News on the sidelines for the week of March 15 - 21

The iPhone 16 will come with BRS technology for a borderless screen, and Apple launches a website “all in one place” and another to browse applications for Apple Vision Pro glasses, and the next iPad Pro will come with thinner edges than previous models, and major companies protest Apple’s rules for purchasing from Outside the App Store, Apple publishes details about the new artificial intelligence model “MM1”, leaks about the iPhone 17, and other exciting news on the sidelines...

Apple launches an integrated website “all in one place”

Apple recently launched a page “DocumentationNew on its website. It collects user manuals, repair guides, technical specifications, software downloads and more for various Apple products. Previously, this information was scattered across different pages, but now it is all in one place for easy access. The page covers products such as Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, and other products, with a search tool to find specific support documents, and supports many languages, including Arabic.

The new iPad Pro with a matte screen

According to a new report from Weibo, Instant Digital says the upcoming iPad Pro models will offer a matte screen option for the first time, which has specific haze levels and will likely include blue light blocking technology. While it's uncertain whether it will feature nano-textured glass like the XDR Pro's display, this possibility is plausible given its effectiveness at reducing glare. However, nano-textured glass may pose challenges regarding cleaning due to its textured surface. The matte screen option may also extend to the next-generation iPad Air models, although this has not been confirmed, but Instant Digital has a mixed track record, and has accurately leaked details in the past, making its claims noteworthy, including... Here are the latest insights into the iPhone 17's features.

iPhone 16 will come with BRS technology for a borderless screen

A recent report from Korea indicates that Apple is planning to increase the screen size of the upcoming iPhone 16 series using a new technology known as BRS for ultra-thin edges. Apple intends to apply this borderless screen technology to all four models of the iPhone 16 series. The company's efforts to adopt BRS technology have reportedly been hampered in the past due to heat issues, but recent developments in heat dissipation technology have revived its plans. The iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to have much larger screen sizes than the iPhone 15 Pro models, as the Pro features a 6.27-inch screen, and the Pro Max features a 6.85-inch screen. As the screen size increases, the dimensions of the iPhone's chassis will increase slightly as well, which may allow for larger batteries and other internal components. However, there are no expected size changes for the standard iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models, which will retain the same dimensions as their predecessors. Larger screen sizes are also expected to be introduced in standard iPhone models with the iPhone 17 series in 2025.

iPhone 17 will have a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective screen

It is rumored that the iPhone 17 will have an anti-reflective screen that is more scratch-resistant. This new feature, described as an “ultra-hard anti-reflective coating,” is said to be more durable. While the coating equipment has been delivered to the supply chain in China, it is unlikely to be ready in time for this year's iPhone 16 series. Ceramic Shield, a glass-ceramic material developed by Corning in collaboration with Apple, is currently used in iPhone 15 models and is known for its durability and scratch resistance. Samsung recently introduced its S24 Ultra with a Gorilla Glass Armor display, also developed by Corning, which offers lower reflections and increased scratch resistance. It is unclear whether Apple will adopt Gorilla Glass Armor for the iPhone 17 or not, but it is in line with the claims of recent leaks. Corning, a long-time Apple supplier, has invested in research and development, with Apple supporting its efforts with significant funding to develop advanced glass fabrications, including the Ceramic Shield.

Apple publishes details about the new artificial intelligence model “MM1”

Apple researchers have developed a new way to teach advanced artificial intelligence systems, known as large language models (LLMs), to understand text and images together. They published their findings in a paper titled “MM1: Methods, Analysis, and Insights from Multimodal LLM Pre-Training.” This new approach helps AI perform tasks such as describing images, answering questions about visuals, and understanding written language more accurately. Using a mix of image descriptions and documents containing images, text, and plain text, Apple's method helps AI models better understand language by also taking visual information into account. The paper also talks about how their model, called MM1, can learn from examples to solve complex problems using very little information. This research shows that Apple is working to improve its capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence, which is important given the competition in this field. There are also reports that Apple is discussing with Google the use of Google's advanced language models for new features in iOS 18.

Major companies join Epic in protesting non-App Store purchase fees

The court ordered Apple to allow purchases from other links and stores outside its App Store, bypassing Apple's in-app purchase system and fees. Apple has made changes to comply with this order, but has imposed some strict restrictions and fees on these external payment links. However, major technology companies such as Microsoft, Meta, and X, in addition to Epic Games, protested against these practices from Apple, describing them as still too restrictive and expensive. The fees imposed by Apple, which range from 12 to 27% on purchases made through these external links, are very high. Apple doesn't allow apps to push users completely around the option of using these alternative payment methods to get better prices outside of the App Store.

These companies say Apple's rules conflict with what the court intended, which would have allowed app developers to steer users toward cheaper, non-Apple payment options. The court will now decide whether Apple needs to relax its policies further.

The upcoming iPad Pro will come with thinner edges than previous models

According to a leak from a previously accurate source called “Instant Digital” on the Chinese social networking platform Weibo, the new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models will come with thinner bezels around the screen compared to the previous models with a thickness of 7.12 mm and 7.08 mm, respectively, excluding the edges. Metal for hardware. If these measurements are accurate, the bezels will be 10% to 15% thinner than previous iPad Pro models released between 2018 and 2022.

Key new rumored features include Apple's new M3 chip, a thinner device design, a horizontally positioned front camera, tweaks to the rear camera design, and possibly support for wireless charging. New accessories are also expected to be released, including an updated Magic Keyboard and an updated Apple Pencil.

Apple is expected to announce new iPad Pro models in late March or early April, according to analyst Ross Young. The date of March 26 specifically was circulated as a possible date for the iPad Pro announcement.

It is also expected that the 10.9-inch iPad Air will be updated, and a completely new 12.9-inch iPad Air will be launched.

Miscellaneous news

◉ Tim Cook is in Shanghai this week to celebrate the opening of the new Apple store called Apple Jing'an today, Thursday, March 21. There will be special events to celebrate the local community and free giveaways for people attending the opening.

◉ The European Commission is investigating whether Apple's recent changes comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). They state that they are concerned that Apple's new fees and warnings about security risks from other app stores may discourage developers from using them. The committee is looking into developer comments to see if Apple is following DMA rules. Apple has made some adjustments based on these comments, but the investigation is still ongoing.

◉ Apple launched a new update for AirTags tracking devices. The update will be rolled out gradually over several weeks, so you may not get it right away. There's no information yet on what the update does, but you can't force it to install it. Simply keep the AirTag near your iPhone and wait for the update to reach your device. You can check the current version of your AirTag through the Find My app.

◉ There is a bug in the latest macOS 14.4 update that affects files saved in iCloud Drive. This error can delete all saved versions of the file if you remove the file from your Mac storage. In previous versions, these saved versions are preserved even if you remove the file. If you updated to macOS 14.4, consider turning off Optimize Mac Storage or avoiding saving files to iCloud Drive altogether until a fix is ​​released.

◉ Apple is expected to release the iOS 17.4.1 update for the iPhone and iPad in the next few days. This minor update will likely fix bugs and security issues. The first beta version of the iOS 17.5 update is also expected to be released this week. There may also be a bug fix update for macOS 14.4 coming soon.

◉ Apple will launch two new versions of AirPods (fourth generation) in September or October of this year. It will have a new design, better sound, and a USB-C charging case. The top model will also have noise cancellation and Find My locator voice feature. The current AirPods Pro won't be replaced until next year at the earliest, but they will get new software features to make them easier to access.

◉ Apple launched a website to browse applications for Apple Vision Pro glasses. This lets people know what apps are available before purchasing the glasses. The website organizes apps by category and type, similar to the app store found on Vision Pro itself. This way, people can easily see if there are apps they might want to use before purchasing the device, or not.

◉ Apple will pay $490 million to settle a lawsuit brought by investors who claim that Tim Cook concealed information about slowing iPhone sales in China during a phone call in late 2018. Investors say Cook should have warned them of declining sales, but Apple says it did not She does something wrong but she has to do it to avoid a long drawn-out court battle.

◉ Epic Games announced plans to launch its Epic Games Store on iPhone devices in the European Union before the end of 2024. For games sold through its store, Epic will receive a 12% reduction in revenue, as is the case on other platforms. The apps will receive 100% of the revenue for the first six months. Games will need to pay Epic's 12% fee on top of Apple's €0.50 per install fee after 10 million installs. Apple's fees range from 17-3% depending on revenue, plus an additional XNUMX% for in-app purchases. Epic's CEO criticized Apple's fees as unfair.

Sources:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15 | 16 | 17