Qualcomm has secured another victory in its legal spat with Apple, this time in Germany after a Munich court ruled that some iPhone models that employ Intel-made cellular modems violate a Qualcomm patent which covers so-called envelope tracking, a feature that helps smartphones save battery power while sending and receiving wireless signals.
Late last year, Apple was caught throttling iPhones that had degrading batteries. This lead to class action lawsuits, a discounted battery replacement program, and various meetings with regulators around the world. It also forced Apple to add a battery monitoring tool in iOS 11.3. With the 2018 iPhones now in stores comes word that last year's handsets might eventually be throttled too.
As first discovered by The Verge, the recently released iOS 12.1 update brings Apple’s controversial “performance management feature” to the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus for the first time. With this tool, Apple can dynamically throttle the devices (i.e. slow them down) as the battery degrades in order to stop random shutdowns.
An Apple support page explains:
With a low battery state of charge, a higher chemical age, or colder temperatures, users are more likely to experience unexpected shutdowns. In extreme cases, shutdowns can occur more frequently, thereby rendering the device unreliable or unusable. For iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus, iOS dynamically manages performance peaks to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down so that the iPhone can still be used. This performance management feature is specific to iPhone and does not apply to any other Apple products. Starting with iOS 12.1, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X include this feature, but performance management may be less noticeable due to their more advanced hardware and software design.
No doubt this news will lead to some more criticism against Apple. However, it's probably no longer justified. If you own one of last year's phones, you can turn off the performance management feature.
What do you think? Let us know below.
Image of iPhone X battery courtesy of iFixit
Although Apple advertises in support documents and elsewhere on its website that the new iPhone XR series features HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, these colorful smartphones in reality do not have a display compliant with the high dynamic range (HDR) specification.
Apple has determined that a small number of iPhone 8 devices contain logic boards with a manufacturing defect. Phones affected with the problem may experience unexpected restarts, a frozen screen, or won't turn on. To resolve this issue, the company has implemented a logic board replacement program, which is free of charge.
We still don't know when Apple's multi-device AirPower wireless charging mat is coming, but if you need a Qi charger for your iPhone, Logitech just unveiled a new wireless charger for iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus that lets you use your phone while it's being charged.
Samsung's new “Ingenius” ad series renews Apple bashing, depicting a puzzled Apple Store Genius Bar employee unable to answer tricky questions regarding iPhone X and Galaxy S9.
ElevationLab, the makers of some of the most innovative iPhone docks on the market like the ultra-compact CordDock, today announced a minimal charging dock. Dubbed NightPad, it supports the faster 7.5-watt standard as well as the 10-watt Qi wireless charging capability.
Samsung's anti-Apple advertising campaign continues as the company mounts another effort to highlight the difference between iPhone X and Galaxy S9, this time in LTE speeds, while ridiculing the concept of Genius Bar that Apple successfully pioneered with its retail stores.
French blog Consomac.fr (Google Translate) this morning managed to dig up some claimed single and multi-core synthetic benchmarks from Geekbench's database showing alleged CPU and GPU speed gains plus other improvements for the upcoming Apple A12 system-on-a-chip destined to power 2018's upcoming iPhone X and iPad models.
Apple's rumored Plus-sized iPhone X model should pack an OLED display measuring 6.5 inches diagonally into a chassis roughly the same size as the current iPhone 8 Plus model.
Like the look of the newly-released PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, but don't want to drop another $700-$800 on one? Don't worry, we've put together a list of some great cases that will give your current iPhone the unique red aesthetic, without breaking the bank.
The aftermarket repair community is reporting that the iOS 11.3 software update renders touch functionality inoperable for iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus with a non-genuine display.