iPhone

TikTok posted an impressive 67 million official downloads onto iOS devices in the US in the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020). However, in 2Q2020, this stat has been eclipsed by one of approximately 94 million by the collaboration app Zoom. This is a major factor in a trend favoring business-focused apps on the Cupertino company's platform.

The latest report on the market for mobile devices in India by Canalys has shown that its shipments totalled 17.3 million for the second quarter of 2020 (2Q2020). That sounds fine - until one compares it to the figure of 33 million from 2Q2019. This contraction was attributed to factors such as supply disruptions among the OEMs concerned.

Multi-functional USB hubs have become a solid trend on crowdfunding websites, particularly those that bake additional functions into these ultrabook accessories. The Fophie is one such hub that adds wireless charging and phone-holding options to its ingredients list. It has now attracted just over 2000% of its original Kickstarter goal.

TSMC has outlined its fabrication plans for its 5nm fabrication process and what that means for investors in its latest conference call. It is buoyant about what its 5nm node will mean for next generation mobile chips and says chips using the tech, including Apple’s A14, will contribute around 8 percent to its revenue for the next quarter.

A Chinese blog claims to have laid hands on a new kind of charging cable developed at Apple for its upcoming 2020 iPhones. It is an upgrade on the current standard accessory in that it is braided, which is often perceived as higher-end and more durable. In addition, its Lightning-end contacts are rumored to be upgraded with new materials.

Belkin has debuted BoostCharge wireless charging accessories that support the iPhone, Apple Watch or AirPods, or, in some cases, all three at once. One of these can also become a power bank at need. They start at US$49.95 on the OEM's website at present.

US owners of a number of iPhone 6 series smartphones and iPhone 7 series devices who were affected by the “Batterygate” controversy can now submit a claim via online form or by mail to get their share of Apple’s US$310 million to US$500 million settlement payout pool. Apple still contends that the payout is not an admission of wrongdoing.

Analyst Jeff Pu predicts that the upcoming iPhone 12 may start at a US$50 higher base price compared to the iPhone 11 owing to the inclusion of 5G and transition to an OLED display. This price rise is despite the fact that the iPhone 12 is not expected to include EarPods and a wall charger in the box. Further adding to the chagrin of prospective buyers is the fact that the iPhone 12 lineup may sport significantly smaller batteries than the corresponding iPhone 11 variants.

Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant is said to be investing US$1 billion into their iPhone production plant in India. Foxconn has factories right around the world, but India is currently the only location outside of China where they assemble iPhones.

Apple recently launched the iOS 14 open beta program. iPhone and iPad users enrolled in the beta program can easily get hold of the first public beta build. iOS 14 features a number or improvements including a redesigned home screen and Apple Pencil handwriting recognition.

A post on Weibo by Redmi boss Lu Weibing has sparked speculation that either Xiaomi or Redmi is planning on releasing a small phone. A small-screen flagship variant of the rumored Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 was suggested by many of his post’s commentators. Weibing shared an image showing a size comparison of the Apple iPhone 4 and Redmi Note 8.

Every year, Android and iOS get new features, and every year, the differences between the platforms diminish. The recent announcement of iOS 14 showcased a bevy of new features, and some of them will look quite familiar to Android users.

Rumour has it that multiple upcoming flagships will feature at least 120 Hz displays, including the Google Pixel 5, Galaxy Fold 2, Huawei Mate X 2 and possibly the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro+. Contrary to previous leaks, Apple will apparently not be bringing its ProMotion display technology to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, though.

The 2021 iPhone SE might continue sporting the same A13 Bionic SoC as the current iteration, according to information from known leaker Mauri QHD. This makes perfect sense as the A13 is a pretty powerful chip and gets hardly pushed in the iPhone SE. The 2021 iPhone SE is also expected to sport an design similar to the iPhone 8, but that is not clear at the moment.

Apple's upcoming iPhone 12 could feature 4K 120 fps and 4K 240 fps video recording, according to code unearthed in recent iOS 14 beta builds. This feature is likely to be restricted to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models. There's also a possibility that the iPhone would record natively at 4K 120 fps and then interlace the video to 240 fps.

T-Mobile Netherlands is a national division of a carrier that also sells accessories for flagship iPhones from 2018, 2019...and 2020. It names these devices according to their individual variants, and also has live pages for a few cases that may indeed fit them accurately - despite the fact they are still probably months away from launch.

Adidas has long been associated with sporting endeavors and this has spawned a range of accessories to make staying active fun. Its latest headphone accessory is called the RPD-01 is designed to be both sweat resistant and stay securely in place during physical activity.

The iPhone SE has finally made its way over to DxOMark for a thorough evaluation of its cameras' abilities. The US$399 phone impresses, keeping up with the Pixel 3a on all tests⁠—and outperforming similarly-priced phones.

An earlier leak suggested that Apple is planning to do away with EarPods as standard packaging contents for its 2020 generation of iPhones. Now, the British financial institution Barclays reportedly predicts that the OEM will not even ship a power brick with these new mobile devices. However, a different rumor asserts that this is not the case at all.

A leaker has claimed that Apple is considering releasing two 4G variants of its upcoming iPhone 12 lineup, and the smartphones will be priced at surprisingly low points for Apple devices. The unknown source has stated a price of US$549 for the regular 4G model and US$649 for the iPhone 12 Max without 5G capability.

A Redditor who claims to work in the smartphone repair industry has posted photos of new clear cases and dummy devices that allegedly match the iPhone 12 series. They correspond to the upcoming lines' 3 hypothetical variants, and have the iPad Pro-like appearance projected for these devices.

Amazfit claims that its ZenBuds are capable of enhancing sleep or relaxation due to their noise-cancelling, health-tracking and other properties. The brand has finally announced details on how this version of the truly wireless (TWS) earbud will be premiered: as a reward on its upcoming crowdfunding campaign.

At WWDC 2020 today, Apple unveiled iOS 14. There are several quality-of-life improvements, some aesthetic changes, and quite a few new features for users to look forward to.

Apple has announced that it will transition its entire Mac lineup to ARM-based custom silicon over the next two years. Support for Apple silicon is now available in macOS Big Sur and developers can get started right away on a Developer Transition Kit (DTK) that includes a Mac Mini powered by the A12Z Bionic. Despite the transition Apple will continue to support Intel processors for many years to come.

The Chinese company Fobase has currently discounted its Fobase Air Smartwatch and Fobase Air Pro Smartwatch to US$29.99 and US$39.99, respectively. The obvious Apple Watch clones are packed with features such as heart-rate monitoring, pedometer, sleep tracker, camera remote control, sport modes, and Apple iPhone compatibility.

Images of alleged molds and renders of the Apple iPhone 12 series have been leaked online. There are several different-sized molds on show in the pictures, which seem to fit rumors of the iPhone 12 sporting a similar design language to that of the iPad Pro (2020). However, there are also some pretty big notches on display.

LG has announced the latest model in its line of CineBeam projectors. The PH30N is rated for images of up to 100 inches from 10.8 feet away. It has also been designed to be light and portable so as to generate a theater-like experience in various settings.

The new Basix Pro Wireless Power Bank from Aukey has an innovative design, in that it combines the ability to act as a phone stand in addition to the function that gives it its name. It does so by integrating a kickstand into its slim 10000mAh form factor. The bank also has a USB type C port for relatively higher Power Delivery speeds.

Razer has announced that its latest accessory for smartphone gaming, the Kishi, is now available to order. This model is designed to fit onto mobile devices of varying screen size to deliver Nintendo Switch-esque controls. It does so with a good range of options, thumbsticks that are also clickable included.

An iPhone 11 Pro user has reported that their phone displays a green tint under certain conditions. It's currently unknown if this is a software or hardware issue. It isn't the first time something of the sort has happened, though, as there have been similar reports with the Google Pixel 4 XL, OnePlus 8 Pro, and Galaxy S20 Ultra over the past year.

House of Marley wants to help consumers celebrate Father's Day with a 30% sale off everything in its US online store. They include the brand's Exodus active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones. This discount is in effect from today (June 5) until June 13, 2020.

Beta code for iOS 13.5.5 seems to indicate that Apple is considering launching a bundle subscription serving integrating different offerings like Apple News, Apple TV+, Apple Music, and possibly Apple Arcade. Can we expect this "Apple Prime" alternative to Amazon's Prime ecosystem in time for the iPhone 12 release?

An early test build of iOS 14 apparently leverages Apple's Neural engine to enable seamless, in-app machine translation in Safari and other core Apple apps. If the implementation is sound, this could be a major boon for iOS 14 users on the iPhone 12 later this year.

The security group Lookout has released the results of its latest study of fraud that targets phones or tablets owned by enterprises. It found that the number of such incidents grew by 37.1% between the last quarter of 2019 and the first of 2020. Even just one of these attacks can cost businesses millions of dollars.

Plenty is already seemingly known about the so-called iPhone 12 series. One element that remains unknown, at the least, for the time being, is in what colours Apple will offer its next flagships. A concept designer has sought to answer that by imagining how the iPhone 12 Pro could look if Apple adopted navy blue as a colour option.

Apple is considering a large US$330 million investment in a microLED manufacturing plant in Taiwan. The investment would be a joint venture with Epistar and AU Optronics. This investment could lead to the use of microLED displays in future iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and MacBook Pros.

Refurbished Apple iPhone XR models are now available for purchase on Apple's website. The 64GB version costs $499, while the 128GB and 256GB variants retail at $539 and $629, respectively. Apple says that all phones come with a new battery, along with a one-year warranty.

Qualcomm has announced the FastConnect 6900 and 6700, 2 new connectivity solutions that may upgrade some future phones to Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E. The latter is a variation on the latest wireless data standard that adds the 6GHz band to potentially increase its speed to 3.6 gigabits per second (Gb/s).

Escobar Inc has announced another scam. Having ditched its attempts to sell skinned foldable smartphones, the company is now claiming to be selling a "24KT Gold Luxury Edition" of the iPhone 11 Pro. Priced at US$499, Escobar Inc claims that it is "the real APPLE KILLER phone."

Apple is finally allowing Indian customers to purchase customized, configure-to-build Mac and MacBook variants. This move gives Indian Mac buyers much-needed flexibility in terms of RAM, storage, and CPU/GPU configurations.

Apple frenemy Samsung has secured the supply of 80 percent of Apple’s iPhone 12 OLED display orders according to Digitimes. The remainder of the OLED panel supplies are said be supplied by both LG and BOE.

ARM has announced its new Cortex-A78 architecture that will power most Android flagship smartphones in 2021. Interestingly, it has also branched out into extra-performance cores with the launch of its new Cortex-X1 borne out of its new Cortex-X Custom Program.

Towers of Everland just landed on Apple Arcade. The first-person dungeon crawler offers a more light-hearted experience than The Elder Scrolls: Blades and Legends of Grimrock, without sacrificing content quality. However, poor performance, even on the high-end iPhone 11 Pro Max, raises questions about just how well the game will run across iOS devices.

UGREEN's All in One 65W GaN charger is selling at a 50 percent discount on Indiegogo. The limited time sale makes the charger price competitive with Apple's 18W, while enabling users to fast charge 4 devices simultaneously.

A new iPhone for less than $500? Currently, only the iPhone SE (2020) makes this possible. This sounds like a good deal and while the smartphone offers many contemporary features, it lacks a modern design.

@unc0verTeam recently announced that a working, universal iOS 13.5 jailbreak will be arriving soon. The jailbreak is compatible with Windows, meaning iPhone and iPad users won't need to use a Mac to jailbreak their devices, as with Checkra1n.

Apple's latest iOS 13.5 update includes tweaks to FaceID and FaceTime group chat that aim to improve user experience due to COVID-specific issues. The FaceID mask tweak makes it easier for users to unlock their iPhones and iPads when wearing a mask.

A report by Ming Chi-Kuo indicates that Apple might not include EarPods with its iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro series devices this year. The move appears to be an effort to nudge consumers towards buying AirPods Pro and the upcoming AirPods Studio headphones.