iPhone

Tim Cook has had to start his year by sending an open letter to Apple's investors, telling them the company's revenues for the first fiscal quarter of 2019 had been revised downwards. Cook noted that this decision had been influenced by factors such as the increased strength of the US dollar and reduced iPhone revenues. However, the letter also also highlighted areas in which Apple performed well in 2018.

The Pocophone F2 may be the second device to come from the popular Xiaomi brand POCO. A new concept illustration for this smartphone suggests that it may upgrade to a newer, more waterdrop-like notch rather than the larger, iPhone-esque one of last year. It seems that this device has also made it onto Geekbench; according to these listings, it will stick with the Snapdragon 845 of yesteryear.

2018 has come and gone and with it the promise of an Apple-made wireless charging pad. Announced back at the 2017 iPhone X event, Apple's AirPower wireless charging mat is still MIA. At that event, Apple promised a 2018 release. However, the company has silently removed all references of AirPower from its website and hasn't said a word about the product since its 2017 announcement.

Apple retained a majority in the premium smartphone market in the third quarter of 2018, as iPhones made up 47% of all phones sold in it. Samsung achieved second place in this arena, with 22% of the market share. On the other hand, the growth of this market was driven by increased brand diversity; for example, Huawei captured a share of over 10% for the first time this year.

Citing predictions that the 2018 iPhone line may soon enter a destocking phase, Citi Research cut production estimates for the iPhone XR, iPhone Xs, and iPhone Xs Max by a collective 10% (50 million to 45 million). Most of this cut was driven by lowered expectations of the iPhone Xs Max; Citi Research estimates Apple will produce only half as many iPhone Xs Max units as previously predicted.

An article published by iDrop News reports than an Ohio man has suffered injury from his iPhone XS Max catching fire whilst in the back pocket of his pants. Apparently, the device was completely destroyed in the incident, and the blaze also damaged his pants and burned the skin of his buttocks. It seems the individual is now considering legal action against Apple.

With already half the smartphone camera market cornered, Sony has unveiled what it thinks will continue to drive OEM interest in its camera sensor technology. It’s new 3D-capable rear camera sensor features the same type of Time of Flight technology found in the front-facing Face ID camera in Apple iPhones with Face ID and it has got Apple interested, reports Bloomberg.

The Zanco smart pen is a stylus with (nearly) all the features of a smartphone crammed into it. It has physical buttons, a click-pad, front and rear cameras and even a teeny tiny screen. It is intended as a smartphone replacement or companion (much like the Palm phone) and can also function as a Bluetooth remote for screens for purposes such as presentation. So far, it has raised just over US$50,000 on Kickstarter.

Google’s relatively new Pixel 3 finally made the trip over to DxOMark and earned an overall score most would consider to be lacking. Here, we take a closer look at the Pixel 3’s review with a focus on elements that may have contributed to it being ranked below unassuming devices like Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 3.

Lemmings, the classic PC puzzler, has launched on iOS and Android. The smartphone port retains many of the gameplay elements of the original, but controls and level design have been optimized for mobile gaming. The levels themselves will be procedurally generated, but there will (sadly) be a variety of in-app purchases.

Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Google (Alphabet Inc.) have been experiencing further depressions in the stock market, according to recent NASDAQ data. Apple has seen its stock price fall under US$160 as Microsoft continues to lead in terms of market capitalization value. The Cupertino-based iPhone maker also has had bad news in regard to “Bendgate 2.0” and a legal battle against Qualcomm.

Qualcomm's patent war against Apple has escalated this December following bans in China and now Germany on the sale of iPhones. Intel has now accused Qualcomm of "stifling competition" in a scathing Intel Newsroom article that alleges Qualcomm's actions will only serve to "reduce innovation and increase prices."

Tencent Games has asserted that it has drawn level with Epic Games' Fortnite in terms of mobile user numbers for its own game, PUBG. This means that PUBG has made it to about 200 million users. It is estimated that both games also have the same approximate number of users who play at least once a day (30 million).

A Forbes reporter had a replica of his own head, made via 3D-printing, commissioned from a company that specializes in the same. He was able to use this object to unlock four Android phones (from different OEMs), but not an iPhone X. This suggests that Face ID remains the more powerful device-security tool.

A new leak based on a purported internal Apple document reiterates the rumor that Smart Battery Cases are coming back. This one suggests that this product will be compatible with the iPhone XS and XS Max only. On the other hand, the slightly disputable evidence does not match the leaked watchOS icon on which the earlier leak is based.

Less than 40% of all smartphones are thought to have LCD (or a variation on it) these days. This was reported as part of a new release from the analysis firm IHS Markit. It indicates that the type of panel once only associated with high-end Samsung phones are becoming much more commonplace and popular with manufacturers.

This week, Qualcomm succeeded in its petition to a Chinese court to have the sale or import of several iPhone models banned in the relevant jurisdiction. The company is also pushing the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) to take similar action. The ITC has stated that it will review the case and release its final verdict next year.

An infographic published by LetsGoDigital makes for interesting reading for those curious about how the foldable market could end up playing out. Unsurprisingly, it seems Samsung and Huawei will be the first major manufacturers to offer this exciting form factor to consumers, with Microsoft and Apple willing to bide their time, possibly to see how the market develops.

During the launch event for the latest series of iPhones, many tech correspondents remarked on the company's official images which gave the impression that the devices lacked the profound notches that do in fact exist. It appears that this strategy worked too well in the case of one consumer, who is now reportedly suing Apple for misrepresenting the XS Max's appearance.

Despite winning a victory against Apple earlier this week, Qualcomm is continuing to pressure the iPhone manufacturer in China. Qualcomm is petitioning Chinese courts to expand the ban of iPhone sales to include the iPhone XR, Xs, and Xs Max. However, Apple is claiming that these devices should not be included in the initial ban as they run iOS 12. Chinese courts have yet to make a decision.

The respected Apple-focused business analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has made a departure from the general consensus in his industry that the Cupertino company will see 200 million iPhones sold in 2019. Kuo now asserts that this number will be significantly reduced compared to 2018. He has also revised his previous estimate on this subject for the first quarter of next year downwards.

The Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court in China has granted preliminary injunctions against the import, sale, and offers for sale of various older Apple iPhone models in the country. The Court granted the injunction against Apple as it found that it infringed on two Qualcomm patents. This is being seen as a big win for Qualcomm, which has been at loggerheads with Apple over various patent infringement issues for a long time.

Apple will make minimal changes to its smartphones for the new year, according to an analyst with the bank Nomura. Therefore, they are likely to end up looking much like the iPhone X of 2017...again. The Nomura research report indicates that the new models will have little to distinguish them besides new or improved software features.

The iPhone XR made the trip over to DxOMark and shone, earning the highest score ever for a device with a single rear camera, and showing up other flagships with more complicated camera setups.

A new official battery case for the iPhone XS or possibly the XS Max may be available soon. This possibility has arisen from clues found in the code of an Apple software beta, which has resulted in accurate predictions about upcoming products in the past. This case, should it exist, has undergone somewhat of a design update to match the new iPhone.

The Helio M70 baseband chipset was showcased at the China Mobile Global Partner Conference in Guangzhou today. This modem, unlike the Snapdragon X50, is backwards-compatible with 4G to 2G. It is also 3GPP-compatible and rated for speeds of 5 gigabits per second.

Sales-wise, Apple's current generation of devices may be the most lukewarm the company has put out in the recent past, and the fact that the cheapest device of the lot is the best-selling is unlikely to be considered a positive by the company's executives.

Huawei ambassador Gal Gadot was revealed to have been tweeting with an iPhone a long while ago and if you thought that was bad, you'd be shocked, as an official Samsung account was caught parading the streets of Twitter with an iPhone in tow.

New data from market research company Gartner depicts a strong third quarter 2018 for Chinese manufacturers Huawei and Xiaomi. Both companies managed to increase their global smartphone market share from 3Q17, whilst the big hitters Apple and Samsung have experienced flat growth and considerably diminished market share, respectively. Overall worldwide smartphone sales have risen by 1.4%.

A new article in Bloomberg substantiates earlier claims that Apple will not adopt 5G in its next-generation iPhones. In fact, the outlet's sources have suggested that this may not happen until after 2020. The company's current enmity to Qualcomm may be a factor in the apparent delay.

Epic Games has silently enabled 60 FPS for the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max in its latest update for Fortnite on iOS, according to the Senior PR Manager at the company. The update (v. 6.31) is live now on the App Store.

Microsoft has become more valuable than Apple in terms of market capitalization. At the time of writing, Microsoft’s value stood at US$846.76 billion compared to Apple’s US$844.39 billion. The Redmond-based company has passed Apple a number of times over the last few days, only for the Cupertino rival to temporarily bounce back.

Apple became the world's first trillion dollar company this past August. Since then, the Cupertino giant has struggled to hit sales targets for its latest iPhone family. Despite this, Apple VP of product marketing Greg Joswiak said that the iPhone XR has been "the most popular iPhone" since its launch. However, "most popular" does not mean "selling well."

DriveSavers, one of the world's leading data recovery companies, now offers a service for unlocking smartphones and tablets that have a locked passcode, including iPhones and iPads. DriveSavers claims to be the only company that offers this level of device unlocking and data recovery outside of law enforcement, but the service costs a staggering US$3900.

Apple has reportedly reduced orders from iPhone component suppliers again. According to DigiTimes, a "second wave" of order cuts is beginning to bring pain to some Taiwanese manufacturers. Apple is continuing to blame poor sales of the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR for the order reductions.

Apple will appear before the U.S. Supreme Court today to argue that a lawsuit brought against it is invalid. Apple claims that the lawsuit, which alleges that the iOS App Store creates a monopoly for the company, could only be brought by app developers, not the end users. If Apple is successful, then the case will be dismissed. Otherwise, Apple could be taken to court for potentially monopolistic practices.

Stardew Valley is a bonafide hit, and the success keeps rolling in. In its first three weeks on iOS, the game brought in over $1 million in revenue. In total, Stardew Valley has sold over 4.6 million copies, although it's likely sold many, many more.

Apple is looking to enhance subsidies to Japanese carriers in order to boost sales of iPhone XR in the region, according to sources familiar with the matter. Apple is also expected to resume iPhone X production, partly to boost margins and partly due to the fact that Apple needs to buy the contracted number of OLED panels from Samsung SDI Co., given that the production of iPhone XS variants has been scaled down due to low market demand.

Apple’s stock price has suffered from further decline over recent days, with the current price reported by NASDAQ standing at US$176.78. Cautious investors are apparently biding their time to see what the Cupertino-based tech giant’s next move is going to be, and some analysts expect this to be a temporary downturn in the company’s fortunes.

According to some of its suppliers, Apple has cut orders for both the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. Citing a weak Chinese market and a slowdown in smartphone demand, Apple has had to pare back its supply of the new iPhones, a move that will inevitably reduce sales in the short term.

T-Mobile looks like it has some great deals on some of the best smartphones released this year. Handsets like the iPhone XR and Galaxy S9 can be had for free, but reading the fine print shows a few caveats. In addition to activating two new lines and trading in an eligible device, the phones are only free because of a bill credit that is granted over a 36-month period, which effectively locks consumers into a three-year contract.

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has told investors to temper sales expectations for the iPhone XR. Citing trade disputes, consumer fatigue, and steep competition, Kuo has slashed sales expectations for the iPhone XR by 35% for 2018Q4 and 30% for 2019Q1 and 2019Q2.

TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects that the next generation of Apple iPhone could be switching to MPI antenna technology instead of the LCP antennas as in the current models. This move is expected to improve costs and production yields, and also broaden Apple's supplier base.

Stock prices for Apple have fallen again today, reaching a low of US$193.79 in the late morning. The price stood at US$204.47 at the previous close, meaning the Cupertino-based company has seen more billions of dollars wiped off its market cap. The new plunge has been attributed to an updated business outlook statement from Lumentum.

A feature in the latest Pokemon game, Pokemon Let's GO, may get you to load up your game of Pokemon GO on your smartphone. Pokemon that trainers have captured in Pokemon GO can be transferred to Pokemon Let's GO on the Switch. There are a few caveats, but almost every pokemon in Pokemon GO can be transferred.

In a deal struck with Apple to begin selling the newest Apple products, Amazon has announced it will ban unauthorized third-party sellers from listing or selling Apple products through Amazon. While sellers can become an authorized Apple reseller, the qualifications are far out of reach for most small businesses. This move will inevitably kill many small businesses and Apple resellers that rely on Amazon as a storefront.

A new report by Kantar World Panel indicates that the number of iPhones sold in Europe in the third quarter of 2018 fell by 1.6%. This may have been driven by increased competition from Xiaomi and Huawei. These brands are also now contending with more established brands such as Samsung in the region.

Apple has instructed its smartphone assemblers Foxconn and Pegatron to halt plans for allocating additional production lines to the new iPhone XR model sensing low product demand. Another iPhone assembler, Wistron, has been ordered to standby for any rush orders. Interestingly, Apple has ordered increased production of the year-old iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus from its suppliers.

Apple’s share price fell below the US$200.00 mark today, reaching a low of US$198.17 at the time of writing. The continued stock plunge has devalued the company from its previous trillion-dollar valuation; market capitalization currently stands at US$950.8 billion. In early October, the share price stood at just over US$230.

Till now, WhatsApp has remained mostly free of the advertorial trappings of its parent company Facebook. All of that is set to come to an end, though, as a WhatsApp executive has confirmed that the messaging app will soon start displaying ads. How the data needed for such targeted ads will be collected remains a mystery.