Rumors

Apple aggressively boosting MacBook Pro orders with 15M estimated shipments in 2016

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 8, 2016

As the Internet keeps whining about supposed lack of features on the new MacBook Pro (let's bring back the floppy drive, shall we?) and Apple's master plan to make us buy more dongles, the Cupertino firm appears confident in the face of strong criticism that its latest notebook is indeed going to appeal to the general public and mainstream users.

According to supply chain chatter echoed by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes, Apple's been pretty “aggressive” in placing orders for the new MacBook Pros.

AT&T to give away Apple TV if you subscribe to at least 3 months of DirecTV Now service

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 7, 2016

Variety is reporting today that U.S. wireless carrier AT&T will incentivize customers to subscribe to its DirecTV Now Internet-based live TV service by gifting a free Apple TV to each and every customer who commits to at least three months of paid service. AT&T earlier this month announced plans to acquire the media conglomerate Time Warner for $80 billion.

Samsung Galaxy S8 to integrate Viv personal assistant developed by Siri creators

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 7, 2016

As we reported, Samsung last month bought Viv Labs, a San Jose startup co-founded by former Siri creators who have developed a brand new Viv artificial intelligence assistant. The Galaxy maker has now confirmed to Reuters that it will be integrating Viv technology into an advanced personal digital assistant of its own.

Samsung's Viv-based AI assistant will debut on next year's Galaxy S8. According to The Wall Street Journal, the handset should have a dedicated button to summon the new service though the Galaxy S8 may be delayed until April following the costly Note 7 debacle rather than at the Mobile World Congress trade show in February.

Rumor: Apple could add new Jet White finish to iPhone 7 lineup

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 7, 2016

The fairly reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara is reporting that Apple is considering adding a brand new colorway to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus lineup: Jet White. Based on purported information received from suppliers, the outlet speculates Apple may be planning to add a Jet White model to the iPhone 7 lineup, although plans could change and Apple could abandon the idea. Mac Otakara cautioned that its sources “may be unreliable.”

KGI: no iPhone SE refresh in Spring 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2016

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is predicting iPhone sales will drop in the first quarter of 2017 because he is not expecting a refreshed iPhone SE model that could perhaps reinvigorate demand during the slow post-holiday quarter.

Kuo's note to investors Friday says Apple's been putting pressure on component makers to reduce prices in order to protect its high gross margins that are the envy of the industry.

KGI: Apple’s AR tech could end up in autonomous driving system

Cody Lee ∙ November 2, 2016

KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo issued a new research note to investors on Wednesday regarding his vision for Apple's augmented reality efforts. In the letter, the noted analyst says that we likely won't see these efforts for 1-2 years, but when we do they will redefine Apple's current products and open up new categories.

CNBC: there’s no Time Warner bid coming from Apple “at this point”

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2016

U.S. wireless carrier AT&T recently announced it had agreed to buy Time Warner in a blockbuster deal valued at more than $85 billion.

Apple reportedly approached the media giant recently about a possible deal, but the discussions were only preliminary and didn't move forward.

With the AT&T-Time Warner merger requiring regulatory approval that could take months, things could easily change so no wonder watchers have been keeping their fingers crossed for Apple to step in and make a rival bid for Time Warner.

However, “Apple is not interested in buying Time Warner at present,” people familiar with the thinking at the company told CNBC on Wednesday.

Next-generation MacBook Pro could adopt brighter & sharper OLED display technology

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2016

Forget about Apple's just-refreshed MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar and Touch ID: Korean outlet ET News says the next refresh to the Pro might swap out LCD panels for the more power-efficient OLED screens not unlike AMOLED displays found on flagship Samsung smartphones and tablets.

“Apple is currently looking into ways of using OLED panels for MacBooks and testing their performance,” reads the report. In addition to power savings, an OLED screen on a future MacBook Pro could render brighter colors, provide better contrast and fast response speed whilst enabling ultra high resolutions.

AirPods may not ship until January 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 1, 2016

After Apple shared disappointing news that the much vaunted AirPods aren’t quite ready yet and won't meet its self-imposed late-October deadline, a new report from Chinese-language Economic Daily News re-published Tuesday by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes suggests that Apple's first-ever wireless earphones may not actually go on sale before January of next year.

KGI: new MacBook Pros coming in 2017 with price cuts, 32GB RAM option

Cody Lee ∙ October 31, 2016

KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo says he expects 2017 to be a solid year for Apple's MacBook Pro line. The reliable Apple analyst issued a note to investors on Monday, saying that he believes Apple will introduce price cuts for the MacBook Pro, as well as internal upgrades with support for up to 32GB of RAM.

The note comes less than a week after Apple introduced its all-new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID at a media event in Cupertino. The laptop has been met with a fair amount of criticism over its high price tag—the 13-inch model is up $500 over its predecessor—and lower-than-expected specs.

Apple said to be considering lowering Apple Music price

Cody Lee ∙ October 31, 2016

Apple is considering a price drop for its streaming music service, reports Digital Music News. The outlet cites multiple sources claiming that if implemented, the drop could be as much as 20%, lowering individual plans to $7.99 and the family plan to $12.99.

Report: Foxconn working on wireless charging system for iPhone 8

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Hon Hai Precision Industry is working on a wireless charging system for Apple, reports Nikkei. Citing an industry source familiar with the matter, the outlet claims the manufacturer, better known as Foxconn, is making wireless charging modules for the iPhone 8.

The source adds that the feature making it into Apple's next flagship handset will depend on whether Foxconn can boost the yield rate to a satisfactory level. So if it can't produce these modules at a high quality/volume, we may not see wireless charging next year.