The 2019 iPhone models are reportedly not going to cost more than their 2018 equivalents, with some configurations actually going for slightly less. If true, this will break a multi-year trend in ever-increasing prices for iOS handset prices.
Update: Apple just took the wraps off the iPhone 11, which will cost $50 less than the iPhone XR. But all configurations of the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max will cost just the same as the iPhone XS and XS Max.
One of the most-requested productivity features for iMessage probably won’t be added in an iOS update anytime soon.
A Reddit user recently posted an email exchange he had with Apple VP of software Craig Federighi asking for a scheduled iMessage feature for iPhone and iPad. Federighi revealed that Apple has actually considered and is still considering the feature. However, there are a couple of issues with how scheduled iMessages are received that has caused Apple to hold back on the idea for now.
Read Craig’s explanation of why it hasn’t been added yet:
The Motion coprocessor that helps previous iPhone models track their exact location is reportedly getting such a huge upgrade it’ll have a new name. Code in iOS 13 indicates that the upcoming iPhone 11’s Apple A13 processor includes an “R1” or “Rose” coprocessor that can handle many more sensors.
This is location sensing that goes way beyond GPS, and will be used in augmented reality, finding item-tracking tags and much more.
Apple doesn’t plan to completely kill Touch ID anytime soon, according to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s VP of product marketing.
In a recent interview discussing the progress of Face ID, Joswiak championed Touch ID on the iPhone 5s as the first mainstream biometric security system. Even though Face ID is being added to more devices, Joswiak hinted Touch ID will still be hanging around for a while.
Apple’s Fifth Avenue Apple Store refurb has being going on since 2017 — and it looks like it’ll be worth the wait.
According to new images, the iconic glass cube is getting a slightly psychedelic upgrade, with an iridescent coating that reflects every color under the sun. It’s a neat, attention-grabbing nod to the classic Apple rainbow logo which disappeared 20 years ago last month.
With the looming shadow of antitrust, plenty of folks are talking about whether or not Apple is abusing its position. Specifically, they claim that Apple has a conflict of interests by running the App Store and also creating its own software tools.
Former Macintosh division boss Jean-Louis Gassée is now wading into the argument. Gassée says that people calling antitrust on Apple haven’t considered the number of jobs Apple has created through the App Store.
Apple’s recently-adjusted App Store algorithm prevents too many of its own apps from dominating search results.
The change, which followed Spotify’s complaint regarding “unfair” App Store practices several months, handicaps Apple titles and has had a huge impact since being introduced.
An anonymous Apple Store employee says that people who work in the stores have become more like “car salesmen or Best Buy employees.”
The disgruntled employee says that Apple’s shift to services means that staff are pushed to sell add-ons like AppleCare.
Nothing ruins a day out at a theme park quite like dropping your pricey $1,000 phone while riding a roller coaster.
Unless there’s a guy like Samuel Kempf sitting behind you, that is. Kempf recently shared a video showing how he snatched a dropped iPhone X out of mid-air — all while riding a roller coaster at speeds of 130 kilometers per hour. Check it out.
The Apple logo on the back of this year’s iPhone 11 lineup will shift to make way for a brand new feature, according to a new report.
The logo won’t disappear, but it will be perfectly centered for the first time in the iPhone’s history. The change will allow for a huge upgrade in wireless charging functionality.
Apple plans to stream Tuesday’s big iPhone 11 event on YouTube.
It’s the first time the company has used Google’s platform for a live keynote. It will make it easier than ever for fans to tune into the action on almost any platform.
Apple says that it is working to fix a problem in which too many temporary workers were found illegally working on the iPhone line at a Foxconn factory.
Over the weekend, New York-based watchdog China Labor Watch published a report about alleged violations. These supposedly took place at the biggest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, China.
However, while Apple acknowledges the group’s point about temporary workers, it maintains the other findings are inaccurate.
This week we listen to Apple Music in the browser, live on the edge with The Most Dangerous Writing App, lock up our notes in Bear, and schedule our messages to send later in Telegram. And more, etc.
Get the scoop on this week’s best new (or freshly updated) apps for iOS and Mac.
The Cult of Mac Watch Store’s huge Labor Day sale is almost over — but there’s still some time to take advantage of the discounts. This one gets you 20% off all superb Strapa bands for Apple Watch until September 9.
Apple’s long bet on augmented reality is about to pay off. Thanks to new tools for developers, and hardware that can handle the advanced apps they create, an AR revolution is in the offing.
Find out how Apple will spark the AR boom in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now for iOS, or see the top stories below in your browser.
Apple is just days away from unveiling the iPhone 11 lineup, but the rumor mill is already turning its attention to the 2020 iPhone.
In his latest research note to investors, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the 2020 iPhone will feature an all-new design — the first in three years.
The accusations Google recently made about iOS security flaws were greatly overstated, deliberately “stoking fear” in iPhone users, according to Apple. The iPhone maker points out that the issues were much more narrow than its rival indicated, and were online for only a brief time.
The item-tracking tags Apple is expected to unveil next week will have ultra-wideband radio technology, according to a reliable analyst. This will make them much more accurate than rival trackers like Tile that depend on Bluetooth to measure distance.
Separate groups of US state attorneys general are investigating Facebook and Google for antitrust violations. So far, there has been no word of AGs probing Apple.
However, that doesn’t mean the iPhone maker has escaped probes by other government bodies, both in the US and Europe.
The Department of Justice has ordered Apple and Google to turn over names, phone numbers and IP addresses for users of a gun scope app that allows gun owners to calibrate scopes and capture video.
Data privacy activists say the government’s ask would set a “dangerous precedent,” giving officials access to data on thousands of innocent people.
Apple made a big update to the design of the sensor array that powers the autonomous functions on its self-driving fleet of cars.
Some eagle-eyed observers in the Cupertino area spotted the new array a couple of times over the last month or so. Instead of having LiDAR and camera sensors mounted on a rack around the car, Apple’s gearheads created a system that’s entirely enclosed. And it looks like they’ve ditched LiDAR in the process.
Watch Apple’s whip drive down the streets of Cupertino.
The ability to have back-and-forth conversations about users’ health problems is one of several new abilities planned for Siri in “fall 2021,” a new report claims.
Based on leaked documents, The Guardian says that Apple is planning a host of new features for its AI assistant. These will include built-in machine translation and, intriguingly, support for a new, unspecified piece of Siri hardware.
When Apple introduced ARKit in 2017, the augmented reality platform was hailed as a game-changer. Two years later, Apple’s AR push looks ready to deliver the type of experience that gets CEO Tim Cook so excited he wants to scream.
Thanks to a trio of new augmented reality tools for iOS 13, and the very real possibility of an Apple AR headset on the horizon, 2019 promises to be the start of something truly special for Apple’s augmented reality efforts.
Your iPhone is a great camera trapped in the body of a smartphone.
Shuttercase restores the ergonomic sensibility of your ancient DSLR to the iPhone with a grip and mechanical shutter button for quicker, reactive shooting.
Life is good if you’re Apple’s biggest contract manufacturer! Foxconn, a.k.a. Hon Hai Precision Industry, has reported its highest-ever August sales in the company’s 45-year history.
Foxconn sales hit $12.76 billion for August. That’s up 0.2% from one month earlier. This is the sixth consecutive month in which Foxconn has registered month-on-month increases. While it can’t necessarily all be chalked up to Cupertino, Apple represents more than 40% of Foxconn’s total sales.