News

iPhone 8 to boost Retina resolution to 2436×1125 at 521 PPI

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 16, 2017

The next iPhone's OLED display should boost Retina resolution to a whopping 2,436-by-1,125 pixels, or almost twice that of the iPhone 6/6s/7 series, giving the upcoming phone a screen density of a crisp 521 pixels per inch (PPI). That's what KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a note issued to clients, a copy of which was obtained by 9to5Mac.

The numbers would give iPhone 8 a screen of 21:9 versus a 16:9 screen ration on current models. By contrast, the current 4.7-inch iPhone 7 has a screen resolution of 1,334-by-750 pixels at 326 PPI—enough to support 720p video content without rescaling.

JPMorgan predicts iPhone 8 would replace fingerprint scanning with facial recognition

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2017

Touch ID is a core technology that supports a number of Apple services, including Apple Pay. If JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall is to be believed, the next iPhone might ditch Apple's fingerprint reader in favor of facial recognition, CNBC reports. iPhone 8 is thought to sport a front-facing 3D scanner sensor that could replace Apple's Touch ID-enabled Home button. Hall wrote in a research note this week that Touch ID could be phased out if Apple goes with a full-glass front for the next iPhone.

BlackBerry’s global market share tanks to zero percent nearly ten years after iPhone launched

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 16, 2017

According to the latest quarterly data from research firm Gartner, BlackBerry's share of the global smartphone market is now 0.0 percent versus its peak market share of approximately 20 percent in 2009. To be precise, the Canadian company's global market share in the fourth quarter of 2016 stood at a rather measly 0.0481 percent, Gartner said yesterday.

Of the more than 432 million smartphones sold during the holiday quarter, just 207,900 were BlackBerries running the company's own operating system (BlackBerry also sells devices that run Android, like DTEK60 and Privilege). The development marks the end of an era, nearly ten years after Apple launched its iPhone.

Apple announces WWDC 2017 returning to San Jose, kicking off June 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 30, 2017

Apple announced today that its Worldwide Developers Conference will be kicking off with a keynote on June 5. The five-day conference will be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, the site of the original WWDC and located just minutes from Apple’s new iSpaceship headquarters in Cupertino.

This will be the first time WWDC will be in San Jose since 2002: WWDCs from 2013 onward were held in San Francisco. Developers will have the opportunity to apply for tickets this spring, the Cupertino company has confirmed. The conference will focus on all platforms—macOS, tvOS, watchOS and iOS—and will be live-streamed through the Apple Developer website and on the WWDC app for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

Bloomberg: 4K-capable Apple TV being tested for release as soon as this year

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 16, 2017

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is testing a next-generation Apple TV media-streaming box that will have native 4K video output and other improvements.

The new set-top box is said to release “as soon as this year,” according to sources familiar with the development who spoke with reporter Mark Gurman.

Internally codenamed “J105,” a fifth-generation device will be capable of 4K streaming and should support “more vivid colors,” indicating support for the wide color gamut feature that Apple already introduced in latest iPads and iPhones.

KGI: iPhone 8 to feature 5.8-inch OLED display with virtual buttons

Cody Lee ∙ February 15, 2017

This year's flagship iPhone, often referred to as the 'iPhone 8' or 'iPhone X,' will feature a 5.8-inch display reports KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo. In his latest research note, shared by MacRumors, the analyst says 5.15-inches of the display will be usable, with the rest of it reserved at the bottom for "virtual buttons."

As has been previously rumored, Kuo says the display will take up the entire front of the phone, meaning no bezels or physical Home button. This also means that although the handset will have a display roughly the size of the current iPhone 7 Plus, its body may not be much bigger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 7.

Apple’s risk aversion and arrogance blamed for lack of large takeovers

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 15, 2017

Apple's boss Tim Cook said on a recent earnings call with investors and analysts that his company on average acquired between fifteen to twenty smaller companies per year for the last four years, noting that Apple looks for startups of all sizes. “There's not a size that we wouldn't do based on just the size of it, it's more about the strategic value of it,” he said.

A new report Wednesday from Bloomberg alleges that Apple's reluctance to cooperate with third-party advisers like investment banks, risk aversion and internal acquisition strategy are standing in the way of large takeovers.

D-Link’s 180-degree home surveillance camera with HomeKit support hits Apple.com

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 15, 2017

D-Link's Omna 180 Cam HD Camera is now available to purchase from Apple.com, priced at $200. Unveiled at CES 2017 last month, D-Link's new accessory for the connected home is certified for Apple's HomeKit platform, meaning users can control it in the stock Home app on their iPhone or iPad.

Omna 180 Cam HD Camera files as the world's first home surveillance accessory that comes with native HomeKit video integration.

The smart home device features a 180-degree wide angle lens capable of capturing an entire room, Full HD 1080p video resolution, two-way audio, night vision up to 16 feet (five meters), even in complete darkness, and a microSD card slot.

Remember AppGratis? It shut down today.

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 15, 2017

After seven years and more than fifty million installs globally, the app discovery service AppGratis announced it's shutting down today. Founded in 2010 by French engineer Simon Dawlat, AppGratis curators found and recommended apps that were featured to download for free or at a significantly reduced price.

As some of you will recall, Apple in a controversial move nuked the app from orbit back in April 2013 over a violation of App Store rules regarding third-party app promotion and marketing. After it was dumped from App Store, AppGratis launched an Android version of the app.

New Mac malware from Russia targets your saved passwords and iPhone backups

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 15, 2017

It used to be that Mac computers were immune from the vast majority of viruses and malware plaguing Windows and other platforms. But as Apple's products have been growing in popularity, hackers and malware developers have been increasingly targeting macOS.

Following recent reports of Mac malware that uses a very old Windows trick which relies on Microsoft Word macros, a new strain of malware from Russian hackers has been found to steal your saved passwords and iPhone backups, security firm BitDefender said.

Apple evaluating Chinese display maker BOE’s AMOLED panels for future iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 15, 2017

Samsung Display is said to be the lone supplier of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for future iPhones, at least until Foxconn-owned Sharp, Japan Display and LG Display ramp up production of the sophisticated foldable display panels. That said, Apple is looking to address a global shortage of OLEDs by negotiating a deal with yet anther supplier.

That company has been identified as the Chinese display maker BOE, which is expected to supply active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display panels for future iPhone models. According to Bloomberg News, Apple’s been evaluating BOE’s AMOLED screens for months now.

Facebook shares details about its video-focused Apple TV app, which is coming soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 14, 2017

Facebook has officially confirmed through the mouth of its Vice President of Partnerships Dan Rose and via a press release that it's indeed planning to launch a video-focused Apple TV app soon. The forthcoming app will let users kick back and watch Facebook videos from the couch. Rose has confirmed the development at the Code Media conference in Dana Point, California. The Wall Street Journal was first to report that Facebook was working on an app for set-top boxes back in January.