Your iPhone X is on its way. Now make sure you're prepared. Photo: Apple
iPhone X supply is still being plagued by manufacturing issues.
Some analysts have slashed supply forecasts even further due to the problems faced by TrueDepth sensor makers. It looks like Apple’s hottest handset will be even harder to obtain than originally anticipated.
This photo of iPhone X highlights an ugly problem. Photo: EddiOS42/Reddit
The edge-to-edge display on iPhone X is going to make everything we do look spectacular. That’s what Apple tells us, at least. But the truth is, a lot of your favorite apps are going to look downright horrible when you first start using one.
This picture of an iPhone X in the wild highlights an ugly problem Apple’s new smartphone will face when it makes its big debut next month.
Face ID is one of the top features of the iPhone X. Photo: Apple
Himax Technologies, one of Apple’s suppliers, has reportedly started shipping one of the key components for the iPhone X’s Face ID sensor to Apple.
Alongside the edge-to-edge Super Retina display of the new handset, Face ID is one of the most attention grabbing features of the new iPhone. However, production problems have also made it one of Apple’s biggest pain points — and a reason why supplies of the iPhone X are likely to be so limited early on.
An extra layer of protection for your messages. Photo: Apple
Having your notifications displayed on your iPhone’s lock screen is incredibly convenient. But it leaves them exposed to prying eyes. That’s no longer a worry with iPhone X, which won’t reveal your lock screen notifications to anyone but you.
Amazon is getting in on the iPhone dongle game. Photo: Amazon
Apple’s obsession with lopping ports off its devices has spawned a whole industry of dangling dongles. Every time Apple removes hole to slim down an iPhone or a MacBook, or to make space for a bigger battery, somebody else fills that gap with an external widget that does the exact same thing, only messier and more expensive.
The latest in this dongle parade is the AmazonBasics Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Audio Adapter with Remote and Lightning Charging Port, a product whose name tells you almost everything you need to know.
No, Apple won't give you a free iPhone for likes. Photo: ZeroFOX
iPhone 8 is now on sale and iPhone X is right around the corner, so every Apple fan wants to upgrade. Scammers are taking advantage of this by promising free handsets on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, but believing what you read could prove dangerous.
The True Depth Camera keeps an eye on you. Photo: Apple
Apple will include Face ID and the TrueDepth Camera in 2018 iPad Pro models, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors Monday morning.
Kuo, who has a highly respectable track record on Apple predictions, also said the technology that is part of the soon-to-be-released iPhone X, will be standard issue in future iPhones.
2018 iPhones will look at lot like the iPhone X. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The iPhone X launch is less than a month away but we’re already lusting after what 2018 might bring. Even though the iPhone X has a larger screen than the iPhone 8 Plus, we wouldn’t be shocked to see the edge-to-edge display come to the Plus-sized model next year.
Now we know exactly what such a device could look like thanks to some new renders that show how beautiful all that screen real estate would be.
Check out what it’d look like compared to the iPhone X:
Samsung's next Galaxy Note will have a fingerprint-scanning display. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Samsung will beat Apple to delivering a revolutionary new smartphone display, according to one reliable analyst.
The South Korean company’s next Galaxy Note will have a fingerprint-scanning screen, which Apple had to drop from iPhone X because it couldn’t be perfected in time for launch.
The 4K Apple TV is even better than we thought. Photo: Apple
This week on The CultCast: A company unlike any other, some say Steve Job’s greatest product was Apple itself. But how has it fared in the six years since his passing? We’ll share the cold, hard facts. Plus: What we love (and don’t) about the Apple TV 4K; an iOS 11 software trick doubles your iPhone storage; and we’ll wrap up our favorite minimalist cases for your iPhone 7, 8 and X.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.
That’s according to reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is blaming the delay on production issues affecting iPhone X supply, among other things.
Apple's not the only one struggling with low yield rates for its 3D depth-sensing camera tech. Photo: Apple
Producing sufficient quantities of its 3D depth sensing camera has reportedly been a big pain point when it comes to iPhone X production, but possibly not as much of a pain as it’s likely to be for Android makers.
According to a new report, low yield rates during production for Apple’s 3D sensing modules have caused Android-based smartphone brands to delay their own plans for new smartphone models with 3D sensors.
Prepare for new Pixels right after iPhone X Plus. Photo: Google
Google’s new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL might be a little disappointing to some Android fans, but they’re still stellar smartphones. Both sport attractive designs that pack the best hardware available, including excellent cameras, and the speedy Snapdragon 835 chipset.
But can they convince iPhone fans to jump ship? Here’s how the new Pixel lineup compares to iPhone 8 and the upcoming iPhone X.
Google's new Pixel 2 XL will be made official today. Photo: Evan Blass
Google’s popular Pixel smartphones turn 1 today. To celebrate the birthday, the company plans to unveil two new models that will compete with iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be confirmed during a special event that kicks off at 9 a.m. Pacific today. You can watch the whole thing live right here.
This will be the first earnings report with iPhone 8 sales figures. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple shareholders waiting to find out what iPhone 8 sales will mean for the company’s bottom line will have to wait one more month before getting the news.
On its investor portal this afternoon, Apple revealed that its Q4 2017 earnings report will come out November 2.
If the iPhone X is a hit for Apple, Samsung will be very happy indeed. Photo: Apple
Although devices like the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 are officially Samsung’s response to the Apple’s next-gen phone, the South Korean tech giant will nonetheless do quite well from the success of the iPhone X.
How well? According to a new report, Samsung will earn roughly $110 for every iPhone X that Apple manages to sell.
Apple is proud of its latest iPhone camera tech. Photo: Apple
Apple debuted a new ad on its YouTube page over the weekend, showcasing the new Portrait Lighting feature for the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus.
The ad depicts a woman walking down the street, perfectly illuminated with studio-like lighting despite moving between different locations. The ad shows off all of the different Portrait Lighting settings including Studio Light, Natural Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, and Stage Light Mono.
While the Portrait Lighting is for stills rather than video, the ad still gives you a sense of what the new feature can do for your photos. Check it out below.
Cult of Mac talked with Troughton-Smith and Rambo to find out how they uncovered some of Apple’s most closely kept secrets. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
When Apple execs stepped onstage for September’s big iPhone X unveiling, they had precious few surprises up their sleeves. This year’s iPhone keynote became one of the most spoiled in history, thanks to major software leaks — and a pair of industrious young developers who dug into Apple’s code to pierce the veil of Apple’s vaunted secrecy apparatus.
In this week’s issue, you’ll find that stories and more. Find out why Control Center no longer turns off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Check out our roundups of the best new cases for your iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus as well as the best straps to outfit your new Apple Watch Series 3. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
Apple's next LCD iPhone could look a lot more like this. Photo: Apple
Apple is reportedly planning on keeping LCD iPhones around for another year after the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus — but don’t expect any ordinary, regular LCD displays.
According to a new report, Apple is investigating the possible use of technology known as Full Active LCD screens, a type of advanced liquid crystal display that would allow it to create an LCD handset which looks much closer to the new OLED iPhone X.
The Half app converts JPG to HEIC, saving space without losing quality. Photo: Cult of Mac
The iPhones 7, 8 and X all capture images in the new HEIC format, which creates images much smaller than JPEGs, with the same quality.
All new images you snap, and movies you capture, will be saved in the new HIEC and HVEC (for movies) formats. But what if you want to convert your older images from JPEG to HEIC to save some space? That’s exactly what Half App does.
To boldly go where no iPhone case has gone before. Photo: Caviar
We’ve seen iPhone cases plated in gold, encrusted with precious gems and crafted from the skin of an ostrich. But one made from a meteorite is sure to make a strong impact.
Since you’re already spending more than a grand on the new iPhone X, another $4,100 will get you a case made with “authentic elements” from a meteor discovered in Russian in 1967. The case, available for pre-order now from the Russian luxury accessories company Caviar, which also offers slightly less expensive cases made from volcanic rock, mink fur, and amber.
Romeo and Juliet sensor components are to blame. Photo: 20th Century Fox
The TrueDepth facial recognition 3D sensor is reportedly the latest manufacturing bottleneck when it comes to the iPhone X, and is causing Apple’s suppliers to turn out just “tens of thousands” of finished handsets per day — against possible preorders of 40-50 million.
A new report sheds a bit more light on the exact problem being faced by Apple’s suppliers. Apparently, it relates to a pair of components dubbed Romeo and Juliet, which make up the sensor in question.
Apple is expecting a 50/50 split between the iPhone 8 and iPhone X product lines. Photo: S Marshall-McCormack/Twitter
Concerns that the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus experienced disappointing first weekend sales are overblown, claims respected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a note to investors, Kuo said that reports about the new iPhone 8 have so far been “excessively negative.”
Instead, Kuo suggests that first weekend sales for the handset were relatively stable, and that Apple is expecting a roughly even split between the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.