News from category ‘Hardware’
Shipping Times for Several iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Models Improve to 3-5 Days
Ahead of the upcoming holiday season, shipping times for several iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models have improved to 3-5 days in the USA. This indicates that Apple suppliers are currently doing their best to assemble enough handsets to meet the demand. And that is good both for the guys from Cupertino and for the customers planning to purchase either 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch smartphone.
Apple TV Loses Ground in the USA Because of Roku and Chromecast
Apple TV set-top box has reportedly begun losing ground as its main rivals, namely, Roku and Chromecast, have become much stronger. According to what was shared by a marketing research firm Parks Associates, Roku streaming media players currently occupy the first place on the U.S. market, Google’s Chromecast sticks stand on the second one and Apple TV boxes are down one position on the third spot.
Asian Smartphone Manufacturer Accuses Apple of Patent Infringement
According to the latest reports from reliable sources, Chinese low-cost smartphone vendor called Digione accused Apple of violating its patent. The Asian manufacturer claims the design of Apple’s latest iPhone 6 was copied from firm’s 5.5-inch handset with 8-core MediaTek CPU, Android OS on board and a price tag of 799 yuan. The iPhone 6, by the way, has a price tag of 5288 yuan.
Apple Patents Innovative iPhone Fall Protection System
Apple on Tuesday was granted a patent for an innovative and quite futuristic iPhone fall protection system that can recognize when the handset is dropped and shift its center of gravity to avoid serious damage. The Patent No. 8.903.519 entitled "Protective mechanism for an electronic device” describes how such a system may be created and added to the next-generations of Apple handsets.
Apple Releases Another iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Ad
About a week after the release of Microsoft's ad mocking Siri and a couple of days after the release of two iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus ads voiced by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, the guys from Cupertino have decided to make another commercial available for public. The short video, which can be found below, tells us about one of new iMessage features introduced in iOS 8 and is called "Voice Text". I bet you've already guessed what particular feature the ad highlights.
Foxconn Gearing Up to Start Production of Sapphire Displays
According to the latest report from China Economic Weekly, Foxconn, one of Apple's largest suppliers, is currently gearing up to start the production of sapphire for next generations of company's mobile devices. Asian tech giant has reportedly got the final approval for building a large sapphire display manufacturing facility in Zhengzhou, China. The plant will be situated close to the facility, where the iPhone 6 units are currently assembled.
Samsung to Become Apple's Main Components Supplier
According to the latest reports from supply chain insiders, Apple has recently decided to make Samsung one of its major hardware suppliers. I'm now talking not only about the chips for next generations of iPhones and iPads. As noted by BusinessKorea, the guys from Cupertino plan to use Samsung as a primary components manufacturer for the long-anticipated Apple Watch as well. This indicates that Apple will soon once again become extremely dependent on its market rival from South Korea.
Apple Releases Two New iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Ads
Following the release of Microsoft's ad mocking Apple and its virtual assistant called Siri, the guys from Cupertino published two own ads, which tell us about the recently-released iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as well as about their gaming capabilities and the ability to use both handsets to make calls from iOS and OS X devices. Like all the previous iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ads, these are voiced by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, who talk about the advantages of using Apple's handsets. Both commercials are available below, take a look.
Apple Looks for Virtual Reality Software Specialist
As you probably know, Apple is one of those companies that show interest in the development of virtual reality technologies. Over the past few years, the guys from Cupertino have filed a number of patents related to all kinds of virtual reality gear. Apple is an inventor of the 3-D viewing headset similar to the Oculus Rift, moreover, it possesses other technical documentation required for creation of virtual reality devices. But why haven't we seen any gadget from Apple so far? Let's find out.
Apple to Sell 71.5 Million iPhones in Holiday Quarter - Analyst
According to the latest report from Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, Apple will sell as many as 71.5 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units during the holiday quarter. The analyst believes that the 4.7-inch device will account for about 60% of sales. The larger 5.5-inch iPhone won't be as popular as the smaller one as the suppliers won't manage to catch up with the demand causing serious supply constraints.
IBM Created Smartwatch with Digital Crown Long Before Apple?
Looks like the concept of the smartwatch is much older than we all have thought. According to the video, which I managed to find on 9to5Mac this morning, back in 2001, IBM created a kind of smartwatch with small black-and-white display with touch input and something very similar to Apple's Digital Crown. The video is available below, so take a look and tell me what you think.
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Apple's A8 Chip Supports 4K Video Playback?
According to the latest reports from people familiar with the matter, the A8 chip found inside of Apple's latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is capable of playing 4K video. And that is rather strange, I must admit, as the aforementioned devices have a display resolution of "only" 1334 x 750 and 1920 x 1080 pixels respectively. The support of ultra high-definition video has been discovered by developers who created a popular Mac app called WALTR.
Foxconn to Invest $2.6 Billion into Display Factory Capable of Producing Screens for Apple
According to what people familiar with the matter say, Foxconn will invest $2.6 billion in the construction of the new plant capable of producing displays exclusively for Apple. The new factory will be reportedly build in Southern Taiwan by Foxconn-owned firm called Innolux. Company's executives decided to invest such a large sum of money into construction after the guys from Cupertino made a very "urgent" request.
Apple Planning 'Biggest Camera Jump Ever'?
According to what Daring Fireball's analyst John Gruber told in his recent podcast called The Talk Show, next year Apple may demonstrate the "biggest camera jump ever" in the history of the company and its iPhone lineup. Citing sources familiar with the matter, he says that the guys from Cupertino are currently working on major improvements for the photo-sensor of the next-generation flagship device.
38mm and 42mm Apple Watch to Get Different Screen Resolutions?
Immediately after the developers got access to iOS 8.2 with WatchKit SDK, they managed to find out what screen resolution the upcoming Apple Watch will get. Though the guys from Cupertino announced their long-anticipated wearable device in September, they somehow forgot to tell us about such an important parameter.











