Tag: apple iphone

Touch ID on Apple’s iPhone May Be Gone for Good With Face ID Set to Become the Standard: Report

Apple’s Touch ID is still being used by its customers who recently purchased an iPhone SE (2022). However, it may be the last model to utilise the secure biometric authentication technology introduced with the iPhone 5s in 2013. The troubled Touch ID system, which was directly integrated into the all-important home button, was reliable in terms of accuracy but had its fair share of durability issues because it was a moving button until Apple replaced it with a static home button with the iPhone 7. The technology was then sidestepped by the introduction of Face ID with Apple’s iPhone X, reducing the need for a home button altogether because of its new gesture-based software interface. Now, it seems that Apple is finally done with Touch ID and that it will not be making another appearance on any future iPhone.

First reported by MacRumors, a post on Weibo by an “integrated security expert” claims that Apple has shut down most of the original equipment it used to build chips for its iPhone Touch ID modules. It also mentions that only a few machines have been kept running to supply modules for the recent iPhone SE (2022) models, which still utilise the static home button with the integrated Touch ID system. This hints that Apple has no immediate plans to revive the technology used in its older iPhone models.

Apple has yet to update its last iPhone SE model, which still stands as the most affordable iPhone in some countries, including India. The smartphone was released in 2022 and is due for an update anytime soon as it offers little real-world value other than having the Apple logo at the back.

As per the rumour mill, the next iPhone SE (currently tagged as the iPhone SE 4) is said to have gotten a refreshed design (which would appear similar to an iPhone 14 and plenty more. A newer design would be a proper departure from the rounded and super slim designs of past iPhone models and would also see the old home button getting discarded entirely from Apple’s iPhone range.

Apple is still expected to retain a single rear camera module with its upcoming iPhone SE 4, but it is expected to be a high-resolution unit, which will hopefully get some hybrid digital zooming capabilities. Older reports also hint that Apple could add its recently introduced Action Button with the new iPhone SE as well.

As for Touch ID on Apple’s Macs and MacBooks, it’s business as usual, as we have yet to see the first laptop from Apple with its Face ID authentication system built-in, even though Apple has adopted a display notch on its new and recently launched MacBooks. Other than its iPhones, Face ID is currently only available on Apple’s iPad Pro tablet models (2018 onwards).

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Tata Reportedly Completes Wistron India Takeover, Set to Become First Indian iPhone Manufacturer

The Tata Group has reportedly completed its takeover of Apple supplier Wistron India, bringing the Indian tech conglomerate one step closer to becoming the first Indian firm to assemble Apple’s iPhone models in the country. Takeover discussions began a year ago, and Tata already supplies components for the Cupertino company’s smartphones in Tamil Nadu. However, the acquisition of Wistron’s production lines in India will allow the company to assemble iPhone models like Foxconn and Pegatron, two of Apple’s suppliers that assemble the phones in India.

The Economic Times reports that the Tata Group has signed a binding share purchase agreement to acquire 100 percent equity stake in Wistron India. The deal to acquire the Indian unit from Singapore-based SMS Infocomm and Wistron Hong Kong, is worth a total of $750 million (roughly Rs. 6,250 crore), according to the report, and Tata will pay $125 million (roughly Rs. 1,040 crore) to acquire Wistron’s assembly lines in India.

While the Tata Group was already producing some components for Apple in India at its plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, the Wistron India acquisition allows it to become a full-fledged iPhone assembler. Apple has other suppliers in India like Foxconn and Pegatron that assemble the iPhone 15, iPhone 14, and other recent models, but Tata will be the first Indian firm to manufacture the handsets in the country.

Earlier this month, TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple would lower its production scale in two regions in China considerably next year. Meanwhile, the percentage of iPhone units made in India that are shipped globally is expected to rise from 14 percent to between 20 to 25 percent by 2024.

Kuo also claims that the development of the iPhone 17 — the successor to the purported iPhone 16 that is likely to launch in 2024 — is set to happen outside China for the first time. Apple will start the new product introduction (NPI) process for the iPhone 17 in India, during the second half of 2024, according to Kuo. Based on its annual release cycle, Apple’s iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 series are expected to be released in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

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iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro Models Said to Get Same 3nm A18 Pro Processor Next Year: Analyst

Apple did shock many of its fans when it launched the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models back in 2022 without its latest processor. Both models were unveiled with the previous year’s A15 Bionic, which was an SoC manufactured using the 5nm process. The more expensive iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models came with the latest Apple A16 Bionic instead, which used the newer 4nm manufacturing process. Apple went on to repeat the same with this year’s iPhone 15 launch, revealing yet another iPhone 15 model with last year’s A16 Bionic SoC, while the top-end Pro models received a brand-new A17 Pro SoC. While it seems like using old SoCs in its lower-priced iPhone is soon becoming a standard practice for Apple, it appears that this may not be the case with next year’s iPhone 16 range.

According to a report by Wccf Tech, which spoke to industry analyst Jeff Pu from Haitong Securities, Apple could offer the same new processor in next year’s base iPhone 16 models as the Pro models. Pu in the report claims that all new iPhone 16 models, which includes both the lower-priced iPhone 16 models and the high-end iPhone 16 Pro models will use the same A18 Pro processor, which will be announced by Apple next year. The analyst also states that the SoC will be manufactured by TSMC using its second-generation N3E 3nm process node.

This year’s iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are indeed quite the leap in terms of processing power versus the high-end Qualcomm silicon powering premium Android smartphones this year. This is because Apple became the first company to release its own processor, which is manufactured using the more efficient 3nm process, versus the 4nm process which most Android smartphone manufacturers are currently utilising. This is expected to change when the first Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC-powered smartphones arrive, which uses the more efficient 3nm manufacturing process.

The second-generation 3nm process node is expected to provide better yield allowing more processors to be manufactured on a single silicon wafer. TSMC currently uses the N3B process node to build Apple’s current generation A17 Pro processor. Efficiency in such processors is usually connected to the manufacturing process, because the drop in process nodes allows more transistors to be packed into the same space, which allows for more power and better efficiency, also letting the devices being powered by these processors last longer in terms of battery life.

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Apple Used India’s NavIC GPS System in iPhone 15 Models: MoS IT

Apple has incorporated India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) GPS system in its iPhone 15 models, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday. NavIC, which is powered by ISRO satellites, will be available along with other GPS systems of Galeilio and Glosnas in iPhone 15.

On September 12, Apple unveiled iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models, and they will be available for purchase later this month.

“There are two big milestones that emerge from the Apple announcement of their newest Iphone 15. One is certainly a very satisfying announcement which is that on the very day a customer in New York, Tokyo or London gets in their hand on an iPhone 15, an Indian customer will also get the iPhone on the same day,” Chandrasekhar said.

The Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology also said that for the first time ever, iPhone 15 incorporates in its system design the availability of NavIC GPS system, along with other GPS of Galeilio and Glosnas.

“So for the first time ever, a global product like iPhone will have incorporated technology that is designed, delivered and powered by the Indian constellation of NavIC which is something that ISRO has built, designed and launched.

“It… shows the coming of age of Indian technology,” he said.

When asked if the government plans to introduce NavIC in other areas as well like automobiles, he replied in the affirmative.

“Yes! It is natural that NavIC tracker should be made mandatory for all automobiles. The next step will be that all automobiles will also use NavIC trackers. Like all iPhones have got NavIC, all automobiles will be powered by NavIC,” he said.

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iOS 16 Battery Percentage Display Not Available on Some iPhone Models

Among the new features that come with an upgrade to iOS 16 on supported iPhones, is the new battery percent display that first showed up in an iOS 16 beta. The feature basically lets you glance at the battery’s charge status without the need to swipe down the Control Center on iPhones that have the TrueDepth camera and the display notch. Turns out that not all iPhone users can take advantage of this feature.

Apple’s iOS 16 operating system is available for a long list of supported iPhones (starting from the iPhone 8), but it turns out that not all of them will get all of the features. Key among these is the new battery percentage display that is located to the right of TrueDepth camera system, which is housed inside the display notch. It now indicates the battery percentage, which is convenient to glance at instead of swiping down the Control Center.

Apple has now indicated in a support document that not all iPhone models will support the battery percentage display feature. In its support document, Apple states that the new battery percentage display is not available on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 mini, and the more recent iPhone 13 mini as well. It does not provide any information on why it’s not possible to bring the feature to these iPhone models.

While the new battery percentage display is a welcomed feature in iOS 16, the way it displays the percentage can be a bit tricky to read as the new indicator includes the percentage inside the battery icon instead of next to it, like on past models, and in the Control Center. The icon itself remains completely filled giving users the impression that battery has not drained, until the battery drops to 20 percent after which the icon turns red, remaining partially filled.

This is very different compared to how Android smartphones display battery status, which usually have the battery icon that’s filled to indicate exactly how much battery life is left along with the percentage shown next to it.

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Apple Working on iPhone Subscription Service, Could Launch by Year End: Mark Gurman

Apple’s hardware subscription service has been in the works for a while and was made public after it surfaced in a Bloomberg article in March this year. A few months later, the same source now claims that Apple’s hardware subscription service is currently undergoing testing and that it will be announced by the end of this year, or early next year. The subscription service will essentially let buyers subscribe to Apple hardware instead of purchasing them outright. Buyers will have to pay a monthly fee and can upgrade to a newer iPhone model when available.

In his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman explains that the service once live is expected to function very differently compared to Apple’s current iPhone Upgrade Programme, which basically lets buyers split the cost of an iPhone over 12-24 months. The new hardware subscription service will be quite different as subscribers to the same would have to pay a monthly fee (like subscribing to Apple Music) to use the device and can later upgrade to a new one; once a new model is available.

According to Gurman, Apple is still testing out its new hardware subscription service and working out how it will integrate its Apple One bundles with it. The source also claimed that its new service will launch either later this year, or next year and that Apple did not announce the service at its iPhone 14 launch, to “reduce launch day complexity”, as it would be an entirely different way to purchase an iPhone.

What remains to be seen is how many Apple’s devices will be a part of this subscription service and whether this would extend to Apple’s Mac ecosystem as well. Also critical is the pricing and the fine print that would divide the line between owning the devices or purely using them. Gurman in his newsletter also stated that subscription fee would also depend on “which device a user chooses.”

As per an earlier report, this new hardware subscription service is supposed to benefit Apple well as it is expected to rake in more money than the average selling price of an iPhone. This should work out well for Apple as it releases new versions of important devices year after year. The consumer benefits with a new and updated device at a lower cost and does not have to bear the entire cost of buying a new device in one go.

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Ambrane Glares With Inbuilt Speakers, 7-Hour Battery Life Launched in India: Details



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iPhone 14 Series Design Suggested Through Case Moulds

iPhone 14 series design has been suggested through an image that has emerged online. The image appears to show the back aesthetics of the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and a new iPhone model that is rumoured as the iPhone 14 Max. All new iPhone models appear to have a camera bump at the back — similar to the iPhone 13 family. However, the iPhone 14 Pro versions seem to have a thicker bump over the one available on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

A tipster on Weibo has shared the image that apparently shows the aluminium moulds of the iPhone 14 models. These could be made specifically for use in producing third-party cases for the next-generation iPhone models.

One of the biggest changes that the image suggests in the iPhone 14 lineup is the lack of the 5.4-inch ‘mini’ model. Several reports in the past indicated that Apple is planning to not unveil the iPhone 14 mini as the successor to the iPhone 13 mini.

The lineup in the image, thus, shows four new iPhone models, where one of them is the 6.1-inch option that could debut as the iPhone 14 Max — the new, relatively affordable iPhone in the series.

Additionally, the image suggests that the camera bump on the new models is more prominent over the one we had on last year’s versions — especially in case of the purported iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Last month, tipster Max Weinbach showed alleged iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max design schematics. The tipster claimed that the iPhone 14 Pro would measure 147.46×71.45×7.85mm, suggesting a slightly thicker and taller variant over the iPhone 13 Pro, which is 146.70×71.50×7.65mm in dimensions.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max, on the other hand, was tipped to be 160.7×77.58×7.85mm. This suggests a shorter and narrower build but slightly thicker in size over the iPhone 13 Pro Max which measures 160.8×78.1×7.65mm.

Apple could be able to fit in an improved camera setup on the iPhone 14 Pro models by moderately increasing the camera bump.

Ming-Chi Kuo, a prominent Apple analyst who often predicts next-generation devices coming from the Cupertino company, recently suggested that there would be an upgraded 48-megapixel camera sensor on both iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The existing Pro models have a 12-megapixel camera system.

Exact details on the launch of the iPhone 14 series are yet to be revealed. However, Apple is suggested to schedule its announcement for some time in September.

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