If you’re looking to snag a battery for an older iPhone with a degraded battery, you may face a longer time than ever per new data shared by Barclays.

Average wait times for a new battery have jumped up to 2.7 to 4.5 weeks based on a series of Apple Store checks conducted by Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz. This figure is up from around 2.3 to 4.5 weeks earlier in the year.

When a replacement battery repair, stores typically have to order the part through Apple, which makes the processor more complicated than scheduling a Genius Bar appointment. Wait times for the replacement batteries can vary based on location and device model. Batteries for devices like the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s are harder to come by than batteries for the iPhone 7, and for some devices, like the iPhone 6 Plus, battery wait times have ranged into months.

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Wireless carrier T-Mobile has released additional details regarding its 5G network plans for 2018 and 2019, citing that 5G connectivity will be available in 30 US cities, with availability starting next year.

Alongside news from AT&T and Sprint today on 5G plans and progress, T-Mobile shared its own details on the topic in a press release. Notably, Dallas will be the one city receiving 5G service soon from all of these carriers (Verizon hasn’t announced launch cities for now).

T-Mobile also stated that customers in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Las Vegas will be the first to have access to it with compatible smartphones next year.

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Some things come back to haunt a company.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has disclosed that it will consider consolidating dozens of iPhone performance-related complaints filed against Apple during a hearing scheduled for Thursday, March 29th, in Atlanta, Georgia.

This is a routine for similar cases filed across multiple states.

Apple currently faces no less than 59 putative class action cases across 16 district courts in the United States following the fallout of the company’s intentionally throttling the speed of certain model iPhones in circumstances where the battery might have undergone chemical aging. The throttling process was introduced as a feature in iOS 10.2.1 and removed in later versions of the operating system. This total includes no less than 30 cases before Judge Edward J. Davila in the Northern District of California, where the lawsuits will likely be centralized given their overlapping claims.

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Additional rumors have surfaced as to Apple planning to release a trio of iPhone models this fall, all three incorporating Face ID authentication technology.

The report, via Bloomberg, states that Apple is looking at producing 6.5-inch screen, with a body about the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus. An edge-to-edge design in the “D33” model, such as that in the iPhone X, would allow for a large OLED screen without significantly increasing the size of the enclosure.

The largest of the rumored models is said to boast a screen resolution of 1,242 x 2,588, thereby giving it the same pixel density as that of the iPhone X.

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There comes a point where a company cuts off support for an older product or operating system.

Come May 25th, customers with an original Apple TV or a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista will be unable to access or re-download content from the iTunes Store, a new Apple support document indicates.

Apple has cited the reason for this as being due to “security changes,” and that Apple TV owners will have to buy newer hardware, XP and Vista users can get around the problem by upgrading to Windows 7 or later, assuming their computers meet minimum requirements.

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The rumor mill has Apple’s AirPower wireless charging mat as hitting in March.

Apple hasn’t made an official announcement yet, but sources close to the story have indicated that the AirPower will be in stores in the second half of March. The Apple Post’s sources think the wireless charging case for AirPods will ship in March, too.

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Apple is apparently working on a second-gen series of AirPods which could include “Hey Siri” support instead of requiring a tap before giving voice commands. The new model will also sport an updated wireless chip for improved Bluetooth connections.

Sources close to the story have stated that Apple is looking to update the iPods in 2018.

The current AirPods require a double-tap on the units to activate Siri. Incorporating a voice-activated “Hey Siri” command will bring AirPods in line with interacting with Apple’s voice assistant on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and HomePod.

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It’s free, it’s spiffy and it’s now available for iOS.

Lightricks, Ltd. has just released Englight, its powerful photo editor for iOS.

The program, a 104.9 megabyte download through the App Store, offers the following features:

Image Perfection:
• Precise & selective control over tone, color, and details
• Create and save your own unique presets
• Built-in masking within every tool allow you to seamlessly blend effects

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It’s the regulatory applications that sometimes tell you when the really cool stuff is coming.

Apple has obtained permission to sell two new iPads in several Eurasian countries, suggesting that the company is planning to announce them in the near future.

Per Consomac, the Eurasian Economic Commission, which oversees Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, this week approved “A1893” and “A1954” models. Those model numbers don’t correspond to any existing iPads or current Apple products.

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AT&T’s 5G network is coming to 12 American cities this year.

The wireless carrier announced that Dallas, Waco, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia will roll out 5G service before the end of the year, and announcements for nine more cities will follow.

As of now, wireless carriers have stated that 5G will means faster wireless data speeds, albeit they aren’t completely on the same page.

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