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Apple iPhone Xs will come with dual SIM capability
At Apple's fall event today, the iPhone Xs is certainly stealing the show, and not just for sharper screens and cameras. As rumors anticipated, the new devices will finally get eSIM technology, which had been available in iPads and Apple Watches but not the company's smartphones. That's not all: The Xs will also get the ability to juggle dual SIMs.
Apple's new iPhone hardware will have more renewable materials
Earlier this year, Apple announced that it is now globally powered by 100 percent renewable energy. At the iPhone event earlier today, the company reiterated its commitment to the environment and announced that even the materials to make its latest hardware will be recycled too. For example, the Logic Board on the latest iPhones is now made of recycled tin, and a significant portion of the cover glass frame is made from a bio-based plastic. Apple claims that despite being made of plastic, the frame is actually tougher. In general, Apple is transitioning away from traditional plastics to recycled ones. Last but not least, Apple also gave more information about its GiveBack program, where you can trade in your existing iPhone and get the value in return if it's deemed reusable. Follow all the latest news from Apple's 2018 iPhone event here!
Apple's HomePod speaker will make and receive phone calls
We haven't heard much about Apple's HomePod speaker since it added multi-room support in May, three months after it launched in the US. Up until then, the device hadn't received much flair due to the lack of features that other smart speakers have out of the box. But for those of you who already have one, there is some good news. Apple has announced that the HomePod will soon be able to make and receive phone calls as well as search music by lyrics -- something rival speakers, like the Google Home, have been able to do for some time.
iOS 12 will fix your notifications September 17th
iOS 12 will be released September 17th. After spending nearly half of June's WWDC keynote espousing the virtues of Memojis, Photo search and sharing, a half-hearted digital wellness initiative, and so much more, at the tail end of today's keynote Tim Cook announced that it won't be long before you can install the shiny new operating system on your cadre of Cupertino-designed devices. It's said that the software will improve the performance of your older Apple gadgets too (fingers crossed for my iPad Mini 3), with apps getting up to a 200 percent speed boost in launch speed.
The iPhone Xs adjusts depth of field on your photos after the fact
Apple wants you to know that it cares about cameras. Executives spent a significant portion of the company's 2018 iPhone event explaining the tweaks and upgrades to the camera technology in the new iPhone Xs and Xs Max, but it saved the most impressive feature for last. The latest iPhones feature a slider that allows users to adjust the depth of field of a photo after it's taken, in the Photos app.
Apple's iPhone Xr is an 'affordable' iPhone X
We more or less knew that Apple was going to unveil the iPhone Xs and Xs Max today, but few of us were expecting the iPhone Xr. Apple wants to reach as many people as it can, so it has to make an iPhone people can (or want to) afford. Instead of sticking to previous nomenclature and calling it the iPhone XC, the company has finally updated its less-expensive (let's be real, it's not cheap) series. The iPhone Xr is the budget-friendlier alternative to the Xs flagships that will no doubt cost about $1,000. For the lower price, you'll have to make do with some compromises, like no dual cameras, but at least you'll get some new features.
Apple's A12 Bionic is the first 7-nanometer smartphone chip
Apple's new iPhones come with a fresh chip called the A12 Bionic. The company says it's the industry's first 7-nanometer chip and contains 6.9 billion transistors. That statement is true, to an extent: It's the first chip that will be commercially available to the public. Last month, Huawei also announced a 7-nanometer chip called the Kirin 980. It will debut in the company's Mate 20 flagship and sub-brand Honor's Magic 2 sometime in the future. Both Apple and Huawei worked with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to develop their high-powered silicon, which is why the phones are debuting so close to each other.
Apple’s iPhone Xs and Xs Max are all about the display
If you've been following the Apple rumors lately, the big news from today's event should come as no surprise. The new flagship iPhone Xs and Xs Max have just been announced, and so far they match up with everything that was rumored. The iPhone Xs sticks with the same notched, 5.8-inch OLED display found on last year's model, which the Xs Max steps up to a massive 6.5-inch panel. That panel also features what Phil Schiller says is the strongest smartphone glass ever made. CEO Tim Cook calls it "the most advanced iPhone we've ever created" -- no surprise there.
Apple's latest Watch can sense falls and heart irregularities
The current Watch 3 is already pretty health-centric, but Apple has taken it to a new level with its latest model. Thanks to a new electric heart sensor built into the backside, the Watch Series 4 can not only detect a low heart rate but also act as an electrocardiogram (ECG). That means it can sense a dangerous condition known as an atrial fibrillation and warn you to talk to your doctor. The Watch Series 4 has received clearance from the FDA and is the first over-the-counter ECG app offered directly to consumers, Apple claimed.
Apple’s watchOS 5 and its smarter Siri arrive on September 17th
Apple has revealed when you'll be able to update your Apple Watch to watchOS 5. The latest version of the software will be available September 17th.
Apple is about to ship its 2 billionth iOS device
Apple kicked off its fall event for iPhone and Apple Watch with a big statistic: The total number of iOS devices the company has shipped is about to reach 2 billion. The device giant had previously announced that it had topped a billion active devices, including Mac and Apple TVs, back in January 2016. Today's number simply includes all iPhones and iPads that have ever shipped, which is a different, but still impressive, stat. It still trails Android, which Google CEO Sundar Pichai claimed powered 2 billion active devices in July 2017.
Apple Watch Series 4 has a sleeker edge-to-edge screen
After some rather spectacular leaks, the Apple Watch Series 4 is official. The new models represent the first big change in screen size since the smartwatch premiered in 2015, with 40mm and 44mm models packing larger displays (35 percent and 32 percent, respectively) that run much closer to the case edge. Even so, the bodies are thinner than before. The extra visual real estate provides more room for apps, and there's a new watch face that touts as many as eight (!) complications -- yes, that image you saw earlier was real. You'll also see a Mindfulness watch face as well as ones that interact with the edges of the screen.
Live from Apple's 2018 iPhone event!
Hello! Happy iPhone Day! (And if you're here early, slow your roll!) Senior mobile editor Chris Velazco and I are reporting live from Cupertino, California, on Wednesday, where Apple is holding its "Gather Round" iPhone launch at the Steve Jobs Theater. Today we expect to see -- what else? -- iPhone. Three, to be exact: the XS, the larger XS Max and a smaller model that borrows many features from last year's iPhone X, while still coming in at a more reasonable price. Also on tap, apparently? The fourth-generation Apple Watch, predictably called the Series 4, which is said to sport a larger display. If it sounds like I'm talking about these unannounced products in an unusual level of detail, that's because these products have already been leaked to the press, with 9to5Mac even getting ahold of some elusive press shots. That said, there's still probably to be some surprises, including some wildcards like an updated iPad Pro, next-gen AirPods and the long-awaited AirPower wireless charging mat. What we're not expecting Tuesday: refreshed Macs or an updated iPhone SE. We're always ready to be surprised, though. Stay tuned at this link and follow along starting 10AM PT / 1PM ET as we report live from Apple Park. Follow all the latest news from Apple's 2018 iPhone event here!
A year without Apple's wireless-charging mat
At Apple's iPhone event last year, the company announced its AirPower charging mat -- a device that promised a way to wirelessly charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at the same time. But 12 months later, Apple still hasn't delivered on that promise, and we've been left twiddling our thumbs and charging our Apple devices with cords like schmucks. Today you'll be able to follow our liveblog to see if our wait is finally over, but in the meantime, here are a few instances over the past year where the lack of AirPower was both glaring and egregious.
A year on, the iPhone X looks ordinary
When Apple unveiled the iPhone X, Tim Cook said it represented the company's vision of the smartphone of the future. Well now we're in 2018 -- it's technically the future. Given 12 months of hindsight (and use), how are all those controversies (like that notch) and marquee features faring? And how did the competition counter Apple's most expensive iPhone yet?
Apple website leak reveals iPhone XS, XS Max and Xr models
Because it's always right up to the margin, another leak has revealed Apple's new iPhone lineup hours ahead of the big official reveal. Unfortunately for the company, the information has come from its own website. Allthings.now first spotted the phones in Apple's own XML files, and The Verge subsequently managed to unpick references to another model name, the iPhone Xr, inside the AppleCare section. The company has since pulled down the files, but Allthings.now held on to its copy of the XML.
Apple's iPhone event will be livestreamed on Twitter, too
Don't feel like dusting off Safari or Edge tomorrow to watch Apple's next iPhone reveal? Well, for the first time ever, the event will be live-streamed on Twitter. The news first appeared as a sponsored Tweet from the hardware juggernaut yesterday, and TechCrunch confirmed it with the company. Tap the heart button on the tweet embedded below, and Apple promises you'll get updates as they happen.
Tune into our iPhone event liveblog on Wednesday at 1PM ET!
Is it that time of year again? My, that was fast. We are already in the second week of September, which means Engadget and the rest of the tech press are about to converge on Apple Park to hear all about the next generation of iPhones. In addition to new handsets -- there are reportedly three on tap -- an updated Apple Watch is a sure bet. Unfortunately, some of the surprise has already been spoiled, thanks to a series of leaks that includes what appear to be authentic press shots. If those images (and the reports) are correct, we're looking at a 5.8-inch iPhone XS and a 6.5-inch iPhone XS Plus, both with OLED screens. There's also reportedly a 6.1-inch iPhone X lookalike that eschews some features (possibly the OLED panel) in favor of a lower price. As for the Series 4, that leaked press photo indicates a larger display. Other possibilities include new AirPods, an updated iPad Pro and the long-delayed AirPower wireless charging mat. Less likely this go-round: Macs and an update to the iPhone SE. My colleague Chris Velazco and I will be liveblogging on Wednesday from inside the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple's campus. Bookmark this link and tune in at or just before 1PM ET (10AM PT) -- we're sure to hear some surprises, those few leaks notwithstanding. Follow all the latest news from Apple's 2018 iPhone event here!
What to expect from Apple’s 2018 iPhone event
After last year's iPhone X introduction, you'd think anything Apple would unveil at its September 12th "Gather Round" event would be anticlimactic. Not so -- if anything, it could be one of the company's biggest launch events in recent memory. It's likely that Apple will announce three new iPhones, not to mention the first substantial changes to the Apple Watch design since its 2015 debut. And then there's a myriad of potential announcements beyond that, such as an iPhone X-inspired iPad Pro, the long-delayed AirPower mat and new AirPods. It's a lot to take in, but we're here to separate the wheat from the chaff and give you an idea of what Tim Cook and crew will reveal when they take the stage.
iPhone XS leaked image shows off larger display and gold finish
Earlier today, Apple sent out invites for its upcoming event and now 9to5Mac is giving us a peek at what we'll be seeing on September 12th. The site says that the new OLED phone will be called the iPhone XS and will come in two sizes -- 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch. It's also reporting that the models will include a gold finish option.
