Tag: apple

iOS 16 Public Beta Has Arrived, And Here’s How You Can Download It Right Now
Apple released the latest iOS 16 developer beta last month during WWDC 2022. However, since developer betas require an Apple Developer Program membership and the OS is not considered stable, not many download it. Beta software is also not recommended for daily use as it can be super buggy and problematic. Apple has just launched the public beta for iOS 16, which is free and should be a bit more stable, since it is designed for public testing. All one has to do is sign up to the Apple Beta Software program, enrol your device and install the config file to get iOS 16 on your device.

Here’s how you can update your iPhone to iOS 16.

Do note that you should take the necessary precautions before updating like backing up your device if you want to roll back to iOS 15.

Step 1: Sign up for Apple Beta Software Program

After backing up your device, here are the steps you should follow
- Go to the Apple Beta Software Program website on your iPhone.
- Tap on the Sign-Up button at the bottom of the page.
- You can use either Touch ID or Face ID to login into the Apple ID attached to your iPhone.
- Read and accept the Apple Beta Software Program Agreement.
On the next page, scroll to the bottom to Get Started enroll your iOS device, which should be hyperlinked. This will take you to another page, where Apple will give you everything you need to do to download and install iOS 16 public beta on your iPhone.

Step 2: Installing the iOS 16 public beta configuration profile

Once you scroll down the page, you’ll reach a section called Install Profile. You will need to install a configuration profile on your iPhone if you want to download and install the iOS 16 public beta to your device.

A configuration profile basically allows a third party to manage your device, Apple in this scenario. While one can have valid concerns about whether this is a privacy breach or not, this configuration profile simply allows Apple to deliver and manage the iOS 16 public beta on your iPhone.

To install the profile, click on the blue Download profile button and then tap Allow in the following pop-up prompt. After that, go to the Settings app and click Profile Download at the top of the page, after which it should you a window for the iOS 16 public beta configuration profile. Click install, enter your passcode and further follow onscreen instructions. Finally, restart your phone to get the OTA iOS 16 public beta update.

Step 3: Download and install iOS 16 public beta

After your iPhone boots up, go to Settings > General> Software Update, hit Download and Install and enter your passcode to begin the process of updating to iOS 16 public beta. If for some reason you do not see the Download and Install option, try waiting for a short while or clear some of your memory to make space.

You won’t be able to download and install iOS 16 on your device if you don’t have enough internal memory. Once everything is sorted, you should be seeing a loading bar that will show the estimated time of download. After the download is complete, reboot your device and wait for iOS 16 public beta to install. Once your iPhone is booted up, you should be seeing the new iOS 16 public beta running on your device.
July 13, 2022
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
Apple iPhone X Has A Black Screen Of Death Issue
Apple iPhone X is the most powerful iPhone that Apple has ever made. However, it is also the priciest iPhone ever launched, breaking the thousand dollar barrier for the first time. It is also the first iPhone since the iPhone 5s to not feature Touch ID (iPhone 5c also did not have TouchID but, had the home button). The smartphone currently retails in India at Rs 95,390 for the 64GB storage variant.

The iPhone X comes with radically redesigned finish with a premium surgical grade steel frame. The bezel-less design and gesture-based UI are some of the highlights of this smartphone. Face ID was subjected to a lot of speculations before the launch of the iPhone X, However, ever since the iPhone X went on sale, it has received positive reviews from consumers and critics alike.

However, Face ID has had its fair share of failures as well. Recently, users were able to bypass Face ID using twins and a 3D face mask. However, Apple has promised that Face ID will become smarter with the future software updates.

It looks like Face ID and iOS bugs aren’t the only things troubling iPhone X users. Some users have reported about the “Black Screen of Death”. In fact, the issue has been persistent across the iPhone lineup from last few years.

What is Black Screen of Death on iPhone X?

The iPhone X tends to turn off the screen suddenly for no reason. Interestingly, the smartphone will continue to receive calls and notifications while the screen is off. However, the user cannot reply to texts or pick up any incoming calls. The issue is not fixed to a certain iPhone and can occur at random. The company, however, is expected to fix this issue in an upcoming software update.

How to Resolve Black Screen of Death on Apple iPhone X?
- Turn off your Apple iPhone X completely
- Connect the iPhone to a power socket via lightning cable
- Press Volume UP and Volume Down buttons together along with the multifunction key for a brief second
- After this, your phone will enter into Device Firmware Update (DFU) Mode
- Disconnect your iPhone from the power socket and press the multifunction key
- After this, your iPhone should restart normally
If the problem isn’t resolved after the first attempt, repeat the process again. This process should essentially fix your iPhone, however, if the issue persists, it is best suggested to take the iPhone to an Apple service centre.
February 21, 2018
Twelve Smartphone Firms Respond To Govt Notice On Data Security

The Electronics and IT Ministry, last week had sent notices to 21 smartphone companies, with a majority of them Headquartered in China, asking them to outline the procedures and processes adopted by them to ensure security and privacy of users data. Soon after, nine more companies, including Motorola, Honor, Asus, OnePlus, InFocus, were added to that list.

The latest update states that a total of twelve companies including HTC, Xiaomi,Vivo, Huawei and Lenovo, have responded to the notice, while others like Samsung, Oppo, Sony, etc. have acknowledged and requested an extension. The ministry official said that agreeing to the requests, the government is likely to extend the deadline for submitting the details of the data security procedures.

Apple confirmed in an email, that the iPhone maker has sent its response to the ministry and a Vivo official stated that the company has replied to the government notice.

The ministry officials said that the 30 smartphone makers were asked to share security information to ensure that required data security measures were being taken. To support their claims, the IT ministry had cited international and domestic reports regarding data leaks from mobile phones.

Based on the response of the companies, the ministry will initiate verification and audit of devices where required. If a company fails to provide the information, the said firm will face charges and levy penalty for violation of security norms under provisions of IT Act 43 (A).

August 30, 2017
Top Tech Stories Of The Week

Samsung Galaxy Note8 Officially Launched

Samsung launched the highly-anticipated Galaxy Note8 in New York on August 23 during its ‘Unpacked 2017’ event. Priced at Rs 74,999 the Galaxy Note8 is the first Samsung to feature a dual-camera setup. Both the cameras are 12 MP and both have OIS, one has a wide lens while the other a telephoto lens. The Galaxy Note8 also has an IRIS scanner on the front, sadly the fingerprint sensor still sits on the back of the phone next to the cameras.

Read Full Story Here

Apple May Launch The iPhone 8 On September 12

Apple looks all set to launch the new iPhone on September 12. Apple has been hosting its iPhone launch events in September since 2012. September 12 also falls on a Tuesday, which is in line with the previous iPhone announcement events. It is rumoured that the main iPhone 8 will be available in extremely limited numbers at launch. Along with the new iPhone 8, the launch of the iPhone 7S, 7S Plus, Apple TV with 4K video output, LTE enabled Apple Watch is also expected.

Read Full Story Here

Google Pixel 2 And Pixel XL 2 Will Be Launched On October 5

The follow-up to last year’s lineup of Pixel devices, the pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 could be launched on October 5th according to a tipster. This tip comes after specifications of the Pixel 2 were leaked through an FCC filing document. In his tweet, Evan Blass claims that both the devices will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 836 chipset, instead of the much-anticipated Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset.

Read Full Story Here

Android 8.0 Oreo Officially Launched

Google officially launched the next generation of its Android OS, 8.0 Oreo during the first Solar Eclipse in the USA since 1917 on August 21. The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 are tipped to be the first sdevices to run Android 8.0 Oreo while many other smartphones will soon follow suit.

Features such as the new picture-in-picture mode, auto fill framework, notification dots and much more will be available when the Android 8.0 Oreo starts rolling out to devices later this year.

Read Full Story Here

Moto G5S Plus To Launch In India On 29th August

Lenovo-owned Motorola is set to launch the Moto G5S Plus in India on 29th August. The smartphone will be an Amazon exclusive in the beginning and will be available at offline retailers later.The Moto G5S Plus’ widely speculated feature, the rear mounted 13MP dual-camera with an f/2.0 aperture and dual tone LED flash, comes with video stabilization and 4K video recording at 30 FPS.

Read Full Story Here

August 27, 2017
Apple Set To Launch New iPhone 8 On September 12

The world could witness new iPhones in less than a month as Apple is expected to hold the all-important launch event on September 12.

Apple has been hosting its iPhone launch events in September since 2012. September 12 also falls on a Tuesday, which is in line with the previous iPhone announcement events. A lot of people were speculating between September 5 and September 12, this should be clarified soon as Apple’s press invites should be appearing in inboxes soon. This news might convince a few iPhone buyers to hold off on their credit cards for a little longer. Apple is going to release the final version of iOS 11 at some point between September 12 and September 22.

Apple is also probably going to announce a new version of the Apple Watch. The main change with this new watch could be that it’s going to have LTE connectivity. There could be a small update to the Apple TV as well with 4K video output.

If certain reports are to be believed, Apple will, in fact, launch three different iPhone’s this year, iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and the iPhone 8. The marquee phone, of course, is going to be the iPhone 8 or whatever Apple decides to call it at the end with a reportedly bezel-less display and vertically mounted dual-camera setup. Apple will also finally introduce wireless charging to its iPhone lineup after a component was leaked online. The iPhone 8/X/Pro will also feature better cameras which will reportedly record 4K videos at 60 FPS. Another headlining feature will be 3D facial recognition, dubbed as ‘FaceID.’ The smartphone is expected to break the thousand dollar barrier and cost around $1,100 for the base variant.

Apple may also announce newer AirPods as the previous generation ones leave a lot to be desired from. The event will be followed up by a pre-order phase before the iPhones start to become available in stores. It is rumoured that the main iPhone 8 will be available in extremely limited numbers at launch.

August 25, 2017
Apple iPhone X’s 3D Sensing Camera Module Leaked

As the iPhone 8 reportedly enters production phase, new leaks from its assembly have surfaced online. A few days back, an image leak showcasing the alleged iPhone 8’s OLED display assembly, lightning and power flex cables emerged.

The latest component on display appears to be the iPhone 8’s 3D sensing camera module which is expected to replace Apple’s iconic TouchID. The leaked 3D camera module will most likely be used to recognise users’ face and the feature will be called “Face ID”. Another anticipated feature is the iris scanner. Multiple listings have stated that the the new iPhone is expected to have iris scanner as an added security feature.

But Apple isn’t amongst the first to use this technology. Smartphone makers like Samsung and LG have already integrated facial recognition and iris scanner in their flagship devices. However, Apple’s “Face ID” for unlocking the iPhone is expected to be much faster and ‘practically instantaneous’ as compared to the rival systems. Assuming that Apple is dropping the Touch ID, reports claim that “Face ID” will be just as fast, if not faster, than the fingerprint sensing technology.

Another challenge faced by Apple while embedding the facial recognition tech could be constantly environmental conditions. As the facial detection technology will have to cope with constant changes in the environment around the face. It is yet to see if ‘practically instantaneous’ system will be capable of handling the scanning, recognition and the storage of a user’s facial biometric information.

It will be interesting to see how Apple will pull off a seamless and instant facial recognition system which is secure and reliable for the upcoming iPhone 8. Apple’s redesigned flagship is expected to launch in September.

August 23, 2017
iPhone 8 OLED Display And Power Cable Leaked

Apple is prepping for the September launch of the widely anticipated iPhone 8. Though the launch is nearer than ever, the smartphone still doesn’t seem to be catching a break from leaks and rumors. An image leak shows iPhone 8’s OLED display assembly, lightning and power flex cables, further corroborating the existing reports.

These images, though blurry give a close look of the iPhone 8’s internals. The display panel picture confirm the curved edges and bezel less design. No physical home button could be seen on the images, indicating that the iPhone 8 will feature a virtual home button and most likely launch without Apple’s iconic Touch ID.

The OLED panel image also displays the notch on the top of the smartphone which houses the sensors and the dual-cameras used for 3D mapping for FaceID. The HomePod firmware leak had confirmed that the iPhone 8 will arrive with facial recognition technology. The smartphone’s front camera, which was rumored to feature 4K video recording at 60 FPS can also be seen in the leak.

The display has always been a major component of the iPhone (or any smartphone) and Apple may finally be throwing OLED panels into the mix, all thanks to Samsung ramping up its manufacturing facilities after Apple termed the latter as the sole provider of the iPhone 8’s display.

Apart from the display assembly, the image leak also includes lightning and power flex cables.There have been multiple reports suggesting that Apple will launch the iPhone 8 with wireless charging capabilities.

The smartphone is expected to run on the Apple A11 Chipset and will be available in 128GB and 256GB variants for the iPhone 8. To be launched with iOS 11, the smartphone is speculated to range from US $ 1,100 to US $ 1,200.

August 21, 2017
Apple iPhone 7s And 7s Plus Will Still Have Significant Bezels

Apple is expected to launch the new iPhone 7S models alongside the iPhone 8. Though the redesigned iPhone 8 has had its fair share of leaks, but we haven’t seen a whole lot of information for the iPhone 7S and 7S plus. Newly surfaced CAD images offer a pretty close look of the yet to be revealed iPhone 7S and 7S Plus.

Both the devices have the similar haptic home button at the bottom, volume buttons on the left and the power button on the right. The iPhone 7 iteration has the sensors placed at the top of the screen and so does the the 7s and 7s Plus. According to the leaked images, the iPhone 7S Plus will feature a dual camera setup, whereas the 7S will have a single lens camera.

Sticking with same LCD panels used by Apple, the 7s and 7s Plus will feature the Apple logo at the back. Not much is expected to change on the design front, apart from the few tweaks like a glass back on the 7S.

The S models are known to receive internal upgrades and same applies to the iPhone 7S iterations. Apple is expected to upgrade both iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus with the A11 Fusion chip and hopefully increased RAM. It is widely reported that Apple’s long awaited wireless charging feature will be arriving with the next iPhone lineup. But for now, Apple seems to be sticking to the same size display on the front with the thick bezels on the top and bottom.

August 20, 2017
Indian Government Asks 21 Smartphone Companies To Share Security Information

Amidst the multiple reports of online thefts and data leakage, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has taken steps to ensure privacy and safety of user data. The Ministry sent our notices to 21 smartphone makers to provide the framework as well as the procedures they follow for data security.

Aside from the global providers like Apple and Samsung and Indian firms like Micromax, majority of the listed 21 Smartphone companies included Chinese makers such as Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Lenovo.

All 21 smartphone companies are to provide detailed information about security practices, architecture, process, guidelines and standards followed for providing secure transmission and storage of data, irrespective of whether the devices are manufactured in India or not. The government has announced 28 August as the official deadline for all the firms to file the security compliances. Several reports mention that additional measures such a security adits will also be taken.

If a company fails to provide the information, the firm will face charges and levy penalty for violation of security norms. Though the extent of penalty has not been stated yet, but according to the Sec 43(a) of the IT Act, any company found to be in violation of rules can attract penalties of up to Rs. 5 crore along with a provision for unlimited compensation.

A ministry official said that, “The first step in that direction is that we have asked the mobile companies to inform us what are the security procedures and processes that have been taken by them to ensure the security of the data of the users and their privacy… We want to make sure that any device that is sold in the country should be safe.”

This series of events unfolded after the IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called a meeting of senior officials in the IT department and representatives of CERT-In to understand the situation. As a result, a notice was sent to 21 companies, issued under Section 70B(6) of the IT Act.

With the government progressing towards digital India, and pushing for digital payments, data security has become much more crucial, and while these seems like a step towards preventing data breaches, a large amount of the fear is towards the Chinese majors collecting sensitive information using smartphones which at present flood the Indian market.

August 17, 2017
Google To Pay Apple US $3 Billion to Remain Default Search Engine on iOS

A US-based research and brokerage firm, Bernstein has said that Google will pay Apple USD 3 billion to remain the default search engine on iOS devices. According to a note to investors, Google has increased the payment from $1 billion three years ago to $3 billion for 2017. Google’s licensing fee makes up a large bulk of Apple’s service business. In fact, this license fee from Google comprises about 5% of Apple’s total operations profit.

Apple has stated that its services business is growing at a fast pace and that the profit from the services sector will help the company get listed in the Fortune 500 companies. An analyst from Bernstein also says that iOS devices also contribute 50% profit to Google’s mobile search revenues. This shows that Google will pay any amount to get unfettered access to all iOS devices. Thus, both the companies are dependent on each other for revenue. Since Google is earning a lot of profit from this arrangement, it has decided to increase the payment from $1 billion to $3 billion this year so that the license is not cancelled.

Revenue of Services sector

Apple has identified the services sector as an important source of profit, which a lot of investors believe is because of Apple Music and iTunes. But, a look at the revenue model shows that this licensing fee will become the largest revenue source in this sector. Mobile Ad revenue is central to Google’s revenue model and the growing importance of the mobile internet has now shifted the ad revenue focus from desktop to mobile devices. In fact, Google is expected to generate nearly $50 billion in revenue from mobile ads in CY 2017.

Although lucrative, the mutually beneficial deal between Apple and Google may be numbered. According to some estimates, if Google can retain 80% of their iOS search volume, then it would be financially more viable for them to break off this deal with Apple.

August 16, 2017
More Tech And Smartphone Deals For The Amazon Great Indian Sale

There are more deals on Amazon to keep you shopping. Here are the top tech and smartphone deals for the Amazon Great Indian Sale to save some of your hard earned money.

TP-Link Wireless-N Router

The TP-Link Wireless Router is an essential for good internet connection at your home or office. It has a data transfer rate of 300 MB per second and has all the essential ports you might need to setup your internet connection. It usually retails for around Rs 1,499 but is right now available for Rs 899 on Amazon.

Samsung Evo Plus 32GB MicroSDHC Card

The Samsung Evo Plus 32GB microSD card is fast, durable and now affordable. It comes with an adaptor which makes it compatible with almost brands while maintaining its speed. It has ultra-fast read and write speeds up to 95mbps and 20mbps respectively. It is right now available for Rs 749 while it usually retails for around Rs 1,149.

OnePlus 3T

One of the best phones of 2016, and still holds up pretty well against most of the 2017 devices, the OnePlus 3T comes with great specifications and user experience. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Chipset along with 6GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage. The smartphone comes in two colours, Gunmetal and Soft Gold. The OnePlus 3T costs Rs 29,999 but is available at Rs 27,999 right now.

Honor 6X (32GB)

Huawei’s sub-brand Honor’s budget offering, the Honor 6X is a budget-friendly smartphone in the sub-15K category and offers a dual-camera set up as well. It features a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 px display along with the Kirin 655 chipset and an octa-core processor. It sports a 12Mp + 2MP dual camera setup at the back and an 8MP front-facing camera. It retails for Rs 11,999 but is available at Rs 10,999 right now.

Apple iPhone 6 (32GB)

The Apple iPhone 6 was launched back in 2014 but continues to get constant software updates making it more than capable to be your daily driver in 2017. It sports a 4.7-inch 1334 x 725 px IPS LCD display and Apple’s A8 chipset. It features an 8MP rear-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a front-facing 1.2MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture. It’s priced at Rs 29,500 but is available for Rs 23,999 right now.

August 9, 2017
iPhone X Leaked Case Render Shows All Screen And No Home Button

The iPhone 8 is nearing its launch and the rumour are running on a frenzy, churning out new leaks and renders every other day. The recent leaks have mostly surrounded around the iPhone 8’s camera hardware, but the latest leak has everyone talking about the design (again).

Evan Blass tweeted a photo of the iPhone 8 encased in a neon yellow case and shows off an edge-to-edge display with no home button below the screen. The image suggests that the notch on the top of the phone will house all the sensors and the dual-cameras which will be used for 3D mapping for FaceID. Latest HomePod firmware leak has seemingly confirmed that Apple will go all out with facial recognition as reports of it ditching TouchID on the 2017 flagship catches on. The image doesn’t reveal much, except very thin bezels and an almost screen front of the device.

iPhone 8 (encased) pic.twitter.com/9LpARCAML2
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 8, 2017

The extension of the screen on the left and right side of the notch shows the battery percentage and signal strengths. This seems to strengthen the rumours that Apple will make certain tweaks to the software to take optimal advantage of the huge screen real estate. As usual, you need to take this leak with a pinch of salt as the date on the phone is that of March, meaning the image could be a few months old.

The possibilities of a bezel-less iPhone 8 have increased in the past few months especially after the success of Samsung Galaxy S8 and S+ and the LG G6 with their edge-to-edge displays. If Apple does decide to take the bezel-less display route, it will be interesting to see its implementation of iOS on the flagship device. 2017 is turning out to be the year where flagships shift to bezel-less phones with reports of the LG V30 and Google Pixel XL 2 also reportedly sporting such displays. Even the Essential phone PH-1 has a bezel-less display and Evan Blass even pointed out the similarities between the two devices.

August 8, 2017
Samsung OLED Production Lines For iPhone 8 Ramping Up To Full Capacity

As the launch of the iPhone 8 approaches, a new report suggests that Apple is claiming almost one third of Samsung’s OLED displays for the upcoming iPhone 8’s screens.

Samsung has reportedly geared up to operate seven of its next-generation OLED production lines at full capacity, all of which are dedicated to Apple and the iPhone 8. By ramping up their scale of production, Samsung Display, a unit of Samsung, is now able to manufacture about 45,000 panels a month for OLED displays, out of which 15,000 of them are allegedly reserved for Apple.

Samsung Display being the only supplier of the Apple iPhone 8’s OLED screens, the manufacturer, is said to further increase the production from 15,000 panels per month for Apple to 105,000 panels per month. The report says that full-scale production will begin later this month, with output capacity increasing by 700%.

At this rate and capacity, Samsung Display facilities are expected to yield approximately 130 million 5.8-inch screens per year. However, due to Apple’s specific requests, which involve “high degree of technical difficulty”, the actual production may decrease to 60% (which will amount to about 79 million displays for Apple iPhone 8).

Subsequently, the current reports of Samsung facing technical challenges during OLED display manufacturer for its future iPhones, seem to validate the rumours of production delays for the next iPhone, potentially leading to a limited iPhone 8 launch.

Though Samsung is currently reported to be the sole supplier of the OLED displays for the iPhone 8, it might not be the case for long. Apple seems to be already on a hunt for a new OLED display supplier for its future iPhones.

Recent announcements of Apple investing $2.7 billion in LG Display to help set up new OLED production lines dedicated for the future iPhones seems a little less than promising for Samsung. Subsequently, LG is also planning to invest $13 billion in OLED production over the next three years in order to continue its dominance in the OLED TV screen market. The company hopes to “make inroads against rival Samsung in smartphone displays.” Irrespective, Samsung is building the world’s largest OLED production plant in hopes of getting future Apple orders.

August 5, 2017
iPhone X May Support 4K Video Recording 60 FPS
Rumours surrounding the iPhone 8 refuse to fizzle out as we approach the launch of Apple’s next gen iPhone. A few days ago, Apple’s HomePod firmware was leaked, which seemingly confirmed the front design of the iPhone 8 along with features such as face recognition, virtual home button and AR support.

A Portuguese news site iHelp has unearthed that the iPhone 8 will record 3840 x 2160 px 4K videos at 60 FPS with both the rear and front camera. The code, visible in the screenshot mentions a device that supports 4K video at 60 FPS. Interestingly, there’s also a mention of “front4k60” and “back4k60”, suggesting that the iPhone 8 will indeed feature the high-resolution video recording with both the cameras.

Currently, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus support 4K video recording at 30 FPS with the rear camera while the front camera caps out at 1080P at 30 FPS. The introduction of 4K videos at 60 FPS puts the impetus on the rumours of the next iPhone will have augmented reality capabilities. The jump to 60 FPS will increase depth recognition of the rear camera resulting in better AR experience.

The Apple HomePod firmware also suggests that the 4K video from the front and rear cameras will support Apple’s new HVEC file type, which reduces the file size by a significant amount. This makes sense because 4K videos generally have large file sizes and HVEC can reduce the size by almost 50 per cent resulting in better storage management. More study of the firmware suggests features like tap to wake, a new “smartcam” mode and support for FaceID.

From what we’ve gathered so far, the iPhone 8 may have the following key specifications-
- Launch- September
- Price- $1,200 (Rs. 77,000 approx.)
- Display- 5.8-inch OLED display
- Chipset- A11 chip
- OS- iOS 11
- RAM- 3GB
- Storage- 128GB/256GB
- Camera- Vertically-placed dual camera setup
- Video Recording- 3840 x 2160 px 4K video at 60 FPS with front and rear camera
- Face recognition for unlocking the iPhone 8, called the ‘FaceID’
- TouchID- integrated in the lock button
These rumours are more reliable than others since they stem out of an actual Apple firmware leak, but nothing is set in stone until Apple unveils the new iPhone 8 come September.
August 5, 2017