Tag Archives: Apple

Germany wants Apple to support their IPhones for up to 7 years

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Germany wants Apple to keep their phones up to date for seven years. This came from a proposal from the German government that wants security updates. Germany’s Ministry of Economics wants to include spare parts also (Adorno 2021). These proposed changes goes beyond what the European Union wanted, which was to have tech companies keep updating their products for at least five years. Though this has its benefits, for the people and the environment, there has been some pushback from those companies. Jose Adorno (2021) reports that the Association, DigitalEurope, thinks these proposals are too much and wants to cut the security updates to just three years and function updates to two. 

It is understandable for Huawei or Google to limit support on their devices for a long time since they rely so much on new hardware sales every year with the release of a new phone or tablet. The revenue in that department would decrease over the years and manufacturing spare parts would also cut into their revenue. If the rules ever came to fruition, I would think it would take these companies a long time to redo their supply chains to support this only for Europe. Additional parts like microphones, cameras, and speakers would also need to be distributed to Europe also. 

However, I do not think this is a bad idea to have these rules enacted for tech companies. There is a large E-waste problem since many of us upgrade our smartphone every two years. With our focus to become more environmentally sustainable, I believe that the changes here will be for the better since fewer people will be throwing away their devices for new ones. Access to spare parts can also contribute to lengthening the life span of the device and prevent it from becoming e-waste. Also, people would save a considerable amount of money by fixing or keeping a well-supported device a few years. 

These changes would benefit most people, and it only hurt companies in the short term from having to adjust to these changes. Prolonging our device’s lifespan is one way to tackle the E-waste problem. Hopefully rules like these will come over to the US.  

Do you think that tech companies should provide updates and spare parts for their devices for five or more years? If so, why? 

 

Source: 

https://9to5mac.com/2021/09/06/germany-wants-apple-to-update-and-repair-iphones-for-7-years/ 

Hey Siri, Schedule A Meeting With Nissan

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Apple is literally going all the way. Just when we thought all hope of an Apple Car was lost when rumors of it being a Hyundai or Kia project were sidelined by Korean automakers, Nissan finally jumps in to hint on its intentions of working “on the rumored Project Titan” or as the mases known it, the Apple Car.

This is probably not the first-time rumors about the Apple Car are in the news. Every once in a while, Apple keeps dropping hints but then goes back to focus on its software. It has also been rumored earlier in January that Hyundai and Apple were ready to collaborate but unfortunately, they couldn’t come to an agreement.

Nissan, the Japanese automobile company, which came to limelight after the Fast and Furious Saga (If Brain O’Conner mentions a car, you have got to take it seriously), had also mentioned its conservative target to achieve carbon neutrality and thus electrify every model by 2050 in a recent press conference. If we were to bring the pieces of the puzzle together, Apple could possible be the catalyst in helping Nissan achieve this goal.

If somehow the two companies can come to a final agreement and are ready to initiate the project, the Apple Car could probably be a fierce competitor for Tesla. Where in the past few years a huge number of companies have turned to Electronic models, only Tesla stands out in the market due to its autonomous features. Apple with its technology and resources could provide the users with probably a similar autonomous feature as Tesla, but what would be worth seeing is what other features it would offer that would make it stand out. As the project is still in its initial phase nothing in particular has been disclosed about the same, however we as users have high expectations from Apple.

While autonomous cars are a great concept, it is still tackling issues at the safety front. The number of accidents that involves the Tesla’s Self Driving Auto Pilot has been increasing with time. Will Apple be able to avoid this hassle? Even Hyundai is working on a autonomous car project, however with a different collaborator. Will be witnessing a huge crunch in the market of self driving cars in the near future? Also, How far is the future of safe autonomous car?

Well, these are questions for which we have to wait patiently for an answer. We just hope Apple and Nissan can work this out and we do not get to witness another disagreement just as in the previous cases of Hyundai and Kia. Until then…….“Siri, Play Olivia Rodrigo’s Driving License.”

Source: Apple Car and Nissan? Automaker signals it’s open to project (cnet.com)

Electric-car pioneer Nissan sets conservative targets, CO2-neutral goal for 2050 (greencarreports.com)

iPhone SE is coming

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On April 15th, the Apple official website quietly updated and published the new iPhone SE. After four years of waiting, SE lovers finally see the coming back of the new iPhone SE. “Lots to love, less to spend”. As the website claims, the new iPhone SE starts at $399, which is much cheaper and friendly than the iPhone 11Pro while they are using the same chip.

In the video of Scott Galloway, he predicted that Apple would be the first trillion-dollar brand and a luxury brand. The former came true, but the coming of iPhone SE shows that Apple is still trying to keep different levels of customers to take it to the next step.

Comparing to the other iPhones, the new iPhone SE has the appearance from 2014, the fingerprint design from 2015, the screen from 2016, the body from 2017, the camera from 2018, and the processor from 2019. It might not a very good mobile phone, but it must be a good history book.

Even though the value retention rate and the manufacturing costs of the iPhone SE might be much lower than iPhone 11, it has the functions for routine work, an up to standard CPU, and a good price. Personally, I might choose iPhone SE rather than iPhone SE for a replacement of my old phone because of the price, but there are many reasons that other people choose the iPhone 11 such as its screen of 3D touch.

Reference:

https://www.apple.com/iphone-se/?afid=p238%7CsB4UjwDtB-dc_mtid_20925d2q39172_pcrid_431821364156_pgrid_107131778824_&cid=wwa-us-kwgo-iphone–slid–

What is going to be on iOS 12.1 and what users of iPhone 6 and its predecessors would not be able to experience

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A Screenshot of “what’s new in iOS 12”

In 9to5Mac’s article “Carriers indicate iOS 12.1 will be released on Tuesday with eSIM launch”, the writer, Benjamin Mayo talks about the rollout of eSIM along with iOS 12.1 later on this week on October 30. eSIM, to put in brief explanation, is an electronic SIM that acts like a SIM card with allows the phone to have a dual-SIM functionality. According to Mayo’s sources from different carrier sources, this eSIM is only available for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. The eSIM is one of the iOS 12.1 updates that is included.

Some other things that will be included in the updates, according to the 9to5Mac article, are 70 new emojis and live Depth Control for iPhone XS/XR so you can adjust bokeh blur of Portrait mode on the fly in the Camera viewfinder. Apple Music is also getting an upgrade. According to another 9to5Mac article by Guilherme Rambo called “Apple publishes full iOS 12.1 iPhone user guide, confirming Group FaceTime, dual-SIM & more”, Apple Music is to be said getting features such as “updated artist pages, daily top 100 songs around the world, and search by lyrics.” Even though I will still probably use Google to find songs using lyrics, I think it is right that Apple does this because it allows the users to find songs they do not know the names to and potentially buy and/or save the songs to their Apple Music account.

But one major update that will excite some iPhone users and not excite others is the new Group FaceTime feature. This new feature will allow up to 32 people to FaceTime each other at the same time meaning you can see 32 faces at once. The reason it will not excite some users is because it is not available for iPhone 6’s or below. Other devices, according to Gordon Kelly of Forbes, that are also missing out in this feature are Pad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3, iPad Mini 4 and 6th generation iPod Touch. Apple does not mention why it is not in those devices but Kelly think it is because of the performance that each device can do.
Because of the amount of processor work that is needed to work a Group FaceTime, any device with an A8 chip or their predecessors are not compatible. This is why an iPad Air 2, with an A8X chip, and an iPhone SE, with an A9 chip, are included in the compatible devices for Group FaceTime. Although this feature is not available in those Apple devices, Apple has said that those devices mentioned will have “audio-only Group FaceTime calls.”

What do you guys think about some of these new updates on iOS 12.1. If you are an iPhone 6 or earlier user, what do you think about not being able to have a visual Group FaceTime feature?

Resources:

Carriers indicate iOS 12.1 will be released on Tuesday with eSIM launch

Apple publishes full iOS 12.1 iPhone user guide, confirming Group FaceTime, dual-SIM & more

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2018/10/27/apple-ios-12-1-release-group-facetime-iphone-ipad-upgrade/#467867225f8a

Swift Steps in Education

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Education, and the way we educate ourselves, is always evolving. What was once a chalkboard and notebook is now an interactive projector and iPad. Technology in classrooms is as common as pencils now. Apple has always been a figurehead in technology education, and now more than ever they have take notice of the need for innovative technology in schools. And they are not passing up any opportunity to let it known to the public.

The next Apple event will be focused on education, being held at a high school in Chicago. Their main goal for this event seems to be centered around getting people to invest in Swift, which is an educational programming language developed by Apple back in 2014. Recently, Apple added Swift Playground to the platform in order to appeal to younger audiences. This is an app that is exclusive to the iPad that is literally designed to teach it’s users the coding language that Apple uses across all of its applications. Swift Playground is said to be the hook for the next Apple event.

 

Apple has announced that is is planning on marrying Swift with its “Everyone Can Code” curriculum in order to compete with low cost educational platforms like Google and now Microsoft which also allow users to learn coding on their own. But now with more schools instituting coding courses as early as middle school, if Apple wants to stay on top of the education game, they’ll need Swift to essentially become the new Google Academy.

 

The real question is: Can Apple put as much time and money into Swift as their other products, and if they do, what will the next steps be for getting Swift into classrooms all over America?

 

Sources:

https://www.macworld.com/article/3263402/techology-business/technology-education-for-the-masses-could-be-apples-next-big-thing.html

 

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3263447/apple-ios/now-every-swift-developer-can-build-ai-apps-thanks-to-apple-and-ibm.html

 

https://9to5mac.com/2018/03/19/swift-unwrapped-podcast-apple-engineers/

Be Aware … Fake Apps Are Haunting the Air

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Now that the ghost and goblins are shoved into the back of our closets, stores have started filling the isles with signs of that ole’ Jolly Saint Nick. The thanksgiving and Christmas holiday are a spending playground for consumers, especially with the amount of deals and discounts that can be snagged right at our fingertips. The amount of consumers that have switched to the wonders of online shopping has skyrocketed over the the past few years, who doesn’t enjoy the convenience of shopping on their electronic devices right in their home? According to Fortune 51 percent of consumers are making online purchases and from that 51 percent, 41 percent of those purchase are made right at the hands of smartphones. That being said, with greatness can also come downfall.

As shoppers increase their purchases via. smartphone it is important to be aware of the apps in which you make these purchases from. As of recently both the New York times and the New York Post have reported that hundreds of fake shopping apps having been slithering their way into the App Store for Apple users. A generous amount only have the intentions of displaying irritating ads to make a few extra dollars, while others intentions include luring users to provide credit card details. Applications that are seen within the Apple’s App store undergo an approval process unlike its competitor Android who allows developers to post apps immediately on the Google Play store.  Apple claims to “review all apps submitted to the App Store in an effort to determine whether they are reliable, perform as expected, and are free of offensive material.” But recent problems show that Apple obviously has not been living up to its standards.

Apple has definitely been in the limelight recently with its release of the IPhone 7 and new Macbooks, but may be it’s time they focus their attention on performance on past models that affect its million of users daily.

 

Sources:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602815/fake-iphone-apps-are-another-sign-of-apples-slipping-standards/?utm_campaign=internal&utm_medium=homepage&utm_source=top-stories_1&set=602805