News & Reviews:   Apple

During the pandemic, the need for gadget devices increased as we were forced to be lockdown at home. However, it seems that the demand has decreased. According to Canalys, smartphone shipments went down 9% in Q2 2022 globally.

Apple is set to refresh its wearable smartwatch some time this September and it may just include a ‘Pro’ version. Furthermore, that particular variant of the Apple Watch Series 8 will also reportedly feature the first redesign since the Series 4.

Apple today released version 15.6 of iOS and iPadOS to all supported devices, which may prove to be one of the last versions of the OS while we await the company to roll out iOS and iPadOS 16. The update brings with it minor tweaks here and there as well as various bug fixes.

Apple has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit by its customers within seven states in the United States in regards to defective ‘butterfly’ keyboards on its MacBook laptops. Filed on late Monday night in the federal court in San Jose, California, the tech giant agreed to pay USD50 million or ~RM222.6 million to affected customers.

Recently, we reported on the introduction of ‘Lockdown Mode’ in iOS 16 by Apple which is an extreme but optional security feature that will block the ‘most sophisticated digital threats’. Well, it looks like the tech giant is pretty confident on the new feature that it has announced a USD2 million or ~RM8.91 million reward to anyone that can crack the mode.

Apple is reportedly planning to ditch the SIM card slot on its iPhones and instead only provide support for eSIM. In fact, the company may even release an eSIM-only iPhone 14 series model for certain regions this September.

Former Apple design chief Jony Ive is no longer affiliated with Apple after the tech giant decided to not extend its consultation contract with his design firm, LoveFrom. Thus, both parties have now agreed to stop working together, ending a relationship that had lasted for over 30 years.

A new report says that Apple has started producing iPads with OLED panels, and they would offer a lightweight design and improved image quality. According to ET News, the prototypes are being produced with Korean display partners Samsung and LG Display, which allows the tech giant to conduct a series of tests.

The next-generation Apple iPhone lineup may be getting a considerable price bump due to the disruption to the global supply chain. This is according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, which in the latest report by his firm believed that the upcoming iPhone 14 may get a USD100 or ~RM443 price increase compared to its predecessor.

Apple is set to add 9 devices to its ‘vintage’ list at the end of this month, marking 5 years since the company last distributed them for sale. These include popular devices such as the first MacBook Pro series with Touch Bar, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro as well as the 27-inch iMac.