O'Grady's PowerPage

Category: iPhone

  • Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Apple will incorporate in-display fingerprint sensing technology into 2021 model iPhones

    Wise Apple sage, seer, and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that Apple is looking to launch an iPhone equipped with both Face ID and an in-display fingerprint sensor in 2020.

    In a recently released note to investors, Kuo based the prediction on Apple’s patents related to fingerprint on display (FOD) and the continued use of the technology in Android smartphones, which together suggest to him that Apple will opt to bring fingerprint scanning back to its smartphone screens.

    Kuo offered the following quote: 

    “In terms of technology, we predict that four critical technical issues of FOD will significantly improve in 12–18 months, including module thickness, sensing area, power consumption, and lamination yield rate. Therefore, we believe that Apple will launch the new iPhone equipped with both Face ID and FOD to enhance security and convenience thanks to the multi-biometrics.”

    Apple has yet to implement fingerprint recognition in its iPhone smartphone lineup. Chinese mobile vendors, on the other hand, have gone the other route and included in-display fingerprint sensing technology in mid-range and premium smartphone models.

    Apple was rumored to be attempting to integrate Touch ID within the display of the iPhone X, but switched its focus to the introduction of Face ID. Kuo, in turn, has stated that Face ID and FOD technologies are “complementary, not competitive,” and can offer additional levels of security as needed.

    Apple has presently included Touch ID on its MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks, so an iPhone with in-display fingerprint sensing technology might not be that far off.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will absorb additional cost of upcoming tariffs

    Following up on concerns as to additional tariffs, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released a new investor note on Sunday predicting how President Trump’s tariffs might affect prices. Kuo stated that he believes “the tariff may not impact the prices of Apple’s hardware products” in the United States.

    Last week, Trump announced that the United States would impose a 10 percent tariff on another $300 billion worth of good imported from China. The tariffs would begin on September 1st.

    Kuo wrote that Apple has likely made “proper preparations” for such a tariff, and that Apple will “absorb most of the additional costs” in the mid-short term. Kuo predicted that “prices of hardware products and shipment forecasts for the U.S. market will remain unchanged” despite the tariff.

    The note stated that Apple’s non-Chinese production locations could likely meet “most of the demand from the U.S. markets” for the next two years. Kuo’s logic behind this is based on a combination of “production automation degree” and Apple’s marketshare within the United States. “If the market share of the U.S. market is lower, and the production automation degree is higher, expanding the non-Chinese production capacity” to meet U.S. demand is made easier, Kuo swroteays.

    Here is Kuo’s forecast:

    1. iPhone. Expanding non-Chinese production capacity is challenging due to the low degree of production automation. We expect that non-Chinese production locations to meet U.S. market demand in 2020.

    2. iPad. It’s not difficult to expand non-Chinese production capacity to meet U.S. demand because of the higher degree of production automation and the smaller U.S. market share.

    3. Mac. Though its degree of production automation is higher than the iPhone’s, the Mac’s non-Chinese production locations can’t meet demand from the U.S. market until 2021 because of higher market share of U.S. market .

    4. Apple Watch. We expect there will be non-Chinese production locations, starting in 2020.

    5. AirPods. We estimate that the change of AirPods’ internal design from SMT to SiP will enhance the level of production automation.

    Apple has largely escaped the effects of the trade war’s tariffs, with only some accessories being penalized in the process.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Verizon announces five new “Unlimited” phone plans, four of which offers access to Apple Music

    It never hurts to have different plans to choose from.

    Verizon on Friday announced five new “unlimited” phone plans, four of which include extended access to Apple Music.

    The plans, termed “Start Unlimited,” “Do More Unlimited,” “Play More Unlimited,” “Get More Unlimited,” and “Just Kids.” “Get More” and “Play More” include an Apple Music bundle, provided one of the customers is a Verizon subscriber. The “Start Unlimited” and “Do More Unlimited” bundle include six months of Apple Music access.

    The plans are $5/month cheaper than their predecessors, and offer different terms regarding their data caps and video quality. The “Just Kids” is the most restricted, capped at 5 gigabytes of 4G with 480p video. “Start Unlimited” has no data cap, but is still locked to 480p video, and offers no tethering. 

    “Do More” once again has 480p video, but a 50-gigabyte cap including 15 gigabytes of tethered use. Play More cuts that cap in half but with support for 720p video — the top tier is Get More, which has 720p and 75 gigabytes of data, 30 tethered.

    Users who exceed their data caps will be throttled to speeds of 600 kilobits per second during periods of congestion. On the plus side, 5G access, which is typically included at a fee of an extra $10 per month, features a waived fee, the fee itself paying for truly unlimited data including 4K video streaming.

    Verizon’s 5G network is currently only available in a few markets, and no Apple devices support it without a third-party hotspot. Apple’s first 5G-capable iPhones are expected in 2020.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Verizon Wireless

  • Apple announces Q3 2019 revenue of $53.8 billion, net quarterly profit of $10 billion

    Apple announced its Q3 2019 numbers today, citing $53.8 billion in revenue, its services division reaching a new high.

    The revenues are up one percent year-on-year from the same quarter in 2018, which saw revenue of $53.3 billion.

    “This was our biggest June quarter ever — driven by all-time record revenue from Services, accelerating growth from Wearables, strong performance from iPad and Mac and significant improvement in iPhone trends,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “These results are promising across all our geographic segments, and we’re confident about what’s ahead. The balance of calendar 2019 will be an exciting period, with major launches on all of our platforms, new services and several new products.”

    Apple’s revenue derived from iPhone sales for the quarter is $26 billion, down from $29.9 billion for the quarter last year, though due to Apple’s change in reporting to no longer report units shipped. It is unclear if it is from a change in shipment quantities or from an altered average selling price. The iPad earned $5 billion, up from $4.74 billion a year ago, while Mac revenue of $5.8 billion is up from $5.3 billion seen in quarter three 2018. 

    The company’s “Wearable, Home, and Accessories” category reported net sales of $5.2 billion, up from $3.7 billion for Q3 2018. Services grew to $11.5 billion in revenue, up from $9.6 billion one year ago.

    Apple has forecast revenues between $61 billion and $64 billion, with a gross margin between 37.5 percent and 38.5 percent. Operating expenses for the period are anticipated to be between $8.7 billion and $8.8 billion.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and MacRumors

  • Rumor: Apple looking to incorporate updated Taptic Engine in 2019 iPhone models

    Apple’s 2019 model iPhones are rumored to feature a new Taptic Engine, that could also feature an improved Haptic Touch alongside a reworked 3D Touch feature across all of the new models.

    The Taptic Engine has been a long-standing feature of the iPhone for a number of generations, replacing an older linear actuator system with one that provides a wide array of different levels of vibration power and sensations. Over time, the Taptic Engine has been able to provide tactile feedback to the user when performing actions, and even mimicked the sensation of motion when pressing the static home button. 

    The updated Tactic Engine is allegedly being developed under the nickname “Leap Haptics,” although specific improvements to the feature have yet to be announced.

    The report seems to correlate with a supply chain story from July 9, where it was claimed Apple may “remove 3D Touch sensors from all 2019 iPhone devices.” In theory, switching away from 3D Touch would save Apple from having to include pressure sensitivity in its iPhone displays, reducing the complexity and cost of production. 

    The 2018 iPhones, including the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, included 3D Touch, which allowed for quick menu actions to appear when an app’s icon is pressed down with a bit more force on the screen than usual. The iPhone XR left out the 3D Touch feature to migrate to Haptic Touch, a version that used the length of time of a press to trigger alternate actions, but did not bring up the small menus in its first iteration. 

    If Apple is to remove 3D Touch from all of the 2019 iPhones, it seems logical that Haptic Touch would be its replacement. 

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider