Stationery in the form of classic macOS from the 7s, a 13-inch HomePod, Apple wins an Oscar for a short film, leaked images of Apple Glass parts, the launch of the revamped iPhone XNUMX, Apple is having problems making Siri look like ChatGPT, and other exciting news in On the sidelines…

News on the sidelines Week Mar 5 - Mar 11


For the first time since the iPhone X, the price of the iPhone 15 Pro has risen

Technical analyst Jeff Bo of the investment company Haitong International Securities expects that the next generation of iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max phones will be more expensive than the previous Pro models due to the upgrades that these models will receive, such as a titanium frame, and tapic buttons with Haptic feedback, the A17 Bionic chip, increased RAM, and a periscope lens to increase optical zoom on the Pro Max model.

This is the second time that there has been rumors about an increase in the prices of the iPhone 15 Pro models, as the Pro model starts at $ 999 in the United States since the release of the iPhone X in 2017, while the Pro Max started at $ 1099 since the iPhone XS. Max, which was launched the following year. It is uncertain whether the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will also see a price increase compared to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, which start at $799 and $899, respectively.


Apple is working on a ChatGPT-like assistant

According to the New York Times, Apple engineers, including the Siri team, are testing generative AI concepts that can be integrated into Siri, despite the challenges they face due to its outdated design, as Siri is built on "legacy code" and this makes it difficult for engineers. Adding new features or phrases to the database, the whole process of updates is very slow and complicated.

John Berkey, a former Apple engineer, believes there is no way to make Siri a "creative smart assistant" like ChatGPT because of these issues because it is built on "old code that takes weeks to update with only basic features". Reports indicate that Apple and other major companies are also reconsidering their approach to AI in response to the growing interest in generative AI technology.

Remember that we wrote an article a very long time ago warning of Apple's delay in adopting artificial intelligence, read here


Suppliers compete for orders to produce Apple's 5G modem

In a new report it is mentioned that several suppliers are interested in manufacturing a chip 5G modem Designed by Apple. TSMC is likely to manufacture the modem, and ASE Technology and Amkor Technology are said to be competing for final assembly, as they have experience assembling Qualcomm modem chips. Qualcomm currently supplies Apple with 5G modems, but Apple is rumored to be developing its own chip as an alternative. It is expected that the first device equipped with a 5G modem will be the fourth generation iPhone SE in March 2024. All iPhone 15 models will be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem.


Apple shares a new ad titled “Hello Yellow”

Apple released a new “Hello Yellow” ad to promote the new yellow color for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, which was released in September 2022. The ad uses a combination of live images and animation. The new yellow color option is the only hardware change, and the pricing remains the same. The devices come with features such as camera improvements, longer battery life, collision detection, and SOS emergency service via satellite. Other color options for the devices include midnight, starlight, blue, purple, and red.


Apple offers the advantage of "shop with a specialist" to buy the iPhone

Apple introduced a new service called “Shop with a Specialist over Video” for US customers shopping for an iPhone from the company's online store. This feature allows customers to contact an Apple specialist via a live video session to learn about the latest iPhone models, features, switch to iOS, exchange offers, corporate deals, and more. The service is available from 7 am to 7 pm every day on the page Shop iPhone on the Apple website. During the video session, the salesperson will share their screen with the customer, but won't be able to see the customer. Apple guarantees that the video session is completely secure.


Availability of refurbished iPhone 13 models in the United States

Apple has added refurbished iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max models to its online store in the United States. Refurbished iPhone 13 prices start at $619, while refurbished iPhone 13 Pro models start at $759, and iPhone 13 Pro Max models start at $849. These refurbished devices are unlocked by Apple on all networks and come with a one-year warranty, as well as the option to purchase AppleCare Plus.


The launch of the Apple Watch Ultra with a MicroLED screen in 2025

Apple plans to release a new Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED screen in 2024 or 2025. The report claims that Apple will expand this screen technology to include iPhones, iPads, and eventually MacBooks. MicroLED technology allows for higher brightness and is expected to be more expensive to manufacture. Apple has been actively developing this technology since its acquisition of LuxVue in 2014. Apple's main supplier of microLED chips will be ams OSRAM, and Taiwanese suppliers are likely to become additional suppliers by 2026-2027.


A leaked image of parts of Apple's Mixed Reality Glasses

Pictures of what appear to be components have been leaked Apple's Mixed Reality Headset By a Twitter user with a track record of accurate information about Apple products. The images display ribbon-shaped “flats” that wrap around the user’s eyes and are connected through a “socket” at its periphery to other components such as the screen or the motherboard that contains the processor and chips that operate the glasses. Another image shows an array of three sensors, or cameras, along a flexible ribbon of similar length.

Although it is not confirmed that it is related to the Apple glasses, it seems that the design of these tapes supports the rumors that they are intended for the upcoming device. Apple is expected to unveil its first-generation mixed reality glasses in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference and launch it later this year.


Three-dimensional models of the iPhone 15 do not match the iPhone 14 cases

The Japanese site Mac Otakara compared the three-dimensional iPhone 15 with the same assumed sizes to the iPhone 14 cases, and found that changes in the dimensions of the iPhone 15 mean that most cases made for the previous generation will not fit.

The video shows 15D printed versions of the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max, featuring curved edges, smaller frames, and a USB-C port that replaces the Lightning port on all four models. The dynamic island feature will be available on all four iPhone 15 models, with the notch completely eliminated. It is expected that the iPhone XNUMX Pro models will feature a curved front glass that disappears into the frame and the use of titanium instead of stainless steel for the structure. Watch the video:


Nearly $50 million in damages to Tim Cook this year

At Apple's annual meeting of shareholders, it was announced that Apple CEO Tim Cook could receive nearly $50 million in compensation this year if the company hits its financial goals. This will include a base salary of $3 million, a cash bonus of $6 million, and stock awards worth approximately $40 million.

Cook's salary is down about 50% from last year, when he earned $99 million. The pay will be closely linked to the company's overall performance, as shareholders have fretted about Cook's pay package in the past.

Apple shareholders approved a proposal to determine executive salaries by annual vote. Other top Apple executives are set to earn about $27 million each in 2023.

All members of Apple's board of directors were re-elected, despite proposals to remove Al Gore and Tim Cook. Many measures did not receive enough votes to pass.


Miscellaneous news

◉ Apple releases the fourth beta version of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4 to, macOS Ventura 13.3, and watchOS 9.4 updates to developers.

◉ Apple has released a new ad promoting the second generation of AirPods Pro, highlighting the Active Noise Cancellation feature, and confirming that it offers up to twice the active noise cancellation feature of the original AirPods Pro. The second generation AirPods Pro also features improved sound quality, longer battery life, swipe-based volume control, updated charging case with built-in speaker, and the U1 chip for Find My support. Apple released the second generation AirPods Pro in September 2022.

◉ Apple announced the opening of its fifth retail store in South Korea, which will be in the central Gangnam district in Seoul, and will provide Apple Store services, and to celebrate this occasion, Apple made a special background for iPhones, iPads and Macs available for download on the store page. The company operates more than 520 retail stores worldwide, including four other locations in Seoul.

◉ India plans to implement new security rules that require phone companies like Apple and others to allow users to remove pre-installed apps and check for operating system updates. The aim is to prevent espionage and misuse of user data by foreign countries, especially China. The rules will also apply to new models and their compliance is checked by an accredited laboratory. The government gives companies one year to comply, but there are concerns about potential delays and business losses.

◉ Apple and BBC won the Academy Award for their animated short film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.” The movie is about a boy and his animal friends on a dreamlike journey to find a home. This is Apple's first Oscar for an animated short film.

◉ It is said that Apple plans to launch a redesigned HomePod with a 7-inch screen in the first half of 2024. The screen is expected to enable deeper integration with other Apple devices.

◉ The Biden administration has demanded that TikTok's Chinese owners, ByteDance, sell their stakes in the app or risk facing a possible US ban. TikTok has been in the crossfire of Americans for years, and concerns about the app have grown in recent months. TikTok is also set to be banned on phones used by British government ministers and civil servants.

◉ Foxconn, Apple's supplier, won an order to manufacture AirPods for the first time, with plans to build a factory in India, underscoring the company's efforts to diversify production away from China. According to Reuters, Foxconn will invest more than $200 million in a new assembly plant for AirPods in the southern Indian state of Telangana. The decision to set up production in India was made by Apple, and construction of the factory is expected to start in the second half of this year and start production by the end of 2024 at the earliest.

◉ Designer Philip Lee has released a stationery design called Trashbot 2.0, which includes a collection of desk accessories modeled after the classic Mac OS from the XNUMXs.

The kit includes a Mac desktop-like pad, a Trashbot clipboard that holds pens, an Error Bot figure, and three desktop icons with swipe backs that stick to the pad. You can write notes in Memo and annotate them, too. The set can be purchased from the website classicbot for $46.


This is not all the news that is on the sidelines, but we have brought you the most important of them, and it is not necessary for the non-specialist to occupy himself with all the incoming and outgoing. And help you with it, and if it robbed you of your life and got busy with it, there is no need for it.

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