Originally published at: https://appletalk.com.au/2019/05/monday-morning-news130519/
As part of this year’s iPhone refresh, Apple manufacturing partner TSMC has started producing the SoC that will be used in this year’s iPhone. While Apple’s A13 chip hasn’t begun mass production just yet, sources speaking to Bloomberg say it could do so later this month, even with Apple increasingly putting specialised chips in iPhones for specific purposes. Other iPhone features planned including two-way wireless charging, a third rear-facing camera on the iPhone XS and XS Max successor with an ultra-wide field of view, and a similar look and feel to current iPhones.
Bloomberg also reports Apple has finalised the list of locations for its first Apple Retail location in India. Several upscale sites in Mumbai are at the top of the list for India’s first Apple Store, which has only recently been allowed due to Indian regulations about local stores needing to meet certain in-country manufacturing criteria. Apple now makes a number of devices in India, which also allows them to avoid a 20% tax on imported devices, helping Apple’s overall price position in a market that’s probably not as used to the high price of Apple products compared to the rest of us. Apple CEO Tim Cook says that India is still an important market for Apple long-term, which may be more of a reflection of Apple’s recent struggles in the region rather than anything else.
A lawsuit against Apple’s Group FaceTime bug from January that allowed a calling party to listen to the microphone of the callee has been dismissed in court. The court found that Apple’s Group FaceTime bug was not unreasonably dangerous and insufficient evidence was provided to determine whether Apple knew of the bug beforehand, nor was the filer of the lawsuit able to prove that he had suffered injury caused by proximity to the bug.
Former lead of songwriter and publisher relations for YouTube Lindsay Rothschild has been hired by Apple to the position of Head of Creative Services for Apple Music’s North American division. It’s reported Rothschild’s new position will be similar to her previous one, as she will building and maintaining working relationships with artists and publishers in the songwriting community, building on her existing connections from a previous role at Disney’s Music Group before her stint at Google.
A sketchy rumour claims this year’s release of iOS 13 will only be compatible with the iPhone 6S and newer, as well as the iPad Air 2, all iPad Pros, and iPad mini third-generation onwards. That leaves the iPhone 6, iPhone SE, and older devices stuck on iOS 12. Curiously, the iPod touch with A8 processor will be compatible, which raises questions about the legitimacy of the rumour due to some iPhones having the same SoC not being compatible.
A recently granted Apple patent shows us the possibility of a future Apple Pencil having a paintbrush attachment allowing for a different kind of input method. Interchangeable tips could be the solution to the current Apple Pencil’s one-dimensional input mechanism, with Apple also mentioning the idea of haptic feedback in an Apple Pencil-like device.
Macworld seems to think the Mac won’t end up locked down like iOS, mostly because Apple has shown that they’re not completely committing to that path just yet. For the time being, Apple seems to recognise that there’s an entire world of software outside of the Mac App Store, so while they continue to work on making the Mac App Store friendly to all kinds of apps, they’re OK with allowing other apps to run on your Mac. Apple has also allowed Mac users to turn off security features to modify key parts of the Mac, which is another example of how the Mac probably won’t become like iOS anytime soon.
The Sweet Setup talks to us about the best iPad keyboard shortcuts, which are a must-have if you’re extending your iPad productivity with an attached keyboard. While there are standard keyboard shortcuts that you can use in any app, sometimes iPad app developers choose to put in their own keyboard shortcuts, so you may also want to know the iPad keyboard shortcut for displaying the current app’s keyboard shortcuts, too.
We’re a little away from Christmas, but these cute little Drink Different ice cube trays are definitely something to put on your shopping list. I love the "stay thirsty, stay foolish" inscriptions on the outside, and while the ice cubes probably won’t stay Mac-shaped for long, they’ll at least give you something to break the ice with, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Apple’s latest iPhone ads tell us about the privacy features of the iPhone, and the battery life offered by the iPhone XR.