Apple's iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are making waves with a mix of subtle design updates and serious power boosts. The Pro Max features a 6.9-inch display, while the Pro sits at 6.3 inches, both benefiting from Apple’s signature sleek, durable design. However, the real excitement lies in the internals.
Powered by the new A18 Pro chip, the iPhone 16 series packs more power than ever. This 3nm chip delivers console-level gaming performance and enables upcoming AI features, like photo clean-up tools and enhanced Siri functionalities
A standout feature is the new Camera Control button, offering easier access to zoom, depth of field, and other camera settings, making pro-level photography more accessible. Both models include dual 48MP cameras, with improved image processing and 4K video recording at 120fps
Battery life is also set to improve, particularly on the Pro Max, thanks to a larger battery and more efficient processing. The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999, while the Pro Max comes in at $1,199
These devices seem tailored for those seeking power, precision, and cutting-edge technology in their smartphones.
Apple Studios Wins ‘Snow Blind:’ Jake Gyllenhaal Stars, Gustav Möller Directs Graphic Novel Adaptation
Mike Fleming Jr, writing at deadline.com:
In a highly competitive six-way bidding war, Apple Studios has acquired Snow Blind, a thriller adaptation of the BOOM! Studios graphic novel by Ollie Masters and Tyler Jenkins. Jake Gyllenhaal is attached to star and Gustav Möller will make his English language directing debut. Script is being written by Patrick Ness, the author/scribe of A Monster Calls who is currently scripting Lord of the Flies for Warner Bros. and director Luca Guadagnino.
Audi reveals a sporty version of its upcoming electric Q4 SUV
Sean O'Kane, writing at theverge.com:
The Q4 and the Q4 Sportback are “identical twins” from a technical perspective, according to Audi. As such, the Sportback version will also be powered by parent company Volkswagen’s modular “MEB” platform (an abbreviation of the German phrase for “modular electric drive matrix”) that is going to power a wide range of vehicles across multiple brands. This sets the Q4s apart from the original E-Tron and its variants, which are powered by an Audi-developed electric drivetrain.
Spec-wise, this means the Q4 Sportback will use a twin-motor setup that makes a total 225kW of power (about 300 horsepower), with those motors pulling electricity from an 82kWh battery that lasts about 450 kilometers (roughly 279 miles) on a full charge.
Apple is working on QR Code payments for Apple Pay
Filipe Espósito writing at 9to5mac.com:
References found in the iOS 14 code reveal that Apple is working on a new method for letting users make payments with Apple Pay by scanning a QR Code or traditional barcode with the iPhone camera.
We’ve managed to access this feature hidden in iOS 14 beta 2, and although it still doesn’t work, we can clearly see an image showing how it will work. Users will point the iPhone camera at a QR Code or traditional barcode to pay bills and other things with a card registered with Apple Pay.
Apple’s updated and more detailed Maps experience has now rolled out across the U.S., the company announced this morning. The redesigned app will include more accurate information overall as well as comprehensive views of roads, buildings, parks, airports, malls and other public places. It wi…
Sarah Perez, writing at techcrunch.com:
The updated Apple Maps includes Look Around and real-time transit in some markets, Collections, Favorites, a Share ETA feature, flight status information for upcoming travel, indoor maps for malls and airports, Siri natural language guidance and Flyover — a feature offering immersive, 3D views of major metros, as seen from above. The latter is available across more than 350 cities.
Going forward, Apple will use the imagery it collects to deliver Look Around to more U.S. markets and begin to upgrade the Maps platform in Europe.
Maps is probably the biggest software turnaround in Apple's modern era — an interesting case study for a company that rarely needs turnaround efforts.
Apple plans to release several new products in the first half of 2020, including Ultra Wideband tags, high-end wireless headphones, a 4.7-inch...
Joe Rossignol, writing at macrumors.com:
"We forecast that Apple's major new hardware products in 1H20 include the 4.7-inch LCD iPhone, iPad Pro, MacBook Pro/Air, smaller wireless charging mat, UWB tag, and a high-end Bluetooth headphone," wrote Kuo in a research note with TF International Securities, a copy of which was seen by MacRumors.
Our insight on these products:
4.7-inch iPhone: Apple is widely rumored to be planning to release a new low-cost iPhone with a similar design as the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch LCD display and a Touch ID home button, but with a faster A13 chip and 3GB of RAM. The device is expected to launch by the end of March, with pricing predicted to start at around $399 in the United States.
iPad Pro refresh: New models with a triple-lens rear camera system that supports 3D sensing for augmented reality are expected to be unveiled as early as March.
MacBook Pro/Air refresh: It is unclear if Kuo is referring to the possibility of either a new MacBook Pro or MacBook Air or both, but previous rumors suggest that a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a scissor switch-based Magic Keyboard will launch in the first half of 2020, following in the footsteps of the 16-inch MacBook Pro last October. Apple last refreshed the MacBook Air in July 2019 with a True Tone display and a lower $1,099 starting price.
Ultra Wideband tags: Last year, MacRumors uncovered evidence of Apple working on Tile-like item tracking tags in iOS 13 code, including a potential "AirTags" name. As with iPhone 11 models, Kuo believes the tags will support Ultra Wideband, which would likely make it possible to locate the tags with much greater accuracy than Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi.
High-end headphones: Kuo did not provide any details about these headphones beyond claiming that they will support Bluetooth. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple-branded over-ear headphones were under development, but it is unclear if they were canceled, became the Beats Solo Pro, or otherwise. MacRumors has also uncovered evidence of Apple developing new Powerbeats4 headphones, but the existing Powerbeats3 are not considered high end.
Small wireless charging mat: No further details were shared. Apple canceled its much-anticipated AirPower charging mat last year due to quality concerns. That mat would have been able to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods case simultaneously, regardless of where each device was positioned on the mat and with deep iOS integration.
Ring isn't just a product that allows users to surveil their neighbors. The company also uses it to surveil its customers.An investigation by EFF of the Ring doorbell app for Android found it to be packed with third-party trackers sending out a plethora of customers’ personally identifiable...
Bill Budington, writing at eff.org
Ring isn't just a product that allows users to surveil their neighbors. The company also uses it to surveil its customers.
An investigation by EFF of the Ring doorbell app for Android found it to be packed with third-party trackers sending out a plethora of customers’ personally identifiable information (PII). Four main analytics and marketing companies were discovered to be receiving information such as the names, private IP addresses, mobile network carriers, persistent identifiers, and sensor data on the devices of paying customers.
The danger in sending even small bits of information is that analytics and tracking companies are able to combine these bits together to form a unique picture of the user’s device. This cohesive whole represents a fingerprint that follows the user as they interact with other apps and use their device, in essence providing trackers the ability to spy on what a user is doing in their digital lives and when they are doing it. All this takes place without meaningful user notification or consent and, in most cases, no way to mitigate the damage done. Even when this information is not misused and employed for precisely its stated purpose (in most cases marketing), this can lead to a whole host of social ills.
Apple reported its first quarter financial results for the fiscal year after the market close on Tuesday, January 28, 2020.
Apple:
We are thrilled to report Apple’s highest quarterly revenue ever, fueled by strong demand for our iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro models, and all-time records for Services and Wearables,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “During the holiday quarter our active installed base of devices grew in each of our geographic segments and has now reached over 1.5 billion. We see this as a powerful testament to the satisfaction, engagement and loyalty of our customers — and a great driver of our growth across the board.
Even though Apple launched its trio of iPhone 11 models a mere four months ago in September, the rumor mill is already looking across the horizon and speculating about 2020 and the upcoming iPhone 12.
According to twitter user @BenGeskin, who has a reliable track record on leaks in the past the iPhone 12 will have a boxier desing a lot like the iPhone 4 with no bezels, the notch will be removed, the FaceID will be incorporated above the screen.
Apple’s return to a boxier industrial design theme with the iPhone 4 makes sense when you consider the design of the iPad Pro. In 2018, Apple redesigned the iPad Pro with a flat-sided body. This redesign has been very well-received by users, so it’s not surprising to see it inspire the iPhone 12.
As you can see, Apple’s product revenue led its quarter. Digging into that line-item, here are the building blocks of its lucrative hardware business:
iPhone: $56.0 billion Mac: $7.2 billion iPad: $6.0 billion “Wearables, Home and Accessories:” $10.0 billion All that spun out to earnings per share of $5.04 (basic), and $4.99 (diluted).
Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2020 second quarter:
revenue between $63.0 billion and $67.0 billion
gross margin between 38.0 percent and 39.0 percent
operating expenses between $9.6 billion and $9.7 billion
Apple may not be able to produce as many iPhones as planned due to the coronavirus outbreak.
This is according to a report by Nikkei, which claims Apple has asked its suppliers in China to produce up to 80 million iPhones in the first half of 2020, which represents a 10 percent rise over last year's production rate. Nikkei claims 65 million of those orders are for older iPhone models, while up to 15 million orders are for the upcoming iPhone SE successor, which will likely launch in March.
However, suppliers have warned Apple that the coronavirus outbreak could affect the planned production schedule.
Nikkei says the production of the new, cheaper iPhone — likely dubbed the iPhone SE 2 — was slated to start in the third week of February. The company was also planning to boost the production of AirPods by up to 45 million units for the first half of 2020 (Apple sold 60 million AirPods in 2019, Nikkei claims). But an unnamed executive from Apple's supply chain told the outlet that the coronavirus has created "massive uncertainties and challenges" for the production of iPhones and AirPods.
Can the iPad ever replace a laptop? That’s not really the right question.
Dieter Bohn, writing at theverge.com:
If you’d only ever used an iPad, you might just think that’s how computers work. It would, in some sense, limit your imagination of what’s possible on a computer. Often when I complain about iPad limitations, it gets misinterpreted as a desire to have it work just like other computers do. That’s not it — I worry that it is subtly narrowing our sense of what computers can do without our even noticing it.
If the iPad were just that, a limited computer, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. However! In addition to being limiting, it’s also incredibly liberating. It is great to not have to worry about all the things you usually have to worry about with traditional operating systems like macOS or Windows. It’s freeing to have a device that’s fast, does so much so effortlessly, and doesn’t feel like it’s only designed to sit on top of a desk or a lap.
After ten years, you’d think we’d know exactly what the iPad is and what it can do, but we don’t. I think it’s the tensions between the limiting and liberating parts of the iPad — both of which still feel new, even now — that make it worth paying attention to.
Sweeping cyberattacks targeting governments and other organizations in Europe an...
Jack Stubbs, writing at reuters.com:
The attacks involve intercepting internet traffic to victim websites, potentially enabling hackers to obtain illicit access to the networks of government bodies and other organizations.
According to two British officials and one U.S. official, the activity bears the hallmarks of a state-backed cyber espionage operation conducted to advance Turkish interests.
The officials said that conclusion was based on three elements: the identities and locations of the victims, which included governments of countries that are geopolitically significant to Turkey; similarities to previous attacks that they say used infrastructure registered from Turkey; and information contained in confidential intelligence assessments that they declined to detail.
The officials said it wasn’t clear which specific individuals or organizations were responsible but that they believed the waves of attacks were linked because they all used the same servers or other infrastructure.
To reach its potential, Apple needs to recognize they have made profound conceptual mistakes in the iPad user interface, mistakes that need to be scrapped and replaced, not polished and refined. I worry that iPadOS 13 suggests the opposite — that Apple is steering the iPad full speed ahead down a blind alley.
John Gruber, writing at daringfireball.net:
Ten years ago today, Steve Jobs introduced the iPad on stage at the Yerba Buena theater in San Francisco. It surprised everyone, in several ways. Some expected a touchscreen Mac with a stylus. Some expected a product that would do for the news industry what the iPod had done for the music industry a decade prior. Most expected a $1,000 starting price. The iPad was none of those things. It was also Jobs’s final big new product announcement.
“It’s just a big iPhone” was the most common initial criticism. Turns out, “just a big iPhone” was a fantastic idea for a new product — music to tens of millions of iPhone users’ ears.
Jobs’s on-stage pitch was exactly right. The iPad was a new class of device, sitting between a phone and a laptop. To succeed, it needed not only to be better at some things than either a phone or laptop, it needed to be much better. It was and is.
It’s hard not to get the feeling that this “harmony” is less about offering a better user experience, and more about helping Google’s ad revenue. As Digiday reports, there’s data to suggest that’s actually the case. According to one digital marketing agency, click-through rates have already increased for some search ads on desktop, and mobile click-through rates for some of its clients increased last year from 17 to 18 percent after similar changes to Google’s mobile search layout.
Google is fundamentally an ad business. In the third quarter of 2019, Google’s parent company Alphabet made nearly $34 billion from Google advertising, out of a total revenue of $40 billion for Alphabet as a whole. At that sort of scale, small changes in ad click-through rates could end up having a huge effect on Alphabet’s bottom line, even if it means tricking users for cheap clicks.
Update: Google released a statement as to why it made the initial changes and making a commitment to “iterate on the design over time”:
We’re dedicated to improving the desktop experience for Search, and as part of our efforts around this we rolled out a new design last week, mirroring the design that we’ve had for many months on mobile. The design has been well received by users on mobile screens, as it helps people more quickly see where information is coming from and they can see a prominent bolded ad label at the top. Web publishers have also told us they like having their brand iconography on the search results page. While early tests for desktop were positive, we are always incorporating feedback from our users. We are experimenting with a change to the current desktop favicons, and will continue to iterate on the design over time.
Google researchers have exposed details of multiple security flaws in its rival Apple’s Safari web browser that allowed users’ browsing behaviour to be tracked, despite the fact that the affected tool was specifically designed to protect their privacy.
The flaws, which were ironically found in an anti-tracking feature known as Intelligent Tracking Prevention, were first disclosed by Google to Apple in August last year.
