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Category: Electronics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Electronics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Apple’s taking a conservative approach to 2019 iPhone production orders

    Apple’s taking a conservative approach to 2019 iPhone production orders

    The iPhone 11 series is just one week away and analysts from Cowen and Rosenblatt Securities believe Apple is adopting a pretty conservative approach this year when it comes to orders.

    The overall number of units ordered this year from Apple’s assembly partners isn’t thought to be much higher than what was requested twelve months earlier. Specifically, Cowen’s source suggests Apple is planning to manufacture a total of 65 million units for the fourth quarter of 2019 which is considered “flat” year-over-year. This figure consists of 47 million iPhone 11 units and 18 million combined units of older models such as the iPhone XS and iPhone 8.
    Looking at the entire second half of 2019 in terms of manufacturing volume, it’s believed Apple has ordered 79 million iPhone 11 units which is actually down 7% from the 85 million iPhone XS & XR units it ordered last year. Cowen believes the lower production rate is an attempt to better handle excess inventories as Apple heads into 2020.
    From what can be gathered, Apple’s biggest focus right now in terms of production seems to be successfully serving the North American market before mid-December when tariffs on Chinese imports are set to be applied. According to Rosenblatt, the California-based company is yet to make any changes to iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max manufacturing levels because it’s “already been aggressive enough to build inventory for the North American market.” However, Apple reportedly sped up production for the iPhone 11 (R) in August because of anticipated higher sales.
    Once December passes both new and old iPhone models imported from China will automatically be subject to the new 15% import tariff. The impact of this should be split between Apple and its supply chain partners although the “rapid depreciation” of China’s currency that’s gradually lowering manufacturing costs should help offset the added cost for Apple slightly. Nevertheless, it’s still expected to impact the company’s bottom line and may result in weaker Chinese iPhone sales as local customers retaliate.
    Consumers in the US aren’t presently expected to see any price increases but the threat certainly exists. This could lead to a sudden spike in demand by consumers attempting to avoid the tariffs which may result in a “stronger than seasonally normal” quarter for Apple, according to Rosenblatt.
    The iPhone 11 (R), iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max or whatever Apple chooses to call them will all be announced next Tuesday, September 10. Last year Apple opted for a staggered release wherein the iPhone XS Max series arrived in September and the cheaper iPhone XR followed in October but this year all smartphones are expected to launch simultaneously on Friday, September 20. To ensure an early delivery, Apple should open up pre-orders a week earlier on Friday, September 13.
    When it comes to pricing the 2019 iPhone lineup is rumored to be no different to last year’s. The cheaper iPhone 11 will apparently stick to the $749 price tag while the premium iPhone 11 Pro looks set to land at $999. The iPhone XS Max’s replacement, on the other hand, should retail at $1,099. The standard models should feature 128GB of storage although 256GB and 512GB variants that retail at higher prices are to be expected too.
    Finally, in regards to colors, the iPhone 11 will reportedly be sold in black, white, red, yellow, green, and lavender. The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, on the other hand, may launch in Gold, Space Gray, Silver, and a new dark green shade.
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  • Radio Rentals to pay $25 million for pricing fraud

    Radio Rentals to pay $25 million for pricing fraud

    Radio Rentals-parent Thorn Group has settled a consumer-led class-action lawsuit lodged against it in 2017, which involved customers paying far in excess of the market value for goods rented.

    According to law firm Maurice Blackburn, which represented thousands of people against the business, Radio Rentals’ Rent, Buy, $1 Buy program had seen customers pay up to seven times the retail price.

    The class action settled on Monday for a sum of $25 million, though Thorn Group’s insurer will also make a separate contribution toward the settlement. According to Thorn Group, the settlement is not an admission of liability.

    While the two parties have agreed on the sum, the settlement must still be approved by the Federal Court.

    Maurice Blackburn principal Ben Slade said the program may have affected up to 200,000 people.

    “The class action alleges that one of the more insidious aspects of the business is that Radio Rentals continued to draw money on an ongoing basis from its clients’ Centrepay (Centrelink payment) accounts, well beyond the retail value of the goods,” Maurice Blackburn Lawyers principal Ben Slade said upon launching the case.

    “Rent, Try, $1 Buy is misleading when you delve into what’s involved. What we have found is that people are paying up to seven times the true retail cost for goods in the belief that the goods will always be theirs, yet the contracts do not give them that right.”

    Lead plaintiff Casey Simpson said Radio Rentals had taken advantage of her after she paid more than $3300 for a used mattress and bed worth $430.

    “I have four kids and am on a low income – I thought Rent, Try, $1 Buy would be a sensible alternative to get some basic goods in a way we could afford,” Simpson said.

    “I never knew I’d had to pay as much as much as they kept charging me, or that I wouldn’t have a right to buy the goods for $1.”

    Radio Rentals in South Australia is an independent entity, and is not involved in the lawsuit.

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  • Apple plans three flagships and own online store in India

    Apple plans three flagships and own online store in India

    Apple India reportedly plans to open three brick-and-mortar outlets as well as an online store as it finally enters the world’s second-most-populous market.

    The US-headquartered tech company’s plans coincide with a further relaxation of government regulations affecting foreign retailers, easing the requirements of local sourcing and scrapping a law making it mandatory for brands to open physical stores before launching online.

    Apple has already taken steps to manufacture products in India, partnering with Taiwanese company Wistron to make the iPhone 6S and 7 models there.

    India’s population is growing at such a fast rate it will overtake China as the world’s most-populous nation within only a few years. Its rapidly growing middle class is making it an attractive destination for mobile phone brands as well as many large global retailers. But their ambitions have until recently been tempered by a raft of government laws protecting local ‘ma-and-pa’ retailers and Indian brands.

    According to sources privy to Apple’s submissions to Indian regulatory authorities, first reported by The Press Trust of India, Apple has confirmed its plans to open a physical store network of its own. It already operates single-brand stores in partnership with local partners but the new ones are likely to be of a scale of flagship Apple stores in major international cities

    As yet, there is no official word where the First Apple India store will open, but multiple sources are confident it will be in Mumbai.

    Brands wanting to develop their own retail networks in India must commit to manufacturing some products within the country. Several years ago, this may have been considered an encumbrance, but with the mounting Sino-US trade war, manufacturers reliant on Chinese factories are looking for alternative low-cost manufacturing bases. Indian government officials are keen to work with brands to help them relocate.

  • BSH Home Appliances appoints new director for APAC

    BSH Home Appliances appoints new director for APAC

    BSH Home Appliances Group has appointed Gunjan Srivastava as executive VP, head of Asia Pacific.

    The appointment reflects the company’s focus on driving accelerated growth across the region, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Australia and New Zealand.

    Gunjan has more than 15 years of experience in the durable-goods sector, with core expertise in fortifying brand portfolios. Prior to this appointment, Gunjan was the CEO of BSH India, where he was instrumental in spearheading the firm’s growth over five years, introducing new verticals and doubling its market footprint.

    “I’m both humbled and excited to continue strengthening the BSH brand and fortifying our presence in the region,” said Gunjan. “In my years leading BSH India, I’ve had the chance to gain an in-depth understanding of how to drive vigorous growth for BSH in a high potential market. Asia Pacific is a vastly diverse region, where there is an immense opportunity for us to increase visibility, gain market share, and further consolidate our leadership.”

    In his new role, Gunjan will be focusing on maximising the opportunities in the various Asia Pacific markets that BSH has subsidiaries in.

    “In order to meet consumer needs that are in constant flux, BSH has a clearly defined objective: to become the industry leader for digital services and kitchen experiences for connected consumers, by producing innovations that offer tangible benefits and help make their lives better,” said Gunjan.

    BSH Home Appliances recently opened its first UnserHaus Customer Care Centre and a UnserHaus Experience Centre in Singapore. Meaning “our house” in German, the centre is a lifestyle concept featuring Bosch and Gaggenau appliances in a home-like environment.

    While waiting for their appliances to be repaired, customers can visit either the dining room, which provides a hands-on experience with built-in appliances like dishwashers, coffee machines and ovens; or the living room, where they can sit down, unwind and relax with music or a wide-screen television. There is a children’s playing space as well.

    All products at UnserHaus come tagged with a QR code that allows visitors to purchase and pay for them online.

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  • Apple’s rumored mixed-reality headset could use gloves as a controller

    Apple’s rumored mixed-reality headset could use gloves as a controller

    By now, many of you know that Apple’s next big thing is NOT going to be the HomePod. Actually, for a few years now, analysts have been expecting Apple to introduce AR glasses as soon as 2020-2021. There have been two schools of thought here; one is that this will be a standalone device while others, including reliable TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, expect your iPhone to carry the brains of the headset. Kuo, in fact, says that production on the Apple Glasses will start no later than the second quarter of next year.

    A couple of patent applications filed by Apple reveals a pair of features that the company is apparently working on for the headset which has been dubbed Apple Glasses. The patent applications were submitted with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in February. The first one, titled Scanning Mirror Display Devices, discusses the technology that uses lasers and mirrors to project images directly into the eyes of the person wearing the glasses in lieu of a display. This could be done in a way to support Augmented Reality (AR) by allowing the images to be overlayed over a real-world view. The patent application says that this technology might be used to replace “overly complex, bulky, and uncomfortable to wear” head-mounted displays.

    The second patent application, Magnetic Sensor Based Proximity Sensing, uses magnetic sensing technology to detect the position of a user wearing a special glove on his or her hand. This could be used to control VR or AR features on the Apple Glasses through the use of hand gestures. A person wearing the headset would also don the gloves which have special material on the fingertips.

    Last month, a report stated that Apple had decided to terminate the Apple Glasses project, but that might not have been the case based on subsequent reports. In fact, just 10 days after that story made the rounds, a huge leak revealed that the tech giant was working on a mixed-reality headset supporting both AR and VR. The glasses will supposedly offer 8K resolution of  7680×4320 for each eye. The device has a codename of T288, according to this leak, and uses a newly developed operating system called rOS for reality Operating System. A 5nm chip will reportedly power the glasses and TSMC is expected to start producing components using this process starting next year.

    The same report said that Apple’s headset would also include eyebrow and jaw sensors to determine the expression being made by the user, hand sensors (which might include the technology found in the second patent that we discussed in this article), sensors to track the eyes and left and right cameras. Many of these features were also discovered in a patent that Apple filed with the USPTO this past March.

    Back in June of 2017, analyst Gene Munster, now with Loup Ventures, said that the Apple Glasses would end up being bigger than the iPhone. At the time, Munster said, “In 10 years we expect the iPhone will be around, but be a much smaller part of Apple’s business as Apple Glasses slowly gains market adoption.” The analyst originally expected the glasses to launch in 2020, but changed that forecast to December 2021 back in May. Munster forecasts that 10 million Apple Glasses will be rung up during the device’s first year on the market.

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  • Samsung Galaxy Fold launched

    Samsung Galaxy Fold launched

    Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy Fold will be launched on the market in September, but it didn’t reveal an exact release date. Although reports pointed to a rather late September launch, it looks like Samsung has decided to greatly advance the launch schedule.

    The Korean media reports Samsung is ready to launch the Galaxy Fold on September 6, the first day of IFA 2019 trade fair. Even though pre-registrations for the foldable smartphone recently opened in China, South Korea will be the first country to get the Galaxy Fold.

    The same report claims Samsung Galaxy Fold will be released in September in the United States and China, although an exact release date hasn’t been unveiled yet. Samsung expects to sell around 20-30,000 Galaxy Fold units in South Korea by the end of the year.

    A Samsung official responded to the report by saying that “the specific launch schedule is not yet confirmed,” but if the information is accurate, we’ll learn more about the Galaxy Fold availability in less than a week from now.

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  • Fitbit debuts fitness and health Premium subscription service

    Fitbit debuts fitness and health Premium subscription service

    Alongside the Versa 2 smartwatch, Fitbit announced a subscription-based fitness and health service that it calls Fitbit Premium. The service uses unique data from each subscriber to deliver a personalized experience “with actionable guidance and coaching.”

    The premium service is meant to help users achieve their health and fitness goals and costs $9.99 per month. At launch, Fitbit Premium includes nine guided health and fitness programs, which will help subscribers get more sleep, wake up energized, increase their activity, manage nutrition and create lasting healthy habits.

    Among the programs that subscribers will be able to use, Fitbit mentions actionable coaching, daily tips and tricks, structured workout plans, relaxation tools, recipe suggestions, and educational content.

    But that’s not all, as Fitbit promises to launch additional activity, sleep, and nutrition programs by the end of the year. Also, to help those with a condition such as diabetes or weight loss, Fitbit says it will launch a personal, one-to-one coaching service in 2020, with a limited pilot targeted to roll out later this year.

    Fitbit Premium will start rolling out in September at $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. However, promotional pricing and product bundle offers might be available before and after the premium services releases.

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  • Motorola might drop Qualcomm’s chipsets for the Moto G8 Play

    Motorola might drop Qualcomm’s chipsets for the Moto G8 Play

    We don’t expect Motorola to announce a new lineup of mid-range smartphones until next year, but that doesn’t mean the US company is not already working on the Moto G8 series. Even though we’re still far from an official announcement, the first details about Motorola’s plans regarding some of its upcoming phones have already emerged.

    The folks over at XDA Developers report at least one of Motorola’s upcoming smartphones, the Moto G8 Play will no longer come equipped with a Qualcomm processor. Instead, Motorola plans to include either the MediaTek Helio P60 or the MediaTek Helio P70.

    On the bright side, the Moto G8 Play is rumored to pack a much larger 4,000 mAh battery, a 1,000 mAh increase over the current Moto G7 Play model. Also, the smartphone will include either 3 or 4GB RAM and 32 or 64GB of internal memory. Pretty much every part of the phone (memory, battery) seems to have been improved over the current model, although we’re not so sure about the processor.

    Furthermore, depending on the market, the Moto G8 Play will support NFC (Near Field Communication), dual SIM, both, or neither of those. For the time being, Motorola plans to launch the Moto G8 Play in Latin America, Asia Pacific countries, and Europe, so there’s no telling whether or not it will bring it to the US.

  • The success of the iPhone keeps Apple from moving production out of China

    The success of the iPhone keeps Apple from moving production out of China

    With U.S. President Donald Trump willing to tax U.S. companies and consumers into a recession, Google apparently is ready to move the production of its Pixel handsets and smart speakers out of China and into Vietnam and Thailand respectively. Apple has yet to announce a move away from China although reports earlier this year indicated that it was looking to shift 30% of its manufacturing out of the country. And yes, Vietnam is one of the regions that many believe will end up home to some of Apple’s manufacturing facilities-eventually. But this won’t happen overnight; finding a trusted supply chain and trained workers take time.

    Apple does have an incentive to move its production out of China; starting on December 15th, the iPhone will be included in a group of products from China that will be taxed at 15% when imported into the states. Originally, the tariff was supposed to start on September 1st, but President Trump didn’t want the Christmas holiday season marred by slower growth due to the tariffs. However, the Apple Watch and the AirPods face a 15% tax starting on September 1st.

    Apple could decide to eat all or some of the tax or pass all or some of it on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Considering that 13.8% fewer iPhones were sold to consumers globally during the second quarter (year-over-year), Apple might decide to absorb the additional costs for now.

    While Apple does produce a small number of iPhones in India, this was originally done to escape an Indian import tax that might have made it hard for consumers in the country to buy an iPhone; while it is the second-largest smartphone market in the world, India is a developing country after all. But what is frightening to consumers worried about higher iPhone prices is that the tech giant is becoming more reliant on its manufacturing facilities in China. According to Reuters, Apple has added far more factories inside the country than out of it. It’s main contract manufacturer Foxconn has expanded from 19 Chinese factories in 2015 to 29 this year. And Pegatron, another company paid by Apple to assemble its products, has gone from 8 plants in the country to 12 over the same time period.

    And supply chain data calculated by Reuters shows that Apple is pretty much still committed to China. 44.9% of Apple’s suppliers were in China back in 2015, a figure that has actually risen to 47.6% this year.

    “The vast majority of our products are kind of made everywhere. There is a significant level of content in the United States, and a lot from Japan to Korea to China and the European Union also contributes a fair amount. … I think that will carry the day in the future as well.”-Tim Cook, CEO, Apple

    If you’re wondering why Google can easily shift Pixel production from China to Vietnam and Apple can’t, it is a matter of scale. Even after doubling the number of Pixel handsets to be assembled this year, Google is building only 8 to 10 million phones in 2019 which is a drop in the bucket compared to the number of iPhones that Apple churns out in the course of a year. So Apple needs a larger supply chain with companies that it can trust to deliver in the quantity and quality it needs for the iPhone. But the company might have no choice but to keep iPhone production in China. According to Dave Evans, CEO of San Francisco supply chain firm Fictiv, there are only a few places outside of China that can produce 600,000 phones a day. In other words, the success of the iPhone is what is keeping Apple in China despite the tariffs.

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  • Apple sold 13.8% fewer iPhones during the second quarter

    Apple sold 13.8% fewer iPhones during the second quarter

    The global smartphone market continued to languish during the second quarter according to the latest report from Gartner. 367.9 million units were sold to end-users during the three month period from April through June, down 1.7% from the 374.3 million units rung up during the same period last year. The analytical firm’s senior research director Anshul Gupta notes that high-end models have experienced a harsher slow down in demand than low and mid-range handsets. To generate upgrades, Gupta says that manufacturers are trying things like bezel-less displays, multi-camera setups in back and front and larger capacity batteries.

    Samsung remains King of the smartphone world after selling 75.11 million handsets during the quarter. The company’s market share rose year-over-year from 19.3% to 20.4%. Huawei’s sell-through of 58.06 million phones gave it a 15.8% slice of the global smartphone pie. The company had hoped to be on top of this list by the fourth quarter, but its placement on the U.S. Entity List makes that a long shot. Huawei is not allowed to access its U.S. supply chain, although U.S. suppliers have a second 90-day window to help the company service its existing customers and update certain smartphone models. Despite the ban, Huawei sold 16.5% more units during the period, compared to the same quarter last year.

    Gartner’s data shows Apple selling 38.52 million iPhones during the quarter, down 13.9% from the 44.72 million units it sold during last year’s second quarter. The company no longer reveals this data during its quarterly earnings report but does release a breakdown of revenue. For the calendar second quarter (Apple’s fiscal third-quarter), iPhone revenue declined 12% and represented less than 50% of the company’s total revenue for the first time since 2012. According to Gartner, the iPhone accounted for 10.5% of smartphone sales during the three-month period.

    If Apple continues to struggle with iPhone sales, it will soon be surpassed by Xiaomi. The latter sold 33.19 million phones globally from April through June, representing 9% of the market. Oppo finished fifth after selling 28.11 million phones in the quarter, giving it 7.6% of the smartphone market.

    “Strong demand for Samsung’s new Galaxy A series smartphones and the revamp of its entire entry-level and mid-range smartphone range helped this positive performance. Demand for Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S10 started to weaken during the quarter, however, indicating that achieving growth in 2019 as a whole will be a challenge…too few incremental benefits are preventing existing iPhone users from replacing their smartphones”-Anshul Gupta, senior research director, Gartner

    The struggling smartphone industry is a worldwide phenomenon. Gartner points out that of the top five smartphone markets in the world, only China and Brazil showed growth on an annual basis. China remains the top market in the world for connected handsets with sales of 101 million units during the quarter, a small gain of 0.5% Sales in the country benefitted from lower prices as vendors looked to get rid of their inventories of 4G LTE phones with more 5G models made available. The 10.8 million smartphones sold in Brazil from April through June was 1.8% more than the number rung up in the country during the same time period last year. In India, the world’s second largest smartphone market, 35.7 million phones were sold during the quarter. That was a 2.3% decline on an annual basis as fewer consumers in the country decided to upgrade from a feature phone to a smartphone.

    Gartner says that smartphone sales will remain weak for the rest of the year and that a total of 1.5 billion handsets will be sold to end-users during 2019.

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  • Official roadmap shows when your Nokia phone will receive Android 10

    Official roadmap shows when your Nokia phone will receive Android 10

    Now that we know the name of the next version of Android, the next question you have is “when will my phone receive it?” If you own a Nokia phone (made by HMD Global under license from Nokia), we can give you that information right now, straight from the manufacturer’s mouth. Nokia has released a roadmap giving us a quarter-by-quarter look at its schedule for updating its Android phones. Keep in mind that there could be changes made along the way; in the past, we’ve seen manufacturers regret that they released any type of schedule for software updates. Disappointed Android users are an angry group, but HMD Global apparently feels confident enough to release the roadmap.

    During the middle of the fourth quarter of this year (approximately sometime in November), Nokia plans on disseminating Android 10 to the Nokia 7.1, Nokia 8.1 and the Nokia 9 PureView.  That will be followed with an update to the next group of phones early in January 2020. That batch includes the Nokia 6.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus and the Nokia 7 Plus. Early in the first quarter (which runs from January through March), Android 10 will be sent out to the Nokia 2.2, Nokia 3.1 Plus, Nokia 3.2 and the Nokia 4.2. A few weeks after those phones are updated, the latest Android build will be pushed out to the Nokia 1 Plus, Nokia 5.1 Plus and the Nokia 8 Sirocco. And four phones will be updated during the second quarter of 2020 (April through June. Those models are the Nokia 2.1, Nokia 3.1, Nokia 5.1, and the Nokia 1.

    HMD Global has been pretty good about updating its phones and even kept its promise to bring Android 9 Pie to the 2017 version of the Nokia 6 back in February. The latter is powered by a Snapdragon 430 chipset and has 3GB of memory.

    Android 10 features a new gesture system for navigating through the UI, system-wide dark mode, Focus Mode for Digital Wellbeing allowing users to mute notifications from distracting apps, Live Captions, improved notification settings and more.

  • Samsung unveils the new Galaxy A50s and A30s

    Samsung unveils the new Galaxy A50s and A30s

    Samsung continues to add tons of new smartphones to its Galaxy A series and the latest additions, Galaxy A30s and A50s, promise upgraded essential features, made even more powerful. Their main selling points are the triple-camera and big battery, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the features aren’t top-notch for a mid-tier phone.

    Unfortunately, there’s no information about price and availability yet, but Samsung announced they will come in four colors: Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White, Prism Crush Green, and Prism Crush Violet.

    On paper, the Galaxy A30s seems to be the cheapest of the two, but probably not by much since the phones share many of the specs. For example, both phones boast massive 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-V displays, but the one on the Galaxy A30s has HD+ resolution, whereas the Galaxy A50s’ offers full HD+ resolution.

    Furthermore, Samsung Galaxy A30s packs an impressive triple camera (25MP+5MP+8MP), a secondary 16-megapixel selfie snapper, a 1.8GHz octa-core processor, either 3GB or 4GB RAM, 32GB/64GB/128GB expandable storage, and a huge 4,000 mAh battery.

    As mentioned earlier, the Samsung Galaxy A50s features similar specs, but it’s got a better triple camera (48MP+5MP+8MP), a larger 32-megapixel selfie shooter, a more powerful 2.3GHz octa-core processor, either 4GB or 6GB RAM, and 64GB/128GB expandable storage.

    Also, both Galaxy A series phones feature on-screen fingerprint, 15W fast charging support and USB Type-C port. However, it’s just the Galaxy A50s that comes with a dedicated Bixby button. Naturally, the Galaxy A30s and A50s will ship with Android 9.0 Pie right out of the box.

  • Apple report details iPhone Pro, AirPods 3, iPad upgrades, much more

    Apple report details iPhone Pro, AirPods 3, iPad upgrades, much more

    Apple is readying an onslaught of hardware products that’ll be announced over the next few months. The first of these will seemingly arrive in less than three weeks and today a new report by Bloomberg has detailed the company’s plans.

    According to people familiar with the situation, Apple is preparing to announce three new iPhone models at an event next month. The lineup will reportedly include two ‘Pro’ models that’ll succeed last year’s iPhone XS series and a cheaper iPhone XR replacement which could be branded as ‘iPhone 11’ or simply ‘iPhone.’

    This year’s premium models, as previous reports have indicated, will include a triple-camera system on the back that consists of a primary sensor, a telephoto camera, and an ultra-wide-angle alternative which grants access to a 120º field of view. The setup will capture three images simultaneously before stitching them together with the help of artificial intelligence to create a better photo that doesn’t cut out any important details.

    Apple’s next-gen photographic system will take higher resolution pictures that can rival “some traditional cameras.” Improvements in “very low-light environments” are to be expected too in addition to drastically upgraded video recording capabilities. According to sources, the Cupertino-based company has developed a feature that allows video to be retouched while being recorded. Users should also be able to apply effects, alter colors, reframe, and crop.

    The non-Pro iPhone 11 won’t be receiving a third wide-angle camera like its premium siblings but it should still inherit some important upgrades. Specifically, the smartphone’s expected to include a dual-camera system that’ll boast a 2x telephoto zoom camera and ultimately support an enhanced portrait mode.

    All 2019 iPhones are set to include Apple’s yet-to-be-announced A13 processor paired with a new co-processor chip known internally as “matrix” or “AMX.” This will handle certain math-heavy tasks and may result in an improved augmented reality experienced. Speaking of which, Apple is readying new 3D cameras for its 2020 iPhone series that’ll take this to the next level.

    Almost one year after Huawei first introduced the feature and around six months after Samsung announced its alternative, Apple has reportedly created its own reverse wireless charging system that’ll be present on this year’s ‘Pro’ models. The feature will let users power-up their AirPods by placing them on the iPhone’s rear. It should also work with the Apple Watch and other Qi-ready products.

    This year’s premium models will be identical from the front to the iPhone XS and XS Max that they replace but some important changes have apparently been made. According to today’s report, a new multi-angle Face ID system that works even when the devices are flat on a table will be present. Additionally, Apple has reportedly enhanced water resistance dramatically. So much so that users should be able to submerge the new iPhones for far longer than 30 minutes.

    Other changes will reportedly include a new “shatter-resistance” technology and a matte finish on the rear with some colors. Also worth pointing out is the presence of updated OLED displays which will ditch the 3D Touch system in favor of more advanced Haptic Touch.

    Corroborating previous information, Bloomberg believes Apple will announce a new 10.2-inch entry-level iPad that’ll replace the existing 9.7-inch model. Exact details are yet to be revealed but a reduction in the thickness of bezels is to be expected alongside significant internal upgrades and potentially a dual-camera system on the rear.

    In addition to this, the California-based company is reportedly preparing some upgrades to its iPad Pro series. The devices will look identical to the existing models from the front but should boast an iPhone Pro-like triple-camera system on the rear. Additionally, internal upgrades that’ll likely involve the addition of Apple’s A13X chip are to be expected.

    The Apple Watch has been upgraded on an annual basis for several years now and 2019 looks set to be no different. But after introducing some rather drastic changes twelve months ago, it seems the company is preparing only minimal changes for this year’s update.

    Bloomberg says Apple will be focusing primarily on the added features that watchOS 6 introduces and some new case finishes which should include ceramic and titanium model. Some internal upgrades are possible but concrete info is yet to emerge.

    While on the topic of wearables, it seems a pair of premium AirPods is currently in the works. The version will be more expensive than the current $159 pair but should include new features such as water resistance and noise cancellation. Apple was initially planning a launch alongside this year’s iPhones but the introduction has now been pushed back until next year.

    Completing Apple’s lineup of products is HomePod. The original continues to sell pretty poorly across the globe due to its high $300 price and it seems the company is planning to address this issue with a cheaper model that’ll have just two tweeters instead of the current model’s seven.

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  • OnePlus TV confirmed to arrive in September

    After revealing the name of its upcoming TV, OnePlus announced today that the device will be launched on the market in September in just one country. If you’re looking to buy the OnePlus TV, you’ll be able to do that next month in India, as this is the first country getting it.

    In case you’re wondering why OnePlus decided to launch it India first, it appears that the Chinese company’s products have had great success in this country thanks to the many fans and supportive community.

    Over the past 6 years, we have achieved great success in India in large part because of our passionate and supportive community. Even after all these years, we’re excited to explore exciting new opportunities hand-in-hand with you. OnePlus TV is such an important product for all of us, and we can’t wait to see it in living rooms all over India.

    The good news is OnePlus announced it is working hard to launch the OnePlus TV in North America and Europe as soon as it establishes partnerships with most of the local and regional content providers because we all know “content is king.”

    Not many technical details about the OnePlus TV are known for the moment, but the company’s CEO Pete Lau said that “image and sound quality are fundamental features” the OnePlus must get right. He also said that OnePlus TV’s design and smart interconnectivity will probably make it even more exciting.

  • Apple’s healthcare unit needs to see a doctor

    Apple’s healthcare unit needs to see a doctor

    Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said healthcare would be “Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind.” It appears that Apple is having problems with this unit after a number of members have left the team. Citing eight sources said to be familiar with the situation, CNBC says that there is tension in the company’s healthcare division and the group is essentially without direction after a series of changes at the top of the unit.

    The report says that while some employees have done well, others feel stifled and closed in, unable to get the team to work on their ideas. Part of the problem is getting the unit to agree on a direction to take. Half of the eight sources say that employees wanted Apple to take on some of the larger problems that the healthcare system faces today such as medical devices, telemedicine, health payments and the treatments of chronic disease. Apple, notes the report, has instead focused on creating features for its devices that focus on wellness and prevention for healthy people. The latter end of the healthcare industry is considered to be less risky and less regulated. Despite the issues inside the group, all eight sources agreed that healthcare remains a “strategic priority” for the company.

    Apple’s healthcare features are found mainly on the Apple Watch. The heart rate monitor has saved a number of lives, and the Series 4 model added an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor that looks for abnormal heartbeats. The latter has also been a lifesaver and other watches, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, also is equipped with an ECG feature. We do have to point out that it will remain disabled on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 until it receives FDA approval, expected sometime during the first half of next year. Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams is in charge of the healthcare team, and reportedly it was his idea to add sensors and algorithms to the Apple Watch once it became apparent that the device would not be a big seller as a fashion accessory.

    The company is reportedly working on a way for diabetics to measure their blood glucose levels using the Apple Watch, without having to draw blood. Currently, diabetics who depend on insulin prick themselves to draw a small drop of blood that is tested on a glucometer. This is a huge market because a new test strip is required for each test and insulin-dependent diabetics need to test themselves three or more times a day. If Apple can develop such a technology, it could take Apple’s healthcare initiative and the Apple Watch into uncharted territory. The Apple Watch happens to be the world’s top-selling smartwatch and anchors a wearables unit that saw revenue for the fiscal third quarter soar from $3.73 billion in 2018 to $5.53 billion this year. That was a 48.3% year-over-year gain.

    Earlier this year, Apple sent out a survey to check on the morale of employees in its healthcare unit. When the survey indicated that employees were not happy, Williams spoke with a number of employees to let them know that he was still committed to the business. But the executive also wears many hats at Apple and as COO he is responsible for overseeing Apple’s operations and its vast supply chain. Thus, the healthcare group might not have his full attention at times.

    Some of the sources say that Apple needs to be less secretive with its work in the $3.5 trillion healthcare industry. The company is traditionally tight-lipped about its projects, but that doesn’t fly in the world of medicine where clinical studies and published research play a big role.

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