Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones News - Page 1

In a growing field that studies the effects of social media use on teenagers and adolescents, the US Surgeon General has given his thoughts on what age is appropriate for children to use social media platforms.

Since social media use hasn't been around very long, or at least in its today's form, where it has been completely adopted by mainstream society, the body of research is still in its early stages. However, there is still some evidence to suggest that allowing children aged approximately 13 to use social media can be detrimental to their development.

One study published in The Lancet that looked at nearly 10,000 children aged between 13 and 16 found that social media itself doesn't cause harm, but frequently using it takes away from other activities that would have a positive impact on mental health, such as exercise and getting consistently good sleep.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, no new iPads will launch in 2023. Instead, Apple is focused on releasing a foldable iPad in 2024 with a carbon fiber stand. Kuo also notes that the expected refresh of the iPad mini could also be delayed to early 2024, which could mean nothing new on the iPad front for the next 9-12 months at least.

Apple iPad 2022

"There may not be new iPad products in the next 9-12 months (the new iPad mini is more likely to be mass-produced in 1Q24)," Ming-Chi Kuo says (translation via Apple Insider), "I am conservative about iPad shipments in 2023, and the shipments are expected to decline by 10-15% YoY."

Broadcom and Qualcomm may be cut out of the iPhone, quite literally and metaphorically, according to recent Apple rumors.

The rumors come from Bloomberg, which got into contact with sources that claim Apple is planning on putting its own in-house wireless chipsets into the iPhone. These chipsets cover cellular, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity and are expected to release sometime in late 2024 or early 2025. Currently, the company is in development for this new in-house chip and, when ready, will relinquish the dependency on Broadcom and Qualcomm, which currently have chips inside of the iPhone.

Notably, Apple is also rumored to be developing a singular design chipset that will encompass Bluetooth, cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity. This chipset, when completed, will allow Apple to streamline production and save extremely valuable space within the iPhone chassis. More notably, Qualcomm said back in November last year that it would be expecting "minimal contribution" from Apple throughout fiscal 2025, but it will be providing cellular components for iPhone 2023 models.

The U.S. government has moved against allowing new telecommunications equipment from several Chinese tech giants to enter the United States over national security concerns.

The announcement comes from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which said on Friday that it had blocked the sale or import of equipment made by Huawei Technologies, ZTE, surveillance equipment maker Dahua Technology, video surveillance firm Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and telecommunications firm Hytera Communications. These official bans are the latest in the U.S. government's moves to protect Americans from unwanted spying by Chinese tech giants.

"These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications," said FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. There has been no comment by Washington or the majority of the now-banned companies at the time of reporting, with only Hikvision writing in a statement:

Apple was originally meant to be sourcing its 128-bit 3D NAND flash memory from Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) -- a Chinese supplier -- but because of the US trade ban with China, the company can't do that and now needs to work with Samsung to get memory chips into the iPhone.

The iPhones sold in China would've used the Chinese-supplied memory chips, with Apple reportedly prepared to source around 40% of all of its iPhone memory chips from YMTC, but not anymore according to sources at DigiTimes. The site reports that Apple is now working with Samsung -- which is one of the largest memory manufacturers in the world -- to make around 40% of its iPhone memory chip orders.

Samsung is already working with Apple to supply displays for the current-gen iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max smartphones, and with new contracts for memory chips, Apple's main competitor is putting more and more of its technology into its competitors' smartphones.

Apple will be finally moving away from the Lightning connector on future-gen iPhones, with the company confirming it will buck to European regulators, which have decided to push all smartphones to use USB-C ports for charging in the next 2 years.

There are new EU laws that require all smartphones sold starting autumn 2024 will be forced to use USB-C connectivity for their charging ports, while Android-based smartphones are fine, Apple is being forced to shift from Lightning to USB-C connectivity.

Apple isn't a stranger to its products having USB-C connectivity, where the 12-inch MacBook back in 2015 moved over to USB-C, while the iPad started its move from Lightning to USB-C a few years ago back in 2018. Apple isn't wanting to use USB-C connectivity on its iPhones, with the company explaining: "strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world".

Mark Zuckerberg has taken to his personal Instagram account to throw some shade at Apple and its iMessage messaging service.

This isn't the first time jabs have been thrown by Zuckerberg toward Apple, and Apple has even retaliated, giving onlookers the perception that there is a degree of rivalry erupting between the two goliath companies. The most recent swing was by Zuckerberg, who took to his Instagram account on October 17 to tout WhatsApp being a superior alternative to Apple's iMessage, writing that it's far more private and secure than Apple's messaging service as it features end-to-end encryption that works across iPhones and Android devices.

Furthermore, Zuckerberg writes that users now have the ability to set all new chats to disappear by simply tapping a button, with the additional rollout of end-to-end encryption for backups as well. Zuckerberg wrote that none of the aforementioned features are present in iMessage, while also uploading a photograph of an advertisement for WhatsApp that appears above Pennsylvania Station.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs first revealed the iPhone back in 2007 at MacWorld San Francisco, and only a few months after the reveal it released for $499/$599.

Original Apple iPhone from 2007

Jobs showcased the iPhone on January 9 2007 and announced that it would come in two version, an 4GB model and a 8GB model, hence the aforementioned price variation. The original iPhone debuted the now standardized innovative touchscreen, along with a 2-megapixel camera and a web browser, with Jobs describing the device as an "iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator" all-in-one simple device.

Following its public release it quickly became Apple's most successful product, while also causing massive ripple effects that are even seen to this day throughout the smartphone industry. Furthermore, Time Magazine named the original iPhone as the Time Magazine Invention of the Year in 2007. Being a relic of the technology industry, an original iPhone in the unsealed iconic packaging would certainly be of interest to an Apple fan, and it was, selling for nearly $40,000 to one lucky bidder.

A group of individuals that picked up Apple's latest flagship phone is reporting experiencing a glitch with their rear camera.

Apple's newest iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro, has been released and with a selection of new features such as the dynamic island, screen brightness, and camera upgrades, is reports of an unwanted feature that occurs when users attempt to use the camera in certain apps. YouTuber Luke Miani shared a video of his iPhone Pro Max in the Snapchat app, and the camera appears to be shaking while also making a rattling noise. In the video, you can hear Miani say that "you can see it moving," referencing the camera lens on the back of the phone.

In a YouTube video, Miani said that he went back to the Apple store to report the issue and exchanged his defective phone for a new one. However, Miani hasn't been alone, as technology content creator Naaackers reported finding "the first iPhone 14 Pro Max bug" while using TikTok. The issue was the same as Miani, screen shaking accompanied by an unsettling crackling coming from the camera region of the phone.

Apple has recently revealed the new iPhone 14, and according to Apple's "Far Out" event presentation, the new device supports satellite connectivity for the first time.

The iPhone 14 is the very first Apple product to support satellite connectivity, and the company is marketing the connectivity as an emergency feature that is only meant to be used in dire situations. Apple says the feature isn't designed to replace cellular connectivity, but that hasn't stopped speculative questions such as a possible partnership between SpaceX and its Starlink satellite internet service and Apple.

Twitter user Zack tweeted, tagging SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on his personal Twitter account, and said that he was hopeful that Apple eventually partners with SpaceX to assist this new emergency SOS feature, which sparked a reply from Musk, who confirmed that SpaceX has had "promising" conversations with Apple about Starlink connectivity. The SpaceX CEO also praised Apple's iPhone team, describing them as "super smart".