Over the weekend, Apple began decorating the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, which is where its "See You on the 7th" keynote will be held on Wednesday. Crews have put up window decorations and flags with Apple logos, plus other black-with-colored-dots themed banners and signage.
At the event, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, second-generation Apple Watch, and refreshed Beats products. Apple should also provide final release dates for iOS 10, macOS Sierra, tvOS 10, and watchOS 3, and it may have other product and service updates to announce.
Apple will provide a live stream of the September 7 keynote on the Apple TV and on iOS and Mac devices through its website. MacRumors will also provide live coverage of the event for those unable to watch, both on MacRumors.com and through our @MacRumorsLive account on Twitter.
Apple has begun selling gift cards for Apple Music annual subscriptions at the discounted price of $99. The 12-month gift cards work out at $8.25 per month, offering an 18 percent saving over the standard $9.99 monthly subscription rate for Apple's streaming service.
Currently the gift cards are being offered at brick-and-mortar Apple stores and select third-party sellers like Best Buy, but eGift cards can also be purchased online at PayPal and Walmart for instant activation.
Elsewhere, residents in the U.K. can use PayPal's online eGift shop to buy 12-month Apple Music gift cards for £99, which works out at £8.25 instead of £9.99, for those willing to sign up for a full year.
Apple still offers eligible students 50 percent off an Apple Music subscription, while the family plan lets up to six people pay $15 per month, or $2.50 each.
The new Apple Music, which has seen a significant redesign in iOS 10, will launch to the public this fall.
Apple has reportedly hiked orders for parts and components required for the production of the upcoming iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, according to sources from the supply chain in Taiwan (via DigiTimes).
Apple shipped on average 30 million iPhone 6s units a month in the second half of 2015. The company originally predicted shipments of the iPhone 7 this year would reach only 60 percent of that number over the same period, but supply chain sources are today reporting that Apple has boosted its original prediction by 10 percent.
Dummy mockups of iPhone 7 handsets
The hike in order volumes suggests Apple is increasingly upbeat about demand for the new devices among existing iPhone owners seeking to upgrade, despite relatively subdued interest in the iPhone 7 models compared to the pre-launch buzz of previous years.
Another potential factor in Apple's upward revision is Samsung's global recall of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone last week, which followed numerous complaints that the device caught fire while charging. The news arguably couldn't have come at a worse time for Apple's biggest rival, which has pitched its Note 7 as a direct competitor to Apple's 5.5-inch iPhones.
Samsung has already voluntarily pulled its flagship device from 10 countries, including South Korea and the U.S. Target has reportedly stopped selling the phone, while Amazon and Best Buy have also said they are no longer selling the Note 7. In the latest blow, Consumer Reports has called for an official recall which would make it illegal to sell the phones in the U.S.
Samsung has told customers it will take at least 14 days to replace their phones, and with several mobile operators including T-Mobile offering full refunds to Note buyers over the same week the new iPhones are expected to be announced, Apple's offering could prove a tempting alternative.
A lot depends on how fast Apple can fulfill pre-orders for its new handsets. While the company typically releases an iPhone about two weeks after introducing it, scheduling information from AT&T indicates that the iPhone 7 might not launch until later in the month, on September 23.
Previous information from notable smartphone leaker Even Blass suggested pre-orders for the iPhone 7 will take place this Friday, September 9, two days after the debut event. That date is in line with the schedule from AT&T.
However, Blass also predicted an iPhone launch for September 16, so if the AT&T information is accurate and does relate to release preparations, the previous prediction could be incorrect. September 16 and September 23 are both likely candidates for an iPhone release date.
Despite Apple's revised orders, some suppliers reportedly remain worried that the uplift could be short-lived, given that order volumes for new parts and components may start drifting down in Q4 "on seasonality".
Be sure to check out our "What to Expect" post for a recap on other announcements expected at Wednesday's event and stay tuned to MacRumors for other last-minute news and rumors.
We'll have full live coverage here on MacRumors.com on the event day, as well as through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account, starting at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.
At WWDC this year, Apple announced a new "Discovery Mix" playlist that would recommend music and artists to each Apple Music subscriber based on their listening habits and favorite songs. Yesterday, the feature became available to users on the iOS 10 beta, now under a different name: one playlist called "My New Music Mix" and another called "My Favorites Mix" (via AppleInsider).
My New Music Mix introduces users to new songs
The update can be found in the For You section of Apple Music, with each playlist housing 25 songs. My New Music Mix contains all-new music from artists that the Apple Music curators have picked based on each user's listening habits, and updates with new options every Friday. My Favorites Mix is full of "the songs you love and more," meaning it's focused on music users have already listened to rather than introducing them to new content. That playlist is updated every Wednesday.
Similar to other personally curated playlists in the For You tab, both My New Music Mix and My Favorites Mix can be subscribed to, placing them in the Library tab to become more easily accessible. On a smaller scale, each individual song can be added to the Library, and then downloaded to listen to offline.
My Favorites Mix curates each user's favorite artists and songs into one place
Apple Music's new curation feature is akin to Spotify's Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists, which recommends music from new artists and current favorite artists, respectively. Spotify updates Discover Weekly every Monday and Release Radar every Friday.
New iOS updates, like Apple Music's personally-tailored music curation playlists, are predicted to be topics of discussion at Apple's September 7 event next week. Otherwise, it's expected that focus will be on the debut of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch 2.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a very solid track record when it comes to Apple product rumors, has released his most detailed research report yet ahead of Wednesday's iPhone 7 launch. The report recaps a number of claims previously shared by Kuo and others while also introducing several new tidbits about the device.
Kuo notes that there are many upgrades and other changes with the iPhone 7, but because the overall design is similar to the iPhone 6s, "general users may not feel the differences significantly." Details on the iPhone 7 include:
- New A10 chip from TSMC that could top out at 2.4-2.45 GHz, although Apple may clock it a bit lower due to heat and power consumption concerns.
- Storage capacities of 32 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB on both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone 7 Plus will include 3 GB of DRAM to support the dual-lens camera, while the iPhone 7 will continue to include 2 GB.
- Five color options including the usual silver, gold, and rose gold, along with a "dark black" replacing the usual Space Gray. A new fifth color Kuo describes as glossy "piano black" will also be offered. A photo of SIM trays in those five colors surfaced earlier this week.
We expect the iPhone 7 to come in piano black, dark black, rose gold, gold and silver. Only the piano black model will have a glossy finish. Given high production barriers, large-storage models may have first priority in adopting piano black casing in the initial stage.
- Improved IPX7 water resistance matching that of the original Apple Watch and making the device suitable for splashes, showering, and even brief dips in water up to one meter deep.
- No headphone jack, with Apple providing both Lightning EarPods and a Lightning to 3.5 mm jack adapter in the box. Removal of the headphone jack will allow for an upgraded speaker and a new sensor for improved Force Touch.
- Earpiece receiver to become a speaker with the addition of a new audio amplifier. Rather than putting a second speaker at the bottom in place of the headphone jack, Apple is said to be upgrading the earpiece receiver at the top of the device to become a full speaker. The change would provide enough separation to allow for stereo sound when the device is held in landscape orientation.
- Pressure-sensitive click-less home button to benefit water resistance. New haptics to mimic a clicking sensation when the button is pressed will be included.
- Wide color displays in the same sizes and resolutions as the current iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The wide color technology adopted from the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will offer better color quality.
- Dual-lens rear camera on the iPhone 7 Plus, which will increase Apple's costs by about $40 and could make the iPhone 7 Plus more expensive than the iPhone 6s Plus. Both lenses will be 12-megapixel, but one will be a wide-angle camera with larger pixel sizes, a 6P lens, and optical image stabilization, while the second will be a telephoto lens with smaller pixel sizes and a 5P lens.
- Upgraded rear camera flash with four LEDs (two cool and two warm) and a new ambient light sensor for better image quality.
- Possible upgraded proximity sensor shifting from LED to laser for faster response and greater recognition distance, as well as potential gesture recognition.
- FeliCa NFC support in models sold in Japan, as had been previously rumored for either the iPhone 7 or the 2017 iPhone.
Overall, Kuo believes iPhone 7 shipments will be below that of the iPhone 6s through the end of the year, coming in at 60-65 million compared to 82 million last year. Kuo reports that Apple's water resistance requirements resulted in low assembly yields that pushed back the start of mass production until the second half of August.
Make sure to check out our "What to Expect" post for a recap on other announcements expected at Wednesday's event and stay tuned to MacRumors for other last-minute news and rumors. On the event day, we'll have full live coverage here on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account, starting at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.
Apple and other companies today filed friend-of-the-court briefs to support Microsoft in its legal fight with the U.S. Department of Justice. Microsoft's lawsuit is aimed at striking down a law that prevents companies from telling customers about government data requests, reportsReuters.
Apple joined a wide array of companies to support Microsoft, including Fox News, The Washington Post, BP, Delta Airlines, Google, Snapchat, Amazon, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla and more.
Microsoft filed its lawsuit against the Justice Department in April, saying that the government is using the authority of the 30-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act to prevent companies from informing customers when they hand over private data stored in the cloud. Microsoft argues that the government is violating the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees the right for people and businesses to know if the government is searching or seizing their property, and the company's First Amendment right to free speech, which it would use to inform customers.
The Department of Justice, which filed a motion to dismiss the suit in July, argues that the public has a "compelling interest in keeping criminal investigations confidential" and that Microsoft has no standing to bring on the case. It also contends that there are procedural safeguards to protect constitutional rights.
Apple has also been embroiled in a legal fight with the DoJ, asserting that the FBI's use of the All Writs Act to force Apple to unlock the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farouk is both unprecedented and dangerous. Microsoft was one of the many companies filing amicus briefs in support of Apple.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
We're just a few days away from Apple's annual fall event, where we expect to see the launch of the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, a second-generation Apple Watch with new bands, and refreshed Beats products.
We may also see the debut of Apple's rumored wireless "AirPods" earbuds, and we'll find out when iOS 10, macOS Sierra, tvOS 10, and watchOS 3 will officially launch. For details on all of Apple's new products culled from the rumors we've heard over the course of the last year, read our below guide on what to expect, but beware -- there are lots of spoilers!
For the next few weeks, MacRumors is running a special giveaway event, which will see us highlighting and giving away high-quality luxury bags from manufacturers like Pad & Quill, Intrepid Bag Co, Whipping Post, and Saddleback Leather Company. We've got all of these bags on hand so we can give clear details on construction, quality, utility, and more.
Measuring in at 15 inches by 11.5 inches by 3.5 inches, the Pocket Briefcase is not a small bag, so it's big enough to hold a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a Retina MacBook, a 13-inch MacBook Pro/MacBook Air, or a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro. I was able to fit multiple Apple products inside, along with all of their accessories.
The Pocket Briefcase is made from a super thick, rugged full-grain leather and features a saddle-style buckle and two outer pockets that also clasp with buckles. When new, the bag is rigid and the main buckle is a bit hard to work with, but it should soften up within a few weeks. The outer leather looks like it'll weather nicely, gaining a lot of character over time from scratches and bumps, and it's undeniably sturdy, made from just a few pieces of leather with careful stitching.
Aside from the two outer buckle pockets, a pen pocket, and a rear pocket large enough to hold papers or magazines, there's one main pocket on the inside of the bag, roomy enough to hold the aforementioned laptop along with accessories and anything else you might need to carry. There are two hidden side pockets within the main pocket, sized to hold items like pens, pencils and flash drives, and there's a leather key fob.
The padded leather strap can be used to wear the briefcase as a messenger bag or as a backpack depending on how it's buckled, so can be worn in whichever way is most comfortable. The shoulder strap can also be removed entirely so it can be used as a traditional briefcase with just the padded hand strap, and no matter how you're using it, it's going to get compliments. This is a stylish, rugged briefcase.
At 5.35 pounds, this is not a lightweight bag, but the craftsmanship is superb and it looks like it'll be able to stand up to a lot of abuse while still looking great. Saddleback Leather Company offers a 100 year guarantee on its products, so this is a bag that you buy for life.
The Thin Front Pocket Briefcase is normally priced at $489, but one MacRumors reader will win one for free. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (September 2) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 9. The winner will be chosen randomly on September 9 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.
Apple has quietly updated the radio section of Apple Music and iTunes with a few new pieces of artwork for stations like "Pop Workout," "Dance," and "Classical." The new art can be seen within the radio tab of the Music app on iOS and iTunes on OS X.
Apple is expected to touch upon software updates coming to its mobile and desktop operating systems at its iPhone-centric event next Wednesday, September 7. These will include iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, both expected to launch alongside the so-called iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus later this month with an all-new and revamped Apple Music app.
One month after the latest video update on Apple's second campus, today a new drone video was posted online with a couple minutes worth of footage showing new headway made on the project. In the video (which was shot using a DJI Inspire 1 Pro drone), solar panels on the roof of the campus are nearing completion as the main building continues to take the shape of Steve Jobs' vision.
The outside of the building has seen a lot of development, with the glass facade nearly finished both on the inside and outside of the circular structure. Construction is also continuing apace on the nearby auxiliary buildings, including one for R&D, two finished garages that will hold 8,000 cars, and the campus' underground auditorium.
As the project nears the end of construction, landscaping is getting a heavier focus as well. Most notably, a large pond with a surrounding garden at the center of the campus has begun taking shape, with more detailed outlines and giant boulders put in place within the future pond area.
Spread across the entire campus, including the new garden, Apple plans to have more than 7,000 trees on the site consisting of 300 different species, including fruit trees. Employee amenities will include various exercise-focused zones like joggling and cycling trails, and courts for basketball and tennis.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, with employees moving in towards the beginning of 2017.
Ireland's coalition government has agreed to appeal the European Commission's ruling that it must collect 13 billion euros in back taxes from Apple, according to Reuters. A motion will come before the country's Parliament on Wednesday seeking an endorsement of that decision, a government spokesperson said.
It was always expected that both Apple and Ireland would appeal any adverse decision, as insisted by the country's finance minister Michael Noonan, but Ireland's cabinet members became divided on the matter following the ruling. After meeting on Friday, however, the cabinet has seemingly come together and agreed to join Apple's fight against the European Commission.
Earlier this week, the European Commission ruled that Apple received illegal state aid from Ireland, following a three-year inquiry into the company's tax arrangements in the country. The investigation's results showed that Apple allegedly paid between 0.005% and 1% in taxes in Ireland between 2003 and 2014, compared to the the country's headline 12.5% corporate tax rate.
Cook also said that Apple has "provisioned several billion dollars for the U.S. for payment," and he forecasted that it could repatriate that cash next year. Europe's competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager previously said that Apple could lower its Irish tax bill by paying appropriate taxes in other countries, or by increasing R&D payments to its U.S. operations.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
China-based ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing is under an antitrust investigation, spearheaded by China’s Ministry of Commerce, following Didi's acquisition of Uber's Chinese operations earlier in the summer (via The Wall Street Journal). The Ministry of Commerce said today that it's opened an investigation "after it received questions over whether the ride-hailing deal complied with the nation’s antitrust law."
The investigation has reportedly been ongoing for a while now, as the commerce ministry has held two meetings surrounding the deal between Didi and Uber. According to transcripts of the meetings, the focus has been on asking Didi why it didn't apply for antitrust review before moving forward with the deal. When its acquisition of Uber went public, Didi claimed it didn't need to apply to antitrust regulators "because UberChina’s revenue didn’t reach the 400 million yuan ($60 million) “turnover” threshold triggering an antitrust review."
At issue is the vague word “turnover” in China’s antimonopoly law, which could be interpreted as either revenue or transaction volume, China accountants say. UberChina’s transaction volume almost certainly exceeds 400 million yuan, but Uber counts only a fraction of each fare as part of its revenue. That is because the company—like other “platforms” such as Groupon Inc.—says it is only a middleman and that it only passes along fares from riders to drivers, taking a thin cut.
Many professionals looking into the case still believe that the Didi/Uber deal will go through in the end, with one ministry spokesman saying that, right now, they're just trying "to understand the online ride-hailing business model and the sector’s competitive environment." According to Lester Ross, a Beijing-based attorney with U.S. law firm WilmerHale, Chinese regulators are simply "flexing their muscles" following public fear that a consolidation of ride-hailing firms would result in higher fares.
Apple's connection to the investigation lies in its own $1 billion investment into Didi Chuxing earlier in May, which gave it access to data and expertise on electric and autonomous car technology, as well as a foot in the door with the Chinese investment community. Although still a widely-known rumor, the Didi investment got tied into Apple's car-related Project Titan, which is an "open secret" within Silicon Valley. In July, it was reported that Apple hired a new chief on its Apple Car project, Bob Mansfield, with a shift in focus now on autonomous driving.
Created five years ago in September of 2011, Apple's official twitter account, @Apple, has begun stirring today. The company updated the page with a new logo -- a classic black Apple image on a white background -- and the same teaser art for next week's September 7 event that was included on invites earlier this week.
Although Apple appears to be preparing a new section of its social media presence, the account has yet to tweet anything to its more than 110,000 followers. With the timing of the reactivation, and the similar art, it seems likely that Apple will begin using the account to share news and updates from its event in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California.
Apple hasn't been completely averse to social media, since over the past few years the company has created Twitter accounts for iBooks, Apple Music, iTunes, and just this year began bolstering its presence on Twitter with Apple Support and Apple News. Apple was recently rumored to be working on a social media app of its own for launch in 2017, with similarities tying its video-heavy features more to Facebook and Snapchat than to Twitter.
Update: Apple’s Twitter account has shared a promoted tweet reminding users about next week’s event. Users can retweet the status to get an event reminder.
Captain America: Civil War is now available in Digital HD on iTunes. The movie comes with a host of special features exclusive to iTunes, and Forbesreports that Marvel and iTunes Movies worked together to create a new "immersive" set of bonus features for the release.
The iTunes edition of the movie comes with a feature titled "Choose Your Side," which lets viewers choose whether they're on Team Cap or Team Iron Man. Choosing a side unlocks a series of exclusive photos, videos, posters, comics and more for each team. According to Forbes, every actor in the film gets an in-depth filmography that includes the actor's photos over the years and quotes from other actors about what it's like to work with them.
iTunes movies typically include cast filmographies so users can easily purchase or rent other films a certain actor may have starred in, and they sometimes include exclusive bonus features like audio commentary.
In addition to the iTunes-exclusive bonus content, Civil War comes with deleted scenes, audio commentary, a gag reel, a preview of Marvel's upcoming film Doctor Strange and two behind-the-scenes extras. The first is a two-part making-of documentary called "United We Stand, Divided We Fall," and the other is "The Road to Civil War," which charts the journey of Captain America and Iron Man from the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to their stand-off in Civil War.
Apple has also added Team Captain America and Team Iron Man pages to the iTunes Movies carousel. Each page lists movies, comics, music, apps and TV shows tied to the members of that specific team.
Captain America: Civil War is available on iTunes now for $19.99 in Digital HD. [Direct Link]
Apple plans to unveil new Beats by Dre products at its upcoming event set to be held on September 7, reports iGeneration. The news comes courtesy of an email that was mistakenly sent to the site from the Beats PR team, which iGeneration originally provided a screenshot for but was asked to remove.
The email announced the Apple event and specifically said "a selection of new Beats by Dre products will be unveiled."
It isn't known what new Beats products Apple has in the works, but it seems likely the company will debut both new wireless headphones and Beats headphones that adopt Lightning connectors, as the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will not have a headphone jack. Apple was recently granted a number of product certifications from the Eurasian Economic Union, and three new Beats headphone models were among them.
Apple is also working on a set of wireless "AirPods" earbuds, which are not likely to be sold under the Beats brand. It is not clear if the AirPods are going to be announced at the September 7 event, but rumors suggest they are fully wireless with no connective cord between the earpieces, much like the Bragi Dash.
It appears Apple plans to offer a range of different jack-free headphone solutions for iPhone customers alongside the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. Along with new Beats and the rumored AirPods, Apple is also said to be planning to ship its two new smartphones with Lightning-equipped EarPods.
Satechi today announced an expansion of its Type-C accessory line, introducing the new Slim 4K Multi-Port USB-C Adapter. The Slim Multi-Port Adapter is designed to add multiple extra port connections to a laptop or desktop along with 4K support.
The adapter, which has a sleek aluminum design and comes in colors to match Apple's MacBook line (Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, and Space Gray), features a 4K HDMI port able to output video from a computer to a 4K monitor.
The Slim 4K Multi-Port Adapter also includes two standard USB-A ports and it supports passthrough charging, so multiple devices can be connected to a 12-inch MacBook while it is also charging.
Apple today notified developers about some upcoming changes to the App Store, which are designed to make it easier for customers to find high-quality app content.
Starting on September 7, Apple will begin removing old, outdated apps that have not received compatibility updates, do not comply with current review guidelines, or that no longer function as intended. This will see the elimination of many older apps that have been long abandoned.
Quality is extremely important to us. We know that many of you work hard to build innovative apps and update your apps on the App Store with new content and features. However, there are also apps on the App Store that no longer function as intended or follow current review guidelines, and others which have not been supported with compatibility updates for a long time. We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps for these issues, notifying their developers, and removing problematic and abandoned apps from the App Store.
Apps across all categories will be subject to Apple's new review process this September. Developers with problematic apps will be notified and will have 30 days to make changes to their app to prevent it from being removed from the App Store. Apps that crash on launch will, however, be removed from the App Store immediately.
Apple also plans to limit the number of characters that can be used in an app name, preventing some developers from using excessively long app names to influence search results. Beginning on September 7, app names submitted in iTunes Connect for both new apps and app updates will be limited to a maximum of 50 characters.
Search is one of the most frequently used methods for customers to discover and download apps from the App Store. In hopes of influencing search results, some developers have used extremely long app names which include descriptions and terms not directly related to their app. These long names are not fully displayed on the App Store and provide no user value. App names you submit in iTunes Connect for new apps and updates will now be limited to no longer than 50 characters.
Over the course of the last few months, Apple has been dedicating resources to improving the App Store. In June, Apple announced plans to open up app subscriptions to all product categories, offer more favorable subscription revenue splits, improve sharing tools, and introduce ads to App Store search results to give developers new ways to promote their apps.
Update: Apple has also released updated App Store guidelines that cover new features in iOS 10 like SiriKit, sticker packs, Messages App Store, the new subscription policies, and more.
Zagg today announced the launch of its two newest screen protectors for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, introducing the InvisibleShield Sapphire Defense and the InvisibleShield Glass+.
The Sapphire Defense InvisibleShield is a hybrid glass screen protector infused with sapphire to give it superior scratch resistance. According to Zagg, the Sapphire Defense combines sapphire, glass, and traditional screen protection for a "virtually indestructible" screen protector that offers 7x better impact protection compared to an unprotected screen.
It also features smudge resistance, a self-healing surface to mask minor scratches, and the smooth feel and clarity of traditional glass screen protectors from Zagg.
"Almost everyone can relate to the fear associated with accidentally dropping your smartphone onto a hard surface," said Brian Stech, president of ZAGG. "As mobile devices have become the epicenter of our lives, we believe your screen should look as good today as the day you first purchased your device. This mentality drives us to work tirelessly to ensure mobile users can charge through life free from the fear of a damaged screen, confident to know the world's most advanced screen protection and lifetime warranty are protecting them."
The InvisibleShield Glass+ is a less expensive tempered glass screen protector which Zagg says features advanced impact protection, scratch resistance, and reinforced edges. It's constructed from several layers to protect against scratches and it offers 2x more impact protection than an unprotected screen.
The InvisibleShield Sapphire Defense is priced at $49.99 while the InvisibleShield Glass+ is priced at $39.99. Both new screen protectors can be purchased from the Zagg website, with the Glass+ coming in early September and the Sapphire Defense coming in early October.
Apple today 
