Apple

Did you buy a Mac, iOS device or the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit between 2003 and 2010? If you did, chances are that you received a wall plug too. Turns out that the three-prong adapters sold in certain countries during that period can break and cause an electric shock if touched.

Creative has finally joined the true wireless earphone market with the new Outlier Air buds. They boast IP5X ingress protection, 10 hours of playback on a single charge and graphene in their driver-diaphragms. These Bluetooth 5.0 buds retail for US$79.99 on the OEM's own website.

The latest figures on the global premium smartphone market reportedly show that OPPO increased its share of it by a stunning 863% in 2018. This stripped out comparable performances on the part of competitors such as Xiaomi and even Huawei. On the other hand, it did not threaten Apple's place at the top of this market.

In an internal memo to Apple Store employees, Apple has instructed its repair technicians to begin repairing MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards on-site rather than shipping the devices to a repair facility. It appears that Apple is trying to mitigate the lengthy turnaround time for the repair, an aftershock of the keyboard's failure that has become a major sticking point for several customers.

The tech leaker Stephen Troughton-Smith has supported a rumor that an iPad will gain the ability to pair properly with a mouse with the next iOS update. This new feature will allegedly be a new accessibility option in the new upgrade. However, it is not clear if the rumor applies to wireless, wired or both in terms of these peripherals yet.

WhatsApp is reportedly working on animated stickers in its latest betas. This enables a user to superimpose a a moving piece of art (e.g. a drawing or character) on a message. A blog has also apparently found that the app is going to replace its existing emoji design with a new one.

A trio of IT researchers affiliated with Facebook have created a new method to turn a video of an individual performing a series of actions (e.g. a dance) into a 3D 'game character'. This character - and its associated movements - can then be transposed onto a new background. The researchers assert that this background could interact with said character.

Huawei may be having troubles with a few governments but sales are stronger than ever. The company shipped 59 million smartphone units in the first quarter of the year, a hefty 50% year-on-year growth. This all but ensures that Huawei takes back its position as the second-largest smartphone manufacturer, ahead of Apple. It's even more impressive that the company has done this without being able to sell its devices officially in the US.

By now, it is likely that you have read at least one rumor that the typical lozenge shape of the main iPhone camera module will mutate into a perfect square this year. The latest possible leak on the subject seems to confirm this design decision. It involves images of a case-mould for what may be 2 new iPhones.

A new report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners has thrown light on the state of the US smartphone market in Q1. Apple had a tenuous dominance over the market, with the company's devices accounting for 36% of device activations in the first quarter of the year. Samsung is second with 34%.

Apple is not ready to make the jump to foldable designs for the time being, but luxury modification company Caviar from Russia might be able to inspire the Californian giant with its impressive iPhone Z concept. The Z-shaped folding pattern allows for quite a few interesting uses, including a laptop mode, a selfie mode, and a screen mode.

The C-Force CF015C weighs just 700 g and is 6 mm thick, yet packs a 4K, 15.6-inch display that boasts 100% sRGB coverage. The CF015C is currently available for US$199 on Kickstarter and ships in June.

A new report from Counterpoint Research has found that, of all Apple smartphones, the iPhone XR did the best in the US market in the month of February 2019. Of those who bought this device, 20% of those already using iOS upgraded from the 7, whereas 32% more exchanged models older than this for the XR. Counterpoint also found that the XR was responsible for the greatest conversion from Android to this platform in February.

Want a new phone? Fine, but clicking 'Pay Now' on the first listing you see for it could cost you. The analyst firm Minderest has found that there is a margin of as much as 41.3% between the worst and best prices for the same device online. According to this report, WirelessBoss gives the best deals on average.

The prolific Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's latest prediction concerning the 2019 iPhones indicate that at least one of them will have triple rear cameras, augmented by an improved wide-angle lens in one module. In addition, the new devices' selfie cameras may be upgraded. On the other hand, they are likely to retain a notch and glass rear panels.

The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has ordered Google and Apple to remove the app TikTok from their respective stores. This ban has followed allegations that the service increases the risk of child abuse. TikTok can now appeal this ruling on dates set for about a week from today (April 17, 2019).

Surprisingly enough, Apple not only decided to drop all charges regarding Qualcomm's unfair patent licensing practices, but the Cupertino company agreed to pay Qualcomm an undisclosed sum, as well. The unexpected settlement comes with additional agreements that make Qualcomm the only 5G modem supplier for the 2020 iPhone models, which immediately prompted Intel to announce its exit from the mobile 5G modem business.

Casio has unveiled a new addition to the MT-G line of G-SHOCKs. It has Bluetooth connectivity so as to maintain accurate time via a dedicated phone app. This new 'bright red' MT-G is rated for 200M water- and shock- resistance, as well as its maker's 'tough' solar technology to stay charged.

Parrot has unveiled its latest drone. The new ANAFI not only allows for 4K video in both live and recorded formats, but also has a high-end FLIR mode for thermal imaging. It can fly over potential dangerous hot-spots for up to 26 minutes on a single battery's charge for professional-grade safety and thermal gradient monitoring.

Samsung has announced that it is finally in a position to send samples of its new, ground-breaking 5nm processor technology to its customers. The OEM claims that this new architecture brings 25% improvements in logic-area efficiency compared to 7nm, with up to 10% potential performance enhancements.

A new report released by Parks Associates has found that 36% of US households with broadband-level internet connections also owned at least 1 voice-controlled smart speaker in early 2019. This data suggests that these connected devices are becoming more popular, and that their use as automatic home controls may be getting more and more familiar.

Apple is throwing US $500 million behind its upcoming Arcade gaming subscription service, according to a report by Financial Times. The service could be a big payoff for Apple; devs that release games via Arcade will be bound to a period of exclusivity before they can release their game on other non-mobile platforms. That means Arcade may be the only place gamers can access certain Indie titles, some of which may provide unique and fun experiences.

Huawei recently held its own in-house Analyst Summit for 2019. During a Q&A at this event, its representatives reportedly confirmed that Apple has not responded to its proposal to sell it the 5G modems it needs for its iPhones. This offer had recently been made publicly, possibly to highlight the fact that one OEM can use next-gen radio bands and the other cannot.

Google and Apple provide and maintain 2 of the largest app markets in the world. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets has decided to investigate them with regard to how third-party developers are treated on these platforms compared to their respective first-party counterparts.

A new report indicates that iOS 12's successor may gain a system-wide dark mode. In addition, this OS upgrade will lose the requirement for a profile in order to manage fonts. iPads may also get a version of Safari that defaults to desktop mode in iOS 13.

Apple and Huawei are some of a handful of smartphone OEMs that develop in-house chipsets. Their upcoming 2019 generations - the A13 Bionic and Kirin 985 CPUs respectively - are now said to be nearly ready for production in earnest soon. They are both 7nm and are being fabricated by the same chipmaker: TSMC.

A new series by the New York Times investigating privacy has uncovered a Google database known internally as SensorVault. Police have been able to access the database to help identify suspects based on their movements recorded in SensorVault.

A user-friendly jailbreak for the Apple Watch could soon be available thanks to efforts of developer @ethanpepro. The jailbreak is currently being developed for watchOS 5.1.2 and is not available for public download yet. The new jailbreak is in contrast to the previous one that was available last year, which was more targeted at developers than end users.

The iPhone SE has made another unexpected appearance on Apple’s online store. Several different-colored variants are listed and there is even a 128 GB version available. Prices for the diminutive iPhone SE start at US$249 and they are all categorized as “certified refurbished” as part of the clearance section of the website.

Skype for Mobile now offers the user an option to share their screen with a caller. This could enable people on a Skype call to share things such as slideshows, webpages, a homescreen and so on. The new function is found in the '...' menu on the mobile version of this app.

Samsung sold 16% more units of its early 2019 flagships compared to those of their predecessors in the first week of sales in the United States. These are the results of a new report conducted by Counterpoint Research. This group also now concludes that the Galaxy S10s are Samsung's best chance of regaining the majority of this market yet.

Apple has convinced its main manufacturing partners, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Foxconn, to makes its parts and/or devices using green energy by 2020. This achievement is a big part of the OEM's current drive towards making its business as sustainable as possible.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG for short, is one of the Korean studio Bluehole's biggest success stories. However, some state regulators seem not to like it as much as its millions of players do. Nepal is the latest country to ban the game, citing detrimental effects on children and teenagers.

The new Disney+ streaming service will entail a mixture of old and new shows from all of the studios under its umbrella. This, therefore, includes Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox, Pixar and Marvel. Therefore, Netflix may indeed forfeit several lucrative series-length titles as Disney parts company with it in 2019. This year should also see much more granular detail on what this new subscription has to offer.

iTunes, the unified account by which Apple apps and services are accessed on devices such as Macs, seems to have been around forever. However, it also appears that this is no longer the case. A 9to5Mac contributor has confirmed rumors that the new protocol Marzipan is being used to make new apps (e.g. Apple TV) that do not require this old system on macOS.

The action camera market is projected to be worth over $10 billion in 7 years. It has been found to be made up of the popular brands in this space, such as GoPro, Sony, Olympus, Garmin and others. This market is reportedly driven by increasing levels of disposable income and interest in relevant outdoor pursuits.

YouTube has amassed a 265 million-stong user based in the Indian market. Speaking at a recent Google conference, the service's CEO, Susan Wojcicki, projected that this number would grow further to 500 million by next year. The executive attributed this to the availability of 4G in this country.

Canon has launched the EOS Rebel SL3, the latest in this line of compact DLSRs. This model is capable of 4K reconding, a first for the EOS Rebel series. It does so with its 24.1 megapixel (MP) APS-C sensor, which is compatible with EF and EF-S lenses. The EOS Rebel is capable of various autofocus settings, and has a completely adjustable LCD touchscreen.

WhatsApp has nearly always been available on iOS, but not on iPads. However, as these tablets come with SIM-enabled variants, some users would probably like the option. The app's developers may now be working on a new beta that is optimized for these Apple slates.

Apple may be obliged to delay its adoption of 5G until 2020 at the earliest. This is due to its ongoing feud with Qualcomm, who, as it is claimed, will not sell the necessary hardware to the Cupertino company. More recently, Huawei has said it may sell its own modems to Apple.

Opera Reborn 3 — also known as Opera 60 — comes as the first desktop browser with Web 3 support, also featuring an improved built-in VPN, support for Windows 10 dark mode, a built-in Crypto Wallet, various interface changes, and more. Those interested can grab Opera 60 right away for Windows, macOS, and Linux (deb, RPM, and snap).

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is known for his usually accurate predictions surrounding the notoriously secretive company’s plans. After initially hinting that an all-new MacBook Pro design with a 16-inch display could arrive this year, he has now pushed the estimated arrival of this device back to the first half of 2021.

Although Mozilla is reviewing the extensions available in the official add-ons store for Firefox, the process is now working using the "publish first/review later" approach. However, the Recommended Extensions program comes with a list of curated extensions that comply with Mozilla's "highest standards of security, utility, and user experience."

The Apple Watch's built-in heart rate monitoring has helped a user in calling ER at the right time when the smartwatch indicated that his heart rate had suddenly become abnormal. Although the user passed out en route to the hospital and was later diagnosed with SVT, timely alerts from the Apple Watch has ensured prompt response from ER without delay thus, saving his life.

Huawei is set to release its latest power bank for sale for the first time in China. This will take place in the coming week (on April 11, 2019). The OEM alleges that this power bank is compatible with devices that can charge at 40 watts. This includes the P30 line of smartphones, as well as some Matebooks.

Major Australian consumer electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi has extended its massive AU$320 discount on the 512GB variants of the iPhone Xs model until 1 June. The initial price cut was already unprecedented for current-generation flagship iPhone in Australia, but to see the deal extended till 1 June highlights just how much iPhone sales are stagnating.

Netflix has dropped something of a bomb on iOS users who like streaming its service over AirPlay. Effective immediately, Netflix will no longer support AirPlay, Apple’s proprietary steaming protocol, just as it goes mainstream on OEM TV sets from makers including Samsung and Sony.

MiLi is a company that integrates its Furniture Mate wireless-charging pad into any table-top. It aims this product at those in the service industry and also to those who want decor that can charge an increasing number of phones at home. MiLi also makes the Table Mate, a similar pad that can be attached to nearly any table.