It's confirmed - Your iPhone has a limited lifespan, says Apple

Apple – iPhone has Limited Lifespan of Three Years

It has been revealed by Apple that the iPhone has a limited lifespan of only three years. According to the Cupertino giant, the Apple Watch and iPhone is said to last for three years while Mac computers and the Apple TV would be lasting for four years. Apple had published on its site, recently in a new question and answer section which outlines the company’s environmental push, and released the life expectancy for different devices, together with the amount of greenhouse gases they expect to contribute in that time.

Apple considers the greenhouse gas life cycle for products by observing the hardware components, size and weight, shipping methods, daily usage patterns and disposal practices.Apple centres its lifespan expectancy on modelled use and the exact use of data. The Cupertino California Company groups its products by operating system to make lifespan projections, irrespective of other product specifications. Apple had mentioned in the report that `years of use that are based on first owners, are assumed to be four years for OS X and tvOS devices and three years for iOS and watchOS devices. In all cases, Apple is assessing first owner device lifespans.

Apple Revamped App Store – To Support Preservation

Hence if one purchases a used Apple device, the countdown has already started. An operative iPhone 5 for instance, which was launched in September 2012, could be considered as a living dead phone. Schemes whether Apple tends to build its products to die within a few years have been circulating around for years. Laura Trucco, then a PhD economics student had analysed the number of Google search for `iPhone slow’ all over the world for the last seven years and found that the search term spiked whenever a new model had been released.

In an effort to prove the theory, users of iPhone carried out test concerning phones running older software and updated forms to prove that Apple self-disrupts its out-of-date hardware, probably to inspire users in upgrading as early as possible. Apple revamped the app store recently with a range of Apps for Earth, created in business with the World Wild Fund for Nature –WWF in order to raise funds and support for preservation, as part of its new environmental awareness push.

Built Custom Content for 27 Apps

Apple had helped in building custom content for 27 apps which tend to promote the mission of WWF, that comprise of conservation of wildlife, forests, fresh water and oceans and would be donating 100% of the profit to the charities they are connected with from April 14 to 24. Likewise to Apple’s Campaign for RED in 2014, Apps for Earth includes updates to popular apps like Kendal & Kylie, Enlight and Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes.

The fact regarding the life cycles came about in answer to question regarding Apple’s Product Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle Assessment. Apple had broken down its environmental impact measurements in five segments, part by part measurements, power use scenarios, transportation cost, material composition as well as emissions data. The lifespan details had come from the power use scenario estimates.

iPhone SE Facing Bluetooth Call Audio Issues

iPhone SE Facing Bluetooth Audio Connectivity

Some units of the iPhone SE, which is the latest 4-inch iPhone of Apple, may have problems with Bluetooth audio connectivity. The iPhone SE tends to share a design with the iPhone 5s, the 4-inch aluminium iPhone which debuted in 2013. Though the iPhone 6 had accepted rounded edges together with curved display, the iPhone 5s and SE tend to have a boxier design with thicker body.

It also has chamfered edges, flat display, round volume buttons, glass antenna inserts, a power button located at the top of the device as well as a flush camera and a pill-shaped rear flash. As per some early adopters of the handset, there seems to be some problem with Bluetooth phone calls when the device tends to get paired with a vehicle or a headset.

The problem as documented by users on the Apple Support forum is not limited to the Bluetooth phone call audio but also spreads to GPS voice navigation too. But music streaming utilising the Bluetooth connectivity tends to be untouched. An iPhone SE user had posted on the Apple Support forum - `I have a new iPhone SE and have so far paired it to a 2014 BMW 328i and a 2011 Kia Optima and a 2015 Kia Santa Fe. In all cases, I have terrible quality Bluetooth call reception… the audio while on a phone is extremely scratchy and distorted’.

Bug Tends to Persist

While Apple is yet to come up with a solution or provide its official word on the matter and based on crowdsourced information, the Bluetooth bug is considered to affect most of the iPhone SE models which tend to run iOS 9.3 or 9.3.1 versions irrespective of carrier or model and is for the users in Australia, Canada, Germany, Sweden, UK and US, presently.

Besides the iOS 9.3.2beta release does not seem to resolve the problem. The problem does not seem to be isolated to any particular carmaker since customers have reported similar issues with vehicles sold by various manufacturers. The iPhone SE Bluetooth audio bug is said to affect a variety of in-car infotainment systems from different carmakers, including Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, GMC, Ford, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen. Users have informed that they had tried restoring the iPhone SE, resetting network setting, un-pairing and re-pairing Bluetooth, toggling cellular data and changing SIM cards. However, the bug still tends to persist.

Hardware or Software Error - Problem Unknown

Presently, it is unknown whether the problem is due to the hardware or software error. Basic troubleshooting by the users has produced no successful resolution of the problem faced. Some of the users on the forum asserted that the support staff informed them that Apple engineers were aware of the bug and are already working to resolve it.

Some of the users who had got in touch with Apple support by phone state that they had been escalated to higher level iOS advisors who asked for log files. Few of them had received confirmation which Apple engineers were aware of the Bluetooth problem internally and though, attempts in fixing it was being done, the timeline appears to be unclear.

Apple has Created a Tablet for Your Wrist

Launch of Apple Watch 2 – iPhone 7 in September

The first group of Apple Watch is at the tail end of its life as the flagship of Apple wearable and those who tend to purchase it being an Apple product will have it already on their wrist. According to a recent research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi-Kuo, Apple had sold around 10.6 million units during 2015 and level of sales should not be condemned.

Selling ten million of any given product is considered an achievement and there are smartphone manufacturers who cannot generate that level of sales over their total product range besides a single peripheral which needs a parent device to be bought individually.

The wearable is following the same pattern of adoption and understanding like the iPad and tends to promise a long and healthy life as a secondary product range. However it is not one that could create the sort of wealth which the iPhone could foster.

Kuo’s study highlights September as the date of the launch of the Apple Watch 2 together with the assumed titled iPhone 7, considering the synergy between the watch and the smartphone which tends to make sense from marketing as well positioning viewpoint

Basic Features – Deal with Notifications

Even with the launch of the second generation Apple Watch, the estimate of the 2016 is smaller by 7.5 million units in total, a 30% drop on the sales of 2015. This year the slowdown in sale as well as the slower projected adoption of the forthcoming smart-watch indicated that the product profile of the Apple Watch seems to be more in keeping with the iPad instead of the iPhone.

The basic features of the Apple Watch are to deal with notifications from the connected accounts, to tell the time and to provide quick access to short surges of information. Though the Apple Watch 2 is likely to have enhanced hardware, built-in Wi-Fi for standalone connectivity as well as a FaceTime video camera, it will not be changing the basic functionality of the Watch.

 Beside the hungry geekerati, the package does not provide a convincing reason to upgrade from an impeccably serviceable first-generation Apple Watch.

Reliable Device – Generate Predictable On-going Sales

As the users of the first Apple iPad had observed, the marginal gain in the next duplication of the hardware is not sufficient to hide the functionality of the original. Individual Apple Watch will be having a much longer life cycle than the iPhone and it is probably going to match the iPad with regards to hardware turnover as well as importance to Apple’s bottom line, which is a notable contribution though not a driving force.

Not every part of hardware could be a home run over the green monster. As it approaches its one year anniversary, the Apple Watch is not the revolutionary product of Tim Cook, it is not a genre defining slice of hardware and it is not going to affect any huge spike in the gross revenue of Apple. However, it tends to join the iPad as another solid, dependable as well as a reliable device that could generate predictable on-going sales all through the year.

New Code Hints Apple will Finally let you Hide iPhone Apps

Ability of Hiding Unwanted Apple Apps

Apple phones are plagued with various apps which the company has pre-installed on its device in an attempt to compel you to use them. A group of Apple’s first party apps like Weather, Compass and Stocks and most of those apps tend to go into one folder which is rarely used. For several years, Apple had been criticised for not providing its users with the ability of removing or hiding these stock apps. It seems the company intends to give its customers some kind of flexibility with its next version of iOS.

According to new settings discovered in code for the App Store, users will have the ability of hiding unwanted Apple apps very soon. App Advice discovered recently, two new flags for classifying apps `isFirstParty’ and `isFirstPartyHideableApp’. These metadata flags recommend that Apple intends classifying some of its app as `hideable’ responding to one of the user’s biggest complaints for years.

Considering that Apple’s App Store selection is so massive that there are better third-party replacements for most of the built-in apps, several users have abandoned App’s defaults for their favoured experience many years back. However, not all the Apple apps would be hideable and it is safe to presume that the dialler and messages app would need to remain on the home screen.

Apple Bundled over 30 Apps by Default on iPhones

Apple has bundled more than 30 apps by default on iPhones and it is considered safe to accept that Apple views that some of them are not used often.CEO Tim Cook in an interview last year had informed BuzzFeed News that the company was aware that most of the its users were not big fans of the apps which it ships with its devices, but had added the complexities that are in play here before it can even think above giving its users the choice to remove apps.

He further stated that there were some apps which were linked to something else on the iPhone and if they were removed, there could be issues elsewhere on the phone. There were other apps which were not like that and so overtime, he thought of removing them. He was looking at offering the capability of hiding unwanted Apple apps. Some like the weather app seemed to be useful though others like Stocks would be appealing to only few of the users.

Trick to Stop Pre-Installed Apps Filling Up

A YouTube user has revealed a simple trick in stopping these pre-installed apps filling up the home screen. A video posted by the user shows him pressing and holding down an icon for a pre-installed Apple app on his home screen.

The pre-installed apps comprise of Pages, Numbers, Stocks, Calendar, Weather and much more. When the icon begins shaking, it is dragged over the top of another icon, creating a folder containing both those apps. He then presses and holds the app again before dragging it to the right and onto the second page of the folder.

On repeating this process, a third time, the app is dragged to the far right of the folder on the third page, while keeping hold of the app with his finger; he presses the home button, resulting in the apps to disappear. He explains that the apps are not totally removed from the phone but are simply hidden from view till the phone tends to get re-started. This could result in utilisation of storage space but the trick could at least make the home screen appear less messy with icons.

Another iOS 9.3 Bug Causes Apps to Freeze your iPhone

Apple’s Mobile Operating System - Freeze

As per reports on the Support Forums of Apple and tweets to the company’s Support team, the mobile operating system which Apple had launched recently has been going through a rough patch causing iOS based devices comprising of iPhone and iPad to freeze. Last week, a forum post from one iPhone owner stated that while trying to click a link to Google GOOG-0.6% from Apple’s AAPL 1.03% built-in browser Safari or email app Mail, `the apps just freeze’.

 The person also added that nothing fixed the problem inclusive of starting the phone. Soon thereafter, many other Apple users also reported of the same problem. One poster wrote `I’m having the same issue in every app that has a link to open Safari, I was in the beta and this never happened, it was more stable then (sic) the public release’.

A video had also been published showcasing the problem in action. At this point of time, it is not known what precisely is causing the issue. An earlier report in TechCrunch that had learnt the growing Apple Support thread had pointed to some complains which the issue could have been related with an iOS 9 feature known as `Universal Links’.

Issued Fixed by Disabling JavaScript

The feature permits app developers to compel links to open directly within their programs rather than an Apple’s Safari browser. However, some of the users in the forum stated that when they disabled JavaScript, a computer language utilised by Apple’s app, it seemed to fix the issue. Whatever maybe the situation, it is just the latest fault affecting the latest operating system launch of Apple.

Apple had recently announced that it would be launching iOS 9.3 to its iPhone and iPad users. The version earlier had been in beta for months recommending that Apple had been working with developers in getting the issued resolved. But soon thereafter, users began complaining regarding the latest version of Apple’s operating system.

Some users, for instance with older devices could not update to iOS 9.3 if they did not remember their passwords and unless they tried a workaround comprising of changing their passwords through Apple’s iCloud.com, their device would be considered as useless.

Software Update for Future iOS Devices

Apple on its part accepted the problem stating that it was attempting to fix the activation error. Recently, the company had patched the issue on the iPad 2 though it said that it would launch a software update to the other iOS devices in the future.

The problem also seemed to be a kind of a black mark on the notable upgrade which included support for new Night Shift feature that automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen, making it easier on the eyes during night.

The app also included enhancements to Notes, News together with other features. Users, still seem to be unhappy with the operating system which had been in testing for quite some time and are expecting Apple to resolve this issue which for some have stopped links from functioning.

Apple had refrained from responding immediately on the malfunction but a forum poster claimed to have spoken to Apple Support that stated that it was aware of the problem and that their engineers have been working on an update.

Apple Invents Modular Apple Watch Accessories That Link Together

Modular Functional Bank Links – Wearable Devices

Patent application that had been published by U.S. Patent and Trademark office provides a taste of a modular hardware ecosystem which has been developed to extend Apple Watch functions beyond its present limitations. Instead of building sensor stacks, processor together with other difficult and power hungry components right into single chassis, Apple intends breaking those units into a varied range of devices that have been sold as watch band links, connected electrically in series or equivalent.

As mentioned in Apple’s application, `modular functional band links for wearable devices, the modular designs tends to present a flexible platform wherein users could add on the features, or hardware node, according to their choice. The level of customization tends to assure power consumption and a lean internal layout, two valuable commodities in a tiny computing platform.

Apple notes that similar to any multifunction device, Apple Watch has the ability to support accessories assisting a swing value added functions and the most appealing are batteries, processor, displays, electricity generators, cameras, GPS sensors, thermometer, blood pressure sensors, sweat sensors and speakers. The standalone devices, arranged as links, tend to connect to each other and finally to the 6 pin diagnostic port on Apple Watch.

Unique Identifies to Activate/Send Data to Links

Since the modules tend to share a communication bus, Apple recommends unique identifiers to be used in order to activate and send data to individual link. For instance, a signal coded with audio identifier could be sent out by the Watch and received and processed by a speaker module when all other modules tend to ignore the message. In some embodiments the links tend to act as an external port in accepting electronic mechanisms possibly a SIM card or powered memory module.

The patent application of Apple’s modular wearable link had been first filed in February 2015 and credits Motohide Hatanaka, Douglas J. Weber, Brian Shadle, Alex M. Lee, David S. Herman, Patrick S, Wieler together with Simon R. Lancaster-Larocque as its inventors.It had been reported that Apple would be utilising the diagnostics connector as skipping off point for a class of functional accessories distributed prior to the public release of the device. Assuming that the port was capable of transferring power and data in real time, had been confirmed a few months thereafter when Apple had rolled out interactive Watch displays established on such technology at its retail stores

Backpack for Apple Watch

A precise example of Apple’s module idea has been revealed in an application for an `Auxiliary electronic device which is attachable to a wearable electronic device, describing a band accessory highlighting an internal power source as well as supporting wireless transmission circuitry. Essentially for a recharging strap or a battery extender, the device needs to be adequately slim enough to be accommodated between the wearable and the wrist of the user.

Apple tends to describes it as a backpack for Apple Watch. Visually the auxiliary device seems to be similar to Apple’s prevailing line-up of replacement straps, complete with attachments lugs together with a various clasp mechanism. Akin to the Sport Band, leather loop as well as new nylon style straps, the frame of Apple’s proposed charging device could be constructed from various comfortable heat dispelling materials inclusive of plastic, silicone, rubber, aluminium, graphite and ceramic.

Google Global Code Jam 2016

Most of the people don’t know that tech giant Google also organizes some great events which bring programmers from round the world together. We are certainly not talking about the frequently organized Android development events where Google releases new iteration of its popular mobile operating system. This is called Google Code Jam, which is essentially a programming competition where professionals as well as students from round the world take part in order to solve some complex algorithmic challenges within a stipulated timeframe.

Origins of Google Code Jam

Currently Google Code Jam is in its 13th year after the launch in 2003. This was started by the Google with an aim of identifying top engineering talents, which can play a huge part in the Google development as one of the iconic technology firm. Google Code Jam 2016 follows the same schedule wherein first of all interested programmers has to enroll through registering in the month of March. Then a Qualification Round is held in the month of April to segregate the best from the rest. This followed by a number of Online Rounds of either two hours thirty minutes to three hours. In this phase programmer grill their way through solving complex algorithmic challenges with a set time limit and their scored are calculated. Each year in the month of August Google organizes the Final event in which winners are announced and even offered a job right at its office.

How tough is Google Code Jam? 

There was even a time when seven problems were not solved in their respective round. It is worth pointing out that no one in the history of Google Code Jam has managed to get perfect score in the finals. Google ensures that problems which are chosen for this event are effectively difficult and hard to crack but there has been an incident of fastest correct submission when Sergie Fedorov of Russia solved the problem within 2 minutes and 41 seconds.

Google allows the participants to use any programming language as well as development environment of their choice to find the solution to the given problems. The only trick is that one has to come up with right solution within the giving time limit.

Prizes to be won at Google Code Jam 2016

It wouldn’t be possible to attract bright minds on a global without offering hefty prize money. Google Code Jam offers cash prizes to the successful participants. The winner of this event goes home with prize money of $15000 while second and a third placed winner gets $2000 and $1000 respectively. Consolation prize of $100 is given to all the participants who finish between 4 -26 places in this event. Participants also get one Code Jam T shirt if they finish among the top scoring 1000 from the Round 2.

Google also offers extensive reimbursement of the expenses made by the participant on the travel, visa, flight, accommodations and meals during the Google Code Jam event.