Category: Apple

Apple’s Foldable iPhone To Take A Completely Different Approach

The year 2019 will be remembered as a significant year in the history of Smartphones. The year will see the launch of several smartphones with a foldable display. At least some information about foldable devices from Samsung, Xiaomi, LG, Huawei is already available but Apple nowhere seems to be in the picture.

A senior Samsung executive has shared crucial information about a foldable Apple phone. The executive claims that the display on the foldable Apple phone, unlike the Galaxy F, might fold outwards. The information can be considered trustworthy as large companies usually keep track of their competitor’s strategies.

Reasons For Using A Outward Folding Display

The clear advantage of using an outward folding display on a Smartphone is its ease of production. The outward folding display allows for a much higher turn radius than an inward folding display thus being the first choice out of the two options.

The foldable glass that is currently available can only bend up to a certain angle. Beyond this safe angle, the glass would either crack or won’t return to its original wrinkle-free state. This is one reason why the first foldable phone, the Royale FlexPai has an outward folding display.

Expectations From Apple

Apple is the richest company that knows no financial boundaries and continuously pushes technology with new innovations. The notch on top smartphone display’s that is slowly becoming the industry standard was also launched by Apple with the iPhone X. Apple’s FaceID is still unmatched. Apple holds the power to surprise the world with an unusual and novel foldable phone. But, will the company actually do that may be a different question.

Launch Date

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S10+ With Snapdragon 855 Spotted On Geekbench

Although Apple has not made any comments about the launch of a foldable phone. Analysts claim that a foldable Apple phone will launch in the year 2020.

January 19, 2019
Apple May Slow Down Hiring Due To Weak iPhone Sales

Apple was riding the wave of becoming a trillion dollar company, but in the field of tech nothing is certain. Each company has good days and bad days. In a recent report by a reputed news website, Apple has been reported to be planning to cut back on hiring new employees. This indicates that the company may be entering a period of financial problems soon.

Possible Reasons

Apple’s CEO recently sent out a revised revenue forecast in the light of major issues and challenges that the company is facing. One of the biggest issues is that of iPhone sales in China. China’s economy began to slow down in the second half of 2018. The ban of sales of older iPhones due to a dispute with Qualcomm over patents also played a part. The strong US dollar and the US – China trade tensions didn’t help either. Apple has faced a backlash in emerging and price sensitive markets as well. Chinese manufacturers have taken these markets by storm with their low priced higher spec’d phones.

Batterygate also harmed the company quite badly. They had to provide replacement batteries to consumers at a lower than expected price. This led to a lot of consumers jumping on the opportunity and getting their batteries changed at just $29 instead of buying new phones. According to the news website, the slump in hiring forecast was made by the CEO of the company in a meeting held a day after the Letter to investors was published.

Also Read: Apple In Troubled Waters With Regards To iPhone Sales, According To Letter To Investors By Tim Cook

That being said, it is not unusual for companies to hire lesser number of people. And it definitely isn’t as bad as not hiring any new employees or laying off the ones who work in a company. It might just be a small dent in Apple’s trajectory and may not be a horrible financial problem as most news websites are making it out to be.

January 17, 2019
New Set Of iPhone XI Prototype Renders Surface

Apple might have had a patchy 2018 due to several reasons(1) but the company is working rigorously to bounce back with 2019 iPhone models. Several leaks and rumours of the upcoming flagship iPhone allegedly called the iPhone XI has already surfaced online. A fresh render shared by a famous leaker exposes an all-new design of the highly anticipated device.

iPhone XI Prototype Renders

The latest renders of the alleged iPhone XI were shared by the leakster OnLeaks who had previously another render set of the device. The source has shared several renders of the device that provides ample details about its design. The front of the iPhone XI is identical to the iPhone XS and XS Max. Notably, the bezels and the notch on the device are thinner in comparison to its predecessors.

The right side of the iPhone XI seems to house the power button while the volume rocker and mute switch are placed on the left. The new device has curved edges which are reminiscent to the current iPhone models. The rear of the device gets a completely new design. The rear of the device is made out of glass flaunts the Apple logo and a horizontally placed camera setup.

According to the source, the rear camera setup on the iPhone XI consists of triple sensors which include dual telephoto lenses and a TOF (Time Of Flight) sensor. In addition to the three camera sensors, the rear camera setup includes a LED Flash and a microphone pinhole.

Also Read: Apple Might Be Developing 7th Gen iPod Touch Claim Apple Suppliers

The leakster claims that the shared prototypes are 100% legit and the 2019 iPhones in a very early production process. Prominently, the upcoming devices are in the EVT (Engineering Validation Test) stage. Therefore the company might make some changes to the device. Except for the iPhone XI, Apple is reportedly also working on a large screen iPhone XI Max and the iPhone XR‘s successor.

January 16, 2019
Apple Replaced 11 Million iPhone Batteries In 2018 Up From 1-2 Million In The Past

Last year Apple apologized to customers for purposely slowing older iPhones via a software update. Angry iPhone users accused Apple of deliberately slowing down older iPhones that would force them to upgrade to a new device. However, the company later explained it was done in an effort to prolong the battery life of ageing devices. To make peace with anguished users, Apple offered battery replacement for the affected devices at highly discounted prices.

Before the battery replacement program, it would cost US $ 79 to replace the battery on an iPhone 6 or later which was later brought down to US $ 29. A notable Apple blogger, John Gruber in a post reported that during the battery replacement program Apple swapped batteries on 11 million iPhones which are several folds compared to 1-2 million in previous years. However, Apple is yet to confirm the actual figures. The replacement program was kicked off in December 2017 and it concluded on 31 December 2018.

Also Read: Samsung S10 Launch Billboards Suggest Galaxy Fold Will Launch In February

Battery replacement on affected devices prior to the program would cost Rs 6,500 in India which later came down to only Rs 1995. This exchange program has hugely affected the revenue forecast for Apple. Analysts originally forecasted revenue of $ 91 Billion which fell sharply to $ 84 Billion for the first fiscal quarter of 2019.

January 16, 2019
Apple Might Be Developing 7th Gen iPod Touch Claim Apple Suppliers

Apple first launched the iPod Touch in the year 2007 along with the first-gen iPhone. Essentially, the iPod Touch is an iPhone without phone call capabilities and a low-resolution camera. The company has periodically updated the iPod Touch with the latest models of the iPhones. The current 6th generation device was launched in the year 2016 alongside the iPhone 6.

Rumours in the past claimed that Apple will phase out the iPod Touch but a latest report suggests otherwise. Several suppliers at CES 2019 reportedly told a Japanese site, Mac Otakara that a 7th Generation iPod Touch might be in development. It is possible that the suppliers were restrained to reveal confidential information of the unlaunched product. In the year 2017, Apple officially killed the two other available iPods, the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle. Therefore, to keep the rich heritage of the revolutionary iPod alive, Apple might launch a 7th-Generation iPod Touch.

iPod 7th-Gen Expectations

Even though Apple suppliers did not provide any information about the specs and features of the 7th-Generation iPod Touch, consumers would surely appreciate the following features on a future device

Larger Display & Battery

The current iPod Touch sports a 4-inch retina display and a 1043 mAh battery. The battery capacity on the current iPod surely seems small but the highly-optimised iOS allows the device to provide decent battery backup. A larger 5.8 inch display like the iPhone X and XS would surely be appreciated. In terms of battery, anything upwards of the current 1043 mAh battery capacity would be a nice addition.

Faster Chipset

The iPod Touch 6th Generation packs the Apple A8 chipset and since 2016 Apple has launched several iPhones with faster SoC’s. Therefore the iPod Touch 7th gen can have the faster A10 or A12 chipset.

Notch Display & FaceID

First seen on the iPhone X, the notch display created a lot of buzz in the industry. However, it has become a common sighting even on Android smartphones. With the iPhone X, Apple did away with a fingerprint sensor and introduced the revolutionary FaceID which again has become very popular. Hence, iPod Touch 7th-generation can adopt both these features from its elder siblings.

USB Type-C Connector

The current iPod has the lightning connector at the bottom for charging and data transfer. While Apple launched the iPad Pro with a USB Type-C port and reports claim future iPhones will have this type of connector. It is highly likely that the expected iPod Touch 7G also gets this type of port.

Whether these features make it to the final device or not is yet unknown. However, the device will surely attract attention.

January 16, 2019
Qualcomm Refused To Sell Chips For Apple iPhones

It was the talk of the town when Apple decided to ditch Qualcomm’s chips and go with Intel instead. However now, it has come to the forefront that Apple wanted to have Qualcomm chips on their iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR models but was refused a sale by Qualcomm themselves. Apple had originally wanted to give half the contract to Intel and half to Qualcomm. It was in 2016 when Apple started splitting the chip orders between Intel and Qualcomm. But this time they had to give the entire modem order to Intel.

These revelations have come out from a senior member of Apple who revealed these information during his testimony to the US Federal Trade Commission. Apple and Qualcomm have been at loggerheads for quite some time now with Qualcomm being on trial, accused of monopolistic practices. The case registered is based on a complaint brought by the Federal Trade Commission in 2017. Apple had also sued Qualcomm just three days after the FTC filed its complaint. The accusations were similar to that of the FTC stating Qualcomm strong- armed companies into paying royalties.

Image via 9To5Mac

This however has not been a single sided battle and Qualcomm itself has accused Apple of patent infringement in China and Germany. This has led to a decision of banning a few older iPhone models in China as well. Intel and Samsung has also filed amicus briefs supporting the FTC. Both those companies being competitors of Qualcomm.

Implications On The Future Of Smartphone Industry

While Qualcomm has already made strides in the 5G development, Intel’s 5G chips are not ready yet and may take another year. This means manufacturers who use Qualcomm’s hardware will be able to bring 5G ready phones to the market faster than Intel chip users.

On the other hand, if the prices in terms of royalties are reduced by Qualcomm, phone manufacturers may use that extra money to focus on other features. The royalty reduction however wouldn’t trickle down to reduction of phone prices for customers.

January 15, 2019
Apple Suppliers Commence Production Of AirPower, Wireless Charging Pad
Nokia was the first company to introduce wireless Qi charging with it’s Lumia 920 in 2012 which was later followed by LG Nexus 4. Apple previewed the AirPower, a wireless charging mat on 12 September 2017. Unlike conventional wireless charger, Apple AirPower mat can simultaneously charge multiple devices. Although AirPower uses Qi charging standard, concurrent device charging is a feature that has been developed by Apple. One year after the initial preview of the AirPower charging mat, Apple removed all mentions of the device from its website. Reportedly this was due to several development issues which involved heat management and inter-device communication. A fresh leak from a credible source suggests that Apple AirPower is finally coming.

The Leak

Breaking: AirPower is finally coming. We just learned from credible source in supply chain that the manufacture Luxshare Precision has already started producing Apple AirPower wireless charging pad. Luxshare Precision is also the maker of Apple AirPods and USB-C cables. pic.twitter.com/UqgWIAh3sx
— ChargerLAB (@chargerlab) January 12, 2019

A Twitter account, ChargerLab shared two tweets one after another that reveals that Apple has resolved the issues that setback the AirPower mass production. According to the source, Luxshare precision has already started mass producing wireless Apple mats. In addition to manufacturing AirPower, Luxshare Precision also manufactures AirPods and USB Type-C cable for Apple.

The second tweet exhibits that Apple has in fact partnered with another contract manufacturer, Pegatron. AirPower mass production at Pegatron will commence at 21 January. Pegatron employee revealed that the AirPower has three layers of coils which are set in 8-7-7 configuration.

Compatible Devices and Launch Date

The AirPower can be used to any Qi wireless supported devices. Apple products that support wireless charging are as follows:
- iPhone 8 and later models
- Apple Watch Series 3 and later models
- Apple AirPods
Also Read: Nokia N9 Spotted Running KaiOS At CES 2019

Alas, the source did not reveal any information about the official launch date of the Apple AirPower. However, to cheer up the customers the company is expected to launch it soon.
January 15, 2019
Apple Considered 5G Modem Chips From Samsung, MediaTek, and Intel for 2019 iPhones

Several countries including South-Korea and America are on the brink of launching 5G telecom networks. OnePlus and Xiaomi have already announced they will be one of the first companies to launch 5G smartphones. Samsung is also expected to launch a 5G variant of the Galaxy S10 in Q1 of 2019. Apple is a global smartphone leader and is apparently working on 5G compatible devices. An Apple supply chain executive revealed that the company had considered purchasing 5G LTE modems for iPhones from companies including Samsung, MediaTek and Intel.

Apple’s Past And Future Modem Suppliers

Between the years 2011 and 2016, Qualcomm was the sole supplier for iPhone modems to Apple. This supply contract was ended in 2016 with the launch of iPhone 7. With the iPhone 7, Apple split the orders for modem between Qualcomm and Intel and later phased Qualcomm all together.

According to the Apple executive, the company wanted to purchase modems from other companies but Qualcomm disinclined them in doing so. After Apple finally swapped Qualcomm modems with their Intel counterparts, both companies have been seen locking horns over several patents.

The Apple official said that the company is looking for multiple suppliers for 5G iPhone modems. Apple has considered companies including MediaTek, Samsung and Intel. However, the executive did not reveal whether the company will launch a 5G compatible iPhone in 2019 or not.

Also Read: Oppo Will Launch A Smartphone With 10x Optical Zoom On 16 January

Some rumours in the past suggest that Apple does not plan to launch a 5G compatible in 2019 but the company is highly unpredictable. Taking competition into consideration the company might launch a 5G iPhone this year and surprise everyone.

January 15, 2019
Reports Claim Apple Will Launch Three iPhones In 2019, One With Triple Rear Camera

Apple launched three iPhone models late last year and news about the upcoming iPhones is already creating a buzz online. The iPhones launched by Apple in September 2018 include the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Reports claim that Apple will once again launch three iPhone models in the year 2019. Most notably a leakster claims that the top end iPhone for 2019 will have a triple rear camera setup

WSJ Report

Reports published by the Wall Street Journal support the claim that Apple will indeed launch three smartphones this year in the month of September. Apple is likely to introduce a successor to the colourful iPhone XR which will also have an LCD display and dual cameras. In addition to the iPhone XR successor, the company will launch two other handsets which might be called the iPhone XI and iPhone XI Max. These two smartphones will be succeeding the current flagships, the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS.

Triple Camera On An iPhone

https://twitter.com/OnLeaks/status/1081902300434780161

An alleged render of Apple’s 2019 flagship iPhone was shared on Twitter by the user Onleaks. The leakster claims that the upcoming flagship iPhone will have a triple rear camera set up at the back. The leakster has also shared 5K renders of the alleged triple camera iPhone. The renders show an iPhone with a square ridge at the back which accommodates three camera sensors and an LED flash.

What Else Do We Know?

Also Read: Redmi Note 7 To Launch In India In Early February

A previous report claims that the 2019 iPhones will have a Sony 3D camera sensor. A 3D camera will enable an iPhone to replicate three-dimensional objects with the help of depth sensing technologies. According to Sony, several companies including Apple is interested in 3D camera sensors, therefore, Sony is gearing up to bump production of these sensors to meet demands. An official statement from Sony strongly indicates that the upcoming iPhone will indeed have a 3D camera sensor.

January 12, 2019
Apple Maps Get Turn-by-Turn Navigation Support In India

Apple initially released the Apple Maps application back in 2012 replacing Google Maps as the default mapping service. But the application had limited users in India due to the absence of an important feature. Till now most iPhone users in India were forced to use Google Maps for navigation as it allowed turn by turn navigation in the country. Three years ago Apple set up a development center in Hyderabad which was focused on improving Apple Maps in the country. The latest update of maps offers detailed directions for both driving and walking.

Apple Maps Update

The latest Apple Maps update for India allows the users to navigate turn-by-turn to their desired location which was previously absent. Additionally, the updated application allows its user to book cab services like Uber and Ola from within the Maps application. This feature has been available on Google Maps for quite some time.

Like Google Maps, the updated Apple Maps service will also provide voice-guided navigation. In addition to the iPhone, iOS devices including the iPod Touch and iPad will also be able to avail the new maps features.

What’s Still Missing?

Although the Apple Map update brings key features that were previously unavailable, it still misses out on a few notable features. The Maps application still does not provide information about public transit which is critical for the last mile connectivity. Other features that are still missing after the update include the support for lane guidance and speed limits.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi LED TV 4A Pro 43 Launched In India

All in all, the new update adds necessary features to the Maps application for Apple devices and the missing features are expected to be added in the near future as the company is continuously working to improve it.

January 10, 2019
Apple Misses AirPower Release Window

Apple is known for their timely product releases and the exceptional quality of the products. But it seems like Apple has been having some issues with the AirPower – A wireless charger that will reportedly charge multiple devices. In all the Apple events in 2017, the company had said that consumers can expect the AirPower to be released for purchase by 2018 itself.

AirPower is a wireless charging mat-like device that can charge more than one device. Most wireless chargers available in the market now are capable of charging one device at a time. The Apple wireless charger was shown to charge an Apple Watch, an iPhone and their proprietary wireless earbuds.

What Happened?

The AirPower device was also supposed to coordinate with all the Apple devices being charged and show percentages of charge in each device on the iPhone. The company had expressed interest to work with Qi Standards team. Th aim is to incorporate these benefits into the future of the standards. But no news about any cooperation has come up yet either.

Apple has also not set a price down for the AirPower charger and have not given out a statement regarding the same. It is believed that some internal development difficulties has caused this delay. It is very unlike of Apple to miss deadlines as they hold to higher standards and have set timelines for every device they make. However, it is unclear if the AirPower project has altogether been scrapped. Apple might also be making further improvements to the product itself but our guess is as good as yours.

When Will We Know?

Apple usually has three or four events in a year. One in March which revolves around education and creativity themes and are often known to include iPads. There is also a big event in June known as WWDC which sees mostly softwares and sometimes, although rarely, high-end hardware.

The other two events are in September which is the most anticipated event in all year. The reason behind it is because this event usually features new iPhones and Apple Watches and one in October. The October event usually releases iPads and sometimes consumer focused Macs. We will hopefully come to know the status of the AirPower in the next Apple event in 2019, if not before.

January 2, 2019
Apple iPhone Flagships To Be Manufactured At Foxconn Chennai Plant

Foxconn is a Taiwanese multinational electronics manufacturing company. The company is the largest contract manufacturer for Apple Inc. Apart from Apple, Foxconn also manufactures smartphones for companies like Xiaomi, Nokia and Gionee. The company has two manufacturing plants in India which are located in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Out of the two, the Chennai plant was dedicated to manufacturing Nokia smartphones. But, that plant has remained shut since 2015 after Nokia’s acquisition by Microsoft. The Chennai plant was left out of this deal due to some tax disputes with the Indian government. However, the company plans to revive operations at this location which will be used to manufacture Apple iPhones.

Foxconn Chennai Plant Revival

The asset’s at the Chennai Foxconn plant were frozen by the Indian government due to the alleged outstanding taxes. However, in April 2018 Nokia agreed to pay the pending taxes in the form of provisional payments which has resulted in resolution of the dispute. Therefore, the operations at the manufacturing facility can be restarted. Foxconn officials at a Tamil Nadu state cabinet meeting announced that plant will be utilised to manufacture the Apple iPhone flagships including iPhone X , XS and XR in India. The company will reportedly invest Rs 25 billion to upgrade the plant to manufacture Apple iPhones. Additionally, the restart of operations will create 25000 jobs for the city locals. It is the first time that the iPhone X will be manufactured in India. As of now, Wistron, another Taiwanese company has manufactured the lower end variants of the iPhone including the iPhone SE and the iPhone 6 in Bengaluru.

An official announcement with precise details is expected to be made at the upcoming Global Investors Meet which is scheduled in Chennai in January 2019.

December 28, 2018
Fake Alexa App Tops Apple App Store Before Being Removed

Apple has been very strict with their App store and regularly checks on security of Apps that they enlist. A fake Amazon Alexa setup tool for iOS has become the sixth most downloaded app in the Apple Store’s Utilities category. However, this is not an Amazon madeApp but a third party App. Amazon Alexa based devices have been a smash hit since their launch. During Christmas this year Amazon Alexa servers failed in Europe due to an overload of users. This is a clear indication that a lot of users are calling out to the virtual assistant on their phones and their echo devices. This fake App seems to be taking advantage of the high popularity of Alexa.

The App itself is very basic and looks nothing like the actual Alexa App. The App asks for the user’s IP Address, the serial number of the device and a name. The App has successfully fooled a lot of people and made it to the top charts on the Apple App Store. The app reportedly can access a large amount of the user’s data such as IP addresses, browser information, referring/exit pages and URLs, clickstream data, domain names and so on. The App may also be able to track the user’s location which could lead to larger privacy concerns.

Apple has a very strict privacy policy for all Apps on the App Store. However, malicious apps have been known to pass the stress test and show up on the App Store. In September an App called Adware Doctor was reportedly sending user’s browsing data to China. But Apple promptly deleted the App after the knowledge of its malpractice.

Update

While the Alexa Setup app has now been removed from the App Store. It is only time before something like this happens again. That of-course, if Apple doesn’t strengthen its already strong barrier of entry for Apps.

December 28, 2018
Apple’s New iPhones Attracting More Android Users Than Before

With all the reports about declining sales and lower demand for iPhones, there seems to be more to iPhone sales than meets the eye. Reports of lower than expected iPhone XS and XS Max sales are plaguing Apple. And even the cheaper iPhone XR not selling like expected. But there is another shift which could turn out to be far more important in the long run. A recent report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners found that more Android users are switching to iPhones this year, than last year.

The report states that 16 percent of iPhone buyers this year, had upgraded from an Android phone. This data was collected in a 30-day period after the launch fo the iPhone XR. Compare this to last year. When the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were launched, and you have a 12 percent rate. After the launch of the iPhone X in November 2017, the numbers fell to 11 percent. The report also found out that the iPhone XR accounted for 32 percent of iPhone sales. This was in the same 30-day period after its launch.

So in midst of all the backlash and love that the iPhone XR received, it seems like it has achieved what Apple had intended for it to do, boost sales and attract newer customers. More than a third of iPhone buyers in the US opted for the cheaper iPhone XR, according to the study. On the other end of the spectrum, the iPhone XS and XS Max accounted for 35 percent of sales, combined.

Also Read : OnePlus 5 And OnePlus 5T Start Receiving Android Pie Stable Update

Despite the fact that Apple brought back the iPhone X from the dead to combat dwindling iPhone XS sales, not all is lost. With more Android users switching to iPhones, this might be the start of something new for Apple.

December 27, 2018
Apple Is Providing User Data To The Indian Government

Apple is the preferred choice for many consumers since privacy is something the company boasts of in their ecosystem. But Apple also abides by the rules and regulations of the respective countries it sells its phones to and according to their latest transparency report, they seem to be providing user’s data to the government. Transparency reports are reports that are published in regular intervals by tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter. These are available for customers to see and includes data such as Government requests, Account Restriction / Account Deletion and Account Preservation.

It must be noted that the government does not ask for every Apple user’s data and these requests go through a rigorous screening process. These include the government asking for information on a particular user through subpoenas, court orders, warrants etc. According to Apple, government and private entities are required to follow applicable laws and statutes when requesting customer information and data from Apple. The reports from January – June 2018 suggest that the total Device requests in that time period were 27. Out of that, 17 requests were granted by Apple which is a 63% request approval. Device requests include information of a particular device that a particular person is using such as IMEI or Serial Numbers.

Financial Identifier Requests

Requests on financial identifiers from the Indian government amounted to 34 in total. Out of that Apple granted information on 29 which is an 85% request approval. Financial Identifiers are requests received from a government agency seeking customer data such as credit card or gift card. This is in light of the iTunes gift card fraud that has been prevalent for a while now. Requests for Account details such as Apple ID and emails were also made by the Indian Government. These amounted to a total of 18 in the half-yearly period. Apple gave information on 14 of those requests.

Also Read : OnePlus 5 And OnePlus 5T Start Receiving Android Pie Stable Update

Apart from these, 3 emergency requests were also made by the government and Apple followed through on all of them. These requests are made when the government requires user’s data on an emergency matter. There were no Account restriction or deletion requests made in the 6 month time period by the government.

December 26, 2018