Apple shows off Portrait Mode of the iPhone 7 Plus with two new ads

Apple boasts the iPhone 7 Plus's new Portrait Mode, which lets users focus in on the subject while blurring out the background, in two new short ads. One of them is entitled Soul Mate and plays on the importance of our dog's in our lives (as you can see above) and another shows the image of a child in a creek. This feature mimics the "bokeh" effect you can get from DSLR cameras. It makes use of the 56mm telephoto lens found in the iPhone 7 Plus as well as the image signal processor of the smartphone and machine learning techniques to help distinguish the subject in the foreground and those in the background. A depth map of the image from the two cameras is used to help keep the subjects in the photo in focus while blurring out the background. It's not a feature most smartphones can do.

Matte Black variant of the iPhone 7 seems to be suffering from chipping and peeling paint

In terms of looks, the Matte Black model of the iPhone is definitely eye-catching. But there seems to be issues with it. Users have been complaining on Apple’s Support Communities of the paint starting to chip or peel off in areas with little wear, even those that have been put in cases. Some of the photos seen on the thread show the chipping happening near the speaker grille and volume buttons. This isn’t the first time this has been an issue for iPhone users, though. Back in 2012, complaints were heard over the Black and Slate iPhone 5, even the iPhone 6 and 6s had complaints. But MacRumors is pointing out there is more this time around.

However, since this is considered a cosmetic issue, Apple isn’t making these devices eligible for repair. That has been the stance of the company for finish issues. In the grand scheme of things, it does seem like a minor issue but if it gets unsightly for you, some users have resorted to using sharpies or paint. Others have even sold off their phones to get one in a color less prone to damage.

Apple iPhone 7 sales might be affected by its older brothers

While the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are solid devices, it seems they’re under threat by their own older siblings. Ahead of Apple’s release of its quarterly results, some Wall Street analysts predict that the iPhone 6 and 6s pulled down the average selling price of the current Apple flagship phones during the holiday season. And that could hurt the overall results of the company for the quarter.

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iOS 10.1 is now up for download, brings Portrait mode to iPhone 7 Plus

Photo by Gadjo C. SevillaAfter going through public beta, iOS 10.1 is now in its final version. Aside from bug fixes, this update brings the Portrait mode feature to the iPhone 7 Plus’ camera. It offers a bokeh-like effect that makes it look like the photo is shot with a DSLR. The feature is said to currently be in beta. It’s best used on people and animals, according to CNET. The app will save a version of your photo with and without the feature enabled. You can’t edit photos after the fact. To achieve the Portrait mode effect, it has to be enabled when you take the shot.

If you want to get the feature, you can head to Settings > General > Software Update or update via iTubes. Check that you have a couple of gigabytes free and back up your iPhone on your computer or iCloud first. Keep the phone plugged in while updating.