MacRumors

Apple's 2017 iPhone, which is expected to feature premium parts and radical design changes, could cost "north of $1,000," reports Fast Company, citing a source with "knowledge of Apple's plans."

Rumors suggest the upcoming iPhone, which may be called the iPhone 8, will feature an OLED display that's more expensive than traditional LED displays. Other improvements, such as an increase in memory and wireless charging functionality may also drive up the price. It's not hard to imagine the iPhone hitting that price point when the 256GB iPhone 7 Plus is already at $969 in the United States, and previous rumors have also suggested it will be a "premium" device.

Fast Company's source also confirms some iPhone 8 design rumors, describing the device as "something like a smooth black monolith, with few visual interruptions to its sleek design." That jibes with rumors indicating Apple design chief Jony Ive has been aiming for an iPhone that looks like a single sheet of glass with the Home button and Touch ID fingerprint sensor located under the display.

The Home button technology is still "evolving" according to Fast Company's source, but Apple's goal is to get it done in time for inclusion in the iPhone 8. Physical buttons, such as the volume button, power button, and mute switch could also be eliminated, a rumor we haven't heard before, and the iPhone 8 is said to include a "far bigger battery."

The source also claims Apple is working with Lumentum to develop 3D sensing technology that will be used in the device, but did not provide details on how the feature will be used.

It remains unclear how the technology will be applied, however. It could be used to recognize the user's face for authentication. It could also be used in the camera to provide better image resolution. It could even be used in some form of augmented reality application, according to our source.

The iPhone 8 is expected to include a glass body with a stainless steel frame for durability, and while Fast Company suggests the display will measure in at 5.8 inches, rumors disagree on this point. We've heard everything from 5 inches to 5.8-inches and don't yet have a clear picture on sizing.

With Apple likely planning to position the new OLED iPhone as a high-end premium device with a premium price tag, the company is also rumored to be planning to introduce two more affordable devices with LCD displays that are closer in design to the existing iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, measuring in at 4.7 and 5.5-inches.

These two devices may feature similar design changes, such as a glass body, but will have pared down features like an LCD display to keep the price down.

With such major changes expected for the 2017 iPhone, which marks the 10th anniversary of the device, rumors have been running rampant for months, making it hard to suss out some of the exact specifications of the device, including display design, screen size, and wireless charging functionality.

As we creep closer to September and start to see the first part leaks, we can expect to have a much clearer picture of what to expect from the first significant iPhone redesign since 2014.

Google today announced the all-new Android Wear 2.0 operating system update for its line of Android-based smartwatches, alongside two new devices debuting this Friday, February 10: the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style. The LG Watch Sport includes a number of features that aligns it as a direct competitor to the Apple Watch, including a new "rotating power button" akin to the Digital Crown, NFC and mobile payments features, 4GB of internal storage, and more.

The biggest difference between Apple Watch and the new LG watches is their circular OLED display, which measures 1.38 inches on the LG Watch Sport and 1.20 inches on the LG Watch Style. The two new LG watches differ in a variety of other categories as well: the Style is thinner and has more strap customization options, but it lacks cellular connectivity, GPS, NFC, and has a smaller battery.

Specifically, users can purchase the Style in three design finishes -- silver, rose gold, and titanium -- and choose from a collection of "snap and swap" 18mm leather and silicone band options. Even though the Style lacks the Sport's richer features, users can still bring up Google Assistant and perform other basic app-launching functions, according to Google.

That sets up the LG Watch Sport as the new flagship smartwatch from the company, with a built-in gyroscope, accelerometer, cellular connectivity, heart rate sensor, and GPS sensors to fuel a fitness-focused lifestyle, as well as NFC for Android Pay. There are also dedicated buttons for Google Fit and Android Pay so users can more quickly access these features, with Google calling it "Android Wear's most powerful watch yet."

The LG Watch Sport is available in titanium and blue with a high performance elastomer strap, but it's non-customizable beyond this set-up. Those interested in the U.S. will be able to buy the LG Watch Style at Best Buy and the Google Store for $249, while the LG Watch Sport will be available at AT&T, Verizon, and the Google Store for $349. Both smartwatches launch on February 10, and more countries will begin selling the devices in the coming weeks.

Debuting alongside the new watches is Android Wear 2.0, which brings personalized watch faces, workout improvements, Google Assistant, and more to Android smartwatches. Users can now customize an always-on watch face to include more helpful information to glance at, which can be chosen from downloaded and supported apps. A quick swipe will bring up another watch face that can be pre-set with different information, similar to Apple's watch face carousel update in watchOS 3.

You can now personalize your Android Wear always-on watch face with information and actions from your favorite apps. Simply glance at your wrist to check your next appointment, stock performance, progress on fitness goals, or whatever is important to you.

A quick tap on your watch face lets you instantly order an Uber ride, start a workout, or get in touch with your significant other. Interested in different info throughout the day? Just swipe to switch your watch face as you go from the office to the gym to dinner with friends and home again.

A cellular-connected Android Wear watch can also fuel better workouts, according to Google, thanks to the ability to stay in touch with calls and messages, stream Google Play Music off the watch and through Bluetooth headphones, and the addition of weight-lifting, push-up, sit-up, and squat rep counters. When a message is received, users can dictate or handwrite an answer, and "Smart Reply" includes intelligent, contextual responses based on the incoming message.

A number of sites have published reviews for both new smartwatches and Android Wear 2.0 today, including TechCrunch, The Verge, TIME, and more. The current consensus on Android Wear 2.0, as well as the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport, appears to be that the new products are a welcome addition to their respective categories, but still feel lacking. As The Verge pointed out in regard to the 2.0 update, "in a lot of ways, it's just Google playing catch up to what Apple and Samsung were already doing."

For Apple, an update to watchOS is in the works with an expected launch date sometime this year, although it's still largely a mystery as to what might be included in watchOS 4. In the nearer future, watchOS 3.2 plans to introduce users to a "Theater Mode" that will mute sounds and disable Raise to Wake, preventing the screen from lighting up with arm movement and potentially disturbing other theatergoers.

In terms of hardware, Apple is expected to launch a third-generation Apple Watch alongside the tenth-anniversary iPhone in the fall of 2017. Apple Watch rumors remain unclear with the launch date so far out, with some suggesting the first major design overhaul is coming to the Apple Watch this year, while others have pointed to another minor update in 2017 with a focus on performance over design changes.

Verizon is fighting back against T-Mobile's recent attempts to steal the network spotlight as the so-called "Un-carrier," according to the results of OpenSignal's latest State of Mobile Networks report published today.

Verizon regained a statistical tie with T-Mobile in overall network speeds, with an average download speed of 14.63 Mbps versus 14.7 Mbps for T-Mobile, according to OpenSignal. The metric factors in combined 3G and LTE speeds, in addition to the availability of each network technology, which can affect overall speeds.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile came within 2 percentage points of Verizon's lead in nationwide 4G LTE availability, according to OpenSignal. The report found T-Mobile customers had an LTE connection available to them 86.6% of the time, up from 83.2% in August 2016, compared to Verizon's leading 88.2% availability.

It is important to note that OpenSignal's "availability" measurement does not reflect geographical or population-based coverage.

OpenSignal's 'Availability' measures the proportion of time users have network access. By continually measuring whether users have a connection or not we are able to extend our assessment of networks to account for what happens when users are indoors and when they are moving around. We build up a holistic, user-centric measurmement of networks that expresses how users experience them.

The two carriers won or shared every award in every category of the report, leaving AT&T and Sprint with zero accolades.

Verizon still appears to have the faster network in a number of metro areas, including Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

Verizon ranked highest in speed in 14 of the 36 cities we analyzed, compared to four cities for T-Mobile and one for AT&T, but in seven other metro areas the speed contest between Verizon and T-Mobile resulted in a statistical tie. In three other cities we recorded a draw between AT&T and either Verizon or T-Mobile, while in the remaining markets, we saw ties between three or more operators.

Verizon had the lowest average LTE latency, the delay data experiences as it travels between points in the network, at 59.84 ms, compared to 61.28 ms for Sprint, 61.56 ms for T-Mobile, and 65.62 ms for AT&T. T-Mobile had the lowest average 3G latency at 115.76ms, according to OpenSignal.

OpenSignal said it parsed 4.6 billion measurements collected by 169,683 smartphone users in the fourth quarter of 2016 to gauge the 3G and 4G performance of the "Big Four" networks in the United States: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Read the full report for the complete results and methodology.

Apple has hired Timothy D. Twerdahl, the general manager and director of Amazon's Fire TV business, to be the vice president in charge of Apple TV product marketing, reports Bloomberg. Twerdahl joined Apple earlier this month.

Twerdahl has been in charge of Fire TV since 2013, overseeing two generations of the product and its rise as one of the more popular internet-connected set-top boxes. At Apple, Twerdahl will report to Greg Joswiak, VP of iOS and iPhone Product Marketing.

The move will allow Pete Distad, the former head of Apple TV product marketing, to concentrate on helping Apple land content deals, which are headed by Eddy Cue. Before joining Apple in 2013, Distad was senior vice president of content distribution at Hulu.

Having Distad join content negotiations is intended to shore up content for Apple TV, according to Bloomberg, as efforts to secure exclusive content deals for Apple TV have stalled in the past due to failed negotiations.

With the fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple was originally aiming to provide a full a la carte television service that could replace traditional cable and satellite packages, similar to Sony's PlayStation Vue service. However, Apple unsurprisingly saw pushback from both content and cable companies after using negotiating tactics described as "assertive" and "hard-nosed," declining to back down from the terms the company wanted. Apple scaled back its TV ambitions in the past couple of years, though it considered both a slimmed-down subscription service and purchasing Time Warner.

In addition to leading product marketing for the Fire TV, Twerdahl was also the senior director of internet TV at Netflix and a vice president of consumer devices at Roku, according to his LinkedIn.

Following a trip to France, Tim Cook today toured Germany, where he made a number of stops to visit furniture maker Dula, the developers behind the Kitchen Stories app, and the team at Refinery29.

Cook has been documenting his trip on Twitter, sharing a number of photos at each site. Before leaving France, he made one last stop to visit the Marché Saint-Germain Apple Store, where he met with staff, iOS developers, and Apple customers. It was his second visit to an Apple Store following a stop in Marseille earlier this week.

He then headed to Vreden, Germany, where he met with Dula. Dula is a furniture manufacturer that works with Apple to create some of the furniture and hardware used in Apple's retail stores.

Cook took a tour of the factory and then headed to Berlin to meet with the developers behind the Kitchen Stories app. Created by two women in 2014, Kitchen Stories is a recipe app that walks users through each step using photos and videos.

During his time at Kitchen Stories, Cook also met with Refinery29 for an exclusive interview where he talked about women in the workplace, diversity, wage gaps, and more.

Cook was specifically questioned about the German start up scene, where just 13.9 percent of lead roles are held by women. According to Cook, improving that rate hinges on a work environment that "encourages and motivates women to participate." He went on to say that it's a problem that needs to be tackled early in life, in schools, with young women encouraged to enter the STEM field.

Pay equality was also a subject, and Cook explained that Apple pays all employees equally regardless of gender, something all companies should do.

You know, we're probably an outsider, but we pay well and we pay 100% the same. We make a long-term evaluation every year, in order to maintain that. And if we only notice once that someone earns only 99.8% of the salary of another, then we do everything we can to make up for it. I think every company should try to do it. It's just not right and not fair that women still earn so much less than men.

Cook's full comments can be read over at Refinery29, but the original interview is in German and will need to be translated.

Following his short trip to Germany, Cook will head to Scotland on Wednesday where he will accept an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow.

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