Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones News - Page 3

The latest and most important Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones news - Page 3.

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iPhone owners could soon finally choose a default navigation app, but there's a catch

Oliver Haslam | Mar 11, 2024 10:30 AM CDT

Apple has been making big changes to the iPhone of late, not least with the arrival of iOS 17.4. That update allows for third-party app stores and browser engines in the European Union, among other things, but that isn't the end of Apple's new features. Those changes were made in order to allow Apple to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act, and there are more changes afoot.

iPhone owners could soon finally choose a default navigation app, but there's a catch

Apple says that it will continue to make changes to iOS and the iPhone in order to better comply with DMA requirements, although they won't all need to be made any time soon. One of the changes that Apple has already confirmed is support for changing the default navigation app, but it won't arrive until March 2025 the company has confirmed.

9to5Mac spotted the reference in a new Apple document that outlines its plans to comply with the DMA. Apple says that it plans to introduce new default controls for users of navigation apps with the option set to live in the Settings app. However, Apple only aims to have that new option available by March 2025, which means we could be waiting almost a year for it to arrive.

Continue reading: iPhone owners could soon finally choose a default navigation app, but there's a catch (full post)

Denver to pay $3.76m to innocent woman whose house its police raided based on Find My data

Oliver Haslam | Mar 11, 2024 10:15 AM CDT

Apple's Find My network is pretty great when you lose your iPhone, AirPods, or if you have an AirTag, just about anything. But the network isn't perfect and that's what police in Denver found out when they raided the wrong person's home on the hunt for stolen gear. Now, that woman will be paid $3.76 million in compensation.

Denver to pay $3.76m to innocent woman whose house its police raided based on Find My data

The woman, 78-year-old Ruby Johnson, will receive the money after police damaged and ransacked her Denver home with Apple's Find My app being the only source of information used ahead of the raid. The decision to award the money comes after a Colorado jury awarded the cash after she complained of severe physical and emotional distress.

The case saw two police officers sued as individuals but it's Denver that will stump up the cash despite finding that there were no policy violations and that there was no need for any disciplinary action. Both of the officers still work with the city.

Continue reading: Denver to pay $3.76m to innocent woman whose house its police raided based on Find My data (full post)

Apple's already testing iOS 17.5 with a beta expected to be released soon

Oliver Haslam | Mar 11, 2024 10:01 AM CDT

Apple might have only released iOS 17.4 last week but the new release train never stops, especially in Cupertino. Now, there is a new report that Apple is working on what comes next. And what comes after that, too.

Apple's already testing iOS 17.5 with a beta expected to be released soon

The iOS 17.4 update brought with it support for third-party app stores in the European Union as well as a raft of other changes while those in other parts of the world benefited from new emojis and the addition of podcast episode transcriptions in the Apple Podcasts app. Now, MacRumors reports that Apple is internally testing iOS 17.4.1 for the iPhone based on evidence found in the website's logs over the last week. What's more, that isn't the only new update that's being worked on.

The iOS 17.4.1 update is likely to be a relatively minor one and will concentrate on fixing any bugs that were introduced with the iOS 17.4 update. We can also expect improvements to security as well, but it's as-yet unclear when we should expect that Apple will release that update to the public. It's unlikely that there will be any betas, however.

Continue reading: Apple's already testing iOS 17.5 with a beta expected to be released soon (full post)

Apple expects to shift up to 8.5 million OLED iPad Pros in 2024 as launch nears

Oliver Haslam | Mar 11, 2024 6:45 AM CDT

Apple's long been rumored to be working on launching a pair of new iPad Pro tablets and it's now thought that they will arrive within the next few weeks - possibly as soon as this week - which means that the wheels must be very much in motion in terms of suppliers and mass production. Now, a report claims that Apple has ordered an estimated 8.5 million OLED panels from South Korea's Samsung Display and LG Display, with no work left over for Chinese outfit BOE and others.

Apple expects to shift up to 8.5 million OLED iPad Pros in 2024 as launch nears

The lack of a Chinese OLED manufacturer is thought to have captured the attention of those in the supply chain, DigiTimes reports. In terms of production, it's thought that LG Display will be producing OLED panels for use in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with around 4.5 million units thought to be ordered. Samsung Display will be the supplier of the displays that will be used in the 11-inch iPad Pro with around four million units ordered.

The decision to use the two suppliers is thought to be down to concerns over the production yield of OLED displays with Apple thought to be striving for only the best display available. The OLED iPad Pro is expected to offer improved colors, better contrast, and more in order to produce the best iPad experience yet.

Continue reading: Apple expects to shift up to 8.5 million OLED iPad Pros in 2024 as launch nears (full post)

Sonos readies its AirPods Max competitor as FCC approval arrives ahead of launch

Oliver Haslam | Mar 8, 2024 12:03 PM CST

Rumors of smart speaker company Sonos entering the headphone market have been floating around for a while now, but so far nothing has actually launched. There was a report last month that Sonos was struggling with a software issue which meant that the launch of the headphones had been pushed until June. The issue was thought to relate to the way the headphones would connect to a user's Wi-Fi network, but now there's a hint that things might be progressing well.

Sonos readies its AirPods Max competitor as FCC approval arrives ahead of launch

That's after it was discovered by one Reddit user - and then picked up by MacRumors - that the headphones appear to have wound their way through the FCC approval process in the United States, a fact that suggests a launch is edging ever closer.

The headphones themselves are going to work with Bluetooth 2.4GHz as well as WiFI over the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks as confirmed by the FCC documentation. We expect the new headphones to be designed to go up against Apple's AirPods Max but be priced slightly lower at around $449 which could give them the edge. The headphones will then be priced around the same level as competing products from Sony and the like, although potentially with a slightly different feature set.

Continue reading: Sonos readies its AirPods Max competitor as FCC approval arrives ahead of launch (full post)

2024 iPad Air and iPad Pro refreshes could finally move the camera for better landscape use

Oliver Haslam | Mar 8, 2024 11:45 AM CST

When Apple released the 10th-gen iPad in 2022 it brought with it a big first for the company's tablet lineup. The iPad saw its FaceTime camera move from the top of the device to the side, a switch that meant that the camera was better suited to being used when the iPad was in landscape orientation. Now, a new report claimed that the same switch is coming to Apple's best iPads as well.

2024 iPad Air and iPad Pro refreshes could finally move the camera for better landscape use

Historically iPads have had their camera at the top of the display which meant that it was perfect for use when the tablet was held in portrait. But with more iPads now connected to keyboards that meant that the camera was in the wrong place, causing people on video calls to appear as if they were looking to the side. The 10th-gen iPad fixed that, and now it's claimed that the upcoming OLED iPad Pro and new iPad Air models will follow where the 10th-gen iPad left off.

The rumors of the change coming to the iPad Pro have been around for a while now following the discovery of code found in the iOS 17.4 beta in January suggesting the tablet would go that route, Now, the leaker Instant Digital has posted to Weibo to claim that the same change is coming to the iPad Air in both its 10.9-inch and all-new 12,9-inch display sizes.

Continue reading: 2024 iPad Air and iPad Pro refreshes could finally move the camera for better landscape use (full post)

New iPhone 16 Pro CAD renders show rumored Capture Button and new layout

Oliver Haslam | Mar 8, 2024 11:30 AM CST

We're now roughly halfway through the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models' lifecycles which means that we are edging ever closer to the arrival of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro devices. We've been seeing leaks related to those iPhones since 2023 and we're pretty confident that they will all be announced in September of this year. Now, a new leak appears to have given us a new glimpse at what the high-end iPhone 16 Pro will look like.

New iPhone 16 Pro CAD renders show rumored Capture Button and new layout

The glimpse comes courtesy of 91Mobiles and what appears to be a leak of CAD renders that show the iPhone 16 Pro in all its glory and from all angles. And these renders appear to match up with leaks that we've seen before including the rumored Capture Button.

The renders show that the Action Button is going to be slightly longer than that used on the iPhone 15 Pro, likely in an attempt to make it easier to press. However, the width of the button looks likely to be slightly more than that of the volume buttons that it will be beside, possibly to help make it easier to differentiate between them when the iPhone is in a pocket.

Continue reading: New iPhone 16 Pro CAD renders show rumored Capture Button and new layout (full post)

A Steve Jobs check paying for Apple's phone service could sell for thousands

Oliver Haslam | Mar 7, 2024 8:00 AM CST

A check written out to Apple's phone company and signed by Steve Jobs back in 1976 is now up for auction - and it could rake in thousands of dollars despite originally only being made out for $201.41.

A Steve Jobs check paying for Apple's phone service could sell for thousands

The check, which is dated Duly 8, 1976, is made out to Pacific Telephone and has Jobs' signature on the bottom. It also uses Apple's original official address of 770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto. That address will forever go down in Apple history because it was where the Jobs family lived with Apple having been run out of the family's garage initially.

While it's impossible to know just how much this check will sell for at auction, bids on the RR Auction website are currently sitting at $15,307 with 15 bids having been placed. The next bid is a cool $16,838 so that's the minimum you will have to hand over if you want to be the proud owner of this little bit of Apple history.

Continue reading: A Steve Jobs check paying for Apple's phone service could sell for thousands (full post)

Your old iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch could now be worth more but not by much

Oliver Haslam | Mar 7, 2024 7:45 AM CST

Buying a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch isn't always the cheapest thing in the world but you often get what you pay for in life. Some would argue that's absolutely the case when picking up a new bit of tech with the Apple logo on the back, but there are ways and means of making the price a little cheaper if that's something you're looking to do.

Your old iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch could now be worth more but not by much

One of those ways is of course to buy a used device, but if you're looking to get a brand-new product trading in your old model is probably a great way to go, and Apple has now increased the amount of money it will give you against a new device depending on what you're handing over. MacRumors spotted that Apple has slightly increased the trade-in values of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, second-generation iPhone SE, Apple Watch Series 4, and first-generation Apple Watch SE, while trade-in values slightly decreased for the entry-level iPad, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Series 7, and second-generation Apple Watch SE - but those hoping for a windfall are likely to be left disappointed.

As an example, trading in an iPhone 14 Pro Max would previously have saved you $620 off a new iPhone but now you'll get an extra $10. An old iPhone SE 2 is now worth an extra $20, while an Apple Watch SE (either generation) is now worth just $5 more than it was.

Continue reading: Your old iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch could now be worth more but not by much (full post)

Amid ongoing foldable iPhone hopes, one analyst says a foldable MacBook is coming instead

Oliver Haslam | Mar 7, 2024 7:26 AM CST

All of the talk about foldable devices tends to very much center on phones, and for good reason. The foldable phone market continues to grow with the likes of Samsung

Amid ongoing foldable iPhone hopes, one analyst says a foldable MacBook is coming instead

and Google leading the way, at least in the United States. But Apple has so far refused to launch a foldable iPhone and that doesn't look likely to change any time soon. However, that doesn't mean that Apple isn't working on some sort of foldable device - and one analyst claims that it could be ready to enter mass production in 2027.

That device, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says, is a foldable MacBook of some sort. He says that the laptop will feature a 20.3-inch foldable display but perhaps more interesting is the suggestion that this is the only foldable device that Apple is currently actively working towards a launch schedule for. If accurate, that would mean that Apple is not edging its way closer to launching a foldable iPhone as some might hope.

Continue reading: Amid ongoing foldable iPhone hopes, one analyst says a foldable MacBook is coming instead (full post)