iPhone XR - page 4

Everything you need to know about Apple’s disappointing holiday quarter

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Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Tim Cook sounded confident about Apple’s future when he got on today’s Q1 2019 earnings call with investors this afternoon. Despite slumping iPhone sales and declining revenues, Cook told investors that his company is being managed for the long-haul instead of short-term gains.

Wall Street is already responding positively to Apple’s earnings report with shares trading up in after-hours trading. The company has 1.4 billion active Apple devices in the world, positioning Apple to continue raking in money as no other company can. However, today’s call revealed some new challenges Apple faces going forward.

Apple gets experimental in new iPhone XR ad

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iPhone XR Spectrum ad
The new iPhone XR ad is crazy.
Photo: Apple

Apple is pulling out a Matrix-move for its new iPhone XR ad that features some of the wildest videography the company has ever put out.

Using a bullet time video rig mounted with 32 iPhone XRs, Apple showcases the low-light shooting powers of the iPhone XR. And boy is it mesmerizing.

You’ll want to watch this on your iPhone:

Apple extends ‘limited time’ iPhone XR and XS trade-in offer in Japan

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iPhone sales
Apple's still trying to sell cheaper iPhones to customers.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s trade-in offer for the iPhone XS and XR in Japan shows no sign of being quite as “time limited” as Apple suggests.

Having previously been advertised in the country as ending January 31, Apple has now modified the end date to February 28. That gives fans in the country an extra month to take advantage of the deal. It also suggests that Apple still isn’t selling quite as many of its new handsets as it would like.

Foxconn hiring spree allays some iPhone fears

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iPhone XR test
A top iPhone maker hiring thousands of new people is a strong sign that sales aren’t in a freefall.
Photo: Apple

A recent unconfirmed report indicated that Foxconn, who produces handsets for Apple, had laid off thousands of employees. But the company itself says it’s actually hiring 50,000 people, a sign that iPhone sales aren’t a weak as some fear.

Still, there are indications of a slowdown in Foxconn production, just not a dramatic one.

Apple plans complete switch to OLED iPhone displays in 2020

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iphone XS
Every iPhone display will look this good one day.
Photo: Apple

Apple plans to use OLED displays in all iPhone versions from 2020, according to a new report.

The flagship iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max already use OLED technology, but the more affordable iPhone XR employs an LCD panel just like its predecessors. A complete switch to OLED will allow for “more flexible handset design,” sources say.

2019 iPhone XR might get a big cellular speed upgrade

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iPhone XR giveaway: Enter to win this gorgeous blue iPhone.
The 2019 iPhone XR might offer even better 4G performance than the original one.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

The next version of the iPhone XR could offer significantly faster cellular connections than the current one, according to industry analysts. That’s because the new model is supposedly getting 4×4 MIMO — the iPhone XS series are currently the only Apple devices with this speedy tech.

Apple says Qualcomm refused to sell it chips for iPhone XS and XR

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Qualcomm headquarters
Qualcomm and Apple's legal war has no end in sight.
Photo: Qualcomm

Apple wanted to use Qualcomm’s LTE modems in the iPhone XS and iPhone XR this year, but according to Apple COO Jeff Williams, Qualcomm refused to sell Apple its chips due to their current legal disputes.

After using both Intel and Qualcomm modems in the 2017 iPhone lineup, Apple says it planned to use chips from both companies again on the 2018 iPhones. Qualcomm’s refusal to sell Apple chips forced Intel to scramble to make up for the extra production.

Stunning concept shows how iPhone could evolve in 2019

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iPhone XI concept
Would you spend $1,000 on this?
Photo: Waqar Khan

With iPhone sales falling, Apple needs to do something special in 2019 to convince fans to upgrade to its next-generation smartphone lineup. One fan might just have the answer.

Waqar Khan’s gorgeous new concept imagines an “iPhone XI” with big improvements, including a third rear-facing camera and a smaller notch. Would you spend $1,000 on it?

Weak Chinese economy is dragging down iPhone, Fed says

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Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices
iPhone sales are slowing because the Chinese economy is, not because Apple made a dud.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Sales of iPhones seem to be weaker than in previous years, and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve has an explanation: a drop in consumer spending in China.

The implication is that the slowdown in iPhone sales isn’t a result of anything Apple has done.

Samsung will make life even harder for iPhone on February 20

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Samsung Galaxy S10 teaser
You won’t be blown away by Galaxy S10 performance.
Photo: Samsung

Weakening demand for the iPhone could get worse next month when Samsung delivers its next-generation smartphone lineup.

The South Korean company has confirmed a Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, February 20. Its teaser video all but confirms the Galaxy S10 will be the star of the show.

Slowing iPhone sales cause Apple suppliers to suffer

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iphone XS
It’s not just Apple that’s feeling the impact.
Photo: Apple

Slowing iPhone sales aren’t just bad news for Apple.

Foxconn, the company’s largest manufacturing partner, is also suffering as a result of weakening iPhone demand, with revenue for December falling 8.3 percent year-over-year.

It’s the first time Foxconn has experienced a drop in revenue in almost a year.

iPhone XR already outsells iPhone XS, will soon pass XS Max

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
More people have an iPhone XR than an XS, and soon the XS Max.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR is Apple’s newest handset but more of its units are already in use than the iPhone XS which launched two months earlier. And the XR is on course to pass the XS Max in the near future.

That said, all three are still trailing the installed base of 2017 iOS models, especially the iPhone X.

Tim Cook claims Apple’s long-term health has ‘never been better’

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Tim Cook and Ivanka Trump
Tim Cook's year is off to a rocky start.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to make an appearance on CNBC investing show Mad Money later today to defend Apple in light of recent setbacks.

The company warned last week that iPhone upgrades for the last quarter were lower than expected. After investors received the guidance on lower revenue for Q1 2019, Apple shares continued their downward slide, which has been pretty much nonstop since the company posted its Q4 2019 results.

iPhone XR Apple’s best-selling phone as sales fall

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iPhone XR was India’s no. 1 ‘ultra premium’ smartphone in 2019
iPhone XR was India’s no. 1 ‘ultra premium’ smartphone in 2019
Photo: Apple

Apple’s best-selling smartphone last November was, perhaps unsurprisingly, its most affordable model. The iPhone XR outsold the iPhone XS and the larger iPhone XS Max, according to new data — but overall iPhone sales saw a significant decline.

How to fix up your janky Portrait Photos with Focos

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Portrait Mode is great, until it’s not. Fix failed focus with Focos.
Portrait Mode is great, until it’s not.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The Portrait Mode in the iPhone XR and XS is hands-down amazing. In the time it take to snap a photo, the camera scans the depth of the image in front of it, and uses that data to blur the background, and make the subject pop out, sharp. But it doesn’t always work. The depth detection gets confused by glass, for example, ruining what could have been an amazing image.

Today we’re going to use and app called Focos to fix these depth glitches. Focos is an all-round focusing powerhouse of an app, recently updated to support the iPad, including the new iPads Pro. The area we’ll focus on today (sorry) is the ability to edit the depth map, and paint back in the glass or hair that the iPhone missed.

7 reasons people are keeping old iPhones much longer

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Old iPhones
The iPhone 5 might have been Apple’s coolest iPhone design.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is set to make 5 billion dollars less this quarter than it previously expected. That’s a pretty big deal, and it’s down to two major things. One was an “economic weakness in some emerging markets.” The other was that Apple said it sold “fewer iPhone upgrades than we had anticipated.”

That second one is very interesting. Why aren’t people upgrading? There are two possibilities. One is that they’re switching to Android. The other is that people are holding onto their old iPhones for much longer. Why’s that?

Ranking all the major hardware Apple released in 2018 [Year in Review]

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Year in Review Every Apple Product 2018
What was your favorite device Apple released this year?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac Year in Review 2018 It’s been one heck of a busy year for Apple, and we’ve got the devices to prove it! Truth be told, despite Apple’s shrinking share price, this has been one of the company’s best years in a while for hardware.

What was the cream of the 2018 Apple crop? Here’s how we rank Apple’s major new product launches for 2018.

iPhone XR is Apple’s biggest lure for Android lovers

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iPhone XR Spectrum ad
iPhone XR sales in its first month were as about as strong as those of previous Apple bandsets right after their launches.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR got off to a fairly strong start. In November, this just-launched model made up 30 percent of Apple’s U.S. sales, slightly higher than the iPhone X in Nov. 2017.

But the standout aspect of the XR’s launch is this new model drew in a higher percentage of Android fans than any Apple device in years.

How to upgrade your new iPhone XR

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The iPhone XR really is a great phone.
The iPhone XR really is a great phone.
Photo: Apple

In recent years, the iPhone setup process has changed as dramatically as the iPhones themselves. Apple just keeps making it easier to do. So easy, in fact, that there are just a few things you need to do to move from your old iPhone to a new one. And setting up a new iPhone XR from scratch isn’t much harder — gone are the days of manually copying passwords just to get to the home screen.

There are still a few tricks, though, that will help things run smoothly. Here’s how to set up your new iPhone XR the right way.

Pixel 3 camera proves its might in DxOMark test

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Pixel 3 camera
The Pixel 3 camera has an eye on the competition.
Photo: Google

The iPhone XR is the best single-camera smartphone on the market.

Well, it was for about two weeks. The XR now shares the mantle with Google’s Pixel 3.

Google’s new flagship handset achieved the same ranking as the iPhone XR by the engineers who test mobile phone cameras for DxOMark Image Labs.

The 10 best Apple ads of 2018 [Year in Review]

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Year in Review Best Apple ads 2018

Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac Year in Review 2018: best Apple ads of 2018 The past 12 months have been one of the busiest ever for Apple’s video team.

Apple churned out more than 120 ads and other videos in 2018, unleashing some of its most memorable commercials in years.

After hours of watching all of Apple’s 2018 ads, we rounded up the 10 absolute best, some of which you probably haven’t even seen yet. Get ready to relive all the good times!

2018 was a wild ride for Apple [Year in Review]

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Year in Review Everything Apple Did 2018
It was a busy year in Cupertino.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac Year in Review 2018 2018 was a rollercoaster year for Apple — with incredible highs, massive dips, and probably an executive or two throwing up along the way.

Apple became the first $1 trillion public company in U.S. history, unleashed some amazing new products, and pulled in record amounts of cash. But it also faced lows, from the iPhone-throttling controversy to a tanking stock price at the end of the year.

One thing that can’t be said, however, is that this was an uneventful 12 months for Cupertino. Here’s a recap of some of the year’s most memorable Apple moments.