Back in 2015, Apple introduced pressure-sensitive iPhone screens alongside 3D Touch as a potentially major hardware-software innovation, but barely supported the feature, leading to informed speculation that all of 2019’s iPhones would lose their pressure-sensing hardware. This week’s release of the fourth iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 developer betas appears to put the final nail in 3D Touch’s coffin, tightening up…
Tag: iPhone
Apple Plans To Bankroll Original Podcasts To Fend Off Rivals
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Apple plans to fund original podcasts that would be exclusive to its audio service, according to people familiar with the matter, increasing its investment in the industry to keep competitors Spotify and Stitcher at bay. Executives at the company have reached out to media companies and their representatives to discuss buying exclusive rights…
Chess Grandmaster Caught Cheating in Tournament With Hidden Cellphone in Bathroom
“The World Chess Federation (FIDE) announced Saturday that it caught chess grandmaster Igors Rausis cheating during a tournament in France,” writes Bleacher Report. According to ESPN.com, the FIDE noted that Rausis was “caught red-handed using his phone during a game.” A cellphone was found in a toilet that Rausis had used during the competition, and Rausis later admitted to using it…
Bill Gates Shares His Memories of Steve Jobs
BGR reports:
Bill Gates would like you to know that the reason his late rival was able to resuscitate Apple and take the iPhone maker from near-death to being the most valuable company in the world is that Steve Jobs was so successful at making people believe in an idea. Or, as Gates puts it, that Jobs was so good at “casting…
Xiaomi Threatens Legal Action Against Users Who Call Its Mimoji App a Copycat of Apple’s Memoji
From a report: Apple’s Memoji may have become the more popular 3D avatar feature for smartphones, but Xiaomi wants people to know that its similarly-named version — Mimoji — came first, despite increasingly confusing overlap between the apps’ names and features. Moreover, it’s apparently threatening legal action against writers who call it a copycat without providing proof. In September 2017, Apple…
Jony Ive Left Apple Because of CEO Tim Cook’s Lack of Interest in Product Design, Report Says
To many, Jony Ive’s departure from Apple last week felt very sudden. But a narrative is forming to suggest that he’s been slowly drifting apart from the company for several years as the iPhone maker’s priorities shifted from product design to operations. Here are some of the highlights from The Wall Street Journal [paywalled] piece: Ive was “dispirited” by Tim Cook…
Slashdot Asks: Which iPhone Is Your Favorite?
Apple iOS developer David Smith noticed something that really jumped out at him when he was reviewing his iPhone’s device analytics. “People really, really like the 4.7-inch iPhone,” he writes. “When I look at the iPhone distribution for Pedometer++ the four most popular devices are all that size. Together they account for nearly 50% of all devices I see in use.”…
Jony Ive, iPhone Designer, Leaving Apple To Form Independent Company
Apple’s chief designer Jony Ive is leaving after decades at the iPhone maker to form an independent company — with Apple as one of its primary clients. Ive was at Apple for more than two decades in which his iconic designs for the Mac, iPod and iPhone turned one of Silicon Valley’s faded giants into the world’s most valuable company and…
Apple Hires Key Chip Designer From ARM As Own Efforts Ramp Up
Apple has hired one of ARM’s top chip engineers as the iPhone maker looks to expand its own chip development to more powerful devices, including the Mac, and new categories like a headset. Bloomberg reports: The company hired Mike Filippo in May for a chip architect position, according to his LinkedIn profile. At ARM, Filippo was a lead engineer behind chip…
Apple Releases First Public Betas of macOS Catalina, iOS 13 and iPadOS
Apple today seeded the first beta versions of upcoming macOS Catalina update, iOS 13 update, and iPadOS update to its public beta testing group, giving non-developers a chance to try out the software ahead of their fall public release. Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will be able to download the macOS Catalina beta through the…