For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with popular accessory maker Pad & Quill to give MacRumors readers a chance to win an expertly crafted case designed for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Pad & Quill makes a wide range of accessories for Apple's iOS devices, all made by hand from high-quality wood and leather, and its new line of iPhone 7 cases are no exception.


The Luxury Pocket Book iPhone 7 Case, the first case we're giving away, is a book-style case that's designed to both house and protect the iPhone 7. It features a cover made from full-grain American saddle leather to keep the iPhone 7's screen safe from scratches when in a pocket, and it has a birch wood cradle that holds the iPhone in place in case of a drop or impact while still leaving ports fully accessible.

Designed to perfectly fit the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 7 Plus, it comes with a wood frame to protect the area around the camera and a bookmark accent to complete the look. Inside the cover, there's space for up to five cards (six in the iPhone 7 Plus version) along with a clear ID pocket and a hidden cash pocket.


Available in several tasteful color combinations, the Luxury Book iPhone 7 case is priced at $99.95 while the iPhone 7 Plus version is priced at $109.95.

We're also giving away some of Pad & Quill's Woodline cases for the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, priced at $49.95. Available in four hard woods, including American Cherry, Rosewood, Premium American Walnut, and Zebra Wood, the Woodline is billed as the "world's thinnest, strongest wood case" for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.


The Woodline case snaps onto the two devices and has been crafted to fit perfectly with access to all ports. It's got an ultra-strong polymer core, able to keep the iPhone safe from drops. The case measures in at less than a millimeter thin and is 5x stronger than steel at the same weight. The wood is polished and resistant to scratches so it will look great for a long time.

Three MacRumors readers will win one of Pad & Quill's Luxury Book Cases and three MacRumors readers will win one of Pad & Quill's Woodline cases, all in the size and color of the winner's choosing. If you don't have an iPhone 7 or an iPhone 7 Plus, you can still enter - Pad & Quill is also offering its Luxury Book and Woodline cases for the iPhone 6/6s/6 Plus/6s Plus to winners.

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. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

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.

a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (September 30) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on October 7. The winners will be chosen randomly on October 7 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen. Prizes will be shipped in mid to late October.

Apple has announced that iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch in India on October 7 and in Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Montenegro, South Africa, and Turkey on October 14.


The smartphones also launch in Ukraine on October 7, and in South Korea and Thailand on October 21, according to local news reports.

In India, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available through online shops Flipkart, which began accepting pre-orders earlier today, and Infibeam. Pricing starts at Rs 60,000, with trade-in deals available.

In South Africa, the smartphones will be available through Cell C, iStore, and select other carriers and resellers in the country. Pricing starts at R12 999 for iPhone 7 and R15 499 for iPhone 7 Plus.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launched in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other first wave countries on September 16, followed by over 30 more countries on September 23.

Additional countries will likely follow.

Apple is said to be in talks with Japanese electronics maker Sharp to create OLED displays for next-generation iPhones, with the ultimate outcome of the deal depending on Sharp's capacity to output a large amount of displays (via Bloomberg). The Osaka-based company would be one of a handful of OLED suppliers for Apple, and the deal is said to originate from the Cupertino company's "desire to increase the number of suppliers for OLED screens" for a number of future devices.

The rumor of Apple's negotiations with Sharp followed a report on Friday that said the electronics manufacturer is set to spend $570 million on OLED panel production. Sharp will use the funds to purchase equipment for OLED production in its Osaka and Mie factories, with the ultimate goal to start production "by June 2018." According to some watching the negotiations, Apple is encouraging Sharp to enter the OLED business.

“Apple has unofficially or as a nod encouraged Sharp to go into it,” said Amir Anvarzadeh, Singapore-based head of Japanese equity sales at BGC Partners Inc., in a phone interview. “Apple’s general strategy is to increase the competition on the supply side, and dilute the risk exposure to one company.”

“This investment is in response to what Apple is doing,” said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute in Tokyo. “Production isn’t likely to begin until the second half of 2018, so the impact to profit won’t be until after that.”

Earlier in the year, Sharp was acquired by another Apple supplier, Foxconn, in a $6.2 billion takeover that saved the former company from a string of financial losses and $4.3 billion in debt, which Foxconn was reported as prepared to take on. The investment in OLED screen technology is said to be a "strategic plan" adopted from Foxconn as the two companies follow Apple into the future of iPhone manufacturing. Apple reportedly accounts for 27 percent of Sharp's revenue.

Next year's so-called "iPhone 8" is believed to come with an OLED display, along with an all-glass body, edge-to-edge, bezel-free display, and a Home button that's integrated into the screen. Since Sharp's OLED facilities are aiming for a mid-to-late 2018 output, the manufacturer will miss 2017's mega-cycle iPhone launch, however. Currently, the only supplier signed on to create OLED displays for the iPhone 8 is Samsung.

Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission has begun accepting applications from the country's banks for offering Apple Pay to their customers, according to a report out today (via DigiTimes).

The mobile payment service will initially be limited to the use of credit cards, although other financial card systems like debit cards are expected to be allowed at a later date.

Apple Pay is expected to be provided by Taiwan's four big banks – CTBC Bank, Cathay United Commercial Bank, E.SUN Commercial Bank, and Taishin International Bank. Customers should be able to apply to use Apple Pay at the end of the year at the earliest.

Last month, Taiwan became joint-third in line with Switzerland to adopt Apple's carrier billing feature for iTunes users, allowing them to charge app and media transactions directly to their cellphone bill.

Apple debuted the billing scheme in Germany back in October 2015, before rolling it out to users in Russia a month later. Apple is likely to continue to expand the initiative to more countries as it seeks to secure deals with carriers for lower transaction handling rates.

Adobe has updated its Lightroom app for iOS to take advantage of the enhanced cameras on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

The latest version of Lightroom for iPhone, v2.5.2, brings specific lens and sensor profiles for both of Apple's new devices, featuring specific dual-lens optimizations for the 5.5-inch handset.


The update also brings improved color, noise, and lens profiles for Adobe's digital negative (DNG) image format when used in conjunction with the iPhone 7 series, allowing photographers to edit images while avoiding the bugbear of visible distortions typically brought about by lossy data compression.

In addition to support for Adobe's RAW file format, the new iteration of Lightroom supports the DCI-P3 wide color gamut display featured in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and first seen in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. The improved standard offers 25 percent more color than sRGB.

The latest update builds on Adobe's last, version 2.5, which brought RAW shooting capability to owners of Apple devices equipped with a 12-megapixel camera, including the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and iPhone SE.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for iPhone is a free download for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Snowman has announced that Alto's Adventure has been updated with in-game haptic feedback on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, making it one of the first-ever iOS games to support the new Taptic Engine.


Now, when playing the game, users will experience subtle vibrations when completing in-game tasks, such as collecting a wayward llama, sliding over an ice boost, or snapping a shot in Photo Mode. Even small interactions such as reaching minimum or maximum zoom are now accompanied by haptic feedback.

Thanks to the expanded Taptic Engine, we’ve been able to pinpoint exciting moments in a run and tie them to more precise vibrational feedback. Now, you’ll feel a nice jolt of satisfaction upon collecting a wayward llama or sliding over an ice boost. The golden burst of a super coin or powdery landing of a huge combo will hopefully be a little more thrilling.

We’ve even tried to give some consideration to calmer moments: reaching minimum & maximum zoom or snapping the perfect shot in Photo Mode will vibrate like a real camera, immersing you in the joys of being your own mountain photographer. The list goes on, but rather than spoil it all, we’re excited for players to stumble onto each new interaction and find their favourite ones.

The functionality is made possible by an expanded Taptic Engine in Apple's latest iPhones. Whereas the Taptic Engine on iPhone 6s was limited to 3D Touch and very few other system interactions, haptic feedback now has much wider iOS support, and developers are able to put the Taptic Engine to work in third-party apps.

Alto's Adventure is a beautiful endless runner in which you control a snowboarder through procedurally generated mountains and valleys, amid thunderstorms, blizzards, fog, rainbows, and shooting stars. The game features physics-based gameplay, along with fully dynamic lighting and weather effects.

Alto's Adventure is $3.99 on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone and iPad. Version 1.4.1 is available now as a free update for existing users.

Apple today launched an "Enhanced Edition" for A Game of Thrones [Direct Link], the first book in George R.R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire (via The Guardian). The new digital edition marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the novel, and its four subsequently published sequels are also coming soon in the new remade format: A Clash of Kings (October 27), A Storm of Swords (December 15), A Feast for Crows (February 2), and A Dance with Dragons (March 30).


The enhanced editions offer interactive maps, author notes from Martin, glossaries, family trees, and illustrations that "add to the adventure, whether you're new to the books or speak fluent Dothraki." For fans still waiting for the sixth book in the series, The Winds of Winter, each enhanced edition comes with an excerpt from the upcoming novel that was previously published on Martin's website.

“We’re now entering a new period in the history of publishing,” said Martin, announcing the new edition. “The digital book gives readers the ability to experience all this rich secondary material that had not been possible before. These enhanced editions, available only on iBooks, include sigils and family trees and glossaries. Anything that confuses you, anything you want to know more about, it’s right there at your fingertips. It’s an amazing next step in the world of books.”

In a video on the iBooks page for the new collection, Martin calls his partnership with Apple "an amazing next step in the world of books," thanks to the interactivity infused in each edition that can help explain the sometimes overwhelming nature of his novels. Fans interested can purchase A Game of Thrones for $8.99 today [Direct Link], and pre-order the other four books for $11.99 each.

A new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus case launched recently on Indiegogo, called "Fuze," with the explicit goal of providing an integrated 3.5mm headphone jack directly into the body of the protective case. With an integrated Lightning adapter that plugs into the iPhone 7, the Fuze case provides users with the ability to charge their new iPhone and listen to music simultaneously without the need of a dongle or adapter.


As a bonus, Fuze also provides extra battery life to the iPhone, and is rated for 2,400 mAh for the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 3,600 mAh for the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus. As a comparison, Apple's Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 7 is rated for 2,365 mAh. Fuze said its own case provides "a doubled battery life," with sync-through charging so users can charge their iPhone, the case's battery, and listen to music at the same time.

Fuze restores 3.5mm audio jack for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. It delivers a doubled battery life as well as scratch and shock protection, all while maintaining the iPhone’s compact profile. We need your help to bring back the jack. When you purchase Fuze, you purchase the freedom of choice.

The company said that its case is made out of durable TPU and ABS plastics, which Apple uses in its first-party battery case, to provide protection against drops and scratches. Fuze also lacks the "chin" of Apple's Smart Battery Case, "adding only 5mm (.2 inches) to the overall thickness of the phone." The case weighs 2.9 ounces as well, which the company equates to less than a deck of playing cards, so Fuze in total "keeps the slim design the iPhone is known for," without unnecessary or bulky additions.

The campaign has a goal of $60,000 over the next month, with the first "super early bird" perk priced at $49 for one Fuze case, going to a basic early bird level at $59, and landing on the predicted retail price of $69 once the first two tiers sell out.

Users can choose from white, black, gold, rose gold, and blue colors for the case, and the company is currently claiming that the first units "should arrive before December 23" of this year. All the same, potential backers should note the sometimes disappointing nature of crowdfunding campaigns, which could lead to schedule postponements, design alterations, or cancellation.

Samsung today issued a statement confirming that more than one million of its Galaxy Note 7 customers affected by reports of overheating, and sometimes explosions, are now using devices with batteries "that are not vulnerable to overheating and catching fire" (via Recode). Following the initial wave of reports, earlier in the month Samsung issued an "unprecedented" recall of 2.5 million Note 7 devices less than a month after the smartphone launched.

According to the company, the one million figure includes devices issued as replacements in the recall, as well as Note 7 handsets originally sold in China that Samsung has deemed safe because "they used batteries that came from a different supplier to those that could overheat." Still, there are reports within China of exploding Note 7 phones that the company is looking into, which it says is not at the fault of the battery.

Samsung, in a statement issued on its China website, apologised to its consumers for failing to providing a detailed explanation why the smartphones on sale in China were safe, as they used batteries that came from a different supplier to those that could overheat. "Currently, the brand new Note 7 products that have been swapped in overseas markets are using identical batteries to those that were supplied and used for the Chinese version," Samsung said.

Samsung said it takes reports of Note 7 fires in China very seriously and has conducted inspections on such devices. Batteries for the burnt phones were not at fault, Samsung said, adding its conclusion was also backed up by independent third-party testing.

Despite the company's work at remedying the issue with the Note 7, reports are still coming in of overheating on replacement handsets. A few users in the United States and South Korea have reported that new Note 7 smartphones, which Samsung sent as replacements for the original malfunctioning devices, are "too hot to place next to the ear during a phone call." Samsung said that this specific issue "does not pose a safety concern" like the original recall, and compared it to normal "temperature fluctuations" on any modern smartphone.

“There have been a few reports about the battery charging levels and we would like to reassure everyone that the issue does not pose a safety concern,” the South Korean giant said in a statement Wednesday, adding that the replacements are operating normally. “In normal conditions, all smartphones may experience temperature fluctuations.”

In one case, Samsung has agreed to replace a customer's replacement Note 7, but it's not clear how widespread the faulty replacement device issue is currently. According to the company, more than 60 percent of Note 7 handsets have been exchanged in the U.S. and South Korea through the recall program, which could cost it between $1 and $5 billion, while 90 percent of customers chose to get a new Note 7 instead of seeking a refund or getting a separate smartphone model.

Samsung's problems with the Note 7 reportedly began when the company decided to push suppliers in order to meet an earlier deadline after learning that this year's iPhone 7 would have no major design changes. Earlier in September, Samsung America president and COO Tim Baxter apologized to consumers, stating that "we did not meet the standard of excellence that you expect and deserve."

Apple Maps has recently been updated with all-new traffic data in Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, and San Marino, providing users with real-time updates about vehicular traffic in four more European countries. As usual, highly congested areas will have orange or red lines along the roads to indicate that drivers may face delays.


Apple Maps traffic data is available in over 30 other countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Greece, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, and other European countries.

Meanwhile, Apple Maps transit directions are now available in São Paulo, Brazil.

Spotify launched in Japan today, 18 months after it opened its first offices in the country (via TechCrunch).

The streaming service has been in protracted negotiations with record labels to flesh out rights for the region, allowing rivals like Apple Music to get a head start in the country's hugely lucrative market.

Music sales in Japan are estimated to be almost $3 billion a year, making it the second largest market outside of the U.S. One potential obstacle for streaming services is that people in Japan prefer to buy and own music on CD rather than purchase digital files, although the convenience of streaming could sway consumers and allow services like Spotify to build a significant subscriber base in the country.

Spotify also becomes the only mainstream streaming service in Japan that offers a free-tier option for users, which may have been a factor in its protracted negotiations with the music industry, but could serve to persuade Japanese consumers to give streaming a try over competitors.

Back in March, Spotify launched in Indonesia, the company's first big expansion in Asia for some time. It first entered the continent in 2013 with launches in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, but had been relatively quiet in the region since.

Spotify has 40 million paying customers compared to Apple Music's 17 million paying customers. Yesterday it was reported that Spotify is in 'advanced talks' to purchase SoundCloud, which has upwards of 175 million listeners per month and could provide a huge influx of users to the service, giving it an edge over Apple.

Union Square Hospitality Group and Resy, a restaurant reservation startup, tonight announced at the TechTable Summit that every manager and sommelier at the Union Square Cafe will be outfitted with an Apple Watch to help improve customer service, reports Eater. The Union Square Cafe is set to reopen in late October and is the flagship restaurant of Danny Meyer, founder of Shake Shack.

Photo via Union Square Cafe
The Apple Watches will be outfitted with restaurant "control center" app ResyOS. Floor managers and sommeliers wearing the watches will receive notifications when VIPs enter the restaurant, when new tables are seated, when guests have waited too long to order, when menu items run out and more.

An iPad running ResyOS will act as the command center at Union Square Cafe's host's stand while the Apple Watches will pull the info inputted into the iPad in real-time. The Apple Watch's function will be focused on cutting out steps and increasing response time. For instance, when a guest is finished dining a manager will get a notification, allowing them to ping a server for the check or the guest's coat. Sommeliers will get wine orders sent to their Watch, rather than having to wait for a manager to relay the information to them.

Maureen Cushing, Union Square Hospitality's VP of Technology, tells Eater that ResyOS and the Apple Watches are "another way to respond and listen to our guests." She also notes that the Apple Watch will not replace communication between servers and management, as servers will not be receiving Apple Watches with ResyOS.

This isn't the first time that the food and beverage industry has embraced Apple products to improve hospitality. Many smaller restaurants and food trucks have opted to use iPads or iPhones as POS systems in lieu of more traditional options.