

Highlighting the new waterproofing features of all the devices, along with the low-light camera sensor of the next-gen iPhone, they’re strong, artistic ads — which do the job of explaining to you what Apple’s new smartwatch and handset are capable of, without making it feel like you’re being given the hard sell.

Check them out below.

James Corden is embarrassingly funny in new Apple Music ad

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Corden swims with apples. It's, like, a metaphor.
Photo: Apple

Hot off his genuinely hilarious skit with Tim Cook at the start of the recent iPhone 7 media event, James Corden is back alongside Apple executives for a new ad for Apple Music.

Playing himself, Corden pitches various off-the-wall concepts for an Apple Music ad, to more and more bemused reactions from Apple execs Jimmy Iovine, Eddy Cue and Bozoma Saint John.

Check it out below.

This photographer tested the iPhone 7 Plus before anyone else

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iPhone 7 photos
The iPhone 7 Plus handled the tricky light of sunset over the U.S. Open stadium court.
Photo: Landon Nordeman/ESPN

Photographer Landon Nordeman generally knows what to expect when ESPN calls him to shoot an event. But for the recent U.S. Open tennis tournament, ESPN needed Nordeman to report to the courts in Flushing Meadows, NY without any of his cameras.

Once there, an ESPN photo editor discreetly placed in his hands a sleek new piece of gear that would not be available to a clamoring public for two weeks – the iPhone 7 Plus.

“I was excited once I learned it was the iPhone, but thought I would only get to use it for an hour and have to give it back,” Nordeman told Cult of Mac. “I had the phone and shot with it for four whole days. I loved it. I really loved it.”

Exploding Note 7 blamed on Samsung’s rush to beat Apple

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Samsung-Galaxy
This is why you don't rush products.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Samsung’s disastrous Note 7 debacle — in which exploding handsets caused the company to withdraw all 2.5 million handsets already shipped — was reportedly the result of rushing to beat Apple.

According to a new report, Samsung saw an opportunity to capitalize on what it felt was likely to be a comparatively boring iPhone 7, and decided to break speed records unveiling a phone it thought could appeal to disappointed would-be iPhone customers.

Today in Apple history: Powerful, upgradeable Macintosh IIx arrives

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The Mac IIx in all its glory
Photo: Laptopanda

Mon19 September 19, 1988: Apple debuts the Macintosh IIx, an incremental upgrade of its fantastic Macintosh II.

The updated model is the first Mac to come with Apple’s new, improved 1.44MB floppy disk SuperDrive. It also packs a hefty price tag of between $7,769 and $9,300 — the equivalent of $15,817 to $18,934 today.

So don’t even try complaining about the cost of an iMac, circa 2016!

Black Friday predictions 2016: How to save hundreds on iPhones, iPads and Macs

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What kind of Apple deals can you expect to find on Black Friday 2016?
What kind of Apple deals can you expect to find this Black Friday?
Photos: Apple, Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple fans may be resigned to paying full price for their gadgets, but we’ll certainly see Apple gear on sale this Black Friday season. The trick to finding these bargains is knowing where to look — and that’s anywhere but the Apple Store.

Early AirPod reviews and iPhone 7 deals you need to know about, on The CultCast

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cult cast

This week, on The CultCast: The AirPod reviews are in, and we’re excited. Plus: the iPhone 7 carrier deals you need to know about; iPhone 7’s Jet Black’s micro abrasions; Series 1 vs. Series 2 Apple Watch; and, Apple, the new NASA?

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to build a website that looks beautiful on any device that visits at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off.

Apple Watch Series 2 looks surprisingly repairable

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apple watch 2
Same on the outside. Different inside.
Photo: iFixit

The new Apple Watch Series 2 is more repairable than Apple’s original wearable, according to the first teardown to pry open the new device.

Apple Watch Series 2 looks exactly the same as its predecessor on the outside. On the inside it’s an entirely different story, as Apple’s engineers have refined the internals and made it a bit easier to work with.

Jet black iPhone 7 Plus is a hot item on eBay

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eBay icon
Sold out everywhere, the iPhone 7 Plus is hot on eBay.
Photo: Leander Kahney

With the new iPhone 7 Plus sold out worldwide, some owners are turning a pretty profit on Craigslist and eBay.

There’s a brisk trade in brand new iPhone 7 devices, especially the Plus models in jet black, with many selling for almost twice their retail value.

This premium jet black 256GB iPhone 7 Plus, for example, just sold for $1,775 on eBay, with 29 bids. That’s $806 above retail.

iPhone 7 faces Aussie surf test at Bondi Beach

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iphone 7 surfing in australia
Is iPhone 7 the ultimate action cam?
Photo: SoBadSoGood.

Apple’s waterproofing on the iPhone 7 is looking worthy of the price to upgrade alone.

I can’t count how many iPhones I’ve destroyed over the last nine years during water accidents. But after watching the iPhone 7 take a surfing lesson at Australia’s beautiful Bondi Beach, it looks like Apple totally undersold just how water-resistant the new smartphone truly is.

Watch the iPhone 7 catch waves:

Apple’s plans for illuminated flag pole outside London store get rejected

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Let your freak flag fly.
Don't expect any such Apple flag outside its London flagship store.
Photo: James Martin/Twitter

When you’re a company the size of Apple, there’s not much you can’t get away with — but apparently erecting an illuminated flagpole in the center of London isn’t one of them.

Apple recently found itself on the wrong end of London’s City of Westminster council after applying to install two external light fittings to illuminate flags outside its iconic flagship Regent Street Apple store.

Scratch, flame and bend test puts iPhone 7 through its paces

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Bendgate didn't make a return this year, fortunately!
Photo: JerryRigEverything

The iPhone 7 has only been out a matter of hours, and already it’s undergone its first torture tests, courtesy of YouTuber JerryRigEverything.

After exposing his matte black iPhone 7 to various scratches, flames and bend attempts, JerryRigEverything comes to some interesting conclusions.

Check out his iPhone stress test video below.

Tim Cook celebrates happy iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2 buyers

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A new Apple Watch owner in Hong Kong.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2 are out today and — while a botched roll-out means not everyone will get the device they want — Tim Cook is keen to show that there are plenty of happy customers out there.

In a post on Twitter, Apple’s CEO writes that, “It’s time! #iPhone7 and #AppleWatchSeries2 are here!”

Well, for some of us at least!

iPhone 7 Plus teardown confirms bigger 2,900 mAh battery

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Oh, iPhone 7 Plus -- you weren't long for this world.
Photo: iFixit

While most Apple fans around the world are just hoping to get their hands on a new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, our friends over at iFixit have already taken one apart.

In their teardown of the iPhone 7 Plus, the repair experts confirm some important details about Apple’s plus-sized next-gen handset — such as its 2,900 mAh battery, which is slightly more than 5 percent larger than the 2,750 mAh battery used in last year’s iPhone 6s Plus.