News on the sidelines for the week of July 14-20

The launch of the Apple Pay payment service in Morocco, and Apple is experimenting with the artificial intelligence tool “Apple GPT”, and the start of manufacturing Apple products with 2007D printing technology, and the application of Specter supported by artificial intelligence has become free, and the sale of an original iPhone dating back to 190 for $ 15, and the iPhone XNUMX may come with stacked battery technology, and other exciting news in On the sidelines…

Apple is experimenting with the artificial intelligence tool "Apple GPT"

According to a new report, Apple is working on its own AI project, similar to ChatGPT. This AI project, which is referred to internally as "Apple's GPT," is being developed using a framework called "Ajax" for large paradigm languages ​​like ChatGPT, Microsoft's Bing, and Google's Bard. Although there is no specific plan to launch a consumer product yet, Apple is concerned about being left behind in AI technology that could change how people interact with smartphones.

Apple's focus on privacy has made developing AI features, including Siri, more cautious compared to competitors. However, the company understands the importance of artificial intelligence and aims to carefully integrate it into its products.

Although there is no confirmed history for Apple's chatbot, it continues to improve the machine learning features in its systems. There could be an important AI announcement in 2024, led by John Gianandrea and Craig Federighi, who head Apple's AI efforts. However, Apple is facing internal disagreements about developing a product for this area.

Unity game development tools for Vision Pro are now in beta

Unity has released a new development platform called "PolySpatial" for the Apple Vision Pro, and it's now in beta. This platform allows developers to create XNUMXD experiences like games for Apple Glass. PolySpatial was developed in collaboration with Apple and announced at WWDC.

The platform combines Unity and RealityKit tools, making it easier for developers familiar with Unity to create content for VisionOS. PolySpatial allows access to features such as scrolling, to see the real world while wearing the glasses, and dynamic Foveated rendering to improve performance and visual quality. It also integrates with other Apple experiences, such as augmented reality apps and games.

The most exciting part is that PolySpatial can be used to port existing games over to VisionOS, for example, “What the Golf?” From Apple Arcade, it is already adapted to work on the Vision Pro headset using PolySpatial.

Although the official public release date for PolySpatial has not been announced, developers who sign up for the beta will gradually get early access. For more information about PolySpatial, developers can visit their web page Unity.

iPhone 16 Pro Max will come with a Super Telephoto camera

iPhone 16 Pro Max may contain Periscope camera Super telephoto with significantly increased optical zoom. With a focal length of over 300mm, this new camera system allows distant subjects to be brought closer and creates soft backgrounds, making them useful for sports, wildlife and portrait photography. And the integration of the periscope telephoto camera has become a much easier and very possible process, and it is expected that we will see it in the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is also rumored to have a 12% larger camera sensor, which improves dynamic range, background blur, and low-light photography capabilities.

YouTube Premium raises subscription prices in the United States

Google has increased YouTube Premium subscription prices for new subscribers in the US. Individual subscriptions now cost $13.99 per month, up $2 from the previous price. Annual plans increased by $20 to $139.99, and the student plan increased to $7.99 per month. The family plan remains unchanged at $22.99 per month. Existing subscribers may be notified of price increases when it is due to renew their membership. Prices in the UK and elsewhere appear to be unchanged for the time being.

The launch of the Apple Pay payment service in Morocco

CIH Bank was the first bank in the country to support the service. CIH Bank customers can add their MasterCard credit and debit cards to the wallet application for digital payments, by clicking on the plus sign (+) button in the upper corner. Other banks in Morocco may also join in the future. Apple Pay was initially launched in the United States in 2014 and has gradually expanded to many countries and financial institutions around the world. It allows users to make contactless payments with compatible iPhones or Apple Watches at various payment terminals, and is also accepted through select apps and websites.

The court allows Apple to continue delaying implementation of the App Store rule changes

Apple has been granted a 90-day extension to implement changes to the App Store's "anti-steering" rules. These changes will allow developers to direct customers to purchase options outside of the App Store. This issue arose during the legal battle between Apple and Epic, where the court largely sided with Apple but requested updates to the "anti-routing" rules. Apple claims that implementing these changes could upset the balance between developers and customers, causing irreparable harm. The company will now ask the Supreme Court to hear the case, and if the court decides to hear it, Apple will not need to make changes to the App Store until a final ruling is reached. Otherwise, changes will be required.

The process of developing the next generation of iPad Air with improved specifications is in progress

Apple is actively working on the sixth generation of the iPad Air. However, the exact release date of the next model is still uncertain. Mark Gorman expects the first Macs with the M3 chip to be announced as early as October, but he doesn't expect major upgrades across the iPad lineup this year. This may mean that the iPad Air may not see a major update until next year.

The iPad Air was last updated in March 2022, and features the M1 chip, a better front-facing camera with Center Stage support, a faster USB-C port, 5G support for cellular models, and new color options. The upcoming iPad Air may bring new features such as the M2 chip, a Thunderbolt port similar to the iPad Pro, a horizontal front camera like the tenth generation iPad, and additional color options. No further details regarding the new model have been provided yet.

Launching the 3nm MacBook Pro later this year

Apple is said to be planning to launch a new MacBook Pro in the third quarter of 2023, which features an upgraded chip manufactured using TSMC's advanced 3nm process. The chip is likely to be the next-generation M3 chip, offering significant improvements in performance and power efficiency over the current 2nm-based M5 chip. The first Macs with the M3 chip are expected to launch in October, with the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac likely to be the first models to receive the update. Other Mac models, along with the iPad Pro with an OLED screen, are expected to receive the M3 chip in the future.

iPhone 15 may come with stacked battery technology

The latest rumors indicate that the iPhone 15 lineup may feature stacked battery technology, which can increase energy density and extend battery life. Stacked battery cells use a lamination technology, allowing more active materials to be included, resulting in a higher total capacity and higher energy density compared to conventional batteries. This technology is already widespread in electric vehicles and other industries due to its benefits in energy production, rapid recharging, and energy storage. Rumors also suggest that Apple is exploring 40W wired charging and 20W charging via MagSafe for future iPhone models, but the reliability of the source of the leaks is uncertain yet.

Sale of a rare original iPhone with a capacity of 4 GB for $ 190

An original factory sealed 2007 iPhone was sold at auction for $190,373, far exceeding the previous record.

Apple sold the original iPhone with a capacity of 4 GB for a limited period of time, making it the rarest iPhone model of the first generation. The price was expected to reach $XNUMX, but it went way over it.

The person who sold the iPhone was part of the original engineering team when the iPhone was launched, according to LCG Auctions. The 4GB model retails for $499, while the 8GB version retails for $599.

Just this year, an original 8GB iPhone sold for $63000 in February, and a second original 8GB iPhone sold for $54000 in March.

Miscellaneous news

◉ Halide's AI-powered app, Specter, is now free. Specter uses a computational shutter to take many photos in a short time, resulting in long exposure shots of up to 3 seconds. So you can take long exposure photos without the need for a tripod. The application is compatible with iPhone 6S and newer iPhone devices running iOS 15 or later.

Specter Camera

Free⁺

Developer	Lux Optics Incorporated

◉ Apple has released a new humorous video, titled Swiped Stolen, highlighting the security features available for using its products at work. The team attempts to retrieve a stolen MacBook before an important presentation, using features like Notify When Left Behind, Find My, Touch ID, and more.

◉ Threads has received a major update that brings many new features. This includes a Follower tab to see who follows you, the ability to subscribe to unfollowed users, the option to translate posts in different languages, and more.

◉ Apple launched the candidate versions for the final release of iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6, tvOS 16.6, and macOS Ventura 13.5.

◉ A website has been launched AppleDB It is a site that provides a comprehensive database of Apple devices as well as updates, including macOS and systems for all different devices, even headphones. The site contains more than 4000 software and firmware releases for a wide range of products.

◉ The first Macs running on the Apple M3 chip are likely to be detected in October, after the iPhone 15 series was announced in September. The new M3 chip is expected to bring significant improvements in performance and power efficiency over the existing M2 chip.

◉ Samsung announced the launch of its ViewFinity S9 screen for the United States, a 27-inch 5K screen designed to compete with the Apple Studio screen. It features a resolution of 5120 x 2800, 600 nits brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 3% DCI-P99 color support. The screen includes a smart eye care feature to reduce eye strain. It retails for $1.

◉ Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the second generation of the Apple Watch Ultra is scheduled to be launched later this year. Some of its titanium parts will be 9D printed. These parts may include the digital crown, side button, and action button. Adopting XNUMXD printing can lead to faster production and lower costs. If this implementation is successful, it is likely that more Apple products will use XNUMXD printing in the future. The report backs up previous claims that the Apple Watch Ultra will be released with Apple Watch XNUMX models.

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