Nine41 Podcast

DigiTimes reports both 6.1” iPhones to ship first followed by the 5.4” and 6.7” variants I have to be honest, to me this seems really unlikely, for a start, those two iPhones, while both using the same size OLED panels, that’s where the similarity ends. The entry level iPhone will have a lower quality panel that displays a lower colour depth, while the iPhone 12 Pro will support 10 bit colour and potentially 120Hz ProMotion. Of course the only people who really know are those at Apple, but I’m personally taking this one with a pinch of salt for now, as I believe we’ll get the iPhone 12 Models around 19th October, with pro models following in November. Why Apple TV+ needs to go HARD this fall Let’s be honest, hardly anyone has paid for Apple TV Plus so far as Apple gave anyone with a new Mac, iPhone or iPad a full year’s free trial subscription, but that is coming to an end and Apple TV+’s line up is still looking a bit anaemic. That being said, the line up has grown and there are some genuinely great series and movies in there now. I’m a huge fan of For all Mankind, Trying is brilliant for anyone who liked Cuckoo (an Andy Samberg project) and Defending Jacob found a good amount of acclaim. But, is there enough now for $5 a month? Well maybe, its a small charge and we’ve mentioned in the past that Apple may well be bundling a number of their services into an Apple One type service. I have a feeling though that they may have a lot more up their sleeves. Rumours had circulated in the past that Apple was looking to buy the MGM back catalogue to include, but given the Pandemic a lot of movie studios have suffered, being unable to produce or distribute their content in any meaningful way. I have a feeling we may see a lot of content that Apple has bought the rights to that otherwise would have hit the cinemas, just like Tom Hanks’ Greyhound, but there is a chance they could just buy one of the movie studios for their own future productions, along with a back catalogue to bolster their content library. Another New MacBook Concept Patented https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2020/09/apple-updates-a-major-patent-covering-a-possible-next-generation-macbook-with-2-way-charging-removable-keyboard.html In another patent filing unearthed by Patently Apple, this time a “continuation” or as I understand it, an update to an existing patent has modified their design for a really revolutionary concept. This MacBook features a “dielectric input surface” where the keyboard and trackpad would normally be, formed at least “partially from glass, ceramic and/or plastic. That means the potential for a virtual keyboard and trackpad and the ability to wirelessly charge phones, watches or AirPods on either side of the trackpad area especially when the computer isn’t in use. Imagine your laptop basically becoming AirPower when you’re not using it. Great for travel. This would be a dual screen device at its heart, but with one display doubling as input methods in the laptop configuration but could also work as a graphics tablet when needed, or Final cut timeline, audio sliders for mixing, DJ decks, you get the idea!

The Un-losable Remote Rumours have circulated for a while that Apple is planning to update the Apple TV to include an A12 processor and improved remote, though the remote’s killer feature may surprise you. Unless, you know, you read the title of the video. Another of Apple’s not really rumoured so much as clearly revealed in Beta software is the AirTags - a small disc shaped accessory that you can attach to things and then be able to find easily using the Find My App. It looks like this will use AR technology on the iPhone along with a U1 chip in the tags so that you can see through walls and couches, or potentially have a virtual balloon above the tag, at least when you look through your iPhone. I’d guess there may be other options too, but that sounds like a fun idea. Apple’s TV remote may well have AirTag tech built in, so that slippery thing when it slides down between the couch cushions can no-longer hide from you. Pretty sure next gen AirPods will have the same in their cases, if not the individual AirPods. Now we’re looking at September 8th? Jon Prosser tweeted yesterday that he’s hearing of “something” on Apple’s website between 0900 and 1200 EST on Tuesday September 8th. Of course, this is the joy of 2020, without in person events there is no need for Apple to announce anything ahead of time. No journalists have to travel, book hotels, all Apple needs to do is give them a heads up 30 mins before and every tech journalist on the planet will be watching whatever announcement they have. And of course, MKBHD will have been using whatever it is for the past couple of weeks and be ready to give his thoughts. Finally, iPhone 12 Pro Max and Pro specs, according to Komiya_KJ. This is information that may have been around for a while but I’ve not covered it in detail so far, and its a lighter news day than normal! 6.1” or 6.7” Super Retina XDR display panel with 10bit colour, made by Samsung and POSSIBLY with that buttery smooth 120hz ProMotion display that everyone has been so excited about. Its not confirmed that they will have this enabled, but Jon Prosser has leaked compelling evidence that they are at least trying their best to get this up and running. 6GB Ram (Meaning these phones will be Final Cut Pro capable when that arrives). 12MP Wide, Ultrawide and Telephoto cameras with larger sensors, plus the LiDAR Scanner. Stainless Steel flat sided frame A14 chips, of course 5G Millimeter wave support for super fast cellular data. Prices from 999 for 6.1” and 1099 for 6.7”, both starting at 128GB storage. Likely to ship in November

Apple stock up as predicted after 1-4 split As expected, Apple Stock has climbed after the stock split with the first day of trading yielding about 3.4% growth in the day. While the last thing I want is to become some trading channel, we last spoke about Apple when they’d just hit 2 Trillion dollars in market cap, and at the close of markets on Aug 31st, they were up to 2.207Tn, which is kinda insane. Apple News sites FINALLY report on the 12” MacBook with Apple Silicon we talked about on August 2nd I put out one of our earliest videos on August 2nd with leaked details (via @Komiya_kj) of Apple’s 12” MacBook model returning as probably the first Apple Silicon Mac, and on August 31st, most of the Apple rumours sites have picked up on the idea after an article in The China Times. Admittedly, that video we put out had pretty terrible audio, for which I can only apologise, but briefly we detailed: Apple MacBook 12” chassis with a 4th Gen Butterfly Keyboard A14X processor (rumoured to be around the performance of an Intel i9) 8 and 16gb Ram options, 256, 512 and potentially 1TB SSDs 15-20 hour battery, 720p potato FaceTime camera Single USB-C port. I chat more about it if you can excuse the audio in the main video which you can watch in the card up there. Some Apple Watch Series 5 models only available for store pickup As we approach Apple’s first event / Product launch of the quarter, Apple Watch Series 5 models are starting to go out of stock for Apple’s online store with just in store pickup available, potentially indicating stocks being run down ready for an imminent announcement of Series 6. Apple Watch Series 6 is expected to keep a very similar design to Series 4 & 5, but with the Force Touch layer removed as the feature is missing from WatchOS 7 along with a rumoured pulse oximeter feature, faster wifi and an updated processor. There’s recently been talk of Apple patents for a system that anticipates workouts based on switching to a sports strap. This would fit in well with Apple’s recently rumoured Fitness subscription program, but there have been no solid reports of the feature arriving in 2020. Apple is also expected to replace the lower cost Series 3 with an Apple Watch SE type model in March 2021, most likely with the same Series 3 case but updated internals. As for the event, press release or however this appears, our September 10th date may be off by a day, with September 9th now looking possible for the announcement, presumably with iPad updates too, and products shipping from the 11th. But let me know in the comments, what is the one product you’re most excited for this autumn, iPhone 12, Pro, iPads, Watch or Apple Silicon?

Apple kills Epic Dev accounts and Trolls them with PubG ads Epic seems to be advertising the new season specifically on YouTube for iOS, perhaps to draw more attention to the drama? Now all of Epic’s games are off the App Store and can’t even be re-downloaded if previously installed. What are you playing instead? iPad Rumours going CRAZY Ahead of September Event 91Mobiles.com posted schematics for what they report is the new 8th Gen iPad, in an iPad Pro style enclosure, with FaceID, no Touch ID, USB-C, 10.8” display and Inductive Charging. I’m SUPER skeptical for a couple of reasons on this, first why would this have FaceID but the Air have Touch ID, second Inductive Charging would need a non-metal back panel, probably glass which would be a first for iPad too. I think they may be confusing inductive and Smart connector if anything. But the whole thing feels confused, perhaps this is an earlier version of the iPad Air before FaceID was removed for production, maybe this IS the air and the one with Touch ID in the button is the base model? Its all a bit crazy but I would LOVE if the base iPad was getting an iPad Pro style body this fall. My Apple Watch 7 Concept I’ve mentioned before that it looks like most of Apple’s design language is taking cues from iPad Pro going forward, which this would fit well. I’ve even mocked up poorly what an Apple Watch with the design style would look like but if you’re great at 3D modelling and would like to visualise it, let me know!

iPad Air Update In yesterday’s show I mentioned that there were rumours of a touchID equipped iPad Air in an iPad Pro 11 inch body, but potentially with the TouchID sensor under the display, which I said I thought was unlikely. It turns out that the leaked image actually shows a redesigned sleep/wake (or power) button, and its believed that may house the Touch ID sensor. If true, I’m not 100% sure what I think of the idea. The iPad Pro chassis is certainly a nicer form factor, but I’m not sure how intuitive reaching for the power button is especially when the body is almost featureless on the face, so knowing which end to aim for will be about as intuitive as the infamous Apple TV Remote. But for what will likely be a $500 device that’ll be compatible with Apple Pencil 2, the Magic Keyboard & trackpad and equipped with USB-C, can you put up with a Touch ID biometric? Let me know in the comments. Epic Fail Updates Because is it even an Apple News show without Fortnite? In a preliminary hearing, the judge has come down right in the middle between Epic and Apple. Apple doesn’t have to let Fortnite back in the App Store, but Epic will keep access to its developer accounts, allowing them to maintain and update the Unreal engine. That’s handy as a lot of other developers use the engine to power their own gaming apps and more, and the judge did state that Apple & Epic were free to litigate one another, but that innocent bystanders, meaning other developers should not suffer the consequences. iPhone 12 won’t have a charger? More evidence that iPhone 12 won’t include a charger block or EarPods We mentioned a couple of days ago that the 5G chips in Apple’s upcoming iPhones 12 & 12 Pro were adding a significant amount to the price of the devices, and that Apple was using simpler, lower capacity battery tech in the iPhone 12 line in order to offset some of that cost. While it’s not new news, multiple sources are pointing to iPhone 12 shipping without a charging brick and EarPod headphones. Of course, hardly anyone doesn’t have a charging block at this point, and more and more people are moving to wireless audio, but rest assured, you’ll still get a charging cable in the box with your iPhone. Apple will probably address this as being far more efficient to ship in the new smaller packaging as well as drastically reducing e-waste, but that little cost saving sounds pretty handy for Apple too.

No Apple device can play the new season of Fortnite “Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, Fortnite’s newly released Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27.” IOS 13.7 Beta with integrated exposure notifications for COVID "iOS 13.7 lets you opt-in to the COVID-19 Exposure Notifications system without the need to download an app. System availability depends on support from your local public health authority. For more information see covid19.apple.com/contacttracing. This release also includes other bug fixes for your iPhone." Apple files 8 new Apple Watch devices with Eurasian Economic commission’s site, and 7 new iPads Apple Watch 6 expected to add pulse oximeter functionality in a similar frame to the Apple Watch 5 but without Force Touch Base level iPads with and without cellular, and possible iPad Air refresh? Base 10.2 iPads with A12 chips up from A10 Sketchy rumours suggesting Touch ID in a iPad Pro style body but I’m not convinced.

Apple Daily news

Foxconn & Pegatron looking to Mexico for new iPhone factories Foxconn, one of Apple’s largest iPhone assembly partners is reportedly looking to Mexico for its next factory. This news comes against a backdrop of increasing trade tensions between the US Government and China, where Trump’s Tariffs have been making Chinese made good more expensive for Americans for some years. Apple has also recently begun diversifying manufacturing to the US, Vietnam and India, potentially to reduce bottlenecks and export fees in its supply chain. Floating Apple Store Opens in Singapore Apple Marina Bay Sands is possibly the most insane looking Apple Store to date, and this is in a world of enormous glass cubes, Indoor town squares and Genius Bars. “We will soon open the doors to our new store by the Bay. Apple Marina Bay Sands will be at the heart of creativity, a place we’ve made for you to capture your ideas and passions. It will be a space for you to explore, connect and create something new. We can’t wait to see where your imagination takes you.” Smaller iPhone 12 Batteries offset cost of 5G chips iPhone 12 has long been rumoured to include 5G tech, and millimetre wave 5G in the pro models, but those chips don’t come cheap. In order to maintain their price points, it’s been suggested that Apple plans to use cheaper, more simple batteries in their new phones with a capacity hit around 10%. That doesn’t mean the phones won’t last as long though, as typically the A series chips improve efficiency about 30% year on year for the same performance. Of course, we’ll be expecting better performance too, but I would be incredibly surprised if Apple releases a phone with shorter battery life. They’ll have the balance of time vs performance pretty spot on as usual!

Is iPhone 12 Pro’s LIDAR really for Video, Epic starts a Free Fortnite Cup as a part of its Propaganda campaign and breaking down what October’s announcement will include... iPhone 12 Pro’s lidar will supercharge video I put out a full video yesterday on this which I’ll link up there, but here’s the TLDR. LIDAR is basically light based Radar, which can map your surroundings, but in the context of video, it can do a few special things. Along with iPhone’s camera systems, it could give super snappy focusing without hunting and maybe even bring those delicious soft bokeh backgrounds to video this year. So far the difference between the iPhones 12 and the 12 Pro models have looked minimal, especially as it looks unlikely that the rumoured Pro Motion 120hz displays will make it this year, but a massive advantage in the video output would be a great differentiator. FreeFortnite Cup pokes the Apple bear a little more Epic Games, maker of Fortnite and the Unreal Engine have launched a FreeFortnite Cup across the platforms that they’re still available on, offering a “Tart Tycoon” skin based on Tim Cook with an Apple head as a reward for playing along with some hats and other brand tat. They’ve also asked a court to prevent Apple from terminating their Developer Account, as this will disadvantage other developers using their Unreal Engine in their apps. Sounds like just taking that direct payment link that breached the App Store’s rules was too much of a sacrifice for them to be worth not ruining their Unreal customers apps too. What we’re expecting at the October iPhone Event… We’re back to one of our favourite Twitter leakers, @Komiya_KJ again for this story, with a list of what to expect at Apple’s October event, expected on October 13th or 14th. The list covers: Next Generation Apple TV, expected to have an A12 processor upgrade. Apple Silicon MacBook Pro 13” Apple Silicon MacBook iPhones 12 and 12 Pro AirTags And AirPower Komiya also mentions Apple AirPods Studio, the over ear headphones we’ve been expecting for a while since their icon leaked in a previous iOS version should be arriving in September, possibly via press release and website update. This adds more fuel to the argument that Apple may be phasing out the Beats brand after they rebranded Beats 1 Radio as Apple Music 1 last week. Which iPhone are you most excited for this year, let me know the one you’ll be going for, or why you’re sticking with your current phone in the comments below, and if you forgot before, now would be a great time to subscribe. It’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

In this show, iOS & MacOS Big Sur release dates, Pro Apps hardware requirements and is Apple releasing new multitouch displays in 2020? Full Release dates for iOS14, iPadOS14, MacOS Big Sur and More iOS14 and iPadOS14 are set to widely launch to the public on September 17th 2020 according to Twitter Leaker @Komiya_kj, who also notes that MacOS 11 Big Sur will release on October 1st. Both dates line up well with the rumoured September 10th Apple Special event online, Being one week later as is the case most years, and increases the chances of the first Apple Silicon Macs being announced at the event too, with shipping 1-2 weeks later. I expect the demand for the first Apple Silicon models to be high. Pro Apps for Minimum Specs leaked! Apple’s Pro Apps for iPhone and iPads are expected to require 4gb of Ram but ideally 6gb, which means an A12X or higher or A14 (nonX) chipsets will likely be the minimum spec required by Apple for these apps. That means the iPads Pro from 2018 and later, iPhone 12, 12 Pro and most likely the expected iPad Air and iPad Mini redesigns coming in March 2021, but excluding the iPhone A11 generation (A13) phones and base iPad (expected A12). These Apps may not be released until WWDC 2021, but there is always a possibility that Apple may demo them at one of their events in 2020, most likely the October iPhone event. Apple may be planning a more affordable external display as LG Ultrafine in 5k & 4k models go out of stock on Apple Store. The 4k model at 23.7” cost $699 on Apple’s store, but their own Pro Display XDR goes for 4999, and that’s only if you’re happy with leaning it agains the wall, it’s another 1k if you want the fancy stand, or 200 for a vesa adapter. There is of course a chance that Apple would include multitouch support in these displays as a great way to differentiate against other third party displays. These would make amazing desktop docking stations for Apple’s first Apple Silicon Macs, unlocking the touch capability that is expected to be baked into MacOS Big Sur, as well as a possible second screen experience with iPad Pro.