Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones News - Page 1

Apple recently announced that it will be holding an online, streamed event on May 7 and it's roundly thought that it will see the company announce new iPads including a pair of iPad Pros. Now, a new report suggests that while that remains true, actually getting your hands on one of the tablets in particular could be more difficult than buyers might like,

The tablet is the 11-inch OLED iPad Pro, the smaller of the two tablets and often the most popular for those who want to be able to get the most powerful tablet with the added portability of a relatively small display. However, display analyst Ross Young believes that stocks of the 11-inch model might be harder to find than those of the larger 12.9-inch version. And it's the display that buyers can blame.

Young was writing via a post on the X social network that now appears to have been removed, but not before it was picked up by various outlets including 9to5Mac.

Apple regularly releases new software updates to the public and as part of that, it also releases earlier beta updates to developers as well. The current wave of betas is for iOS 17.5 and the company has now made the third beta version of that update available for registered developers to download.

Those who are registered developers can sign in using their Apple ID and then choose to download the latest beta via the usual Software Update mechanism within the Settings app. However, we would always suggest that only developers who have a spare device should do that - as good as Apple's betas currently are, they can still prove problematic and installing the releases on a mission-critical device can still cause unexpected issues further down the line.

The lack of a need to install this beta on most devices is driven home by the fact that there are no huge new features in this beta, especially if you don't live in the European Union. The most notable change in this release is the option for app developers to offer their apps for download directly from their own websites, not just the App Store or authorized third-party app marketplaces.

Many members of the younger generation cringe when they get a hold of a parents phone as they quickly realize that parent doesn't close apps once they are done using it, leading to the assumption they are wasting battery life. But what if I told you that assumption was wrong?

Or at least it is for iPhone users. Users around the world are always looking for more ways to save battery, and one of those strategies is closing every app after use is done or in a large fell swoop every now and again. 9to5MacApple reports iOS chief Craig Federighi answered a question about if closing apps saved battery, to which he said, "no and no". Additionally, Apple's own support pages state that force-quitting an app should only be done if the app stops responding or is freezing.

Why is this the case? iOS is simply that good. Quitting apps seeming like the logical thing to do to save battery life is based on the presumption that more apps running in the background = more battery being drained. This isn't the case for iOS, as Apple's operating system freezes background apps, suspending any resources they demand to run, meaning background apps don't impact battery once they aren't being used (unless they have background processes such as GPS tracking or background music playing).

One of the first apps that appeared on the iPhone way back in 2007 was the Calculator app, a simple calculator that has so far not been made available on the iPad. It's pretty amazing that there has so far not been a calculator app, built by Apple, available on the iPad to date. But that could finally be about to change and it's thought that it might happen sooner rather than later.

That's according to MacRumors, with a report detailing that after 14 years Apple is getting ready to bring the iPhone's Calculator app to the iPad. The report cites unnamed sources familiar with the matter, saying that the new Calculator app will be part of the iPadOS 18 software update.

This news follows a report from last week that some of Apple's upcoming AI features will include a new math feature linked to the Calculator app. That appears to be part of this new Calculator app news, but the original AppleInsider report does add extra context. We're told to expect a resizable window and a list of recent calculations and more.

As we get ever closer to the June WWDC event at Apple Park we're learning more and more about what we can expect from the big opening keynote. That keynote will be streamed online and has historically been when Apple previews all of its big new software updates. This year iOS 18 is expected to be at the forefront of those previews and we've been hearing a lot about potential new AI features. Now, a new report has added more color to Apple's plans for those features.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in the weekly Power On newsletter, Apple's AI features will not use server-side components as is normally the way but rather go the other route, and run the large language models required to make them work on-device instead. That will mean that the features will use Apple's iPhone chips to process requests and handle data. As a comparison, chatbots like ChatGPT use servers that handle processing over the Internet.

Gurman says that Apple's large language model will run entirely on-device which will mean that there are some benefits to be noted. One of those benefits is that Apple will be able to boast performance improvements due to the lack of an internet request. With no need to send information to a server and then wait for a response, iPhone owners can expect a speedier experience than might otherwise be possible.

After months of rumors and guesswork, Apple has now finally announced that it will hold a special event on May 7. Dubbed the "Let Loose"m event, Apple is yet to confirm exactly what the new event will entail but the rumors suggest that we will see a number of new iPads and accessories.

The event itself will be a virtual one and take place at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET. Apple says that people will be able to watch along online but there appears to be no suggestion of any kind of in-person event this time around.

In terms of what the event is expected to see Apple announce, the OLED iPad Pro will no doubt be the biggest new unveiling. If everything goes the way that we've been told to expect, the event will see a refreshed 11-inch model joined by a refreshed 12.9-inch model, while both will sport upgraded OLED displays. Those displays should offer improved colors and blacks while saving power, too. On the inside, we're expecting Apple to bring the M3 chip to the iPad lineup for the very first time while there is also a suggestion that the FaceTime camera will move to the side of the display, away from the top.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro might have only been on sale since September of 2023, but there is already a lot to look forward to when their replacements are released this coming fall. If Apple sticks to its usual release pattern we can expect it to make the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro available to the public this coming September, and that means that we only have a few short months left to wait. What's more, we're starting to hear more and more about what those new iPhones might have to offer potential buyers.

According to a new report by Economic Daily News, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, or ASE, has won an order to provide system-in-package, or SIP, components that will be used to integrate with new Taptic Engines on the new iPhones. Taptic Engines are Apple's vibration motors and it's now thought that there will be two additional motors used in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. The new Taptic Engines will reportedly be placed at the edges of the iPhones, one on each side. The reason? It's thought that Apple is finally going to bring capacitive buttons to the iPhone.

The prospect of capacitive buttons on an iPhone isn't new, of course. We first heard that Apple was going to use capacitive buttons on the iPhone 15, replacing the clicky power and volume buttons. That never happened, but this latest report suggests that Apple has revisited that approach and will instead bring capacitive power and volume buttons to the iPhone 16 lineup.

When Apple made the Apple Vision Pro available to buy in the United States in February, it launched alongside a raft of reviews and excitement within the tech industry. And while early reviewers did find some issues, the overall thoughts were that the new spatial computer was particularly interesting in terms of what it could mean for the future. But with early adopters having already either bought the Apple Vision Pro or tried one on and already having decided that it isn't for them, it seems that attention on the headset is now starting to die down.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in the weekly Power On newsletter, demand for demonstrations at Apple Stores is already starting to slow down. People can continue to book appointments for in-store demonstrations of the most advanced headset that most people have ever seen, but Gurman says that people are losing interest. Among those who do continue to book new demonstration windows, many do not show up and sales at some locations have gone from a couple of units per day to just a handful per week. Gurman says that Apple has attempted to try and arrest the decline in interest by making the Apple Vision Pro a device that is heavily advertised on its website and elsewhere.

Perhaps more concerning is the question of whether people who bought the Apple Vision Pro continue to actually use it. Gurman says that he has gone from using the Apple Vision Pro each day to only a few times a week, and it's possible that similar situations are being played out in the homes of Apple Vision Pro owners across the United States.

Razer's press releases are always fun because they use over-the-top language. For the new Razer Kishi Ultra, the company's latest and greatest USB-C gaming controller for Android and iPhone, Razer claims it will usher in a new era for mobile gaming to unlock 'the God-Tier.'

Of course, this is marketing speak, but look at the new flagship Razer Kishi Ultra; you'll be impressed by its specs, features, and build quality. Firstly, unlike the baseline Kishi or a Backbone controller, this is a full-sized gaming controller cut in half that you connect to either side of your smartphone or iPad Mini.

This is a clear distinction, as you're looking at the equivalent of a premium or pro-grade controller for Xbox or PlayStation. This means Razer has included excellent features like Hall Effect triggers, full-sized thumbsticks, programmable buttons, 3.5mm audio, 15W passthrough charging, Razer Chroma RGB, and Razer Sensa HD Haptics.

You don't need to have been following along with the Apple rumors too closely to have known that Apple is expected to announce a raft of new iPads as soon as next month. We've been hearing as much for weeks now, and after many false dawns, it now seems that Apple will indeed launch the updated iPad Air and iPad Pro tablets in the first couple of weeks of May. We've heard a variety of things about these new tablets and the arrival of the 12.9-inch iPad Air might actually be the most interesting. Now, a new report appears to suggest that the tablet is going to be even more interesting than we first thought.

The addition of a new 12.9-inch size to the iPad Air lineup is notable because it will give buyers a new option if they want a big tablet but won't or can't buy the iPad Pro. But according to a new report, the larger display won't be the only interesting news, with the type of display that's being used will also raise some eyebrows. If the report is accurate, the 12.9-inch iPad Air will have a mini-LED display.

That would be a first for the lineup and the 11-inch iPad Air is expected to stick to its existing LCD construction. But the new mini-LED design has been reported by Ross Young, a display supply chain analyst who is normally very well connected. He also has an extremely positive history and reputation in terms of this kind of report, so we see little reason why this information would turn out to be incorrect.