Category: Apple

WWDC 2018: macOS Mojave With Dark Mode Unveiled

Apple’s annual World Wide Developer’s conference has mostly focused on software. This time around, there was a lot of chatter around some hardware products being launched at WWDC 2018. Devices like the iPhone SE 2, AirPower were expected to be unveiled, however, that did not happen. One rumour that did get confirmed pertains to macOS. Apple unveiled macOS Mojave, the successor to macOS High Sierra which will roll out to compatible Macs later in the year.

Dark Mode

One of the most requested features for iOS has made its way to macOS. The Dark Mode has been on the wishlist of iOS users for many years but, iOS 12 won’t be getting it. Instead, macOS Mojave will take advantage of this famed feature. With the dark mode, the UI will become dark and it will work with all system apps. The Photos app, Pages, Keynote and all other pre-installed apps on macOS will have a dark UI once this feature is enabled.

While this is not a performance upgrade, we expect it to be one of the most talked about macOS updates in the coming months. This also means that Apple is open to a darker UI and iOS 13, or a future iOS 12 update might bring in this feature, too.

Desktop and Finder

People who intensively use their Macs know the pain of a cluttered desktop. A macOS desktop can get cluttered very soon and the new Stack feature will help users sort that out. Users can customize their Stacks to sort based on other file attributes like date and tags. Finder also gets a significant update in macOS Mojave with an all-new Gallery View that lets users skim through files visually. The Preview Pane now shows all of a file’s metadata, making it easier to manage media assets.

Group FaceTime

The iOS feature reaches the new macOS Mojave as well. Group FaceTime makes it easy to chat with multiple people at the same time. Participants can be added at any time, join later if the conversation is still active and choose to join using video or audio from an iPhone, iPad or Mac — or even participate using FaceTime audio from Apple Watch.

June 5, 2018
Apple’s Memoji Feature Will Let Users Create Personalised Animojis

At WWDC 2018, Apple unveiled the new version of iOS which will see to iOS devices later this year. Along with new features to Siri and a better notification management, Apple also unveiled new additions to Animojis. In September, Apple introduced Animojis along with the iPhone X and for all the fancy Face ID tech it possessed, Animojis soon became its most famous feature. Apple appears to have recognised that and has gone a step further Memoji.

Memoji is what Samsung tried to do with AR Emojis and did not succeed. In iMessage, where you would usually select an Animoji, users will soon be able to swipe right and click on the add button to create a custom Memoji. In this window, users will be able to build their own Animoji-type characters from the ground up. Apple will let users decide minute details like freckles, hair colour, hair style, accessories like hats, glasses and more. Once done, users can save it to use in iMessages, or it can be overlaid on the user’s own face while taking a selfie.

Animojis also get a new feature which Apple quipped as “revolutionary,” Tongue Detection. Bizarrely enough, many users were disappointed that animojis did not track their tongues. Well, Apple has admittedly addressed that very specific complaint and users will be able to use their toungue to express through animojis as well. Along with tongue detection, animojis also get new characters like a ghost, koala, tiger, and T-rex.

With Samsung’s attempt failing to take off, it will be interesting to see how Memoji takes off with iOS 12.

June 5, 2018
WWDC 2018: iOS 12 Launched With Performance Updates And New AR Capabilities
The first day of Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference kicked off in San Jose, California today. Historically, WWDC has concentrated on the software aspect of Apple’s portfolio. At WWDC 2018, Apple unveiled iOS 12, the successor to iOS 11 which was seeded to compatible devices in September 2017. iOS 12 will be seeded to the iPhone 5s and newer, meaning an iPhone launched in 2014 will run on the latest version of iOS.

While iOS 11 had a rocky start, about 81% of iOS devices run iOS 11 at this point. Compared to this, only 6% of Android devices run on the latest version of Android Oreo. Apple has announced that all the devices that received the iOS 11 update will also receive the iOS 12 update. The company claims that this is the biggest software roll-out so far. Here is a list of all the iOS devices which will receive the iOS 12 update later in the year:
- iPhone 5s
- iPhone 6/6 Plus
- iPhone 6s/6s Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 7/7Plus
- iPhone 8/8Plus
- iPhone X
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2017)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2016)
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad Air 2
- iPad Air
- iPad (2017)
- iPad Mini 4
- iPad Mini 3
- iPad Mini 2
- iPod touch 6th generation
With iOS 12, Apple has confirmed what it claimed a few months ago. Tim Cook said that iOS 12 will concentrate a lot more on performance than the visuals. Since older devices like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 will be updated to iOS 12, the company claims that this won’t slow down the performance. In fact, app load times could be two times faster with the new iOS update.

AR

Google introduced some really cool features to Google Lens at the Google I/O. Apple has also claimed that new AR features will be introduced to iOS 12. One of the features is the new AR app called, Measure. As the name suggests, the app lets users measure real-life objects thanks to AR. It also automatically recognises rectangles and gives instant measurements. Impressively, the app can also measure in 3D, which means you can measure more than just the length or breadth of an object.

Apple also unveiled the AR sharing experience thanks ARKit 2.0. This means that developers can create apps that will let multiple users share the same experience or play the same game. Won’t be too long before we AR Beer Pong being played on iPad Pros in dorm rooms.

Siri

Siri, Apple’s AI voice assistant is the oldest in the industry right now. However, with Google Assistant’s advancements, it has fallen behind the pecking order in the last year or so. With WWC 2018, Apple was expected to announce a major overhaul to Siri, considering how the new iOS version concentrates on performance and efficiency more than anything else. However, while Apple did introduce new Siri functionalities, there weren’t any major announcements regarding Apple’s famed voice assistant.

One of the new features added to Siri is Shortcuts. This will allow any app to access Siri using a particular phrase which can be personalised. Apps will have an ‘add to Siri’ option. For example, if you say “Siri I lost my keys,” Siri will automatically open the Tile app. Siri will also track a user’s activity within an app and predict actions for users at specific times. For example, if a user orders a coffee in the morning, Siri will automatically notify them to order the coffee with the usual order pre-decided. This means that the user just has to tap on the notification and confirm the order. Similarly, if a user is late for a meeting, the search brings up an option to text another person that you’re late.

Notifications

One of the biggest pain points of iOS users has been notifications. Any moderately social media savvy user knows the struggles of managing notifications from different apps on an iOS device. With iOS 12, Apple has addressed this issue. One of the most talked-about features of iOS 12, before WWDC began, was notifications. With Google doing so much for users to handle notifications more efficiently, Apple’s response was well anticipated. And it looks like Apple has delivered.

First up is Do Not Disturb mode for notifications. This means that during a user’s specified ‘Night Time’, the iPhone won’t display any notifications. The iPhone won’t light up for a notification meaning less disturbance and users will be able to deal with the notifications once they’re up.

The second important feature is grouped notifications. Unlike any iOS versions so far, iOS 12 will group all the notifications from one app resulting in a much less cluttered lock screen and notification panel. With one swipe, users will get an option to either manage, open or dismiss all the notifications at once. This will come in handy for a lot of people who don’t necessarily turn off notifications of a lot of apps.

Apple’s Digital Well-Being

At Google I/O, one of the main themes was an average user’s worrying usage time of a smartphone. Apple appears to have addressed this issue as well with iOS 12. Apple wants its users to spend a limited amount of time on their iPhones and their iPhones will in fact remind them of that. Users can set a time limit to certain apps they feel they’re “addicted” to. Once that time runs out, the iPhone will display a window that says it is time to move on. Users then have the option to either close the app and move on or ignore the warning and extend their time on the app.

This will work on all iOS devices which means that whether you’re on your iPhone or iPad, you can spend a limited time on Instagram. This will come in handy for parents as well, as they try to limit their child’s usage of electronic devices. The timing can be set to any app and the notification goes to every iOS device connected to the certain Apple ID.
June 4, 2018
Apple iPhone SE 2 Screen Protector Reveals A Smaller iPhone X Like Notch

The existence of an iPhone SE successor has been under scrutiny over the past few months. Up until a day ago, it was anticipated that the iPhone SE 2 will launch bef0re WWDC 2018. However, that seems highly unlikely as the conference is just 4 days away. That uncertainty has not stopped people from posting sketchy images of screen protectors claiming it to be iPhone SE 2’s.

A new image of two screen protectors has surfaced online which claims to reveal the design of the iPhone SE 2. The image has the iPhone SE 2 screen protector next to an iPhone X’s screen protector. The notch on the iPhone SE 2 is smaller than the iPhone X’s but, it is certainly prominent. What this means for Face ID is a different case altogether.

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If Apple could make a smaller notch for iPhone without compromising on the technology it houses, it would have. The fact that the iPhone SE 2 could have a smaller notch means that Apple is doing that to maintain a design uniformity more than anything else. It will be interesting to see if Apple incorporates Face ID in a smaller notch.

A report by Bloomberg claims that the WWDC 2018 will only focus on Apple’s software advancements. Unlike last year, there will be no announcements pertaining to the company’s Mac lineup. Apple is working on refreshes to the MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook with new Intel chipsets and is planning a new low-cost laptop to succeed MacBook Air. However, these won’t be ready until later this year. Even the iPad Pro with Face ID will launch later in the year and won’t be announced at WWDC.

Whatever the design of the iPhone SE 2 will be, we won’t know for sure until its official launch. The iPhone SE 2 could launch later in the year with along with the new iPad Pro and MacBooks. Stay tuned for all the coverage of the World Wide Developer’s Conference that commences on June 4th.

June 1, 2018
Apple iPhone SE 2 Won’t Launch At WWDC 2018

Apple will hold its annual developer’s conference in early-June in San Jose, California. The World Wide Developer’s Conference has historically revolved around Apple’s multiple operating systems rather than hardware. However, Apple has managed to unveil a few hardware products at these conferences. The iPhone SE 2 was long rumoured to launch before WWDC 2018 or at least, at WWDC. That, however, seems highly unlikely.

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A new report by Bloomberg claims that the WWDC 2018 will only focus on Apple’s software advancements. Unlike last year, there will be no announcements pertaining to the company’s Mac lineup. Apple is working on refreshes to the MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook with new Intel chipsets and is planning a new low-cost laptop to succeed MacBook Air. However, these won’t be ready until later this year. Even the iPad Pro with Face ID will launch later in the year and won’t be announced at WWDC.

The Apple iPhone SE 2 too, won’t be on Apple’s agenda for WWDC 2018. The successor to the highly popular iPhone SE has been anticipated for a long time. The leaks and renders of the smartphone have been polarising to the say the least but, there has at least been chatter about its existence. It seems unlikely that Apple will launch 4 iPhones at its September event. Which means that if not WWDC, the iPhone SE 2’s launch could be further pushed to March 2019.

The iPhone SE was launched in March 2016. The iPhone SE 2 has been rumoured to launch in May but, that ship has sailed with the passing of the month. While an upgraded iPhone SE 2 would be beneficial for a lot of users, whether Apple wants to put time and money into a non-flagship iPhone is a different question. Question marks regarding the design of the iPhone SE 2 have only increased with time. With some leaks suggesting a radical new design and others claiming that it won’t look too different from the iPhone SE.

Must Read: Apple iPhone X Plus Will be The Same Size As iPhone 8 Plus

Whatever the design of the iPhone SE 2 will be, we won’t know for sure until its official launch. Apple might spring a surprise and launch it at WWDC 2018 or, it could be a part of an event where the new iPad Pro and MacBooks are unveiled. Stay tuned for all the coverage of the World Wide Developer’s Conference that commences on June 4th.

June 1, 2018
Apple iPhone In 2019 To Feature Triple Camera Setup With 3D Sensors

Back in early-April, there was a report about Apple incorporating a triple-camera setup on the 2019 iPhone. It appears that it wasn’t a one-off prediction as a result of boredom and this might actually happen. A new report claims that Apple will indeed use a third lens on the back of the iPhone but, for enhancing AR experience.

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The report falls in line with the April report by Taiwan’s Economic Daily News mentioning longer focal length, but says that the third lens would also be used to provide enhanced AR capabilities. Last year, Bloomberg reported that Apple would use a 3D sensor in at least one of the 2019 iPhones to provide more accurate 3D modelling with the rear cameras.

This, if true, would be an interesting take on a triple-camera setup. The report from last month essentially said that Apple would imitate the Huawei P20 Pro which hasn’t been Apple’s forte. The company has stuck to its guns and let other companies experiment with technology and only implement something new if the company feels it can perfect it. The iPhone X is a great example, wherein Apple introduced a nearly bezel-less design long after other brands had already done it. However, the iPhone X has been appreciated for its design, especially with the company eliminating the chin completely, something no other OEM has been able to do.

In 2013, Apple launched the iPhone 5s with Touch ID. Here again, the company was late to the fingerprint sensor party but, Touch ID, even on the iPhone 5s, was much more advanced than its competition. With Apple investing heavily in AR, it seems plausible that the company would want to take it to the next level with its flagship iPhone next year. However, whether the company will take this new route or just stick to software implementation for the time being is yet to be seen.

It’s May 2018 right now and certainly feels too early to predict what Apple will do in 2019. The 2018 iPhone lineup looks promising and we will see many more leaked about it once the WWDC 2018 concludes in early-June.

May 30, 2018
Apple Will Release All 3 2019 iPhones With OLED Displays

Apple has a busy few months ahead with the WWDC 2018 and September launch event. While we are yet to know telling details about the 2018 iPhone lineup, it appears that the 2019 iPhone lineup has a few thing sorted out already. We know that 2018 will see the launch of three iPhones, out of which, the most affordable one will have an LCD display. A new report claims that the 2019 iPhone lineup won’t have an LCD panel at all.

Curved Display Of iPhone X

The report by South Korea’s ET News falls in line with previous rumours that Apple will complete its transition to OLED in 2019, with all models adopting the technology. The report apparently quotes an Apple official (Google Translate):

“Apple recently started planning the iPhone model in 2019 and decided to adopt OLED in all three types,” said an official from Apple who said, “The OLED used in the iPhone X (TEN) is a low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD Quality, performance, and so on.

Must Read: 2018 Apple Lineup to Include iPhone , iPhone X and iPhone X Plus

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This is not the first report to claim that Apple will move on to OLED panels completely in 2019. This rumour, however, is affecting a lot of companies involved in the business with Apple. Japan Display, the current supplier of LCD displays for iPhone saw a 20% decline in shares. Sharp Corp., another LCD supplier for Apple saw a 4% decline in its shares.

Samsung is the sole OLED supplier for the company as of now and even though Japan Display is moving on to producing OLED panels, it’ll only be starting out in 2019. This means that it won’t be able to compete with Samsung on any level due to lack of experience and bad timing. However, it appears that Apple doesn’t want Samsung’s display either. The company has allegedly invested billions of dollars in LG to get its OLED display manufacturing up and running. In fact, it is rumoured that LG will be the OLED supplier for 2018 iPhone X Plus.

The 2018 iPhone lineup is still a few months away from the launch. Hence, it is still early days for speculating what the 2019 iPhone lineup will look like but, it is never too early for iPhone rumours.

May 29, 2018
Apple Might Introduce New NFC Features For iOS 12 At WWDC 2018

The buzz around the 2018 iPhone lineup has not even reached its peak yet and we have already numerous leaks about it. However, before Apple hosts one of the biggest launch events of the year, it will play host to one of the biggest developer’s conferences in June. The World Wide Developer’s Conference will commence on June 4th and many software-based announcements are expected. We will learn more about iOS 12 as well and it appears that the new iOS version will have more NFC functionalities than before.

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A new report claims that Apple will introduce interesting features pertaining to NFC functionalities with iOS 12. Apple first introduced NFC in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus back in 2014. So far, NFC has mainly been used for Apple Pay which is not available in India right now. With iOS 12, however, there will be a lot more, that an iPhone user will be able to do with NFC.

The report by The Information claims that:

The change to the near-field communication, or NFC, chip, which is expected to be announced next month, could pave the way for people to use iPhones for other security-sensitive interactions, from paying transit fares and opening car doors to verifying their identity in other ways.

With new functionalities, iPhone users will be able to unlock NFC-enabled doors and even use it to transmit data to transit systems, personal authentication devices and more. How much of it will be usable in a country like India is yet to be seen.

Apple employees are already using their iPhones to unlock doors at Apple Park, likely via custom badge readers detailed in Federal Communications Commission filings last year.

Apple has iterated that iOS 12 will concentrate more on performance aspect than UI. This means that visually, iOS 12 might not look a lot different from iOS 11 but, there will be performance enhancements which iPhone users will be able to notice once they upgrade to the latest version of iOS. Apple was scrutinised recently for slowing down iPhones without making it clear to iPhone users as to why the company was doing so. With iOS 11.3, users can choose whether to let the battery degrade with time or prolong battery life by capping the CPU power.

With iOS 12, there will be more changes in the back-end processes and less visual changes. Users with older iPhones would definitely appreciate that if it means that their iPhones will be smoother than before. It is rumoured that the iPhone 5s will also receive an update to iOS 12 which means an iPhone launched in 2013 will run on the latest version of iOS. More details to follow when WWDC 2018 kicks off on June 4th.

May 28, 2018
Apple Knew iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus Were More Likely To Bend Before The Launch

In 2014, Apple released the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in September. The release saw Apple move on to a new unibody design and screen sizes. The iconic top-placed power button moved to the right-hand side and the circular volume rockers became cylindrical. However, the most talked about aspect of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus continues to be infamous “bendgate” incident. It was alleged that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were bending in people’s pockets due to Apple’s poor design.

As a part of the ongoing lawsuit against the company regarding touchscreen failure due to bending, new internal documents were released by Judge Koh. These documents have revealed that the company knew about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus’ susceptibility to bending before the launch. According to the documents, Apple’s internal tests found that the iPhone 6 was 3.3 times more likely to bend than the iPhone 5S. The iPhone 6 Plus, on the other hand, was 7.2 times more likely to bend.

Must Read: Apple iPhone SE 2 Renders Leaked Again With iPhone X Style Notch

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At the nascent stage of the bendgate controversy, Apple conceded that bending iPhones were extremely rare. Unbox Therapy, now one of the biggest tech YouTubers, made a video about how easy it was to bend an iPhone 6 Plus. The video, at the time of writing, has 70,614,430 views!

The issue became worse when cases of iPhone 6 devices exhibiting a “touch disease” became public. Apparently, the touchscreen would fail due to a flaw in a specific touch-controller chip on the motherboard. Some people claimed that this was due to the physical damage from bending iPhones. However, Apple claimed that that the issue was a symptom of iPhones that were dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device.

Must Read: Google Sued For Secretly Tracking Browsing Data For 4.4 Million iPhone Users

Judge Koh notes that Apple then began to make changes to the design of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The company started adding extra epoxy to strengthen the area underneath the touch-controller chip in May 2016. It is worth noting that the company has never publicly acknowledged the issue that has been widely known as the “bendgate” issue.

Must Read: OnePlus 6T To Follow OnePlus 6 In Q4 2018

May 25, 2018
Apple Wins US$ 539 Million From Samsung In The Ongoing Patent Infringement Trial

Apple and Samsung have been embroiled in a long-running patent infringement battle. In the latest turn of events, Apple has been awarded a final verdict of US$ 539 million in damages. In a federal court in San Jose, the jurors awarded it the verdict, concluding that Samsung infringed on Apple design and utility patents of mobile design like rounded corners, the rim of the front face of the iPhone, and the app grid layout of the iOS home screen.

Bloomberg reports that the jury was essentially deciding whether Samsung owed Apple money based on sales of Samsung’s smartphones or the components that infringed on Apple’s patents. In a statement given to Bloomberg, Apple said:

We believe deeply in the value of design, and our teams work tirelessly to create innovative products that delight our customers. This case has always been about more than money.

It is fair to say that this might not be the final chapter in this legal battle. The case began way back in 2011 which makes it seem that it isn’t that old a case. However, the numerous appeals have made it one of the most complex patent infringement cases. Back in 2011, when Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung, it demanded US$ 2.5 billion from Samsung. In an initial verdict in 2012, that sum was reduced to US$ 1 billion.

That sum of US$ 1 billion was further reduced to US$ 549 million when an appeals court ruled that Apple could not patent the appearance of its iPhone. In 2015, Samsung agreed to pay that sum after both companies agreed to drop litigation outside of the US. In November 2017, Apple won US$ 120 million in another patent infringement case pertaining to the iOS slide-to-unlock patent. The legal battle appears to be in its closing stages but, nothing can be said for certain right now.

What started out with a US$ 2.5 billion lawsuit closes out with Samsung owing a sum of US$ 539 million to Apple. Apart from winning half a billion dollars from Samsung, this should be a significant victory for the company.

May 25, 2018
Tesla iPhone X Has A Solar Battery And Costs US$ 4590

The Apple iPhone X was launched in September 2017 with a price tag of US$ 999 (excluding taxes). While the iPhone X is the priciest iPhone ever made by Apple, it is barely the priciest smartphone in the world. Special edition Porsche smartphones from Huawei are extremely pricey and so are custom made devices. One such custom-made iPhone X is the Tesla iPhone X which costs a mind-boggling US$ 4590 (Rs 3,13,000 approx.). For context, the iPhone X 256GB is priced at Rs 1,02,000 in India.

The Tesla iPhone X is no ordinary iPhone by any means. Russian phone accessory maker Caviar is known for making over the top, highly expensive phone cases. The Tesla iPhone X, however, is not a phone case. It’s a phone case pre-attached to an iPhone X. The Tesla moniker is dedicated to Elon Musk for its contribution to the industry of sustainable energy.

The development in the sphere of creating solar batteries, smart homes, equipped with such batteries and vehicles working on the electricity, is actively carried out by Elon Musk today – the main mastermind of the Tesla Company; in honour of his great innovative developments, the new Caviar phone was named.

Must Read: Samsung Galaxy S8 Burgundy Red Is The Best Colour On A Smartphone

Other than Elon Musk, there is a reason why Caviar decided to name it Tesla and not some other brand. The Tesla iPhone X has a solar battery that transforms the light energy and replenishes the phone battery power with its help. According to the Caviar website, “This phone gets power literally from the air! This is the purest energy, for getting which no expenses are needed.”

The Tesla iPhone X will be available in a black colour variant with a shock resistant case. The overall black colour has gold accents on the smartphone which give it a different look than many other smartphones. According to Business Insider, the first Tesla iPhone X will be be sent to Elon Musk.

May 23, 2018
Apple iPhone SE 2 Case Leaks Reveal iPhone X Like Face ID

With every passing day, we inch closer to this year’s World Wide Developer’s Conference. It is widely anticipated that the Apple iPhone SE 2 will launch before the WWDC 2018 and only a few days in May are left for Apple to hold an event. If the launch doesn’t happen in May, it is entirely possible that Apple will launch 4 iPhones in September. Especially considering the fact that more renders are revealing a design similar to the iPhone X. If true, the SE 2 will look a part of the 2018 lineup and not stick out like a sore thumb with giant bezels and Touch ID.

The new images of iPhone SE 2 cases by Olixar reveal a design we have become familiar with over the past few weeks. The back of the SE 2 is almost iPhone 4-like with a uniform colour instead of the dual-tone colour found on the original iPhone SE. There is still a single camera on the back which we have known for months now. The front of the smartphone is where Apple will take a radical decision, at least according to these cases.

The front of the iPhone SE 2 will sport an iPhone X like notch and a bezel-less design. Apple will incorporate Face ID as well since it won’t just put a notch without solving a purpose. The cases reveal that the chin on the SE 2 will be just like the iPhone X, which means Apple will have to use an OLED panel instead of LCD in order to curve it from the bottom. This is where this design sort of falls apart, since using an OLED panel will significantly increase the price of the smartphone and become a better alternative to the LCD 2018 iPhone.

Must Read: OnePlus 6 To Launch In India On May 17th

There is still time to go in May and the WWDC 2018 is a couple of weeks away. India will be one of the first few countries where the Apple iPhone SE 2 will go on sale. It will be manufactured at the Bengaluru plant where the current iPhone SE and iPhone 6s Plus are manufactured.

May 19, 2018
Apple iPhone Catches Fire In CCTV Footage

Ever since the Samsung Galaxy Note 7’s firegate controversy, smartphones catching fire gets more attention than usual. A few months ago, we saw a video of a man biting his smartphone’s battery before getting a new one. The battery obviously exploded because it was punctured. This goes to show that batteries in smartphones can explode if damaged even slightly. In a new incident of an iPhone bursting into flames, there was no biting involved.

The CCTV footage appears to be of a repair shop, which means it is fair to assume that the iPhone was there for a repair. The incident took place in Las Vegas, USA and was recorded by a surveillance camera. The video shows a man working at his desk when, suddenly, an object on the desk explodes. While the exact source of the explosion is not visible in the video, KTNV has reported that it was an Apple iPhone 6s.

It is worth noting that this is not an iPhone-exclusive issue. As we have learned in the past, no smartphone is explosion-proof and that has nothing to do with the smartphone maker. Lithium-ion batteries can explode if they’re damaged or defective. Lithium-ion batteries are made up of layers, with positive and negative electrodes are wrapped around each other. These positive and negative electrodes are insulated from each other.

Since the incident occurred in a repair shop, it is possible that the battery of the iPhone was already damaged. It is also entirely possible that the battery could have been damaged during the repairing process. As we have seen in the past, a slight puncture can cause batteries to explode. Apple has also conceded that prolonged exposure to heat can cause long-term damage to your iPhone’s battery. It is also possible that the iPhone battery had been replaced with a third party battery that caused the explosion.

Whatever the reason may be for the explosion, it does serve as a good reminder to always take care of your smartphones and not damage the battery.

May 14, 2018
Apple iPhone SE 2 Renders Leaked Again With iPhone X Style Notch

Apple is expected to launch the Apple iPhone SE 2 before the World Wide Developer’s Conference 2018 kicks off in early-June. The rumours surrounding the iPhone SE 2 have increased in intensity and uniformity. That usually is a sign of a smartphone on the brink of launching. So far, we either seen a radically different design with thin bezels and a notch, or the same iPhone SE design with a glass back for wireless charging.

In new 360º renders leaked on Twitter, the images reveal a new radical design of the iPhone SE 2, more in line with the iPhone X and soon to be launched iPhone 2018 lineup. The smartphone has a notch on the display and very thin bezels all around. If Apple does go ahead with notch, it certain that the iPhone SE 2 will have Face ID and the notch won’t just be there without solving any purpose.

There is no chin on the iPhone SE 2 here, which means no LCD display. Since Apple folds the display from the bottom to get rid of the chin, an OLED panel is necessary for that. If this turns out to be true, the iPhone SE 2 will likely have a better display than the iPhone 8/8Plus which have an LCD panel.

One thing consistent with all iPhone SE 2 renders is the presence of a single camera on the back of the smartphone. Apple will likely use the iPhone 7 sensors for the iPhone SE 2. Under the hood, the iPhone SE 2 is expected to run on the Apple A10 Fusion chipset, the same SoC that powers the iPhone 7/7 Plus and the new entry-level iPad.

Must Read: OnePlus 6 To Launch In India On May 17th

We expect the iPhone SE 2 to launch before WWDC 2018 commences in June. This means that the iPhone SE 2 could be launched in May, joining a huge list of other flagship devices launching in this month. India will be one of the first few countries where the Apple iPhone SE 2 goes on sale. It will be manufactured at the Bengaluru plant where the current iPhone SE and iPhone 6s Plus are manufactured.

May 12, 2018
Apple Watch Series 3 Goes On Sale In India On May 11th: How To Setup

Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 3 along with the iPhone X back in September 2017. In India, the smartwatch goes on sale on the 11th and will be compatible with Airtel and Jio postpaid connections. The highlight of the 3rd generation of Apple Watch is that it has cellular support, which means that users can leave their iPhones behind and still be able to make calls, send texts and surf the web. The pre-registration for Apple Watch Series 3 began on the 4th of May.

How To Set Up Apple Watch Series 3:

You need an Airtel or Jio postpaid connection for this to work. Head to the Settings and go to About section. Users will get a carrier update and once updated, simply open the Watch app (pre-installed in iPhones) to set up your Apple Watch Series 3. The app will prompt you to set it up and after logging in to the necessary accounts, you will receive a confirmation SMS from your carrier.

The new Apple Watch Series 3 has an improved heart rate sensor and a SIM card slot. This has resulted in a 0.2mm thickness increment which is commendable. Apple also claims that the new Watch Series 3 is swim-proof, which means athletes can track their activities even when they’re swimming.

With the new and advanced heart rate sensor, the watch will notify an increased heart rate if you’re not active. Interestingly, in the new Apple Watch, the cellular number will remain the same as your iPhone and users can perform tasks such as iMessage directly from their watch without having their smartphone connected to it. The Apple Watch Series 3 will also stream 40 million songs from the iTunes and the Music App. The Siri on the smartwatch is also be voice-enabled for communication with the watch without looking at the screen. The display of the watch acts as an antenna and an electronic SIM card which is smaller than a nano-SIM card is used in the smartwatch.

Must Read: OnePlus 6 Will Have Galaxy S9-Like Heart Rate Sensor

The smartwatch has a dual-core processor to carry out all the tasks. The smartwatch will run Apple Watch OS 4 out of the box and has a battery life of up to 18 hours, Apple claims. The new W2 chip inside delivers 85 percent faster Wi-Fi while also being 50 percent more power efficient, which will be crucial because of the cellular connectivity feature using up more battery than usual.

The Apple Watch Series 3 is priced at Rs 39080 for the 38mm size variant and the 42mm variant will cost Rs 41120. The Apple Watch Series 3 is certainly a very pricey accessory to own in India. However, it has its own advantages and users who really need an Apple Watch, should not look beyond the Series 3 model.

May 10, 2018