O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: always-on

  • Rumor: Apple may discontinue the 12.9-inch mini-LED iPad Pro in 2024, and opt for a 13-inch OLED model

    Rumor: Apple may discontinue the 12.9-inch mini-LED iPad Pro in 2024, and opt for a 13-inch OLED model

    Apple may be discontinuing its 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED backlighting in 2024.

    Per Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, the tablet may not remain in the lineup for a reduced price following the launch of the rumored 13-inch iPad Pro with an OLED display next year.

    The article points out that the shipment volume for mini-LED notebooks is estimated to decrease by approximately 39 percent year-over-year. The mini-LED tablet market is also expected to decrease by about 15.6 percent year-over-year as well.

    In December 2022, noted display industry analyst Ross Young stated that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro would be succeeded by a 13-inch iPad Pro with an OLED display. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has weighed in with expectations of 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models featuring OLED displays, an M3 chip, and an aluminum Magic Keyboard to launch next year.

    OLED display technology would allow for the next iPad Pro models to offer increased brightness, higher contrast ratio, greater color accuracy, and lower power consumption compared to the existing models with LCD panels. Young said Apple would be using very thin hybrid OLED displays with a combination of flexible and rigid materials, which could allow for the next iPad Pro models to have a slightly thinner design.

    The iPad Pro models released since 2017 have supported ProMotion, which has allowed a variable refresh rate between 24Hz and 120Hz. The switch to OLED would likely allow for the refresh rate to drop down even further to 10Hz or lower to save battery life. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models can reach as low as 1Hz while in always-on display mode.

    It’s thought that Apple will update the iPad Air, iPad mini, and entry-level iPad models in 2024, although none of these models are expected to switch to OLED over the year.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and TrendForce

  • Significant leak hints at forthcoming iPhone design shapes and features for the next several years

    Significant leak hints at forthcoming iPhone design shapes and features for the next several years

    This is why they pay server security personnel so well and why large companies flip out when product information is leaked years ahead of schedule.

    A major leak has prompted analysts from DSCC to publish a paper detailing Apple’s iPhone roadmap for the upcoming years, including the technologies Apple will unveil from now on.

    DSCC Ross Young noted that Apple was planning this new hole-punch + pill design for the iPhone 14 Pro, and the regular model would stick with the same notch design. Now, DSCC is betting on under-display sensors and Pro features, such as Always-On display and ProMotion, for all models in the future.

    Should Apple’s plans adhere to what was leaked, here are the major design shapes and features to expect from the future iPhone Pro models:

    • 2023: Pill shape
    • 2024: Pill shape
    • 2025: Under panel Face ID + hole
    • 2026: Under panel Face ID: + hole
    • 2027: Under panel face ID + under panel camera

    Apple is expected to keep a similar design to the iPhone 14 Pro until 2024. For the iPhone 17 Pro, the company will start adding the Face ID sensors under the panel, which will likely make Dynamic Island smaller.

    Should the trend continue, the iPhone 18 Pro will function as an an all-screen smartphone with all sensors hidden behind the screen.

    The features are thought to be as follows:

    • 2023: Pill shape without AOD and ProMotion
    • 2024: Pill shape without AOD and ProMotion
    • 2025: Pill shape with AOD and ProMotion
    • 2026: Pill shape with AOD and ProMotion
    • 2027: Under panel Face ID + hole with AOD and ProMotion

    Given the leak, Apple will only add ProMotion and Always-On display technologies to the regular iPhone models in 2025 with the 17. Then, in 2027, Apple will finally integrate the Face ID sensor behind the display, and the iPhone Pro will feature a full-screen design.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via Boy Genius Report and DSCC

  • Rumor: Apple may be considering a price cut for some iPhone 15 models

    Rumor: Apple may be considering a price cut for some iPhone 15 models

    The iPhone rumor mill never really takes a break (even over the holidays) and Yyeux1122, a leaker with a decent track report, has reported that Apple is considering an iPhone 15 price cut, when compared to iPhone 14 pricing. The reduced prices would, they say, apply to the base model iPhone 15 and the larger iPhone 15 Plus.

    The reports may hold some credence, as there’s been higher-than-expected demand for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, with correspondingly lower demand for the base model iPhone 14 – and especially for the iPhone 14 Plus.

    When the iPhone 14 was released back in September, reviewers advised against purchasing the base model iPhone 14, which offered almost no benefit over the iPhone 13 and could be purchased from Apple for $200 less.

    The iPhone 14 Plus was similarly received, with many seeing its sole advantages as a bigger screen and a bigger battery at a $900 price point. The smart money seemed to be on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, with the extra $200 netting you the following features:

    • Dynamic Island
    • Always-On Display
    • ProMotion
    • Almost twice the screen brightness
    • Three cameras instead of two
    • 48MP main camera sensor
    • 6x optical zoom range
    • Better optical image stabilization
    • Night mode portraits
    • Macro photography
    • Apple ProRaw photos
    • ProRes videos
    • A16 chip
    • Stainless steel frame

    As such, the iPhone 14 Plus sales are estimated to have been extremely minimal, and it would apparently make sense for Apple to completely cancel plans for the iPhone 15 Plus. Unfortunately, its product roadmap works a long way in advance, and the leaker has stated that it’s too late to do this. Instead, he says, Apple is considering significantly reducing the price of the iPhone 15 Plus from the $900+ level of its predecessor.

    Yyeux1122 has accurately predicted the iPhone 14 Pro’s price, chip, and colors, as well as the 10th-gen iPad’s design changes and release date. The leaker hasn’t specified the scale of the cut, but it would likely have to be $100 to have any significant impact.

    It’s been speculated that Apple would also have to cut the price of the entry-level iPhone 15, perhaps down to the $700 price point of the now-abandoned mini model.

    So, there may be something in the works as far as the iPhone 15 features and price points are concerned.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available and happy new year!

    Via 9to5Mac and @blog.navar.com

  • Analyst predicts iPhone 14 Pro models could see price increases compared to iPhone 13 Pro models

    Analyst predicts iPhone 14 Pro models could see price increases compared to iPhone 13 Pro models

    Apple is apparently planning to increase the prices of two of its iPhone 14 Pro models compared the the current iPhone 13 Pro models.

    According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Kuo noted that the average selling price of the iPhone 14 lineup as a whole will increase by about 15% compared to the iPhone 13 lineup.

    In the United States, the iPhone 13 Pro begins to retail around $999 with the iPhone 13 Pro Max starting around $1,099. Should a 10 percent price increase apply to the iPhone 14 Pro models, the iPhone 14 Pro could start at $1,099, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max could start at $1,199.

    At present, the exact price increase for these models has yet to be released.

    Key new features rumored for the iPhone 14 Pro models include a new pill-shaped cutout and hole replacing the notch, a faster A16 chip, an upgraded 48-megapixel rear camera lens with support for 8K video recording, and an always-on display that shows the time, date, battery percentage, and iOS 16’s new Lock Screen widgets.

    Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 14 lineup in September as usual.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and @mingchikuo

  • Apple Watch Series 7 pre-orders begin Friday, October 8, units available in stores on Friday, October 15

    Apple Watch Series 7 pre-orders begin Friday, October 8, units available in stores on Friday, October 15

    Apple on Monday announced that the Apple Watch Series 7 would be available for pre-order beginning Friday, October 8, at 5 a.m. PDT, and will be available in stores beginning Friday, October 15.

    The newest version of the smartwatch offers a larger display, complete with a reengineered Always-On Retina display that offers additional screen real estate and thinner borders.

    Other new features include a QWERTY keyboard, Contour and Modular Duo watch faces that have been designed for the new device, same-day 18-hour battery life, and 33 percent faster charging. The units are available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, and offer a stronger, more crack-resistant front crystal as well as an an IP6X certification for resistance to dust, as well as a WR50 water resistance rating.

    The Apple Watch Series 7 is available in midnight, starlight, green, and a new blue and (PRODUCT)RED, along with a range of new band colors and styles. Stainless steel models are available in silver, graphite, and gold stainless steel, along with Apple Watch Edition in titanium and space black titanium.

    Where medical features are concerned, the units include an electrical heart sensor and ECG app, and a Blood Oxygen sensor and app. 

    Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399, while the Apple Watch SE starts at $279, and Apple Watch Series 3 starts at $199.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via Apple