MacRumors

A spot check of Apple's reservation system for iPhone Upgrade Program members reveals iPhone 7 Plus availability is slowly improving in the United States.

iPhone 7 Plus models in select storage capacities and colors, sans Jet Black models, are available for reservation at select Apple retail stores in California, Florida, New York, and some other states as of the time this article was published. iPhone 7 models continue to be more widely available.

Apple Century City in Los Angeles, for example, currently has 128GB iPhone 7 Plus models for AT&T and Verizon in Rose Gold available for reservation at 4:00 p.m. local time. Similarly, Apple Williamsburg in Brooklyn has 128GB iPhone 7 Plus models for AT&T and Verizon in Black, Gold, Rose Gold, and Silver.

iPhone 7 Plus reservations are available at six other Apple stores in New York City, including its Grand Central, SoHo, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, West 14th Street, and World Trade Center locations. Each location has iPhone 7 Plus models for all four major U.S. carriers, aside from T-Mobile models at Apple SoHo.

iPhone 7 Plus reservations in Florida are available at Aventura Mall in Aventura, St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, and International Plaza in Tampa Bay.

Elsewhere, customers can reserve the 5.5-inch model at Highland Village in Houston, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Pasadena, Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, West County Center in St. Louis, Woodland in Grand Rapids, Fayette Mall in Lexington, Jordan Creek in West Des Moines, and some other stores.

iPhone 7 Plus stock both in stores and online has been limited compared to iPhone 7 since last Friday's launch. New data suggests the 5.5-inch model has outsold the 4.7-inch version for the first time ever, likely fueled by exclusive features such as dual cameras, longer battery life, and 3GB of RAM.

Yesterday, it was reported that some Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus pre-orders will be delivered sooner than expected as shipping estimates improve.

Following last week's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch, Apple has added the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus to its trade-up program in the United States, offering estimated trade-in values of $160, $275, and $315 respectively towards the purchase of a new iPhone.

Apple has also lowered its estimated trade-in values for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus by $25 each to $200 and $225 respectively, while the iPhone 5s now scores $90 instead of $125. iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c trade-in values are now $50 and $40 respectively, down from $75 each, and the iPhone 4s is no longer eligible for trade in.

• iPhone 5 - $50
• iPhone 5c - $40
• iPhone 5s - $90
• iPhone SE - $160
• iPhone 6 - $200
• iPhone 6 Plus - $225
• iPhone 6s - $275
• iPhone 6s Plus - $315

The iPhone trade-up program, not to be confused with the iPhone Upgrade Program, allows customers to trade in their old iPhone to Apple in exchange for credit to lower the full cost of a new iPhone, or to reduce the monthly payments of a carrier financing plan. Trade-in values, managed by third-party vendor Brightstar Corporation, may vary based on the condition of the iPhone traded in. Select Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone devices are also eligible for trade in.

iPhone owners looking to get the best value for their old smartphone should consider selling privately through websites like eBay or Craigslist, but Apple's trade-up program does provide a convenient and safe resale option.

Apple is working on a fix for an issue that can cause the new Lightning EarPods designed for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to stop working properly, the company said in a statement given to Business Insider.

When using the EarPods, there's an occasional bug that can cause the remote portion of the accessory to become unresponsive. While audio will continue to play, the remote does not work, so there's no way to control the volume, access Siri, or answer a phone call.

The glitch doesn't happen every time. It's seemingly intermittent and random. (I thought I was going crazy until I saw some people with similar issues complaining on Twitter.) If you experience the problem, you can just unplug your EarPods and plug them in again to temporarily fix it.

An Apple spokesperson told me the problem will be fixed in a future software update.

Apple plans to issue a fix in an upcoming software update, but there's no word on when it might be released. Business Insider is not sure if third-party Lightning-based headphones are affected, but there have been reports of similar bugs with the Lightning adapter. Some headphones, such as Beats headphones with a 3.5mm connector, appear to have a non-functional remote when plugged into an iPhone with the Lightning adapter.

Because the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus do not have a headphone jack, Apple shipped the devices with a set of EarPods that feature a Lightning connector instead of a 3.5mm headphone jack. The EarPods plug into the Lightning port, making it more difficult to charge and listen to music at the same time. Apple has also included a 3.5mm to Lightning adapter for customers who want to use their own headphones.

Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson today announced that Apple has joined global renewable energy initiative RE100, a campaign that's dedicated to getting the world's most influential companies committed to 100 percent renewable power.

Jackson shared the news at Climate Week in New York City, where she also shared some details on Apple's recent environmental progress. In 2015, 93 percent of Apple's worldwide operations were powered with renewable energy, and in the U.S., China, and 21 other countries, Apple uses renewable energy for 100 percent of its operations.

According to Jackson, Apple just completed work on its 50-megawatt solar farm in Arizona, which will power Apple's global data command center in Mesa, Arizona, the former location of Apple sapphire partner GT Advanced.

Jackson also gave an update on Apple's commitment to helping its suppliers use renewable energy, announcing that Apple supplier Solvay Specialty Polymers, which makes the antenna bands used in the iPhone, has pledged to use 100 percent renewable energy for all Apple production.

Catcher Technology, a supplier that provides aluminum enclosures for iOS and Mac devices, is also aiming to reach 100 percent renewable energy by the end of 2018.

"Apple is committed to running on 100 percent renewable energy, and we're happy to stand beside other companies that are working toward the same effort," said Jackson. "We're excited to share the industry-leading work we've been doing to drive renewable energy into the manufacturing supply chain, and look forward to partnering with RE100 to advocate for clean-energy policies around the world."

Other major companies who are members of RE100 include IKEA, Adobe, BMW, Coca Cola, GM, Google, HP, Microsoft, Nike, Philips, Starbucks, and Walmart.

iOS 10 has now been available for just under a week, and its adoption rate has been growing at a steady pace over the course of the last few days. According to data gathered by Mixpanel, iOS 10 is now installed on nearly 34 percent of devices.

iOS 9 is still the most popular operating system, installed on 62 percent of devices, while just under 5 percent of devices continue to use iOS 8 or older.

24 hours after iOS 10 was released, it was installed on 14.45 percent of devices, slightly outpacing iOS 9 adoption rates in the year prior. iOS 10 includes many appealing features that encouraged people to upgrade immediately, like a revamped Messages app with stickers and a full App Store, a Siri API for developers, a redesigned Lock screen experience, a new Music app, new facial and object recognition capabilities in Photos, and more.

iOS 10 did, however, see some installation issues early on that may have made people wary of downloading the update, but those problems are now resolved and customers should see no problems downloading the new operating system.

Given iOS 10's steady growth, it could potentially overtake iOS 9 as the operating system with the fastest adoption rates. Last year, less than two weeks after it was released, Apple said iOS 9 was installed on more than 50 percent of active devices, the quickest adoption rates it had seen for an iOS update.

If iOS 10 adoption grows by another 16 percent over the next week, it should take the title of fastest adopted software update ever.

Many customers who pre-ordered a Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus received shipping estimates ranging into October and November, but it appears Apple is working hard to overcome supply constraints and get shipments out earlier than expected.

Starting this morning, MacRumors began hearing reports from customers who originally had deliveries scheduled for a month or two out but will now be receiving their devices over the course of the next few days.

MacRumors reader Daniel was told to expect his Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus in November, but will be receiving it tomorrow, while another customer had a delivery scheduled for October 4 to 10, but will instead receive his iPhone on Wednesday. There are also multiple reports on Twitter from customers who have had similar good news, including some improved delivery estimates from carriers.

The new Jet Black iPhone offers both a unique mirror-like finish and a new deep black color, which has made it one of the most popular choices with customers. It uses a different anodization process than the other iPhones to achieve the shine, perhaps explaining why it is in shorter supply.

Reports of improved shipping estimates are encouraging for customers who are expecting to wait until November to receive a new iPhone. When pre-orders for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus took place on September 9, shipping estimates for Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus models slipped to weeks and then months within a matter of minutes, leaving customers who wanted the new color waiting. If Apple can continue ramping up supply, orders may be going out much earlier. Orders placed today on Apple's website for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus continue to have November delivery estimates.

For those who have ordered a Jet Black iPhone or plan to, Apple warns that the device is prone to significant scratching because of its finish, something that has indeed been seen in early reviews and in the wild already.

DisplayMate Technologies has declared iPhone 7 has the "best LCD display" it has ever tested, calling it "truly impressive" and a "major upgrade" over the iPhone 6 based on a series of advanced viewing tests and measurements.

iPhone 7 achieved the highest color accuracy, peak brightness, and contrast rating in bright light of any smartphone display, the highest contrast ratio of any IPS LCD display, and the lowest screen reflectance of any smartphone display.

Apple's latest flagship smartphone also has image contrast and intensity described as "visually indistinguishable from perfect," and the smallest color variation when viewing the screen at an angle of any smartphone display.

Color Accuracy and Power Efficiency

iPhone 7 has two color gamuts, including a new 26% larger DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut, as found in 4K TVs, and a traditional, smaller sRGB / Rec.709 gamut. DisplayMate said both gamuts have been implemented with absolute color accuracy that is "visually indistinguishable from perfect," which is "truly impressive" and a "major competitive advantage" over other smartphones.

DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has "the most color accurate display" that it has ever measured, adding that the smartphone's display is "very likely considerably better than any mobile display, monitor, TV, or UHD TV" that consumers have. In technical terms, the iPhone 7 has a "Just Noticeable Color Difference" (JNCD) rating of 1.1, which is the best result of any smartphone it has ever tested.

Despite having a much wider color gamut, the iPhone 7's display is 7% more power efficient than the iPhone 6's display.

Wide Color Gamut LCDs like the iPhone 7 instead use specially tuned Red and Green phosphors to optimally transform the light for the chosen saturated Red and Green primaries, which improves their light and power efficiency.

Brightness

The measured peak brightness for the iPhone 7 is 602 cd/m2 (nits), the highest of any smartphone DisplayMate has ever tested.

The measurement increases up to a record 705 nits when Automatic Brightness is turned on under brightly lit conditions.

On the iPhone 7 the Maximum Screen Brightness can go much higher when Automatic Brightness is turned on, so that users can't permanently park the Manual Brightness slider to very high values, which would run down the battery quickly. High Screen Brightness is only needed for High Ambient Light, so turning Automatic Brightness On will provide better high ambient light screen visibility and also longer battery running time.

Contrast Ratio

DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has a record-breaking contrast ratio among IPS LCD smartphone displays.

The iPhone 7 has a measured Contrast Ratio of 1,762, which is Very Good for a mobile display, and the highest we have measured for any IPS LCD display. It is also 26 percent larger than the 1,400 that Apple lists as Typical. However, Contrast Ratio is only meaningful in low ambient light, which is seldom the case for mobile displays.

iPhone 7 also has the highest contrast rating (137 to 160) in high ambient light of any smartphone.

Reflectance

DisplayMate said iPhone 7 has 4.4% screen reflectance, which is a record low among smartphones it has ever tested.

However, the iPhone 7 doesn't come close to the record low 1.7% screen reflectance of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which has a special anti-reflective coating.

Unfortunately, AR coatings still can't be used with smartphones, which have much higher abrasion and scratch issues than tablets and other touch screen displays because they are small enough to be carried in pockets and bags that have all sorts of scratchy things inside. A number of companies are working on technologies that can produce both low screen reflectance and high abrasion and scratch resistance […] but it's challenging and also has to be cost effective. Since peak brightness can't keep increasing due to battery power limitations and thermal issues, developing a low reflectance screen will be the key to improving display performance in high ambient light.

Viewing Angle

DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has "excellent viewing angle performance" with no visually noticeable color shifts. The display had the smallest color variation when viewed at an angle, earning a JNCD rating of 2.1 or less.

With its Dual-Domain Pixels, the iPhone 7 Contrast Ratio remained close to 1,000 at 30 degrees for both the Portrait and Landscape modes, which is the highest we have measured for LCDs. However, all LCDs do have a strong decrease in Brightness (Luminance) with Viewing Angle, and the iPhone 7 showed (as expected) a 55 percent decrease in Brightness at a modest 30 degree Viewing Angle.

DisplayMate shared more in-depth analysis in its iPhone 7 vs. iPhone 6 display shootout.

Apple is aware of and investigating an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus issue that can result in the loss of cellular service after turning off Airplane Mode on the devices, according to internal documents obtained by MacRumors.

In the meantime, Apple has advised authorized service providers to instruct customers to restart the affected iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus. If no service persists, Apple advises customers to remove and re-insert the device's SIM card.

In a video shared with MacRumors by reader Yasser El-Haggan, an iPhone 7 can be seen with no service alongside an iPhone 6s with two bars of LTE after Airplane Mode is toggled off on both devices. Both of the iPhones are said to be AT&T models, which means the iPhone 7 has an Intel modem rather than a Qualcomm modem used for Verizon and Sprint models.

All of a sudden today my iPhone 7 Jet Black model started not getting internet service -- can’t make outbound calls or receive calls -- even though it showed 4 bars. I then put it in Airplane Mode, and back off, then it showed no service. It got pretty warm in the top right hand corner.

I then took a video of my wife's iPhone 6s right next to my iPhone 7, put them both in Airplane Mode, and then switched Airplane Mode off and you can see immediately that the iPhone 6s gets signal instantly, and the iPhone 7 just sits there searching. I then took her SIM and put it in my iPhone 7, no luck, put my SIM in her phone, and it got signal right away.

El-Haggan said he took his iPhone 7 to an Apple Store, where the Genius Bar swapped out the device with a new one. The employee had allegedly seen the issue on a few previous handsets, and he immediately replaced the device per Apple's instructions in lieu of running a basic diagnostic test. Apple appears to have replacement iPhone 7 models reserved for these scenarios per standard policy.

After the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus began arriving to the first round of pre-order customers on Friday, a few users noticed what's become known as a "hissing" sound emanating from the back of the device, where the Apple logo is located. The first reports began on Friday, but the occurrence gained ground when 512 Pixels' Stephen Hackett tweeted about it, posting a video with the "terrible noises" produced by his iPhone clearly audible, which he determined to be caused by heavy performance at the time.

When he brought the issue to AppleCare, Hackett was told to bring the iPhone into an Apple retail location to swap it out, but given the low stock of nearly all iPhone 7 models, that solution isn't particularly helpful at the moment. Friday night, a member of the MacRumors forums, liorgr, confirmed the somewhat "common" issue facing the iPhone 7, although it's still unknown as to whether the noise could come from all versions of the device, or if it's just "a faulty batch."

I just came back from the Apple Store.

They had no idea what it is and what could it be (not surprising as this phones just came out today), so they ordered a replacement phone for me /:

They could reproduce the issue easily. Also I noticed that when turning on the phone you can hear it very well, I guess because of the extra processing that is being done while booting the device.

Kind of disappointed they don't have a few in stock for cases like this, but on the other hand it sounds like an issue more common than 1 damaged phone. so I hope that if it is a faulty batch or something like that so the wait my pay off and by the time I get my replacement phone it will be fixed.

Since his tweet, more and more iPhone 7 users have come forward about the issue and corroborated Hackett's story. On the MacRumors forums, mentions of a "buzzing" and "static" sound coming from the back of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus began on Friday afternoon. Specifically, forum member maxlind noted that the noise happened on his 128GB iPhone 7 Plus under load, without charging or restoring from an iCloud backup.

My new iPhone 7 Plus (128GB, Black) has an odd buzzing / static sound coming from it. Specifically, if I put my ear up to the back of the phone where the apple logo is, I can hear the battery or processor or something “working”… note the sound file attached.

Nope, not charging. I thought maybe at first it was just the phone overworking itself during an iCloud restore (it got pretty hot too)... but the noise is still there.

One Redditor who got his iPhone 7 Plus replaced at an Apple store noticed immediately that his new iPhone was making a similar sound, so the issue could potentially be affecting a large number of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models due to the high-capacity performance abilities of the A10 chip. Since there are no actual moving components on the chip, it's still unclear what could be making the noise.

As pointed out by The Verge, the consensus of the noise's origin online is that it's caused by a phenomenon known as "coil noise."

What’s going on here? Potentially nothing major, and Apple declined to comment on this story. So we can’t say for sure what the cause is yet, nor how widespread it is — though to the latter point, it doesn’t seem to be affecting a large number of users.

The consensus around the web right now is that this is some form of “coil noise” or “coil whine” — the sort of sound a high powered processor or virtually any electronic part can make, especially when it’s not properly dampened. It can crop up when the chip is under heavy load, and you might be able to hear it on any recent phone if you put it under load and listen very closely. I can, for example, hear some high-pitched noises on my Galaxy S7 Edge if I hold it up to my ear in a quiet room.

Still, despite the problem slowly becoming infamous over the weekend, some sites tried to replicate the issue and failed. Using performance benchmark software 3D Mark "Ice Storm Extreme," Engadget ended up hearing "no hissing at all" on the 4.7-inch iPhone 7. As many users have theorized, the sound issue could "stem from a manufacturing issue instead of an inherent design quirk." Until Apple addresses the problem, that still leaves affected users to either deal with the noise, or attempt to get a replacement that could potentially face the same sound.

YouTube channel EverythingApplePro posted a video over the weekend demonstrating how the iPhone 7 fares in an extreme deep water test. The video, titled "How Deep Before it Dies?", shows an iPhone 7 and a Samsung Galaxy S7 being lowered into the ocean at increasingly lower depths.

Apple's iPhone 7 series is certified to IP67 standard water resistance, which means the handsets are built to withstand being submerged in up to 1 meter (about 3.28 feet) of water for half an hour at most. Samsung's handset carries the higher IP68 certification, indicating it can withstand continuous immersion in over 1 meter (3.28 feet) depths, or up to five feet, according to Samsung.

The first test drops the devices down 5 feet, exceeding the 3.28 feet rating that IP67 standard promises. Both devices emerge from the water undamaged. Then the devices are dropped at increasingly deeper intervals in 5 feet increments.

At 20 feet, with no signs of damage, the tester adds another 10 feet. The first signs of damage become evident at 30 feet of water for five minutes. The Galaxy begins sporadically rebooting, while the iPhone's Taptic Engine-based capacitive home button begins malfunctioning.

After 35 feet water immersion, the Galaxy's display refuses to come on, but the iPhone 7 continues to power up and the touchscreen still responds to touches, despite obvious water damage under the bottom half of the display.

Notwithstanding the highly unconventional and extreme nature of the test, it does serve to underline Apple's continuing strategy of being conservative in its waterproofing claims. The first Apple Watch for example was only rated for up to 1 meter of water depth, but regularly survived dives down to 40 meters in swimming tests.

Apple debuted a new Apple Music ad tonight during the 2016 Emmy Awards, featuring "Late Late Show" host James Corden pitching commercial ideas to Apple Music executives Jimmy Iovine, Eddy Cue and Bozoma Saint John.

Iovine, Cue and Saint John task Corden with pitching commercial ideas that can easily get across some Apple Music features, like offline listening, hand-picked playlists and over 40 million songs. Instead, Corden pitches a series of ads where he dresses up like iconic music acts.

After he's rejected, Corden pitches more specific commercials where he hands a thirsty boy in a desert an iPhone with Apple Music and where he dives in a body of water filled with 40 million apples. After a few more desperate pitches, the commercial cuts to black with white lettering mentioning that Apple Music has offline listening, hand-picked playlists and over 40 million songs.

The commercial is the latest collaboration between Apple and Corden. The late night host helped open Apple's September 2016 special event by "driving" Tim Cook to the event while singing karaoke. Corden and Apple are also working on a Carpool Karaoke TV show exclusively for Apple Music, though Corden will only be producing the series.

Earlier today, Apple also debuted three other commercials: Two iPhone 7 commercials focused on its water resistance and low-light camera and an Apple Watch Series 2 commercial.