Apple Remains Top US Smartphone Manufacturer, LG Sees Substantial Growth - Analysts
According to the latest report from a research firm called comScore, Apple remained the top smartphone manufacturer in the United States of America in the third calendar quarter of this year. Even though Apple’s share fell from 44.1% in June to 43.6% in September, this result allowed the Cupertino-based company to continue being a leader of the market. Samsung also saw a decrease in the number of users, however, the South Korean tech giant managed to get the second place in the rating. The only company, which demonstrated growth in the number of users was LG. It came in the third spot.
iPad Pro to Go on Sale in Over 40 Countries Later This Week
Apple has just officially confirmed that the long-awaited 12.9-inch iPad Pro will become available for pre-order in the United States and a number of other countries of the first wave of launch on Wednesday, November 11th. After that, by the end of this week, the larger-screened tablet will go on sale at Apple Stores, Apple Authorized Resellers and partner stores across the globe. Together with the iPad Pro, customers will get an opportunity to buy the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil.
Top 10 Stories of the Week
It is Sunday today, which means you are ready for our traditional roundup of the most interesting stories of the last couple of days. Quite surprisingly, most of the articles this week deal with the next-generation iPhone and its release date. There are also some posts that tell us about iOS 9 adoption rate and bugs as well as about the fourth-generation Apple TV and the Apple Watch sales.
Apple Adds New Shopping Category to App Store
According to the latest report from people familiar with the matter, Apple has recently updated the iOS App Store with a new category. This category is called Shopping and as you can guess from the name, it contains applications that help users to shop, compare prices for various goods, get and redeem coupons, watch product reviews etc. The new category should be already available to Apple users worldwide, however, if you still don't see it, wait a bit as implementing such a change is quite a difficult task that may take some time.
Here’s How iPhone 6c Might Look Like [Concept]
As it was reported earlier this week, Apple may be planning to change its usual product update cycle and release new iPhones much earlier than in September of 2016. In particular, a smaller 4-inch iPhone may be released in the first or second quarter of the next year and the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus with new A10 processors as well as 2GB and 3GB of RAM respectively may be unveiled in June or July.
The design of new Apple-branded smartphones remains unknown and this allowed the SET Solution experts to create a beautiful and quite realistic iPhone 6c concept. The video demonstrating the colorful device made of high-quality plastic is available either below, or on SET Solution’s official YouTube channel. Take a look.
Google to Design Chips for Smartphones to Compete with Apple on Equal Terms?
It looks like Google has decided to follow in Apple’s footsteps and start designing its own chips for future smartphones and tablets. Such a step requires serious research work and money, however, it can make Android devices much more competitive.
iOS 9.1 Breaks Touch ID Functionality on Some iPhones and iPads
According to the growing number of users who complain on Apple Support Communities forum, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 9.1, causes various Touch ID issues. In particular, users report about slow and unreliable fingerprint recognition and in some cases even a complete failure of the sensor. First threads connected with bugs affecting Touch ID functionality began to appear two weeks ago, immediately after Apple made iOS 9.1 available for customers worldwide.
Apple Files Patent Describing ‘Panic Mode’ on iPhone
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has recently published a rather interesting patent application filed by Apple. The document describes a technology that allows to activate a special ‘panic mode’ on the iPhone with the help of special fingerprint. This special mode will allow to protect user’s data in case a robber forces the owner to unlock his phone, moreover, it will let the so-called ’emergency response providers’ take photos of the robber, determine the location of the handset and perform a number of other actions, for example, contacting police or letting a family member know about the situation.
Apple Sold 7 Million Apple Watch Units So Far - Analysts
According to the latest report from a research firm Canalys, Apple managed to sell 7 million Apple Watch units to customers worldwide in the first two quarters of availability. This allowed the Cupertino-based company to become a leader of the global smartwatch market and beat its rivals from Samsung, Pebble and other vendors.
Apple to Change Usual Product Update Cycle and Launch iPhone 7 Much Earlier?
Yesterday, a well-known KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple may launch a smaller 4-inch iPhone early next year. Today, a new rumor appeared on the Internet suggesting that Apple may change its usual product update cycle and release the next-generation iPhone earlier than we expect.
iOS 9 Adoption Rate Reaches 66% - App Store Data
Apple has just revealed the numbers that deal with iOS 9 adoption rate. According to the data based on the App Store usage, iOS 9 is now installed on 66% of active devices that access the App Store on a regular basis. In case you don’t know, two weeks ago, the adoption rate was equal to 61%. The reason for the 5% gain in just two weeks is most likely connected with the release of iOS 9.1, which contained a number of stability, security and performance improvements, bug fixes and new emojis.
Apple to Release 4-inch iPhone in 2016, Add 3GB of RAM to iPhone 7 Plus - Rumor
According to the latest report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning to release a smaller 4-inch iPhone in early 2016. The handset may be equipped with the A9 processor and look like a slightly redesigned and upgraded iPhone 5s, which is still pretty popular among the customers. However, there will be no 3D Touch display. As noted by the analyst, because of the strong demand for a 4-inch device, next year, the company may sell as many as 20-30 million units of the updated smartphone.
Apple Working on New Mac Pro with 10 USB 3.0 Ports - Rumor
The researchers have reportedly found references to a new Mac Pro model featuring as many as 10 USB 3.0 ports. The references have been spotted in the official build OS X 10.11 El Capitan and thus are pretty reliable source of information.
Hackers Create Browser-Based Version of iOS 9.1-iOS 9.2 Beta Jailbreak
Even though Apple is constantly working on fixing bugs and patching vulnerabilities used for untethered jailbreak of iOS, looks like the hackers are working much harder. A hacker team has recently created a browser version of jailbreak capable of hacking devices with iOS 9.1 and iOS 9.2 beta on board and won $1 million for this jailbreak.
Developer Finds Hidden ‘Indoor GPS’ App on App Store
Looks like Apple has a bunch of hidden applications on the App Store. One of such apps has been recently discovered by a software developer named Steve Stroughton-Smith. It is called Indoor Survey and as it can be easily guessed from its name, it serves for indoor positioning. People familiar with the matter claim that it can be used to mark certain locations inside of various buildings, for example, stores, restaurants etc.