Tag: Apple

Apple-Google COVID-19 Tracker Can’t Be Used in India

Google and Apple came together in April and developed tech that will help governments around the world to reduce the coronavirus spread. It is called the Covid-19 exposure notification or Covid-19 contact tracing tech. After months of hard work, the technology is now ready and is available on iOS and Android.

What is this tech all about?

This new tech is available as an Application Programming Interface (API) for Android and iOS Smartphones. The tech is smart enough to let the Smartphones log other devices they come in the vicinity of and enables “contact tracing” of the disease. It can’t function on its own and needs a supplementary app to work.

How does this contact tracing API work?

A public health app needs to use the API developed by Google and Apple for the technology to function. The app sends and receives data from nearby devices and keeps a record of people one may have come in contact with and their Covid-19 status. The app updates all the data on cloud. It regularly runs scans to check and notify people if they have unknowingly come in contact with any Covid-19 positive person. Health agencies are also notified so that the person can be tested and the spread of the disease can be curbed.

Why doesn’t it work in India?

Unfortunately, the Aarogya Setu App doesn’t use Apple-Google API. It needs a device’s location access and Bluetooth access to be able to function. The problem is that the Apple-Google API doesn’t give permission to public-health apps to access location data and that’s why it can’t be used by the Aarogya Setu app.

Apps built on Apple-Google API use only Bluetooth while the Aarogya Setu App needs location access too in order to collect information. If we compare the two, the Aarogya Setu collects more data in terms of location and numbers. It also stores data on the user’s phone, uploading it under certain circumstances. However, the Apple-Google API uses DP-3T (Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing) protocol. This assigns randomised and anonymous unique IDs. Since these IDs change often, the tech can pick up data of corona positive people without any disclosure of identity or location.

We would’ve been happy to explore the two together but due to limitations in tech compatibility, it seems like we won’t be able to use the new Google-Apple API in Arogya Setup for now. 

Apple To Ditch Intel : Use It’s Own Chips Starting 2021

As per many reports which have been on the surface of the web, it is being speculated that Apple will ditch the Intel chipsets which it uses to power its Macs. As far as the chips are concerned, it is being said that Apple is working on three different system-on-chip (SoC) for the Macs. All of the chips will be based on the A14 chip which the company has been developing for its next generation of iPhones. Here we look into more than just the architecture of the chips for the upcoming devices.

The upcoming Mac chips are expected to have an 8-core architecture with very high performance. Apart from the octa-core high-efficiency ones, there will also be four energy-efficient cores. As far as names are concerned, reports suggest that the upcoming chips will be named Firestorm and Icestorm respectively. Apple is expected to introduce these chips with its upcoming range of products, probably in the year 2021.

As far as these chips are concerned, it is clear that the iPhone maker is not concentrating on just one Mac laptop but a complete lineup with the in-house developed chipset. Currently, Apple has been using Intel chips to power its Macbook and iMac lineup. Moreover, Apple is also aiming at building faster chips, much more than the ones powering the iPhones and iPad.

The said chips will be manufactured using the 5-nanometer production technology. Reportedly, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing will be building these upcoming chips for Apple. The new chips will not only be used on the Mac computers but Apple could also efficiently develop new silicon for the upcoming iPhones and iPad.

While Apple’s performance workstations would still be a bit far off from using the new chips, we will most likely see the new chips appear on the MacBooks in the year 2021. Apple has been using Intel chips on its Macs since the year 2006. The idea of using Intel chips was to allow developers to quickly switch the apps from Windows to Mac platform and vice versa with ease, especially when the Windows ecosystem is more dominant in the computing space.

Apple’s move to making its chips is completely in line with its philosophy of end-to-end integration of hardware and software and applications. This will prove to be a great experience for Apple users and also provide Apple with greater control over their hardware and software experiences. However, it is yet to be seen how Apple takes this approach and when does it come up with new products with its complete hardware and software package.

Apple Appears on TikTok | Lockdown Boredom or Competition?

This could be a classic case of boredom considering the current lockdown situation in the whole world, but Apple has officially opened a TikTok account. 

It seems like the premium smartphone manufacturer could not keep itself from being far away from all social media platforms and hence joined one of the most popular social media platforms. TikTok has not only been doing well in China (it’s home country) but also in other countries like India where it has amassed millions of users and is enjoying unparalleled popularity. 

While Apple is yet to post any content on its official TikTok id, we speculate it is most likely to be for advertising, just like it uses Instagram for. TikTok is slowly but steadily claiming the social space and has already put the likes of apps like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp on a question. The iPhone/iPad maker is another joined to its user database. 

The official Apple id in question is quite blank as of now and the number of followers is currently at 5562 at the time of writing. Not only this, but Apple has also received the verified badge which can be identified by the blue tick mark on the side of its username and hence confirming of its official involvement. Apple will most likely use this TikTok id to connect with its users and also share its updates with the community, just like it does with Instagram where it is very active and Apple also shares a lot of images, competition updates and it’s Shot on iPhone’ series.

It would not be very wrong to say that Apple could not post any content on the TikTok profile at all, just like its Twitter account which has a total of 4.2 million but the company has never tweeted. So what comes at the end of the spectrum is yet to be seen.

TikTok has been under a lot of heat recently, both for good and bad reasons. While TikTok’s global user database is growing like a balloon which won’t burst, the social media platform has also been under the radar for various misleading content, rabble-rousing that has been specifically targetted at communities and certain situations; especially here in India. YouTube is already out with it’s ‘Shorts’ platform, which is expected to compete with TikTok. 

Either way, it is interesting to see the American smartphone maker join TikTok and how they would go about with it. If you are interested in following Apple, you might as well click on this link.

 

Is Apple Still Leading the Forefront of Smartphone Innovation?

Smartphones have come a long way through. Small screen devices have been replaced by larger ones, single cameras by multiple, fingerprint scanners by face-id, single-screen by foldable and more. Trends in the smartphone industry are changing rapidly and innovation is the only way to survive this cut-throat competition.

If you closely keep a track of the smartphone industry, you would have noticed the fact that the baton of innovation has now been taken by new players in the industry. Manufacturers like Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi are determined to bring new technologies to market. While Samsung and Huawei are still on the run Apple seems to be lacking behind. iPhone’s in recent years have felt iterative rather than innovative. The company that is known for creating trends has been dormant for quite a while on the innovation front. Which brings us to question, is Apple still leading the forefront of smartphone innovation? 

Apple’s recent contribution to smartphone innovation

Apple, the company that has been the pioneer of the modern-day smartphone, is relying on technologies that people are already aware of. Even the newest iPhone’s “iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max lack innovation. Both these devices tout a triple camera setup and a glass back body, which is definitely not new. These are technologies that have been embraced by various manufacturers and Apple is really late to the party.

The most recent contribution by Apple was in the form of Face ID. First introduced in iPhone X, Face ID is a facial recognition technology built into the front camera system of the smartphone. It replaces Touch ID Apple’s fingerprint recognition system used in the previous generation of iPhones.

Face ID uses a “True depth camera system” consisting of sensors, camera and a dot projector to create a detailed map of the users face. The data is then used for authentication every time the user looks into the device.

The Face ID came out in 2017 since then the company has remained silent on the innovation front

Contribution of other manufacturers in the smartphone Industry

  • In-display fingerprint scanners

Major players in the smartphone industry like Apple and Samsung were in the run to bring In-display fingerprint sensors first to the market. But it was Vivo a Chinese firm that beat them to bring the first phone “Vivo X20 UD” with this technology at consumers disposal. 

The technology was brought in to meet the growing need for bezel-less displays. Apple’s answer to the In-display fingerprint scanners is Face ID, abandoning the idea of fingerprint authentication altogether.

  • Foldable Phones

Another category where Apple is lacking behind the rivals is the foldable phones. While Manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, Moto have taken considerable steps in this direction, Apple is yet to bring a foldable device. Samsung has already taken a lead bringing the “Galaxy Fold” to the market.

Steve Wozniak himself said during an interview with Bloomberg he is concerned about Samsung’s two-year lead. “Apple is not the leader in things like the folding phone and that worries me because I really do want a folding phone. You know, it’s one of those new technologies that does catch my attention,” Wozniak said. Goldman Sachs agrees and recently described the Galaxy Fold as “the main potential challenge” for Apple.

  • AI and Virtual Assistant

It is not just the hardware where Apple is lacking behind. Apple’s closest competitor Google has certainly taken a lead coming to virtual assistants. Google assistant is way smarter than Siri and Apple need to make a serious effort in order to match its competition.

It is evident that smartphones from Apple these days are not exemplary innovative modern devices as they used to be. There has been a sudden shift in the smartphone industry, we’re seeing innovative technologies from new brands rather than market leaders. It is disappointing to see a lack of innovation in smartphones from a brand like Apple. 

The competition is getting tougher and certain tweaks, upgrades will not help them maintain their leadership as a technology innovator. It will be interesting to see what Apple brings to the table with its next-generation iPhones. But for now, it seems like Apple is losing its position as a smartphone innovator.

iPhone SE 2 for 2020 Announced | Prices Start At $399

With the looks of an iPhone 8, it packs more modern specs to match the performance

Apple has finally taken the covers off the new iPhone SE 2. The iPhone is the cheapest offering from the house of Apple and the prices start from $399 for the 6GB storage version. But with the looks of it, most of the people will mistake it for an iPhone 8. Well, it would take some really trained eyes to differentiate it from the iPhone 8. 

Starting with the screen, it features a 4.7-inch screen, yes the most friendly iPhone size, large bezels on the top and button and the now missing home button with Touch ID. This design has been consistent since the arrival of the iPhone 6. So the SE second generation is the fifth device to carry this design and Apple has really mastered this design over the years.

Apple says it will be available for pre-order from April 17th onwards and start shipping from the 24th of April. Depending on the on-board memory, you have a 128GB variant priced at $499 and a 256GB model $549. Moreover like any other iPhone, it will ship with one year of Apple TV Plus. The iPhone SE second generation will be offered in three colours – Black, White and Product Red. 

What’s New?

Now don’t get this wrong but the new iPhone SE is basically an iPhone 8, but it packs a better camera, hardware and specifications. The surprise here is the A13 Bionic chip, which also powers the latest iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models. 

What this means that the new iPhone will have a long life from the time you pick it up from the shelves. In fact, it now will claim the life of the iPhone 8 which it is replacing. However, Apple has said that the iPhone 8 Plus will be available in some select markets only. These select markets could include price-sensitive markets like India too.

With the new A13 processor, the camera on the new iPhone SE has gained some new features. It gets a single 12-megapixel camera on the back along with a flash. Apple claims that with the A13 chip on board, the new SE offers improved Smart HDR photography, which combines multiple shots into a single image to massively improve the lighting and detail. 

The surprise here with the single-camera is the portrait mode technology. Apple has named it ‘monocular depth-sensing’ (just better software detection) which uses machine learning to detect depth and faces. But it also raises doubts on the subjects as it should work on humans but cannot really say how it would be on pets or other objects. Lastly, the camera is blessed with Apple’s optical stabilization which claims to provide ‘cinematic’ stabilization. The camera can record 4K video at 60fps. What a delight for creators who shoot on their phone. On the front, the selfie camera comes with a 7-megapixel sensor. The front camera can also do portrait effects. Apple is achieving the same results what others have been trying to do with multiple cameras. Good move Apple. 

The Hardware

Most of the parts of the new iPhone SE are identical to the iPhone 8. You can expect a similar battery life. However, Apple has not revealed any numbers for the battery on this one. The screen is Apple’s 4.7-inch IPS LED Retina display with True Tone colour. It might sound different, but it is the exact screen as we have already seen on the iPhone 8. Moreover, Apple says the cases made for iPhone 8 will fit the new iPhone SE with ease.   

Now here is something that would leave some waiting for more. In the days of blazing-fast charging times, Apple’s new SE comes with a puny 5W charger in the box. Although, it has support for 18W fast charging, as well as support for Qi wireless charging. What you won’t see is a headphone jack, the 3.5mm jack has been ditched. Apple will ship with Lightning headphones in the box. 

What else? Some modern specs like support for Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit LTE and dual-sims (e-sim for the second one). It has now support for Haptic Touch, which is a replacement for Apple’s 3D Touch. Apple is sure to lift some hopes despite the current pandemic situation.  This $399 iPhone is sure to appeal a lot of buyers, especially the ones who have been a fan of the screen size but wanted some better specs. Apple has finally addressed the problem. Last but not least, the new iPhone SE will secure its user with software updates over the years to come. 

iPhone SE 2 Specifications

  • Screen: 4.7-inch True Tone display
  • Rear cameras: 12-megapixel single 6-element lens, features OIS, flicker sensor for white balance, focus pixels, HDR, and portrait mode for people, video recording at 4K/60fps
  • Selfie camera: 7-megapixel camera
  • Dimensions: 67.3 x 138.4 x 7.3mm, 148 grams
  • Processor: A13 Bionic 
  • Memory: TBD
  • Storage: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB
  • Battery: TBD
  • OS: iOS 13
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit LTE, Dual SIM with eSIM
  • Biometric authentication: second-generation Touch ID fingerprint sensor
  • Wireless charging, Lightning connector, 5W charger included
  • IP67 protection
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