iOS 12.1 Add Battery Performance Management to More Devices

Battery Performance Management was introduced earlier this year in an update following controversy about performance throttling. iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus were not affected by this change. However, iOS 12.1 added Battery Performance Management to these devices. This is interesting because this feature is only relevant for older devices, so we now see when Apple sees fit for devices to have this feature.

(PRODUCT)RED iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus Release Imminent

According to MacRumors, Virgin Mobile leaked an internal document stating that the rumored (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be announced tomorrow. Supposedly, there will be pre-orders, so they may not ship immediately. It should also be noted that there probably won't be a (PRODUCT)RED iPhone X. There is some hope for an announcement about AirPower tomorrow as well.

New Belkin Wireless Chargers

Belkin is one of the wireless chargers endorsed by Apple, alongside Mophie. Just before CES 2018, Belkin has announced some new chargers. First off, there are new colors of the Belkin Boost Up Charging Pad, now called the Belkin Boost Up Bold Charging Pad. This version features a better design (in my opinion) and different color options. There's also a version of this that keeps your phone upright, one that uses a suction cup for your car's windshield, and a two-in-one version for charging two devices at once. Most excitingly for me, is their line for businesses. These chargers fit into desks and tables, often meant to be put into hotels, airports, cafes, and more. Hopefully we see more wireless chargers available to the public for free use.

The Benefit of HEIF and HEVC

Apple quietly introduced HEIF and HEVC, which essentially cut the amount of storage photos and videos take up without quality loss. HEIF stands for high efficiency image format, and replaces JPEG. HEVC stands for high efficiency video coding. Before these formats, I found loading iCloud videos in my library took forever. Usually, my phone would timeout before loading. Now, they load nearly instantly. I believe this feature is only avaliable when you have an iPhone 8 or later attached to your iCloud account. It’s subtle, but very useful for getting media from the cloud. 

iOS 11.2 Supports 7.5W Wireless Charging

With the new beta of iOS 11.2 being released, we now know that iOS 11.2 will likely support 7.5W wireless charging for the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. This will make charging quite a bit faster than 5W wireless charging. Realistically, users can expect to experience about 20% in half an hour [Source: MacRumors]. Qi Wireless charging standards can allow for up to 15W but it seems it will be sometime until we get that, likely to avoid a battery fiasco of some sort. 

Apple to Reduce iPhone 8 Production

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will shift production from the iPhone 8 in favor of the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X by 50-60 percent. The iPhone 8 Plus outsold the iPhone 8 by about a million units as consumers begin desiring larger and larger displays. The iPhone X was definitely in need of more production, but I was surprised that this year's "Plus" model was so popular, and it seems Apple was too.

Potential AirPower Price

Apple announced the AirPower wireless charging mat this last September, but only told us it would be released next year. While the features it boasts are pretty nice, how much it should cost is up to debate. X-Kom has an AirPower mat available for 999 Złotych. This cannot be purchased, and the validity of the listing cannot be confirmed, but we have reason to believe this means the product will be $199. That's a bit much for a charging mat. Most charging mats cost around $10-$30. A premium one from Apple should cost at most $100, in my opinion. Take into account that this works best with AirPods ($159), the wireless charging case for AirPods (sold separately; $69), an Apple Watch Series 3, and an iPhone 8 or iPhone X. That's a lot of money for just a charging mat.

Apple Lists Cars Compatible with iPhone 8 Wireless Charging

With the iPhone 8 and iPhone X getting wireless charging, Apple has listed car models that are compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard. However, Apple cannot confirm that each model listed will be able to fit the iPhone, as cubby sizes vary. It should be noted that this is just for charging and will not support CarPlay.

iPhone 8 Drop Test

The iPhone 8 (and iPhone X) has a glass back to allow for wireless charging. Apple calls it the most durable glass in a smartphone. But, glass is glass and glass shatters. But SquareTrade put this to the test and compared it with a Samsung Galaxy Note8. The results were about the same. So, if you find yourself getting one of the new iPhones, please get a case.

Automatic Setup in iOS 11

iPhone 8 pre-orders will be delivered tomorrow for many, so here's how you can quickly setup your new iPhone with an existing device running iOS 11. First, power on the new device and pick a language. Hold your two devices near each other and the existing device should have a prompt appear. Tap continue, and you can follow the prompts from there. This will transfer your settings and preferences, but you can choose whether you want to restore from a backup or start fresh with the new device.

iPhone 8 Pre-Orders Start Tonight

While the iPhone X won't be available for some time to pre-order, the iPhone 8 will start pre-orders tonight at midnight. In addition, Apple Watch Series 3 and Apple TV 4K pre-orders start tonight. All pre-orders will be available on Apple's website. It should be noted that the times listed are in Pacific Time, and that when I say midnight, it's actually 12:01 a.m.

iPhone Event 2017: Quick Thoughts

I just now finished watching Apple's iPhone 8/X event. Here are some quick thoughts.

Apple Watch Series 3

The general consensus is that cellular on an Apple Watch isn't very practical. I'm not going to call someone while I'm surfing. I'm not away from my phone long enough to justify an extra $10 per month on my phone bill. Series 3 without cellular looks nice. More speed is all I can ask for. Compatibility with the AirPower Mat is nice. I was hoping Series 2 would cost about $100 less and I could get that, but it looks like we're stuck with the same price.

Apple TV 4K

This was a product that was two years late. There were rumors two years ago about a 4K Apple TV. I think it's important to note that we have video games in 4K now. I understand it wasn't as mainstream two years ago, but if iPhone 6s could shoot 4K video at that time, it seems that would've been perfect timing. If not then, then last year, but now just feels late. The features for the TV app look nice, but that's for any Apple TV.

iPhone 8

This phone looks solid. Yeah, it was just performance upgrades and a glass back, but I really like this phone. Coming from an iPhone 6s owner, I like this phone for no other reason than there weren't a bunch of gimmicks Apple was trying to sell me on. Granted, they offered wireless charging, but I am excited for wireless charging. The idea of placing my phone in my car and having it charge and connect to CarPlay is awesome. AirPower Mat is still a cool idea. I believe that will revolutionize the way people travel with Apple products. No itinerary just for cables. Just bring your devices and the mat. No one likes the transition for things like AirPods and Apple Watch, but I get why we need the upgrade for wireless charging. I also feel this introduction to wireless charging could be a great transition for USB-C next year, so users can choose between USB-C and wireless, causing less controversy.

iPhone X

For me, this phone is very controversial. I love the design. An edge to edge display for iPhone looks beautiful. But paying over $400 extra for that display plus Animoji doesn't seem worth it to me. If they announce the iPhone 11 next year and lower the price point, I would be much more excited about that phone. I would like it if they made an "AnimojiKit." Developers could take 3D models of popular characters, like Mario, and have users send animated versions of them. I don't care for the emojis. I don't like Apple making these emojis a flagship feature of their $1,000 phone. To me, it's just an iPhone 8 + a great display + a replacement for Touch ID + Animoji. In short, it's just the display that appeals to me. 

[iPhone 8 Spoilers!] Emoji on iPhone 8

Just as a courtesy, I will be making the titles clear that they spoil what's to be announced this Tuesday. In addition, what I do put up in the title will be obscure, so if you read it already, you haven't been spoiled. That said, do not read further if you do not want to be spoiled.

Okay.

Hey, Apple. I would very much appreciate it if you didn't have the entire iOS 11 golden master leaked early. There are these things called Non-Disclosure Agreements with huge consequences if you fail to follow them. Yeah, please use them. At this point, I have no idea what else you have up your sleeve. Okay, so we've seen Snapchat and their face filter things, right? Where you take a picture and some fancy effect is augmented over your face in real time? Well, try combining that with emojis. That's Animoji [Source: Steve Troughton-Smith]. Apple will use it's face tracking advancements to allow you to create facial expressions and send them as an emoji to your friends. It's a neat concept, but it also sounds a bit gimmicky. Nevertheless, it makes good use of the facial recognition and if Apple's done with Touch ID, I can only hope they do a good job supporting it. Apart from the design and display, this is what you're paying a thousand dollars for. Truly, this phone was meant for only the most daring social butterflies.

Edit: I will say the animal ones are very cute.

iPhone 8 May Start Shipping After iPhone 7s

Apple will likely announce two models of iPhones this Tuesday: the iPhone 7s and the higher end iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 is expected to ship after the iPhone 7s rather than simultaneously [Source: TechCrunch]. How long after? We don't know. But, it will be likely that pre-orders will start September 15, the Friday after the announcement. Hopefully, we don't hear them say "October" or we know it will be delayed.

Home Button May Hide on Home Screen on iPhone 8

According to Bloomberg, the digital Home Button on the iPhone 8 would be replaced by the dock in iOS 11 for the iPad Pro while on the Home Screen. Getting to the App Switcher would likely be via gesture. This is half and half for me. I like the idea of saving space where it can be, but at the same time, the Home Button does have some uses on the Home Screen. Even at the iPhone 7 announcement, Apple noted how useful the Home Button is. App Switcher, Siri, Apple Pay, TOUCH ID (*cough* *cough*), haptics, and screen shots. I don't want to learn new gestures for all of these. We have enough space on the Home Screen as it is in my opinion.

Image Credit: Olivier Charavel

iPhone Edition's Controversial Price

While we did know this for some time, this is a really hard pill to swallow. The iPhone 8 or Edition or whatever will start at $999 for 64 GB [Source: The New York Times]. This is very deterring, but it probably won't change the fact that it will sell out. Take a look at the Apple Watch Edition (Generation 1), costing over $10,000 in some variations. People who bought those are now stuck with a slower processor than Series 2. My question is how much are we willing to pay for a phone that will immediately become obsolete? I understand that there are cheaper options for iPhone, such as the iPhone 7s, which is becoming more tempting. But Apple isn't supposed to work that way. Apple has always been about paying more for a higher quality product than its competitors. Not, here are your options: cheap phone, regular phone, and super expensive phone. Especially considering that the features in the iPhone 8 have been in other phones for years and that features have been sacrificed for the new design. My theory is that the price is so high to keep supply from getting too scarce. Apple probably cannot manufacture enough Face ID scanners and OLED displays to keep up with demand with a lower price point. 

iPhone Event 2017 Date Prediction

According to Mac4Ever, Apple may host their annual iPhone event on September 12, a Tuesday. This will likely be an accurate prediction as Apple tends to use Tuesdays to announce their products and uses this week a lot for iPhone announcements, although this will be one of the earlier announce dates in recent years. Furthermore, the iPhone 8 will likely be released on September 22, just over a week later. We'll know for sure when Apple sends out invites to the event.

The iPhone Edition's Run

What I have referred to on this blog as the iPhone 8 has been often called the iPhone Edition, due to its expensive price and unique design. It would also fall in line with the Apple Watch Edition. This potential naming has led many to wonder, "Will the iPhone Edition have a limited run?" Well, first we have to take in this: the iPhone Edition will not likely go down in price in the coming years. At least not enough to reach what an iPhone 7 would cost today. Given that, iPhone Edition will probably be either a special edition iPhone or will be updated each year as the premium flagship phone, like the Galaxy S8 Edge. The second thing to consider is that Apple could release exclusive APIs and features for the iPhone Edition. It wouldn't make sense just to throw that away the next year. Imagine if Apple did away with the Apple Watch tomorrow. That's not encouraging for developers to adopt Apple's latest technologies. Hopefully, we'll see more iPhone Editions, particularly one with Touch ID. 

McDonald's Uses iPhone 8 Roundup in Marketing

We've seen a lot of confidence put into rumors. People have waited outside Apple Fifth Avenue before an iPhone was announced. There have been cases made for iPhones before they were announced. And now, we have McDonalds using a render of an iPhone, before it has been announced.  The image below is an advertisement for mymacca's from McDonald's Australia. Needless to say, this is fake. The dots on top have been switched to bars in iOS 11. The creator of the render has tweeted on the subject as well. In the end, I'm talking about McDonald's on a tech blog, and in the end, isn't that all McDonald's wanted.

Image Credit: Amir T. via MacRumors

3D Touch Limited on iPhone 8

For those who don't know, you can activate the "App Switcher" as the cool kids call today, by 3D touching on the left edge of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7. However, it seems this will be removed for all devices come iOS 11 [Source: Bryan Irace]. This is likely because iPhone 8 will not be able to physically support this particular action. I get that we need continuity, but it's annoying having to support iPhone 8's downfalls on our devices.

Apple engineering has confirmed that 3D Touch multitasking was intentionally removed in iOS 11. I am livid. pic.twitter.com/kiCcLq9XMB

— Bryan Irace (@irace) June 30, 2017