O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: XS

  • Apple sets purchase limits for 2020 model iPad Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, and iPhone 8 and iPhone 11 models

    Although some elements of the supply chain may be getting back to normal, it looks like Apple is setting limits as to how many of its 2020 model iPad Pro, MacBook Air, entire range of iPhone models, and 2020 Mac mini can be snagged at once.

    Apple has installed purchase limits of five units per customer for the updated MacBook Air and Mac mini, while the 2020 iPad Pro is limited to two 11-inch models and two 12.9-inch units per customer. There is also a limit of two iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus models per customer on its online storefronts in the United States and Canada, Europe, Asia, and several other regions.

    Apple commonly places purchase limits on products in some Asian countries to combat the gray market, such as the AirPods Pro, but these expanded restrictions could be an effort to balance supply and demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Finally, while there’s currently no fine print reflecting these limits on Apple’s website outside of Asia, the quantity limits are in place during the checkout process.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • FiLMiC’s DoubleTake allows for recent iPhones to simultaneously capture video from two camera sources

    This looks like it could be pretty cool.

    Following an impressive debut at WWDC 2019, FiLMiC’s DoubleTake app for iOS essentially transforms your iPhone into a multi-cam studio that allows you to simultaneously capture video from two cameras at the same time to another device.

    The app runs iPhone 11 Pro Max, 11 Pro, 11, Xs Max, Xs and Xr handsets.

    Camera Visualization: Better than a director’s viewfinder! Use DoubleTake’s camera picker view to visualize all available cameras for your device. Use this view to help decide how to frame your shot and which cameras you will select.

    Shot/Reverse shot: To capture all the organic and intimate interaction between two actors or interviewer and interviewee. Traditionally, filmmakers would need to employ two cameras and place these in cumbersome ‘over the shoulder’ locations. With DoubleTake you can place one device in between your actors and place the audience right in the middle of the conversation.

    Multi-cam: Capture two different focal lengths of the same subject at the same time. Use DoubleTake with the Ultra Wide lens (iPhone 11 Pro Max, 11 Pro and 11 only) and the Tele to capture both an establishing shot and a punch-in on your subject simultaneously. Or use any other combination of front and rear lenses for unrivaled multi-cam capture.

    PiP or Discreet: The DoubleTake interface allows you to see both cameras of your video capture at the same time through the use of a Picture in Picture (PiP) window. You can move this PiP around the screen, tap to zoom in, or swipe it away if it’s distracting (the second video will continue to record). With DoubleTake you can decide if you want to record your videos as separate discrete files or if you want the video recorded as a composite video that includes the PiP window animated as you see it on the screen.

    Split-screen: Doubletake also allows you to use any two cameras to create a 50/50 split-screen effect that is saved as a single video. This is great for capturing engaging interviews, or any scenario where two sides of the story need equal weighting on screen.

    Focus & Exposure Controls: DoubleTake allows you to set and lock your focus and exposure on both cameras during multi-cam capture with our unified reticle. Just tap anywhere to set an area of interest with the reticle, then tap again to lock or unlock. Our easy to use camera switcher lets you effortlessly move between your A and B cams during a recording to adjust the focus and exposure for each independently of one another.

    Video Specs:

    Full frame focus and exposure for smooth and easy automated focus and exposure adjustments.

    Selectable broadcast frame rates: 24fps, 25fps, and 30fps depending on your project requirements.

    1080p video at high bitrate encoding for maximum quality. (note: 1080p video is the maximum resolution supported by the Apple API for multi-cam capture).

    Composited PiP or separate discreet video files recorded as .h264 .mov files are saved to DoubleTake’s internal library which supports batch export to the Camera Roll.


    DoubleTake is available for free and requires iOS 13.0 or later to install and run.

    If you’ve had a chance to try DoubleTake and have any feedback to offer, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via the App Store

  • Apple extends warranty coverage of iPhone XS, iPhone XR battery cases to two years

    If you just bough an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR Smart Battery Case, you just got a free extra year of warranty on it.

    Apple has launched the Smart Battery Case Replacement Program for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which covers all cases made through October of 2019.

    Apple has also identified the following issues which have led to the replacement program:

    • The battery case will not charge or charges intermittently when plugged into power.
    • The battery case does not charge the iPhone or charges it intermittently.

    Given that the case is only a year old, most of the units sold are under warranty. This offers an additional year of free coverage, and Apple says it will evaluate each Smart Battery Case to verify that they are eligible once they are brought in for service.

    Users can get their Smart Battery Case replaced at a local Apple Store location, or via an Apple Authorized Service Provider. All models and colors of the case are included in the program.

    Via Macworld

  • Rumor: TSMC expected to begin 5 nanometer chip production with A14 processor in second quarter

    Apple chipmaker TSMC has apparently secured orders for its upcoming “A14” processor, which are slated for this year’s iPhones. The company is expected to manufacturing the chips in the second quarter according to industry insiders:

    The sources said Apple’s 5G mmWave handsets to be released in 2020 are reportedly to each carry at least three AiP modules, which can also be packaged with FC_AiP (flip-chip) process in addition to InFo_AiP.

    TSMC is also reported to have been working to miniaturize its fabrication process from 7 nanometers, as seen in the A12 and A13 processors, to 5 nanometers for the A14 processor, with the aim of securing orders for Apple’s processors in its iPhones for the fourth year running. 

    This also caps significant moves from TSMC’s end, especially when the company announced a $25 billion investment in the new 5nm node technology in a bid to remain the exclusive supplier of the processors. 

    Apple is expected to release five new ‌‌iPhone‌‌ models in 2020, including a so-called “iPhone SE 2″‌ with a 4.7-inch LCD display in the first half of 2020, followed by a higher-end all-OLED 5G lineup consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch models in the second half of the year. 

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and DigiTimes

  • axi0mX research team releases details of “checkm8” exploit, which could allow permanent jailbreak of hundreds of millions of iOS devices

    This is somewhat worrying.

    A newly announced iOS exploit could lead to a permanent, unblock able jailbreak on hundreds of millions of iPhones. Per a security research team known as “axi0mX,” the exploit, dubbed “checkm8,” functions as a bootroom vulnerability that could give hackers deep access to iOS devices on a level that Apple would be unable to block or patch out with a future software update.

    According to the tweet, “Most generations of iPhones and iPads are vulnerable: from iPhone 4S (A5 chip) to iPhone 8 and iPhone X (A11 chip). “

    The exploit functions as a bootrom exploit, allowing it to take advantage of extremely low level initial code that iOS devices load when they boot up. Since it’s ROM (read-only memory), it can’t be overwritten or patched by Apple through a software update, so it’s here to stay. It’s the first bootrom-level exploit publicly released for an iOS device since the iPhone 4, which was released almost a decade ago. 

    After a follow-up tweet, axi0mX stated that the exploit was released given that a “bootrom exploit for older devices makes iOS better for everyone. Jailbreakers and tweak developers will be able to jailbreak their phones on latest version, and they will not need to stay on older iOS versions waiting for a jailbreak. They will be safer.”

    As of now, any device starting with the iPhone 4S, which features the A5 processor, through the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, which features an A11 chip, is vulernable. Apple was able to patch the flaw in the A12 processors, meaning that iPhone XS / XR and 11 / 11 Pro devices won’t be affected.

    Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

    While there’s no actual jailbreak available yet, the exploit is known as a “tethered” exploit for the time being, meaning it can only be triggered via USB. An “untethered” jailbreak, which could be activated without a USB connection, could also be possible.

    Should the exploit be used by nefarious actors, features such as iCloud account locks, or poisoned versions of iOS that steal user information, could be possible somewhere down the like. While Apple can patch the bootrom for its newer devices, the hundreds of millions of iPhones already out there can’t be patched without replacing hardware.

    While all of this is occurring, the value of iOS exploits has also risen greatly, with Apple’s bug bounty program paying for exploits and shadier groups looking to use them to hack iOS devices. That means there’s less incentive for developers who do find jailbreakable exploits to release them.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Verge and Twitter