MacRumors

Apple has lowered the price of the iPhone SE with 64GB of storage from $499 to $449 in the U.S. following its iPhone 7 event yesterday. Likewise, the monthly installment price now starts at a lower $18.71 per month through carrier financing. The 16GB model remains $399.

Apple released the iPhone SE in March 2016 as a low-cost successor to the iPhone 5s, much to the delight of customers who prefer a 4-inch screen. Apple has not disclosed iPhone SE sales numbers, but in April the company said demand for the device was "very strong" and higher than expected.

Meanwhile, Apple has doubled the storage capacities of two iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models while giving them a $100 price drop each. The year-old smartphones now come in 32GB and 128GB storage capacities for $549 and $649 respectively.

Along with the reveal of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple yesterday briefly mentioned that the previous generation of iPhone -- the 6s and 6s Plus -- have both gotten updates to storage capacities and price drops. In solidarity with the iPhone 7's omission of the low-tier 16GB option, anyone interested in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will now have two storage tiers to choose from: 32GB and 128GB. The iPhone 7 has an additional 256GB option.

Although slightly higher in price thanks to its size and camera features, the iPhone 6s Plus has received a discount in price as well. The 32GB tier will cost those interested $649.00 and the 128GB tier costs $749.00. For the larger iPhone, that's a big difference from the $750 (16GB), $850 (64GB), and $950 (128GB) options that launched last year.

Facebook marketing lead Lindsey Shepard recently posted a blog sharing new details of the company's celebration of Star Trek's 50th anniversary, taking place today. After updating the "Like" button to a set of emotional reactions earlier in the year, the social network is temporarily giving each reaction a Star Trek themed makeover to celebrate the franchise's premiere on September 8, 1966.

In order to make this understood by all Star Trek fans, we chose the most iconic and recognizable characters and symbols from the original Star Trek series, as well as the Next Generation. We also wanted to honor the original design and spirit of Reactions, so we needed visual cues that were easy to identify at a glance, like Geordi’s visor. This led us to our final cast: Kirk, Spock, Geordi and a Klingon.

This project has truly been a labor of love. We hope that people find as much joy in using these different celebratory elements as we have in creating them. We may test experiences like this in the future, and will focus on community and moment-driven events like this one.

Live long and prosper.

Shepard said Facebook chose "the most iconic and recognizable characters and symbols from the original Star Trek series" as inspiration for the new reaction buttons, and paired them with what users expect from reactions. The new Star Trek reactions include a sparkly thumbs-up (Like), Vulcan salute (Love), Captain Kirk (Haha), Spock (Wow), Geordi (Sad), and a Klingon (Angry).

The update to reactions also comes with a customized greeting and profile frame that Facebook says only those "who’ve expressed interest in Star Trek or science fiction" might begin to see propagating on their Facebook page. For those lucky fans, the new Star Trek theme will be up in the United States and Canada -- on both desktop and the mobile apps -- "for a limited time."

Smart thermostat company Nest today announced three new colors for its flagship product, the Nest Learning Thermostat, now coming in white, black, and copper, in addition to the traditional stainless steel variant. The new colors are said to be available for a limited time only, but Nest didn't specify for how long they'd continue to go on sale. The purpose of introducing more colors and finishes was to help Nest "fit into every home."

Additionally, Nest revealed that the Nest Cam Outdoor is now available for $199 for customers to purchase in the United States, with an expected launch date sometime in October for those in Europe. The company is bolstering all of its camera products -- Nest Outdoor Cam, Nest Indoor Cam, and the company-owned Dropcam -- with a new software feature called "Sightline," coming to the Nest app.

Sightline is a new app feature that shows you what Nest Cam has seen and lets you speed through days of recorded video in seconds. It pulls out key moments automatically so you don’t waste time digging through footage. Looking for the moment someone opened the gate two days ago? No problem.

Person alerts are also changing the game. If you have Nest Aware, Nest Cam can now tell if the activity it’s seeing is a tree swaying or someone coming in your house. So if it sees a person, you get a special alert. Nest Cam can even tell you if it’s sure it’s a person, or just suspects it is.

With Sightline, Nest users will be able to quickly scrub through large amounts of footage in seconds, and the app is even able to decipher and showcase "key moments" in a recording so users don't have to waste time digging through footage. The app also allows for free 3 hour video history for anyone, even those not on a Nest Aware subscription, and hassle-free "time travel" controls so you can jump to a recorded moment in the past with ease.

Those interested can purchase the new colors of the Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest Outdoor Cam, and update the Nest app [Direct Link] starting today.

Anyone tuning in to watch Apple's iPhone 7 event on Wednesday may have been mildly surprised and somewhat amused to witness Apple CEO Tim Cook taking part in a special episode of "Carpool Karaoke" along with Pharrell Williams.

Far from being an off-the-wall, last-minute inclusion, the video introduction makes sense for Apple, which recently purchased the segment from "The Late Show With James Corden", to be distributed via Apple Music.

Apple has licensed 16 episodes of the show from CBS TV Studios, which will be executive produced by Corden and Ben Winston. The purchase is said to be seen as a way to drive online activity for the streaming music service, which Apple announced had reached 17 million paying subscribers as of yesterday.

That number compares with the 15 million users that Apple said the service had garnered by its 1st birthday on June 30, indicating a jump of 2 million subscribers in just two months, despite strong competition from rival services like Spotify.

The increased popularity of Apple Music is in stark contrast to Apple's falling iPhone sales year-on-year, and highlights the company's increasing reliance on profiting from existing customers through services rather than exclusively relying on acquiring new ones via hardware sales to meet its revenue targets.

It also indicates that while industry commenters have leveled plenty of criticism at Apple Music for perceived deficiencies in its interface design and functionality, customers are still signing up to the service at a steady rate, perhaps won over by the exclusive album releases by popular artists that Apple has recently secured.

In another boost for Cupertino, last week Apple Music for Android surpassed 10 million downloads from the Google Play Store, 10 months after it was released on the platform, proving that the service is becoming popular with listeners who don't necessarily even own an Apple device.

With iOS 10, due to be released September 13, Apple is redesigning the Apple Music experience on its mobile platform, revamping the app with new organization and a new design.

Photo sharing app Instagram is set to become one of the first platforms specifically designed to take advantage of the iPhone 7's powerful new camera features.

Details of the upcoming update were shared by Instagram's head of design Ian Spalter during yesterday's Apple event in San Francisco, where he demonstrated how the app would make use of several of the new phones' capabilities.

First of all, the iPhone 7 Plus telephoto lens will be controllable simply by dragging a finger up and down in the Instagram camera window, allowing users to adjust the level of optical/digital zoom. Meanwhile, Apple's new Taptic Engine feedback will let users know how much zoom they've enabled when composing stills as well as during video recording.

Instagram is also revising all of its photo filters to take advantage of the iPhone 7 display's wider color gamut, allowing users to see a broader range of hues in their pictures.

Other additions revealed on stage included a 3D Touch action for the Instagram app icon that will let users quickly add a photo to an Instagram Story – the platform's new sharing feature aped from Snapchat.

Lastly, the app will make use of iOS 10's new Live Photos API to convert the video clips into Instagram Boomerang GIFs, which play back and forth on repeat.

The updated version of the app launches later this year, presumably after iOS 10 is released on September 13 and the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have made it into consumers' hands. Preorders for the devices begin Friday, September 9, with shipments scheduled to start on September 16.

T-Mobile has announced that it will offer a free 32GB iPhone 7 during pre-order to new or existing customers when they trade in their iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus or 6s Plus. The offer is for a limited time and will be available at T-Mobile.com when pre-orders are live and T-Mobile retail stores.

The offer partially extends to other iPhone 7 models. For example, the 32GB iPhone 7 Plus is available for $120 with a trade-in, while the 128GB and 256GB iPhone 7 are available for $100 and $200, respectively.

To qualify for the offer, the trade-in iPhone has to be a 6, 6s, 6 Plus or 6s Plus and be able to turn on, have no water damage, and not have a shattered screen. Customers will also need a 24-month no-cost finance agreement. T-Mobile says that customers will see a credit on their bill every month for 24 months. After 24 months, T-Mobile says customers will have paid nothing and received a free iPhone 7.

Customers can walk away at any time by either paying their outstanding phone balance or turning in their iPhone 7.

AT&T has also announced a promo for the iPhone 7. New and existing DirecTV and AT&T U-verse customers can get a 32GB iPhone 7 on either AT&T Next or AT&T Next Every Year when they add a new line to their account from another wireless provider. Customers will receive up to $650 in monthly bill credits whey they activate their new iPhone. Similar to the T-Mobile offer, customers can choose another iPhone 7 model and pay the difference.

While Beats announced three new wireless headphones equipped with Apple's new W1 wireless chip earlier today, it also quietly released the new Beats EP wired headphones with a 3.5mm headphone plug. The new on-ear headphones are built to deliver "premium" sound in a "tough" and lightweight frame.

The headphones are battery-free, allowing unlimited playback with a hassle-free fixed cable. They also come with adjustable vertical sliders so that users can personalize the fit for their head. RemoteTalk control allows users with iOS devices to take calls and control their music.

The Beats EP are available in four colors (blue, white, black, and red) and is available now on Apple.com and select retailers for $129.

While the iPhone 7 Plus introduced today saw a general $20 increase compared to the iPhone 6s Plus it will replace, customers in some countries are finding prices on both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and other products increasing by even more due to fluctuations in exchange rates.

One country significantly affected by the changes is the United Kingdom, where off-contract prices for the iPhone 7 in the UK are £599 for 32 GB, £699 for 128 GB, and £799 for 256 GB, compared to £539, £619, and £699 for the iPhone 6s last year. With its higher price points and the general price increase, the iPhone 7 Plus is seeing even large price jumps of between £100 and £130 for UK customers.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have seen more moderate price increases in euro-based countries like Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Italy. In Germany, for example, the iPhone 7 is priced at €759, €869, and €979, roughly €15 higher than the iPhone 6s was priced prior to today. With the general price increases compounding the currency adjustments for the iPhone 7 Plus, prices have increased by €45 on those corresponding models.

The iPhone isn't the only Apple product receiving price changes. For example, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at £729 in the UK as of today, an increase from the previous £679. Other iPad models have seen similar increases, while the Apple Pencil has increased from £79 to £99. Accessories such as cases and cables have also seen price increases in the UK.

Apple Pay is expanding to three new countries this fall, including New Zealand, Russia, and Japan. Apple today confirmed its plans to bring Apple Pay to Japan on stage at its iPhone 7 event, while the Russia and New Zealand Apple Pay sites were updated with info on an imminent launch.

As was previously reported, Apple Pay in Japan will be implemented through a partnership with Sony and an iPhone 7 with support for the FeliCa tap-to-pay format, which has been widely adopted in the country. Apple Pay, which will work with Suica, will be coming to Japan in October.

Apple Pay is accepted anywhere Suica is available, so users can make quick everyday purchases and buy or reload a Suica card or commuter pass, all with their iPhone. Japan's major financial brands will also support Apple Pay, so shoppers can make purchases in many of the country's largest stores, at neighborhood shops and restaurants, and from their favorite online merchants.

Apple Pay in Japan will support credit and prepaid cards issued by AEON, Credit Saison, JCB, Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos, Orient Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Card, Toyota Finance, UC Cards and View Card, and carriers KDDI, NTT Docomo, and Softbank.

Apple Pay will be coming to New Zealand through a partnership with ANZ, and it will initially be limited to ANZ customers. A launch date has not been announced but it is expected to be released in October.

"Our customers in the nine markets around the world where Apple Pay is live today love how convenient it makes their day-to-day shopping, and we can't wait to bring Apple Pay to New Zealand so customers there can start making easy, secure and private payments in their favourite stores, apps and on the web," said Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay, in a statement.

Details on Apple Pay in Russia are limited with no word on which banks it will work with, but the service is expected to debut before the end of the year.

Apple Pay is currently available in nine countries including the United States, United Kingdom, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, France, and Singapore. Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey has said Apple is "working rapidly" to expand the service to additional countries in Asia and Europe.