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Posts tagged as “Apple”

About that USB-C Connector in the new iPhones

September 13, 2023

The new iPhones will have USB-C ports. This is a major change from previous iPhones, which have used the Lightning connector. The switch to USB-C is being made in order to comply with a new European Union regulation that requires all new smartphones to have USB-C ports.

The USB-C port, as mentioned by Android users, is a more versatile port than the Lightning connector. It can be used to charge devices, transfer data, and connect to external displays. It is also the standard port used by many other devices, such as laptops, tablets, and cameras. This means that you will be able to use the same charger and cable for your iPhone 15 and other devices. It is however not yet confirmed if the new iPhones will be able to support external displays.

The switch to USB-C is a welcome change for many iPhone users. It is a more modern and versatile port that will make it easier to connect the iPhone to other devices and accessories. It is also a step towards reducing e-waste, as there will be no need to have separate chargers for different devices.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will have USB-C ports that support USB 2.0 speeds, though this is yet to be confirmed. This means that the new iPhones be capable to transfer data at a maximum speed of 480 Mbps. However, it is possible that Apple may release a later version of the iPhone 15 with a USB-C port that supports faster speeds.

Overall, the switch to USB-C is a positive change for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. It is a more versatile and modern port that will make it easier to connect the iPhone to other devices. It is also a step towards reducing e-waste.

Apple Watch Ultra 2: A Leap Forward in Smartwatch Technology

September 13, 2023

Apple has once again pushed the boundaries of wearable technology with the introduction of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Unveiled on September 12, 20231, this new iteration of Apple’s most rugged and capable watch brings a host of performance updates and new features, setting a significant environmental milestone.

Powerful New S9 SiP
At the heart of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the powerful new S9 SiP1. This custom Apple silicon delivers system-wide improvements and introduces brand-new features. It includes a new double tap gesture and on-device Siri with the ability to access and log health data privately and securely. The watch also features a new 4-core Neural Engine that can process machine learning tasks up to twice as fast as the original Apple Watch Ultra.

Double Tap Gesture
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 introduces a new double tap gesture, allowing users to easily control the watch using just one hand and without touching the display. Users can tap the index finger and thumb of their watch hand together twice to quickly perform many of the most common actions on the watch. This double tap will also open the Smart Stack from the watch face, and another double tap will scroll through widgets in the stack.

Brightest Display Ever
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 boasts Apple’s brightest display ever, with an upgraded brightness of 3,000 nits. This makes it perfect for anyone who wants our biggest, brightest display, longest battery life, and best GPS of any Apple Watch.

Expanded Altitude Range and Advanced Capabilities
The watch offers an expanded altitude range, on-device Siri, Precision Finding for iPhone, and advanced capabilities for water adventures1. It also runs watchOS 10, which delivers redesigned apps, new cycling experiences, features to help explore the outdoors, and a new watch face — Modular Ultra3.

Battery Life
Despite all these advancements, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 maintains an impressive battery life. It offers a 36-hour battery life with regular use and up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode.

Carbon Neutral Options
In a significant step towards environmental sustainability, customers can now choose a carbon neutral option for any Apple Watch model. This represents a significant milestone toward Apple’s plan to be carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 20301.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available for order today, with availability beginning Friday, September 22. It is priced at $799, making it both an impressive piece of technology and a statement of style.

Apple announces redesigned iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max with a new Action button, A17 Pro CPU and USB-C

September 13, 2023

Apple has officially announced the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the company’s latest flagship smartphones. The new phones feature a number of improvements over their predecessors, including a new design, a more powerful A17 Bionic chip, a better camera system and USB-C!

“This is the most pro lineup we have ever created, with a state-of-the-art titanium design, the best iPhone camera system yet that enables game-changing new workflows, and the A17 Pro chip, which ushers in a new chapter of performance and games never before seen on iPhone,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max represent the best of Apple design and industry-first innovations to help enrich the everyday experiences of our users, while enabling them to unleash their creativity.”

Design
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max still using the same design language that Apple used since the iPhone 12, but with a few key changes. The front will be using Ceramic Shield and back glass is now made of titanium, which is stronger and lighter than aluminum. The phones are also slightly thicker and heavier, which helps to improve their durability.

The front of the phones is still dominated by the large display, which is now a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display on the iPhone 15 Pro and a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The displays have a resolution of 2556‑by‑1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi and support HDR10 and Dolby Vision.


USB-C
Just like with the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, the new iPhone 15 Pros will feature a new USB-C connector. The switch to USB-C is being made in order to comply with a new European Union regulation that requires all new smartphones to have USB-C ports. The USB-C will be for charging and data transfer. iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support USB 3 for data transfer speeds up to 10 gigabits per second, up to 20x faster than before.

Action button
Another new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max is the new Action button which replaces the replaces the “mute” switch. The new Action button is customizable that give you quick access to the camera or flashlight; activating Voice Memos, Focus modes, Translate and accessibility features like Magnifier; or using Shortcuts for more options.

Camera
The camera system on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is one of the biggest improvements over the previous models. The main camera now has a 48-megapixel sensor, which allows it to take sharper and more detailed photos. The ultrawide camera has also been upgraded to a 12-megapixel sensor with a wider field of view. Both cameras now support Night mode, which allows you to take great photos in low-light conditions.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max also has a new telephoto camera with a 5x optical zoom in and a 2x optical zoom out, that gives it a 10x optical zoom range with the digital zoom up to 25x. This is the first time that the iPhone has had a telephoto lens with this much zoom capabilities, and it will be a major boon for photographers who want to take close-up shots of faraway subjects.


A17 Bionic chip
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are powered by the A17 Bionic chip, the most powerful chip ever used in an iPhone and the industry’s first 3-nanometer chip in a smartphone. The A17 Bionic chip offers up to 10% faster CPU performance and up to 20% faster GPU performance than the previous chip. The new iPhone 15 Pros will also features hardware-accelerated ray tracing — which is 4x faster than software-based ray tracing — iPhone 15 Pros offers smoother graphics, as well as more immersive AR applications and gaming experiences.

This makes the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max ideal for demanding tasks like gaming and video editing.

Battery Life
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a longer battery life that the previous generation; up to 29 hours video playback and up to 95 hours in audio with support for magSafe wireless charging up to 15 Watts and Qi wireless charging up to 7.5 Watts. When using a 20W adapter (or higher) battery will fast-charge up to 50% charge in just 30 minutes. Just like with the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, Apple uses 100% recycled cobalt in the battery. You can checkout the full specs of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max here.

Notable features;

  • New design with titanium back
  • A17 Bionic chip
  • Improved camera system with 48-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and 6x optical zoom telephoto camera
  • Night mode for all three cameras
  • Customizable Action button
  • Cinematic mode for videos
  • LiDAR scanner for augmented reality
  • Larger battery
  • Support for 5G connectivity

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available in black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium finishes, and will be available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities. The iPhone 15 Pro will start at $999 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max will start at $1,199. The phones will be available for pre-order on September 15 and will start shipping on September 22.

Apple announced iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus with Dynamic Island, 48MP Main camera and USB-C

September 13, 2023

Apple today unveiled the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, the company’s latest flagship smartphones. The new phones feature a number of improvements over their predecessors, including a new design, a more powerful A16 Bionic chip, and a better camera system.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have a similar design to the iPhone 14, but with a few key changes. The back glass is now color-infused with a stunning, textured matte finish, and a new contoured edge on the aluminum enclosure. The phones are also slightly thicker and heavier, which helps to improve their durability.

The iPhone 15 will be the smaller 6.1-inch, while the iPhone 15 Plus will feature a larger 6.7-inch display sizes. Both iPhone 15s will also feature the Dynamic Island, an innovative way to interact with important alerts and Live Activities. The Super Retina XDR display is great for watching content, streaming Apple Fitness+ workouts, and playing games.

Another big change that Apple made with the new iPhone 15 is the new USB-C connector. The switch to USB-C is being made in order to comply with a new European Union regulation that requires all new smartphones to have USB-C ports.

The new iPhone 15s uses the A16 Bionic chip, the most powerful chip ever used in an iPhone. With two high-performance cores that use 20 percent less power and four high-efficiency cores, the 6-core CPU is faster than the previous generation and the 5-core GPU now has 50% more memory bandwidth for smooth graphics for streaming videos and games.

The camera system on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus has also been improved. Both models feature a powerful 48MP Main camera that enables super-high-resolution photos and a new 2x Telephoto option. This gives users a total of three optical zoom levels — 0.5x, 1x, 2x — for the first time on any iPhone dual-camera system, like having a third camera1. The ultrawide camera has also been upgraded to a 12-megapixel sensor. Both cameras now support Night mode, which allows you to take great photos in low-light conditions for a sharper and more detailed photos.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus also introduce the next generation of portraits, making it easier to capture portraits with great detail and low-light performance. For the first time, users can take portraits without having to switch to Portrait mode. When there’s a person, dog, or cat in the frame, or when a user taps to focus, iPhone automatically captures depth information, so users can turn photos into stunning portraits later in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

On the battery side, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now use even more recycled content, with 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery. Up to 26 hours video playback and up to 100 hours in audio with magSafe wireless charging up to 15 Watts, Qi wireless charging up to 7.5 Watts. The battery also support fast-charge up to 50% charge in just 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher.

You can find the full specs of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus here.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available in black, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Price start at $699 for the 128 GB, $799 for 256 GB and $899 for the 512 GB variant. The phones will be available for pre-order on September 15 and will start shipping on September 22.

Source: Apple

Apple launches online store on WeChat platform

July 11, 2023

Apple, the maker of the iPhones, reportedly opened a store on the WeChat platform, Tuesday, expanding the American company’s retail options in the second-largest economy in the world.

Users will be able to buy Apple products including iPhones, iPads, and Macs via the shop, according to an announcement made by WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app that also offers e-commerce, livestreaming, and payment services.

Apple’s move comes as Chinese consumers increasingly use social media sites like WeChat and ByteDance’s Douyin, the country’s version of TikTok, to shop online. Requests for additional comment from Apple and Tencent were not immediately fulfilled.

Apple currently runs a store on Alibaba Group’s Tmall online marketplace in addition to its own stores and website. In May, Apple attempted to advertise its products in China for the first time through a webcast of an hour-long performance. Together with the online stores, Apple have more than 40 retails stores in China.

Apple opens online store in Vietnam

May 21, 2023

Apple just announced that the Apple Online Store is now available in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s Apple Online Store will offers a wide range of Apple products and accessories, with shopping assistance from Apple’s team of experts, no-contact delivery, trade-in program, build-to-order Mac options, and up to 24 months of financing for your Apple device. The Apple Online Store will also offer students a special pricing for their Mac or iPad, and receive discounts on accessories as well as AppleCare+.

The store is available in both Vietnamese and English, allowing customers to order a wide range of Apple products on the web.

Apple to open its first retail stores in India

April 12, 2023

Apple has announced that it will be opening two new retail store in India. The Apple BKC in Mumbai will start operating this 18th April, then Apple Saket in Delhi on the 20th April. The new two new retail stores were opened 20 years after Apple entered the Indian market.

Even though India is the second largest market for Internet and smartphones in world, Apple is limited to the high-end of the market, specially for smartphones that are priced way below the price range of Apple in country.

You can read the full text of Apple’s announcement below;

Today Apple announced it will open its doors to customers at two new retail locations in India: Apple BKC in Mumbai on April 18, and Apple Saket in Delhi on April 20. These new retail locations mark a significant expansion in India that will offer great new ways to browse, discover, and buy Apple products with exceptional service and experiences for customers.
The barricade for Apple Saket was revealed this morning and features a unique design that takes inspiration from Delhi’s many gates, each signifying a new chapter to the city’s storied past. The colorful artwork celebrates Apple’s second store in India — located right in the nation’s capital. Beginning April 20, customers will be able to stop by to explore Apple’s latest product lineup, find creative inspiration, and get personalized service and support from the store’s team of Specialists, Creatives, and Geniuses.

In celebration of the first Apple Store opening in India, Apple BKC announced a special Today at Apple series — “Mumbai Rising” — running from opening day through the summer. Bringing visitors, local artists, and creatives together, these sessions will offer hands-on activities with Apple’s products and services that celebrate the local community and culture in Mumbai. Customers can explore the “Mumbai Rising” sessions and sign up at apple.com/in/today.

Ahead of opening day, customers are invited to download custom Apple BKC and Apple Saket wallpapers, specially curated playlists on Apple Music to move to the sounds of Mumbai and Delhi, and visit apple.com/in/retail/bkc and apple.com/in/retail/saket to learn more about the upcoming openings in India. Apple BKC opens Tuesday, April 18, at 11 a.m. IST, and Apple Saket will open for customers April 20 at 10 a.m. IST.

iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 now available with new Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, etc.

March 29, 2023

Apple just released the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, the update is available to all users of iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later models.

Aside from the usual “feature enhancements and bug fixes” the iOS 16.4 will include 21 New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and more.

You can read Apple’s full notes for the update are below:

This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

– 21 new emoji including animals, hand gestures, and objects are now available in emoji keyboard
– Notifications for web apps added to the Home Screen
– Voice Isolation for cellular calls prioritizes your voice and blocks out ambient noise around you
– Duplicates album in Photos expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library
– VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app
– Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected
– Fixes an issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may fail to appear on the parent’s device
– Addresses issues where Matter-compatible thermostats could become unresponsive when paired to Apple Home
– Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

If you like to dig more into the update, you can visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213676.

To update your iPhone and/or iPad, just go to Settings > General > Software Update.

Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus now available for Pre-Order in Saudi Arabia

March 11, 2023

The recently announced ‘yellow’ iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is now available for pre-order in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The pricing of the Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are as follows;

iPhone 14

  • 128 GB – SAR 3,799.00
  • 256 GB – SAR 4,299.00
  • 512 GB – SAR 5,299.00

iPhone 14 Plus

  • 128 GB – SAR 4,199.00
  • 256 GB – SAR 4,699.00
  • 512 GB – SAR 5,899.00

You can place your pre-order to your favorite retailers; Jarir, Extra, Xcite and Virgin Megastore.

Apple officially announce the ‘yellow’ iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

March 9, 2023

Apple has officially announce the ‘yellow’ iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The yellow colorway will only for the non-pro models, unlike last year. The yellow color is an addition to the 5 colors; midnight (black), blue, purple, starlight (white), and red, when the iPhone 14 was first announced last September 2022.

This is not the first time that Apple released a iPhone color, last year they introduced the green iPhone 13, then the purple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, a year before.

Spec-wise, the yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will have the same components; Super Retina XDR display, A15 Bionic chip, up to 512GB of storage, Dual-rear camera system and 12MP front camera and up to 20 hours of battery life.

Colors of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus: midnight, starlight, (PRODUCT)RED, blue, purple, and yellow.

The new yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available to pre-order this 10th of March and will be in retail store starting Tuesday, March 14th. Pricing will be the same as well; iPhone 14 starting price will be $799 (US) and $899 (US) for the iPhone 14 Plus.

Apple plans to release a yellow iPhone 14

March 5, 2023

It appears we will see another yellow iPhone will be as reports of a yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus have been floating around the net.

In an article on macrumors.com, Apple plans to release a yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus this spring, which is according to a Weibo post shared by Japanese blog Mac Otakara. As with any report outside Apple, we need to take this report with a grain of salt, since it’s hard to confirm the credibility of the Weibo account.

According to numerous sources, Apple’s PR department is preparing a product briefing for next week. On Tuesday, March 8 of last year, Apple introduced new Green hues for the iPhone 13 series, so there is a potential the briefing is connected to the announcement of a new iPhone color, but the topic of the briefing has not yet been confirmed.

The last time Apple released a yellow iPhone was in 2018 and 2019, when the company release the iPhone XR and iPhone 11, respectively. So far, the yellow color appears to be exclusive to iPhone 14 and 14 Plus and it’s unclear if it will find its way to the iPhone 14 Pro line, since yellow is very similar to the gold color.

Apple announces new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max

January 19, 2023

Together with the new Mac mini, Apple also announced a new MacBook Pro powered by the new M2 Pro and M2 Max. With the new M2 Pro and M2 Max, the new Macbook Pros’ “battery life will be up to 22 hours — the longest battery life ever in a Mac.”

The new Macbook Pro features Liquid Retina XDR display, 16GB unified memory that’s configurable up to 96GB RAM, a 22 hours battery life, 512GB SSD storage which you can upgrade up to 8 TB. As for expansion slots, you’ll find SDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack and MagSafe 3 port for charging. It also have Thunderbolt 4 for charging and display. Its backlit magic Keyboard will have an integrated Touch ID, ambient light sensor and force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and multi-touch gestures.

For connectivity it supports Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.3. The new Macbook Pro will have a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, six built-in speakers with force-cancelling woofers and wide stereo sounds. If you’re concern about the weight there a very small different between the weight of the Macbook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max. Right out of the box, the new Macbook Pro will run Apple’s latest macOS Ventura.

The new MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max are now available for order in 27 countries and they will begin arriving to customers and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers starting Tuesday, January 24.

The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $1,999 (USD) and the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $2,499 (US).

MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max will be available in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, and Singapore beginning Friday, February 3.

You can read Apple’s full announcement here.

Apple intros new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro

January 19, 2023

Apple just announced an updated version of the Mac mini powered by their very own M2 and the all-new M2 Pro Soc.

Mac Mini with M2 chip

The new Mac mini with the M2 features an 8-core CPU with four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, along with a 10-core GPU — perfect for users looking for superfast performance and incredible productivity at an even more affordable starting price of $599. It supports up to 24GB of unified memory and 100GB/s of bandwidth and the M2 model can also simultaneously play up to two streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 12 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps.

Specs of Mac Mini with M2 chip;
Apple M2 chip
– 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
– 10-core GPU
– 16-core Neural Engine
– 100GB/s memory bandwidth
8GB unified RAM, configurable to 16GB or 24GB
256GB SSD, configurable to 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB
2x Thunderbolt 4 ports
2x USB-A ports
HDMI port
Gigabit Ethernet ports
3.5 mm headphone jack
Built-in speaker
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Ethernet Connectivity
3.58cm x 19.70cm x 19.70cm dimension
1.18 kg weight

Apple Mac mini with Studio Display and Magic accessories.

Mac Mini with M2 Pro chip

The new Mac mini with the M2 Pro will provide pro-level performance with up to 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, together with an up to a 19-core GPU. It supports up to 32GB of memory, a faster Neural Engine and a powerful media engine for streaming 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 23 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps. The M2 Pro-powered model is up to 14x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini.

Specs of Mac Mini with M2 Pro chip;
Apple M2 Pro chip
– 10-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
– 16-core GPU
– 16-core Neural Engine
– 200GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified RAM, configurable 32GB
512GB SSD, configurable to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB
4x Thunderbolt 4 ports
2x USB-A ports
HDMI port
Gigabit Ethernet ports
3.5 mm headphone jack
Built-in speaker
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Ethernet Connectivity
3.58cm x 19.70cm x 19.70cm dimension
1.28 kg weight

The new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro is now available for order and will start arriving to customers, and in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Tuesday, January 24. Mac mini with M2 will have starting price of $599, while the Mac mini with M2 Pro will be $1,299. Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro will be available in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, and New Zealand beginning Friday, February 3.

Apple just added a karaoke feature to Apple Music

December 11, 2022

Apple just announced that they are adding karaoke features to Apple Music. The company said that they’re calling this new feature Apple Music Sing, “a new feature that allows users to sing along to their favorite songs with adjustable vocals and real-time lyrics.” It added that “Apple Music Sing offers multiple lyric views to help fans take the lead, perform duets, sing backup, and more — all integrated within Apple Music’s unparalleled lyrics experience.”

The new feature will be available this month to all Apple Music Subscribers worldwide and can be access using compatible iPhones, iPads, and the new Apple TV 4K. Apple will also create 50 dedicated companion playlists featuring all of the karaoke friendly songs all around the world to sing and it’s fully optimized for the Apple Music Sing experience.

The compatible devices that Apple Music Sing will be available are; iPhone 11 to the latest iPhones; iPhone SE (third-generation, 2022); the iPad 9, 10, iPad mini 6, iPad Air 4 and 5; the M1 and M2 iPad Pro, and the said devices needs to updated to the latest iOS 16.2, which will be release this December 2022.

Apple announces the 2022 App Store Award Winners

November 30, 2022

Apple just announced this year’s App Store Award winners and looks like games dominated this year’s winners. Apple also announced the winners for apps that have the most Cultural Impact, which are apps that “impacted people’s lives in awesome ways.”

The winning apps are selected selected by Apple’s App Store editorial international teams for their technical innovation, user experience and design, and the impact these apps have had on our lives. You can checkout the complete list below;

2022 App Store Award winners

  • iPhone App of the Year: BeReal
  • iPhone Game of the Year: Apex Legends Mobile
  • iPad App of the Year: GoodNotes 5
  • iPad Game of the Year: Moncage
  • Apple Watch App of the Year: Gentler Streak
  • Apple TV Game of the Year: El Hijo
  • Apple TV App of the Year: ViX
  • Mac App of the Year: MacFamilyTree 10
  • Mac Game of the Year: Inscryption
  • Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Wylde Flowers
  • China Game of the Year: League of Legends Esports Manager

Cultural Impact winners

  • Dot’s Home – Game(Free).
  • How We Feel – emotional wellbeing journal (Free).
  • Inua – Free Game.
  • Locket Widget – Social network and photo sharing (Free).
  • Waterllama – Health & Fitness (Free with in-app purchases).

Source: Apple

How to Pre-Order the iPhone 14 in Saudi Arabia

September 12, 2022

If you are still high on the recent announcement of the new iPhone 14 series, and want to immediately order the device, then you’ve come to the right place.

There are a number of ways you can pre-order the iPhone 14; you can preorder the device thru your carrier or thru a retailer.

These are the leading carrier in Saudi Arabia where you can preorder the latest Apple smartphone;

  • Mobily – orders will be released 16/09/2022 except for iPhone 14 Plus which will be available on October 7th, 2022.
  • STC – you can order via mystc app, which means that you should be a current STC subscriber in order to have an active MY STC account.
  • Virgin Mobile – they offer a limited number of of iPhone 14s for pre-order. You can also pre-register your interest and once iPhone 14 are available they will notify you over SMS.
  • Virgin Mobile – you can pre order thru their mobile app.
  • Zain – Stock is limited, 1 order per customer and the iPhone will be released on 16 September 2022, while the iPhone 14 Plus will be available by 7th of October .

If you want to go and place your pre order thru a retailer, then these are the leading retailers in the Kingdom;

All retailers said that the the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max will be release on September 16, 2022, while iPhone 14 Plus will be available by October 7th.

iPhone 14 & iPhone 14 Plus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehbmC1irQuY

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple just release the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15

September 22, 2021

Apple just release the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, which you can download today. Owners of iPhone 10 and later model will benefit the most, when they update to the iOS 15, as it offers new and enhanced features.

If you are using the iPhone 6s or later model, you can download the new iOS 15, while the iPadOS 15 will be available to users of the following ipads;

  • iPad mini 4 and later
  • iPad Air 2 and later
  • iPad 5th generation and later
  • all iPad Pro models

Owners of iPhone 10 and later model will benefit the most when they update to the iOS 15, as it offers new and enhanced features.

Since iPadOS is just an optimized version of iOS, we can assume that most if not all features of iOS 15 will also be on iPadOS 15.

Here’s a rundown on the new and enhanced features on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15;

  • Enhancements on Facetime calls
  • Focus, which Apple says will help reduce distractions
  • New redesigned Notifications
  • On-device AI like Live Text, Advanced Spotlight Search, and Memories
  • Redesigned Safari browser, where the tab bar will be located at the bottom of the screen, to easily access the tabs and the introduction of Tab Groups that organize the browser tabs.
  • New visuals and navigation features for Maps
  • Redesigned Weather app
  • More Privacy controls
  • and more…

To read more on the new iOS 15, you can go here and here for more on iPadOS 15.

If you have ‘Automatic Updates’ turned on, your device should have updated to the latest iOS or iPadOS, without you doing anything, just in case it did not update, you can go to SEETINGS > GENERAL > SOFTWARE UPDATE, from there you should see the notification regarding the latest iOS or iPadOS, then just tap the DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL to proceed with the update.

iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max with Super Retina XDR with ProMotion now official

September 20, 2021

Apple also announced the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Just like with the non-pro iPhone 13, both the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max are technically the same phone with just the display, size and battery that differentiate them.

Here are the notable features that is shared by both Pro iPhones; the new tri-12MP camera system, the new Super Retina XDR with ProMotion and 1TB storage option.

The new tri-12MP camera system which is compose of a Wide angle lens, a telephoto lens and an ultra wide lens, all three cameras are powered by the new image signal processor (ISP) in the A15 Bionic.

The 12-MP Wide camera has a larger sensor with 1.9 µm pixels for less noise and faster shutter speeds needed in any lighting conditions. The Wide camera will have a larger ƒ/1.5 aperture which for those low light situations. The Ultra Wide camera features a wider ƒ/1.8 aperture and a new autofocus system, that is 92% better from the previous model for low-light environments. The combination of the new lens design, autofocus and advanced computational photography in iOS 15, will allow you to shoot macro photography, which is the first for iPhone but have been available on Android phones for years. The new lens can capture macro images with a minimum focus distance of 2 centimeters. You can also use slo-mo and time-lapse while on macro mode.

Here are sample macro photos taken using the new 12-MP Ultra Wide camera;

Both the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will feature the new Super Retina XDR with ProMotion, that supports adaptive refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz. For those not familiar with the adaptive refresh rate, the screen automatically adjust the refresh rate depending on the app that is being used, if you are using a game that requires fast refresh rate or just reading the news or email that only requires a low refresh rate.

The new Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion takes advantage of the efficient OLED panel, new display engine of A15 Bionic, faster GPU performance, always-on touch coprocessor, and is custom designed to operate with iOS 15, making gestures, animations, and activities like gameplay feel faster and more responsive.

Other feature of the Pro iPhones, you can say, are the features that are also in the non-pro iPhones 13 and iPhone 13 mini. You can read all about the new iPhones 13 and iPhone 13 mini here.

A 1TB storage model will now be available for the iPhones 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is ideal for users who will use their devices for video capture in 4k.

Both the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, will be available Sept. 24th, with the following pricing;
iPhone 13 Pro
128 GB: $999.00
256 GB: $1,099.00
512 GB: $1,299.00
1 TB: $1,499.00

iPhone 13 Pro Max
128 GB: $1,099.00
256 GB: $1,199.00
512 GB: $1,399.00
1 TB: $1,599.00

Here are the list of features and specs for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max;

iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max
Display 6.1″ Super Retina XDR display with Pro Motion 6.7″ Super Retina XDR display with Pro Motion
Resolution 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi 2778-by-1287-pixel resolution at 458 ppi
Refresh rate ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz
Max brightness 1000 nits (typical) / 1200 nits (HDR)
Color profile True Tone display, Wide color display (P3)
Processor A15 Bionic chip, with new 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores.
Cores New 5-core GPU and new 16-core Neural Engine
Rear Camera Dual 12MP camera system (Telephoto, Wide, and Ultra Wide)
Wide: ƒ/1.5 aperture
Ultra Wide: ƒ/1.8 aperture
Telephoto: ƒ/2.8 aperture
Night mode
Apple ProRAW
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization
3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 6x optical zoom range
Digital zoom up to 15x
True Tone flash with Slow Sync
Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
Smart HDR 4 for photos
Photographic Styles
Front camera 12 MP TrueDepth camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture
Retina Flash
Smart HDR 4 for photos
Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
Photographic Styles
up to 4K video recording @60 fps
Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps)
Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps
Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
Night mode, Deep Fusion, QuickTake video
Animoji and Memoji
Connectivity GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (some models), Gigabit LTE
5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0. Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness,
Built-in GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
VoLTE, NFC with reader mode
Express Cards with power reserve
Wi-Fi calling
SIM Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM), Dual eSIM support
Security Face ID via TrueDepth camera for facial recognition
Sensors LiDAR scanner, Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
Storage 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB. 1 TB
Dimension 5.78 inches X 2.82 inches X 0.30 inch 6.33 inches X 3.07 inches X 0.30 inch
Weight 7.19 ounces (204 grams) 8.46 ounces (240 grams)
Battery Built-in rechargeable lithium‑ion battery
MagSafe and Qi wireless charging with supprot for fast charging via 20W adapter or higher
Up to 22 hours video playback Up to 28 ours video playback
Up to 20 hours video playback (streamed) Up to 25 ours video playback (streamed)
Up to 75 hours Audio playback Up to 95 hours Audio playback
Splash, Water, and Dust Resistant Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Interface Lightning connector
Colors Silver, Graphite, Gold, Sierra Blue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfgdkcIUxw

Apple introduces iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini with new dual-camera system and A15 Bionic SoC

September 16, 2021

Apple just announced the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini with new dual camera system, Super Retina XDR display and powered by Apple’s newest chip, the A15 Bionic SoC.

The new iPhone 13 will still be using the same design language of the iPhone 12, which is a flat-edged but with narrower notch, which is 20% smaller than the previous model. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini is rated IP68 for water resistance for up to maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes.

The improved Super Retina XDR OLED displays on both iPhones delivers an incredible contrast ratio for true blacks and a 28% increase in max outdoor brightness at 800 nits, with higher peak brightness for HDR photos and videos at 1200 nits, while being more power efficient.

Speaking of power, Apple said that the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will have a larger battery than the previous model and can offer an all-day battery life. The iPhone 13 offers up to 2.5 more hours in a day than iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 mini up to 1.5 hours more in a day than iPhone 12 mini.

The biggest improvement that Apple made with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini is in its processor, the A15 Bionic, the same processor that you see in the new iPad Mini.

Apple said that the new A15 Bionic, was designed using 5-nanometer technology that packs 15 billion transistors in the chip. It can peform 15.8 trillion operations per second. The A15 Bionic chip features new 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores is 50% faster that the fastest competition. The new 4-core GPU offers up to 30% faster than the competition and enables more lifelike visuals and lighting effects in graphics-intensive games.

Just like with previous generation of iPhone, Apple made a lot of advancement with its dual-camera system both in hardware and computational photography. Its new 12MP Wide angle camera with 1.7 µm pixels, the biggest sensor in any iPhone camera, is capable of capturing 47% more light for less noise and brighter images. The custom-designed 12MP Ultra Wide camera with its new sensor captures images with more detail in the dark areas of photos and videos with less noise.

Apple also introduced the new Cinematic mode on iPhone, where its records videos of people, pets, and objects with a beautiful depth effect with automatic focus changes, which means you can always change focus object even while you are recording.

Here’s a short video that Apple released to demonstrate the Cinematic mode feature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tl1RL8MRCA

To offer the best connectivity, the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will support 5G and with the iOS 15, Smart Data mode will help you conserve battery life by automatically shifting iPhone to LTE when 5G speeds aren’t needed.

Apple also increase the entry-level storage from 64 GB to 128 GB, which is understandable, specially with its enchanced dual-camera system that can capture HDR photos and video with a resolution of up to 4K at 60 fps, which requires a lot of diskspace.

If you look at both device more closely, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini are technically same device. Both are powered by Apple-designed A15 Bionic SoC, the same Dual 12MP camera system, supports 5G connection and supports fast charging. Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will also be using the same screen, the Super Retina XDR display.

The only difference between the two is the size and the screen resolution, which appears to be relative to the size of the device.

You can now order the new iPhones and will be available by September 24th. You can find the pricing for the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini below;

iPhone 13

  • 128 GB: $799.00
  • 256 GB: $899.00
  • 512 GB: $1,099.00

iPhone 13 Mini

  • 128 GB: $699.00
  • 256 GB: $799.00
  • 512 GB: $999.00

Here are the list of features and specs for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini;

iPhone 13 iPhone 13 Mini
Display 6.1″ Super Retina XDR display 5.4″ Super Retina XDR display
Resolution 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi 2340-by-1080-pixel resolution at 476 ppi
Max brightness 800 nits (typical) / 1200 nits (HDR)
Color profile True Tone display, Wide color display (P3)
Processor A15 Bionic chip, with new 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores.
Cores New 4-core GPU and new 16-core Neural Engine
Rear Camera Dual 12MP camera system (Wide and Ultra Wide)
Wide: ƒ/1.6 aperture
Ultra Wide: ƒ/2.4 aperture
Night mode
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization
2x optical zoom out and up to 5x digital zoom
True Tone flash with Slow Sync
Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
Smart HDR 4 for photos
Photographic Styles
Front camera 12 MP TrueDepth camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture
Retina Flash
Smart HDR 4 for photos
Photographic Styles
up to 4K video recording @60 fps
Cinematic video stabilization (up to 4K)
Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps
Night mode, Deep Fusion, QuickTake video
Animoji and Memoji
Connectivity GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (some models), Gigabit LTE, 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0. Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness,
Built-in GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
VoLTE, NFC with reader mode
Express Cards with power reserve
Wi-Fi calling
SIM Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM), Dual eSIM support
Security Face ID via TrueDepth camera for facial recognition
Sensors Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
Storage 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
Dimension 5.78 inches X 2.82 inches X 0.30 inch 5.18 inches X 2.53 inches X 0.30 inch
Weight 6.14 ounces (174 grams) 4.97 ounces (141 grams)
Battery Built-in rechargeable lithium‑ion battery
MagSafe and Qi wireless charging with supprot for fast charging via 20W adapter or higher
Up to 19 hours video playback Up to 17 hours video playback
Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Interface Lightning connector
Colors Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Product RED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m43rh-pI0P0

Apple announces the Apple Watch Series 7 with more screen area and thinner borders

September 15, 2021

Apple just announced the Apple Watch Series 7, which at first look will be no different from the previous generation Apple Watch. There may be new aluminum case colors but the case itself is virtually the same as the one used in Series 6.

The biggest changes that Apple made with the Apple Watch Series 7 is with the screen. Apple Watch Series 7 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, it offers Always-On Retina display is up to 70 percent brighter indoors than that of Apple Watch Series 6.

The screen of the new Apple Watch Series 7 provides 20% more screen area and is virtually edge-to-edge with thinner borders at just 1.7 mm. It has a more rounded corners, and the display has a unique refractive edge that makes full-screen watch faces and apps appear to seamlessly connect with the curvature of the case.

Apple also made the front crystal of the Watch more durable and more crack-resistant, it’s first Apple Watch to have an IP6X certification for resistance to dust, and still maintains a WR50 water resistance rating.

With its bigger screen, the Apple Watch Series 7 offers two additional larger font sizes, and a new QWERTY keyboard that you can tapped or swiped with QuickPath — allowing users to slide a finger to type — and utilizes on-device machine learning to anticipate the next word based on the context.

As for the battery, the new Apple Watch Series 7 will have an all-day 18-hour battery life on a full charge and it will be 33% faster charging compared with Apple Watch Series 6.

Just like with the Series 6, the new Apple Watch Series 7 is geared towards health and wellness, so it offers features like electrical heart sensor and ECG app, and a Blood Oxygen sensor and app.

Apple Watch Series 7 will be powered by the new watchOS 8, which will have additional watch faces designed specially for the larger display on Series 7. The new Contour face takes the dial right to the edge of the display and fluidly animates throughout the day, emphasizing the current hour. The new Modular Duo face leverages the extra screen area with two large, data-rich center complications.

The Apple Watch Series 7 will available in five new case colors; midnight, starlight, green, and a new blue and (PRODUCT)RED, it will also be backward compatible with previously released Apple Watch bands.

The new Apple Watch Series 7 will be available this fall and price starts at $399.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMdQ-gWBNZE

Apple announces the new iPad and new iPad mini

September 15, 2021

Apple just announced the new iPad (9th generation) and the new iPad mini (6th generation). The announcement was made at the Apple “California Streaming” event which livestream a recorded video presentation.

The 9th Generation Ipad


The new iPad looks similar to the previous model, that still have the Touch ID home button and powered by Apple’s A13 Bionic chip. It has a 10.2″ Retina display with 2160 X 1620 resolution at 264 ppi and 500 nits.

The new iPad will be powered by A13 Bionic chip, a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) that was used in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro/Pro Max and the 2nd generation iPhone SE.

The rear camera will feature a 8MP Wide angle camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture and a 5x digital zoom with HDR for Photos. The front camera on the other hand will be a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture and 2x zoom out. It will also feature Retina Flash, HDR for Photos and Center Stage, a camera feature that keeps focus on the subject and first introduced to the iPad Pro.

The new iPad will be compatible to the first generation Apple Pencil and Smart keyboard for more productivity. The price for the new iPad starts at $329 and will be available on September 24th.

Here is the complete price list for the new iPad (9th generation);
Wifi model
64 GG – $329.00
256 GB- $479.00

Wi-Fi + Cellular
64 GB – $459.00
256 GB – $609.00

The 6th Generation Ipad mini


Together with the new iPad, Apple also announced a new and redesigned iPad mini, which uses the new A15 Bionic chip, that has 6-core CPU that provides an additional 40% in performance, and the 5-core GPU that boost the graphics performance to 80%.

Unlike the new iPad, the new iPad mini will support 5G connectivity that reach the speeds of up to 3.5Gbps in ideal conditions. Both the front and rear cameras of the new iPad mini will be a 12MP Wide angle camera, a ƒ/1.8 aperture for the rear camera and ƒ/2.4 aperture front camera. Both cameras supports Smart HDR 3 for photos.

iPad mini now features a USB-C port for up to 5Gbps data transfer and will support existing ecosystem of USB-C accessories, including cameras and external storage and displays up to 4K.

The biggest changes that Apple made with the new iPad Mini is the design, it now has a flat and cornered edges similar to the iPad Pro and iPad air. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with narrow borders and the Touch ID was mode to the top button of iPad mini.

The new iPad mini is compatible with the 2nd-Gen Apple Pencil and will be in four colors; Space Gray, Pink, Purple and Starlight. The price starts at $499.00 and will be available on Sept. 24th.

Here is the complete price list for the new iPad mini (6th generation);
Wifi
64 GB – $499.00
256 GB – $649.00

Wi-Fi + Cellular
64 GB – $649.00
256 GB – $799.00

Specs of the new iPad and new iPad mini;

iPad iPad mini
Display 10.2″ Retina display 8.3″ Liquid Retina display
Resolution 2160-by-1620 resolution @264 ppi 2266‑by‑1488 resolution @326 ppi
Max brightness 500 nits 500 nits
Color profile sRGB Wide color display (P3)
Processor A13 Bionic chip A15 Bionic chip
Interface Lightning USB-C
Connectivity Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac); 2.4GHz and 5GHz; speeds up to 866 Mbps Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/​​ac/ax); 2.4GHz and 5GHz; simultaneous dual band; speeds up to 1.2 Gbps
MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0
Wifi + Cellular 4G LTE 5G (sub-6 GHz)
UMTS/HSPA/​HSPA+/​DC‑HSDPA UMTS/HSPA/​HSPA+/​DC‑HSDPA
Built-in GPS/GNSS Gigabit LTE (up to 32 bands)
Data Only Built-in GPS/GNSS
Wifi calling Data Only
Wifi calling
SIM Nano SIM, eSIM Nano SIM, eSIM
Accessories 1st Gen Apple Pencil 2nd-Gen Apple Pencil
Smart keyboard Bluetooth keyboard
Storage 64 GB, 256 GB 64 GB, 256 GB
Rear Camera 8MP Wide camera, ƒ/2.4 aperture, Digital zoom up to 5x, HDR for Photos 12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.8 aperture, Digital zoom up to 5x, Quad-LED True Tone flash, Smart HDR 3 for photos
Front camera 12MP Ultra Wide camera, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 2x zoom out, Center stage, Retina Flash, HDR for Photos. 12MP Ultra Wide camera, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 2x zoom out, Center stage, Retina Flash,
Smart HDR 3 for photos
Dimension 9.8 inch x 6.8 inch x 0.29 inch 7.69 inch x 5.3 inch x 0.25 inch
Weight 1.07 pounds (487 grams) 0.65 punds (293 grams)
Battery Up to 10 hours of surfing web on Wifi or watching video Up to 10 hours of surfing web on Wifi or watching video
Up to 9 hours of surfing web on cellular data Up to 9 hours of surfing web on cellular data
Audio Two speaker audio Two speaker audio landscape mode
Security Touch ID built into the Home button Touch ID built into the top or power  button
Sensors Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer

Apple to hold an event on Sept 14th and calling it “California streaming”

September 8, 2021

Apple’s next event will take place on September 14th, at 10 a.m. PDT, and they are calling it “California streaming.” The event, just like the past “shows” and because of the threat of COVID-19, will be a pre-recorded broadcast from Apple Park.

Apple usually announce the next iPhone for their fall event, for 2021, it is expected to be called the iPhone 13. The upcoming iPhone 13 is reported to follow the same design language of iPhone but with a much higher refresh-rate with smaller notch and plenty of camera enhancements. Displays with higher refresh-rate have been available on a number of Android phones, most notably those gaming phones.

It’s hard to know what are the hidden messages that Apple puts into their invites but this AR Apple logo Easter egg that they included in the event site is a good indication that Apple may be announcing a new AR or mixed reality device, or may be an AR/mixed reality feature on the new iPhones.

If you want to see the AR Apple logo, using any iOS device, go to the Apple event site, then tap on the event Apple logo, after that the glowing AR Apple event logo will render within your surroundings.

Aside from the AR features, high refresh rate and better cameras, other enhancement that Apple is reported to be including in the new iPhone are; SharePlay, astrophotography mode, satellite link and an always on lock screen.

Apple may also be announcing other products like the next Apple Watch, a new entry-level AirPods and may be by a longshot, a Macbook Pros that’s powered by Apple-designed chips and an SD card slot. I guess we just have to wait and see.

Rewatch the WWDC21 Apple Keynote

June 8, 2021

If you missed the live stream of the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2021 (WWDC21), Apple Keynote, I embedded the whole video above.

True to the name of the event, Apple showcase the changes that they made and what’s coming to the iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS, AirPods, Siri and Privacy, and how developers and users can benefit from these changes.

Sadly, no new hardware was discuss even though there were rumors that Apple is working on a new M1-powered Macbook Pro and a new augmented reality (AR) headset.

If the video above is too long for you, you can watch this compressed version by MacRumors.com.

You can now pre-order the new Macbook Air, 13-inch Macbook Pro and Mac mini with M1 chip in Saudi Arabia

November 18, 2020

If you’re in Saudi Arabia, you can now preorder the new Macbook Air, 13-inch Macbook Pro and Mac mini with M1 chip. To be more specific, you can preorder the new Macs powered with the M1 chips at Extra. The announcement was made via the social media account of the retail store.

Here are the pricing below;

Macbook Air;
8GB RAM + 256GB SSD storage: SAR 4,899.00
8GB RAM + 512GB SSD storage: SAR 6,199.00


13-inch Macbook Pro;
8GB RAM + 256GB SSD storage: SAR 6,299.00


Mac Mini;
8GB RAM + 256GB SSD storage: SAR 3,499.00
8GB RAM + 512GB SSD storage: SAR 4,499.00

The new Macbook Air, 13-inch Macbook Pro and Mac mini with M1 chip was first announced last week and from the reviews that are already out, it looks these new Macs with are great for first time Mac buyer and may be be so good if you are a professional and already have an established work flow.

Here’s the price of the new Macbook Air, Mac Mini and 13-inch Macbook Pro with the M1 chip in the Philippines

November 14, 2020

Apple just release the Philippine pricing of the new Macbook Air, Mac Mini and 13-inch Macbook Pro with the M1 chip.

MacBook Air;
8GB RAM with 256GB SSD – ₱54,990.00
8GB RAM with 512GB SSD – ₱68,990.00

13-inch Macbook Pro;
8GB RAM with 256GB SSD – ₱71,990.00
8GB RAM with 512GB SSD – ₱83,990.00

Mac mini;
8GB RAM with 256GB SSD – ₱37,990.00
8GB RAM with 512GB SSD – ₱49,990.00

*Display, keyboard and mouse are not included.

Since you can configure to have a bigger RAM and storage for all 3 Macs, the price will also increase. No word as to when the new Macbook Air, Mac Mini and 13-inch Macbook Pro with the M1 chip will be available in the Philippines.

You can rewatch Apple’s “One More Thing” event here

November 13, 2020

Apple has officially announced the custom ARM-based chip the Apple Silicon M1 chip and the three (3) computing devices; new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, that will be powered by the M1 chip.

If you missed the event but have 50 mins to spare, you can rewatch the whole event from the embedded video below;

Watch the special Apple Event and learn about the next generation of Mac. Now with the Apple M1 chip, the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini each take a huge leap forward.

00:00 Introduction
04:39 Apple Silicon
14:00 macOS Big Sur
22:45 MacBook Air
29:50 Mac Mini
35:06 MacBook Pro

‘Fly Away’ by Tones and I http://apple.co/FlyAway
‘Take Back The Power’ by Raury http://apple.co/TakeBackThePower
‘Music To Clean The House To’ by Nick Leng http://apple.co/MusicToCleanTheHouseTo
‘Playing Your Game, Baby’ by Barry White http://apple.co/PlayingYourGameBaby
‘Ya Ya Power’ by KingupingU http://apple.co/YaYaPower
‘Bring The Drums Back’ by Noisy http://apple.co/BringTheDrumsBack
‘Wave’ by Whethan http://apple.co/Wave
‘Back It Up’ by Alison Wonderland X AWE http://apple.co/BackItUp
‘Show Me How’ by Beacon
‘Alright With Me’ by Memba & Ricky James http://apple.co/AlrightWithMe

Apple introduces the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini powered by the M1 chip

November 13, 2020

Apple has officially unveil the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini powered by the M1 chip.

Design-wise the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini looks very similar to the previous models and most of the upgrade made by Apple is under the hood, specifically by switching from Intel to their very own M1 Chip.

With the new M1 Chip with the new Mac OS Big Sur, the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini all perform significantly better than the previous generations.

  • up 3.5x faster CPU
  • up to 6x faster GPU
  • up to 15x faster machine learning (ML) capabilities
  • up to 2x longer battery life
Mac mini

Mac mini;
The base model of the Mac mini will retail for $699, that includes 8GB unified RAM and 256GB SSD storage, with different assortment of ports, including HDMI 2, two Thunderbold/USB 4, 2x USB-A, an Ethernet and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, that can support two displays including Apple’s Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution. It supports Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, it also has a built-in speaker. You can checkout the full specs here.

Macbook Air with M1 Chip

Macbook Air;
The Macbook Air still sports that wedge-shape design and similar dimension as the previous model. One brave change that Apple made with the Macbook Air is that they remove the fan, which means it’ll be very very quiet no matter how hard your Macbook Air is working.

The Macbook Air will retail starting at $999.00, and the starting model will have 256GB SSD of storage and 8GB RAM, both are configurable if you require more RAM and more storage. It also supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and Touch ID. It also have two (2) Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports for charging, and DisplayPort, and a 3mm headphone jack. If you want to know more about the specs of the new Macbook Air with M1 chip, you can go here.

13-inch Macbook Pro with M1 Chip

13-inch Macbook Pro;
This was a surprise from Apple, since I did not expect Apple to switch any of their Macbook Pro to the new Apple Silicon M1 chip. I was expecting the iMac instead of the Pro, the iMac is the desktop equivalent of the Macbook Air.

Just like with the Macbook Air, the 13-inch Macbook Pro will have the same design as the previous generation. It will still have the Touch-bar and Touch ID. Compare to the Macbook Air with M1 chip, the 13-inch Macbook Pro will feature an active cooling system for that intensive computing needs.

Even though both the 13-inch Macbook Pro and the Macbook Air looks similar, Apple said that the new 13-inch Macbook Pro will be;

  • up to 2.8x faster in Xcode
  • up to 5.9x faster in rendering complex 3D title in Final Cut Pro.
  • up to 3.5x faster when designing game in Unity Editor.
  • up to 11x faster in machine learning (ML) tasks in Create ML.
  • Separate out beats, instrumentals, and vocal tracks from a recording in real time in djay Pro AI, thanks to the amazing performance of the Neural Engine.
  • Play back full-quality, 8K ProRes video in DaVinci Resolve without dropping a single frame.
  • Compile four times as much code on a single charge

Speaking of charging and battery, the 13-inch Macbook Pro with M1 chip have a 58.2-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery that provides up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing and up to a staggering 20 hours of video playback.

It has studio-quality mics for recordings and calls and even though it uses the same 720p web cam with M1’s image signal processor (ISP) it offer better images, with noise reduction, greater dynamic range and improved white balance video calls. It also offer better security with the Secure Enclave in M1 and Touch ID.

The new 13-inch Macbook Pro have two (2) Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support for connecting more peripherals and native support for Apple’s Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution. You can checkout the full specs of the 13-inch Macbook Pro with M1 chip here.

The base model for the new 13-inch Macbook Pro with M1 chip will retail for $1,299 and it will have 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, which of course can be configure up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of (SSD) storage.

Apple officially announce the M1, their first ARM-based Processor

November 12, 2020

In an event held last Tuesday, November 10th, Apple has officially announce the M1 chip, an ARM-based SoC that will power their laptops, desktops and other future products.

The M1 chip is a 5nm processor, similar to the A14 Bionic CPU that Apple uses in the latest iPhones and the A14 chips for Ipad Air. Apple also use an earlier version of the M1 chip, that A12Z Bionic SoC that’s inside the Developer Transition Kit (DTK) that was offered to developers during this year’s WWDC.

Here’s what Apple said about the M1 Chip;

It features the world’s fastest CPU core in low-power silicon, the world’s best CPU performance per watt, the world’s fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer, and breakthrough machine learning performance with the Apple Neural Engine. As a result, M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU performance, up to 6x faster GPU performance, and up to 15x faster machine learning, all while enabling battery life up to 2x longer than previous-generation Macs. With its profound increase in performance and efficiency, M1 delivers the biggest leap ever for the Mac.

The M1 chip also include these technology that are previously available to iOS users;

  • Apple’s latest image signal processor (ISP) for higher quality video with better noise reduction, greater dynamic range, and improved auto white balance.
  • The latest Secure Enclave for best-in-class security.
  • A high-performance storage controller with AES encryption hardware for faster and more secure SSD performance.
  • Low-power, highly efficient media encode and decode engines for great performance and extended battery life.
  • An Apple-designed Thunderbolt controller with support for USB 4, transfer speeds up to 40Gbps, and compatibility with more peripherals than ever.

The new M1 chip will power the new Macbook Air, Macbook Pro and Mac Mini, and this is the first step to their two years transition to shift most if not all of their products to the new Apple Silicon Soc.

Apple announces “One more thing” event on November 10

November 3, 2020
Apple announces “One more thing” event on November 10

Apple announce their event this November 10, which they’re calling “One More Thing”, a phrase that was popularize by former CEO Steve Jobs — in keynotes for major product announcements.

Apple is expected to officially announce the first Macs powered by Apple Silicon and the launching of macOS 11 Big Sur, which the company announced last June 22, 2020 at this years WWDC. As well as other products like new iPod Air and Air tags, as well as new programs that will come to the Apple TV+.

The event will be stream online via Apple.com and its social media channels, it will be held at the Apple Park on November 10th, at 10:00 AM, PST.