Anandtech’s review of the iPhone SE says it’s the best 4-inch smartphone on the market, even if only by default due to the lack of 4-inch devices from other smartphone manufacturers. But with best-in-class components and a more comfortable form factor for many users, there’s no doubt the iPhone SE will be a success in terms of sales.
An Apple press release of a GarageBand update says the update celebrates Chinese music, adding traditional Chinese instruments as well as Chinese loops and new sharing options to Chinese social networks. MacStories points out that a country-specific press release is a very rare thing for Apple.
The Cyberspace Administration of China has targeted Apple and other foreign tech companies for intense scrutinisation of their products. During these technology reviews, the encryption and data storage capabilities of the devices are called into question, and executives are expected to answer questions about the products in person, as reported by The New York Times.
Apple suppliers have begun hiring in anticipation of Apple ramping up production for this year’s iPhone. According to CNBC, this year’s iPhone will be “more complex” than previous designs, which may go to explain why Foxconn and co are hiring more than a month earlier than they usually would.
Perhaps wireless charging will be one of the features that requires additional manufacturing complexity, as Apple is hiring wireless charging experts in droves. Hiring now to release a feature in an iPhone to be released in the next six months seems a little optimistic, but The Verge says Apple has been hiring wireless charging experts for almost two years now.
The simplified navigation of iTunes 12.4 brings back the sidebar, which Macworld says is a welcome improvement.
Perhaps more importantly, the iTunes 12.4 update also addresses the iTunes music deletion issue. Having your entire library removed from your computer is probably a hundred times worse than having Apple add an album to your iTunes library without your permission, but TechCrunch writes that it’s still unknown whether this is an Apple Music after-effect or something that may affect non-Apple Music subscribers.
Some 9.7-inch iPad Pro owners are seeing crashing issues after installing yesterday’s iOS 9.3.2 update.
IDownloadBlog has the info on what makes a good document scanner for the iPhone and iPad, which goes into more detail than just OCR features.
AppleInsider’s WWDC predictions include big news for the larger-screened iPad Pro, as well as new versions of OS X and iOS.
Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2016/05/wednesday-morning-news180516/