Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2018/04/friday-morning-news270418/
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is predicting a lack of 3D Touch on at least one of the iPhones in this year’s refresh. The 6.1-inch LCD iPhone has been singled as the one missing out on 3D Touch, seemingly allowing Apple to use a different kind of glass technology that should result in a lighter, more shock resistant display. While those are both very good reasons to remove 3D Touch, it seems strange that Apple would use that as a differentiating feature between iPhones that otherwise work the same.
Fast Company reports Intel will be supplying 70% of iPhone modems this year, with the processor manufacturer set to supply all of Apple’s iPhone modems next year in 2019. Given Apple’s current shaky relationship with Qualcomm this isn’t entirely surprising, but it’s interesting to note the yield and performance differences between Intel and Qualcomm’s modems.
The Dubai-based Crowdfense startup is offering US $3 million for zero-day exploits for the iPhone and Android devices. Motherboard writes it’s the highest price ever offered for an iOS or Android bug bounty, with Crowdfense saying it will be looking to then on-sell the exploits to law enforcement and intelligence agencies, which the company will be carefully vetting to ensure their exploits don’t end up in the wrong hands.
Limited reports of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s closed-door meeting with US President Donald Trump are filtering out. Depending on which articles you choose to read, the pair either discussed trade with China in light of Apple’s significant relationship with their main manufacturing partners, with the director of the National Economic Council claiming Cook loves tax cuts and tax reform, saying that “it’s great for business”. What does this all mean? Probably nothing.
The latest airports to get indoor maps in Apple Maps are the Sydney International terminal, Edinburgh, and Hamad International in Qatar. You can access indoor mapping by zooming in until you get the “look inside” prompt in Apple Maps. Sydney marks the first Australian airport that gets indoor maps, although it hasn’t made it onto the official list just yet.
Citibank are now offering Apple Pay in Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, with any Citibank-issued credit card eligible for Apple Pay. Citibank’s press release also says Taiwan also on the cards for an Apple Pay launch later this year.
The Outline doesn’t recommend the new MacBook Pros because the keyboard is such a point of contention. While the Touch Bar MacBook Pros might be a good machine otherwise, the keyboard is the major sticking point that it’s become hard to recommend, which seems like a problem that Apple should want to investigate and resolve in any future model.
Sonos users are probably already very happy with their multi-room audio setups, so I’m not sure the news that AirPlay 2 will only be supported by the Sonos One, second-gen Play:5, and Playbase speakers will be particularly disappointing. Older models such as the Play:1, Play:3, and Playbar miss out, but Sonos says you’ll still be able to use AirPlay 2 to older models as long as you have one newer speaker.
MacStories has a review of 1Blocker X, which is now one of the most comprehensive content blockers available on iOS. The developers had to come up with a few creative ways around the iOS limitation of 50,000 rules — which seems like a lot, until you realise how big the internet is — which means you get a few extra toggles in a few places. Including the 1Blocker X app itself, which can now block ads, trackers, comments, annoyances, and more.