Orders of iPhone SE have already started shipping before the Official March 31 Launch

The online orders for the 4-inch iPhone SE which started on March 24 are now being shipped by Apple to customers in the United States, Hong kong, Canada and the United Kingdom before the official iPhone SE launch on March 31st in 12 countries.


The online orders for the 4-inch iPhone SE which started on March 24 are now being shipped by Apple to customers in the United States, Hong kong, Canada and the United Kingdom before the official iPhone SE launch on March 31st in 12 countries.

Many users tracking their iPhone SE orders have reported that they have got their delivery estimates between March 31 and April 4.

UPS is delivering orders of North America while DPD is delivering in the United Kingdom.

iPhone SE will be officially available tomorrow at Apple retail stores, and via carriers like AT&T, Verizon and others. 
The Apple iPhone SE will be initially available to purchase in the United States, Canada,Singapore, China, France, Germany, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Australia , and the United Kingdom. It will be launched in twenty more countries in April.

Foxcon agrees to acquire Sharp for $3.5 billion

Today, Foxconn (the company which assembles iPhones) has agreed to acquire majority stakes (approximately two-third states) of Sharp (the company which produces iPhone displays) for $3.5 billion. After, almost a month of bargaining both companies have finally agreed to the takeover of Japanese Manufacturer Sharp by Taiwanese Company Foxconn.

It looks like Hon Hai Precision Industry Co also known as Foxconn has succeeded to get a lower price tag for the acquisition of the Japanese Company Sharp.

Foxconn will pay 389 billion yen or $3.5 billion to the financially struggling Japanese Company Sharp in order to own approximately 66 percent stakes of Sharp which probably could increase to 72 percent by 2017.

Apart from manufacturing iPhone displays Sharp also manufactures numerous consumer products in Japan. Sharp is one of the most popular manufacturers in Japan. But on a global scale, it is not very famous.

After the Foxconn take over Sharp will increase its display producing potential and also invest in OLED display technology.

"I am thrilled by the prospects for this strategic alliance and I look forward to working with everyone at Sharp. We have much that we want to achieve and I am confident that we will unlock Sharp's true potential and together reach great heights."

“We have much that we want to achieve and I am confident that we will unlock Sharp’s true potential and together reach great heights,” said Foxconn founder Terry Gou.

The acquisition is said to be signed on Saturday. A news conference will also be held in Osaka with both Foxconn founder Terry Gou and Sharp CEO Kozo Takahashi.

Source: WSJ

Apple iPhone 6s Review

The flagship smartphone from Apple that has been ruling the smart devices segment for a long time had its latest release some time back. The iPhone 6s is the newest offering from the Cupertino tech giant which aims to capture a good market share in India. Available using flipkart offers, you can get the device for a discounted price. There are some exciting features on the latest iPhone that is sure to delight all smartphone users.

This comprehensive review focuses on all key aspects of the iPhone 6s and gives an unbiased verdict on it.



Look & Feel

The iPhone 6s has the same look as iPhone 6. It is however, a little thick and bulky which cannot be really noticed. The glass on metal build with rounded edges has been reproduced again but the metal is stronger with the use of 7000 Series aluminium. The device fits perfectly in one hand and you will have no trouble holding it.

The bending controversy that appeared all over the internet with iPhone 6 Plus has been put to rest with the beautiful design and good build of iPhone 6s. You will get a premium feel when holding the device and that in itself means a lot. Available in four color variants - Space Grey, Silver, Gold and Rose Gold, you can choose the color that best suits you.
Display
The iPhone 6s comes with a 4.7-inch screen with a 750*1334p resolution. For ultra-sharp viewing angles, there is a pixel density of 336ppi (pixels per inch). The readability under sunlight is completely perfect and there is a wide viewing angle thanks to dual-domain pixels.

The oleophobic coating on the screen prevents it from any fingerprint smudges. There is a 3D touch feature that recognizes different levels of touch on the phone.

Specifications

The latest Apple phone has a dual-core 1.84GHz Twister processor on the Apple A9 chipset. The six-core PowerVR GT7600 GPU takes care of all the graphic needs of the device. The phone can run graphic intensive games without any trouble. Available in three variants, based on the internal memory - 16GB/64GB/128GB, there is the choice to pick the model that best suits you.

There is 2GB of RAM for the processing needs of the phone. There is no glitch when operating the device and the RAM takes care of all the multitasking. The rear camera has a resolution of 12MP with added features like dual-LED (dual tone) flash, phase detection and autofocus. The front camera has a 5MP resolution and comes with face detection feature.

Performance

The new Apple A9 processor is almost 90% faster than the older processor on other iPhones. This helps in rendering good graphics and is ideal for overall use. Since the new iPhone has 2GB of RAM, the system speed is boosted a lot. Apps that run in background are launched much faster and one doesn’t have to refresh constantly.

The Touch ID fingerprint is a fast way to unlock your locked device. Live Photos are another feature that is quite new. You can take 3 photos of an activity and the phone creates a GIF with sound instantly. Even before you click the shutter, some recording happens and this is chained to form an action sequence. You can hard press on the live photos to make them play.

Verdict


The iPhone 6s offers a great performance is a single package. The phone is highly durable and stable. Some very useful features are available that make the device extraordinary. With Live Photos and 4K video recording, you are in control of your digital world. The iPhone 6s completely dominates other phones like OnePlus 2 (available for discounted rates using amazon promotional codes) and Sony Xperia Z5. A little overpriced, you can go for the device if you love the iOS interface.

Several models of iPhone 7 are being tested by Apple, claims report

Several models of iPhone 7 are being tested by Apple, claims report
Apple is testing five different models of the iPhone 7.
Apple released the iPhone 6s just a couple of months ago since then we have seen several rumors about its successor the iPhone 7. A new report published today claims that Apple has already started the testing of the iPhone 7. According to the report, presently five different models of the iPhone 7 are under the process of testing by Apple. The report says that Apple is testing a model of iPhone in which the Lightning connector is replaced with USB-C port. While, the report further claims that the other models of iPhone 7 which are under testing are equipped with multi-touch Force Touch/3D Touch technology, dual cameras, in-display fingerprint scanner and wireless charging technology.

Read: New revamped thinner and lighter MacBook Air coming at WWDC 2016, possibly with a 15-inch variant

Wireless charging technology is a feature which Apple users have been requesting since the addition of wireless charging technology in high-end Android flagships. The wireless charging technology has been our wishlist for the iPhone 7 for quite some time. The wireless charging technology would give users the privilege of charging their iPhone wirelessly without hugging the walls. We're glad that Apple is finally testing this technology. It could possibly be one of the key features of the iPhone 7. However, right now we aren't sure if wireless charging technology is going to be a part of the iPhone 7.

Read: Apple to ditch 3.5mm headphone port for lightning headphones

The multi-Force Touch/3D Touch technology probably would mean that it would allow users to press hard with two fingers on the screen to access different sort of options.

The in-display fingerprint scanner has been rumored for a long time. This technology would allow Apple to equip the fingerprint scanner into the display, probably causing the removal of the home button. It would also allow the Cupertino company to shrink those bezels for which Apple has been a victim of criticism for a long time by many tech reviewers.

Read: Apple could start using OLED Displays for iPhone in 2018

While at this point of time when these technologies are currently under testing of Apple. We aren't really sure that which of those above-mentioned technologies would be featured in the final retail version of the iPhone 7. But let's hope for the best and what do you think? which of these technologies should be the part of the iPhone 7? Let us know in the comments.

Source: GForGames

New revamped thinner and lighter Macbook Air coming at WWDC 2016, possibly with a 15-inch variant


A report claims that Apple is possibly working on Macbook Air with whole new design and preparing to unveil on WWDC 2016. Apple's WWDC will be held in June, like always, so according to the report redesigned Macbook Air will be launch in the third quarter of 2016, maybe with iPhone in September or early in July.

The report claims that the upcoming MacBook Air will have a slimmer and lighter design and it will offer 13-inch or 15-inch display sizes, 11-inch display option could be terminated due to the 12-inch Retina MacBook. The upcoming MacBook Air could also feature an Retina display. The rumored MacBook Air will use fully redesigned internal component across the board and reported Apple is working hard for MacBook Air revamped Components.

Earlier this year Apple expanded their Line-up by including a 12-inch Retina MacBook that was based on ultrathin design and revamped internals for fanless Machine. With the launch of a 12-inch MacBook, most of the people were thinking that its time to say goodbye to the Macbook Air because Apple's new focus is Macbook. But with the rumor of revamped MacBook Air again sparked the thoughts of getting a more thin laptop with some ports.

Apple nearly ended all the ports on the 12-inch MacBook  leaving a USB Type-C port that does everything a user wants and a 3.5mm headphone port to make is 13mm thin. But it's not clear if Apple does same to the MacBook Air.

The source also tells the revamped MacBook Air will Also include new batteries, cooling modules or may be fanless design, new Unibody and more. But is still getting work done by Quanta, its main Manufacturer.

Apple's gave last major refresh to Macbook air five years ago, this hints at a major refresh again. But still there are many months left between the launch date so future rumors will confirm its existence and details.

What type of upgrade you want in MacBook Air? (I want Retina display, more battery life, Force Touch and a 5 megapixel FaceTime camera)

Source: Taiwan's Economic Daily News

Best Stories of the Week: iPhone 7, Apple Pay, iPad Pro and More

There was no shortage of interesting stories this week, and most of them shed some light on the iPad Pro and the iPhone 7. China is said to get Apple Pay  sometime in 2016. Apple might replace the 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7. And many more interesting stories were posted this week.

Read about the best stories of the week by following the links posted below:

Apple Pay to reach China in February 2016
iPad Pro gets 3D touch feature through Apple Pencil pressure, iOS 9 Hack
Apple could start using OLED Displays for iPhone in 2018
Apple to ditch 3.5mm headphone port for lightning headphones

Apple to ditch 3.5mm headphone port for lightning headphones


A new report claims that Apple will remove 3.5mm headphone port in iPhone 7 to adopt lightning wired headphones. This step will allow Apple to make next-generation iPhone 1mm thinner than compared to iPhone 6s, But the screen shape and radius will remain similar so that iPhone will be once again thinnest smartphone by Apple. But this reduction will limit users from using headphones with 3.5mm headphone jack which is the standard of the world and headphones will only connect through the lightning connector or through Bluetooth. 

The report says it's a difficult task to reduce the size of 3.5mm port because it is a world standard, iPod touch is already 1mm thinner than iPhone while it is still using 3.5mm port, but it doesn't have Sim module that occupies a lot of space. 

Apple made efforts to bring 2.5mm port to iPhone many years ago, but customers response was against to anything other than 3.5mm port. But the idea of removing or reducing the headphone port was alive in Apple's head but the company was waiting for alternate headphone connection technologies to attract users mind so that they could implant them in the future devices but till then they kept producing devices with 3.5mm port. 

Last year Apple introduced lightning headphone, but the number of shipped lightning headphones was very few.

The source also claims that Apple has the full plan to remove headphone port so the Phone 7 package will include a lightning earbuds that will connect in lightning port, the connector will contain a tiny Digital to Analog (DA) converter. And in order to let iPhone 7 use third-party headphone, headphone maker will have to include the lightning cable or 3.5mm port to the lightning connector with their headphones. But Bluetooth headphone will have no effect with this step. Apple could include Bluetooth earbuds or something like that to the iPhone package instead of the wired earbuds.

How many of you are OK with this change?

Also check out report says  iPhone 7 could also include 3GB of RAM.
Sorce: Macotakara

Apple could start using OLED Displays for iPhone in 2018


Apple is planning to use OLED displays in 2018 for iPhones, According to Nikkei. Apple has notified their display suppliers about their future display plan in order to make them ready for production, LG is already providing OLEDs for Apple Watch and readying its self for production capacity upgrade for OLEDs Display.

The report claims LG Display and Samsung Electronics will be the main provider of OLED displays for future iPhones. Apple's step toward OLED display will be a huge loss for Japanese Companies that are currently producing LCD displays for Apple and earning a huge amount of profit.

Apple ships a lot of iPhones, the technical issues of OLEDs forcing the company to continue selling iPhones integrated with LCD display panels alongside models featuring new OLED display.

Apple is using LCD displays since the first iPhone launched eight years ago, But the competitors are using the cutting edge OLED display technologies which are sharper, brighter and power efficient than the LCD displays, but they offer shorter display life and costs way more than LCDs. Apple is working hard to eliminate cons of OLED displays as Apple wants to introduce better display than existing displays.

Previously, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities shared that Apple is not adopting OLED display at least for next three years because of a report claiming that Apple is adopting AMOLED display for iPhone 7. Kuo also claimed that Apple's largest supplier Foxconn is investing in advanced TFT -LCD production lines in China for mass production in 2018.

If not OLED display, Apple has to upgrade iPhone 7 with a better display that could be an innovation through LCD or may be just a number upgrade.

Do you want OLED display in your next iPhone?

iPad Pro gets 3D touch feature through Apple Pencil pressure, iOS 9 Hack

iPad Pro 3d touch

A well known developer Hamza Sood hacked the iOS 9 to enable 3D Touch feature on iPad Pro with the pressure sensitive sensor of Apple Pencil by combining relevant iOS codes through jailbreak. Hack convert all Apple Pencil pressure data into data for 3D interaction. 3D Touch is exclusive to iPhone 6s and none of the other device support 3D Touch functionality including Apple's latest large Tablet. Apple Pencil's Pressure data is only used for drawing and sketching purpose.

Hamza Sood managed to do it because Apple Pencil sends pressure data back to the system, which helps in increasing width when drawing or sketching. The pressure sensitive sensor is integrated into the Apple Pencil, not in the iPad Pro. The hack converts the Pressure force into the usable numbers and the numbers are used for 3D Touch's Peak and Pop feature.

The Video below shows the Peak and Pop feature in action posted by Hamza Sood.



It seems that Apple doesn't want iPad Pro users to use Apple Pencil just for drawing or sketching not as a stylus. They don't want users to use 3D through Apple Pencil even if it is possible, Apple is not bringing this feature because of marketing reasons.

You can bring this functionality to you iPad Pro through Hamza Sood's guide available in GitHub.

Apple Pay to reach China in February 2016

Apple Pay in china

Apple will debut Apple Pay in China by Chinese Spring Festival Holiday on 8 February 2016, which is Chinese New Year.

According to the report, Apple has recently dealt with China's big four state-run banks to launch Apple Pay in the country, but the company could still see regulatory obstacles in China. China's bug four state-run banks include the Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China.

China already has electronic payment platforms that include Alipay the service from Alibaba and Tenpay which are the largest two E-Payment systems in the country.


Apple is already making more business from China Than any other market. China's market is about to overtake the United States.

Apple has launched the Payment service in Australia and Canada in the previous week with the exclusive support of American Express. Apple Pay will reach Hong Kong, Singapore and Spain in 2016. Apple is determined to make Apple Pay a international Payment service.

China was rumored for the launch of Apple Pay even before launch in the United Kingdom. Tim Cook has said words like "very bullish" for launching Apple Pay in China.


Source:WSJ