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iPhone - page 28

Apple keeps plugging away on a folding iPhone

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Apple is still plugging away on a folding iPhone
This patent filing is irrefutable proof that Apple is still exploring a folding iPhone.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

We can be sure Apple isn’t ignoring the folding phone market, even though the company is showing no direct signs of making an iPhone Fold. There’s plenty of indirect evidence, including patent filings that show handsets with foldable screens.

Apple received a new patent approval that shows it’s still thinking about a folding iPhone.

Don’t forget to update the software on your MagSafe cable

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Official product photo of the renowned USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
Official product photo of the renowned USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
Photo: Apple

Apple issued an important software update recently — and we’re not talking for iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch. It’s 2023, so it’s for something way more esoteric: a power cable.

Yes, the USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable comes with a tiny computer inside of it that needs software updates, for some inscrutable reason.

iPhone modem-maker gets ready for faster 5G Advanced in 2024

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iPhone modem maker gets ready for faster 5G Advanced in 2024
The Qualcomm X75 modem will almost certainly appear in a future iPhone and add support for 5G Advanced.
Image: Qualcomm

Qualcomm, the chipmaker that supplies the 5G modems in all iPhones, on Wednesday unveiled the X75, its next-generation modem that will be the first to support 5G Advanced. This emerging cellular-wireless standard will give a speed boost to cellular-wireless networks and make mobile VR/AR more practical.

The X75 probably will be used in the iPhone 16 when it launches in 2024.

What if your iPhone had Lightning and USB-C ports?

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Are two ports better than one?
Are two ports better than one?
Photo: @Hyphaistos3672

Cult of Mac has reported on how Apple will replace iPhone’s Lightning connector with USB-C soon enough — but what if Cupertino decided to go with both ports on future iPhones, like the 15 series?

One engineer appeared to explore the option, modding an iPhone 12 mini by adding a fully functional USB-C port next to the existing Lightning port.

iPhone Ultra? Take our money now! [The CultCast]

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Concept art shows what the iPhone Ultra might look like in a promo image for The CultCast, Cult of Mac's weekly Apple podcast.
If the "iPhone Ultra" looks like this, we're in. (Or at least one of us is.)
Concept art: Jonas Daehnert

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple’s squinty supreme leader Tim Cook sees room to push the high end of the iPhone market, and you know what that means … iPhone Ultra incoming! We know at least one feature this thing will pack — a big, fat titanium price tag.

Also on The CultCast:

  • A cool mockup shows what that rumored iPhone Ultra might look like.
  • We could get reverse wireless charging on iPhones after all.
  • Insiders explain the messy breakup between Apple and Intel (and reveal the best time to buy a Mac … sorta).

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Our sponsors: Lectric eBikes and CultCloth

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Find out what’s killing your iPhone battery

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R.I.P. iPhone, 8 AM to 6:30 PM
R.I.P. iPhone, who died tragically just a few hours before the end of the day.
Image: Jonatan Svensson Glad/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

iPhone battery dying faster than you’d like? You can see exactly what’s using up your iPhone battery in the Settings app. It will show you which apps use more power than others, what services run in the background, and what drains your battery most over the course of the week.

If you suspect your phone doesn’t last as long as it used to, or notice that it’s charging very slowly, this will help you diagnose the problem.

Keep reading to find out whether you should quit all your iPhone apps when you’re done using them (you shouldn’t) and how you can keep apps and email from running in the background.

Clever iOS 17 concept wishes for Split View, sideloading and more

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Clever iOS 17 concept wishes for Split View, sideloading and more
There'd be few complaints if Apple built all these features into iOS 17.
Concept:

A skilled concept artist created a video with a wish list of new features for iOS 17, including displaying two applications at once and directly installing applications outside of the App Store. Plus quite a few more additions.

It’s a demonstration that, as good as iPhone is, there’s plenty room for improvement.

Siri desperately needs some ChatGPT-like smarts

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Siri desperately needs some ChatGPT-like smarts
There's a lot Siri doesn't understand. And that's a problem.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Users have complained about the limitations of the Siri “intelligent” assistant for years, but now that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is showing the world that artificial intelligence can do amazing things, it’s never been more obvious that Apple’s version is as dumb as a bag of hammers.

Not only does this make Apple look bad, it makes HomePod less useful. Really, it makes all the company’s products less useful than they could be.

Apple needs to step up its AI game or it risks being left out of an important new wave of computing.

iPhone 14 Pro performance beats new Galaxy S23 Ultra [Updated]

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iPhone 14 Pro vs Galaxy S23 Ultra
For the best performance, iPhone is still the only choice.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Benchmarks for the Galaxy S23 Ultra show that Samsung’s new flagship handset offers substantially slower performance than the top-of-the-line iPhone 14 Pro.

This continues a long string of high-end Androids that can not match the performance of the latest iPhone.

How to add your medical records and vaccine card to Apple Health

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Get your records all in one place
Import your medical history and vaccine card to your iPhone.
Image: Public Domain/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

A lot of healthcare providers have terrible websites. Apple’s Health app, on the other hand, is very well organized and intuitive to use. You can add your medical records to the Apple Health app for easy access to all your health history, medications, test results and data. If your healthcare provider supports this feature, it’s incredibly convenient having all your information in one place. Once it’s in the Health app, you can easily add medication reminders and share your information with doctors, close family members and friends.

I’ve juggled between a few healthcare providers and I’ve never found one with a comprehensible, user-friendly website. If you have the right healthcare provider, and the stars are in the right place too, you should be able to connect them.

Apple Pay Later could launch next month with iOS 16.4 [Updated]

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Apple Pay Later
Apple Pay Later could finally be ready to launch.
Graphics: Apple/Rajesh

Apple Pay Later reportedly has entered beta testing among Apple’s retail store employees, signaling that the “buy now, pay later” service is nearing public release.

The move comes months after Apple announced the financing option at its Worldwide Developers Conference last June.

Translate text anywhere on your iPhone

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Translate anything, anywhere (all at once?)
You don’t need any other apps or websites to translate text on your phone.
Image: Adrian Grycuk/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You can instantly translate text anywhere on your iPhone and Mac. You don’t need to futz around retyping or copying text into a Google Translate tab — you can select text and get translations from 11 languages wherever you are.

It’s extremely fast and it works everywhere: not just text on the web, in email and in apps; but also inside pictures, videos and directly from the camera, too. Let me show you how it works.

Forget Instagram glamour — celebrate the banality of daily life with BeReal

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Embrace the pointless
It’s not the worst idea for a social network I’ve heard of, but that’s not a tall order.
Image: BeReal/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

How do you use BeReal, one of the top new social media apps? It’s simple: You and your friends get one (and only one) opportunity to post a picture a day, all at the same time. You can see what everyone’s up to in this small slice of the day.

It’s a social media app like no other. Let me walk you through what it’s like to create an account and use BeReal.

‘iPhone Ultra’ concept envisions what a titanium iPhone might look like

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Mockup of the rumored iPhone Ultra
This might be what an "iPhone Ultra" looks like.
Mockup: Jonas Daehnert

Apple is reportedly working on an “iPhone Ultra,” an even-more-premium iPhone that sits above the Pro series. A designer wondered if that might mean an iPhone Pro mixed with an Apple Watch Ultra, and dreamed up a concept device that merges the two.

The result is fun and gorgeous, if not anything Apple is likely to ever make.

Apple could launch an ‘Ultra’ high-end iPhone as soon as 2024

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iPhone Ultra concept with dual front cameras
Are you ready for an Ultra iPhone?
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly working on an iPhone “Ultra” that could debut in 2024. The company is internally discussing adding an even-more-premium iPhone that sits above the Pro series.

Apple apparently does not want to replace the iPhone Pro Max with an Ultra model. Instead, the iPhone Ultra would be an entirely new addition to the company’s smartphone lineup.

iPhone shipments drop but still top global phone market

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iPhone 14 Pro performance whips Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The iPhone 14 series propelled Apple past Samsung and other Android-makers in Q4 2022.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple was hit with a sharp decline in iPhone shipments in the December quarter, but the news isn’t all bad — it’s once again the world’s largest maker of smartphones by a wider margin than ever before, according to market analysts.

Even better, Apple is pulling in almost half the revenue of the entire global market, and a very large share of the profit.

Pick up a rare first-gen iPhone for a mere $50,000

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Pick up a rare first-gen iPhone for a mere $50,000
Is this something you'd play $50,000 for?
Photo: LCG Auctions

You can grow your collection of classic Apple gear with an original iPhone from 2007… if your pockets are deep enough. A first-generation iOS handset doesn’t usually go for that much, but this one is still sealed in the original packaging.

Typically, an iPhone 1 sells for a few hundreds dollars. This one might hit $50,000.

‘Periscope’ camera might remain iPhone 16 Pro Max exclusive

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Not this type of periscope.
Not this type of periscope.
Photo: US Navy

iPhone 16 Pro buyers reportedly won’t get the “periscope” camera previous rumors suggested. A camera with the new type of high-end lens will be restricted to only the iPhone 16 Pro Max, according to a reliable source of Apple info.

The new hardware actually will arrive with the iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023. But it supposedly won’t come to the regular-size iPhone Pro in 2024, despite what earlier reports indicated.

The pop-up lens should bring a noticeable jump in image quality while also shrinking the thickness of the iPhone’s notoriously large camera hump.

Evolving eSIM technology is a huge boon to iPhone users

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An iPhone with the Holafly website and the U.S. Capitol in the background and the phrase,
The United States is one of 164 countries where you can travel with Holafly eSIM. You can enjoy unlimited data at a low price.
Image: Holafly

You’re probably familiar with SIM cards, the little microchip cards that you can slide into your cellular device via a tiny tray on the side. But do you know that virtual SIM card technology — eSIM — has evolved to replace the clumsy SIM card? eSIM makes changing up your data plan for travel and other needs easier than ever before.

SPONSORED
This post is brought to you by Holafly.
It’s no exaggeration to say eSIM is the future of cellular. And one reason that’s especially clear is that Apple released iPhone 14 models in some countries without a SIM card tray. The leading smartphone maker is “all in” on eSIM. And you should be, too.

Leaked Apple documents confirm iPhone 15 Pro to feature Wi-Fi 6E and A17 Bionic

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iPhone 15 already in trial production
The differences between the regular and Pro iPhones will only increase with iPhone 15.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac/Pixabay/Pexels

A leaked internal Apple document confirms the company will adopt Wi-Fi 6E on this year’s iPhones. However, only the iPhone 15 Pro lineup will support the faster Wi-Fi standard.

The internal document shows the antenna architecture of devices codenamed “D8x” (the iPhone 15 Pro) and “D8y” (the regular iPhone 15).

iPhone 15 could feature faster Wi-Fi connectivity

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iPhone 15 already in trial production
Wi-Fi 6E could be finally coming to 2023 iPhones.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac/Pixabay/Pexels

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 could feature faster Wi-Fi 6E support for faster data transmission speeds. The company’s 2023 Mac mini and MacBook Pro feature the latest Wi-Fi standard.

Wi-Fi 6E adoption is still in a nascent stage in the smartphone world, with very few high-end devices supporting it.

Apple says your used iPhone is now worth less

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iPhone-7
Believe it or not, Apple will give you actual money for that iPhone 7 stuck in a drawer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple dropped its trade-in values for many older iPhone models. The decrease is as much as $80 for some.

Even so, used iPhones retain for value for a long more time, and can be worth hundreds of dollars off the price of a new model. Or just trade them in for an Apple gift card.

This sale on scratch-and-dent iPhones and Apple Watches ends at midnight

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Here's your chance to get a cosmetically imperfect iPhone 13 or other handset on the cheap.
Here's your chance to get a cosmetically imperfect iPhone 13 or other handset on the cheap.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The discount site Woot! is at it again with its great-deals-on-a-deadline thing. On Tuesday we noticed it’s offering cheap prices on a range of refurbished iPhone and Apple Watches that might show moderate wear, like minor scratches and dents.

Thing is, the sale ends Tuesday at midnight CT/10 p.m. PT. That’s just hours away.

Ted Lasso star puts human face on privacy in new Apple video

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Actor Nick Muhammed -- aka Nate on
Actor Nick Muhammed -- aka Nate on "Ted Lasso" -- makes learning about iPhone privacy features fun.
Photo: Apple

Marking Data Privacy Day on Tuesday, Apple introduced new educational resources meant to help users take better control of their data, including a whimsical short film starring one of Ted Lasso‘s popular cast members.

The video, a new Today at Apple Session and Cupertino’s added statements on its ongoing security efforts come amid ever-rising cyberattacks and about a month after the company released Advanced Data Protection.