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Tag: component

Consumer Reports testing highlights iPhone 15 Pro Max’s durability

Following last week’s event wherein the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything noted that the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s back component could be cracked by bending it with your hands, some speculation has been raised as to the durability of the new titanium frame. It was also noted that the smaller 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro did not crack in the same way.

Following up on this, the reliable humans at Consumer Reports performed a battery of tests on the new iPhone 15 Pro Max handset, and determined that it did not crack under the pressure. Consumer Reports was one of the leading critics of the iPhone design back when the iPhone 6 ‘#Bendgate’ was a thing.

Prior to testing, it should be noted that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max design sandwiches the display and the frosted rear glass with a titanium frame around the sides. The titanium is fused to an internal aluminum chassis. Titanium is a strong material, but people have wondered whether the rounded edges where the titanium meets the glass make the glass more prone to breaking or cracking, than the 14 Pro flat edge design.

Per the Consumer Reports video, the new handset was subjected to compression tests wherein a machine applied 100 pounds of pressure across the length of the device. The phone flexed and then recovered after the pressure was released, but there were no cracks to be seen.

@consumerreports
Viral videos claim Apple’s new flagship phone cracks easily. That’s not what our labs found. Learn more through the link in our bio. #bendgate #iphone15promax #techtok #newphone
♬ original sound – Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports also tested the iPhone 15 Pro Max handset in a drop test machine, wherein a tumbler drops the handset onto a stone base 100 times in succession. The handset survived with no damage.

Still, if you’re able to get your hands on the new iPhone 15 Pro Max at this early stage of the game, please be careful with it, maybe buy it a nice protective case, and enjoy your cool new iPhone.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via 9to5Mac, Consumer Reports, YouTube, and TikTok

October 3, 2023
Apple to announce Q3 2022 earnings on Thursday, July 28th

Apple on Tuesday announced that the company will report its third fiscal quarter earnings of 2022 on Thursday, July 28.

The earnings report and subsequent call will provide insight into product performance in the period between March and June. Apple in April introduced the Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPad Air, and iPhone SE 3, and in June, followed it up with the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro.

Apple has not issued guidance for its earnings reports over the last two years given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as well as component shortages, and the company is expecting to take a revenue hit because of product supply issues. Macs, iPads, and other products have been hit by long wait times that have impacted sales.

In the year-ago quarter, Apple reported $21.7 billion in profit on $81.4 billion revenue, which was a June quarter record.

The quarterly earnings statement will

be released at 1:30 p.m. Pacific/4:30 p.m. Eastern, with a conference call to discuss the report taking place at 2:00 p.m. Pacific/5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors

June 30, 2022
Rumor: Apple adds Wingtech Technology to next-gen MacBook Air suppliers, brings company back into the fold

Apple has reportedly added a third contract manufacturer to help produce its MacBook notebook that will handle assembly orders for the upcoming M2-based MacBook Air.

China-based Wingtech Technology, which was previously on the outs with Apple, has won the contract for the upcoming ultralight notebook. The company joins Quanta Computer and Foxconn in what is now a trio of firms in Apple’s MacBook supply chain.

Wingtech had been in the doghouse with Apple due to manufacturing poor quality products. Per Chinese media reports in May, Wingtech was delisted by Apple from its front-facing camera module supply chain because of the flawed output, a rumor the supplier has dismissed.

The upcoming MacBook Air will feature an M2 chip, a redesigned unibody enclosure, a brighter display with a notch, new color options like Starlight and Midnight, MagSafe charging, a 1080p camera, and more.

Apple’s next-gen MacBook Air will debut sometime in July, though no specific date has been provided by the company. Pricing will begin at $1,199 in the United States, and the previous-generation ‌MacBook Air‌ with the M1 chip will remain available for $999.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors and DigiTimes

June 14, 2022
Rumor: Apple iPhone 14 Pro models could feature LTPO components, allow for an always-on display

The iPhone 13 Pro models were the first of Apple’s smartphones to feature 120Hz ProMotion displays. It’s through that the two iPhone 14 Pro models will feature this technology, and that their displays could boast expanded refresh rate variability upon the iPhone 14’s release.

The ProMotion feature is made possible via LTPO panel technology with variable refresh rates, which allow for a more power-efficient backplane, which is the part responsible for turning individual pixels on and off. In this way, ProMotion is capable of dynamically producing fast frame rates when users need them, while preserving battery life when they don’t.

With the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models, the ProMotion displays are limited to dialing screen refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz. This contrasts with LPTO panels used by the likes of Oppo and Samsung that can drop to as low as 1Hz when viewing a static image or when the device is inactive.

Per well-connected display analyst Ross Young, the ProMotion displays used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models are capable of dropping to 1Hz. This technology could also allow Apple to incorporate longer battery life or always-on display elements.

In a recent example, the Apple Watch Series 7 currently incorporates LTPO displays, which allow them to have the same up-to-18-hour battery life as earlier Apple Watch models despite featuring an always-on display. The same technology, applied to an iPhone, could display the time, date, and any notifications on-screen at all times without needing to unlock the handset.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors and DSCCRoss

May 25, 2022
BMW announces temporary halt to shipping cars with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto functionalities

If you’re hankering for a BMW with either Apple’s CarPlay or Android Auto functionality, you may have to wait a bit.

BMW has begun temporarily shipping cars without these technologies giver the automaker changing its chip suppliers.

The new chips built into many BMWs manufactured this year require updated software to be able to run Apple ‌CarPlay‌ and Android Auto. BMW customers who receive a new car without ‌CarPlay‌ are being asked by dealerships to wait for an over-the-air update that will enable the functionality “by the end of June at the latest.”

It’s unknown how many BMW models are affected, albeit a large number of customers in the U.S., Italy, Spain, the UK, and France have posted online about their new vehicles being delivered without ‌CarPlay‌. Affected models include the code “6P1” in their specification.

BMW has stated that it is changing chip suppliers to strengthen its supply chain in the long term amid the continued impact of the global chip shortage, which could reduce component shortages in the second half of the year.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors and Automotive News Europe

May 10, 2022