Originally published at: https://appletalk.com.au/2018/09/thursday-morning-news060918/
We’ve now reached the stage of iPhone rumours where naming speculation (or leaks to the press) becomes the hot topic. Sources speaking to 9to5Mac claim the largest, 6.5-inch version, may be called the iPhone Xs Max. While that eschews the usual “Plus” nomenclature, rumours have previously claimed that Apple would be dropping the “Plus” naming convention.
John Gruber of Daring Fireball says none of the proposed names make sense if we’re supposed to pronounce the X in iPhone X as “ten”, although his reasoning for the change from “Plus” to “Max” makes sense if you consider that this year’s larger-display model will have very few (if any) differences besides screen size over its smaller sibling. And Apple also has an issue with the naming of other devices, given that iPhones are yearly releases down to the week.
Information from the latest watchOS 5 beta says the Apple Watch Series 4 will use a higher resolution display, with 384x480 pixels instead of the current 312x390. Although there is expected to be a minor screen size increase, the increased PPI will allow for sharper text, as well as increased information density as shown from the leaked watch face with many complications.
Apple will soon allow third-party manufacturers to create MFI-certified USB-C to Lightning cables, ending Apple’s monopoly on the market and paving the way for potentially cheaper and/or more durable cables. There are rumours that say Apple will include an 18W power adapter and a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box with this year’s iPhones, enabling fast wired charging without customers needing to purchase anything extra.
A paywalled profile of Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue from The Information tells us about the missteps of Apple’s services segment, despite services getting a lot of attention given its impact to Apple’s overall revenue. While Cue’s former coworkers speak highly of his personal traits, others say he may have overextended and always seemed to be doing too many things, as summarised by MacRumors.
Beats by Dr. Dre has announced a partnership with the NBA in the US. The deal makes Beats the offical headphone, wireless speaker, and audio partner of the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, and USA Basketball starting in October, with Beats also working with individual teams to launch products such as team-branded Beats headphones.
Someone must have left the AirPort team out of loop, because Apple has updated the iOS AirPort Utility with support for the iPhone X and iPad Pro, despite AirPorts themselves being discontinued. That said, they’ll probably continue to be supported for at least a few years to come, hence today’s update.
Security researcher Patrick Wardle has demonstrated infecting Macs with malware using URL schemes, although that’s probably an over-simplification of the issue. Instead of being prompted to open whatever website you think you’re opening, you’re actually opening whatever malicious payload the developer has crafted.
Skype for Mac and iOS now has call recording. All parties will be notified that the call is being recorded, and if you’re on a video call, both video and audio will be recorded. It’s cool that the feature is completely cloud-based, though.
AppleInsider pays tribute to the iPod touch as the last surviving device of the iconic music line, arguably the one that kickstarted Apple’s success and brought it into the mainstream. The iPod touch is a great device, even despite the lack of hardware updates.
