Apple

10.5″ iPad Pro may sport 2,224×1,668 screen with same density as 9.7″ iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2018

Rhoda Alexander, IHS Markit's director in charge of tablets and PCs, shared some interesting observations with Forbes over the weekend regarding Apple's rumored new bezel-less iPad Pro model which, according to other analysts, would house a display measuring 10.5 inches inside a body the same size as 9.7-inch iPads.

According to Rhoda, the new iPad Pro model should have a 2,224-by-1,668 display with the same pixel density as 9.7-inch iPads. For context, Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a 2,732-by-2,048 Retina display at 264 pixels per inch and its 9.7-inch counterpart has a 2,048-by-1,536 screen, also at 264 pixels per inch.

Oppo unveils periscope-style camera lens system with 5x lossless zoom

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Chinese electronics manufacturer Oppo today announced a brand new camera system at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Developed in collaboration with an Israeli startup named Corephotonics, it's based on a periscope-style lens design which makes possible 5x lossless zoom, earning it a rather unexciting but apt 5x Dual Camera Zoom moniker.

What's more, Oppo's new technology kills the need for an unsightly camera bump at the back. The company did not say when the new camera technology can be expected to debut on its smartphones.

Warren Buffett’s stake in Apple now twice as large, reaches more than $18 billion

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 27, 2017

Berkshire Hathaway's position in Apple is now more than twice as large as previously disclosed at $18.2 billion, investment tycoon Warren Buffett told CNBC in an interview on Monday. At the end of last year, Berkshire Hathaway owned 61 million Apple shares, worth $7 billion at the time.

Buffet's annual letter to shareholders, which included a regulatory disclosure of its long positions, has revealed that his conglomerate had purchased about 120 million shares of Apple in 2017.

Watch new drone footage of Apple Park construction progress

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 27, 2017

Drone pilot and YouTuber Matthew Roberts today published a new 4K drone footage of Apple's upcoming 175-acre campus, officially named Apple Park, which will open doors to employees in April. Recorded using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional, the crisp 4K footage provides a breathtaking birds-eye tour of Apple's particle accelerator—that is, mega headquarters. Watch the video and let us know what you think of the progress being made at the site.

Google Maps gains 3D Touch place previews

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 27, 2017

Last week, I whined about Google dragging its feet when it comes to implementing support for important iOS features, like 3D Touch, in apps such as Gmail. Other iPhone and iPad apps from Google have been more aggressive in adopting 3D Touch features, including Maps. In the latest update, Google Maps was bumped to version 4.28 and now allows users who have an iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus to press places on the map to get quicker access to popular actions.

Third-party iPhone screen repairs no longer void warranty

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 26, 2017

Apple has changed its long-standing policy which used to fully void your iPhone warranty in case you replaced a smashed screen with a third-party display. According to an internal memo distributed to Apple's retail employees on Friday, confirmed by multiple sources and subsequently obtained by MacRumors, such cases no longer void warranty.

Specifically, an iPhone that has undergone a third-party screen repair is now eligible for an authorized repair by Apple Stores or Apple Authorized Service Providers while qualifying for warranty coverage, as long as the issue is unrelated to the display itself.

TSMC kicking off commercial shipments of 10-nanometer chips next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 24, 2017

Semiconductor foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is kicking off commercial shipments of chips built on its new ten-nanometer process technology, ahead of iPhone 8, sources told Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes. TSMC is building iPhone 7's A10 Fusion chip and is said to have landed an exclusive contract to manufacture processors for 2017 iPhone and iPad models.

DigiTimes: upcoming 10.5″ and 12.9″ iPad Pro models may not ship until May or June

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 24, 2017

New iPads, along with a 128-gigabyte edition of iPhone SE and iPhone 7 in a new Red color option, could be unveiled as soon as next month. Still, upgraded 10.5 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models may not start shipping until May or June, according to DigiTimes corroborating a KGI research.

Remembering Steve Jobs, who would have turned 62 today

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 24, 2017

Steve Jobs, Apple's late co-founder and chief executive, would have turned 62 today. Perhaps best known to the general public for his penchant for carefully choreographed product presentations and unique leadership style, Steve passed away on October 5, 2011—the day after the iPhone 4s unveiling—of respiratory arrest related to a rare form of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor he was diagnosed with in 2003.

Apple looking into widely circulated video showing iPhone 7 Plus catching fire

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Earlier this week, Brianna Olivas posted a video showing her iPhone 7 Plus spontaneously catching fire, resulting in a partially melted device. Soon after, the video went viral and has thus far accumulated more than 1.2 million views.

The video has been retweeted more than 26,000 times and liked by more than 27,000 accounts, prompting a response from an Apple spokesperson which said in an official statement to Mashable that the company is looking into the incident.

Apple: iOS 10.2.1 has substantially reduced iPhone 6, 6s shutdown issues

Cody Lee ∙ February 23, 2017

Apple on Thursday announced that the recently-released iOS 10.2.1 addresses the unexpected shutdown issues plaguing some iPhone models. In a statement to TechCrunch the company said the software, which was seeded to users late last month, has reduced the issues in iPhone 6 and 6s models by as much as 80%.

Samsung to take on iPhone 8 with 6.2″ Galaxy S8+ with eye scanner, Quad HD+ screen & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2017

Samsung is looking to pre-empt Apple's expected monster upgrade cycle stemming from pent-up demand for a cutting-edge iPhone with a new Plus-branded Galaxy smartphone, as was previously rumored. Likely named Galaxy S8+, it should have an iris scanner and a 6.2-inch AMOLED screen with a Quad HD+ 3,200-by-1,800 pixel resolution.

That's according to prolific leakster Evan Blass.

Among other features, iPhone 8 may support AR and 3D image capture/modeling via an improved FaceTime camera and use two-step biometric authentication combining either an iris scanner or 3D facial recognition and a Touch ID fingerprint reader embedded into the display. It's been inferred from a recent KGI report that iPhone 8's 5.8-inch 521 PPI AMOLED display should feature an active display area of about 5.1 inches with a native resolution of 2,800-by-1,242 pixels and the content area of 2,436-by-1,125 pixels.