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Apple Loop: iPhone Leak Reveals New Display, Classic iPhone In Shock Upgrade, Awkward iOS 12 Problem


The AchieVer

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Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes new screen technology for the iPhone, disappointing iPhone XR sales, the return of the iPhone X, iOS 12’s 4G data problem, the latest Apple vs Qualcomm complication, and a review of Google Fi on iPhone.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).

New Screen Technology For 2019 iPhones

Apple’s next generation of iPhones could feature thinner and lighter OLED displays, Using technology that debuted on the Galaxy S9, Apple can maintain parity with the competition and promote ‘the best screen ever’ for an iPhone while cutting the cost of manufacturing the handsets. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly reports:

ET News says Apple is working with Samsung on this. The plan is to integrate Samsung’s ‘Y-OCTA’ (Youm On-Cell Touch AMOLED) displays which place the touch sensor directly on the flexible OLED layer. The result is a more responsive display which is thinner, lighter and – through reducing components – cheaper.

 
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New iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max (Photo by Anton NovoderezhkinTASS via Getty Images)GETTY

iPhone Discounts Continue With More Disappointing iPhone Sales Details

More data is coming out that points to lower than expected sales of the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max. Not only is Apple extending its discounts, but suppliers of critical parts are lowering their revenue estimates for the years. This week it is Japan Display – which has an order book primarily filled with iPhone displays – which has announced a second cut in revenue estimates to investors, as I reported earlier this week:

Of course production levels change throughout the life of a smartphone, but this is something that manufacturers are aware of. All of them, including Apple, have significant historical data that will show the patterns of purchase from the faithful, the followers, and the general public.

…Not only do we have more indicators from suppliers, but we have indicators from Apple. While there is no official comment on sales numbers (and as we know, Tim Cook and his team will no longer be reporting iPhone sales numbers in quarterly earnings), the online offer of a $300 discount (via trade-in) for the iPhone XR is now available in Apple Stores.

More here on Forbes. This isn’t an exact science, so It’s also worth nothing the performance of Foxconn, the main assembly line operator for the iPhone. While there are no forward-looking projections, the Chinese based company has reported a strong november. Benjamin Mayo reports:

The majority of iPhones are assembled by Foxconn and all of the Apple SoCs (like the A12 Fusion) are manufactured by TSMC. This should make their sales a good proxy for iPhone performance.

Foxconn (Hon Hai) reported record revenue for November, about $19.5 billion. TSMC’s sales of $3.1 billion are not records, and are lower than October highs, but are resiliently-strong numbers. In TSMC’s case, Apple orders are expected to offset downturn in the cryptocurrency mining markets, which TSMC benefited from greatly in the Bitcoin boom of late 2017.

Will The iPhone X Return With TouchID?

In a bid to keep the iPhones attractive while Cupertino’s designers wait for 5G to become available on their smartphone production line (probably in late 2020, 18 months after 5G’s debut on Android) Apple is looking into the cupboard to see what can be brought back to keep the faithful happy. It appears the answer is TouchID and fingerprint recognition. Gordon Kelly reports:

…Apple has no answer to the bezel-less and notch-less smartphone designs of its rivals. Instead, Apple will re-issue the iPhone X design for a third year running when it launches new iPhones in 2019…

Apple’s response looks set to be returning Touch ID to iPhones to regenerate excitement, but that’s a big ‘IF’ for a userbase largely happy with Face ID and already persuaded by Apple’s (somewhat misleading) claims it is more secure than Touch ID.

iOS 12’s 4G Data Problem

Apple’s latest iOS release (12.1.1) introduces a number of new features, including notification previews, extending dual-SIM support, photo capture during FaceTime calls, but one major deal breaker. The latest update has broken 4G connectivity for many users:

For a significant number of users, iOS 12.1.1 is killing their cellular data and the only way to go online is via WiFi. I alerted users to sporadic reporting of this in my iOS 12.1.1 Upgrade Guide but as more users upgrade the problem appears to be spreading.

Not only am I seeing more reports online, I’m also being contacted directly by users who have read my upgrade guide and wanted me to know the bug affects them too. Interestingly, the experience varies with reports in several countries and the impact can range from partial functionality with mobile data working in the browser but not in apps to total 4G data failure.

Unsurprisingly, a beta of 12.1.2 is already available for testing in the beta program.

 
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IPhone X products are still shown on the counter in an Apple store. Qualcomm announced that it had won two patent disputes with Apple (Photo by Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images)GETTY

Apple Fights Chinese Import And Sales Ban On Older iPhones

This week saw Apple hit with an iPhone import and sales ban in China. This is the latest move in the dispute between Qualcomm and Apple over a number of patents. Axios notes that the ban covers devices from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone X – specifically those that launched with versions of iOS 11.x or earlier:

The order prevents the sale and import of the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X. The injunction relates to a pair of patents, one covering the way applications are managed on a smartphone and the other about how customers adjust and reformat photos.

Apple is appealing the ban. But it also has an intriguing workaround if it comes into force. A number of companies assemble the iPhone for Apple and one – Pegatron – has a wider deal with Qualcomm to use its IP compared to Foxconn and Wistron. Apple believes that if all of China’s iPhones came from Pegatron, the legal requirements would be met:

Pegatron has a patent licensing agreement in place with Qualcomm that covers the two patents at the center of the ban. Apple believes that if its hand is forced, it can (at least partially) substitute Foxconn and Wistron assembly with Pegatron.

…each iPhone manufacturer has their own patent license with Qualcomm, conducting negotiations independently. Apparently, Qualcomm’s patent agreement with Pegatron covers more of its IP portfolio than the similar agreements signed by Foxconn and Wistron.

And Finally…

As previously reported on Apple Loop, Google Fi is now available for iPhone. Paul Thurrott has been taking a closer look at virtual network’s capability to handle iOS (following some time with it on the OnePlus 6T), including how the service interacts with voicemail:

Voice messages are interesting. When I received a voice message, there was a notification on the icons for both the Phone app and the Messages app. That’s because Google Fi isn’t compatible with visual voicemail on iPhone, as it was on the OnePlus 6T (and on the Pixel handsets I’ve used). So Google sends you a text message-based transcription of the voicemail so you can see it.

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