Mobile Devices - Page 31

The ongoing cat-and-mouse game between Apple and Beeper, the company whose Beeper Mini app it blocked from accessing iMessage servers, continues to cause a stir. While there is an ongoing discussion surrounding whether Apple should be allowed to prevent Beeper from piggybacking off its iMessage service, it now appears that two groups of U.S. lawmakers are starting to take an interest in what's going on.

According to a report, both the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are starting to take notice, with there being concerns over Apple's motives for the move to block Beeper Mini. The company says that Beeper Mini poses a security threat, potentially affecting the privacy of people who use the iMessage service. But others aren't so sure.

According to a report by The New York Times, the DOJ is already looking into the matter and has held meetings with Eric Migicovsky, a co-founder of Beeper, to get to the bottom of things. Migicovsky has so far refused to comment on the meetings, but it's clear they were about Beeper Mini and its ability to bring iMessage support to Android devices - something Apple has steadfastly refused to do to date.

When Apple released iOS 17.2.1 to the public earlier this week it brought with it a number of bug fixes, but that was all that Apple had to say when people dug into the update's release notes. Now, it seems that those release notes were slightly different depending on which country you happened to live in.

As has been reported online, including by MacRumors, users who downloaded iOS 17.2.1 in Japan and China noted that their release notes mentioned an update that would help fix a battery drain issue which saw battery life fall more quickly than would normally be expected.

Apple hasn't provided any specific details about what that original bug was that caused the battery drain, but it does seem fairly confident that the problem has been fixed. MacRumors says that it reached out to Apple for clarification on the situation but has as yet not received a response.

If you're planning on buying a new car in 2024 and want to be able to make use of the latest and greatest CarPlay technology, you might want to consider heading to your local Porsche or Aston Martin dealer, it seems. Apple announced its revamped CarPlay interface alongside iOS 16 back in June of 2022, but we've been waiting to hear more about it ever since. Now, it's been reported that vehicles from those two companies are coming on board.

Car and Driver reports that while Porsche hasn't been specific about which vehicles will offer the updated CarPlay look and feel, Aston Martin's 2024 DB12 and DB12 Volante vehicles will be good to go.

For those who might have forgotten what all the fuss is about considering how long ago it was announced, what makes this updated CarPlay so important is its ability to work with multiple displays. Currently, CarPlay can only work with the car's main infotainment display, but the arrival of the updated version in these new cars will change that. Here, CarPlay will also take over the car's instrument display as well, hooking into in-car information like speed, mileage, and more. Apple says that none of that information is stored on the connected iPhone, and the overall experience could be a huge upgrade.

Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max is undoubtedly the best iPhone the company has ever made for a few reasons, and not just because it has the fast A17 Pro chip or the biggest and best display yet offered in an Apple-branded phone. Another reason beyond those is the addition of Apple's first tetraprism camera lens, a lens that allows Apple to fold light and create a new telephoto lens that can manage a 5x optical zoom. That beats out the 3x zoom of previous models, and the telephoto lens still used on the iPhone 15 Pro. But now it seems increasingly likely that Apple will bring that same lens to the iPhone 16 Pro.

It was said that the tetraprism lens didn't get an iPhone 15 Pro release due to the smaller size of the phone impacting Apple's ability to physically fit it inside. However, it now appears that Apple has been able to fix that problem and the 5x zoom lens is now coming to the iPhone 16 Pro.

That's according to a report by MacRumors which matches similar reports by The Elec and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, claiming that both the iPhone 16 Pro and IPhone 16 Pro Max models will sport improved zoom offerings when they go on sale in or around September 2024.

Apple News+ subscribers now have a new source of sports news after Apple announced the addition of The Athletic, a subscription offering that would normally cost money if people wanted to read it. Now, those who already have Apple News+ or Apple One subscriptions get it for free.

Apple announced the news in a press release, bringing best-in-class team coverage from The Athletic to the News app on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The Athletic has grown to become one of the go-to sources for in-depth sports news in recent years and employs more than 450 full-time writers, editors, and producers. It covers a whole raft of sports as well, not just the most obvious, including English Premier League, NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLS, PGA, National Women's Soccer League, NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, NCAA men's college basketball, NCAA women's college basketball, LaLiga, UEFA Champions League, and more.

Subscribers to Apple News+ in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia can now access The Athletic via the Sports tab in the News app and then easily follow scores and news for their favorite teams and leagues.

There are already tons of rumors flying around in relation to the 2024 iPad Pro, and it looks increasingly likely that it will be the biggest revision in years. We already thought that before a new report claims that the same iPad Pro will also offer MagSafe wireless charging for the first time.

That report, coming out of MacRumors and citing a source that is familiar with companies that build the magnets used for Apple products, claims that MagSafe will come to the 2024 iPad Pro.

The 2024 iPad Pro is already set to benefit from new displays in the form of OLED panels in 11.1- and 13-inch sizes. That will mean a slight increase in size, but the move to OLED itself will allow for improved brightness, better contrast, and improved color reproduction. Now, MacRumors says that wireless charging will be added, potentially via a new glass back. The iPad Pro would also likely support the Qi2 wireless charging standard, just like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, which in turn should ensure 15W wireless charging support across a large swathe of accessories, not just those that have Apple's blessing. However, the fastest charging will still be done via a USB-C cable.

Why buy a real iPhone 15 Pro Max when you can get a chocolate model of the smartphone - and pay almost the same price Apple charges for the privilege.

If you're familiar with Caviar - the firm which makes pricey versions of iPhones, Samsung handsets, and much more - you probably won't be surprised, as their custom hardware is always stupidly pricey.

Although usually that's because it's studded with diamonds, or dripping in something precious, which is not the case with the chocolate iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple has today released iOS 17.2.1 to the public, a release that was made just eight days after the iOS 17.2 update was released to the public. That update brought with it a number of new features including spatial video recording on the iPhone 15 Pro and a new Journal app for more mindful journaling. But this new update is nothing like the iOS 17.2 release, and it instead focuses on bug fixes.

Despite the focus on bugs, Apple says that this is a release that is recommended for all users and as such we'd also suggest that those who don't yet have this update installed should probably rectify that sooner rather than later. Apple hasn't specifically said what bug fixes this update addresses, but the fact that Apple saw fit to release it just a matter of days after the last update suggests that the bugs were pretty big ones - Apple didn't want to go into the Christmas holiday period without releasing this update.

Those who have compatible iPhones can now download the new update via the Settings app, with iOS 16.7.4 also released for those who don't want to, or can't, update to the iOS 17 releases.

Reports indicate that 2024 will be the year that Apple begins to make its transition from mini-LED technology to OLED, and it's also exploring the possibility of a foldable iPad.

According to the report, Apple's next step after OLED will be foldable devices, but, unfortunately, the company doesn't have a clear timeline for that launch as it is currently focussing on OLED panels. Notably, if Apple were to release a foldable device, it would be an iPad, and it would come a few generations after the iPad's integrated OLED panels. The report cites two people familiar with Apple's plans, who told Nikkei that foldable devices will only happen after Apple's two OLED variants are released next year.

The report doesn't just reveal purported plans for a new iPad, but also mentions Apple is scheduled to mass-produce a MacBook with an OLED panel in the second half of 2025. Apple's strategy of waiting until the technology is mature enough for adoption before integrating it into its stack of devices will eventually pay off, as by the time Apple decides to announce foldable devices, it will likely be years down the track where foldable screen technology doesn't come with all the pitfalls of current-day folding tech (each fold degrades the screen integrity).

When Apple announced the Vision Pro it confirmed that it would have a fancy new 3D video feature that allows videos to be captured in spatial video using its built-in cameras. Those videos can then be viewed on the headset itself, and now the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can both record those videos as well.

Apple announced that feature would be coming when it unveiled the new Pro iPhones in September, and with the release of iOS 17.2, that feature is now rolling out. That will give people a way to start capturing content in spatial videos right now, ready for the Vision Pro's arrival. The augmented reality headset isn't expected to be released until around March time, although there is always the possibility that it could come sooner.

With the release of the iOS 17.2 update, Apple has given iPhone owners a way to start capturing spatial videos right now, something that could be especially beneficial considering that we are coming into the thick of the holiday season. Apple will no doubt have wished that the feature could have been ready before the Thanksgiving festivities, however.

All modern iPhones have NFC chips inside that can be used by features built by Apple, but nobody else. That means that while NFC payments are possible when using Apple Pay, those same capabilities are not offered to other developers. However, that could be about to change with Apple reportedly ready to allow other companies to access its NFC capabilities.

That's according to a new Reuters report which claims that Apple has already offered exactly that to EU lawmakers in an attempt to avoid potential antitrust fines. It's been suggested that by not allowing other payment companies to offer their wallets on the iPhone, Apple has given Apple Pay an unfair advantage.

In an attempt to keep regulation at bay, Reuters reports that Apple has offered to give the same NFC capabilities to others.

One of Apple's largest suppliers is making moves internally to prepare for an Apple to order displays for foldable iPhones and iPads, according to a recent report from The Elec.

The new report states that Samsung Display has carried out an "organizational reorganization that focuses on its capabilities to respond to Apple foldable" and that Samsung Display is already "ahead of its competitors" in providing high-quality OLED panels for smartphones.

Additionally, the report states that Samsung Display is looking for a new "growth engine," and it believes foldable devices will be its new cash cow, hence its decision to make internal moves to position itself appropriately for when Apple makes foldable orders for future, unannounced devices.

Apple first unveiled its new Journal app at WWDC back in June, and now the company has rolled out the app in a new iOS update.

iOS 17.2 is here and can be downloaded across all compatible iOS devices, and new update has added a bunch of new functionality to the Action Button on the newest generation iPhone's, along with spatial video capture on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Notably, spatial video support being rolled out to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max appears to be for the coming Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset, as the iOS 17.2 release notes states, "so you can relive your memories in three dimensions on Apple Vision Pro". Other camera changes include improvements to the speed of focussing for the Telephoto camera on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

An eye-opening letter was sent to the Department of Justice by Senator Ron Wyden, and it stated foreign officials are currently spying on smartphone users through the push notifications sent to any device.

The letter was sent on Wednesday last week, and Wyden warns that foreign governments are requesting Apple and Google provide them with the data of push notifications sent across each of the company's servers. For those who don't know, push notifications aren't sent directly to your smartphone. They first travel over Apple and Google's servers, depending on what operating system you are running, iOS or Android.

Since the paper trail leads over the two companies' servers, they both have access to the metadata (Push Token) within those push notifications, such as which app received a notification, which phone it was sent to, a Google or Apple account associated with that device, and in some cases, the text that's within the push notification that's displayed on the devices wake screen.

Apple is well aware that iMessage is a key driver for people buying iPhones and for that reason, it has so far refused to open the instant messaging platform up to allow it to be offered on Android. That's something that seems set to remain the case for the near future after Apple blocked Beeper, an app that sought to bring Apple's messaging platform to Android phone owners for $2 per month.

Beeper made a splash last week when it announced that it had found a way to hook into Apple's iMessage without any of the messy workarounds or hacks that had been used by similar services in the past. That was supposed to ensure a couple of things. First, it would allow for increased privacy, and second, it was supposed to make it harder for Apple to block Beeper.

A few days later, Apple had already blocked it.

Apple has yet to announce a new iPads in 2023 and as the year starts to come to a close there is little chance of that changing. But 2024 is already shaping up to be the year of new tablets with new iPad Air and iPad Pro models tipped. Now, we can apparently add a new entry-level iPad to the mix with a new report claiming that Apple will ship such a tablet in the second half of the year.

That report comes via Nikkei Asia and claims that Apple is working with China's BYD, a company that assembles iPads, to move production to Vietnam. It's expected that the engineering verification stage of production, one that will see the tablets produced in a test environment to ensure the company is ready for mass production, is expected to start around the middle of February. With that in mind, it's likely that the tablet will ship at some point in the second half of the year.

Little is known about the new tablet, likely to be called the 11th-gen iPad, but we can expect Apple to want to keep the price as low as possible. The current iPad starts at $449 and comes with a USB-C port, A14 Bionic chip, and a 12-megapixel camera. It also has a 10.9-inch display, the largest offered on an entry-level iPad to date.

Before Apple announced the new 24-inch M3 iMac recently it was expected that the company would also announce new USB-C-powered accessories. But that didn't happen and you can still buy a brand-new iMac and get a keyboard and mouse with a Lightning port. However, there is now a hint that might change - but it isn't going to be any time soon.

Apple needs to move all of its accessories away from Lightning and towards USB-C by the end of 2024 in order to meet EU requirements for a common charging cable. But a new report by leaker Instant Digital, picked up by, MacRumors, suggests that we might see a change in spring.

Instant Digital was posting to the Chinese social network Weibo when they said that Apple intends to launch new accessories with USB-C in spring 2024. That means that we can expect new Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse accessories to come with USB-C as part of the refresh. However, it isn't yet clear whether the change of port will be the only change or if we should expect a change in aesthetics or features.

If you wrote a check for $4.01 in 1976 it would probably still be worth the same amount in 2023. But the same can't be said for anything with Steve Jobs' signature on it with this check now being sold for a huge sum of money.

All kinds of Steve Jobs and early Apple memorabilia have been sold over the years much of it bringing in huge amounts of money for those lucky enough to own them. This check is a prime example of that after it sold at auction for a whopping $46,063. The check itself was issued by Apple Computer Company in 1976 and was made out to RadioShack. The timing of the check fits in with when Jobs and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak were working on the Apple-1 computer, but it isn't known what the check actually bought for the company.

The check lists a Palo Alto address for an answering service and mail drop-off point that Jobs was known to have used when Apple was still being run out of his garage, MacRumors notes, and these details have appeared on other Apple memorabilia previously.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro it was confirmed that both phones will support the Qi2 wireless charging standard. Similar to MagSafe, the new standard allows for magnetic charging with speeds of up to 15W. However, it wasn't confirmed at the time that we should expect the iPhone to also charge that fast using those chargers. To date, iPhones have only charged at 15W when using MagSafe, limiting standard Qi chargers to just 7.5W. However, there's good news.

Apple's upcoming iOS 17.2 update is set to bring Qi2 support to the older iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 families of devices which had people wondering what that meant for charging speeds. Would all of these devices top out at 15W, or would Apple limit people to a lower charging speed if they didn't choose an official MagSafe charger?

Now, we appear to have had an answer. Speaking with The Verge, Anker an Anker spokesperson confirmed that its MagGo products will indeed charge at 15W when used on compatible iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15 devices with Qi2 support. The one difference will be the iPhone 12 mini which will continue to max out at 12W, just as it does when paired with one of Apple's own MagSafe chargers. It's thought that's down to the smaller size and the inability to properly dissipate the heat generated by 15W charging.

There have been rumors of Apple launching the iPhone SE 4 for some time now, with most of those rumors suggesting that it will be the first iPhone to use Apple's own in-house 5G modem. But as it becomes increasingly clear that Apple is struggling to make that modem work in the sizes that are required to fit into a phone, it now looks increasingly likely that a Qualcomm modem will be used. What's more, it now looks like Apple is going to reuse another part from an old iPhone, too.

That part, according to a new MacRumors report, will be the battery taken out of an iPhone 14. That battery will have a capacity of 3279mAh which is considerably bigger than the 2018 mAh capacity of the battery currently sold inside the iPhone SE 3. If that's the case, we can likely expect a significant battery life improvement from the new iPhone.

MacRumors says that the new iPhone SE 4 is currently being developed under the device identifier D59 and that it will now use the iPhone 14's battery with partially assembled models now using that part.