Items tagged with iPhone
If you were expecting a revolutionary design update for the 2019 family of iPhones, you're going to be woefully disappointed. As widely expected, this year's iPhone refresh will look much like the 2018 iPhones, which looked nearly identical to the 2017 iPhone X. The iPhone 11 family -- as it's being called for now -- is most easily differentiated [externally] from its predecessors by a square camera pod on the rear. On the XS and XS Max successors, that means a third, wide-angle camera joints the party. 9to5Mac expands upon this information, however, indicated that the wide-angle camera will support a new feature called Smart Frame. The publication notes that Smart Frame...
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It is never too early for rumors of the next iPhone iteration, right? So it goes in the land of smartphones—leaks, rumors, and speculation constantly abound. As it pertains to Apple's bread and butter device, there is talk of a 2020 model iPhone getting a display upgrade with a refresh rate than can be switched from 60Hz to 120Hz. Nothing is set in stone, and the chatter is not coming from Apple directly. However, moving to a 120Hz panel would give Apple an enticing bullet point to market at enthusiasts and gamers alike. As it stands, the majority of smartphones that have a 120Hz display (and there are not a ton of them) are gaming phones, like the just-announced ASUS ROG Phone II. Outside...
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The smartphone market is stagnating as phones have changed little in the last few generations, while prices have soared for new devices. This means that more and more people are hanging onto their smartphones for longer periods of time. A survey from a company that specializes in phone trading, called BankMyCell, is claiming that iPhone loyalty is on the decline. The survey claims to have looked at 38,000 phone trades since March of last year and found that 15% more people have traded in their iPhones for another brand. BankMyCell noted that Samsung sees much better retention numbers than Apple and that many of the Apple people ditching their iPhones are moving to Samsung products. The report...
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Although smartphone OEMs try their best to deliver new smartphone experiences year after year like clockwork, consumers are increasingly becoming immune to their new-device charms. According to Gartner, the mobile phone market is expected to experience its biggest downturn ever during 2019. According to the analytics firm, global mobile phone sales are expected to drop by 3.8 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. With respect to smartphones specifically, the sales shortfall is expected to come in a 2.5 percent. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out at a few of the reasons for the sales decline. For starters, smartphone OEMs haven’t exactly been giving us remarkable reasons...
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Few topics are as divisive as politics and religion. The advent of display notches on smartphones may not quite reach the same level of contention during Thanksgiving dinners, but it certainly attracts outspoken individuals who are all too eager to share their opinions on the subject. It may one day be moot, though, as even Apple might be getting rid of the notch, starting with its 2020 iPhone models. Longtime Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a note to investors that Apple is likely to shrink the size of the front-facing camera in next year's iPhone models. The reduction in size of the TrueDepth camera could subsequently result in a smaller notch, or even its absence altogether. That is not...
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Video chats are awkward. The video can be of poor quality, the audio can be unreliable, and it can be odd to speak to someone when they staring at the screen instead of the camera. Apple plans to fix the last dilemma with its next major mobile device update. iOS 13 will use ARKit to fix the eye contact issues in FaceTime. This new feature was discovered by Mike Rundle and quickly posted to Twitter. He noted that the third developer beta for iOS 13 includes a feature called “FaceTime Attention Correction”. This feature will use augmented reality to make it seem like you are looking into the camera while you FaceTime. How is the feat being achieved? With ARKit, Apple is able to map...
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A new rumor is making the rounds at several Chinese websites this week claiming Apple is considering a new iPhone model specific for the Chinese market. The new model would ditch the Face ID sensor in favor of an in-screen fingerprint reader according to the report. Apple is famous for its high margins on its products, and it is reluctant to cut prices to maintain sales at the expense of its margins. What Apple often prefers to do is beat on suppliers to reduce its cost on components used inside its devices. The new rumor claims that one of the places that Apple is looking to reduce its cost on the iPhone and compete more effectively in China is by eliminating the Face ID sensor. Apple is facing...
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Best Buy has announced that it has teamed up with Apple to provide authorized repair services at 1,000 Best Buy locations around the country. Apple says that the expansion will make it easier for customers to access safe and reliable repairs. The Best Buy stores that will offer the Apple repair services are in specific cities; not all locations will have repair services. Cities that offer repairs include Yuma, Arizona; Sioux City, Iowa; Twin Falls, Idaho; Casper, Wyoming and Bismarck, North Dakota. Repairs are made via the Best Buy Geek Squad service and the company has nearly 7,600 newly Apple-certified technicians that can make same-day repairs to iPhones and service other Apple Products. Apple...
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Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has pretty knowledgeable sources deep within Apple's supply chain, and has a good track record with respect to identifying features and specs for upcoming hardware. Given that the 2019 iPhones are just a few months away, we already have a good idea about what they will look like, and what features they will have, Kuo is focusing his attention to next year. According to Kuo, there will be three distinct iPhones models released in 2020, and for those that prefer a smaller device, there's good news in store. The flagship models will be available in either a 5.4-inch or 6.7-inch OLED configuration. This is shift from the current iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, which have...
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It appears that no one is safe from the hacking capabilities of Israeli security firm Cellebrite. Cellebrite is well-known in law enforcement circles for its lineup of hardware devices that are able to use brute force methods to hack smartphones and tablets. The company recently announced that it has the capability to "perform a full file system extraction on any iOS device" with its latest Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED). This newest product, dubbed UFED Premium, can chew through any and all passcodes on an iOS device to unlock them. What's even more critical, which Apple has attempted to thwart in the past with USB Restricted Mode, is that UFED Premium can perform...
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When it comes to the Right to Repair movement, Apple is definitely not onboard. Apple is a company that feels that its devices are so complex that regular consumers shouldn't be burdened with tasks such as replacing the battery or a cracked display on their devices -- even people with the proper skillset to do so. This staunch defense of its IP and how it is handled post-sale extends to third-party repair shops that aren't "Apple Certified". In the case of one Norwegian repair company, Apple has unleashed its legal attack dogs over a relatively small sum of money. According to a report by Motherboard, Apple decided to sue the owner of PCKompaniet, Henrik Huseby, over components...
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There have been many leaks making the rounds that claim to give insight into what the 2019 Apple iPhone models will look like, and what features they will offer. Rumors have suggested that these new iPhone models won't have 5G connectivity (which isn't surprising), but will have a new antenna design. Rumors have also indicated that the new iPhones will have an ugly, square camera bump on the rear with three cameras inside. Many iPhone fans have hoped that the unsightly square camera bump rumor was wrong. But, that earlier reporting has seemingly been confirmed with alleged iPhone prototype cases surfacing that show a large square cutout for the camera area. The third camera sensor -- which...
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It is getting to be that time of the year when iPhone leaks and rumors heat up, as Apple is expected to unveil its 2019 models in a few months. As we approach the inevitable launch, other smartphone makers have released flagship devices of their own, with advanced features like 5G connectivity. Will the 2019 iPhones bring anything exciting to the table? Time will tell, though analysts at Barclays don't necessarily think they will. Instead, Barclays believes Apple will again release three models just like it did for 2018 (iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, and iPhone XR) with designs that are overall similar to existing models. The only major change, according to Barclays' crystal ball, is the addition...
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The Apple App Store is regarded as being more a lot more secure than Google Play, but it's not perfect. An app was discovered last month that had bypassed Apple's security and was spying on users. Now, cybersecurity experts are worried that more unsecure apps might be sold to Apple customers after a Supreme Court ruling this week that will allow iPhone users to proceed with a class-action suit against Apple. The class-action alleges Apple's monopoly on the downloading of apps from the App Store drove prices up. While the Supreme Court approved the suit, the actual suit does have to go back and work its way through the lower courts. The case has the potential to force Apple to open its walled...
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