A rare business card signed by Steve Jobs was sold for $181, an Apple Pencil for Vision Pro glasses, new colors for the iPhone 16 Pro, a new device from Apple to update the iPhone while it was in its box, and other exciting news on the sidelines...
Bringing topographic maps from the Apple Watch to the iPhone in iOS 18
Reports indicate that Apple is preparing to add topographic maps to the Apple Maps apps in iOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2. Topographic maps include maps that show precise terrain details, such as paths, curves, slopes, elevation, and landmarks useful for hiking and outdoor activities. Which requires precise navigation. Therefore, topographic maps are very important for hiking, adventure sports, camping and rugged overland activities, as they help in accurate navigation in mountainous and rugged areas thanks to their clear representation of the Earth's topography.
Apple introduced topographic maps for the first time in the watchOS 10 update for the Apple Watch, and expanded support in the United States. According to the report, code in iOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2 indicates the possibility of expanding topographic map support for these systems as well, in addition to other new features expected for Apple's Maps applications.
“Presto” device to update the iPhone in its box wirelessly before sale
Apple retail stores are preparing to receive a new device called “Presto” to wirelessly update iPhone devices before they are sold. The device consists of places that can accommodate six iPhone boxes at one time. Closed and sealed boxes can be placed in this device, and iPhone devices can be operated and their software updated to the latest available version within 15 to 30 minutes wirelessly via NFC technology. Apple developed “Presto” to avoid selling iPhones with outdated updates, as the iPhone 15 series came with iOS 17 before the launch of iOS 17.0.1 to fix a problem in the data transfer process. This device is expected to be available in all US retail stores by early summer, and will expand to international stores later.
iPhone shipments in China fell by 33% last month
Apple is facing a significant decline in iPhone sales in the Chinese market. In February, iPhone shipments fell by 33% compared to the same period last year, according to Chinese government figures. This decrease represents the third month in a row in which Apple has witnessed a decline in iPhone shipments to China. This decline is expected to continue during 2023 and 2024.
To confront this decline, Apple and its distributors resorted to offering discounts and discounts on the prices of the iPhone 15 in an attempt to stimulate sales. Apple also faces intense competition from the Chinese company Huawei, which recently launched the Mate 60 series of phones equipped with advanced processors of local Chinese manufacture.
In addition, the Chinese government decided to ban the use of the iPhone in many ministries and government companies, which may increase pressure on Apple in the Chinese market. Therefore, Apple is struggling to reverse the trend of declining sales in one of its largest and most important markets in the world.
The Chinese company BOE is on its way to supply iPhone SE4 screens
The Chinese company BOE is leading the race to supply OLED screens for the iPhone SE4, after Samsung withdrew from negotiations due to price problems. Apple asked for $25 per screen, while Samsung offered $30, a higher price than Chinese manufacturers. Tianma is another option but has not yet met Apple's strict quality requirements. The screen prices for the iPhone SE 4 are much lower than the prices for the iPhone 15 screens, due to the use of old spare parts similar to those used in the iPhone 13 and 14. It is expected that the fourth generation iPhone SE will come with a design similar to the iPhone 14 with A 6.1-inch OLED screen, Face ID, a USB-C connector, an action button, and an edge-to-edge screen without a home button.
WARNING: Apple users have been targeted in a phishing attack that includes quick password reset requests
There is a growing wave of phishing attacks exploiting the password reset feature in Apple devices. Apple users are being targeted by a barrage of notifications of password change requests on all of their devices linked to their Apple account. Attackers exploit a vulnerability in Apple's page to retrieve forgotten passwords, where they enter the user's email or phone number to be able to send repeated requests to change the password, which leads to disabling all the user's devices until each notification is rejected individually.
The attacker then calls the victim from a fake number that appears to be an official Apple number, claiming that their account is under attack, and that their sensitive information is threatened. The attacker asks the victim to provide him with the one-time verification code that Apple sends when trying to log in or change a password, claiming that this will stop the attack. If the attacker is provided with this code, he will have full access to the victim's Apple account, as the attackers appear to already have the password stolen from the database leaks.
Apple users should not share any sensitive information such as one-time verification codes with anyone, even if the communication appears to be coming from Apple. They should also ignore these calls and follow the official procedures by contacting Apple Support directly to resolve any potential security issues.
iOS 18 update will not include Apple's Chatbot, which is similar to ChatGPT
According to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is not planning to launch its own generative AI conversation with the iOS 18 update. Instead, he confirmed that Apple has had discussions with companies like Google, OpenAI, and Baidu about potential partnerships in the field of generative AI.
Although previous reports indicated that Apple considered licensing existing smart conversations such as Gemini from Google and ChatGPT from OpenAI, the possibility of Apple introducing its own smart conversation on iOS 18 has not been explicitly ruled out yet.
Gurman still expects AI to be a major focus at Apple's WWDC 2024 developer conference. He reiterated that Apple plans to announce new artificial intelligence features to “help users in their daily lives,” but did not provide any specific details.
Apple launches a new account for developers on YouTube to share WWDC 2024 videos
In preparation for the WWDC 2024 developer conference, Apple launched a new channel on YouTube called Apple Developer, which will be used to share WWDC sessions so developers can follow along. Apple has outfitted the new channel with a collection of videos from WWDC 2023, giving us an idea of what kind of content we can expect during the WWDC 2024 season.
The videos are organized into playlists by topic, making it easy to find content about the App Store, Swift, spatial computing, Safari, and more.
In the WWDC 2024 announcement, Apple stated that developers can follow WWDC24 throughout the week on YouTube, referring to the new YouTube channel. Apple also plans to share content on its developer website and Apple Developer app. The videos uploaded to YouTube will include all the different video sessions Apple holds on the latest software updates.
The A18 Pro chip for the iPhone 16 Pro works to enhance artificial intelligence and retain the hexa-core graphics processing unit.
According to analyst Jeff Poe, the A18 Pro will feature a larger chip size designed to improve AI performance. Bo added in a research note this week that the A18 Pro will be equipped with a six-core graphics processor, which is the same number of graphics processor cores in the A17 Pro chip for the iPhone 15 Pro.
Reports indicate that iOS 18 will include new generative artificial intelligence features for a group of iPhone applications such as Siri, Spotlight search, music, health, messages, and more. Some of these features are supposed to be exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro models thanks to an improved neural engine that contains a “significantly large” number of cores compared to previous generations.
Bo has previously mentioned that the A18 Pro's larger chip size will be linked to the neural engine, which could lead to generative AI features running on the device itself. Apple has used a 16-core neural engine since the iPhone 12 series, but it has improved its performance over the years even when it has not changed the number of cores. For example, Apple says the A17 Pro chip has a neural engine that is twice as fast as the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro.
As for graphics, the A18 Pro is expected to maintain the same rate of the hexa-core graphics processor found in the A17 Pro, which may mean fewer improvements in graphics capabilities for this year compared to the significant improvements that the A17 Pro brought by 20% for the iPhone 15 Pro models.
The iOS 18 update allows applications to be placed anywhere on the home screen
The upcoming iOS 18 update is expected to give iPhone users more control over the arrangement of application icons on the home screen. Although the icons will remain bound by a hidden grid to ensure some consistency, users will be able to arrange the icons more freely, such as creating empty spaces, rows and columns between icons, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
With the ability to customize the Lock screen since the release of iOS 16, we expect the Home screen to receive a similar treatment in iOS 18, where additional customization options will be offered to it, which could lead to the biggest revamp of the Home screen in years.
Miscellaneous news
◉ Sonny Dickson’s account shared a photo of an iPhone 16 cover from one of the accessories companies, showing the location of the “Capture” button, an opening below the power button on the right edge. This indicates that the manufacturer either has direct knowledge of the new button or is betting on this change occurring according to rumors. The button is set to provide quick access to camera controls for taking photos and videos.
◉ According to new rumors from China, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models will come in new titanium colors, “Space Black” and “Pink,” as the current “Titanium Blue” color will be replaced by pink. As for “Space Black,” it will be similar to the same color on the iPhone 14 Pro and replace “Titanium Black.” The colors of “Natural Titanium” and “Titanium White” will also differ slightly, as the natural color will return with a touch of grey, while the white will look more like “white silver.” The rumor of a new “pink” color may be the titanium version of the gold tone.
◉ According to an informed source, Apple has internally tested a new version of the Apple Pencil that supports the VisionOS operating system, which may allow it to be used with drawing applications on the Vision Pro augmented reality glasses, but Apple may not launch this feature in the end, as the matter is not certain.
◉ The European Commission announced the opening of investigations to monitor the compliance of major technology companies such as Apple, Google, and Meta with new European Union regulations under the Digital Markets Act. The investigations will examine whether these companies' actions to comply with the new law, such as allowing developers to direct users away from their stores and the ability to easily uninstall apps, are fully compliant.
If violations are proven, the Commission can impose fines of up to 10% of the company’s global revenues, or up to 20% in cases of repeated violations, in addition to other penalties such as obligating the sale of a business or parts of it or prohibiting acquisitions.
◉ Tim Cook confirmed that Vision Pro glasses will go on sale in China later this year, and added that Apple will continue to increase its investments in research and development in China. Apple plans to launch the glasses in additional countries later this year, although it has not set specific dates for that yet.
◉ Mark Gurman stated that Apple has ended its project to develop microLED screens internally after investing billions in developing it specifically for the Apple Watch Ultra. However, the technology was so expensive and complex that Apple decided to reorganize its display engineering teams and lay off employees in the United States and Asia. The company will temporarily resort to OLED technology for smart watches, but will search for new suppliers and paths for microLED displays in the future.
◉ A rare Apple Computer business card signed by Steve Jobs sold for more than $181 at an auction in Boston. The card dates back to 1983, and bears Jobs' signature in his capacity as Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors at the time, making it an artifact of great value to collectors of rare items, in light of the scarcity of Jobs' signature on collectibles.
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And you, Tariq Mansour, sold your first card in 2007, not even the day 2001 started, hahahaha. They don’t know where to put their money.
Please, I recently updated the Apple Watch, but the feature of showing the battery percentage disappeared, as well as some features such as finding the iPhone by making a sound
Hi Musa 🙋♂️, This may be caused by a bug in the update, try restarting your Apple Watch and if that doesn't work, you may need to reset the watch and reinstall the update. Don't worry, your data will remain safe on your iPhone 📱🔒.
Is there any new news about European stores as an alternative to the Apple Store?
Hello Muhammad Abu Abdul Rahman 🙌, There is no recent news about European stores that are considered an alternative to the Apple Store. But Apple is always the best choice for purchasing its products, as it provides great service and a reliable warranty. I will keep an eye on the news and will update if any new information comes to light. Stay with us! 😊📱💻🍏
Beautiful and varied news, thank you 👍
MIMV.AI enjoys annual leave
All fields, menus, and applications are supposed to be arranged based on usage, with the starting angle chosen if the user uses the left or right hand.
The capture button is the same as the side button?
Apple has been creative for a long time. The design of the paper signed by Steve is beautiful. I did not know that the font used from the eighties is present. The line spacing and design format are modern and suitable for use today. Simple and elegant.