Mobile Devices - Page 22

Apple spent a decade and a ton of money trying to get a new electric car to the market before giving up on it, but that doesn't mean that the company has given up on moonshots. Now, a new report claims that Apple has turned its attention to a new robot that could follow people around their homes.

The robot, which Bloomberg's Mark Gurman calls "personal robotics," is just part of what Apple is working on, however. The report notes that Apple is also working on a table-top home device that would use robotics to move a display around as needed.

The report explains that Apple is also working on AI algorithms that would help such robots work their way around people's homes, much like a robot vacuum might do. It's also thought that Apple would like the robot to handle basic chores such as cleaning dishes.

If Apple follows the pattern that it has created for itself over the last few years it will surely announce the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro devices later this year, likely in September. We've been seeing various leaks about the new handsets for a while, with some having debuted just as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 Pro were being announced last year. Now, as we get to within six months of the new iPhones being announced we're seeing more leaks, this time surrounding the iPhone's bezels.

The report, courtesy of The Elec, claims that Apple's new iPhones will make use of Border Reduction Structure (BRS) technology with display supplier LG DIsplay working to make that happen. The report mentions the iPhone 16, but it isn't clear whether that will extend to the iPhone 16 Pro models. Given the fact previous leaks have suggested the Pro models will feature modest display size increases it seems likely that they will benefit from this BRS technology.

The new technology works by changing the way the display's electronics are laid out in a way to remove the amount of space needed. That in turn means that the displays can be closer to the edge of the smartphone, making for smaller bezels as a result.

Apple has long been heavily rumored to be working on brand-new OLED iPad Pros and a refreshed iPad Air with a potential all-new 12.9-inch variant, but when those tablets would actually launch has been a bone of contention. In just the past few weeks we've seen various claims of when they would arrive with March, April, and now May tipped as potential launch timeframes. But while it could be taken as leakers not really knowing what's going on inside Apple's supply chain, that same supply chain has potentially shed some light on the confusion.

According to Apple's suppliers, the new iPads have been "repeatedly postponed" with DigiTimes' report mentioning that a new product launch could potentially happen in May. That's the timeframe that we'd previously been given by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, suggesting that might finally be when the new tablets are unveiled officially.

Gurman had previously pointed to early May as a likely window and had said that Apple's supply chain partners had already started to ramp up production ahead of time. Both LG Display and Samsung Display have also been rumored to have started working on displays for the new tablets.

Minisforum has officially launched its V3 "3-in-1" tablet, which is powered by AMD's new Ryzen 7 8840U "Hawk Point" APU, which comes in at 6999 RMB (or around $960 USD).

The company is the first in the world with an AMD AI-powered 3-in-1 tablet, packing the latest Ryzen 7 8840U "Hawk Point" APU that sees 8 cores and 16 threads of Zen 4-based CPU power built on the 4nm process node and featuring a base clock of 3.30GHz and a max boost clock of 5.1GHz.

The Minisforum V3 tablet is equipped with a 14-inch screen, offering a 2.5K resolution and a high refresh rate of 165Hz, complemented by 32GB of RAM and a substantial 2TB of storage. It's powered by the "Ryzen 7 flagship chip," specifically the Ryzen 7 8840U, which brings 8 cores and 16 threads of Zen 4 processing capability, along with 16MB of L3 cache, 8MB of L2 cache, and clock speeds ranging from a 3.3GHz base to a 5.1GHz boost.

Apple is now expected to announce the new OLED iPad Pro in both 11- and 12.9-inch configurations in May with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman saying that Apple's supply partners have now begun production. However, a new report suggests that those who want to buy the smaller of the two could potentially find the tablet harder to come by when compared to the larger one.

That's according to a report by Hankooki which claims that LG Display has had to pick up the 11-inch OLED display slack after it was found that Samsung was struggling to meet Apple's exacting quality standards.

A previous report by display analyst Ross Young had claimed that Apple's 11-inch OLED iPad Pro manufacturing was behind that of the larger model, and now the new report appears to add some context to that/ It's said that Samsung Display has been unable to produce displays quickly enough while still maintaining the required quality standards, and now it's over to LG Display to try and produce enough to get things back on track.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max last year they were the first iPhones to use a new titanium construction rather than the stainless steel that was more familiar for buyers of Apple's Pro models. The switch was roundly well-received thanks to the weight savings that made the normally heavy iPhones much lighter. However, the change to titanium meant that the edges of the iPhone went from behind a highly polished stainless steel to a more matte, brushed titanium look. Now, a new report claims that Apple has been working on a way to make the titanium more shiny next time out.

That's according to a post on the Naver blog by the yeux1122 account that has been responsible for iPhone leaks in the past. The post was then spotted by MacRumors and reshared. According to that report, Apple is testing a new process that will allow the previously matte titanium finish to be made more shiny, or appear more polished, in a way that will be much shiner than the iPhone 15 Pro and closer to the stainless steel of the iPHone 14 Pro and earlier.

Notably, the report also claims that Apple will also be able to ensure the new finish is less likely to scratch than the old, scratch-prone stainless steel finish.

Apple is expected to announce the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus later this year, likely alongside the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. We've been hearing various things about the four different devices in recent months, but the non-Pro models are tipped to feature a big change in terms of the camera layout.

That camera layout can be seen in a newly leaked pair of iPhone 16 cases which clearly show a vertical camera arrangement just like the older iPhone XS. The pill-shaped layout is clear to see, while what appears to be a cutout for the LED flash to the side. But it's why Apple has chosen to ditch the familiar diagonal camera layout in favor of this new, tweaked arrangement that's most important.

It's been suggested that Apple intends to give the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus the ability to capture spatial videos, the 3D videos that can currently only be viewed to their full potential via the Apple Vision Pro. Currently, only the Apple Vision Pro spatial computing headset, the iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max devices are capable of capturing spatial video but that now looks set to change when the new 2024 iPhones roll around.

When Apple released the watchOS 10 software update last year it brought with it a number of new features to the Apple Watch including the addition of a new topographic mapping option. However, the feature was only available to those who owned an Apple Watch but that is now thought to be about to change.

According to a new report by MacRumors, Apple now intends to bring that same feature to the iPhone, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro with the as-yet-unannounced iOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2 software updates.

MacRumors says that code that it has reviewed indicates that the topographic map is coming to the new devices. That mapping feature includes trails, contour lines, elevation, and points of interest which are all features that are useful for those who go hiking.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro in September the new phones were also confirmed to have support for the Qi2 wireless charging standard. Based on MagSafe, the standard is open to all who want to implement it which means that wireless charger makers no longer have to pay to license Apple's MagSafe technology. The benefit here is that there are more options while also making the chargers cheaper for people to buy. At the time, Apple confirmed that support for Qi2 would also be brought to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 via software updates.

However, Apple now appears to have also added Qi2 wireless charging to the iPhone 12 series of devices for the first time, and it did it via the iOS 17.4 software update that was released to the public earlier this month. Apple didn't make any mention of the new functionality in the software's release notes and it hasn't said anything since the release, either. But according to testing carried out by Macworld, Qi2 support is now very much alive and well on their iPhone 12 after installing the iOS 17.4 update.

Previously, using the non-MagSafe wireless chargers with the iPhone 12 meant a charging speed of just 7.5W, but as Macworld found out when trying to charge using a Qi2-compatible charger, the full 15W charging speed was available. In fact, there were instances where the third-party Qi2 chargers were performing better than the official Apple MagSafe Wireless Charger.

Google has rolled out a new landing page for Google Messages that provides a bunch of information regarding the benefits of its service and, particularly, the Rich Communication Services (RCS) communication protocol.

Apple announced in November 2023 that it was going to be adopting RCS sometime "later next year", which led most users to expect the update to roll out with the next big iOS update, presumably iOS 18, which is slated to be Apple's biggest iOS update ever. Now, Google has seemingly confirmed that with one of the new Android landing pages stating the following: "Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024. Once that happens, it will mean a better messaging experience for everyone."

Notably, Apple never specifically said when it was going to adopt RCS, which means Google's announcement is may have circumvented Apple's upcoming announcement. For those that don't know, Apple has been using SMS and MMS protocols when texting non-Apple smartphones, which means low-quality images/videos when sending to non-Apple smartphones, problems with group chats, and low security. The adoption of RCS will mean users will get typing indicators between Android and iOS devices, improved security, and many more features.

The world of smartphones might be full of foldable phones from most of the biggest names in the game, but Apple has so far refused to join in. To date, no foldable iPhone has launched and rumors about such a device's development are all over the place. While it's thought that Apple is indeed developing a foldable device of some description, when it will launch and what it will have to offer is unclear.

Now, a new DigiTimes report claims that Apple continues to work on a foldable iPhone but the news isn't positive. According to that DigiTimes report, Apple has moved some of the Apple Vision Pro engineers onto the foldable iPhone program but there is now an expectation that it will launch either in the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027; That means that anyone hoping to buy a foldable iPhone is going to be waiting a good long while before it arrives. If, indeed, it ever does.

Apple is thought to be concerned that the current state of foldable display technology still isn't in a position to be able to offer the kind of experience that Apple wants.

Apple has long been one of the companies that manage to keep leaks to a minimum compared to some others like Samsung, but there are still plenty of leaks to go around. Apple is notoriously ruthless when dealing with employees who leak information to members of the press, and now it seems to have decided that it has to sue one former employee, too.

According to the lawsuit, reported by MacRumors, one now-former Apple employee was leaking information to specific news outlets and was responsible for information about the iOS 17 Journal app leaking to the public. It's also argued that he was the source of leaks relating to spatial computers, suggesting some of the Apple Vision Pro leaks were due to him.

The employee in question is Andrew Aude with Apple's lawsuit detailing some of the leaks. In the case of the Journal app, aude leaked the finalized features for the app to a journalist at The Wall Street Journal, Apple says. The same month the outlet posted a piece detailing Apple's plans for a journaling app.

After months and months of rumors, it had been thought that Apple would release its new OLED iPad Pro and refreshed iPad Air on March 26. That report turned out to be inaccurate with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman saying that Apple was likely to launch in April depending on how development of a new iPadOS release went. Now, Gurman has updated the timescale in a new report.

According to Gurman Apple's overseas suppliers have now started to ramp up the production of Apple's new iPads and the company intends to be ready to launch them in May. That's according to people who apparently have knowledge of the matter. However, Gurman has not named them because they asked not to be identified because the plans are not yet public.

The new iPads are greatly anticipated after Apple did not release any new iPads throughout the entity of 2023. That marked the first time that no new iPads had been released in a calendar year since the first model launched. Now, Apple looks set to release four new tablets at once.

Extremely HD renders of Google's upcoming Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL have leaked online, revealing what buyers can expect out of the company's next-generation smartphones.

91mobiles and MySmartPrice published renders of Google's next smartphone back in January and they were believed to be the standard Pixel 9, but according to new reports those renders are actually the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, per Steve Hemmerstoffer from OnLeaks. There are four 5K renders of the upcoming devices and a 360-degree video that can be seen above.

The renders reveal a slightly different design compared to the Pixel 8, with the Pixel 9 Pro featuring much more rounded edges and a thick rear camera module that houses a triple-camera setup. Furthermore, the renders show that the Pixel 9 will have a flat display and a centered punch-hole selfie camera.

Apple has confirmed that it will hold the annual WWDC event starting from June 10 and that's likely to be when the company will unveil the new iOS 18 software update, among others. Apple has yet to officially confirm what the update will have to offer but strong rumors have suggested that new AI functionality will very much be the order of the day. However, those hoping for Apple's in-house chatbot to debut are going to be left disappointed.

That's according to a new report by the well-connected Mark Gurman, writing at Bloomberg. According to him, Apple's chatbot won't be ready for iOS 18, but that doesn't mean that there won't be those rumored AI improvements this time around. Instead, Apple has plans to use technology from other companies instead.

We'd already heard from previous reports that Apple is in talks with both Google and OpenAI about potentially using their own generative AI technology instead. Baidu is also thought to be a company that Apple is in talks with, but its AI features will only be used in China.

With Apple announcing yesterday that it intends to launch the WWDC 2024 event on June 10 we now know exactly how long we will have to wait before we get to see what the company has been cooking in terms of new software updates. We're expecting new releases for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro and we've been told to expect big things. Now, a new report has again reiterated that fact, saying that the iOS 18 update will be "the most ambitious overhaul" of the iPhone's software that we have ever seen.

The iOS 18 software update has long been tipped to be a key update for Apple especially given its intent to bring new AI technology to bear this year. Now, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has again upped the ante, saying that people working on the new software update have told him that this will be a huge update for iPhone owners.

There are a few things that we've been told to expect from this release with Apple itself also tipping that that AI will be a focus this time around. SVP of marketing Greg Joswiak posted to the X social network to say that the event is going to be "Absolutely Incredible," with the choice of capitalization thought to be a clear nod to Apple's AI work.

Apple has long been rumored to have plans to launch a new iPhone SE 4 device as a new budget model for those who don't want to pay for more high-end models like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. However, despite those rumors there has so far been no indication from Apple that the phone is on the way, and it's continued to be pushed back in terms of when analysts and commentators expect it to be released. Now, it seems that Apple has taken a key step towards making the new phone available.

According to a new report by IT Home, Apple is now ready to give BOE the contract to build the new displays for the iPhone SE 4 after Samsung Display and Tianma were also thought to have been in discussions with Apple. Today's report says that Samsung has decided to withdraw itself from negotiations over concerns in relation to pricing, despite already having iPhone 14 OLED displays that it could potentially have used.

It's reported that Apple wanted to get the price of iPhone SE 4 displays down to around $25 per panel while Samsung wasn't ready to budge from a $30 per panel price point. Tianma now seems unlikely to be the supplier of choice, however, with the company reportedly struggling to meet Apple's quality requirements which now leaves BOE as the primary option for Apple.

Apple's iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are expected to debut this coming September and while we are only six months on from the release of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, there are already plenty of rumors about what we can expect from the refreshed models. It would also appear that there are plenty of plans being made outside of Apple with a new iPhone 16 Pro case having leaked online.

That case, which was shared on the X social network by Sonny Dickson, appears to show an iPhone 16 Pro case with a space for what is thought to be called the Capture button. That button first leaked not long after the arrival of the iPhone 15 lineup and is thought to be designed to give iPhone owners a hardware button for launching and interacting with the camera app.

It isn't yet clear which company is behind the case, but it does show a cutout for a new button. It's been rumored that the button will be flush with the side of the iPhone itself, and it's also been said to be a capacitive button. Such a button was originally rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro's new Action button but that ultimately didn't happen.

Apple has today confirmed that it intends to hold the annual WWDC event starting from June 10 which means that will be the date that the company unveils its new iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro software. And now one of the company's senior vice presidents appears to have today teased some rumored iOS 18 improvements.

We've been hearing for weeks now that Apple intends to debut some much-needed new AI features and improvements during WWDC with iOS 18 in particular set to benefit from the AI focus. Now, Apple's SVP of Marketing Greg Joswiak has posted on X to promote the WWDC 2024 event and he appears to have given the AI rumors a nod as part of that post.

As you will see in the post that is embedded above, Joswiak said that the event is going to be Absolutely Incredible, with the specific capitalization thought to be a hint that AI will indeed be a focus this time around.

Apple has today announced the WWDC 2204 event and its starting date while also confirming that there will be an in-person component on the initial day.

The announcement confirmed that June 10 through June 14 will be the dates for WWDC this year and that the event will be held online to allow developers from around the world to enjoy the benefits of the event without the excessive expense that would normally be associated with plane tickets and accommodations in the WWDCs of the past.

The opening day special event at Apple Park will be available to developers and students but all of the sessions that will see Apple share details about the new APIs and tools available for Apple's upcoming software updates will be available to all via Apple's online streaming platform. Apple says that the Developer app and website as well as YouTube will be available for those who want to enjoy the opening keynote, too.