Category: News

  • Apple Watch Series 8 may get new health sensor

    Apple Watch Series 8 may get new health sensor

    The rumor: A new body temperature sensor could make its way to your wrist later this year, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (72.5% accurate).

    • Apple reportedly tried to put the body temperature sensor on last year’s Apple Watch Series 7…but they were unable to get the measuring algorithm ready in time for production
    • Because the temperature of your skin can vary greatly (especially while outside) Apple has to use both an algorithm and temperature hardware to provide usable measurements
    • It’s possible that the feature could now land on Apple Watch Series 8 this year, which Mark Gurman (86.4% accurate) has also reported

    Sam’s take: I hadn’t considered the challenge of skin temperature changing depending on your environment…which sounds like an incredibly hard problem to solve. Looking at the Series 7 retroactively, it makes so much sense that this feature was initially planned for that model because the only other change was a larger display. I really hope we see this on Series 8, and I also hope it can be used for more than just cycle tracking.

  • New video goes hands-on with Apple’s self-service repair program

    New video goes hands-on with Apple’s self-service repair program

    The news: Parts and tools have begun shipping out for Apple’s repair program, and the contents are intense.

    • While the actual parts for your iPhone repair ship in a small cardboard box…renting the tools is a different story
    • Apple’s $49 tool kit rental, which you get for a week, ships to your door in 2 separate pelican cases…which includes screen and battery presses, a heated display pocket and fixture, screwdrivers and more

    Sam’s take: I genuinely could not believe that 3 boxes showed up at my door…2 of which were giant plastic crates that looked like they fell off of a cargo plane. Not only is this incredibly intimidating, it’s a lot of stuff Apple will be shipping each customer to facilitate a repair as simple as a screen replacement. I’m going to do the actual repair later today and see how things go, but I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to get what is essentially the Genius Bar in the mail.

  • Leaked photo shows new iPhone 14 display designs

    Leaked photo shows new iPhone 14 display designs

    The leak: A new photo has surfaced online that provides our best look yet at the front of the entire iPhone 14 lineup.

    Sam’s take: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but now that I’ve seen that pill + hole deign in a real photo…I actually dig it. I know, a huge change of pace from my thoughts a few months back. I think I’m just glad it’s something truly new, something that we haven’t seen on the iPhone before…or any other phone for that matter. As we’ve been seeing, the differences between the normal and Pro phones this year will be the larger yet.

  • New video goes hands-on with iPhone 14 mockups

    New video goes hands-on with iPhone 14 mockups

    The news: Some freshly printed 3D models of the iPhone 14 have been shared online by Apple blog Macotakara (58.5% accurate, source).

    Sam’s take: A riveting soundtrack for this hands-on, if I don’t say so myself. Joking aside, it’s not like we’re learning anything new here…it’s just that we get a better look at these than ever before and some good sizing comparisons to iPhone 13 cases. And the iPhone 14 Pros having no notch or cutout at all? That’s not happening. It’ll be the pill + hole design we’ve come to know, it just wasn’t printed on these models for some reason.

  • Did Apple really fix the camera on the Studio Display? Here are some before and after comparisons.

    Did Apple really fix the camera on the Studio Display? Here are some before and after comparisons.

    The news: A new beta update for the Studio Display has been released…and fixes for the camera are included, according to The Verge.

    • Overall, reviewers liked Apple’s new Studio Display…but there was one resounding point of criticism: the new camera is very bad
    • In what appeared to be an odd miss for a company that ships some of the best cameras in the world, Apple quickly promised a future software update that would improve the quality
    • “An update to the Studio Display firmware is now available with today’s beta release of macOS Monterey 12.4. This beta update has refinements to the Studio Display camera tuning, including improved noise reduction, contrast, and framing,” Apple says
    • So, does the update actually make it any better? Yes and no. While there are moderate improvements in those areas aforementioned (better detail and color overall)…it still looks sub-par considering the $1,599 cost of entry for the Studio Display. As The Verge’s Nilay Patel writes, “It does seem like Apple’s decision to put a wide-angle lens on this camera for Center Stage support is working against image quality here — no matter what, it’s cropping down that sensor, giving the whole system less data to work with.” Thus, the Studio Display’s camera issues have always been more of a hardware than software problem.

    Sam’s take: Oh man. I guess I naively thought the image quality was bad just due to some weird software bug. But the software weirdness looks to be only about 30% of the real problem: which is that the actual camera hardware here doesn’t look very good. The new beta no doubt improves the image quality…but it’s still extremely subpar for an Apple display to me. As something marketed to be placed in studios, there’s nothing studio quality about the camera on Apple’s Studio Display. Maybe further software updates will continue to improve things. But right now I’m still disappointed.

    Before/after the update, via The Verge

    Before/after the update, via James Thomson

    Images via Jason Snell

  • Apple launches long-awaited Self Service Repair program for the public

    Apple launches long-awaited Self Service Repair program for the public

    The news: You can now buy genuine Apple parts to fix your iPhone yourself, thanks to Apple’s new Self Service Repair program.

    Here’s how it works…

    • There are 3 iPhone models currently included in the program: iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and iPhone SE 3 (Macs with Apple Silicon will be added to the repair program later this year)
    • Before ordering any parts, Apple recommends you take a look at the appropriate repair manual to get a sense of the service process (the manuals are incredibly extensive and well-documented)
    • Then you can go to selfservicerepair.com to order all the genuine Apple parts you need…and even rent a hefty toolkit from Apple for $49 that will be shipped to you along with the parts
    • “Every genuine Apple part is designed and engineered for each product, and goes through extensive testing to ensure the highest quality, safety, and reliability. The parts are the same ones — at the same price — as those available to Apple’s network of authorized repair providers. For certain repairs, customers will receive a credit when returning a replaced part for recycling,” Apple says

    Sam’s take: I woke up a bit late to see this news, but I’m stoked. We’ve been waiting on this for months but Apple really followed through…and from what I can see they nailed it (no pun intended). Sure, the scope now is limited to only the 3 newest iPhones, but Macs are coming later this year and it’ll also be expanded outside of the US later, too. I’m super satisfied with this initial launch and it seems like the wait was worth it. Now it’s time to see how hard repairing the screen on my iPhone 12 Pro will be…

  • Only some iPhone 14 models are getting the new 48MP camera

    Only some iPhone 14 models are getting the new 48MP camera

    The rumor: Apple is working on a radically upgraded camera…but only for the most expensive iPhones, according to Mark Gurman (86.4% accurate, via Power On).

    Sam’s take: Without a doubt, the difference between the standard and pro iPhones this year is going to be a big deal. Not only will the pro models now have a radically better camera system, they’re also the only ones getting the new A16 chip. As previous rumors suggested, Apple is keeping the A15 chip on standard iPhone 14 models. If there was ever a year to spend $999 on a new phone, this will be it.

  • iPhone 14 satellite feature gets closer to launch later this year

    iPhone 14 satellite feature gets closer to launch later this year

    The rumor: Apple’s highly-anticipated satellite communication feature could launch on iPhone 14, according to Mark Gurman (86.4% accurate, via Power On).

    Sam’s take: The fact that this deal was signed and announced with an unnamed company sounds like Apple to me (plus, the first-ever report about satellite connectivity mentioned Globalstar as Apple’s partner). We’ve seen this in a past where an Apple partner talks about a deal before Apple is ready to, and it always happens like this. I would bet pretty heavily that we see this on iPhone 14, especially considering that we know it has been in development for a number of years.

  • New iMac with M3 chip rumored to release in late 2023

    New iMac with M3 chip rumored to release in late 2023

    The rumor: In addition to a slew of new M2 chips, Apple is already planning a new iMac with M3 inside, according to Mark Gurman (86.4% accurate, via Power On).

    • “If you’re waiting for a new iMac, I’m hearing an M3 version of that desktop is already in the works—though I imagine it won’t launch until the end of next year at the earliest. Also, for those asking, I still think an iMac Pro is coming. It just won’t be anytime soon,” Gurman says
    • Aside from a new chip, it is unlikely we’ll see any major design changes on the next 24-inch iMac…considering that Apple just redesigned the product in April 2021

    Sam’s take: No specs yet for the M3 chip, but as the M2 is rumored to be a minor step up from M1, I would bet it’ll be the same story for M3. Also interesting to note is Gurman’s continued mention of a forthcoming iMac Pro (which other sources have said will not be happening). With him tripling down on this I will be absolutely shocked if it doesn’t ever release. Plus, it would fix the huge gap in Apple’s desktop lineup right now with no 27-inch iMac available.

  • iPhone 14 said to release in new purple color, upgraded flash coming

    iPhone 14 said to release in new purple color, upgraded flash coming

    The rumor: Apple is looking to add new colors and a new flash to iPhone 14, according to a new rumor from Oivo sauce ovo posted to Weibo.

    • The new flash is described as “a small circle in a big circle,” rather than the dual circle design we have seen in recent history (see illustration below)
    • Apple is also working on a new purple colorway for both iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro that shifts in tone depending on the lighting
    • According to the rumor, black, white, blue, red and purple will be the color options for iPhone 14, while graphite, gold, silver and purple will be available on iPhone 14 Pro

    Sam’s take: Purple for all models, at launch, is going to be a big hit. I remember when Apple launched the purple iPhone 12 in April 2021, so many folks wanted it! But they had already bought one of the other colors months earlier. Based on the way it is described in the Weibo post, it sounds pretty stunning. If it looks as good as it sounds, I’m in. As for the flash change…it’s unclear what that means right now.

    Thanks ShrimpApplePro for the tip!

  • Apple may finally address an odd design quirk on iPhone 14

    Apple may finally address an odd design quirk on iPhone 14

    The rumor: iPhone 13 models have a strange design inconsistency…but that could be changing on iPhone 14, as noticed by render artist Ian Zelbo..

    • There is a quirk with the iPhone 13 Pro design: the radius of the phone’s corners do not match the radius of the camera bump (obviously, an odd decision for a company like Apple, who is known for their cohesiveness)
    • As seen in various iPhone 14 Pro CADs and schematics that have leaked, Apple has rounded the corners of the iPhone 14 Pro significantly, finally addressing the odd look on the iPhone 13 Pro
    • In addition as the corners being more rounded, the corners of the screen are also far more curved
    • According to CADs, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will not be getting the rounder corners…mostly likely because the camera module is far smaller, making it unnecessary
    • Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro is rumored to have an upgraded camera setup, and if Apple kept the same radius from the iPhone 13 Pro, it would result in a very uneven looking device

    Ian’s Take: Finally! As soon as the iPhone 13 Pro came out, I noticed the uneven radius of the camera module and the device’s frame. I am not only excited that Apple is addressing this design quirk, but the more rounded design looks fantastic. My insanely detailed renders of the iPhone 14 Pro will release first on the Front Page Tech YouTube channel.

    iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro – close up comparison, iPhone 14 Pro is in front

    iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro – showing a larger corner radius
    iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro – showing the new display design with rounder corners