iPhone

Whilst we have yet to see firm evidence on the design of the 2019 iPhone, there has been back and forth rumors about whether the new iPhone would use Lightning or USB-C.

Japanese site Macotakara says that not only will the 2019 iPhone use Lightning, Apple will also continue to bundle the same 5W charger and USB-A to Lightning cable in the box. This is seen as a cost saving measure. It seems that customers wanting faster iPhone charge times will still have to buy accessories, like the 12W iPad charger.

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Digitimes has published several reports overnight, which we are combining here, as the Chinese reporters end their Lunar New Year holiday week. The site claims that TSMC will continue to be the exclusive manufacturer of Apple’s A-series chips, with the A13 debuting in the 2019 iPhones to be fabricated using a 7 nanometer process.

The supply chain centric site also reiterates earlier claims that new AirPods and new iPads are coming in the first half of 2019.

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It seems fair to say that since the release of iPhone 6, A-series processor updates have been more for future-proofing purposes rather than present necessity for the average user. As a result, biennial upgrades, let alone annual iPhone swaps, became increasingly rare — demonstrated by ever shrinking Apple Store lines proceeding a new launch. Now, the anecdotal findings are being corroborated by industry analyst Toni Sacconaghi from Bernstein, who says that the average iPhone upgrade time has increased to four years, up from three years in fiscal 2018.

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Apple today has shared its latest iPhone XS and iPhone XR advertisement. This one focuses on Depth Control, which allows users to “get the perfect amount of blur” when taking a picture.

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A new report from CIRP today offers its estimate for how many iPhones Apple sold during its 2018 holiday quarter (fiscal Q1 2019). While the good news includes the US installed iPhone base rising to 189 million devices, CIRP says quarterly iPhone sales dropped by 15 million year over year.

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Apple is reportedly ramping up its efforts to design its own radio chip, which would free it from the need to buy these from either Qualcomm or Intel.

The latest report builds on two earlier ones, and suggests that the project now has a much higher profile within the company …

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A new report from Motherboard today looks into the world of hacking iCloud-locked iPhones. While turning on Find My iPhone (which enables the iCloud lock) is generally thought to be quite secure, Motherboard highlights several ways that thieves, hackers, and coders are getting around the security feature to sell stolen (and non-stolen) devices.

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Last year, Apple was hit with dozens of lawsuits over its performance management features in iOS. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Committee last week, Apple said that it is setting aside the money necessary to resolve these cases.

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AT&T has started to roll out an update to some iPhone and iPad users running the latest iOS 12.2 beta 2 update that changes their LTE service icon to “5G E,” short for 5G Evolution. This controversial move from the US carrier comes after it has done the same for some Android smartphones.

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The second-generation AirPods and corresponding wireless charging case are still missing in action, but when they do finally launch, a certain Santa Barbara, CA-based company will be ready. Nomad, maker of mobile accessories for the iPhone, released its all-in-one Apple Watch + iPhone + AirPods charger a few months ago, obviously anticipating an update to Apple’s popular wireless earbuds.

The Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition is currently sold out, but a source close to the company informed me that it expects units to be back in stock soon. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough inside as we explore the ins and outs of Nomad’s three-coil wireless charger.

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If you follow Apple news even casually, you’ve probably seen your fair share of dongles and adapters over the years. The latest recruit to the dongle gang is Belkin’s Ethernet + Power Adapter with Lightning Connector, an Apple-certified brick of a dongle that retails for $100.

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Warby Parker is out with an update to its iOS app that brings a useful new feature to its collection of spectacles: Virtual Try-On. With Apple’s ARKit and TrueDepth camera tech, the company’s new software lets users see “the realistic color, texture, and size of each style— using just your iPhone X [and later]” while shopping for new glasses with its app.

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A German court has rejected four Qualcomm patent claims against Apple. The court hasn’t yet reached a decision on a further four claims by the company …

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The legal odyssey between Apple and Qualcomm is continuing to escalate as the chipmaker is now accusing Apple of defying the court ordered iPhone 7 & 8 sales ban in Germany.

Now, Qualcomm is seeking fines against Apple, claiming available iPhone units sold throughout early January in Germany “intentionally defy the court order”.

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Apple’s China problem may require a new type of iPhone designed specifically for the country, say some former Apple execs.

Apple has already taken one small step in this direction, with a physical dual-SIM model of the iPhone XS/Max available only in mainland China. It’s also widely believed that Apple’s decision to offer gold-colored phones was driven by China and the Middle East.  But it’s being suggested the company may need to do much more …

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Update: Counterpoint Research is also now out with its quarterly and yearly recap for the smartphone industry. This data suggests Apple shipped 65.9 million iPhones during the holiday quarter.

Now that Apple is no longer reporting official units sales for the iPhone, we’re forced to rely on estimations from third-party researchers. Yesterday, Strategy Analytics reported that Apple shipped 65.9 million iPhones during Q1 2019, and now IDC is out with a slightly different number.

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