Apple increases iPhone 12 production by 2 million units due to strong demand

The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro has been on open sale in some regions for just a few days and so far demand has been quite strong. So strong in fact that Apple has reportedly contacted its supply chain partners to accelerate production for the iPhone 12 by as many as 2 million units. The addition of an OLED screen paired with 5G and the new flat frame design seems to be enough to spark consumer interest. According to Cinda Securities Apple will see demand for the iPhone 12 series to reach the 80-85 million units level. Further estimates predict a whopping 230-240 million shipments in 2021 which...

Huawei Mate 40 Pro disassembled, have a peek inside

The same Chinese tech blog that gave us a look inside the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro now brings the teardown of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro. The disassembly is the usual process of heating up the phone so that the adhesive holding its glass plate to the frame can loosen and then be pried open with a thin tool. The Mate 40 Pro is naturally modular inside. We can see the main board, the wireless charging coil, the 4,400mAh battery, the USB-C connector and the cameras. The main and ultrawide cameras are connected, while the 5x periscope zoom camera has its own independent housing. The...

Sony Xperia shipments stabilize, but image sensor division slipped

Sony has published its financial reports for the three months ending on September 30 and there’s some good news from the mobile division – it shipped 600,000 smartphones, level with the same period last year. It may not sound like great news, but Xperia shipments were on a decline and they hit their lowest point at the beginning of this year with only 400,000 units shipped. So, leveling off is a good sign. Also, the final quarter of the year has historically been the strongest for Sony’s mobile division, so we’ll see if the numbers go up. Actually, there’s no “mobile division” as...

Analyst: Apple reaches 1 billion active iPhones

Above Avalon is a crowd-funded platform tracking Apple’s performance in the smartphone market since the first iPhone in 2008. According to its founder Neil Cybart Cupertino has reached 1 billion active iPhones milestone in 2020. iPhone active users • New and upgrading iPhone users The pace of growth in the iPhone installed base has slowed due to high smartphone penetration, Cybart wrote. In the past three years, there are also fewer new users to iPhone and in 2020 expectations are 80% to be upgrades of an older iPhone and only one of every five phones to be in the hands of a new...

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 gets Voice Support with latest update

Samsung has begun pushing an update to the Galaxy Watch Active2 smartwatch, bringing security updates and one feature that was exclusive to the Galaxy Watch3 - voice support during exercise. The firmware comes with model number R820UXXU1CTJ5/R820OXA1CTJ5 and is about 61MB in size. Screenshot with the update log in Korean The Voice Support can be turned on or off and it essentially helps during running and swimming by telling you whether to push harder or ease off. It analyzes your pulse, correlates it with pace and other data, and in theory should help for better training with...

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Ceramic Shield scratches like regular glass, torture test finds

The iPhone 12 Pro is the latest phone to enter the JerryRig durability test and unsurprisingly it passed without issue. What's also not surprising is that the iPhone's new Ceramic Shield front glass scratched at the same level as any regular glass screen - at a level 6 on Mohs' scale of hardness. The scratches do appear fainter, but they're scratches nonetheless. Apple has coated the glass with nanoscale ceramic crystals, increasing the glass' endurance to breaking, not scratching. An interesting side effect of the added ceramic was discovered in the burn test, where the iPhone screen...

Apple working on its own search engine as Google ties could be cut soon

Apple is said to be working on its own search engine to replace Google. As of now Google pays Apple between $10b and $12b a year to be the main search provider on Apple devices, but that deal will soon expire and a reported antitrust case against Google by the US Department of Justice could prevent its extension. Apple has already made moves for a transition away from Google. Its Applebot, which was first reported of in 2014, has been crawling the web ever since and has allegedly increased its rate substantially recently. Furthermore, in iOS 14's home screen search, Apple has begun to...