News on the sidelines for the week of July 9-15

Google's foldable Pixel Fold, a problem with iCloud mail, a lidar sensor exclusive only to the iPhone 13 Pro, Apple's threat to leave the UK market, a new Google app, Apple patenting Periscope cameras and other exciting news in the fringes...

The foldable Google Pixel phone will be released this year

The news of the foldable Google Pixel phone seems to have picked up pace these days, with Samsung reportedly providing Google with Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) short for Ultra Thin Glass for a 7.6-inch device that could be launched this year.

And according to a new report from The Elec, Google is just one of several phone makers that have asked Samsung to supply it with UTG, which is currently the exclusive supplier of that glass. It is believed that Xiaomi, Honor and OPPO are working on similar foldable phones that are also equipped with this type of UTG glass.

Twitter: Ability to change who can reply to your Tweet after it has been posted

The option to decide who can reply to a tweet has already existed since last year, but users had to choose who could reply before the tweet was posted. Now they can make that decision after publishing the post.

Changing the options for replying to a tweet posted is simple. Click the ellipses (dots) menu in the upper-right corner of a Tweet and select “Change who can reply” from the dropdown menu, from which you can choose one of the same three options available when composing a Tweet: “Everyone,” “People you follow,” and “People.” only those I referred to.

The new option gives users more control over who can interact with their posts, aiming to reduce harassment, and more.

Apple boosts iPhone 13 production as demand expected to rise in September

Apple is looking to increase initial production of this year's iPhone 13 models to 90 million units through the end of the year, up 20% from the 75 million iPhone 12 models. The report also mentions a number of predictions and most of them have been rumored in the past days. :

◉ Four devices the same size as the iPhone 12 lineup.

◉ It will be announced in September unless events occur that change the launch date.

◉ At least one model with LTPO display to enable variable refresh rate.

The notch is smaller, and Apple aims to remove it completely, but not this year or next.

◉ Camera upgrades will focus on video, including improved optical zoom.

◉ Upgraded processor with the same hexa-core design as the current A14.

◉ There is no Touch ID fingerprint on the screen.

Apple Arcade faces more competition as Netflix plans to expand into video games

Netflix plans to break into video game content, as it has installed former Electronic Arts and Facebook CEO Mike Verdu as vice president of game development. At Facebook, Verdu has worked with developers to bring games and other content to the Oculus VR headset.

It's not clear how Netflix Games will work, nor if the company plans to develop original game content. It could be cloud games similar to Microsoft, Google and Amazon, or it could be similar to Apple Arcade.

Twitter is canceling the Fleets feature just months after its launch

Last November, Twitter rolled out a new ephemeral 24 hour tweeting option called Fleets. This feature is found in Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, Snapchat, and others. It seems that the feature did not succeed, as Twitter is an interaction-based platform and the company wants the user to stay in it for a longer time, unlike this feature. Therefore, Twitter decided as of August 3 to stop it, less than a year after its launch.

Apple unveils MagSafe Battery Pack and accessories for AirTag

Apple earlier revealed the MagSafe Battery Pack, offering an additional battery designed to work with the iPhone 12 series at $99, and it has some great features, including an option for reverse wireless charging. Along with the MagSafe Battery Pack, Apple also introduced a new AirTag accessory that is a leather loop in various colors, priced at $39.

It also announced another AirTag accessory on behalf of the key ring, in different colors, at a price of $35.

Apple granted a patent for the Periscope camera for the iPhone

Apple has received a patent for a Periscope camera system called the "foldable camera", which is rumored to come to iPhones next year. Periscope camera systems address the issue of internal size limitations within a smartphone that can limit image quality.

In a folded camera, the light absorbed by the image sensor is bent, “folded” or refracted, whatever the name is, allowing for increased optical magnification and improved image quality while maintaining a smartphone-friendly compact lens design.

Google launches a new Drive for Desktop app

Earlier this year, Google announced that it plans to unite its Drive File Stream, Backup and Sync sync and backup apps into a single Google Drive desktop app. The company now says that the new sync client will be rolling out in the coming weeks and has released additional information about what users can expect from the transfer. Drive for desktop will perform the same functions as the two older apps, giving users access to files, photos, and folders directly on the desktop, and automatically syncing files to the cloud in the background.

Apple threatens to leave UK market over $7 billion patent dispute

Lawyers representing Apple have suggested that the company could exit the UK market if the dispute continues over the terms of the patent, which it has described as commercially inadmissible.

British patent holder Optis Cellular Technology has sued Apple for patent infringement after it refused to pay a license fee of about $7 billion for its use of "standardized" smartphone technology in its devices. Last month, a British High Court judge ruled that Apple had infringed two Optis patents relating to technology that enables devices to connect to cellular networks. Optis has also made a number of additional claims about Apple patent infringements. “Everyone thinks Apple is the market leader in smartphones, but Apple has to buy most of the iPhone components and technology,” commented Kathleen Fox Murphy, an attorney representing Optis.

This company and others are considered non-practicing entities that hold patents and their income is only through patent litigation, known as patent trolls.

LiDAR scanner will be exclusive to iPhone 13 Pro models

New rumors from trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo say that the LiDAR scanner will not include the entire iPhone 13 lineup, despite some rumors to the contrary.

Miscellaneous news

◉ Google has introduced a 60-minute group video call limit for Google Meet users with free Gmail accounts.

◉ In the third developer beta of macOS Monterey, released today, Apple has overhauled the design of Safari, making the tab bar more similar to the existing tab bar in macOS Big Sur.

◉ Apple has released the third developer beta for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS, watchOS 8 and tvOS 15 updates.

◉ TikTok became the first non-Facebook app to reach three billion downloads worldwide on iOS and Android.

◉ AirPlay 2 and HomeKit features are supported on a number of smart TVs, such as the 4 Toshiba and Insignia 2020K UHD Smart Fire TVs.

◉ Apple today announced that it has invested more than $18 billion in affordable housing initiatives across California over the past XNUMX months, helping thousands of people in the state become first-time homeowners.

◉ Apple supplier Rockley Photonics has unveiled an advanced digital sensing system likely to come to the Apple Watch to enable a wide range of new health tracking features.

◉ Apple released macOS Big Sur 11.5, iOS 14.7, iPadOS 14.7, watchOS 7.6, and tvOS 14.7 to developers.

◉ The Car Connectivity Consortium announced today that its Digital Key 3.0 specification with ultra-wideband support and Bluetooth LE connectivity has been finalized and is now available to members, including Apple.

◉ Apple has released a new beta version for HomePod 15, supporting Lossless Audio for HomePod‌ and HomePod mini.

◉ Some users were unable to access their iCloud inbox, send or receive emails, or complete other tasks through the Mail app across Apple devices and the web. In a new issue for iCloud Mail according to Apple's system status page.

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