Apple

So, Jon Prosser was right all along. Apple has finally announced the iPhone SE. No, we have not stepped back into 2016. Instead, Apple has revitalised the SE branding for 2020. Featuring an A13 Bionic SoC, 3 GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch screen with Touch ID and up to 256 GB of storage, the iPhone SE replaces the iPhone 8. Starting at US$349 for the 64 GB model, the iPhone SE will be available to order from 17:00 PDT and 13:00 BST on April 17. There is no word on Indian availability yet, though.

According to a suspect claim by a Chinese retailer, the iPhone SE 2020 (or iPhone 9, depending on the final name) may launch later today (April 15) at 11 A.M. Eastern. Several leakers have claimed that Chinese retailer Suning is prepping for the launch of the iPhone SE 2020 today.

The next Apple TV refresh looks set to bring with it Apple’s next-generation A14 SoC according to a fresh rumor. Also on the cards is an Apple HomePod with a display along the lines of a Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show after code examinations shows that Apple has switch to tvOS for the HomePod operating system.

As we reported exclusively, the iPad Pro (2020) is fitted with a rebinned A12X chip that it has simply renamed the A12Z. The confirmation comes after TechInsights carried out an x-ray of the A12Z highlighting it has exactly the same physical layout as the A12X.

The latest market research from the Gartner group indicates that the market for PCs has experienced its "sharpest decline" since 2013. However, it seems this year-on-year drop in shipments, which applies to the first 3 months of this year (1Q2020), is related more to the Covid-19 pandemic rather than to demand for this category.

We have now reached a part of April 2020 increasingly regarded as "iPhone SE 2 Week"; however, this has not stopped the new Apple Watch rumors coming thick and fast. They now point to a new form of authentication for this device, as well as the ability to detect anxiety as well as blood-oxygen levels in the user. There may also be new case-variants in the offing.

Apple is now rumored to have had a second go at getting the AirPower product ready for launch, following an uncharacteristic failure to do so in 2019. A new leak asserts that this has been done by incorporating the iPhone X's SoC into the device. This apparently disproportional processing power may address what held the fabled power accessory back in the first place.

Bloomberg sources indicate that 2020 iPhone models will feature a new design, with sharp corners and flat edges that hearken back to the iPhone 4S. The Bloomberg report also confirms a number of other 2020 Apple rumors about, about Apple Tags, and 5G iPhone models.

The new Apple MacBook Air 2020 was supposed to deal with two major issues of the popular subnotebook by implementing a new keyboard and the choice of more powerful quad-core processors. But the performance and the cooling system is still a major problem, but it looks like Apple does not want to change that.

With rumours abound that the iPhone SE 2 is launching next week, word has got out to analysts too. The A13 Bionic-powered and US$349 smartphone is said to feature a 4.7-inch LCD and the body of an iPhone. The iPhone 12 series is now said to arriving this October, too.

The latest update to the AltStore/AltServer iOS app allows users to sideload their own IPA files without the need for Jailbreak or the worries of possible revokes. AltStore uses a method that exploits the app developer license system to circumvent the potential for revokes. As such, AltStore users can now install any app, even those not on the App Store, on their iPhones permanently.

Consumer tech has already been used for 'Covid-19 contact tracing' in Taiwan and South Korea already. Now, Google and Apple have jointly announced a new API to do the same using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It will apparently used voluntarily-donated, anonymized data on those infected with the virus to alert other users who may have been in transmission-range of them.

Apple is now selling the 2018 Mac Mini desktop in its refurbished store. Prices start at US $599 for a Mini with a quad-core Core i3 CPU, 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 128 GB PCIe SSD. While this might be more expensive than an equivalent Windows desktop, the value compared to other macOS computers may be enticing for some.

Said to be launching on April 14 or April 15 at US$349, the iPhone SE 2 will feature the body of an iPhone 8 but with newer hardware. Now, Apple has pushed iPhone 8 delivery dates until the end of next week, possibly after the company launches the device that will replace it.

Online Chinese retailers are selling the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max at significant discounts. Retailers hope the cuts will spur Chinese consumers to buy an iPhone. However, many Chinese people are delaying the purchase of their next smartphone due to the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Although playing World of Warcraft with a game controller is possible, the game does not fully support this control method out of the box. However, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is expected to sport support for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 controllers, so we can only wonder if the game will also hit Sony's console.

Apple has added support for 15 W Ice Lake processors in macOS Catalina, fuelling speculation about an upcoming MacBook Pro refresh. Supposedly arriving next month, Apple is said to be upgrading the baby MacBook Pro to a 14-inch display and its Magic Keyboard.

Tuned, an app designed for couples, is now available on iOS. The app comes from the NPE Team within Facebook. Though Tuned is billed as a private app for couples, users should be aware that anything sent through Tuned could be sent to third parties for targeted advertising, per Facebook's data use policies.

Details about Apple's first set of over-ear headphones have been released, along with information about the "AirPods Pro Lite". Apparently called the AirPods X, they are part of a wider plan to gradually wind up the Beats. 9to5Mac disagrees, though.

Amazon.in has reportedly made pages for the new iPads Pro live, suggesting that these tablets will be available on this platform soon. The site allegedly has listings for the 11- and 12.9-inch variants of this series, which both have Wi-Fi only and SIM-enabled options too. They may be sold with 128GB to 1TB of internal storage.

Rumoured to be featuring an all-new 14-inch display, the MacBook Pro J223 is said to be making the switch to faster processors and Apple's Magic Keyboard too. Previously thought to be arriving at WWDC 2020 in June, word is that Apple will launch the MacBook Pro J223 next month, instead. A new MacBook Pro is still slated for WWDC 2020 though, with a refreshed MacBook Pro 16 a likely candidate, apparently.

As the guessing game behind the name and release date of Apple's next budget smartphone continues, more retailers continue to list the device on the websites. The device, which has been rumoured to be called the iPhone SE 2, iPhone 9 or iPhone SE (2020) will supposedly feature a 4.7-inch display, 3 GB of RAM, up to 256 GB of storage and the A13 Bionic SoC from the iPhone 11 series.

Apple's much-awaited iPhone 12 series is reportedly in its final prototyping stages. The base iPhone 12 will come with a 5.4 or 6.1-inch screen and two cameras, while the larger iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will come with three cameras and 6.1 and 6.7-inch screens respectively. Both phones will also feature a LiDAR sensor next to the camera array. All three iPhone 12 variants will come with Apple's latest A14 SoC and will be 5G-ready out of the box.

According to a new Counterpoint Research report, music-streaming service subscriptions have increased in 2019 compared to 2018. Spotify has retained the top spot in this market year-on-year (YoY), also other popular platforms such as Apple Music have taken decently-sized shares of it as well.

A research group has released its report on app use and purchasing for the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020). It has concluded that the average amount of time spent on them per week increased by 20% year-on-year (YoY). In addition, app revenues increased 5% on both the App Store and Play Store.

Apple has filed patents that would allow a device's screen to respond to the user while immersed in water and that allow for rotation that adapts to a human face's orientation. These documents' images suggest that they are intended for mobile devices. Therefore, next-gen iPhones could come with these features.

The market for smartwatches is associated with an estimated 43.87 million unit shipments in 2018. However, this number is now thought to reach a possible total of 108.91 million by 2024. This growth may be driven by an increased demand for health- and fitness-management, as well as standalone connectivity, in these wearables.

Rumours about the iPhone SE 2 hit critical mass this morning, with multiple sightings of the upcoming US$349 smartphone contradicting previous claims that Apple plans to launch the device on April 14. In a separate leak, the colours, storage options and first-party cases have been revealed, too. The iPhone SE 2 may not be called the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9 after all, either.

Fortnite maker Epic Games has teamed with Star Wars director J.J. Abrams on a new mobile game for iOS and Android. Dubbed ‘Spyjinx’, the new game will pit players against each other in a multiplayer that mixes action-strategy with RPG character development.

The alternative WWDC should be where Apple showcases some new hardware delicacies, according to one very active leaker. Apart from new over-ear headphones, Apple is set to unveil the long-rumoured Bluetooth tracker "Air Tags" and a new MacBook Pro, likely the overdue 14-inch variant.

The Mi Bands 3 and 4 have a new firmware update that fixes several UI-related bugs. It also introduces a first-party notebook-unlocking facility to these fitness trackers. They also now support Apple ID logins for the first time.

Looking forward to the launch of the OnePlus 8 series? Well, Apple may have other plans, as rumour has it that the company is planning to scuttle the release of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro by announcing the iPhone SE 2 on the same day. Expected to start at US$349 and feature the A13 Bionic SoC, the iPhone SE 2 has possibly been spotted in iOS 13.4.5 beta code, too.

While the iPhone SE 2 may start at as low as US$349, Apple is still yet to confirm a launch date of its upcoming "budget" smartphone. Now, it has emerged that case inventory for the device, possibly to be sold as the iPhone 9, has started arriving at retailers like Best Buy ahead of an April 5 launch.

Apple has not made any improvements to the repairability of its latest iPad Pros compared to their predecessors. It has added a LIDAR sensor though, and iFixit has revealed how it works. Sadly, it is not as accurate as FaceID and the TrueDepth cameras found in modern iPhones.

Ready to ship next month, Apple is still considering whether it will release the iPhone SE 2 as planned. Earmarked for a mid-April release, the 4.7-inch handset will be cheaper than previous rumours suggested.

Apple is giving creative pros and others the opportunity to use the full versions of Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X to users for 90 days. Final Cut Pro X had previously been available for a 1-month trial period while this is the first time users have ever been able to give Logic Pro X a trial before buying.

The staingate has plagued Apple's laptops for years. Now the manufacturer has confirmed that yet another newer Macbook is exhibiting this problem: The Macbook Air with Retina screen does sometimes develop the typical staingate symptoms.

As chic as the Apple iMac is, its design has remained unchanged since 2013. While it is no getting long in the tooth, two designers have created an extremely detailed concept that shows what the next iMac could look like. They have made some compelling suggestions for what hardware should be included, too.

The new iPad Pro may not only feature essentially the same SoC as its predecessor, but it is just as fragile too. It seems that while Apple has been able to add improved camera hardware, it forgot to improve structural integrity. Bendgate 3.0 anyone?

In his latest research note, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has forecast that Apple will make a large-scale transition to ARM-based MacBooks and Macs in 2021. Previously Kuo had indicated 2021 would be when the first ARM-based Mac would ship, but wasn’t it still wasn’t clear that Apple would take baby steps or go the whole hog. At the time, we correctly speculated that there were good reasons for Apple to go hard on the ARM-based Mac transition and it looks as though the same rationale will drive the change.

Apple has long supported the ability for the Mac to be able to dual boot into Windows via Bootcamp. Now that it comes with native trackpad support, it opens up the intriguing possibility of dual booting into Windows 10 on ARM.

We get to learn that the Apple A12X Bionic has eight physical GPU cores, but one of those cores is disabled. The disabled core is enabled in the new A12Z Bionic that powers the 2020 iPad Pro. While there could be several reasons for this decision, the most convincing explanation is that it would save Apple from having to develop a new A13X chip while a more powerful A14X is already in the pipeline for a late 2020 release.

The failed AirPower project has been revived within Apple, according to tipster Jon Prosser, because the company is keen to push forward with a portless iPhone. Although not calling out the iPhone 12 Pro to get a portless design, it wouldn’t surprise to see Apple advance to a portless design sooner rather than later.

GlobalData is an analysis firm that produces the ‘Tech, Media & Telecom Trends' report. It has just released a re-evaluated form of the same for 2020 that takes the economic impact of COVID-19 into account. It indicates that all aspects of the titular sectors will suffer as a result of the pandemic.

Logitech has released one of its most high-end webcams yet in the form of the 4K Pro Magnetic Webcam. Designed with Apple’s expensive 32-inch 6K Pro Display XDR in mind, the secure mount holds the webcam firmly in place atop your visual pride and joy.