Users looking forward to a notch-less iPhone are in for a disappointment, with the feature postponed till 2025.
Apple has been rumored to be working on an under-display version of Face ID that would eliminate the need for the much-maligned notch. Unfortunately, according to well-known leaker Ross Young, Apple is experiencing issues with the necessary sensors:
While the news is sure to disappoint many fans, at least Apple has not abandoned the feature.
Qualcomm isn’t holding out any hope of continuing as Apple’s primary modem supplier and is expecting to lose that business in 2024.
Apple and Qualcomm have a contentious relationship, one filled with alternating deals and lawsuits. For the time being, Qualcomm is the primary provider of the modems Apple uses in its iPhones and iPads, but the Cupertino company has been working hard to build its own modems and end reliance on Qualcomm.
It appears those plans are closer to reality than ever before, according to Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.
“We’re making no plans for 2024, my planning assumption is we’re not providing [Apple] a modem in ’24, but it’s their decision to make,” Amon told CNBC at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Apple bought Intel’s failed modem division after the latter exited the business, accusing Qualcomm of creating a “a web of anticompetitive conduct designed to allow Qualcomm to coerce customers, tilt the competitive playing field and exclude competitors, all the while shielding itself from legal scrutiny and capturing billions in unlawful gains.”
While there’s no love lost between Apple and Qualcomm, the latter is sure to feel a financial hit from losing the lucrative iPhone business.
Apple’s iOS 16.4 may bring a nice surprise for iPhone users, potentially unlocking 3Gbps 5G speeds.
Apple just released the first beta of iOS 16.4. The new version brings a number of new features including Web Push, a new way of implementing push notifications for web apps.
According to 9to5Mac, another new feature is vastly improved 5G speeds:
Among the new features and changes with the first developer beta of iOS 16.4, a new toggle has arrived in the Cellular settings for iPhone. The new option brings support for the 5G Standalone (SA) service offered by T-Mobile. Notably, 5G SA can deliver wildly fast speeds up to 3Gbps and it looks like iPhone could be the next device to take advantage of the tech.
T-Mobile is already leading the US 5G race. Having the iPhone support its latest network technology will be a big win for the magenta carrier, and could help drive even more defections from other carriers.
There appears to be an issue with the latest versions of iOS 16, with users reporting significantly less iPhone battery life.
Battery life is universally one of the biggest selling points for manufacturers when releasing new models. The iPhone 13 Pro Max was one of Apple’s best phones, in terms of battery life, but even that model doesn’t appear to be able to overcome iOS 16.
Writing for Digital Trends, Prakhar Khanna outlines the trouble he had upgrading from his iPhone 13 Pro Max to the iPhone 14. When the battery life didn’t compete, he went back to his old phone, only to find the upgrade to iOS 16 had destroyed its battery life as well.
Khanna described his findings:
I realized later that the problem was not the 14 Pro’s battery size, but it was iOS 16’s poor battery optimization. I only realized this when I noticed that the latest OS updates had compromised my iPhone 13 Pro’s battery life as well.
Khanna says there doesn’t appear to be any method or madness to the battery drain:
In my experience, there is no consistent battery life behavior to be pointed out. Sometimes, Spotify drains the battery, while other times, it is Twitter (two of my most used apps). But the battery drain on any app using location services is the worst on iOS 16. These apps include Maps, commuting services, dating apps, and the Camera app (if you have the location tag feature enabled).
Unfortunately, Khanna’s experience is not an isolated one, with Reddit posts and discussions on Apple’s own support forums confirming the issue. Some users have had success downgrading to iOS 15 but, until Apple provides a fix for iOS 16, there doesn’t appear to be a viable, long-term fix in sight.
Apple appears to be expanding its goal of bringing device components in-house, with reports it plans to use its own displays in devices.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is looking to reduce its reliance on Samsung and LG for its device displays. The company is eyeing the Apple Watch as the first candidate for a change to its own displays, possibly as early as 2024. Eventually, Apple could use its own displays in other devices as well, including the iPhone.
If the report is correct, the move is simply the latest in an effort by Apple to bring more of its component design in-house. The company famously ditched Intel in favor of its own custom silicon and is now working to replace both Broadcom and Qualcomm for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular connectivity.
Apple has always been a fan of ‘controlling the whole widget,’ as Steve Jobs described it. Controlling the entire stack, both software and hardware, gives Apple a major advantage over competitors and is largely responsible for the industry-leading performance its phones, tablets, and computers now offer.
Apple is continuing with its goal to bring its modems in-house, reportedly planning to replace both Broadcom and Qualcomm.
Apple has been working to end its dependence on Qualcomm and Broadcom, duplicating the success it’s had replacing Intel chips with its own custom silicon. The company was rumored to be planning on replacing Qualcomm and using its own baseband chip in the 2024 iPhone SE 4, but the latest report indicates Apple has scrapped the iPhone SE 4 altogether.
According to a new report by Bloomberg, via The Verge, Apple plans to begin using its own in-house chip to replace the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip it currently sources from Broadcom. The company still hopes to also replace Qualcomm’s modem with one of its own.
It seems Apple is shooting for 2025 as the year it replaces Broadcom, and Qualcomm told The Verge it expects to lose most of Apple’s business in 2025 as well.
“For Apple product revenue, we now expect to have the vast majority of share of 5G modems for the 2023 iPhone launch, up from our previous 20% assumption. Beyond this, there are no changes to our planning assumption, and we are assuming minimal contribution from Apple product revenues in fiscal ‘25.”
The majority of Apple iPhone users will have to pay significantly more for battery replacements on iPhone 13 and older models.
First noticed by 9to5Mac, Apple made the announcement on a support page. According to the outlet, the price for out-of-warranty battery replacements for all iPhone models, aside from the iPhone 14, will increase by $20.
From now until the end of February, Apple will perform battery replacements for $69. Beginning March 1, however, the price will be $89.
Apple is stepping up its plans to diversify its iPhone production, moving more manufacturing out of China.
Apple has long been dependent on China for the production of its products, with Foxconn building the iPhone. Unfortunately, Foxconn has experienced a wave of protests at iPhone City, its facility in Zhengzhou.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Foxconn’s issues have resulted in Apple looking to accelerate its attempts to move some production outside of China. The company was already looking to move at least a quarter of its production to India, but this latest development has underscored the need to have diversified manufacturing.
“In the past, people didn’t pay attention to concentration risks,” Alan Yeung, a former US executive for Foxconn, told WSJ. “Free trade was the norm and things were very predictable. Now we’ve entered a new world.”
China is experiencing some of its most widespread protests in years, but protesters do not have access to a tool they have come to rely on.
Apple’s AirDrop is a file transfer tool that uses Bluetooth to make a direct connection between two devices. As such, it provides a relatively private way to transfer files and information. AirDrop has multiple settings that allow it to be turned off, only accept files from saved Contacts, and accept files from Everyone. The latter setting is especially useful in a civil unrest scenario.
According to Quartz, Apple made a change in iOS 16 just weeks ago that limits the amount of time AirDrop can be set to accept files from Everyone to just 10 minutes. Interestingly, the change was only made to phones in mainland China.
Apple has said it plans to make the change to AirDrop the default worldwide next year. As Quartz points out, however, the timing and China-focused scope of the change is incredibly suspicious, given it happened just before mass protests.
It is increasingly looking like Apple may have rushed the feature change to the Chinese market at the behest of the government, in an effort by Beijing to maintain control. Last month’s Bridge Man protest, photos of which spread via AirDrop, may well have given the government enough of a reason to force Apple’s hand and once again rope it into its program of squashing dissent.
iPhone shipments are set to take another hit as workers at supplier Foxconn’s main factory engage in violent protests.
Apple is heavily reliant on Foxconn for the manufacture of its iPhone, with Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant one of the single biggest components in that supply chain. The Zhengzhou area is responsible for such a large portion of iPhone production that it is often referred to as “iPhone City.” iPhone City has already had its share of production issues, most recently being subjected to new COVID restrictions amid a rise in cases.
According to CNN, violent protests broke out at iPhone City, stemming from what appears to be a broken promise to new workers. Foxconn launched a major recruitment drive, promising a 3,000 yuan bonus after the first 30 days, with a second 3,000 yuan bonus after the first 60 days.
New workers who were hired, however, are reporting they were told on arrival they would not receive their first bonus until March 15, long after the promised 30 days.
“The new recruits had to work more days to get the bonus they were promised, so they felt cheated,” the worker told CNN.
For its part, Foxconn blamed the confusion on “a technical error (that) occurred during the onboarding process.”
“We apologize for an input error in the computer system and guarantee that the actual pay is the same as agreed,” the company said.
In the meantime, the protests became bad enough that Foxconn promised workers 8.000 yuan if they would quit, along with another 2,000 yuan once they board outgoing buses.
While the problem appears to be on its way toward a resolution, the protests will likely result in further delays in iPhone production.
Elon Musk is already eyeing his next business, threatening to make an iPhone and Android competitor if Twitter is removed from app stores.
Twitter is in the midst of a massive upheaval following Musk’s buyout of the company. The tech mogul has slashed the moderation team, leading to reports of increased hate speech on the platform. The situation has caused some to wonder what would happen of Twitter’s issues eventually lead to it being removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Musk has weighed in with his plans:
It’s hard to imagine what a Musk-owned phone would be like. Despite his companies’ innovations, they are hardly consumer-friendly. For example, Tesla’s paid over-the-air updates are credited with being the inspiration for other automakers locking built-in vehicle features behind paywalls, something is easily the most consumer-unfriendly, greedy behavior in the industry.
With the cellphone industry having a well-established practice of offering free upgrades, and finally moving toward right to repair, it’s disconcerting to think of how much damage Musk could do with his own phone.
Apple is warning that new COVID restrictions and lockdowns in China will have a negative impact on iPhone 14 shipments.
News broke last week that the area around Foxconn’s primary iPhone plant in China was locked down for seven days as a result of a surge in COVID cases. The Zhengzhou plant is nicknamed “iPhone City” as a result of its size and importance, accounting for 80% of all iPhone 14 capacity, and as much as 85% of the iPhone 14 Pro.
Apple has released a statement acknowledging that shipments will be delayed as a result of the restrictions:
COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China. The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity. As we have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prioritizing the health and safety of the workers in our supply chain.
We continue to see strong demand for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. However, we now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated and customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.
We are working closely with our supplier to return to normal production levels while ensuring the health and safety of every worker.
Apple is ramping up its iPhone manufacturing in India, with Taiwanese firm Pegatron now assembling the devices in-country.
Apple has been looking to increase India’s roll in iPhone production in an effort to decrease its reliance on China. China’s ongoing COVID lockdowns have threatened iPhone production, as has the ongoing trade dispute with the US. Reports have indicated that Apple plans to move as much as one-quarter of iPhone production to India.
According to Reuters, those plans are well underway. Apple has added Pegatron as an iPhone supplier operating in India. The Taiwanese firm has already begun assembly operations.
Apple is not the only company expanding its presence in India, with Google also looking to have its Pixel smartphones manufactured in-country.
The area around Foxconn’s “iPhone City” plant has been locked down as a result of an increase in COVID cases.
Foxconn is Apple’s primary iPhone manufacturer and its plant in Zhengzhou is its main one, leading to the nickname “iPhone City.” China has a well-established reputation for aggressively locking down areas hit with COVID, and the country’s authorities are doing so with the Zhengzhou region, according to Bloomberg.
The lockdown is scheduled to last seven days, until November 9…provided the outbreak doesn’t get worse.
With Zhengzhou accounting for 80% of iPhone 14 capacity and 85% of the iPhone 14 Pro’s capacity, the lockdown is sure to impact iPhone 14 availability, although only time will tell how much.
On the heels of news that Android bypasses VPNs and leaks data, developers have discovered that iOS 16 does even worse.
Developers at Mysk have discovered that iOS 16 contacts Apple’s servers outside of a VPN tunnel, even leaking DNS requests. A number of different services trigger the behavior, including Health, Maps, and Wallet.
The issue is similar to one Mullvad discovered with Android devices, where Google’s operating system routes some traffic outside a VPN connection. Android even does this when the Block connections without VPN option is enabled.
Both issues are extremely concerning. When a VPN is in use, ALL traffic should be routed through the VPN. The issue is even more concerning with iOS 16 since it is leaking DNS information. Apple has worked hard to cultivate a reputation for privacy and security, making this latest news especially embarrassing for the company.
While VPNs are not the security silver bullet some make them out to be, they are nonetheless an important element in the battle to remain private online. For the two major mobile operating systems to circumvent VPNs and contact their respective companies’ servers is an egregious security and privacy violation.
The European Parliament has finalized the adoption of USB-C for charging small and mid-sized devices, including Apple’s iPhone.
Much of the phone industry already relies on USB-C for charging and data transfer. Apple is the main outlier, relying on its Lightning port instead. The EU has been moving toward forcing all manufacturers to adopt USB-C, both for the benefit of consumers and for the sake of the environment.
The EU has now formally adopted the proposal, with plans to enforce it by the end of 2024.
By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port.
The rules will also apply to laptops, although not until a later date.
From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops. The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday with 602 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions, is part of a broader EU effort to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices.
The move should make customers’ lives easier and significantly reduce electronic waste. While the EU’s rules will only apply to Europe, it’s a safe bet Apple will make all phones in compliance with the new regulation since manufacturing two completely different models — one for the EU market and one for outside it — would be cost prohibitive.
“The common charger will finally become a reality in Europe,” said Parliament’s rapporteur Alex Agius Saliba (S&D, MT). “We have waited more than ten years for these rules, but we can finally leave the current plethora of chargers in the past. This future-proof law allows for the development of innovative charging solutions in the future, and it will benefit everyone – from frustrated consumers to our vulnerable environment. These are difficult times for politics, but we have shown that the EU has not run out of ideas or solutions to improve the lives of millions in Europe and inspire other parts of the world to follow suit”
Apple is preparing to move a significant portion of its iPhone manufacturing to India as it tries to lessen its reliance on China.
The global pandemic shone a light on the challenges associated with relying on a single country for manufacturing. As lockdowns and quarantines impacted production, Apple and other companies were left scrambling to keep up with demand. The ongoing trade war between the US and China has exacerbated the situation, leading many companies to diversify their production.
Apple is looking to India for iPhone manufacturing, with plans to move as much as 25% of its production to that country, according to TechCrunch. The news comes via a JP Morgan research note predicting that 5% of global iPhone production will be based in India by late 2022. By 2025, that number will grow to 25%.
The same report also held good news for Vietnam, with Apple moving 20% of iPad and Apple Watch production there by 2025. In addition, the country will also make up 5% of MacBook and 65% of AirPod production.
JP Morgan’s note correlates to news that Foxconn, Apple’s primary manufacturing partner, is investing $300 million in Vietnam manufacturing.
In a move that is sure to upset users, Apple may be preparing to bring far more ads to its iPhone and Mac platforms.
Apple has positioned itself as a champion of privacy, going so far as to thwart the efforts of other advertising platforms to track its users. Despite that, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the company “is going to, over time, significantly expand its own advertising business,” bringing more ads to users’ iPhones and Macs.
Apple already displays ads in some of its products, such as News, Stocks, and the App Store. Unfortunately, for users, Gurman believes Apple plans on bringing ads to its Apple Books, Apple Podcasts, and Maps platforms.
“I believe that the iPhone maker will eventually expand search ads to Maps,” Gurman writes. “It also will likely add them to digital storefronts like Apple Books and Apple Podcasts. And TV+ could generate more advertising with multiple tiers (just as Netflix Inc., Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. are doing with their streaming services).”
On the plus side, Gurman doesn’t believe Apple will try to revive its iAd business and embed ads in third-party apps.
Even so, the expansion of ads within Apple’s products is sure to ruffle features, and rightfully so. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: While ads are an expected trade-off for a free service, there’s no excuse for users being subjected to ads when they’re already paying for a premium product or service.
The issue is even worse when looking at Apple’s financials. In its most recent earnings report, the company generated $83.0 billion in revenue, a record for a June quarter. It’s truly hard to fathom how the company can justify trying to make even more money off of its customers. It’s going to be even harder for the company to justify crippling competitors’ ads, only to then ramp up its own.
Apple has released patches to fix a major zero-day exploit impacting iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, an exploit that may already be in use.
The updates to Apple’s operating systems (OS) address issues with the kernel and the WebKit rendering engine that powers Safari. In the case of the kernel, Apple says “an application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.” This would apply to all three platforms.
In regard to the WebKit issue, Apple says “processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution.” Again, this impacts all three platforms.
In both cases, Apple says it is aware of reports that these bugs have been exploited in the wild, making it even more important to update as soon as possible.
Once the update is complete, the patched version of your OS should iOS 15.6.1, iPadOS 15.6.1, and macOS Monterey 12.5.1.
Here’s the full release notes for iOS and iPadOS, as well as for macOS.
Apple has been dealt a major blow in Colombia as the country bans the sale of 5G iPhones.
Apple and Ericsson have been locked in a patent dispute over 5G technology. According to Digital Trends, a judge in Bogotá has sided with Ericsson and imposed a strict ban on the iPhone.
Under the terms of the ruling, Apple is not allowed to sell or import any iPhone containing 5G technology. The ban is in effect despite the fact that Colombia has no 5G network. What’s more, Apple cannot advertise or promote its 5G phones in-country, which includes the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, as well as the iPad Pro with 5G.
The judge also restricted Apple’s ability to seek an antisuit injunction. As a result, Apple is suing Ericsson in Texas for the economic damage it’s suffering in Colombia, meaning this is a complicated mess of a legal situation.
Apple and Ericsson have been at odds since Apple failed to renew its licensing agreement with Ericsson over the latter’s patents. Apple maintains that, since Ericsson’s patents are standards-essential, they fall under friendly, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, which limit a company’s ability to charge an exorbitant price for licensing.
Only time will tell which company will prevail in the long-term, but the Colombian ruling is a significant early loss for Apple.
YouTube TV has finally brought Picture-in-Picture (PiP) support to iOS 15 devices, making it one of the last major streaming apps to do so.
PiP is a feature that allows a user to minimize a video into a smaller, floating window. The iPhone or iPad can then be used for other tasks, while still playing the video in question. While YouTube TV has supported PiP on Android since 2017, the feature has not been available on iOS…at least until now.
YouTube TV announced the new feature in a tweet.
iPhone & iPad users
We’re happy to share that picture-in-picture is now rolling out to your iOS 15+ devices. Simply select a video to watch and swipe [up] from the bottom of the screen to return to the device’s homepage. The video can scale down and move across your screen.
— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV), March 30, 2022
The company thanked users for their patience during the (long…really long) delay releasing the feature.
We really appreciate your patience while we worked on enabling this key feature for your iOS 15+ devices. We hope you enjoy this easy way to stream.
— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV), March 30, 2022
The new feature works on both iPhones and iPads running iOS 15+.