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Tag: Dan Riccio

  • Apple may have resolved the AirPower’s overheating issue

    Apple may have resolved a major engineering concern with its ongoing AirPower accessory project.

    A new product leaked indicates that the Apple AirPower “C68” project has resolved an issue wherein the Apple Watch caused drastic overheating of the three-device charge pad.

    The leak surfaced from Jon Prosser, and the fix could resolve the core issue as to why the AirPower project had been canceled.

    Prior to this, Apple refused to explain why it had canceled the long-delayed product. In March 2019, Senior Vice President offered the following statement to the press regarding the issue:

    “After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward.”

    Per Prosser’s reportage, the issue was due to overheating. The Apple Watch, and its proprietary wireless charging system, were said to require more energy than other devices.

    AirPower was supposed to allow you to place multiple devices — such as Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods — anywhere on its surface and be charged. However, according to Prosser, “if you placed an Apple Watch on the mat alongside other devices, the entire mat would overheat.”

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and @jon_prosser

  • Apple abruptly cancels AirPower project

    Sometimes you have to fold ’em.

    Late Friday, Apple announced that its long-awaited AirPower charging mat product had been abruptly canceled.

    “After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project,” Dan Riccio, Apple’s senior VP of hardware engineering, said in a statement. “We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward.”

    The AirPower project had been delayed for more than a year, despite its having been announced alongside the iPhone X in September 2017. It was expected to debut in 2018.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via CNN Business

  • 2018 11-inch iPad Pro user apparently receives replacement unit for $49 via AppleCare+ plan after bending issue occurs

    Following up on the 2018 iPad Pro “BendGate” scandal, it appears that Apple will take care of the bending issue for you, but for a $49 service fee under AppleCare+.

    In this case, a 2018 11-inch iPad Pro user named Zach stated that he was able to have his tablet fixed, even though he says he was always careful with his iPad Pro and that he never even took it out of its Smart Folio Keyboard Case. For that matter, the “accidental damage” argument falls to shambles in light of Apple’s own admission that some iPad Pros were bent straight out of the box. Under such conditions, it’s not difficult to believe even subtle warping would grow more pronounced through everyday handling.

    Zach apparently wasn’t able to receive a replacement iPad Pro right away given that the unit was out of stock at his local Apple Store when he visited.

    (more…)

  • In leaked email, Apple executive Dan Riccio defends 2018 iPad Pro models against bending-based criticism

    Apple, or at least one of its executives, has gone on the offensive regarding complaints about the high number of 2018 iPad Pro units arriving at least somewhat bent.

    In a leaked email, Apple Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, Dan Riccio, stated that the device met high manufacturing standards and its flatness is “even tighter than previous generations.”

    In the email, Riccio offered the following statements:

    (more…)

  • Rumor: Apple hiring personnel from health sensor field to help with iWatch project, product group structure revealed

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    The new hires are coming to help work on the iWatch.

    And some of them have medical sensor backgrounds.

    Per MacRumors, Apple is apparently hiring from the health sensor field. Based on new hires, it seems that Apple’s interest in sensors focuses on the ability to measure glucose and other body level information. With this data, the product could inform users of vital information in a non-invasive way. These sensors could also pick up more data to give a user a snapshot of their health, which would be ideal for fitness applications.

    To assist with the development of these sensors, Apple has hired several scientists and executives from multiple sensor developers. Some notable firms who lost employees to Apple are AccuVein, C8 MediSensors, and Senseonics.
    C8 MediSensors had been pursuing non-invasive monitoring of glucose and other substances, and Apple had reportedly considered an acquisition of the company. Ultimately, C8 MediSensors ceased operations and Apple was able to hire a number of the company’s employees earlier this year.

    According to 9to5Mac, the structure of Apple’s “iWatch” group, which is reportedly led by Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield, as well as former Adobe Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch and engineering senior director James Foster.

    Given what sources have had to say, Lynch’s side of the team is focused on overall software vision, and Foster’s group is developing the technologies and mechanics that will shape the features of the device. While Lynch and Foster run two different groups that are part of the bigger project, sources say that the groups are closely knit.

    Other Apple teams, such as Dan Riccio’s Hardware Engineering group, Jony Ive’s Industrial Design team, and Craig Federighi’s software developers, are likely collaborating closely to develop the user-facing hardware and software.
    Apple has also reportedly tapped some of the original iPhone engineers with expertise in miniaturization, as well as some of the company’s Mac engineers with expertise in battery technology. In addition, some members of Apple’s AuthenTec fingerprint sensor team are said to be working on other types of sensors for the iWatch.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the topic of smart watches and other wearables at the D11 conference back in May, calling the market “incredibly interesting” and “ripe for exploration”. Apple has been rumored for some time to be bringing a smart watch to the market, but while the company has begun filing for “iWatch” trademarks, the latest rumors have suggested the device may not launch until late next year as Apple works to solve numerous technical challenges.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.