HomePod: Everything we know about the Apple smart speaker so far
With the launch of the Apple Watch Series 3 and iPhone X behind us, there’s still one more new Apple product on my shopping list this year: HomePod. Apple previewed its new smart speaker back in June at WWDC, and now it’s almost time for HomePod to hit the market. Here’s what we know about HomePod so far:
Report: Apple supplier says AR wearable to come to market by 2019
Nikkei is out today with a new report that one of Apple’s assemblers expects a “significant AR device” to launch by 2019. Similar to the news last week from another Apple supplier, today’s report doesn’t specifically name Apple, but expectations are starting to build for the company and a future AR device release even though Tim Cook has recently said “but today I can tell you the technology itself doesn’t exist to do that in a quality way.”
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Mother shows how her iPhone X can be unlocked by her 10 year-old son with Face ID
Face ID is undeniably more secure than Touch ID in a random sampling of population. Apple says the chance of a person unlocking your phone with Face ID is 1 in a million.
However, that probability can be considerably lower for siblings, twins and children under the age of 13. A new video from a mother highlights exactly these limitations; she finds her 10-year old son can reliably unlock her phone using his face. Video after the jump …
Adobe XD update adds design specs, layout grid support, text enhancements, and more
Adobe today updated its new user experience prototyping solution, Adobe XD, adding several helpful new features. XD was first introduced in March 2016 as a beta product, and was formally released last month at Adobe MAX 2017.
Former Apple engineering director launches RAW Power photo editor for iOS
With the release of iOS 10, Apple harnessed the growing power and advancing optics of iPhones and iPads by introducing RAW image capture support. Users wishing to edit their RAW photos on iOS have been left with few options, however. Now, a former Apple engineering director is aiming to help professional and amateur iOS photographers alike with the release of a powerful new app for iPhone and iPad.
Foxconn quarterly profit falls by 40% due to iPhone X production delays
Foxconn reported its largest year-over-year earnings decline in a decade because of the initial iPhone X production problems. Via Bloomberg, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (Foxconn) profits fell to $700 million in calendar Q3, a 40% decline compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
Apple estimated to have sold 3.9 million Apple Watch units in Q3, cellular proving popular
At its earnings call, Apple said the Apple Watch grew 50% year-over-year in sales but continued its silence on revealing exact numbers for its wearables. Estimates from Canalys suggest that unit sales almost hit 4 million for Apple Watch in the third quarter.
The analyst says the cellular LTE Apple Watch Series 3 has proved popular, with demand outstripping supplier and carriers surprised by the demand for the cellular Watch …
Apple developing new 3D sensor system for 2019 iPhone rear camera, according to Bloomberg
Bloomberg today reports that Apple is developing a new 3D sensor system for the 2019 iPhone. This sensor would work differently to the TrueDepth sensor system used for Face ID and would be used to add depth sensing features to the rear camera.
Adding depth data to the rear camera would allow for more advanced augmented reality applications. iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus simulate depth by using a dual-camera system, and comparing the parallax of the images from the two lenses.
iOS 11.2 enables 7.5W wireless charging for iPhone 8 and iPhone X
The release of iOS 11.2 will bring faster wireless charging speeds for Apple’s latest iPhones: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X (via MacRumors).
Right now, all wireless charging on the 2017 iPhones runs at a maximum of 5 watts. The update will unlock 7.5 watt Qi charging for the Belkin BOOST UP Wireless Charging Pad and Mophie Wireless Charging Base.