iPhone XS - page 4

Depth Control starts feud in funny new Apple ad

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D5CF3129-981A-4C9B-B1D5-FE1123C0DAE1
“Did you just bokeh my child?!”
Photo: Apple

Depth Control is one of the best features on the new iPhones, but Apple shows that you might want to be careful about who you choose to use it on.

Apple just drop a hilarious new ad highlighting the new the feature that lets you adjust the amount of blur in a Portrait Mode photo. The funny 30-second ad shows two moms who start beefing with each other when one of them notices their child has been bokeh’d.

Get ready to giggle:

Ranking every iPhone by 4G data speeds

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iPhone XS
Gigabit LTE on the iPhone XS is screamin fast.
Photo: Apple

Holding onto your old iPhone could be causing you to lose out on some serious 4G LTE speed gains made by carriers over the last few years.

A new study on the average iPhone 4G download and upload speeds in the United States found that iPhone 6 owners and earlier see seeds that are nearly 10Mbps slower than the latest iPhone models.

Blur is the new black in Apple’s latest iPhone ads

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iPhone Depth Control
iOS 12.3.2 will bring depth back to your Portrait photos.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple debuted an ad showing off the Depth Control feature on the new X-class iPhones, a 38-second subliminal sales pitch to get you thinking of an upgrade.

The iPhone XR and XS handsets offer the computational equivalent of shallow depth of field, where a blurred background can make portrait subject stand out.

Insane concept gives iPhone 11 a crazy 360-degree display

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iPhone concept
Is it possible to have too much screen?
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

Do you ever wish that your entire iPhone was just one giant screen? With Apple continuously making displays bigger and bezels tinier, it seems inevitable that the iPhone will boast a display that wraps around the front and back.

The folks at ConceptsiPhone have come out with a wild iPhone 11 concept that envisions what an all-display iPhone would look like. Imagine all the new possibilities created for apps with a 360-degree display. Also, imagine how much Apple would charge to repair it.

This thing looks crazy:

Warby Parker’s AR app lets you virtually try on frames

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Warby Parker app
Those glasses are virtually perfect.
Photo: Warby Parker

Warby Parker tried and then scrapped virtual eyeglass fittings with augmented reality. The technology didn’t quite fit with the experience of trying on an actual pair of frames.

Now the e-commerce brand is confident that what you see on your iPhone is what you’ll get, thanks to an iOS app update that uses the TrueDepth cameras of all X-class iPhones.

Brilliant concept brings 7-inch display to iPod Touch 7

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iPhone
The iPod Touch might finally get upgraded.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

The iPod Touch might make a comeback in 2019 now thanks to some new renders we’ve got a glimpse of what it might look like.

Apple hasn’t released a new iPod Touch since 2015. Rumors indicate that an update could come out this year. Details are pretty scarce on what the new features could be, so the folks at ConceptsiPhone busted out a brilliant imagining some sleek new additions that would make it truly lust-worthy.

Get ready to drool:

What’s next for iPhone, plus our favorite gadgets this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 373 iPhone XS
Where does iPhone go from here?

This week on The CultCast: A new report details what’s (probably) next for Apple’s 2019 and 2020 iPhones. Plus: Apple plans Netflix-for-games subscription service (with Alex E. Heath!); it’s not just you, everyone got way more spam calls in 2018. And we talk a new wireless charging brick for iPhone, a smart outlet with HomeKit support, and the super-smart HomeKit thermostat you’ve never heard of, in an all-new Under Review.

Our thanks to Dashlane for supporting this episode. Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It’s so good, even Leander Kahney’s mommy uses it. Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

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.

Google shames iPhone’s low-light performance in new Pixel 3 ad

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Pixel 3 Night Sight
The Pixel 3 destroys iPhone in low-light performance.
Photo: Google

Google is shaming the iPhone’s low-light performance once again in new marketing material for its Pixel 3 lineup.

One company VP shared comparison photos on Twitter that highlight (no pun intended) the Pixel 3’s incredible ability to capture dark scenes. The results simply aren’t possible on an iPhone — or any other handset on sale today.

Budget iPhone XR ends 2018 outselling both iPhone XS models

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iPhone sales
Critics say Apple needs to build more affordable iPhones.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly said the company would rather make the best smartphone than the cheapest.

Yet, Apple’s budget model iPhone XR sold more in the U.S. during the fiscal quarter that ended in December than the iPhone XS and XS Max combined, according to new research.

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.

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.

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.

Samsung’s first foldable phone is coming early this year

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This early prototype Samsung foldable phone suggests how the Galaxy X might look.
The so-called Galaxy Flex be Samsung’s first foldable phone.
Screenshot: Samsung

CES 2019 bugIf you’ve been waiting to splash your cash on a foldable smartphone, you’ll be pleased to know that the wait for Samsung’s first is almost over.

The so-called Galaxy Flex will go on sale during the first quarter of this year. It will feature the Infinity Flex display that Samsung showcased at a recent developers conference, and it could cost as much as $2,550 in the U.S.

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.