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Tag: iPhone 8

  • Apple Schedules September Products Event —Will it Include the iPhone 8?

    Apple Schedules September Products Event —Will it Include the iPhone 8?

    Will we finally see an iPhone 8 launch this coming September? That just might be the case as recent reports state that Apple has already picked a date next month to release its newest lineup which could include the highly anticipated smartphone.

    According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has already scheduled a product announcement event on September 12, 2017. Of course, the latest report is welcome news for Apple fans who, for several months now, have been waiting for the tech giant to announce the iPhone 8 release date.

    Before you get all excited, here’s a warning. Apple did not actually make the announcement. In the report, WSJ simply stated the latest information came from people who have inside knowledge of Apple’s plans. Without an official statement from the company, this also means that iPhone 8 may not be included in the new products to be unveiled.

    But still, one can remain hopeful. In fact, there are several reports stating that Apple will unveil not one but three new iPhone models.

    According to eWeek, Apple will launch three new smartphones in the upcoming September 12 event. The report is not certain if one of the three new phones will be the highly anticipated iPhone 8 or if it will even be named as such. One possibility is that the new phones might be labeled as extensions of the iPhone 7 series.

    There is one interesting prediction made by eWeek though. According to the publication, one of the new iPhones will be a 10th-anniversary edition to commemorate the September 2007 release of the first iPhone. If correct, consumers can expect the special phone to be a bit more expensive than the regular models.

    Meanwhile, Mashable is betting that one of the upcoming phones to be unveiled at Apple’s September 12 event will be the iPhone 8. The publication agrees with eWeek’s report that the tech company will be unveiling three smartphones during the event and has, in fact, named the other two mobile phones as iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus.

    While Apple may unveil the iPhone 8 at the event, Mashable warns consumers not to expect the gadget to be available anytime soon. Apple is predicted to delay the availability of the new phone until later this fall to give time for the sales of the latest iPhone 7 models to stabilize.

    Aside from smartphones, Apple is also expected to launch newer versions of the Apple Watch. According to Recode, the gadget has been gaining popularity as a fitness tracker, a trend that the company plans to mine with the introduction of new features into the upcoming versions of the wearable. For instance, the new Apple Watch will likely sport a built-in modem to enable users to listen to streamed music, make calls and even use some apps such as Uber.

    [Featured Image via Pixabay]

  • iPhone 8 Leaks: Is Apple Planning To Replace Touch With Face ID?

    iPhone 8 Leaks: Is Apple Planning To Replace Touch With Face ID?

    While everyone waits with bated breath on the unveiling of Apple’s newest flagship smartphone, the anticipation continues to mount as more rumors and speculations surface about the device. The latest leaks, if accurate, will give Apple fans something to truly be excited about as the new iPhone would sport a pioneering and game-changing feature– the introduction of Face ID.

    Latest iPhone 8 leaks seem to indicate that the upcoming phone would reflect Apple’s transition from fingerprint scanning to facial recognition for security, according to Forbes. The latest component leaked suggests a 3D sensing camera module which, coupled with the lack of information on a Touch ID system, could mean that the upcoming flagship smartphone could be the first to introduce 3D Face ID technology to mobile phones.

    If this rumor is correct, it would also mean that Apple’s next flagship will be way ahead of its competitor by about two years. According to BGR, Samsung’s facial recognition system is only 2D and not the rumored 3D capability of the iPhone 8. For this reason, Samsung’s Face ID can be “hacked” by a picture, the reason why it can’t be used to authenticate financial transactions.

    There is also another implication for the iPhone’s rumored 3D sensing camera. Aside from its use as a security feature of the smartphone, the 3D sensing capability could also be utilized to unlock the VR and augmented reality potential of the gadget.

    One possible concern that Apple’s Face ID would need to address is speed. How long will it take the device to recognize a face? Rival facial recognition systems like the Windows Hello take a moment to process a face in front of it. If Apple wants the new technology to be the killer feature of its upcoming flagship, it needs to have a processing speed comparable, if not faster, to the current Touch ID.

    But it seems that Apple already got this concern covered. According to MacRumors , iPhone 8’s Face ID will be able to unlock the phone in just a few hundred milliseconds. Now that is fast.

    [Featued Image By Maurizio Pesce/Flickr]

  • iPhone 8 Predicted to Cost a Jaw-Dropping $1200

    iPhone 8 Predicted to Cost a Jaw-Dropping $1200

    It’s no secret that the Apple iPhone is an expensive mobile device. The entry-level iPhone 7 is priced at $649 while the more feature-packed 256GB iPhone 7 Plus is at a whopping $969, a cost that is way higher than most other smartphones currently on the market. With the iPhone 8’s release looming around the corner, its price is once again the talk of the town.

    Analysts and Apple experts believe that the new iPhone will most likely hit the $1000 mark. In addition to that, they also think the company will release not just one model this year, but three.

    How Many New iPhones Will There Be?

    Insiders say we should expect three phones. The first two releases will be an upgrade of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus with an improved processor and upgraded camera. The third one, it seems, will be the long-awaited iPhone 8 which is rumored to be priced at $1,200 or even more.

    Will the iPhone 8 Features Justify the Cost?

    Apple’s iPhone 8 is set to open up a new “luxury” tier since its cost will be $550 more than the previous model. Its features will be a screen that uses OLED technology, wireless charging, a 3D camera that can be utilized for augmented reality and facial recognition, and an edge to edge screen.

    However, these features are not really that new in the smartphone industry. Apple’s rival, Samsung has recently released the Galaxy S8 at $749, which already has the features that Apple is currently planning.

    Since the Samsung Galaxy S8’s release, it has eaten quite a chunk of Apple’s market share. But if that is the case, why would Apple put such a high price tag on its phone?

    Reports have surfaced that Apple is having production issues with the iPhone 8 and launch date delay is a real possibility. In addition to that, the new OLED screens are more expensive than Apple’s prior LCD screens. The high demand, limited supply, and higher production cost are the likely culprits of the phone’s rumored hefty price.

    Who’s Really Going to Buy a $1200-iPhone?

    Apple will be at a significant disadvantage if they try to release the phone at such an insanely high price, according to reports. However, Apple has no shortage of loyal followers that are willing to pay almost any price for the company’s latest offering, guaranteeing the success of the product. In fact, Apple is betting that the iPhone 8 will break previous sales records which saw iPhone unit sales of 78.3 million, up 5 percent from the previous year.

    Right now, there is no official price for the iPhone 8 and many analysts believe Apple will have a more reasonable pricing strategy for its buyers.

  • New Feature on Apple’s iPhone 8 Might Delay Its Release

    Apple has a history of being secretive about their products until they are launched. However, that does not stop leakers from revealing some details about them.

    Followers of the mobile phone industry expect the company to release their flagship phones in September, as they do every year. But recent details have emerged indicating that the launch of the upcoming iPhone 8 could be delayed by a few months due to one of its new features.

    The iPhone 8’s Touch ID sensor will supposedly be embedded into its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. This means that you could unlock your phone just by touching its screen. However, it has been reported that Apple has been having issues with this new feature.

    Timothy Arcuri, an analyst at the investment firm Cowen and Co.’s writes in a newly published research note that significant technical challenges remain. He claims that the shipment of the OLED model could be delayed. This delay could take from one to two months, as the company actively tries to come up with a workable solution for its sensor.

    Arcuri highlights in his research the three strategies Apple is choosing from on how to implement an embedded Touch ID:

    “1) thinning the cover glass for the fingerprint area (cover glass cutout), 2) creating a pin hole through the glass for optical or ultrasonic fingerprint sensing, and 3) replacing the AuthenTec Touch ID with a “film” fingerprint sensor that is integrated with the display.”

    He goes on to say that the model has an “edge-to-edge bezel-free design with no physical home button.” These predictions involve the fingerprint sensor being located on the front of the phone, which contradicts other rumors based on alleged factory renders.

    “While the exact implementation is not finalized, we can now say that the fingerprint sensor is unlikely to be on the back of the phone,” said Arcuri.

    It is unclear if the technical challenges Apple are facing is based solely on production output or the functionality of the Touch ID sensor itself. There were some earlier rumors claiming that Apple was experiencing extremely poor yields on some early designs for the iPhone 7’s successor.

    According to CNET, Cowen and Co. has a mixed track record of predicting Apple products. However, this isn’t the first time that the delay has been reported. Last month, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted that Apple may not get a handle on the production of the iPhone 8 until September, adding that “severe supply shortages may persist for a while after the new models are launched.”

    Arcuri predicts that the iPhone 8 delays could stretch out over many months. Even if the new model could be unveiled and launched in September or October, it could take Apple several weeks to increase the supply to meet what is expected to be a staggering demand.

    Tech analysts speculate that Apple could stock up to 90 million iPhones in the holiday quarter as opposed to the upcoming September quarter to make up for the delay. With their previous record sales for the iPhone 7, Apple could break a new sales record despite the delay.

  • iPhone 8 Will Not Have a Home Button According to Rumored Specs

    iPhone 8 Will Not Have a Home Button According to Rumored Specs

    Apple has not revealed the release date for the iPhone 8, yet speculations about the highly-anticipated device continue to circulate over the internet. The latest on its rumored features seem to confirm the scrapping of the Home button.

    Images of the alleged dummy phone were leaked recently and it confirmed some of the talk about Apple’s latest gadget featuring a bezel-less display. The 5.8-inch OLED screen, meanwhile, envelops the whole front face of the device which is similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S8 Edge.

    While Apple fans are still trying to get used to the audio jack-free iPhone 7, the Cupertino-based company is trying to force-feed another innovation. Instead of the Home button at the bottom, users will see a Touch Bar that will likely include a Touch ID and fingerprint sensor, which will be integrated into the display.

     

    If the rumors prove true, users won’t need to push a button; rather, they just have to rest their fingers on this specific spot to access the menu.

    The rumored specs for the iPhone 8 also elude to an upgrade of the secondary speaker for the device. This is a departure from its design for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus which utilized the earpiece as a secondary speaker, but didn’t really impress users.

    This change will reportedly enhance the audio quality. However, there are no specifics yet, particularly on whether the quality will be similar to the primary loudspeaker on the iPhone 7 dual stereo device.

    The iPhone 8 will supposedly also be as thin as its predecessor (7.1mm) and have the same size overall. It should, however, look larger due to the bezel-less display. The other rumored specifications include wireless charging, 3GB of RAM, and a “3D-sensing front camera.” It’s also rumored that the device will come bundled with the wireless AirPods to replace the earpieces that come with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

    Previous reports alleged that the iPhone 8 will have 30% more battery life, thanks to having an L-shaped battery pack. If that proves true, the upgrade will likely push the price of the device over $1,000, which is $200 more than the current generation of Apple’s flagship phone.

    The iPhone 8 will reportedly be released in the fall of 2017, although Apple has yet to confirm this.