News & Reviews:   Apple

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that smartphones are a part of our lives now, but this also contributes to the growing problem of e-waste. Where do all the smartphones go after they are done? Well, Apple happens to be one of the companies that are tackling the problem - they have been recycling old iPhones with a new robot technology, turning them into new ones in Austin, USA.

According to leaks, Apple Arcade may cost users USD$4.99 a month. If you aren’t up to speed, Apple Arcade is Apple’s game subscription service which can be used across the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV and Mac computers. 

Just yesterday, we wrote about how Apple is using a "dormant software lock" on the Apple iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max and this will cause a pop-up message about being unable to verify the battery and showing the battery health information. This only happens if the owner had it replaced from a third-party service provider, but out of the blue, Apple actually responded and gave their reasons.

Apple iPhone batteries aren't exactly a highlight when it comes to features, as the number figure is usually lower than Android's due to a different operating system functionality but that's a topic for another day. Today, we just learn from a YouTube channel, The Art of Repair that Apple has quietly restricted any battery replacement, unless if it's their own official ones.

Opensignal recently revealed another report about the global smartphone mobile network experience and it revealed that for Malaysia, Samsung and Huawei smartphone users tend to get higher download speeds than Apple smartphone users. While Samsung smartphone users got the top spot of an average 16Mbps, Huawei smartphone users were just almost there at 15Mbps. Apple smartphone users were quite close still at 13Mbps.

LG has recently announced the unveiling of their new 24-inch 4K display, as well as a 27-inch 5K UltraFine display starting from USD699.95(~RM2899) and USD1299.95(~RM5385) respectively. The new monitors by LG are designed specifically for Apple users in mind due to the fact that the brightness and volume of the speakers can be controlled via the touch bar or keyboard of a Macbook.

Based on a statement by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the three iPhones that are due to be released in the year 2020 is expected to come with 5G support. While Apple is still keen on utilizing Qualcomm’s 5G modems for its upcoming smartphones, there is a high possibility that Apple will end up developing its own 5G modems by 2021.

In conjunction with World Emoji Day (yes, apparently it's a thing), Apple will be releasing more new emojis in the fourth quarter of 2019. From food to smiley faces, there are approximately 59 new additions which include a parachute, skunk, prosthetic arm, onion, and more couples holding hands, and many, many more.

Apple’s Back to School Promotion has been announced today, allowing university students who are studying in Malaysia, to get either the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro starting from RM4299 and RM5099 respectively instead of the original price of RM4699 and RM5499. You can get these laptops from either Apple’s official website, Apple Store app as well as selected authorised resellers in Malaysia by the end of this week.

Based on a statement by IHS Markit analyst Jeff Lin, Apple could be planning to manufacture a 12-inch foldable iPad and it is expected to be launched around the year 2020. In addition to the foldability, the rumoured iPad is expected to come equipped with 5G-network capabilities as well as Apple Pencil support.