iPhone

Apple App Store users spent a record US$540 million on New Year's Day, capping off a week that saw total App Store spending of $1.8 billion. The App Store continues to be one of Apple's most successful lines of business; since its inception, developers have earned over $200 billion and Apple has earned an estimated $85 billion over the past 12 years.

Apple is thought to finally introduce iPhones with 120 hertz (Hz) refresh rates with the successors to the 12 series. However, only their highest-end variants are thought to get LTPO OLED displays, which, according to the latest word on this subject, are to be made by Samsung. However, LG might take over in this department in 2022.

Apple may very well introduce the much anticipated AirTags and other AR accessories such as an AR headset and/or AR glasses this year, according to Ming-Chi Kuo's latest research note. Kuo also notes that Apple will launch new Apple Silicon-powered MacBook Pros with mini-LED displays. Another report from DigiTimes speculates that all iPhone 13 models this year will be equipped with a LiDAR sensor.

The Mi AX6000 router is a powerful new source of home Wi-Fi that Xiaomi will release for the first time on January 8, 2021. The OEM has hyped this cutting-edge product by seeing which device could use its up-to-800Mb/s signal first: an iPhone 12 Pro Max or a brand-new Mi 11.

Foxconn is said to have successfully completed durability testing for two different Apple iPhone foldable prototypes. According to Taiwanese supply chain rag, Money UDN, the two prototypes are said to resemble the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip respectively in design approach.

A leaked image of an alleged Xiaomi Mi 11 box being compared to the iPhone 12 packaging has led to mounting speculation that Xiaomi has “done an Apple” and decided to not include a charger in the box for the Mi 11. Additionally, it is believed the Chinese OEM might offer a “with charger” option – at an extra cost, of course.
Update: Xiaomi has confirmed there will be no in-box charger.

Apple's top supplier of chips for multiple purposes, TSMC, will reserve no less than 80 percent of its 5 nm production capacity to the tech giant headquartered in Cupertino. In addition to the existing chips, TSMC is also going to make the upcoming A15 Bionic that will power the upcoming iPhone 13 series.

With Google Stadia available on iPhones and iPads via a web app, people have been seeing how well Cyberpunk 2077 runs. It turns out the likes of the iPhone 12 Pro do a better job of playing CD Projekt Red's latest triple-A title than the last-generation PlayStation 4 or Xbox One do.

Google's game streaming platform Stadia is now available on iOS. It is not on the App Store, however, having taken NVIDIA GeForce NOW's route as a web app onto iPhones. Therefore, users with these devices can now log into the sevice on its latest compatible hardware, should they want to.

Only Apple currently sells a compact flagship smartphone, but new research suggests that the iPhone 12 mini has not been a success so far. Based on the initial uptake of the iPhone 12 mini, it seems that spending US$100 more on an iPhone 12 is a more attractive proposition for people in the US.

Apple has now issued iOS and iPadOS updates to version 14.3. It contains some previously-promised features, which include ProRAW support in the Pro iPhone 12 variants, not to mention Apple Fitness+. It also reportedly fixes some issues, including one in which a user's new messages failed to appear in their Notifications.

Apple left the debut of the iPhone 12 series unusually late in the year in 2020, for arguably understandable reasons. However, the leading industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now predicts that this situation is not to become a regular thing going forward. Therefore, the next-gen flagships may appear by September 2020 as usual.

Jay Freeman, the developer of the Cydia app store, has filed suit against Apple for monopolistic practices that have shut alternative app distribution methods out of iOS. If Freeman wins this suit, it could force Apple to allow and support alternative app installation methods for iOS.

Apple currently uses components from Qualcomm in order to keep iPhones capable of using mobile data. However, its senior vice president of hardware technologies has just announced that it intends to replace these modems with one of its own. This may be the next significant move in its in-house ambitions since the conception of the M1 chipset.

In addition to the shortened battery life, the bug that seems to be affecting various handsets on iOS 14.2 also leads to longer charge times than usual. According to some users, their handsets (older ones in most cases, but also iPhone 12 models) lose over 50 percent in under 30 minutes. The 2018 iPad Pro also seems to be affected.

The latest limited edition version of the iPhone 12 Pro is certainly an odd one. Supposedly an 'accessory for private meetings and serious conversations', the iPhone 12 Pro Stealth does away with all of the cameras that typically grace the iPhone 12 Pro.

A small percentage of iPhone 11 displays may stop responding to touch input, and the cause of this problem has been discovered to be the display module. Thankfully, Apple is providing repairs free of charge as part of the recently introduced "iPhone 11 Display Module Replacement Program for Touch Issues."

Several iPhone 12-series device owners have taken to the Apple Support Community to complain that their new flagships are losing connectivity while using 5G networks. Many of them report that they are in the United States and are on the Verizon or AT&T networks, although one claims to be in Australia.

The Italian market-competition watchdog has reportedly fined Apple to the tune of €10 million, or nearly US$12 million. This action has resulted from what the body apparently views as “aggressive and misleading” advertising relating to iPhones and their water-resistant properties. This content may have been insufficient in its clarity in a way that may pose a risk to customer warranties.

Baseus has launched a series of new slim, high-tech third-party chargers equipped with gallium nitride (GaN) technology. One of them is rated to charge 2 devices at up to 60 watts (W) at once. This may make it a good companion for laptops such as the MacBook Pro.

Apple is running a gift card giveaway Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Qualifying purchases will see the buyer rewarded with a card worth from US$25/£20/€25 up to US$150/£120/€150. The deal includes many major Apple products such as the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE, the iPad Pro, Beats headphones, and even the premium MacBook Pro 16.

HTC might be planning a return to the smart mobile market with new TWS earbuds. These products have been spotted on the database of the Taiwanese regulator NCC ahead of their launch. This leak indicates that these new accessories have a Sony-clone look and can use Bluetooth 5.0.

Apple continues to lead the way with its excellent software support for older smartphones, unlike many Android OEMs. Ultimately, even Apple has a point where it drops iPhones from future iOS releases, and it seems like the iPhone 6s series will be on the chopping block as of iOS 15. The same will probably apply for the original iPhone SE, too.

Although the 6.7-inch display provides enough space for a generous battery, the L-shaped power pack inside the iPhone 12 Pro Max is slightly smaller than the one that Apple used in last year's iPhone 11 Pro Max. However, this year's flagship integrates a massive camera assembly with three sensors and one LiDAR unit.

"Green tint" is an issue in which OLED displays seem to glow where they should remain completely dark under certain conditions. It was present in some units of the iPhone 11 series last year, and has now reportedly raised its head again in the new 12s. It may affect any of the flagship line's 4 variants, and has yet to see an update that might fix it.

Apple has settled a second case related to the degradation of iPhone batteries and chipset throttling. The new settlement amounts to US$113 million and will be split across 34 US states.

Belkin's new BOOSTCHARGE TrueFreedom PRO Wireless Charger is a mat-style accessory rated to handle the demands of 2 Qi-compatible mobile devices thrown on it any old how. Therefore, it might solve the traditional problem of getting cable-less power to stay on without absolute precision in lining up contacts. Therefore, it may suit newer Android phones as well as iPhones up to the 11 series with ease.

Although Apple's other new iPhone models have no such issues, some iPhone 12 mini owners have been complaining of lock screen sensitivity problems that appeared the first time they powered on their handsets. The problem has been reported on both Reddit and the MacRumors forums and Apple still has to come up with an answer.

The processors that power our phones have become so powerful that they are now designed with the kind of cooling historically only expected from high-end PCs. This involves heatsinks, thermal paste and even vapor-chambers on a mobile scale these days - to such an extent there are now signs that insulation might also start to play a role in next-gen phones.

A surprising discovery about the iPhone 12 Pro Max has been made, and it is not a good one for Apple's premier flagship smartphone of 2020. While the device has a telephoto camera, it actually uses digital zoom to in night mode. Seemingly, the telephoto camera is worse than the main lens at higher magnifications in low-light conditions, then.

The new Apple iPhone 12 has been tested for its audio quality by DxOMark and has scored relatively well to give it a high position in the site’s audio chart. However, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro’s place at the top of the table has not been threatened, regardless of Apple’s improvements over the iPhone 11’s audio playback and recording.

Designers over at Svetapple created a set of detailed concept renders of the 2021 iMac, based on what rumors indicate about the upcoming all-in-one. The stunning models highlight the possibility that Apple will introduce slimmer bezels, bringing iMacs more in line with recent iPads.

There will be no iPhone SE for 1H 2021, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. A new iPhone SE may arrive in the second half of 2021, but there will be no anniversary upgrade for this year's model. The iPhone 13 series remains on track for release in September 2021, though.

According to a new report, Apple has sourced LTPO OLED screens from LG for next year's Pro iPhones. These low-power panels may pave the way for Apple enabling a 120 Hz 'ProMotion' refresh rate on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Apparently, the company supposedly decided against including high-refresh-rate displays on the iPhone 12 series in favour of battery life.

Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi have taken up all 10 places in the Q3 2020 table for most shipped smartphones of the quarter. While Samsung has five different Galaxy A-branded devices in the charts and Xiaomi has great results with the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi 9, it’s the Apple iPhone 11 that rules the roost once again.

An app that allows iOS users to run a Unix shell on their iDevice was under threat of removal from the App Store. However, Apple apparently reversed its decision, allowing the app to stay up. This could open the door for more scripting and shell apps to hit the App Store in the future.

The iPhone 12 mini is here, and Apple is copping some flack for the device's underwhelming battery life. The 5.4-inch iPhone has a 2,227 mAh battery, so it should come as no surprise to see it barely lasting a full working day between charges.

Smartphone shipments in India - one of the top 3 markets worldwide - shrank by a worrying 48% in the second quarter of 2020 (2Q2020). However, three months later, the story has changed: the same market had posted year-on-year (YoY) gains of 17%, whereas the US and China failed to show any growth for the same quarter at all.

Apple had left its biggest and smallest versions of the iPhone 12 for last in terms of making them available to buy. Now, however, both the successor to the 11 Pro Max and the completely new 5.4-inch Mini variant can be pre-ordered from their maker's website. However, these devices, as with the rest of their series, may not be compatible with a user's old wireless chargers.

Apple plans to release four new iPhones next year, with the company aiming to return to a September release window. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will feature an improved ultra-wide-angle camera too, according to Ming-Chi Kuo.

The iPhone 12 Pro has been shown to conquer the speed of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, even the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ edition. The Note 20 Ultra may have double the RAM that the iPhone 12 Pro offers, but Apple's new 5 nm chipset proves too much for Qualcomm's 7 nm offering.

Smartphone camera accessory maker Moment has unveiled its first set of MagSafe-compatible accessories for the Apple iPhone 12. While they will be useful for regular photographers, most of the accessories have a distinctly vlogging-focused emphasis and will certainly appeal to that market.

If the latest rumor is true, then at least one iPhone 13 has been completed already. Obviously, the hardware will go through a few changes until the final product will reach the market, but it looks like Apple has decided to drop the in-display Touch ID sensor — at least for now.

Video doorbells enable the user to see who is at their door on their smart screens or mobile devices. A recent study indicates that 10% of US households with high-speed internet surveyed owned one of these devices in the second quarter of 2020, compared to 7% in 2017. This increased popularity has driven doorbell OEMs to improve innovation and integration with other smart things over the years.