Apple

Analysts are expecting Apple product announcements as early as next week

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2017

According to reputable supply chain analysts who spoke with MacRumors on condition of anonymity, Apple could announce some new products later this month, most likely between Monday, March 20 and Friday, March 24.

We already know that Apple will be previewing major updates to iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS at its annual developers conference, which this year kicks off with a keynote on June 5. We also know that the Cupertino company usually saves the best and most important product upgrades for September (iPhones, iPads, Macs and major iOS and macOS software upgrades). So, what could Apple be unveiling at a March press event?

Concept: bezel-less iPhone 8 with wraparound AMOLED screen and Dark Mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2017

Following a concept video from Polish blog My Apple imagining what a system-wide Dark Mode in iOS 11 (along with a few other sought-after rumored features) might look like, user interface designer Vianney le Masne has taken it upon himself to put together some great-looking mockups depicting how iPhone 8's rumored OLED screen and the handset's bezel-less design could be leveraged to implement Dark Mode across iOS and in apps.

“With Dark Mode in iOS for the next iPhone, 2017 could be all about killing the four sides of your screen and making it all about your thumb,” said le Masne.

Some experts think iPhone 8 will use flat rather than curved display

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2017

Previous reports from publications like The Wall Street Journal, Commercial Times, The Korea Herald and Nikkei, including high-ranking sources at suppliers such as Sharp as well as research from analyst from Barclays Research and KGI Securities, have predicted that iPhone 8 would come outfitted with a 5.8-inch wraparound AMOLED panel protected by a curved 2.5 glass cover on the front much like the cover glass on the iPhone 6s/7 series of phones which have the slightly curved edges.

However, several sources interviewed by MacRumors think iPhone 8 will have a flat rather than a curved screen due to lower manufacturing cost and better yields.

WhatsApp to bring back its original text-only status feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 10, 2017

WhatsApp's longstanding text-based status feature was recently supplanted by Snapchat-esque slideshows containing auto-vanishing images, photos, emoji, drawings and other multimedia items. Our tutorial explains how to use this new feature, but it seems many users are unhappy with the overhauled status. If you count yourself in this group, you'll be delighted to learn that Facebook is working on bringing back the original status feature, called About.

Alleged supplier of iPhone 8 wireless charging components expects revenue boost

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 10, 2017

Component vendor Lite-On Semi was mentioned in a recent Chinese-language Commercial Times report as a possible supplier of wireless charging parts destined for Apple's 2017 iPhones. According to Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes, the supplier is expecting to see its revenues reach the peak for 2017 in the third quarter (when iPhone 8 is rumored to enter mass-production, mind you) thanks to robust demand for its power management chips used for wireless charging in smartphones and other devices.

Twitter starts censoring profiles that publish potentially sensitive content

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Twitter recently introduced several features in its mobile app that give users the option to filter out anonymous and “egg” accounts, as well as mute words, phrases, mentions and hashtags in their timelines (be sure to read our tutorial for step-by-step instructions on the new filtering options).

In its continuing mission to fight trolls on the service, the company is taking additional steps to make the platform a safer place, as Mashable reported Friday.

In a nutshell, the service has now begun censoring profiles that post “potentially sensitive” content even if the implementation seems a bit heavy-handed at the moment.

Try out iPad’s hidden floating keyboard in Swift Playgrounds

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 10, 2017

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith recently discovered a one-handed floating iPad keyboard in a beta of iOS 10.3. While it's unclear whether or not Apple will debut this handy unpublished keyboard officially when the software update releases for public consumption, Troughton-Smith has kindly provided a way for iPad owners to try it out early using Apple's free Swift Playgrounds app, here's how.

Chrome 57 hits Mac, Windows and Linux

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 10, 2017

Google yesterday released Chrome 57 for Mac, Windows and Linux. The release contains a number of fixes and improvements, as well as a bunch of improvements mostly focused on Android and Chrome OS devices. The browser brings a major feature for web developers: a new grid layout system allowing programmers to easily create web designs for a variety of screen sizes. On the iOS side, Google is currently testing a Safari-like Reading List feature for saving webpages for later.

Google is bringing Safari-like Reading List feature to Chrome for iPhone and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 10, 2017

Safari for iPhone, iPad and Mac has long included a tremendously useful Reading List feature that allows you to save your favorite webpages and access them easily between devices—even without an Internet connection. Google has been working on its own version of Reading List and it's slated to arrive in an upcoming update to Chrome for iOS, as reported by 9to5Mac. Like with Reading List on Safari, this nifty new addition will let Chrome users save articles and webpages for offline reading at a later date.

Cortana 2.0 for iPhone brings overhauled interface and faster performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 10, 2017

Microsoft today rolled out a major update to its Cortana personal assistant app for iPhone, with enhancements like faster page transitions, improved app responsiveness and overhauled user interface all part of the update. The new version arrived three months after its release on Android. Design improvements in Cortana 2.0, a free download from App Store, include a fresh new look with an improved user experience, immersive full-page answers and overhauled calling, texting and reminders.

Hilarious gag tweak adds government surveillance toggle switches to your jailbroken iPhone

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 10, 2017

Amid all the recent buzz surrounding Wikileaks and government agencies hoarding security holes for surveillance purposes, it seemed like the perfect time for iOS developer wizages to release a fun gag jailbreak tweak dubbed Build That Wall.

This tweak adds a few new switches to your device for togging surveillance from various government agencies on or off on demand.

Head of Apple’s speech team explains how Siri learns new languages

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 9, 2017

Just how exactly does Siri learn a new language? In today's interview with Reuters, Apple's speech team head Alex Acero offered a behind-the-scenes look at how Siri is being taught new languages, a process that involves script-writing, capturing voices in multiple accents and dialects and using machine learning and artificial intelligence to build and evolve new language models over time. The system requires a team of people tasked with reading passages of manually transcribed text.

Before actually updating Siri, Apple first rolls out Dictation support for a new language.

Siri currently speaks 21 languages in 36 countries. By comparison, Microsoft's Cortana supports eight languages tailored for thirteen countries, Google Assistant speaks four languages while Amazon's Alexa works only in English and German.