News on the sidelines Week Mar 5 - Mar 11

IPad OLED is coming in early 2022, Apple ranks first in the world in the market of smart watches and smartphones, and the feature to undo the sending in Twitter, and say goodbye to iMac Pro, and Apple may produce augmented reality lenses and other news on the sidelines ...

The OLED iPad is coming in early 2022

Earlier last week, DigiTimes shared a new report claiming that Apple is working on both iPad and Mac notebook models with OLED screens and is expected to arrive in early 2022. According to the report, the first of these devices to adopt an OLED display will likely be 10.9-inch iPad, presumably an updated version of the iPad Air. It is said that the updated iPad will start production in the last quarter of this year with its launch in early 2022. In addition to the 10.9-inch iPad, it is also reported that Apple is considering using OLED screens for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and MacBook Pro 16. inch. On the other hand, there are devices that will come with a mini-LED screen, as mentioned in the report.

Apple ranks first in the world in the smart watch market

Apple ranked first in the global smartwatch market in the fourth quarter of 2020, selling 12.9 million watches between the Apple Watch 6 and the Apple Watch SE, according to a report from Counterpoint Research.

The market has witnessed an overall decline in smartwatch sales compared to last year due to the current global health crisis. However, Apple saw a 19% increase in sales year-on-year. Apple ranked first in the fourth quarter also of 2019 when it dominated 34% of the market. In the last quarter of last year 2020, Apple Watch models captured 40% of the market share.

This is due to the success of the new mid-range Apple Watch SE‌. Apple released the Model SE along with the flagship Apple Watch 6, for a price as low as $ 279.

Twitter is working on the 'undo posting' feature of tweets

Twitter is exploring the possibility of bringing the previously rumored "undo" feature into Tweets by adding a new "undo" button to the dialog. The undo button has the shape of a long rectangle, which allows it to also act as a progress bar, as it shows the user the amount of time they should act before actually posting the Tweet.

The feature bears similarities with Gmail's last chance option to block delivery of email messages after the user clicks "Send."

The option to “undo” on Twitter is likely the closest to allowing users to edit Tweets, a feature that has been long overdue but never materialized.

A class-action lawsuit against Apple over the refurbished devices

A class-action lawsuit that began in 2016 accuses Apple of violating the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, and other US laws by providing customers with refurbished replacement devices, and the trial is scheduled to begin on August 16. Apple's repair terms and conditions state that when providing service to a customer's product, “the company may use parts or products that are new or refurbished that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability”. In the lawsuit, plaintiffs allege that refurbished or "remanufactured" devices are not "equivalent to new performance and reliability" and are therefore seeking compensation money from Apple.

IMac Pro discontinued production

Late last Friday evening, Apple added the "Until stock out" notice to its iMac Pro product page worldwide, and the iMac Pro will not be available at all after that. Apple says the latest 27-inch iMac released in August is the preferred option for the vast majority of iMac users, and Apple has said that customers who need to upgrade should choose the Mac Pro.

The latest 27-inch iMac features a 5K display with True Tone, 9th Gen Intel Core i128 processor, 8GB of RAM, 5700TB of storage, Radeon Pro 1080 XT graphics, XNUMXp HD camera, enhanced speakers and microphones And more.

Reports indicate that the redesigned iMac with the next-generation Apple M1 chip and a design inspired by Pro Display XDR will be released later this year, and customers should be patient.

It is unclear if the Apple iMac Pro silicone version will be launched, but that appears unlikely at the moment. It is worth noting that the iMac Pro was introduced in December 2017, and it has not received any significant updates in its lifetime.

Mixed reality glasses in mid 2022 and augmented reality glasses in 2025

Koo said today in a new research note that Apple plans to launch its mixed reality glasses in mid-2022, followed by augmented reality glasses by 2025. Koo said that many prototypes of Apple's mixed reality headsets currently weigh 200-300. Gram, and said the final weight would be reduced to 100-200 grams if Apple could solve technical issues, which would be much lighter than many current virtual reality devices. Due to the intricate design, these glasses are expected to be around $ 1000.

Later, Kuo shared another report in which he stated that Apple's upcoming mixed reality headset will contain 15 optical camera units. Eight of the fifteen camera modules will be used for transparent augmented reality experiences, six will be used for “innovative biometrics,” and one camera module will be used for environmental detection. Largan will supply many of the 15 camera lenses.

Apple may release contact augmented reality lenses in 2030

In another research note, analyst Kuo predicts that Apple will launch “contact lenses” for augmented reality technology in 2030. Kuo said that the lenses will move electronics from the era of “visual computing” to “invisible computing.”

Kuo said it was unlikely that the lenses had independent computing and storage capacity, indicating that they might rely on a connection to an iPhone or other device, but he did not provide any other details. Kuo said there is currently no "vision" for this product.

Contact lenses can provide a lightweight augmented reality experience without the need to wear glasses or a headphone. In simple terms, augmented reality is superimposing digital information on a real-world perspective.

Leaked proposes to hold an Apple event on March 23

Apple will hold its first event of the year on March 23, according to one of the reputable Chinese leaks. Apple is expected to release AirTags, new iPads, and possibly updated AirPods in a spring event, and the "Kang" leaker believes that the date will be March 23rd. Shortly after Kang proposed a date for March 23, the infamous leaked John Prosser tweeted on the same date, in clear support of Kang's statement and prediction of when the event might be.

WhatsApp is still working with password-protected iCloud backups

WhatsApp is working on a way to secure backups of users' iCloud conversations with password-protected encryption, according to a new report. WhatsApp began working on the security feature early in March 2020. Currently, WhatsApp allows iPhone users to backup their chat history to iCloud‌, but the messages and media that users back up are not protected with end-to-end encryption by WhatsApp while in iCloud .

BMW CFO responds to Apple's "Competition is a great thing"

Amid rumors that Apple is close to producing a car with its trademark that will appear in the next decade, he told BMW Chief Financial Officer Nicholas Peter that he is not worried about Apple entering the car market, and that he sleeps well and is reassured because he believes that competition is a wonderful thing and helps to motivate Others, he added, BMW is in a very strong position and will continue to be a leader in this area.

IPhone 2023 devices feature a periscope telephoto lens

Future iPhones will adopt the 22023 “pop-up telephoto lens,” according to a research note shared this evening by analyst Kuo as well. He did not elaborate, but we have heard many previous rumors about Apple working on the periscope lens, which should allow for significant improvements in optical zoom capabilities. Kuo previously said that he expects Apple to adopt the periscope lens in its 2022 iPhone models, but now it appears he believes this will not happen until 2023.

Apple became the world's largest smartphone maker in the fourth quarter

Apple produced 77.6 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2020, 69.8 million of which were iPhone 12 models, thus surpassing Samsung to become the number one brand of smartphones.

Analysts' latest report says that Apple sold 10 million more phones than its biggest competitor during the quarter, with Samsung selling 67 million phones, a quarterly decline of 14%. In contrast, Apple posted an 85% increase on the quarter-quarter basis, partly driven by Apple's support for 5G across its latest lineup of phones and its adoption of a robust pricing strategy.

IPhone 12 sales are likely to remain strong in the first quarter of 2021, and total iPhone production is expected to reach 54 million units, with iPhone 12 models again accounting for about 80% of this figure.

Although Samsung lost its advanced position in the last quarter, it is expected to lead the global ranking for the production of smartphones for the entire 2021 year, thanks to the new Galaxy S21 lineup and the adoption of promotional pricing to boost sales of its latest high-end phones.

Others argue that Samsung's return becomes more difficult with the rise of other Chinese companies such as Abu and Xiaomi.

Miscellaneous news

◉ Apple has launched the third beta version of the upcoming watchOS 7.4 update, the public beta version of the Apple Watch.

◉ Apple announced the launch of a new kids and family experience in its Podcasts app, in partnership with Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization that focuses on family-friendly content recommendations. The new experience will make it easier for parents to find podcasts suitable for children of all ages.

◉ Apple said Tuesday that it will soon start producing iPhone 12 on Indian soil for local customers.

◉ Apple has released a new update to AirPods Max, marking the second firmware update that high-end headphones have received since their December launch.

Apple plans to redesign the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models supported by Apple Silicon for release in the second half of 2021, according to analyst Kuo.

Apple reduced orders for all iPhones by about 20% compared to its plans in December, as the iPhone 12 mini makes up the majority of the cuts. In line with previous reports, which stated that the demand for the iPhone 12 mini was "much less than what Apple initially expected."

Twitter announced that it is testing full-size image previews in Timeline on iOS and Android, allowing users to see an entire image in its original size, rather than just a 16: 9 cropped copy.

◉ LeaksApplePro shared photos of real AirPods 3 headphones and charging case. He expects to see her very soon.

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