Rumors

WSJ: Pandora could unveil on-demand tiers next month to better compete with Apple Music

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 20, 2016

Trying to stave off threat from Apple's music subscription service and at the same time overcome a “listenership plateau”, Pandora is set to launch a pair of paid subscription tiers next month, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday citing people familiar with the matter.

Provided it's able to negotiate necessary deals with record labels, Pandora could unveil two new paid subscription tiers in the United States and elsewhere.

One of them would reportedly provide unlimited on-demand access to tens of millions of songs on the Internet radio streaming service in exchange for $9.99 per month.

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NYT: Lyft unsuccessfully attempts to sell itself to Apple, Google, Uber and others

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 20, 2016

Despite not being in danger of closing down thanks to its cash cushion of $1.4 billion, the popular ride-sharing service Lyft has in recent months attempted to sell itself to Apple and a few other Silicon Valley giants like Google, Amazon and Uber, The New York Times reported yesterday. None of the mentioned companies commented on the story.

The nation's second-largest ride-hailing firm also attempted a sale to China's leading ride-sharing service, Didi Chuxing, into which Apple invested $1 billion, and to General Motors, one of its largest investors that refused to make a written offer to buy it.

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Taiwanese suppliers refuse to lower their quotes for iPhone 7 components

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 19, 2016

Apple may be forced to amend its purchasing policy when it comes to securing various components that go into its handsets, according to a report Friday by trade publication DigiTimes.

The company's policy of constantly squeezing profits from suppliers has been challenged by Taiwanese companies who have now refused to lower their quotes for iPhone 7 parts.

Suppliers like advanced packaging technology maker Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), along with many others under the Foxconn Group, reportedly told the iPhone maker that they “could not be able to accept orders without reasonable profits”.

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TSMC to build Apple’s in-house designed AMOLED driver chips for 10th Anniversary iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 17, 2016

TSMC is believed to have secured orders for an Apple-designed 'A11' system-on-a-chip expected to power so-called Tenth Anniversary iPhone and new iPads in 2017, trade publication DigiTimes reports. The chip should be fabricated on TSMC's ten-nanometer process technology and use its backend integrated fan-out (InFO) wafer-level packaging technology. Additionally, TSMC should build Apple-designed circuitry to drive 2017 iPhone's AMOLED panel.

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Sources reaffirm new 256GB iPhone 7 storage tier

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 17, 2016

Industry sources told Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes that the iPhone 7/7 Plus (no, there won't be a third 'Pro' tier) will feature up to 256 gigabytes of storage, effectively doubling the current top-of-the-line 128GB storage tier. The 256GB iPhone 7 tier was previously reported by Chinese-language MyDrivers, research firm TrendForce and PocketNow.

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Leaked AT&T memo suggests September 23 iPhone 7 retail availability

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 16, 2016

Credible sources have said that Apple is planning to unveil the next iPhone at a media event scheduled for Wednesday, September 7, with pre-orders beginning on Friday, September 9 ahead of retail availability on the following Friday, September 16. An internal document from AT&T leaked by 9to5Mac, however, now suggests that the handset may actually land on store shelves on Friday, September 23.

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Feast your eyes on crips shots of iPhone 7 Pro in Space Black and Deep Blue

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 16, 2016

If you can't get enough of Space Black/Deep Blue iPhone colorways, we've got you covered with some nice looking photos of alleged iPhone 7 Pro units in Apple Watch-style Space Black finish that's supposed to replace the current Space Gray option. Plus, we have a bunch of crisp shots of a working iPhone 7 Pro prototype in Deep Blue.

Feast your eyes on the photos and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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iPhone 7 may implement fast-charge technology

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 16, 2016

Many Android devices, like Samsung's Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, can go from zero to fifty percent charge in about thirty minutes, and Apple's next iPhone could be able to offer a similar fast-charge technology of its own, according to a sketchy post attributed to an unverified Chinese source.

Smartphone leakster The Malignant tweeted out an image of a supposed circuitry which the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus should utilize to support at least 5-volt, 2-amp fast-charging, a major improvement over current iPhone chargers rated at one amp.

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