Dear Friends,

I don’t know which is more exciting — the release of two new iPhone models or the release of iOS 7, which gives almost all iPhone users a “new phone.” We should have at least some of the new iPhones in our retail stores this weekend and are ordering more to try to meet the demand. We have also launched our new smartphone trade-in program exclusively in our retail stores. We will give you a Small Dog gift card for the value of the iPhone (or other smartphone) that you trade in at our stores. The process is simple and I think you will find our trade-in prices to be very competitive (see more on the program below).

I really like what I have seen in iPhone 5c and 5s reviews and cannot wait to get my hands on one so that I can give you my impressions. We are having our own internal debate predicting the color distribution for each of these new iPhones. But I really love iOS 7, and if you are not one of the first 100 million who strained Apple’s servers on Wednesday to download the new release for your iPhone or iPad, you will probably find that your download time will be reasonable. It is an upgrade that really does give you a lot of new features and improves the experience with the iPhone.

I have been using the developer’s version for some time and it was fun to watch the improvements with each successive release. Some of my favorite new features include how Apple has improved multi-tasking. You can now see previews of the app’s screens and can shut one down with a swipe. There is so much to like with iOS 7 — one other favorite is Control Center. With a swipe up from the bottom of the screen, whether the iPhone is locked or not (you can set this option), you can enter Airplane Mode, access Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, control your music, turn on the flashlight, activate the camera and much more. It is a huge improvement over the multiple steps these functions had with iOS 6.

Our Vermont annual eWaste collection event is this Saturday in Rutland right across from our store. We will be collecting eWaste for free from 9am to 2pm and encourage you to come on by and see our beautiful new store in downtown Rutland.