Sunday, February 25, 2018

Apple Launches iPhone 7 Repair Program for Models Showing 'No Service'

Apple comes up with Repair Program for iPhone 7 suffering from “No Service” issue


A number of iPhone 7 devices were suffering from a technical glitch wherein devices showed no services right in the status bar. Apple’s Repair Program will help all the users with the faulty iPhone 7 to get respite from being unable to call others in need. Apple became aware of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus loss of cellular service issue and started the investigation immediately. . This issue was quite annoying for the users as there was nothing wrong with the tower reception the cellular coverage are available to the users without any interruptions.

Apple has investigated this problem in the iPhone 7 devices and came up with the conclusion that one hardware component has simply malfunctioned. Apple has even advised the authorized service providers to aid and instruct customers how to deal with their affected iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus models. The usual way of fixing any cellular reception related issue is to remove and reinsert the devices’ SIM card but that wouldn’t be much avail in this case.

Component malfunction is the reason


The investigation conducted by the Apple sheds light that a small percentage of the iPhone device manufactured specifically in-between September 2016 and February 2017 has suffered from this issue. In order to appease the customer Apple has decided to launch a Repair Program wherein it will be repairing iPhone 7 free of charge after checking it for the symptoms.

The reason behind the issue is mainly attributed to the failure of a hardware component present on the main logic board. Since it is hardware issue it is possible to fix by sending out an OTA update rather it will need proper repairing which isn't cheap either.

The model number of iPhone 7 affected by this issue and which happens to be eligible for the Apple's Repair Program includes

  •  A1660, A1780 - China 
  •  A1660 - Hong Kong, Macao, US 
  •  A1779 - Japan

Keeping customers happy with Repair Program


Apple has promised only to invest its time and resources in repairing the affected iPhone 7 models which has been manufactured ion the last two years. These models comprise of the iPhone 7 devices which came out after the successful reception of the first retail sales of the units globally. It should be noted that the iPhone Plus is not the part of the Apple's Repair Program.

The silver lining here for the customers is that Apple is willing to reimburse the amount for those who had already paid to get their iPhone 7 repaired prior to the commencement of this Repair Program.Way back in 2016 Apple has made internal inquiry into the wellbeing and performance of its iPhone line-up and it was found that the iPhone 7s was suffering from this bug issue. Afterthe dismal performance of the Apple iPhone X in terms of units sold has left Apple no choice but come up with a customer friendly Repair Program for the faulty iPhone 7.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

How to Turn Off iPhone Throttling in iOS 11.3

iPhone throttling
iPhone Throttling: iOS 11.3 will allow to accelerate or decelerate old iPhones voluntarily

A little more than a month ago, Apple recognized that it slows down the iPhone through software updates (iphone throttling), a situation that has generated several headaches for the company and that has even caused several complaints from disgruntled customers. Following this, Apple decided facilitate its users by voluntarily turn off iphone throttling. It sent an iOS update to accelerate the processors of old iPhones with degraded batteries, but to leave the issue in the hands of the users themselves, the company confirmed last week that it will launch an iOS update which let's choose whether or not they want to slow down their iPhones in favor of greater security.

Most of the iphone users were forlorn with the disclosure, furthermore Apple react by reducing the cost of an iPhone battery replacement from $79 to $29 along with vowing to provide users the facility to turn off the iphone throttling. That knack has currently available here in adaptations of iOS 11.3 rolling out; it be supposed to come to open beta testers contained by some few days, as well as it will to be expected be accessible in a concluding release contained by the coming weeks — at whatever time it does pull in on your phone, here is how to bring into play the iPhone throttling manually.

Initially, the users will require to be administrating iPhone throttling — that, by this position, have need of a quantity of waiting as well as a small number of additional steps. Apple has not alleged while the absolute adaptation will be released, however any person can roll their gadget to take delivery of beta erect of the software. The battery administration attributes were only appended in the second beta edition, so users will call for to keep informed yet if they downloaded the foremost iOS 11.3 beta the previous month.

Although it was not certain when this option would come, today the company has announced that iOS 11.3 is the version of firmware that will add a switch to perform iphone throttling i.e., to disable processor acceleration and reduce performance decelerated in old iPhones with naturally degraded batteries. According to the company, the controversial feature was added to prevent the old iPhones from being accidentally turned off when the processor was under heavy load, which caused a peak of energy that the battery could not handle.

To do this, Apple accelerated the processor on those devices with the idea of making sure there was not a peak of power large enough so that the battery could not handle it. This hinted that Apple was reducing the performance of older iPhones to force users to buy newer models, so Apple has had to apologize.

Returning to the theme of iOS 11.3, Apple said that this next update will provide the possibility of opting not to receive this functionality when the software update that will arrive in the spring is released. Once users install the update, they can see if the power management feature that dynamically manages maximum performance to avoid unexpected stops is turned on and you can choose to turn iphone throttling off.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Apple in Talks for First Order from Chinese Chipmaker Nikkei

Apple soon going to get chips manufactured from Chinese firms

Apple has been developing its own chips for quite some time and but the rising costs in last few years has finally made it give away the manufacturing to China. Currently Apple is in talks with a Chinese firm named Yangtze Memory Technologies to buy storage chips as per report from Nikkei.

This would also be marked as the first when Apple is indulging in buying chips from the Chinese manufacturers. It is worth noting that these chips will be used only for the new iPhone models as well as other products which will be sold exclusively in the Chinese market only.

Apple performance in Chinese market

As per the Nikkei report Apple has a quite profitable and influential share of the Chinese market. In 2016 Apple market share went down to 9.6 % from 13.6% which was attributed to the rise of the local players like Oppo, Vivo and Huawei who had brought high end specifications to the budget segment.

Things weren’t good just a couple of years for Apple in the China market as it market grew just by 9%. Apple iPhone 6 and 6S variants of iPhone were the best performing device from the Apple so far while iPhone 7 simply failed to capture the attention of the users. But the launch of the iPhone X has simply turned the tide in favour of Apple by bringing back the high end innovation right into the play.

Apple relies on China for manufacturing

Apple has boosted its growth in terms of unit sales with each passing thanks to the efficient manufacturing capabilities of its Chinese partners. It can be easily said that China has played a vital and crucial role in the rise of the iPhone is the last decades due to massive on time production capabilities.

Apple supply chain is quite complex as it brings together different for its iPhone specifically from different parts of the world namely France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Italy, Netherlands and others. Apple does stick the made in China label in all of its devices as the majority of the parts are sourced locally in China while some of the part is outsourced to Taiwan as well.

This year round Apple has relied on the China to produce the iPhone 8 and iPhone X devices along with the others. Apple’s iPhone X also became the first flagship device from Apple to break the one grand dollar price tag barrier which resulted lower than the expected sales in later months but it didn’t put any dent to the overall revenue of the firm.

The decision of sourcing storage chips seems to be a good move on part of the Apple to save more on the chips so it can keep offering the next batch of devices without causing a steep increase in the sale price. Both Apple and Yangtze Memory have refrained to provide any information or comment on this development as reported by the Nikkei.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Apple Invents an Optical System for a Future VR and AR Headset

Apple Optical System

Apple’s concocting a New Optical System for VR and AR Headsets

Looks like the Cupertino based company, is planning something for their VR and AR headsets. Recently there was news of a patent being published in which Apple seems to be cooking up a new optical system design for their VR and AR headsets and if this news is to be believed, then Apple may be coming up with a lighter and more comfortable VR or AR headset.

This new patent is all about bringing down the weight in using an AR or VR headset. It’s not certain as of now when products bearing this patented tech will be released, it could be months or years or maybe not ever, only time will tell and of course Apple will when they are ready. It’s no surprise that the company has ambitions to deliver a new VR or AR headset in the future but will this new AR or VR headset bear this new optical system or not is the question.

What is the optical system patent actually about? 


Recently the United States Patent and Trademark Office recently published a patent in which Apple has come up with a new optical system that is aimed at making AR or VR headsets much more comfortable and lighter to use. Although the end product maybe years away from the production line, it still helps to know what Apple is up to at the moment.

Microsoft’s HoloLens and Facebook’s Oculus VR Rift Headsets all share something in common besides that they are meant for VR, they can be heavy and uncomfortable to wear. Long hours wearing such a device on the head can become tiring and cumbersome to wear. Apple has even called some of the headsets out there having optical systems that are bulky and not that comfortable to wear.
What is Apple’s new Optical System About?

The published patent details an optical system in which Apple has come out with a new technique/ optical system known as the Catadioptric system. This optical system is not all together new, it has been used as a basis in optical telescopes, telephoto lenses and microscopes. But it is the first time that such an optical system will be thought of for AR or VR headsets.

The catadioptric System is an optical system that uses a combination of curved mirrors and lenses to create a mix of refraction and reflection that does away with magnifying lenses which are used to make visual content larger in the standard optical systems used in AR or VR headsets and that is the primary reason why standard headsets bearing this type of magnifying lens is heavy and cumbersome to use.

With this optical system in mind, Apple can not only reduce the weight of its AR or VR headsets but also slim down the size of the Headsets too.

Until now it is not clear whether and if Apple will ever come to use this optical system in their VR or AR headsets. Right now Apple is playing a waiting game to see how the market will play out and whether VR headsets are here for the long haul or not.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Apple Says a Processing Error Led It to Send Developers Wrong App Install and Ad Spend Details

apple ads
The recent past, we distinguished and stated on how Apple was conveying developers’ emails by means of a regular set up as well as ad pay out niceties for some developers’ applications. In the present day, Apple has hurl out a memo to developers to articulate that a dispensation error grounds the quandary, as well as that in the upcoming it will barely fling alerts through email, however that developers will need to record in to their reports to make out a few real figures or else other particulars. Louis D’hauwe - one of the developers, distributed a message from Apple express regret for the boo-boo, which come into sight cramped merely to a number of developers by means of the company’s new-fangled Search Ads Basic rank of promotion:

The corporation believed that to steer clear of whichever tribulations such as this in the upcoming, developers will require signing into their accounts to inspect their control panel with particulars. The recent past mess exposed particulars on the subject of apps by the Search Ads Basic check, together through how various bed in every app was receiving, the outlay per set up, as well as the entirety used up. At the same time as called attention recently, not merely might developers not would like to contribute to perceptive info such as this among new developers, however they may be for the most part dejected if the information was shared in the midst of straight players.

Search Ads Basic was commenced merely some months before, during last year, as well as is meant on together new developers and persons who are in a minute opening out by search ads. Apple is having a jiffy level of tune-up that is meant at better ad buys, among additional statistics spots as well as charged on a cost per impression charge fairly than cost-per-install.

In cooperation products give emphasis to a pair of motivating tendency just about Apple as well as the App Store. In the company of millions of application at present on the marketplace athwart together web along with indigenous set-up, notice vestiges a test for a lot of developers, as well as in suspense for virility or else advertising in added types unaided to endorse an app may not be sufficient for the most part.

Attached among that, in a backdrop endemic by means of devious “development scythe” system, Apple has detained the flash to offer somewhat that it could be in command of more itself, as well as create a small income from it to boot. Its incentive: beds in put on from these ads are prejudiced more greatly than further set up from other promotional way, as Apple believes them “Top class.” In receipt of the protection for developers exactly around those ads as well as ad services must and will be measured element and tract of whether Apple beyond doubt is distributing on that value oath.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Apple Watch Series 3 Smartwatch to Launch

Apple launched the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) on 9th Feb. The GPS version of the Watch Series 3 was launched in Singapore in September 2017.

The Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) version can be used while you are on the go. It does not need to be connected to the iPhone all the time.

The Apple Watch Series 3 built-in cellular allows you to stay connected. You can receive notifications, answer calls and lots more without actually having the iPhone near at hand. Payments too can be made using Apple Pay with this watch.

As of now, the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) can only be used with the Singtel mobile line. Singtel is offering the NumberShare plan ($6.90 per month) whereby the phone number, data and talktime are shared with the cellular watch.

Features 

The Apple Watch Series 3 comes in two models, the GPS and the other; the GPS and Cellular version. Both the versions have a 70 percent faster dual-core processor for downloading apps at a faster rate, smoother graphics and allowing the use of Siri through the built-in speaker. Apple Watch Series 3 has a new wireless chip whereby the WiFi speed is enhanced by 85 percent and the Bluetooth and WiFi are more power efficient. The Apple Watch Series 3 will be beneficial to health and fitness enthusiasts. There are coaching features added like water resistance 50 meters and a barometric altimeter to measure relative elevation, outdoor exercises and flights climbed.

The Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) has a full LTE and UMTS cellular radio which switches to cellular when the iPhone is not near at hand. The number for the watch and the iPhone will be the same. When the 3rd generation Apple Watch is paired with AirPods, one can enjoy the wireless experience. The display of the watch acts as an antenna to transmit and receive calls for LTE and UMTS, and has an in-built eSIM, little over one-hundredth the size of the regular SIM, so that over-the-air activation is possible without compromise on the space.

The Apple Watch Series 3 comes in varied colours and styles. The Apple Watch Series (GPS + Cellular) comes in Grey, gold or silver aluminium or with silver or black stainless steel cases along with various bands. The (GPS) version is available in gold, silver or grey aluminium cases with a Sport Band. They are lightweight and designed to provide a comfortable fit to the wrist.
If you want to take your fitness to the next level, stay in good health, be more connected and active, then Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) is the watch for you. It provides smart coaching, has a heart rate app, you can listen to your favourite tunes and also have an interactive Siri experience. It can be used while swimming, can track a casual jog or an intensive workout, track activity levels.

All-in-all, the Apple Watch Series (GPS + Cellular) makes your body your main priority.

The Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) comes at a price of $598.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Why iPhone Night Shift Mode is Big Deal

Night Shift Mode

Night Shift Mode in iPhone and how it could improve Your sleep

We sometimes or maybe always use our phones before we sleep, although we have tried hard to kick the habit. This so called habit of ours leads to us getting very bad sleep. Our phone screens emit a light known as blue light that helps us see the screen in bright sunlight. This feature seems to work in the night also. Blue light has a way of affecting our melatonin production which causes us to get very bad sleep in the night. iPhone’s night shift mode hopes to change all that.

The blue light that phones emit in the night causes our brain to get mixed signals and that is when our melatonin production is affected. Melatonin is a hormone that gives our body sleep cues. Without it, we have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep leading to a host of health problems. With iOS 9.3’s night shift mode the blue light on the iPhone screen is toned down.

How Blue Light Affects the Brain and how night shift mode helps us? 


Blue light basically affects an individual’s melatonin production that makes it difficult to not only get sleep but also to stay asleep. But the blue light on our screens can harm us in other ways too. By not getting proper sleep your neurotoxin levels are affected and this in turn will make it even harder for a person to fall asleep.

Not getting a good night’s rest will affect your memory in the long run and make it harder to remember things too. The blue light in our phones, by affecting melatonin production, also takes a toll on our mental health. Besides being fatigued, low melatonin levels increase the chances of depression.

Causing disruption to melatonin levels will in fact affect other hormones too such as those that control hunger causing associated problems like obesity. The other problems that can result from the harmful blue light could be cataract, cancer and could also affect the retina in a person’s eye.

iPhone users that can’t use F.lux, a feature that allows you to tone down blue light levels when needed, don’t need toworry. With iOS 9.3, users get something that is known as night shift mode. With night shift mode a user can control the blue light setting on your iPhone. Night shift mode allows you to set a timing when your phone will start dimming the blue light emitting from the phone.

The screen becomes warmer as the blue light is dimmed by the night shift mode on the phone. Many users who updated to iOS 9.3 feel their eyes less stressed with the night shift mode. Although how much the night shift mode is going to help a person sleep when they have other sleep related problems is anyone’s guess.

Anxiety, stress related issues and other problems from using a phone at night all can affect an individual’s sleep pattern, this makes it difficult to see whether the night shift mode is effective or not.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Apple iOS 11.2.5 Has A Great Secret Feature

What’s New in iOS 11.2.5?

 
Apple has just released the official version of iOS 11.2.5. This new version of iOS is all set to introduce Apple’s HomePod support, as usual some bug fixes and also is supposedly causing problems for some other users. Apple has jumped directly onto iOS 11.2.5 missing 11.2.3 and 11.2.4.
iOS 11.2.5 is actually a maintenance release which is larger than the average maintenance releases.
 

Downloading iOS 11.2.5:

 
If you are currently on iOS 11.2.2 then downloading iOS 11.2.5 will take you a matter of only 10 minutes and maybe even less with speedier networks.

This version of iOS is a bit bigger than the previous two versions and can take up to a few minutes to update and install. The time may vary according to the Apple device and network connection. Updating from iOS 11.2.2 will be faster than updating from a much older version.
 

Battery life after iOS 11.2.5:

 
While some report no problems after updating to iOS 11.2.5 others are experiencing various problems and one of them relates to battery life.

While on the other side of the same coin, users are stating that they have experienced improved battery performance after downloading iOS 11.2.5. This occurrence seems to be unpredicted for, as Apple has not listed battery fixes as a fix when updating to iOS 11.2.5

New features in iOS 11.2.5:


iOS 11.2.5 brings users a new Siri feature whereby the voice assistant can be asked about news podcasts. Apple started introducing the feature a while back with iOS 11.2.2. Now with iOS 11.2.5 the news podcasts are available to the US, Australia and the UK.

Also coming with iOS 11.2.5 is support for apple’s HomePod. You can now transfer all your Apple id, music and Siri and WiFi settings to HomePod and get it set up.

The HomePod is due to be released in Febuary of this year.
 

Issues in iOS 11.2.5:

 
Many users after downloading the iOS 11.2.5 update are encountering problems relating to frozen downloads, problems with third party apps, battery drain, issues concerning connectivity whether to WiFi, data or Bluetooth connectivity. Additional issues relate to face id and touch id.

Apple is also offering users a chance to drop back to iOS 11.2, iOS 11.2.1 or iOS 11.2.2 if they are not happy with the iOS 11.2.5 download.
 

Security patches with iOS 11.2.5:

 
iOS 11.2.5 has also brought with it security patches including one relating to chaiOS link. Those devices running on iOS 11.2.2 or older and receive a GitHub link as a message in your messaging app, it can mean that your device will respring or lockup. Brsides this, the messaging app may also cease to function.

Another security release relates to spectre. iOS 11.2.5 brings a security improvement for WebKit and Safari which protects users from spectre.

If you do not have the current version of iOS 11.2.2 and have some older version then downloading iOS 11.2.5 will come with a lot more security fixes than updating directly from iOS 11.2.2

Monday, February 5, 2018

WhatsApp Messenger Now Officially Supports Apple CarPlay

WhatsApp
WhatsApp Messenger now compatible with CarPlay

WhatsApp is the first messenger app that is now also supported by Apple's CarPlay system: This was previously Apple's own messaging service iMessage (which can also send and receive SMS), reserved. With the update to WhatsApp version 2.18.20 WhatsApp but to bring the necessary support. After pairing the iPhone then appears WhatsApp icon on the car display.

Anyone who knows how to use and appreciate the comfort of Apple's CarPlay in the car will have missed a comprehensive compatibility with the WhatsApp Messenger in many a situation painfully. That could finally change - thanks to a nondescript WhatsApp update.

WhatsApp is supposed to be able to interact with Apple's CarPlay. Accordingly, the innovation does not fall directly on, because the CarPlay icon for the messenger apparently not in the foreground. But at least by looking into the CarPlay settings of the iOS options, it is clear that the messenger has actually been integrated into the system. More safety and comfort On the Apple devices, the feature was probably in the wake of the just-rolled WhatsApp update for iOS with the version number 2.18.20.

However, official information on this not insignificant innovation does not appear to be provided by WhatsApp yet. Also in connection with the recent update for the messenger only "bug fixes" the speech, so the correction of minor errors. A circumstance that is at least surprising, since many iPhone users have been waiting almost eagerly for the feature. From now on, you can use it to read WhatsApp messages from Siri and answer them directly, without being distracted while driving - exactly as it is the case with conventional messages.

Feature is missing? Manually trigger WhatsApp update

If the feature has not arrived yet, you can simply manually update WhatsApp via the App Store. Once done, the function should be directly integrated and the corresponding CarPlay icon will appear as soon as you connect your iPhone to a CarPlay-compatible car.

Supporting CarPlay lets you read incoming messages or dictate new messages to Siri - and the icon also shows you how many unread messages there are. However, the news can only be read out in sequence - scrolling through the individual messages is not possible. However, with Siri you can read the last messages of a person as before: "Hey Siri, read the WhatsApp messages from Martin!".

When you receive a new message, it will now also be displayed on the CarPlay screen so that you can respond directly and have the message read to you. New in the WhatsApp update is also a search function in the group members: If you click in a group chat on the group name, can now also search for participants in a large group - WhatsApp itself writes to the new features of the update, however, only "bug fixes".

What Can We Expect From Samsung Galaxy S9?

Samsung Galaxy S9?
With news buzzing about the Samsung Galaxy S9, what can be expected from the phone that will be launched by Samsung?

Some hints were passed by Samsung in its 2017 year-end Financial Report about the Samsung Galaxy S9. The camera and Bixby assistant will be the main features that will strengthen its top of the range Smartphones.

Release Date



Samsung will launch the Galaxy S9 on 25th Feb 2018 at the Mobile World Congress. March 2 is the date for pre-orders and it will be shipped in mid March according to ETNews.

The Design



The Samsung Galaxy S9 will maintain the S8 look. The front of the Galaxy S9 has same sized bezels above and below the display as that of the Galaxy S8. It will have the “edge” curved design with a single camera lens on the rear. There is also the fingerprint sensor, flanked by a flash unit and other sensors on the rear.

Based on a leaked image of the package, the Samsung Galaxy S9 comes with a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom of the phone. It also seems that the phone will have the IP68 rating.

The Camera



The camera will be the main focus of the Galaxy S9. The ability to capture motion with rapid shutter speed or depth of field and different lighting will be the additional features. The Galaxy S9 may use the Samsung Isocell image sensor for better images in low light by creating a large pixel.

Video can be shot in 1080p at 460fps. According to the leaked image of the package, Samsung Galaxy S9 will have a super speed Dual Pixel 12MP OIS (F1.5/F2.4). It will have a variable aperture that will switch between F1.5 and F2.4 depending on the lighting. The leaked image of the package shows the Samsung Galaxy S9 will have an 8MP AF Selfie camera.

Features



The Samsung Galaxy S9 will come with a 3,000mAh cell which is similar to that in the Galaxy S8. Samsung Galaxy S9 will most probably have two different chips. For the US markets, the model will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip and the other international models will run on Exynos 9 Series 9180.

The Galaxy S9 will be the first to have the Snapdragon 845 chip. The Snapdragon 845 will enhance image processing, an improved Gigabit LTE capable modem with 20 percent faster speeds than the modem on the Snapdragon 835. Besides the usual upgrades, the processor will have an AI processing platform called Hexagon 685 DSP.

As far as storage is concerned, the Galaxy S9 may have 8 times the storage capacity of its predecessor. According to reports from Geekbench and a leaked image on Reddit, the Galaxy S9 is slated to have 64GB storage and 4GB RAM.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is likely to have the 512GB flash storage, as indicated by a December 2017 announcement by the company.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 will have the band 71 support according to a Federal Communications Commission filing. Band 71 is basically a low frequency (600 MHz) band for better coverage in rural areas and large buildings. Since T-Mobile owns the 600 MHz spectrum, they will benefit from it.
Reddit has posted an image of the packaging, which shows the Galaxy S9 with stereo speakers. Samsung in partnership with AKG will enhance the audio of the Galaxy S9. The headphones too are in collaboration with AKG.

Cost of the Samsung Galaxy S9



It may be in the range of $880 to $920.