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  • Apple announces all-online WWDC 2022 on June 6, iOS 16 expected

    Apple announces all-online WWDC 2022 on June 6, iOS 16 expected

    The news: Apple has officially announced their next special event of the year that is taking place on June 6, 2022.

    • Apple’s worldwide developer conference, also known as WWDC, is traditionally focused on revealing the latest in software: new iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and more are expected
    • While the event goes all week long (June 6-10) with countless sessions for developers to virtually attend, the highlight of the event is always keynote that happens at 10am PST on the first day
    • “In addition to the online conference, Apple will host a special day for developers and students at Apple Park on June 6 to watch the keynote and State of the Union videos together, along with the online community. Space will be limited, and details about how to apply to attend will be provided on the Apple Developer site and app soon” Apple says

    Sam’s take: After wondering what was up yesterday…here you have it! WWDC keynote on June 6…but the same all-online format as last year. I wrote from the start that I didn’t believe we were ready for an in-person event with 5-6,000 people, and it looks like Apple feels the same way. Can’t wait to see what they’ve been cooking up in Cupertino!

  • New Beats Studio Buds colors rumored to release soon

    New Beats Studio Buds colors rumored to release soon

    The rumor: Apple is working on 3 fresh colors for Beats Studio Buds, according to Jon Prosser (69% accurate, via Front Page Tech).

    • Moon Gray, Ocean Blue and Sunset Pink are the rumored trio of colors said to be launching sometime “soon”
    • We don’t have any official images, but we connected what the new colors could look like above
    • Beats Studio Buds first released on June 25, 2021, and these new colors are likely to spur some additional interest in the product as it nears a year old

    Sam’s take: Considering that these are on sale right now for $119.99, I’m going to assume that aren’t selling all that well. I tried them out for myself, but in-ear buds (including AirPods Pro) just never work well for me. On top of that, I wasn’t impressed by the sound quality and thought the build felt a bit cheap…which I guess is fair for a lower-end offering like this. Still, I’d love to see Apple bring some colors to AirPods and not just Beats.

  • iPhone 14 rumored to have 20% thinner bezels

    iPhone 14 rumored to have 20% thinner bezels

    The rumor: Apple is slimming down the bezels on the flagship iPhones this year even further, according to ShrimpApplePro (not yet tracked).

    Sam’s take: I don’t know what it is about these latest CAD images…but I’m starting to get it now. By eliminating the notch in favor of the “i” design, we’re getting equal bezels on every side of the device early. Sure, the dual cutout looks odd, but don’t the perfectly symmetrical bezels look better?

  • Apple WWDC 2022 announcement still missing in split from recent years

    Apple WWDC 2022 announcement still missing in split from recent years

    The (lack of) news: Days into April, Apple has still not confirmed when their major developer conference is happening this year.

    Sam’s take: Back in the early 2010s, Apple regularly announced WWDC in mid- to late-April…but it does seem odd that they still haven’t said a word about the event this year. If the event is, again, virtual…obviously no one needs that much notice since no travel is involved. But I would think an announcement would have happened by now if some folks will be traveling for the event.

  • iPhone 14 Pro Max leaked in new CAD images with exact measurements

    iPhone 14 Pro Max leaked in new CAD images with exact measurements

    The leak: New images show detailed iPhone 14 Pro Max CADs along with measurements galore, as shared by leaker ShrimpApplePro (not yet tracked).

    Ian’s Take: Now that many different CADs have been floating around showing this design, I am highly confident that this is the design that we will see in September. In addition to that, Sam and I are quite sure that these measurements are genuine and accurate: this source was the first to show off the pill shape design almost half a year ago.

  • Someone just put a Lighting port on an Android phone

    Someone just put a Lighting port on an Android phone

    The news: An engineer just made the world’s first Android phone…with a Lightning port.

    • Ken Pillonel, who also made the world’s first iPhone with USB-C, has now turned the tables and put Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector on a Samsung Galaxy A51 smartphone
    • The modified Lighting connector allows the Android phone to be charged and even supports data transfer, too

    Sam’s take: I think humanity was a mistake. All joking aside, this is a pretty impressive feat and Pillonel is obviously a wildly talented engineer that continues to entertain us all. Getting the phone to charge is one thing, but I’m even more impressed that he got data transfer to work. But while everyone wants an iPhone with USB-C, no one wants an Android with Lightning! This is incredible.

  • iOS 15.4.1 released with fix for battery drain and more

    iOS 15.4.1 released with fix for battery drain and more

    The news: Apple just dropped a new, minor update to iOS 15 following the massive iOS 15.4 release a few weeks ago.

    Here’s what’s new…

    • Battery may drain more quickly than expected after updating to iOS 15.4
    • Braille devices may become unresponsive while navigating text or displaying an alert
    • Made for iPhone hearing devices may lose connection within some third-party apps

    Sam’s take: I wasn’t affected by any of these issues, but I am surprised that Apple specifically called out battery drain here. This is usually something users complain about and that Apple does address…but rarely publicly. Probably a good idea to update if you think you were affected by any of these bugs.

  • Beats releases new Studio3 ‘Cosomophones’

    Beats releases new Studio3 ‘Cosomophones’

    The news: Beats has released a new colorway for the Studio3 headphones in a stunning collaboration with streetwear icon Kerwin Frost.

    • Coined the “Cosmophones,” Frost’s take on the iconic design features space-inspired iconography combined with some electric illustrations that bring life to an aging product
    • You can buy the new headphones on April 1 from SSENSE or KERWINSKINGDOM.COM
    • The Beats Studio3 headphones first debuted in September 2017, making the model nearly 5 years old at this point

    Sam’s take: As a design aficionado…I love these and they’re my favorite Beats collaboration ever. As a tech fan…please don’t buy these because they haven’t been updated in years. But damn do they look fresh!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbfkOhOpAFM/
  • iPhone 14 again rumored to NOT have under-display Touch ID as Face ID continues to improve

    iPhone 14 again rumored to NOT have under-display Touch ID as Face ID continues to improve

    The rumor: The iPhone will not feature an under-display fingerprint scanner until at least 2025, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (72.5% accurate).

    Ian’s Take: Every year, analysts say that under-display Touch ID is coming…but then always end up saying that it is happening in the following year. I would love for Touch ID to be reintroduced as I still have trouble unlocking my phone while wearing a mask, but we shouldn’t hold our breath, according to Kuo.

  • What? Nobody is buying the new iPhone SE…

    What? Nobody is buying the new iPhone SE…

    The rumor: Apple is selling fewer new iPhone SE models than they expected, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (72.5% accurate) and Nikkei Asia (rating pending, source).

    • “Apple plans to make about 20% fewer iPhone SEs next quarter than originally planned, in one of the first signs that the Ukraine war and looming inflation have started to dent consumer electronics demand” Nikkei Asia says
    • Ming-Chi Kuo has also lowered his shipment estimations for all of 2022, down to 15-20 million units (versus 25-30 million before)

    Sam’s take: To be clear, even on the low-end, selling 15 million phones is still good. Sure, it’s not out of this world or explosive sales, but it’s still a metric ton of $429 iPhones that people will get and love. Nikkei Asia specifically points to the war in Ukraine and inflation as reasons for why the phone isn’t selling as well as expected: I think this is reasonable short term, but couldn’t these exact pressures also push customers to buy this low-end model instead of a higher-end phone longer-term?

    I also really think it’s possible that folks might be moving on from this dated 4.7-inch design that we’ve had since 2014. Nobody, other than the carriers, really cares about 5G, and the better battery life on this model is not a big leap. Aside from that…it’s identical to the previous version. Even my mom, who has long been a base iPhone user, moved up to a larger iPhone 13 this cycle. Again, this is purely speculation, but a design this old has to stop selling well at some point, right? Regardless of how “affordable” it is…

  • Apple has no plans for a sub-$1,000 monitor following Studio Display announcement

    Apple has no plans for a sub-$1,000 monitor following Studio Display announcement

    The rumor: Apple’s monitor lineup will look exactly like it does now for some time, according to Mark Gurman (86.4% accurate, via Power On).

    Sam’s take: Just like Apple essentially took the panel from a 27-inch iMac and turned it into a standalone display…I would love if Apple did the same with current 24-inch iMac. And I think more people than you’d think would be down to spend $999 on a display that isn’t out-of-this-world technically advanced but that looks sharp as hell. Plus, it would recreate the trio of monitors that Apple did offer in the mid-2000s…