Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2016/06/wednesday-morning-news010616/
Japanese website Nikkei is saying Apple will move to a three year iPhone upgrade cycle. The three year cycle will see major iPhone revisions every three years as opposed to the current major revision every three years. Nikkei is also saying the 2017 iPhone will have a more advanced motor for more complex tactile vibrations, in an upgrade of the Taptic Engine originally introduced with the Apple Watch.
A separate rumour claims this year’s iPhone will drop the 16GB storage option, instead starting the storage tiers at 32GB. It’s also expected that this year’s iPhone will have 2GB of RAM, the same amount as the iPhone 6s, although analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said the Plus-sized model will come with 3GB RAM due to extra processing requirements, further splitting the two product lines.
The latest iPhone part leak is of the rear shell, which shows us the redesigned antenna lines and a slightly different camera hole design. And that’s about it, given that we are looking at a Rose Gold shell with nothing else to go on.
Stock of Thunderbolt displays has been severely constrained for months now, and WWDC may be the perfect opportunity for Apple to make an announcement about a possible display upgrade. They could even put some kind of developer spin on it, something along the lines of “5K displays mean more room for code or graphics”.
The Apple TV App Store will apparently hide apps from the Top Charts that you’ve already downloaded, which would make it the first App Store to dynamically update its charts based on the current software on your device.
Realm’s platform statistics say that developer interest in the Apple Watch has been directed towards iOS and tvOS, in lieu of any compelling reason to develop Apple Watch apps, complications, or glances. It’s unclear who’s to blame here: is it Apple’s fault for providing lacklustre hardware that isn’t up to the task, or are the limited interaction models of the Apple Watch holding developers back?
Mophie has released a battery case for the iPhone that can charge wirelessly. The company’s Juice Pack Wireless product supports most wireless charging standards, and may be a compelling option for those that require both more battery life and convenient charging.
9to5Mac says the iOS status bar needs a re-think. Although only Apple notification icons are included in the status bar, even those can stack up which leads to strange things like the data spinner moving over to the right hand side of the time. Windows Phone did a great job of the status bar, showing a super-minimal UI unless it was interacted with.
Dan Moren wants a full dictionary interface on iOS, saying the in-built definitions need to be given more prominence, especially when there’s a fully-fledged search interface in Spotlight on the iPhone and iPad.
Business Insider reveals what it’s like to be an Apple Retail Store employee. It’s pretty much like any other Retail job, except without the pressures of sales targets and more of a focus on customer service — only you have to remember that you’re working for Apple, which means being associated with one of the most well-known brands in the world.