Showing posts with label Afnan Ali Awan. Show all posts

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

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

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

Best Stories of the Week: Apple Pencil teardown, Apple Pay, iPad Mini 4 and more


There was no shortage of interesting stories this week, and most of them shed some light on the iPad Pro and the Apple Pay. iPad Mini 4 Display crushes all other iPads in terms of display. Meanwhile, Photos of Charging Dock for Apple Watch were revealed. Moreover, Apple Pencil receives teardown treatment. Apple gives a temporary fix for iPad Pro sluggishness while charging. And many more interesting stories were posted this week.

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



Apple posts a guided tour of Apple Pay for iPhone owners

After launching Apple Pay in Australia and Canada this week, Apple has just posted a video walkthrough of Apple Pay for new users. The video shows how iPhone users can verify their payments using the Touch ID while shopping at physical stores as well for purchasing apps on the App Store. 

There's also another walkthrough which shows you how to setup and manage Apple Pay via the Wallet app.

The Apple Pay is presently available in Canada, United States, United Kingdom and Australia, while Spain, Singapore, and Hong Kong will be added to the list next year.

Apple provides temporary fix for iPad Pro unresponsiveness after charging


Soon after the launch of the iPad Pro, it came into our knowledge that the iPad Pro becomes unresponsive after charging for a long period of time requiring to do a hard reset to get the tablet back to work.

According to Apple:


"To get back to using your iPad Pro, force restart it by pressing and holding both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo. 
Apple is aware of this issue and is investigating."
It looks like after charging the iPad Pro for long time, it becomes unresponsive to all kinds of touch or interactions and the screen remains dark no matter what, unless you do a hard reset. 

Both 32GB and 128GB (Wi-Fi and LTE) variants of the iPad Pro running iOS 9.1 seems to be affected by the issue. It is not certain if the problem is related to hardware or software. 

Source: Apple

Photos of Official Charging Dock for Apple Watch hit the web

Photos of Official Charging Dock for Apple Watch
According to our source, a charging dock for Apple Watch called the "Magnetic Charging Dock" is in works at Apple. Reportedly, several photos of the so called Magnetic Charging Dock have been leaked.

Apparently the dock is in a circular form and it can be used in both portrait and landscape orientations. The charging puck inside the magnetic dock can also be adjusted according to the orientation of the dock.


A Lightning cable will be included in the packing of the Magnetic Charging Dock for Apple Watch, to charge the watch via the dock. Though, it will not come with a USB Power Adapter. 

The dock will likely cost you around 89 or $79 in the U.S, which is certainly more than the Apple's charging dock for the iPhone. The increase in price could be due to certain design changes in the dock of the Apple Watch like the addition of the ability to use the dock in both portrait and landscape orientations.

The release date of the isn't known yet, but the leaked photos of complete packaging of the dock indicate that the dock will launch soon.

Source: Macrumors

Quanta allegedly working on Second Generation of Apple Watch

The Second Generation of Apple Watch is in works and set to release in 2016.
The Second Generation of Apple Watch is in works and set to release in 2016.
According to our source, a company named Quanta Computer is allegedly working on the second generation of Apple Watch. Barry Lam Quanta Computer chairman reportedly said that the company is working on the next generation of Apple Watch with Apple. The current Apple Watch is also being assembled by Quanta Computers.

The Chinese website United Daily News claims that the next generations of Apple Watch will release in the second quarter of 2016 with mass shipments to begin sometime in third quarter of 2016.

It is also rumored that Apple could also announce the second generation of Apple Watch in June 2016. The current generation of Apple Watch was announced in September 2014 and it was released back in April 2015.

An analyst Timothy Arcuri, a couple of months ago said that second-generation Apple Watch will be thinner than the first generation of Apple Watch and it will launch in mid- to late-2016. Another report claimed that the Apple Watch will have more WiFi capabilities and also a Facetime camera.

Source: United Daily News [Translated]

Apple to shut down Beats Music on November 30

Apple to shut down Beats Music on November 30
Apple to shut down Beats Music on November 30 (Img: Apple Insider)
Apple today has announced that it is going to shut off Beats Music streaming service on November 30. Well, according to the support page of Beats Music website, all subscriptions will be cancelled on November 30 and users will be asked to move to Apple Music.

According to the Beats Music support page:
"Beats Music ends on November 30. Your subscription will be cancelled, but you can move your picks and preferences over to Apple Music right now.All the pros that curated music for you are still crafting more amazing experiences. Plus, on Apple Music, you’ll get even better recommendations based on music you already listen to and love, 24/7 global radio with Beats 1, exciting material from your favorite artist, and more."
Back in June when Apple launched Apple Music streaming service, the Beats Music service stopped accepting new subscribers. There's seem to be no reason for Apple to keep Beats Music service alongside Apple Music. Because Apple this week released the beta version of Apple Music for Android. Therefore, now both Android and iOS users can enjoy Apple Music service. Beats Music subscribers have access to the service until the music streaming service terminates on November 30.

Source: BeatsMusic

iPad Pro tops benchmarks, crushes the competition

Indeed, iPad Pro is Apple's most powerful iPad ever!
Indeed, iPad Pro is Apple's most powerful iPad ever! (Img: Google Images)
Yes! You read that right!. The iPad Pro is not only the most powerful iPad it's certainly the most powerful tablet on the planet. Apparently, when it comes to benchmarks no comes near the scores of the iPad Pro, not even the previous iPad Air 2. 

The iPad Pro scores 3233 while the iPad Air scores 1831 in Geekbench Single-Core test. The iPhones 6s got a score of 2537 in the single-core test.




The iPad Air 2 A8X chip has three CPU cores clocked at 1.84GHz while on the other side the iPad Pro only has two cores clocked at 2.25GHz. But still the iPad Pro managed to beat the three core iPad Air 2 in Multi-Core Geekbench test results.



Literally, in benchmarks the iPhone 6S performance comes close to the performance of the iPad Pro, but due to the larger casing of the iPad Pro of the it gives it much more room for keeping the CPU at a cool level. Moreover, the A9X chipset of the iPhone 6s can’t hold its maximum clock-speed for a long time without throttling but the iPad Pro's chipset can maintain that for long periods of time.


The results in other benchmark tests were much the same, the iPad Pro beat its competition. We would suggest you guys to read the Ars Technica's detailed review of the benchmark tests.

Source: ArsTechica

Apple Music finally comes to Android

Apple Music now available on Android
Apple Music now available on Android (Img: Google Images)
Today, Apple released an Android version of its Apple Music streaming service on Play Store. Now by using the app Android users will be able to stream thousands of tracks of different artists, listen to Beats 1 radio, and subscribe to Apple Music service.

The app is available in the Google Play Store to download for Android-based smartphones and tablets. The Apple Music app requires Android 4.3 or later for getting access to the music streaming service. The Apple Music app is available everywhere on the planet except China. The first three-month free trial also comes with the app and it is priced as $9.99/$14.99 per month.

While, the User interface and design of the app are pretty similar to the iOS Apple Music App. But the Android app is still in beta, it doesn't contain Music Videos or the facility to sign up for  the family plan. Meanwhile, those of you who want to sign up for the Family plan, you will need to use an iOS device to do so.

While, talking about the Android app of Apple Music, Apple executive Eddy Cue said:

"We wanted customers on Android to naturally be able to use it -- what they've learned and how they interact is common. Things as simple as [that] the share icon looks like an Android share icon; the menu structure being where it is; these are things that most Android customers are familiar with. We wanted to make sure that they felt very familiar with Apple Music when they sat down to use it."
Have checked out the Android app of Apple Music? How is it? Let us know in the comments.

iPad Pro is the substitute for Personal Computers says, Tim Cook


The iPad Pro will replace Personal Computers says Apple's CEO
The iPad Pro will replace Personal Computers says Apple's CEO. (Img:Google Images)
Today, Apple's CEO Tim Cook told The Telegraph that how will the iPad Pro serve as a replacement for PC and how tablets nowadays are changing the PC market.

"I think if you're looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?" [...] 
"Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones." said Tim Cook.
The Cupertino company CEO further said that due to iPad Pro's unique features like the great sound system and the Apple Pencil it will surely gain the attention of a lot of artists and other related folks.

(Img: 9to5Mac)
Speaking about the new Apple TV, Tim Cook said that the Apple TV sales were "very strong". He also said that the Apple Watch sales will "set a new record this quarter".Tim Cook said that Apple doesn't have any intention of releasing health-related features and the sensor that would cause the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to get associated with the gadget. But he didn't say that the company doesn't have any plans of introducing health related apps that would require FDA approval.

"We don't want to put the watch through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) process. I wouldn't mind putting something adjacent to the watch through it, but not the watch, because it would hold us back from innovating too much, the cycles are too long. But you can begin to envision other things that might be adjacent to it -- maybe an app, maybe something else."
 The iPad Pro will go on sale in online stores on Wednesday, November 11.The iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 32GB variant, the 128GB WiFi only variant costs $949 and the iPad Pro 128GB configuration with WiFi + LTE costs $1079. The Apple Pencil costs an additional $99 and the Apple Smart Keyboard is priced at $169.

iPad 2 Dominates iPad Market Share, iPads Have Low Early Adoption Rate

iPad 2 is Apple's most popular tablet ever
iPad 2 is Apple's most popular tablet ever (Img: TechnoBuffalo)
According to a recent report published on Friday by Localytics, Apple's 2011 iPad the iPad 2 is the most commonly used iPad up-to-date. The data was gathered from over 50 million iPads and the iPad 2 represented about 20 percent of the total devices. The second and the third most used iPads were the iPad Mini and iPad Air at 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

The latest iPads the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 2 accounted for about 9 percent and 0.3 percent usage, respectively. The 2010 original iPad represented just 3 percent of the total share.

"This is not a surprise: iPads have a longer lifecycle due to the lack of a two-year contract that iPhones require. Additionally, when new models are released the prices of the older models drop, making those models more attractive to buyers." Localytics said.
Localytics further said that the first month adoption rate of iPad is on the decline since the introduction of the iPad 3 back in 2012. And the iPad Mini 4 released this year has an early adoption rate of just 0.2 percent.
Although, the recently announced iPad Pro could possibly change the numbers, since it has much more features than the current iPad models like the addition of stylus and other keyboard accessories.

 "Perhaps this transition will also prevent the tablet from being phased out by the 'phablet' by providing services that a phablet can't," said Localytics.
Source: Localytics 

Digital License Plate Company Engineer Rónán Ó Braonáin Hired by Apple

Lately, Apple hired an engineer who has extensive experience in the electric vehicle industry. Rónán Ó Braonáin recently worked at a company called Reviver as Director of Engineering. The company Reviver claims to be making "the world's first digital license plate." 


According to Rónán Ó Braonáin's Linkedin profile, he is working with Apple since August as a Secret Agent at Apple Special Projects. Prior working at Reviver, The veteran engineer worked for 5 years as a software engineer at BMW. After working at BMW for five years, he has also worked at a company called Vision Fleet.

Probably, Apple is considering Braonáin to work at Project Titan aka Apple Car. Undoubtedly, Rónán Ó Braonáin is also one of those engineers whom Apple have recruited recently for its own electric car project.

Recently, Apple has been hiring employees who have the knowledge of automotive vehicles from other companies like Tesla, Nvidia etc. The Apple Car is all set to come out sometime in 2019.

Source: Electrek

Eddy Cue and iPad Pro made an appearance at Dropbox Open conference

Drew Houston Interviewing Eddy Cue
Drew Houston Interviewing Eddy Cue at Dropbox Conference
Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Apple software and services, made a surprise appearance for an interview with the CEO of Dropbox Drew Houston on the stage of the Dropbox Open Conference. There he talked about the Cupertino company's enterprise efforts and demoed the upcoming iPad Pro.

Apple exec Eddy Cue said that the success of Apple in enterprise section is actually an evolution of Apple's success in the consumer area, as it linked the devices used at work and the devices used at home. He went further mentioning that those things which are important to customers are important to enterprise too.

"We've always been a consumer company. We've been trying to create products for individuals and part of that was creating a product that had tools that allowed people to do things with them that we could never even imagine. And what's happened is if you look at the world today you work 24 by 7. 
You're awake, you take it home with you, you take it everywhere. There's no longer the "enterprise" in the sense of the products you use there that you don't use somewhere else. Now you get to use the products everywhere."
Eddy Cue was optimistic about the utility of the iPad in terms of enterprise, considering the fact that the executives and managers have started adopting the tablet: 

"As a result, board meetings changed and executives started to swap documents via their iPads. Eventually with business management teams becoming more comfortable using iPads themselves, they started to introduce them to other workers."
And meanwhile several analysts believe that Apple is still far away from becoming a big enterprise player, Apple SVP said that "businesses are still in the early stage of adopting mobile technology, that's an area Apple can capitalize on".

Moreover, Eddy Cue also showed the upcoming iPad Pro during the interview. He said that Apple has a "big opportunity" to gain increase in the enterprise after the launch of the iPad Pro. The Apple exec at one point during the interview pulled out the iPad Pro and showed it to the cloud storage company's CEO Drew Houston and asked the audience to look under their chairs just to see there nothing under their chairs.

Speaking about the iPad Pro, Drew Houston said Dropbox’s upcoming Paper app, which cloud storage company's CEO says is the Dropbox's iPad Pro focused editing tool. Dropbox is said to launch its Paper app in the first quarter of 2016.

At the beginning of the interview, Drew Houston said he desperate get an iPad Pro, Eddy Cue replied, "Only a few more days," probably indicating that the iPad Pro is very close to its launch. According to latest rumors, the iPad Pro will reach the stores by November 11, but it's also feasible that Apple could accept pre-orders before the rumored November 11 launch date.

The Apple TV remote will break if you drop it

The new Apple TV remote is great in terms of its functionality and performance, but it looks like it is not as tough as it should be. Sadly, You would end up breaking it if you drop it.

A post on Reddit by user right2pandaarms claims that his Apple TV remote slipped off a roommate’s lap from the couch, and it broke into pieces and it's not even usable now he must get another as soon as possible.
It is actually expected due to the fact that the trackpad on the remote is entirely made up of glass. So you have to be very careful while using the remote and try not to drop it because a new remote isn't cheap, a new one would cost you $79.
"Roommate had it on his lap while sitting on the couch and it dropped onto the floor (tiled) and completely shattered. I couldn't believe it, looked like it got ran over by a car." The Reddit user said.
We're pretty certain that we are not far from seeing cases for Television remotes too!

Did you break yours too? Let us know in the comments section.


Source: Reddit

iOS 9 already running on 66 percent of compatible devices

iOS 9 running on iPhone and iPad

Apple's latest Mobile OS the iOS 9 adoption rate hits 66 percent, which means two out of three devices that support iOS 9 are already running the latest version of iOS. The numbers are quite impressive while keeping it mind it's been less three months and the iOS 9 has already captured 66% of the devices.

iOS 9 adoption rate

In addition to that, 30 percent of the remaining users are using iOS 8, while the remaining 9 percent are using the previous versions of iOS. The numbers were measured based on visits of the App Store on November 2.

Moreover, If we review the previous numbers then we can see that there is a significant increase of 5 percent in just two weeks. Last time the Cupertino company measured the adoption rate approximately two weeks ago and by that time about 61% of the compatible iOS devices were running iOS 9.


While, the Fruit Company released the first major update to the iOS 9, the iOS 9.1 two weeks back. The iOS 9.1 update introduced new emojis and several performance enhancements. We believe that the iOS 9.1 update is responsible for the increase in the upgrades.


Source: Apple

iPad Pro To Hit The Stores On November 11


According to a new report published by 9to5Mac Apple's " largest and most powerful tablet yet " the iPad Pro would go on sale in both online and physical stores on Wednesday, November 11. Apple has also planned to release the Apple Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil alongside the iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro is the most expensive, powerful and largest iPad up to date. It features a large and sharp 12.9 inch 2732 x 2048 resolution display, four impressive speakers for better multimedia consumption, and a powerful Apple A9X chipset powers the tablet.

The iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 32GB variant, the 128GB WiFi only variant costs $949 and the iPad Pro 128GB configuration with WiFi + LTE costs $1079. The Apple Pencil costs an additional $99 and the Apple Smart Keyboard is priced at $169.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple Seeds First OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan Beta to Public Testers


Today Apple has seeded the OS X 10.11.2 public beta and the latest build is available to download via the Mac App Store to those users who have signed up the Apple's beta testing program (You can also join here).

The new features included in the latest build are yet to be discovered. The latest update probably includes certain security and performance improvements along some bug fixes.
Apple release notes for this build suggests that the update main focus areas are Graphics, Mail, Wi-Fi, Calendar, USB, Notes, Photos and Spotlight.