A11

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on A11:

AirPower wireless charging pad project reignited with A11 chip to manage heat issues

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This sleek wireless charging pad can juice up a Qi-enabled iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at once.
Apple is reportedly working on a new design of its charging pad that controls heat.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Apple is working on a totally re-designed, wireless charging pad with the ability to route power to exact areas to prevent overheating, according to Front Page Tech analyst Jon Prosser.

Prosser reported Friday that engineers on Apple’s Sharing and Proximity team and working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic recently received prototype units of something called “C68”. AirPower isn’t mentioned by name, but descriptions and details appear to match Apple’s failed charging mat.

Everything we think we know about the 2018 iPhone lineup [Updated]

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iPhone X
Behold, the iPhone Xs.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to unleash its newest iPhones on the world in just a couple weeks and based on the rumors, these will be the most lust-worthy phones to ever come out of Cupertino.

Not only will the 2018 iPhone lineup include the biggest iPhone display Apple’s ever made, it will also be more colorful and more expensive than ever. We’ve been keeping our pulse on all the rumors leading up to Apple’s big September 12 unveiling and have a pretty solid idea on what’s coming through the pipeline.

This is what the 2018 iPhone lineup will look like:

Apple reveals AI magic behind ‘Hey Siri’

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Siri do not disturb
Apple puts a lot of AI tech into Siri.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A tiny, low-power auxiliary processor that constantly listens for the phrase “Hey Siri” enables one of the most basic features of Apple’s AI assistant.

The processor, embedded in the iPhone’s motion coprocessor, keeps the “Hey Siri” command from running on the device’s main processor all day. That revelation comes in a research paper published today by Apple’s machine learning team. The paper dives deep into how Apple uses AI to power “Hey Siri.”

Apple reveals epic 3-year drive to perfect A11 Bionic chip

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A11 Bionic chip is Apple's most powerful smartphone processor ever.
A11 Bionic chip is Apple's most powerful smartphone processor ever.
Photo: Apple

The new A11 Bionic processor that powers the iPhone 8 and iPhone X is the most powerful smartphone chip Apple ever created. But making a processor that’s perfect for AI tasks took some big bets by Apple.

In a new interview with the company’s SVP of hardware tech, Johny Srouji, and marketing boss Phil Schiller, Apple reveals how it took three years to come up with the perfect solution.

iPhone X revolutionizes the smartphone all over again

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iPhone X
Apple's tenth anniversary iPhone has landed.
Photo: Apple

During its very first event in the Steve Jobs Theater, Apple today unveiled the much-anticipated iPhone X.

The device is a celebration of the iPhone’s tenth anniversary, and it comes with an all-new design and exciting features that hope to breathe new life into the lineup and revitalize falling sales.

iPhone X sports a stunning edge-to-edge Super Retina display, advanced facial recognition, wireless charging, and lots, lots more.

Forget about everything else; this is the smartphone you’ll want next.

Live blog: Apple unveils iPhone X, Apple Watch 3 and more

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Steve Jobs
With a photo of Steve Jobs in the background, Tim Cook talks about Apple's goal to "inspire the next generation of creators and innovators" in the new Steve Jobs Theater.
Photo: Apple

The wait for the iPhone X is nearly over.

Today at 10 a.m. Pacific in Apple Park’s shiny new Steve Jobs Theater, the most futuristic smartphone to ever come out of Cupertino will finally be unveiled. Over a year’s worth of rumors have led to this moment. Even though there’s almost nothing we don’t know about the new smartphone, anticipation is still off the charts for Apple’s $1,000 iPhone.

Cult of Mac will be right here live-blogging all the action with up-to-the minute analysis and insight. We’ll break down all the new features and surprises. The iPhone X won’t be the only star of today’s show, either: We’re expecting a new Apple Watch, updated Apple TV and much more!

Tim Cook and Co. are set to hit the stage soon, so grab some popcorn and come join the party below:

iPhone X rumor roundup: What to expect at Apple’s landmark event

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iPhone color
Will this be the new iPhone color?
Photo: Ben Miller

The long wait for Apple’s big iPhone 8 upgrade is nearly over.

Apple is set to unveil its new lineup of iPhones during an event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino on September 12. This year’s model has been hyped more than any in recent memory. Tons of new features are being packed into the 10th edition of the iPhone for what will likely be the most innovative smartphone Apple has released in years.

Here are all the details and new features we know are coming:

iPhone X will pack A11 chip with six cores

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TSMC A11 chip
A 'leaked' image of Apple's alleged A11 chip.
Photo: Slashleaks

The iPhone X will officially be the most powerful iOS device Apple’s ever made, based on information from the leaked iOS 11 GM.

Apple’s new A11 chip will pack six cores for unprecedented processing power in an iPhone. And with all the new augmented reality and 3D scanning features its set to receive, it’s gonna need all the power it can get.

Apple’s September 12 keynote is all but confirmed

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook and Co. are ready to take the wraps off the next great iPhone.
Photo: Apple

It’s looking increasingly likely that Apple’s next big iPhone unveiling will happen on September 12.

Following a rumor last week that circled the second Tuesday of September as the date for the big iPhone 8 keynote, two more reports from reliable sources have practically confirmed that the next Apple smartphone will be revealed in just two weeks.

iPhone 8’s blazing A11 chip enters mass-production

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iPhone leak
TSMC has ramped up production for a September launch.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple manufacturing partner TSMC has reportedly started mass-production of the A11 chip that will power the iPhone 8.

The new chip is said to be based on a 10-nanometer manufacturing process, which should make it faster and more efficient than the 16-nanometer A10 Fusion in the iPhone 7.

Early benchmarks suggest it will be even faster than the A10X Fusion chip in the latest iPad Pros.

Gorgeous concept video adds Touch Bar to iPhone 8

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iphone 8 concept with touch bar
Would Touch Bar make sense on the iPhone?
Photo: ConceptsiPhone/YouTube

The next iPhone likely won’t be out for at least another seven months, but that hasn’t stopped one Apple fan from dreaming up a gorgeous ad for the upcoming device.

Apple is expected to make the bezels thinner than ever on the 2017 iPhone which is rumored to feature a number of new upgrades. The Concept iPhone YouTube channel created a fake ad that shows how Apple might utilize the extra space by turning the home button section into a Touch Bar.

Check it out:

Intel wants to make iPhone processors by 2018

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Future iPhone processors may be made by Intel.
Future iPhone processors may be made by Intel.
Photo: Apple

The next iPhone you buy might have Intel inside, if the company is able to succeed in its new plans to overthrow Apple’s long-time partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

Intel, the world’s-largest chipmaker, is reportedly looking to make a big splash in mobile chips and has already started talking to Apple about taking over orders to make the ARM processors used in the iPad and iPhone.

Apple’s already doling out contracts for next year’s A11 chip

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Apple chips are getting EMI shielding.
Apple's next-next gen processor is already underway.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 7 is still around eight weeks from hitting shelves, but Apple and its suppliers are already looking ahead to next year’s iPhone refresh — according to a new report claiming that Apple has placed its orders for the next-next-gen A11 chips.

And in a break from its recent strategy, it’s apparently placed them all with one supplier. And sorry Samsung, but it isn’t you!