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Apple has its own smart battery cases for iPhone XS and XR
Yes, the rumors and leaks were true -- Apple has a new battery case after a lengthy absence, and it appears to have learned a few lessons in the process. The Smart Battery Case for iPhone XS, XS Max and XR extends your handset's battery to as much as 39 hours of talk time (on the XR), but avoids the ungainly lump from the iPhone 6/6s case that launched in 2015. Instead, there's a more graceful (if still bulky) slope. It supports wireless charging, too, so you don't have to plug in just because you want extra runtime.
Apple's year of cheap battery upgrades resulted in 11 million repairs
In a recent all-hands meeting, Tim Cook reportedly revealed that Apple replaced 11 million iPhone batteries in 2018, up from its normal 1-2 million tally. The spike was a result of Apple's price cut to its battery replacement program as part of the fallout from its iPhone throttling debacle. And it seems that trend hit Apple where it hurts: iPhone sales.
Report: Apple plans three new iPhones, one may have three rear cameras
Apple will introduce a triple-camera iPhone this year and another lower-priced LCD model, according to the Wall Street Journal. Despite supposedly sluggish sales of its current iPhone XR LCD model, the news means the company still wants a diverse mid-to-high range lineup. Like most other manufacturers, Apple is experiencing a slowdown in the smartphone market as consumers upgrade less often.
Mophie's wireless iPhone battery case keeps your Lightning port free
Many iPhone battery cases use the Lightning port to keep your handset topped up, and that's obviously a problem when there's no headphone jack. Case makers either need to add a port back or make you forego wired listening altogether. Mophie, however, has a simple solution: wireless charging. Its newly unveiled Juice Pack Access relies solely on Qi to power the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, keeping the Lightning port open for wired headphones while adding 25 to 31 hours of extra talk time. This also avoids the bulky chin that you've seen in the past.
Apple knows the age of yearly iPhone upgrades is over
After Apple introduced the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, I wrote that consumers didn't seem to mind how much more expensive iPhones had gotten over the past few years. But after Apple unexpectedly admitted yesterday that revenue for the last quarter would fall short of Apple's projections, I might have overstated things. It sure seems that the days of a new iPhone automatically driving big sales may be behind us. But those extremely high iPhone prices are just one piece of the puzzle, though -- let's break it down.
Apple blames China struggles and slow iPhone upgrades for earnings miss
Smartphone sales are struggling, and Apple is now feeling the pinch from that decline. The tech firm has lowered its guidance for its first fiscal quarter (October to December of last year) from a minimum of $89 billion down to $84 billion due to a variety of factors, most notably due to "fewer iPhone upgrades than we had anticipated." Most of the shortfall, Apple said, stemmed from China's weak economy.
German court bans some iPhone sales over Qualcomm dispute
A court in Munich, Germany ordered an injunction against Apple that will prevent the company from selling some iPhones in the country, Reuters reported. The decision comes as part of an ongoing legal battle between the iPhone maker and chip manufacturer Qualcomm. Apple plans to appeal the ruling, but the company will stop selling the iPhone 7 and 8 during the appeal process. Those devices, as well as other iPhone models, will continue to be sold through carriers and third-party retailers in the country.
T-Mobile's eSIM support for new iPhones is limited to prepaid lines
Now that AT&T and Verizon have switched on their support for eSIMs in iPhones, it's T-Mobile's turn. The magenta network has released an eSIM app that adds a line to your iPhone XR, iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max without making you insert a little card. There's one big gotcha, though: it's currently limited to prepaid service. T-Mobile pitches this as an option for visitors to the US, existing customers who want a secondary line or would-be switchers who want to try the network without a deeper commitment. Support for regular subscriptions is coming, but you'll presently need to hold off if you wanted to reserve the physical slot for travel SIMs or (gasp) a rival provider.
Qualcomm wants China to ban the iPhone XS and XR
As part of an ongoing patent dispute, chipmaker Qualcomm is asking Chinese courts to ban sales of Apple's iPhone XS, XS Max and XR within the country, according to the Financial Times. The request comes just days after the company won an injunction temporarily preventing Apple from selling older models of iPhones in China.
WSJ: Apple will discount iPhone XR in Japan
Apple is readying discounts for the iPhone XR in Japan by way of subsidies for local carriers, according to The Wall Street Journal. The markdown for the cheapest of its new batch of iPhones could come into play as soon as next week. Though price cuts from Apple aren't unprecedented (it's lowered the price of devices on occasion in specific regions) they are rare. So don't go expecting the change to be reflected on this side of the world.
Verizon will reportedly roll out iPhone dual SIM support in December
With iOS 12.1, Apple brought dual SIM support to the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, allowing users of these newest models to utilize both a physical SIM and an eSIM. But due to a software issue that caused dual SIM activation to degrade its service, Verizon opted not to activate eSIMs when the update rolled out. However, according to an internal memo 9to5Mac got its hands on, Verizon will start supporting dual SIM activation come early December.
Apple plans to sell more of its products on Amazon
Apple and Amazon have come to an agreement to stock the online retailer's shelves with more Apple products, according to CNET. The deal will expand Amazon's direct access to Apple products, including the latest models of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The deal also restricts third-party sales of Apple products on Amazon to Apple-authorized resellers.
Netflix hack day project uses eye tracking to navigate its iOS app
Netflix's hack days frequently produce fanciful results, but its latest might be key to making its streaming service more accessible. The company's engineers have developed an experimental "Eye Nav" feature that lets you navigate the iOS app using the face tracking in newer iPhones (and, potentially, iPads). You use your eyes to control the cursor, staring at an item to select it. And if you need to back out? Just stick out your tongue.
This app gives your pets the iPhone XR portrait treatment
While the iPhone XR can take some fantastic photos, it has a pretty disappointing limitation: You can't take advantage of Apple's portrait mode to take high-resolution and detailed portraits unless the subject is a person. Third-party camera app Halide recently announced that it's working on a solution to the issue, and now it's out as part of its latest software upgrade. Halide version 1.11 brings Apple's Portrait Effects to anything, so you can take some detailed photos (with the mode's characteristic blurry background) of your pets and various objects.
iPhone dual-SIM support doesn't play nicely with Verizon (for now)
Don't rush to try iOS 12.1's dual-SIM support if you're a customer of our parent company Verizon. PCMag has learned that the current software drops iPhone XS, XS Max and XR users down to CDMA (that is, the 2G network) if you activate another carrier on the eSIM and use your Verizon SIM card for the secondary line while in the US. This won't hurt if you're roaming abroad, but it's crippling for domestic use: You'll lose anything resembling fast data, and even basic coverage will shrink, given that 30 percent of Verizon's cell sites are LTE only. Accordingly, Verizon has decided it would rather decline to activate eSIMs for now than make users suffer when they rely on the company for a second line.
iPhone XR may take portrait photos of non-humans through an app
The iPhone XR can take some quality portrait mode photos with its single camera, but there's a catch: for now, its reliance on software-based object detection limits it to photos of people. You might have more flexibility before long. The developers of the camera app Halide have found enough available depth data to snap portrait shots of non-human objects, starting with pets. The depth map is crude and could lead to more "temperamental" photography than with the iPhone XS' dual cameras, particularly in situations where there's not enough difference between the foreground and background. However, it's at least "usable."
iPhone XR teardowns take a peek at its XL battery
Now that Apple's iPhone XR is officially available, the usual cast of characters are waiting to tear the device apart and see what's inside. The first teardown video came courtesy of the Germans over at kaputt.de, while iFixit is also busy with its own look inside that includes a few shots take via X-ray. Either way you look at it, the iPhone XR, once pulled apart, shows its status as a device straddling generations. It has hints of the iPhone X, with a rectangular logic board, but also an iPhone 8-style rectangular battery. Speaking of that cell, at 11.16Wh, it's larger than the iPhone XS (10.13), iPhone 8 Plus (10.28) and smaller than the iPhone XS Max (12.08). Since it's also driving a lower-res 6.1-inch LCD screen than the OLED-equipped XS phones, we'd expect the excellent battery life seen in our review to hold up. There weren't any surprises elsewhere -- as expected, breaking its glass back will mean replacing the entire chassis -- but you can see everything from the taptic engine to its single-lens camera below.
Apple iPhone XR review: The best iPhone for most people
Everywhere I go, I see people hanging onto their old iPhones — those devices have usually seen better days, but there they are, still ticking away. Sometimes, as socially anxious as I am, I ask people about it. More often than not, their answers are the same: They don't want to spend $1,000 on a new phone. I get that, and apparently, Apple does too: That's why the iPhone XR exists. Apple hasn't shied away from selling cheaper smartphones: There was the 5c some years ago, and the SE after that. And let's not forget that Apple always sells the prior year's models for less once the shiny new stuff comes out. The iPhone XR is a step in a different direction. Instead of just repackaging old components, Apple took a lot of what makes the XS and XS Max great and built a brand new, more affordable frame around it. It's all about accessibility. A process like this is rife with compromises and, to be clear, Apple made quite a few of them in building the XR. To Apple's credit, though, the iPhone XR never really feels compromised. Sure, it's less flashy than its premium cousins — even so, the XR delivers everywhere it counts.
With the iPhone XR, Apple broadens its 'best'
The iPhone XR might be the most interesting phone Apple has made in years. Think about it: Apple just released its flagship XS and XS Max to a chorus of positive reviews, and now here it is, a month later, preparing to launch another smartphone that packs many of the same features found in those really expensive ones. For Apple, this is all a little unheard of. To add to the curiosity of it all, the R doesn't mean much either. Phil Schiller, gingerly gripping a cup of coffee across from me, said the letters Apple uses never stand for something specific. But then his voice softened a little as he started to tell me about what the letters mean to him. "I love cars and things that go fast, and R and S are both letters used to denote sport cars that are really extra special," he said with a smile. That's not exactly the answer I was hoping for, but I'm not sure what I should've expected from a) Apple's SVP of global marketing and b) a longtime fan of Porsches and Audis. Of course, Schiller's is just one interpretation, and the iPhone XR lends itself to many. It's the cheap iPhone. It's the depressing iPhone. It's, in my case, the fascinating iPhone. That's all right though: Apple was intent on building the right iPhone for as many people as possible, no matter their outlook. These years of work have led Apple to build one of its best smartphones ever, even if it's a little misunderstood.
Apple iPhone XR pre-orders are now open
Apple opened pre-orders for its more expensive iPhone models shortly after they were announced, leaving the more affordable iPhone XR out of the lineup. Now, you can finally pre-order an iPhone XR if you can't stomach paying a grand for a phone or if you prefer its more colorful options. The device will set you back at least $37.41 per month with the iPhone Upgrade Program, or $749 if you're paying in full, for the 64GB version.
