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Tag Archives: iphone

Apple said to be planning fall iPhone refresh with iPad Pro-like design

Apple is readying a new iPhone for fall to replace the iPhone 11 Pro this fall, Bloomberg reports, as well as follow-ups to the iPhone 11, a new smaller HomePod and a locator tag accessory. The top-end iPhone 11 Pro successors at least will have a new industrial design that more closely resembles the iPad Pro, with flat screens and sides instead of the current rounded edge design, and they’ll also include the 3D LIDAR sensing system that Apple introduced with the most recent iPad Pro refresh in March.

The new high-end iPhone design will look more like the iPhone 5, Bloomberg says, with “flat stainless steel edges,” and the screen on the larger version will be slightly bigger than the 6.5-inch display found on the current iPhone 11 Pro Max. It could also feature a smaller version of the current ‘notch’ camera cutout in at the top end of the display, the report claims.

Meanwhile, the LIDAR tracking system added to the rear camera array will be combined with processor speed and performance improvements, which should add up to significant improvements in augmented reality (AR) performance. The processor improvements are also designed to help boost on-device AI performance, the report notes.

These phones are still planned for a fall launch and release, though some of them could be available “multiple weeks later than normal,” Bloomberg claims, owing to disruptions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Other updates to the company’s product line on the horizon include a new smaller HomePod that’s around 50 percent smaller than the current version, with a planned launch sometime later this year. It’ll offer a price advantage versus the current model, and the report claims it’ll also come alongside Siri improvements and expansion of music streaming service support beyond Apple’s own. There’s also Apple Tags, which Apple itself has accidentally tipped as coming – a Tile-like Bluetooth location tracking accessory. Bloomberg says that could come out this year.

Finally, the report says there are updates to the MacBook Pro, Apple TV, lower-end iPads and iMac on the way, which is not surprising given Apple’s usual hardware update cadence. There’s no timeline for release on any of those, and it remains to be seen how the COVID-19 situation impacts these plans.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/13/apple-said-to-be-planning-fall-iphone-refresh-with-ipad-pro-like-design/

Apple Card users can now finance iPhone purchases for 24 months, interest-free

It’s not quite an “Apple Prime” subscription, but it’s compelling. Apple on Wednesday introduced a new program that will allow Apple Card users to finance their iPhone purchases for 24 months, without paying interest. The program aims to appeal to consumers who frequently upgrade their iPhone to the latest model, but often turn to their carrier to finance those purchases.

With the Goldman Sachs Apple Card, those iPhone users will have another option — and one without the associated interest and fees of a traditional credit card purchase, Apple says. In addition, the Apple Card offers 3% back on purchases from Apple, which further sweetens the deal.

The program helps to lay the groundwork for what some believe may eventually become a larger subscription product for Apple, or a so-called “Apple Prime” — a name that references the Amazon Prime membership program that includes a variety of perks alongside its fast, free shipping.

An Apple hardware subscription could see users instead paying for the privilege of using the latest Apple hardware, while also bundling in other services, like AppleCare, similar to its existing iPhone Upgrade Program today, which similarly offers 0% APR but can charge fees. But a true “Apple Prime” would include other Apple subscriptions under the same roof, like iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+ and/or Apple Arcade, in some sort of bundle deal. 

Already, Apple has begun to experiment with subscription bundles. This week, for example, it announced a bundle for students that includes Apple Music and Apple TV+ for the same price as a student Apple Music subscription alone ($5/mo). And in a sense, Apple is already bundling its new Apple TV+ streaming service with its hardware, as it’s giving the service away for free with a new device purchase in its first year.

Apple has been steadily moving toward a more robust iPhone subscription program for some time.

In recent years, it has promoted iPhone trade-ins as something of a no-brainer for bringing down the cost of a new iPhone purchase. At the company’s iPhone 11 event in September, for example, Apple put up a slide that emphasized the new iPhone 11’s low price, when viewed under this model. Instead of a starting price of $699, the iPhone 11 could be as little as $399 — or $17 per month, Apple said — when you traded in your iPhone 8. The iPhone 11 Pro was $25 per month with an X trade-in, and the Pro Max would be $29 per month with an X trade-in, Apple also said.

These sorts of promotions seem to be working, as more Apple customers are turning to trade-ins than in the past.

“We…continue to see great results from our trade-in program with more than five times the iPhone trade-in volume we had a year ago,” noted Apple CFO Luca Maestri on Apple’s earnings call.

The larger idea is to encourage Apple’s customer base to viewing the iPhone not as a big, expensive one-time purchase, but as just another monthly bill you have to pay. Tack on a few extras, like a warranty and some media and entertainment options, and Apple has the meat for a real iPhone-led subscription — its very own “Apple Prime,” so to speak. And thanks to the Goldman Sachs Apple Card, it has a way to incentive users to buy from Apple directly.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/31/apple-card-users-can-now-finance-iphone-purchases-for-24-months-interest-free/

China attacks Apple for allowing Hong Kong crowdsourced police activity app

Apple’s decision to greenlight an app called HKmaps, which is being used by pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong to crowdsource information about street closures and police presence, is attracting the ire of the Chinese government.

An article in Chinese state mouthpiece, China Daily, attacks the iPhone maker for reversing an earlier decision not to allow the app to be listed on the iOS App Store — claiming the app is “allowing the rioters in Hong Kong to go on violent acts” (via The Guardian).

HKmaps uses emoji to denote live police and protest activity around Hong Kong, as reported by users.

The former British colony is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China that’s been able to maintain certain economic and and political freedoms since reunification with China — under the one country, two systems principle. But earlier this year pro-democracy protests broke out after the Hong Kong government sought to pass legislation that would allow for extradition to mainland China. It’s policing around those on-going protests that’s being made visible on HKmaps.

The app’s developer denies the map enables illegal activity, saying its function is “for info” purposes only — to allow residents to move freely around the city by being able to avoid protest flash-points. But the Chinese government is branding it “toxic”.

“Business is business, and politics is politics. Nobody wants to drag Apple into the lingering unrest in Hong Kong. But people have reason to assume that Apple is mixing business with politics, and even illegal acts. Apple has to think about the consequences of its unwise and reckless decision,” the China Daily writer warns in a not-so-veiled threat about continued access to the Chinese market.

“Providing a gateway for ‘toxic apps’ is hurting the feelings of the Chinese people, twisting the facts of Hong Kong affairs, and against the views and principles of the Chinese people,” it goes on. “Apple and other corporations should be able to discern right from wrong. They also need to know that only the prosperity of China and China’s Hong Kong will bring them a broader and more sustainable market.”

The article takes further aim at Apple — claiming it reinstated a song which advocates for independence for Hong Kong and had previously been removed from its music store.

We’ve reached out to Apple for comment.

A few days ago the company was getting flak from the other direction as Western commentators piled on to express incredulity over its decision, at the app review stage, not to allow HKmaps on its store. The app’s developer said Apple App Store reviewers had rejected it citing the reasoning as “the app allowed users to evade law enforcement”.

Yet, as many pointed out at the time, the Google-owned Waze app literally describes its function as “avoid police” if you take the trouble to read its iOS listing. So it looked like a crystal-clear case of double standards by Cupertino. And, most awkwardly for Apple, as if the US tech giant was siding with the Chinese state against Hong Kong as concerned residents fight for their autonomy and call for democracy.

We asked Apple about its decision to reject the app at the App Store review stage last week. It did not provide any comment but a couple of days afterwards a spokesman pointed us to an “update” — where the developer tweeted that the iOS version was “Approved, comming soon!” [sic].

At the time of writing the iOS app remains available on the App Store but the episode highlights the tricky trade-offs Apple is facing by operating in the Chinese market — a choice that risks denting its reputation for highly polished corporate values.

The size of the China market is such that just “economical deceleration” can — and has — put a serious dent in Apple’s bottom line. If the company were to exit — or be ejected — from the market entirely there would be no way for it to cushion the blow for shareholders. Yet with a premium brand so bound up with ethical claims to champion and defend fundamental human rights like privacy Apple risks being pinned between a rock and a hard place as an increasingly powerful China flexes more political and economic muscle.

Wider trade tensions between the US and China are also creating further instability, causing major operating headaches for Chinese tech giant Huawei — with the Trump administration pressuring allies to freeze it out of 5G networks and leaning on US companies not to provide services to Chinese firms (leading to question marks over whether Huawei’s smartphones can continue using Google’s Android OS, and suggestions it might seek to deploy its own OS).

The going is certainly getting tougher for tech businesses working from East to West. But it also remains to be seen how sustainable Apple’s West-to-East democratic balancing act can be given heightened and escalating geopolitical tensions.

Apple’s increasingly tricky international trade-offs

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/09/china-attacks-apple-for-allowing-hong-kong-crowdsourced-police-activity-app/

Downloads needed to rank No. 1 on App Store is down 30+% since 2016 for apps, up 47% for games

With the App Store’s big makeover in fall 2017, Apple attempted to shift consumers’ attention away from the Top Charts and more toward editorial content. But app developers still want to make it to the No. 1 position. According to new research from app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower, it’s become easier for non-game apps over the past few years to achieve the top ranking.

Specifically, the firm found that the median number of daily downloads required for non-game applications on the U.S. iPhone App Store to reach No. 1 decreased around 34%, from 136,000 to 90,000 in 2018, then increased a little more than 4% to 94,000 this year.

At the same time, the number of non-game installs on the U.S. App Store had increased by 33% between Q1 2016 and Q1 2019.

These findings, Sensor Tower suggests, indicate that the U.S. market for the top social and messaging apps has become saturated, with downloads for top apps like Facebook and Messenger decreasing over time. In addition, no other apps have found the same level of success that Snapchat and Bitmoji did back in 2016 and 2017, the report adds.

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For example, Messenger saw 5 million U.S. App Store installs in November 2016 while Bitmoji and Snapchat passed 5 million installs in August 2016 and March 2017, respectively. And no other non-game app has topped 3.5 million installs in a single month since March 2017.

Meanwhile, the decline in downloads needed to reach the No. 1 spot on Google Play was even more significant.

The median daily downloads for the top non-game app decreased by 65%, from 209,000 in 2016 to 74,000 so far in 2019.

Similarly, the store saw a decrease in installs among top apps, including Messenger, Facebook, Snapchat, Pandora and Instagram. Messenger, for example, saw its yearly installs fall by 68% from nearly 80 million in 2016 to 26 million in 2018.

Games

With mobile games, however, it’s a different story across both app stores.

On the Apple App Store, it has taken 174,000 downloads for a game to reach the top of the rankings on any given day in 2019 — 85% more the 94,000 installs required for non-game app to reach the top of the charts.

This figure also represents an increase of 47% compared to the 118,000 median daily downloads required to top the charts back in 2016, Sensor Tower said.

median

In part, this trend is due to the rise of hyper-casual gaming. So far in 2019, 28 games have reached the No. 1 position on the U.S. App Store, with hyper-casual games making up all but four of those. And of those four, only Harry Potter: Wizards Unite spent more than one day at the top of the charts. Meanwhile, hyper-casual games like aquapark.io and Colorbump 3D have spent 25 and 30 days at No. 1, respectively.

On Google Play, the median daily installs to reach the No. 1 position increased from 70,000 in 2017 to 116,000 so far in 2019, or 66% growth. Overall game downloads, however, decreased 16% from 646 million in Q1 2017 to 544 million in Q1 2019.

Similarly, 21 out of the 23 games that reached the top spot this year have been hyper-casual titles, like Words Story or Traffic Run.

Breaking the top 10

While topping the charts has gotten easier for non-game apps over the years, breaking into the top 10 has gotten more difficult. Median U.S. daily installs for the No. 10 free non-game app increased 11%, from 44,000 in 2016 to 49,000 in 2019.

median

On Google Play, median daily installs for non-game apps fell nearly 50%, from 55,000 median daily installs in 2016 to 31,000 in 2019.

For games, the No. 10 game’s spot on the App Store increased from 25,000 median daily installs in 2016 to 43,000 so far in 2019, and Google Play saw 26% growth, from 27,000 to 34,000 during the same period.

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Categories making the Top 10

In terms of breaking into the top 10 by category, Photo & Video apps on the App Store present the most challenge. The category where YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat reside saw a median daily amount of more than 16,000 downloads for the No. 10 app.

This was followed by Shopping (15,300 daily downloads for the No. 10 app), Social Networking (14,500), Entertainment (12,600) and Productivity (12,400).

On Google Play, Entertainment apps — like Hulu, Netflix and Bitmoji — need around 17,100 U.S. installs in a day to reach the top 10. This is followed by Shopping (10,800), Social (9,100), Music (8,200) and Finance (8,000).

Beyond the U.S.

Outside the U.S., a non-game app needs approximately 91,000 downloads to reach the top 10 on the App Store in China — higher than the 49,000 installs needed in the U.S. For games, the U.S. is the most difficult to crack the top 10, with a median of 43,000 daily downloads for the No. 10 game.

median

On Google Play, India required the most downloads to reach the top 10, with apps needing 256,000 downloads in a day and games needing 117,000 downloads.

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Of course, the App Store’s ranking algorithms — nor Google Play’s algorithms — don’t rely on downloads alone to determine an app’s ranking. Apple takes into consideration downloads and velocity, among other undocumented factors. Google Play does something similar.

But these days, developers are more concerned with showing up highly ranked in app store searches than they are on top charts, where they’ll need to consider numerous other factors beyond downloads — like keywords, description, user engagement and even app quality, among other things.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/26/downloads-need-to-rank-no-1-on-app-store-is-down-30-since-2016-for-apps-up-47-for-games/

UnitedMasters releases iPhone app for DIY cross-service music distribution

Alphabet-backed UnitedMasters, the music label distribution startup and record label alternative that offers artists 100% ownership of everything they create, launched its iPhone app today.

The iPhone app works like the service they used to offer, only via the web, giving artists the chance to upload their own tracks (from iCloud, Dropbox or directly from text messages), then distribute them to a full range of streaming music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and more. In exchange for this distribution, as well as analytics on how your music is performing, UnitedMasters takes a 10% share on revenue generated by tracks it distributes, but artists retain full ownership of the content they create.

UnitedMasters also works with brand partners, including Bose, the NBA and AT&T, to place tracks in marketing use across the brand’s properties and distributed content. Music creators are paid out via PayPal once they connect their accounts, and they also can tie-in their social accounts for connecting their overall online presence with their music.

UnitedMasters

Using the app, artists can create entire releases by uploading not only music tracks but also high-quality cover art, and by entering information like whether any producers participated in the music creation, and whether the tracks contain any explicit lyrics. You also can specify an exact desired release date, and UnitedMasters will do its best to distribute across services on that day, pending content approvals.

UnitedMasters was founded by former Interscope Records president Steve Stoute, and also has funding from Andreessen Horwitz and 20th Century Fox. It’s aiming to serve a new generation of artists who are disenfranchised by the traditional label model, but are seeking distribution through the services where listeners actually spend their time, and using the iPhone to manage the entire process definitely fits with serving that customer base.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/04/unitedmasters-releases-iphone-app-for-diy-cross-service-music-distribution/

Is Apple’s iPhone XR the best premium phone value of 2018? Mashable Reviews

What's the unicorn mean?
Image: apple

New versions of Apple’s iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS platforms will be announced at WWDC 2019, which starts on June 3 and runs through June 7.

Right on cue, the tech giant sent out media invites for its 30th annual WWDC keynote. Like previous years, the developer conference keynote starts at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.

SEE ALSO: Here’s when Apple will most likely reveal iOS 13 and macOS 10.15

The invite is enclosed below and … includes a unicorn?! What could that mean?

Apple is expected to announce updates to its many software platforms with iOS 13, macOS 10.15, and watchOS 6 headlining the keynote.

As always, it’s anyone’s guess what new features Apple will announce and whether or not there will be any hardware announcements. In past years, Apple used WWDC to introduce new MacBook Pros, the iMac Pro, and HomePod.  

Internet leaks, however, might provide some insight into Apple’s plans. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared a trove of information on what to expect from new versions of Apple’s software.

iOS 13

All we really want is dark mode, TBH.

Image: lili sams / mashable

iOS 13, codenamed “Yukon,” will reportedly come with several interface tweaks such as a “new animation when launching multitasking and closing apps” and a redesigned widgets panel. A much-asked for dark mode will also be one of the big new feature. iOS 13 might also include a swipe-based keyboard similar to SwiftKey, revamped Apple apps (Reminders, Apple Books, Maps, Mail, Home, etc.), and more nuanced Screen Time settings.

For iPad, users might be able to use their tablets as a touchscreen display when it’s connected to a Mac. Additional updates to iOS’s interface on iPad for “multi-tasking, tweaks to the home screen, and the ability to cycle through different versions of the same app” are also expected, according to the report.

macOS 10.15

Can we get a new MacBook keyboard, please?

Image: zlata ivleva / mashable

On the Mac, Apple will likely announce macOS 10.15. Bloomberg’s report says the main news will be iPad apps running on the Mac — a feature Apple announced at last year’s WWDC. This year, though, we should see the fruits of its labor and perhaps third-party iPad apps optimized to work on Macs.

A new Apple Music app could also be introduced during the keynote. The app is said to be a standalone app for the company’s streaming music service and lessens the need to use iTunes.

Other features on iOS, such as Screen Time, iMessage stickers and effects, and Siri Shortcuts (to name a few) will reportedly also make their way to the Mac.

If Apple announces any hardware, it could be the long-anticipated Mac Pro redesign first announced and teased in 2017.

watchOS 6

The Apple Watch Series 4 is the most powerful health wearable available.

Image: lili sams/mashable

As for watchOS 6 for Apple Watch, Apple is said to be planning one of its biggest updates for the smartwatch yet.

Bloomberg says Apple will finally give the Apple Watch its own App Store instead of having users install Watch apps via connected iOS devices.

Along with several new watch faces, Apple will reportedly add more “complications” to make it easier to view glance-able app data from right on watch faces. 

The Apple Watch is also expected to get a new Apple Books app for listening to audio books, a calculator app, two new health apps (one for reminding users to take their medicine and another to track menstrual cycles), and Animoji and Memoji stickers.

WATCH: Is Apple’s iPhone XR the best premium phone value of 2018? — Mashable Reviews

Read more: https://mashable.com/article/apple-wwdc-2019-invitations/

The EU will reportedly investigate Apple following anti-competition complaint from Spotify

The spat between Spotify and Apple is going to be the focus on a new investigation from the EU, according to a report from the FT.

The paper reported today that the European Commission (EC), the EU’s regulatory body, plans to launch a competition inquiry around Spotify’s claim that the iPhone-maker uses its position as the gatekeeper of the App Store to “deliberately disadvantage other app developers.”

In a complaint filed to the EC in March, Spotify said Apple has “tilted the playing field” by operating iOS, the platform, and the App Store for distribution, as well as its own Spotify rival, Apple Music.

In particular, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has said that Apple “locks” developers and their platform, which includes a 30 percent cut of in-app spending. Ek also claimed Apple Music has unfair advantages over rivals like Spotify, while he expressed concern that Apple controls communication between users and app publishers, “including placing unfair restrictions on marketing and promotions that benefit consumers.”

Spotify’s announcement was unprecedented — Ek claimed many other developers feel the same way, but do not want to upset Apple by speaking up. The EU is sure to tap into that silent base if the investigation does indeed go ahead as the FT claims.

Apple bit back at Spotify’s claims, but its response was more a rebuttal — or alternative angle — on those complaints. Apple did not directly address any of the demands that Spotify put forward, and those include alternative payment options (as offered in the Google Play store) and equal treatment for Apple apps and those from third-parties like Spotify.

The EU is gaining a reputation as a tough opponent that’s reining in U.S. tech giants.

Aside from its GDPR initiative, it has a history of taking action on apparent monopolies in tech.

Google fined €1.49 billion ($1.67 billion) in March of this year over antitrust violations in search ad brokering, for example. Google was fined a record $5 billion last year over Android abuses and there have been calls to look into breaking the search company up. Inevitably, Facebook has come under the spotlight for a series of privacy concerns, particularly around elections.

Pressure from the EU has already led to the social network introduce clear terms and conditions around its use of data for advertising, while it may also change its rules limiting overseas ad spending around EU elections following concern from Brussels.

Despite what some in the U.S. may think, the EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, has said publicly that she is against breaking companies up. Instead, Vestager has pledged to regulate data access.

“To break up a company, to break up private property would be very far-reaching and you would need to have a very strong case that it would produce better results for consumers in the marketplace than what you could do with more mainstream tools. We’re dealing with private property. Businesses that are built and invested in and become successful because of their innovation,” she said in an interview at SXSW earlier this year.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/06/eu-will-reportedly-investigate-apple/

Apple may combine Find My iPhone & Find My Friends apps, launch a Tile-like tracking device

Apple is working to combine its tracking apps “Find My iPhone” and “Find My Friends” into one unified app available on both iOS and Mac, according to a new report from the Apple news site 9to5Mac. In addition, the report says, Apple is developing a hardware product that can be attached to other items that Apple customers want to track — similar to what the Bluetooth tracker Tile offers today.

The idea is the new, unified app would then serve as a way to track anything — Apple devices, other important items like a handbag or backpack, as well as the location of family members and trusted friends. And all of this information would be securely synced to iCloud.

Meanwhile, the new hardware — codenamed “B389,” the report says — would represent a threat to Tile and other Bluetooth trackers on the market, as Apple would be able to capitalize on its massive install base of iPhones and other Apple devices to develop its own crowdsourced tracking-and-finding network.

The new hardware tag will be paired to a user’s iCloud account and users will be able to receive notifications when a device, like their iPhone, gets too far away from the tag. Users will also be able to configure locations to be ignored, and can opt to share a tag’s location with friends or family.

And like Tile, when the item with the tag attached goes missing, users could then put the tag into a “Lost” mode that would alert the owner when it’s found. The “finding” takes place by way of a crowdsourced network that includes every other Apple device owner who’s opted in to use this same tracking service, it would seem.

A large crowdsourced network is today one of Tile’s key advantages.

To date, the company has sold 24 million Tiles, which now connect to 4 million items daily with a 90 percent success rate, thanks to its own community-find feature. A competitive product from Apple could eat away at Tile’s business, while also serving as a new source of device revenue for Apple — and perhaps subscription revenues, too, for access to the crowd-finding network.

The reported merger of Apple’s two tracking applications comes at a time when Apple is rethinking how it wants to position its apps. Another recent report from 9to5Mac had confirmed Apple’s plans to break up iTunes, and instead bring new Music, podcasts and TV apps to Mac users. Apple will revamp its Books app as part of these changes, too, the report said.

It’s worth noting that there’s a big leak at Apple right now, and 9to5Mac is benefiting.

In addition to the news about the unified apps, Tile-like tracker and the breakup of iTunes, the site also leaked a big preview of iOS 13, which is said to include a system-wide dark mode, new gestures, visual changes and more. And just yesterday, the site reported that Apple is working on a feature that will allow users to pair a Mac with an iPad to use as a secondary display — something offered today by companies like Luna Display or Duet Display.

As for the new, unified “Find My…” app and hardware tag, no timeline to a public release is yet known.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/17/apple-may-combine-find-my-iphone-find-my-friends-apps-launch-a-tile-like-tracking-device/

Netflix killer? What to expect from Apple’s March 25 event.

Apple ordered two seasons of a show executive produced by Reese Witherspoon.
Image: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Apple is rolling out the red carpet for what could be a serious Netflix competitor. 

The iPhone maker will broadcast an event from its Cupertino headquarters at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, March 25. Rumors have swirled around the tech world for months about Apple beefing up its services business. Here is what to expect. 

SEE ALSO: Apple launches 10.5-inch iPad Air and new iPad mini with Pencil support

Taking on Netflix

It’s widely believed Apple will reveal a Netflix-esque video streaming service. Original video content has not necessarily been Apple’s strong suit over the years, but with big tech competitors like Amazon making moves in the space, Apple is expected to follow suit. 

In case it wasn’t obvious enough already, Apple announced the event by declaring “it’s show time.”

Image: Mashable/Apple

From the look of things, Apple will launch its currently unnamed streaming service with a powerful lineup of celebrity talent. Steven Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Kristen Wiig, and Jennifer Aniston were just a few of the names linked to Apple’s service when it was reported early last year.

A few of the celebrities — including Reese Witherspoon and JJ Abrams — were invited to the event, according to Bloomberg. That would make it a much more star-studded affair than the usual Apple event. 

All the news in one place

Of course, video streaming isn’t the only thing Apple is reportedly working on. It sounds like Apple wants to take advantage of the popularity of its Apple News app with a news-focused paid subscription service. Essentially, users could pay a monthly fee to get access to exclusive Apple News content from third-party publishers. Recently, the New York Times reported that the Wall Street Journal would be one of those publishers. 

Image: Apple

The monthly fee could remove paywalls from news outlets that otherwise make you pay for content. Apple boasted back in January that Apple News had 85 million active users, which makes sense considering the app comes pre-installed on Apple devices and is free to use. 

These two services will theoretically live alongside Apple Music, but Apple could bundle all of them together, too. The all-in-one subscription package would be Apple’s answer to Amazon Prime. One big difference is Apple might let people subscribe to just the video streaming service or just the news service if they don’t want the rest. 

It’s not yet clear how much Apple will charge for all of this. CNBC reported last year that Apple would give away its original content for free to Apple device owners. Netflix charges $12.99 per month for its HD package while Prime is $119 per year, so Apple might stick to that price range for its services.

What about hardware?

Just about the only thing Apple fans shouldn’t expect at the event is big hardware announcements. Apple actually got that out of the way a week ahead of time by launching two new iPad models on Monday. The new iPad Air and iPad mini tablets have been upgraded with Apple Pencil support and the same chips that power the iPhone XS and XS Max. 

Image: Apple

Apple also pushed out a much-needed power upgrade for iMacs this week, as well as second-generation AirPods featuring longer talk time, hands-free Siri, and a wireless charging case.

The fact that Apple took care of those launches a week in advance could be a dead giveaway that the Cupertino event will focus on services. Between Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and the upcoming Disney streaming service, it will be interesting to see if Apple’s alternative can compete — or if it gets left in the dust.

WATCH: Apple is reportedly planning a gaming subscription service

Read more: https://mashable.com/article/what-to-expect-apple-event/

iPhone XS Max review: Apple’s supersized smartphone

Its massive screen is beautiful, but has it lost some of the charm that made the iPhone X so good?

Apples top of the line smartphone has been supersized in both screen size and price, but is the iPhone XS Max really worth the eye-watering 1,099-plus asking price?

Last years iPhone X was a massive leap forward in design for Apple after years of resting on its laurels. This year the iPhone XS Max is essentially that winning design stuck in a photocopier on 112%, which doesnt sound a lot but makes quite a difference.

The iPhone XS Max is all about its massive, beautiful screen, which iseasily better than any other, apart from Samsungs top-of-the-line displays. At 6.5in diagonally the screen is essentially the same size as that on Samsungs monster-phone the Galaxy Note 9, which has a 6.4in display but with a different width to length ratio. Both are high-end phones with around 103cm2 of screen area and a screen-to-body ratio of around 84%, and as such dwarf the competition.

iphone
The iPhone XS on the left, the iPhone XS Max on the right. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Apples biggest achievement is that the colossal screen has been squeezed into a body that isnt that enormous. The iPhone XS Max is certainly a big phone, but at 7.7mm thick its thinner than all of the current top-end phones, including the 8.8mm thick Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

At 157.5mm long the iPhone XS Max is also shorter than even phones with much smaller screens such as the 6in Google Pixel 2 XL (157.9mm long), the 6.2in Samsung Galaxy S9+ (158.1mm long) and is a full 4.4mm shorter than the Note 9.

The thing is the iPhone XS Max is actually one of the more difficult super-sized phones to handle. Thats partly because its marginally wider than the competition at 77.4mm wide, which is 1mm wider than the Note 9 and a full 3.6mm wider than the S9+. But the biggest difference between the iPhone and the rest is Apples use of rounded sides.

Yes, they look and feel luxurious in stainless steel, but theyre difficult to get a solid grip on with your fingers. Others taper to an edge of some sort along the sides, which gives your fingers purchase.

Unless you have abnormally large hands, the iPhone XS Max is therefore almost exclusively a two-handed phone, even with Apples reachability, which brings the top of the screen down to the middle try and use it with one hand at your peril, as this metal and glass sandwich will smash if you drop it.

Specifications

  • Screen: 6.5in Super Retina HD (OLED) (458ppi)

  • Processor: Apple A12 Bionic

  • RAM: 4GB of RAM

  • Storage: 64, 256 or 512GB

  • Operating system: iOS 12

  • Camera: Dual 12MP rear cameras with OIS, 7MP front-facing camera

  • Connectivity: LTE, Wi-Fiac, NFC, Bluetooth 5, Lightning and GPS

  • Dimensions: 157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm

  • Weight: 208g

All-day battery, but nowhere near two

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The holes in the bottom of the phone are no longer symmetrical, get over it. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

The iPhone XS Max has Apples latest processor, the six-core A12 Bionic, which the company says is 15% faster than last years A11 Bionic and up to 50% more efficient. But it is the integrated AI chip that is up to nine times faster than the old one that apparently makes all the difference.

In day-to-day operation its not noticeably faster than the iPhone X, which already feels snappy and responsive with iOS 12. But as with other recent iPhone upgrades, the raw power will only likely come into its own with new software, speeding up AR experiences and other bits and pieces behind the scenes.

The battery life of the iPhone XS Max was slightly disappointing. It will get through the daylight hours without issue, but it wont rival the Huaweis of this world. It lasted just over 27 hours between charges, starting at 7am on day one and lasting right through till past 10am on day two.

That was while using it as my primary device sending and receiving hundreds of emails, messages and push notifications, listening to five hours of music on Bluetooth headphones, watching an hour of Netflix and shooting around 10 or so photos a day. The Lightning connector in the bottom is still the fastest way to charge the phone, with a full charge taking around two hours using an optional fast charger and USB-C cable.

For perspective the iPhone X lasted for 30 hours under the same conditions, while last years Huaweis Mate 10 Pro lasted 50 hours. This years Samsungs Galaxy S9+ only lasted 26 hours and the Note 9 only 25 hours, so it seems weve taken a step back in battery life in 2018.

iOS 12

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Messages has a chat selector split-screen on landscape, which is only one of a few tweaks made to iOS for the large screen size. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Apples strength is that it pushes software updates to phones for a long time. The iPhone 5S, released in 2013, runs the same version of iOS as the iPhone XS Max.

The differences in how they behave come down to the gesture-based navigation that was introduced with the iPhone X last year, and not a lot has changed because iOS 12 concentrated on optimisation over new features.

The big addition is a set of wellbeing tools, alongside much better group notifications, which can be dismissed in one go. Siri Shortcuts, an extra app you can download, also allows power-user automation should you want it, setting up custom routines and trigger words you can utter to Siri.

One of the downsides with the iPhone XS Max is how little Apple has made of the large screen in software. Theres no split-screen multitasking or anything of that ilk. A few of Apples apps have a few more features compared to the smaller iPhone XS.

When in landscape theres a slide-out inbox selector in Mail, chat selector in Messages, Reminders and Contacts get a split-screen view, while Calendar gets an iPad-style Day, Week, Month, Year selector and new view. The Settings app also adopts an iPad-style view in landscape. But these changes arent as useful as the enormous wealth of productivity features put into phones with screens this large by Samsung.

Face ID

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The red LED on the left of the speaker projects a dot pattern on your face for the facial-recognition system. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Face ID continues to be the only biometric security system on Apples iPhones. It works just as well as it did on the iPhone X for me, but wasnt noticeably faster. Those wearing glasses may have difficulty, as will some with sunglasses, although it works perfectly fine when wearing a set of Oakley TwoFace XL Prizm Polarized sunglasses.

Camera

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The camera on the iPhone XS Max is one of the best in the business, and a marked improvement on last years iPhones. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

The dual camera system on the back of the iPhone XS Max has been improved since it first appeared on the iPhone X and 8 Plus last year. It features the same combo of 12-megapixel cameras, one wide angle and one with an effective optical zoom of 2x, but both image sensors and algorithms have been updated.

The result is markedly better low light performance, which still doesnt quite beat rivals from Samsung or Huawei, but comes much closer. Detail preservation in images at full crop is also much improved, coming much closer to that of Googles Pixel 2 XL.

The improved HDR mode, which is now on by default, is also better at dealing with high-contrast scenes, meaning shots into the sun and other bright areas are not as much of a problem.

Portraits are now noticeably better too, particularly the shallow depth of field effect around hair and other extremities. The bokeh is also now adjustable after the fact, which is fun.

The selfie camera is good, but not quite as rich in detailas some rivals. Video is also good, with better stabilisation than previous iPhones.

Overall the iPhone XS Maxs camera is rival for the very best in the business.

Observations

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Full-screen video looks great on the massive 6.5in screen. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

  • I got hand cramp placing my little finger under the bottom of the phone to support its weight, which I havent experienced with any other phone

  • When your hands are warm they stick to the glass back for an easier grip, but its pretty slippery when theyre cold

  • You can swipe side-to-side on the gesture bar to switch apps without invoking the recently used apps cards

  • Weirdly, restoring some apps such as Evernote from the background took an abnormal amount of time

  • The eSim for dual-sim support (two phone numbers on one phone) wont be activated until later in the year

  • The holes in the bottom of the phone are no longer symmetrical, get over it

  • Theres a surprising amount of stereo separation from the speakers, which is all the better for annoying your fellow bus passengers

Price

The iPhone XS Max comes in black, silver or gold, costing 1,099 for 64GB of storage, 1,249 for 256GB or 1,449 for 512GB.

For comparison, the 5.8in iPhone XS costs 999 for 64GB of storage, 6.4in Samsung Galaxy Note 9 costs 899 for 128GB, the 6.2in Galaxy S9+ costs 869 with 128GB of storage, 6.1in Huawei P20 Pro costs 669 with 128GB, the 6in Google Pixel 2 XL with 64GB costs 549, the 6.3in OnePlus 6 with 64GB costs 469.

Verdict

The iPhone XS Max is big, beautiful and expensive. Its primary selling point is that enormous, gorgeous screen, which is really only useful for watching video or viewing photos.

But in maximising the screen, Apple has lost some of the charm that made the iPhone X and its replacement the XS so good. It is much more difficult to handle, heavier and bigger in your pocket.

The camera is great, battery life is OK, theres wireless charging and a myriad of other features. It oozes opulence in a way other smartphones just dont. But the same can be said of its smaller sibling. And theres theres the slightly smaller and cheaper 6.1in iPhone XR arriving later.

If you want the biggest iPhone, and can stomach the eye-watering asking price, then this is it. Just try not to drop it.

Pros: massive, gorgeous screen, decent battery life, water resistance, great camera, Face ID

Cons: no fingerprint scanner, very expensive, no fast charger in the box, no headphone socket, massive body

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The glass back allows for wireless charging but is a fingerprint magnet, while the camera protrudes a little. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/27/iphone-xs-max-review-apple-supersized-smartphone