iPhone

2021 is here and 5G is coming online around the world. US carriers have decent coverage nationwide with mid and Sub-6GHz spectrum 5G but issues like call quality and reception are still a problem even with the latest-gen cellular network. I think it’s time for Apple to make its first-party FaceTime Audio calls an option to be the default on iPhone.

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously predicted significant improvements to two of the three iPhone lenses in 2021 and 2022 respectively. A new report today suggests that we won’t see any matching improvements in the main lens, however.

Kuo’s earlier reports say we can expect notable improvements to the ultrawide lens this year, and an even more dramatic boost for the telephoto lens next year …

More data is coming in on iPhone and smartphone sales in the US during the important December timeframe. We saw in a previous report from Flurry Analytics that iPhone took the top 9 of 10 smartphone activations on Christmas Day. Now the firm has shared data on how iPhone stacked up against the competition for all of December and the iPhone handily dominated the market, which included beating Samsung by a wide margin.

One of the latest major streaming services is NBC’s Peacock and with the start of 2021, The Office has left Netflix is officially only streaming on NBC’s new service. Read along with our full guide on how to watch Peacock free on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and the web, what’s available on the service, what you get with the paid plans, how to watch The Office, and more.

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As students and teachers continue to work from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Overviewer has hit the scene as a new iOS app for turning your iPhone into a document camera on Zoom and other video conferencing applications. The app is meant to be a replacement or substitute for traditional document cameras, which are common in education but costly and cumbersome to use.

A third supply-chain report says that Apple plans to use LTPO screens for this year’s iPhone Pro models, which could enable ProMotion and always-on display.

Two previous reports have suggested that Apple plans to take the type of OLED panels used in the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 and bring them to this year’s flagship iPhones …

A pair of newly granted Apple patents shows a MacBook wirelessly charging an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. They describe two-way charging coils that can be used to charge the MacBook itself, but also used to allow the MacBook to charge other devices.

The patents also show an iPad charging an iPhone and Watch (right), and follow a separate patent application for a MagSafe battery case, which can charge both an iPhone and a set of AirPods …

While all of last year’s iPhones got support for the more common sub-6GHz form of 5G, the much faster mmWave 5G iPhones were limited to US models only. But that may be set to change this year.

Background

We’ve previously outlined the two main types of 5G …

2021 holds a lot of anticipation as the world hopefully recovers from the pandemic and people around the world have more clarity than ever about their priorities. Let’s take a look at some of the best apps to create habits, set stakes, and achieve New Year resolutions with iPhone and Apple Watch.

Apple once again dominated Christmas day smartphone activations in the US, according to new data from Flurry Analytics. The data indicates that the iPhone accounted for nine of the top ten smartphone activations on Christmas day this year, although total activations were down compared to 2019.

There are a lot of great new features included with Apple’s latest products. Whether you just got one new Apple device or several of them, follow along with a roundup of our most popular tutorials and videos to learn the best tips and tricks for your new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV, AirPods, HomePod, and more.

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Earlier this year Apple launched a new program called the Security Research Device Program to help researchers find vulnerabilities in iOS and also in its devices. Researchers can apply to get the special hardware since June, and now the company is finally shipping these “rooted” iPhones to those who have been accepted.

Under Indian law, Apple has ultimate legal responsibility for the underpaid wages at a Wistron iPhone assembly plant near Bangalore, says a local report.

iPhone assembly was suspended at the plant due to damage caused when workers rioted following underpayments. An investigation by the Indian government found ‘serious labor law violations’ …

A suspected state-sponsored attack saw dozens of iPhones hacked by exploiting an iMessage vulnerability that remained unpatched for around a year. The attack was a so-called zero-click one because it didn’t require the victims to take any action: the hack was enabled simply by receiving a text message.

The victims of the attack were Al Jazeera journalists, and is believed to have been carried out on behalf of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates governments, using spyware developed by Israeli company NSO Group. It is suspected that these journalists are a ‘minuscule’ fraction of the iPhones hacked using this method …

An investigation by the Indian government into a riot at a Wistron iPhone assembly plant in Karnataka, Bangalore, has found ‘serious labor law violations.’ The riot involving hundreds of workers followed complaints about being paid significantly less than had been agreed.

The government says that it had been able to confirm underpayment and more at the plant …

The iPhone plant riot in India over the weekend is not expected to have much immediate impact on production in the country, but analysts suggest that it might have longer-term implications.

Reports variously say that between ‘hundreds’ and two thousand workers took part in the riot at Wistron’s iPhone assembly plant in Bangalore. Production was suspended due to the damage …

Strong iPhone 12 demand has led Apple to boost iPhone production plans for 2021 by between 20% and 30%, according to a Nikkei report today.

It says Apple’s total planned iPhone production for the first half of next year is up almost 30% year-on-year, while initial full-year production targets are up by 20% to hit 230M phones …

iOS 14’s most popular feature has quickly become the all-new widgets that can give your iPhone a personalized touch. However, going further than that, custom iOS 14 aesthetics have become a huge trend. We’ve already covered how to create ultra-customized widgets with Widgetsmith. The other big part is making your app icons tie everything together. Follow along for how to make an iOS 14 aesthetic with custom app icons.