Adobe:

The in-app camera now supports the DNG format! DNG is Adobe’s open-source raw format that gives you maximum image quality and the greatest amount of editing flexibility. To use the DNG format you need to have iOS 10 and a device that has a 12MP camera.

This is just one of many updates you will see today and in the next few days as developers roll out support for various aspects of iOS 10. For photographers, you’ll see many camera apps implementing the new RAW support.

Macstories:

Even without a clean slate, and with a release cycle that may begin to split across platforms, iOS 10 packs deep changes and hundreds of subtle refinements. The final product is a major leap forward from iOS 9 – at least for iPhone users.

At the same time, iOS 10 is more than a collection of new features. It’s the epitome of Apple’s approach to web services and AI, messaging as a platform, virtual assistants, and the connected home. And as a cornucopia of big themes rather than trivial app updates, iOS 10 shows another side of Apple’s strategy:

Sometimes, change is necessary.

Settle in. This review is 31 pages long. It even has closing credits.

There’s just a ton of chewy goodness here. And that plural in the title, mwah, love it!

If you are at all wrestling with the jet black versus matte black finishes for the iPhone 7, your answer lies within this review. Personally, I find the micro-abrasion issue inviting, in the same way I think of a new leather pair of sandals, jacket, or guitar strap. I prefer a worn in look and feel. It makes the leather feel like part of my life.

If you are anal about the finish of your iPhone, steer clear of the jet black or get a case. Me, I went right for the jet black, no regrets, no looking back.

I found this a fascinating read. Lots of back story on the very first days of Amazon.

Aaron Pressman, writing for Fortune:

Apple made several choices in the wireless capabilities of its new iPhone 7 that could complicate life for some of the phone’s owners.

None of the new iPhones will be able to go online using a spectrum band known as AWS-3, according to Apple’s specifications page. Carriers spent almost $45 billion last year at a federal auction for the rights to use the AWS-3 band, also known as LTE band 66, and are starting to put it in service. The carriers all also operate on other high-speed bands that will be iPhone 7 compatible, but they won’t be able to connect to the new phone with the additional AWS spectrum.

Here’s a link to Apple’s iPhone 7 specs page. Scroll down and see for yourself.

Continuing:

For consumers, that means their new iPhones may not be able to jump onto a band that is apt to be less crowded, and possibly faster. And Apple also made a choice that limits the ability of some new iPhone 7 models to connect to all four major carriers.

That’s because Apple split the manufacturing of iPhone modem chips between suppliers Intel and Qualcomm. Modems from the two companies aren’t interchangeable, effectively eliminating the ability of some iPhone 7 models to connect to all four major carrier networks. Although the two modem chips have many of the same features, Intel’s chip can’t connect to older CDMA wireless networks still in use by Verizon and Sprint for voice calling.

And:

The problem caused by the split between Intel and Qualcomm can be avoided by savvy phone shoppers. Customers who want to be sure that their iPhone 7 will work on any of the big four networks, preserving their ability to switch carriers, should opt for a phone with a Qualcomm chip, which encompasses the models being sold on the box as Verizon or Sprint compatible. They are labeled as models A1660 for the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and A1661 for the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.

Is this much ado about nothing? Is this only an issue if you intend to unlock your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus and switch carriers? Hard for me to get my head around this issue. It’s certainly interesting. Just not sure how big an issue this is for consumers. If you’ve got a detailed understanding of this, please ping me. I’m all ears.

Nice, image heavy (which is the way I like it), detailed review from BirchTree.

Jeff Benjamin, writing for 9to5Mac:

Let the deluge begin… Not long after the Super Mario Run iMessage sticker pack was made available to iOS 10 users, Apple has unleashed the entire iMessage App Store. The iMessage App Store, which is available for iOS 10 users, features sticker packs from companies like Disney, Bandai Namco, Sanrio, and others.

In addition to the sticker packs, the iMessage App Store features full-fledged iMessage apps and games. Several of the apps that were demonstrated during the WWDC 2016 keynote are here, such as Square Cash, OpenTable, and JibJab.

I’ve been seeing a steady stream of new iMessage content, similar to what we saw when Apple opened up the Apple Watch to third party complications.

I found this interesting:

Some of the apps are standalone iMessage apps, while others are extensions of already existing apps in the main App Store. You can tell which apps are extensions when the regular app is downloaded on your Home screen. Standalone apps have no primary app, and live solely in the iMessage App Store.

Time will tell if the iMessage app store catches on, gets the same kind of traction as the regular app store. The iMessage App Store will go mainstream when Apple rolls out iOS 10 to the public this afternoon (should be around 1p PT).

If you haven’t already, read Jim’s excellent, hands-on review of the AirPods, Apple’s wireless earpods.

Seems to me, the AirPods should stay in your ears just fine. As Jim says:

The AirPods actually fit my ears better than the wired EarPods. One explanation for this could be that the wires create a tension point using the EarPods to be pulled out of your ear a little bit.

This statement really resonated for me. When my Apple EarPods come out of my ears, it is always because of tension on the wires, caused by an unintentional tug from shirt, jacket, or some outside force.

Jim continues:

I walked, jumped, ran, shook my head around, bent down, tipped over, and did every other move I could think of to make the AirPods fall out of my ears—they never did.

That said, if you are in an environment where you need a bit of safety, Amazon sells something called the AirPods strap. I actually think this would be useful in certain environments. For example, if you are moving around and find you need to take one or both AirPods out of your ear periodically. You could drape one AirPod over your shoulder and use the other as a counterbalance. You could even clip the strap to your shirt if you are in an environment where dropping one meant a drop from great height or into water.

Or you could just wear the wired EarPods.

[Via 17 Orbits]

Chris Welch, writing for The Verge:

Twitter is about to make a big change to the way that tweets work, The Verge can independently confirm. Beginning September 19th, the company will cut down on exactly which types of content count toward the platform’s 140-character limit. Media attachments (images, GIFs, videos, polls, etc.) and quoted tweets will no longer reduce the count. The extra room for text will give users more flexibility in composing their messages.

It will be nice to have this breathing room. Bravo.

Kirk McElhearn digs into the details of shuffling music in the more complex universe of iOS 10, Apple Music and iCloud Music Library.

CNET:

The Lazareth LM847 is the coolest motorcycle you’ll probably never see. It has four wheels, hinges between the wheels on each axle, and sandwiched between all that is a Maserati-sourced V8. That may sound like just another silly concept, but Lazareth’s latest video proves that it works.

The last thing a newbie would want to do, though, is strap in and try to take this thing for a ride. With 470 horsepower, 457 pound-feet of torque and a curb weight of just 880 pounds, it’s packing a power to weight ratio of 0.534 horsepower per pound.

I love motorcycles but this thing is a butt ugly monstrosity you couldn’t pay me enough to ride.

Vox:

I’m a university professor, with teaching experience at Columbia and Yale. These are the 10 things I’ve suggested to pretty much all the students who’ve ever walked through my door for office hours. I don’t think the advice applies just to the elite colleges. I went to a large but fairly good state school in Canada, the University of Waterloo. My hope is this applies to students of every stripe.

I won’t dwell on what you’ve probably heard already: Get a well-rounded education and enjoy yourself. That’s good advice, and your first and best rules. Here are some other suggestions to help make the most of college.

I think #3 and #6 are very important. How many of these things did you wish you knew before you went to college?

The New York Times:

Apple plans to release a free coding education app on Tuesday that it developed with middle-school students in mind, in the latest salvo among technology companies to gain share in the education market and to nurture early product loyalty among children.

Apple’s app, called Swift Playgrounds, introduces basic computer programming concepts, like sequencing logic, by asking students to use word commands to move cartoon avatars through a fanciful, animated world. Unlike some children’s apps, which employ drag-and-drop blocks to teach coding, the Apple program uses Swift, a professional programming language that the company introduced in 2014.

I can’t code my way out of a paper bag and have no real interest in creating my own apps but I’m very much looking forward to playing around with Swift Playgrounds.

The Wall Street Journal:

Early reviews of Apple Inc.’s new iPhone 7 were, in a word, “meh.” Pundits praised the many improvements in the device, but a consensus emerged that Apple had not given existing iPhone owners a compelling reason to upgrade.

Why is that? Why are the iPhone, and other computing devices like PCs and tablets, not changing as quickly as they once did? There are many reasons, but the central issue is this: It is harder than ever—more technically difficult, more expensive and more time consuming—to advance the state of the art. Our devices are so complicated that, at their most fundamental level, advancing them further pushes against the boundaries of physics.

That is no reason for despair.

Leaving aside the fact that, contrary to the first sentence, there are no “early reviews” of the iPhone 7 (it’s in the hands of reviewers now but any comment from reviewers is under embargo until next Wednesday), there’s this thought process among the tech media that demands companies, Apple in particularly, “wow” us with every new announcement. Not only is that an impossible standard to meet, it’s remarkably short sighted.

Globe Guide:

It was like being caught in a blender full of chocolate milk. Salty chocolate milk.

I clung to the side of the zodiac with all my strength, tossed around by massive waves and feeling like at any minute I might lose my grip and topple over the side into the churning brown water. The white-capped surge hit me over and over again, splashing straight into my face with such force I barely had time to gasp for air before I was bracing for the next onslaught.

And I freaking loved every single second of it.

Regular readers know that I am a proud son of Nova Scotia and love showing those outside the province how beautiful, interesting and fun it is. If you find yourself in the area of the Bay of Fundy (home of the world’s highest tides that cause this “tidal bore”), you should definitely explore it fully. But, to be fair, while the author says it was like, “salty chocolate milk”, I can assure you it most certainly isn’t the latter. That brown water? Mud. Salty, gritty, not chocolatey at all, mud. And if you’ve ever white water rafted out West, these waves will seem very tame to you. But you’ll still have a blast if you do this adventure.

Practically Efficient:

Like so many other unsolicited annoyances, I put off app reviews for a “later” that rarely ever arrives unless out of some unpredictable, random mood-strike—usually while I’m poking around in the App Store, not actually using the app.

And that’s the key: I’m more likely to rate an app when I’m not trying to get something done with the app.

I’m planning to try an experiment. I’m setting a weekly reminder to review an app—any app that I use all the time but haven’t yet reviewed.

I like this idea. I know how important these reviews are to developers, not just for the nice “pat on the back” a 5 star review gives but also the things customers don’t like gives the developer clues as to how to improve or what customers want. The same goes for podcasts you like. So, set aside a small chunk of time once a week or month to review your favorite app or podcast.

SuperDuper:

The latest version of SuperDuper! is faster, better, compatible with macOS Sierra – in fact, it’s compatible with macOS 10.8 and later, and improves many parts of the user experience. Of course, it still includes great features like Backup on Connect, Eject after Copy, Sparse Bundle support, lets you store a bootable backup alongside Time Machine backups, copy Time Machine backups to other drives, and run scheduled copies on demand.

This is just the beginning of a huge number of such updates but, for me, it’s particularly important. SuperDuper, along with Carbon Copy Cloner, are two of my must-have utilities for managing my Mac. Having it updated to be compatible with Sierra is a big deal.

Cincinnati Business Courier:

Cincinnati-based retail giant Macy’s Inc. signed a major deal with Apple to carry the iconic brand’s products in its department stores.

Macy’s president and incoming CEO Jeff Gennette said during a Goldman Sachs retail conference that Macy’s signed a deal with Apple to host an Apple store in its New York flagship Herald Square location. It will be the first department store to house an Apple store within its walls.

Macy’s will also be the first department store to sell the Apple Watch, a new version of which was released on Sept. 7, at more than 180 stores by the holiday shopping season.

This is obviously the first of many such deals to get the Apple Watch out in front of more consumers.

Wired:

Apple calls that shade Jet Black. We call it Batmobile black. Anish Kapoor black. None more black.

Whatever you call it, the glassy, murdered-out colorway is hands down the most eye-catching feature of the new, souped-up iPhone 7. In one of his signature process videos, chief design officer Jony Ive said Wednesday that Apple developed a whole new nine-step process to achieve the Jet Black iPhone 7’s high-gloss finish. That’s par for the course with Apple. The company’s manufacturing processes rely on no shortage of proprietary technologies, and finishing—the stage at which a product is polished up, literally and figuratively—is certainly one of them.

I don’t think Apple gets enough notice or credit for that last sentence. They’ve mentioned it several times – the idea that, if they need a particular process done and it’s not available, they don’t give up. They invent the process.

iTunes Movies:

iTunes Movies is turning 10! 10-movie bundles for $10.

Apple is using their Twitter feed to announce a huge selection of movies bundled as a “ten for ten” deal. Keep in mind, this is a US-only promotion. Those of us in third world countries like Canada cannot take advantage of this offer.

During Sunday’s Tennessee Titans vs Minnesota Vikings NFL game, Sports Illustrated photographer David E. Klutho shot some great looking photos with the iPhone 7 Plus.

UPDATE: Not to be outdone, ESPN has their own gallery of iPhone 7 Plus photos. Theirs are from the US Open Tenns tournament.

The Wirecutter:

If I wanted to buy in-ear headphones for under $100, I’d get the Marshall Mode. After researching a few hundred headphones in this price range, seriously considering over 150, and testing 54 (29 over the last two rounds, and 25 this round) with our expert audio panel, we’re confident that the Marshall Mode is your best bet in this price range and a serious upgrade from the earbuds that came with your phone. Not only did the headphones fit everyone (and many others didn’t), they sound better than much of their competition and also cost less.

Not everyone is a fan of the Apple Earpods and the new Airpods. I’m certainly not. They never fit properly. That’s not to say they are bad – they just aren’t for me. I’m a much bigger fan of these kind of softish in-ear headphones. For me, they create a better seal inside my ears. They also fit much better under my motorcycle helmet.

CPSC:

Lithium-ion batteries pack a lot of power into a small package. When these batteries overheat and burst, the results can be serious. This is why the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging all consumers who own a Samsung Galaxy Note7 to power them down and stop charging or using the device.

For your own safety, order an iPhone immediately.

applehelpwriter:

If you have Dropbox installed, take a look at System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Accessibility tab. Notice something? Ever wondered how it got in there? Do you think you might have put that in there yourself after Dropbox asked you for permission to control the computer?

No, I can assure you that your memory isn’t faulty. You don’t remember doing that because Dropbox never presented this dialog to you, as it should have

There really isn’t any excuse for Dropbox to ride roughshod over users’ security and preference choices.

This is really poor security from Dropbox. As of this writing, they have not responded to this issue or offered any explanations or solutions.

I believe this is available in both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Brian Sutich, writing for The App Factor, talks you through the process of reordering the icons on your share sheet, the interface that pops up when you tap the share icon (square with an up arrow rising from it). Nice job.

As always, read it and pass it along.

A few days ago, I wrote about the $99 offer for a year of Apple Music. This offer was only good on the individual plan.

If you have a Family Sharing plan, read the linked post. It details a $100 iTunes gift card that you buy for $85 and can, supposedly, apply to your Family plan.