Twelve South launches new SurfacePad leather cover for iPhone X [Video]
Apple accessory maker Twelve South today launched a new SurfacePad cover for the iPhone X. More like a Smart Cover for the iPhone than a traditional case, it protects the front and rear of your iPhone X, while providing sleep/wake functionality by virtue of a magnetized front cover.
The iPhone X SurfacePad also provides two handy credit card slots, works as a stand for videos and FaceTime calls, and is comprised of full-grain leather instead of Napa leather like the previous version. As a result, users can expect the updated cover to have a longer lifespan and wear in better over time.
The SurfacePad is available in three colors: Black, Cognac, and Deep Teal. Twelve South sent us samples of the latter two to examine. Watch our hands-on impressions for more details. more…
YouTube TV adds CNN, Turner channels, more NBA & MLB ahead of price increase for new subs
After launching an app on Apple TV earlier this month, YouTube TV is adding some notable channels and launching in new markets today. Meanwhile, the expansion comes as the cord-cutting service is raising its monthly fee for new subscribers next month.
Report: Apple News editors field pitches from publications over Slack, publishers still struggle to monetize traffic
Not much is publicly known about the team of editors behind Apple’s News app on iOS, and now The Information has a new report (paywalled) that includes new details on how it operates. According to the piece, Apple’s small editorial staff fields pitches from publications for features using Slack, and the result can be an influx of traffic for publishers.
Pinterest iOS app now allows you to rearrange pins, reorder sections, archive boards
Skydio launches R1 – an autonomous flying drone that takes obstacle avoidance to new heights
From Drone DJ:
The Skydio R1 drone has been years in the making but it is here now! Our sister site, Electrek, first wrote about it when one of the senior engineers left Tesla to join the then start-up drone company.
What makes the R1 drone unlike any other drone you’ve seen, is its advanced obstacle avoidance system, the Skydio Autonomy Engine. With 12 cameras, the R1 creates a 3D map of its surroundings and tries to predict the movements of its subject, i.e. a skier, runner, biker, up to 4 seconds into the future so that it can follow the subject while keeping it in the center of the frame and avoiding obstacles at the same time. Impossible you say? Wait until you watch the video below. This is obstacle avoidance at a whole new level. Sorry guys, but the bar has been raised with the R1 drone from Skydio.
Apple buying Chinese storage chips for iPhones ‘in Chinese market only’ – Nikkei
A brief report claims that Apple will be adding a Chinese NAND storage chip supplier to its roster. The company has in the past bought these chips from Toshiba, SK Hynix and Samsung, but is now said to be in talks with Yangtze Memory Technologies.
The report is light on detail, but does make one interesting claim …
Comment: The FBI’s warning against Huawei smartphones is kind of ironic …
The heads of the FBI, CIA, NSA and three other US intelligence agencies have warned Americans not to buy Huawei smartphones, or indeed any other Huawei products and services.
The reason is somewhat ironic in view of the agency’s battle with Apple …
Apple spotlights apps using ARKit’s capabilities on new webpage
Apple has launched a new page on its website dedicated to showcasing the capabilities of augmented reality on iOS, made possible by the introduction of ARKit in 2017. The new page highlights several apps in the areas of productivity, gaming, and learning that have embraced AR in unique or novel ways.
More audiophile praise for the HomePod as professional tests confirm Apple’s claims
There has been much debate about the audio quality of the HomePod. The majority of reviews have praised the speaker for its sound quality (if not for its smarts), but there have been some dissenting voices.
Some audiophiles have been dismissive of HomePod – often, it seems, without having listened to it – but others have been impressed. And a new set of tests using professional-grade equipment found that the speaker fully lives up to the claims Apple makes for it …
KGI: Apple estimated to sell 100 million units of new 6.1-inch iPhone, priced as iPhone 8 replacement
KGI continues to double-down on its claims on what the 2018 iPhone lineup will comprise. The 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will apparently resemble the iPhone X with a similar full-screen design but at a more accessible price for customers; the analyst expects this new iPhone to be priced to replace iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, as cheap as $699.
The LCD 6.1-inch iPhone will use slightly less premium components, such as an aluminium frame instead of stainless steel. Nevertheless, given that it looks like a top-end iPhone in style, KGI believes the lower entry point will make it Apple’s most popular 2018 device and see total sales around 100 million units.