iPhone 8 devices with broken logic boards get free repair service

A free repair program from Apple will involve replacing broken logic boards on iPhone 8 smartphones.

The company launched the program on Aug. 31, reports 9to5Mac, to address issues on iPhone 8 devices, including unexpected restarts, frozen screens and failure to turn on. Eligible devices will get their devices furnished with a new logic board free of charge, according to program page.

Targeted devices are those sold between September 2017 and March 2018 in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Macau, New Zealand and the US. This program will cover devices for the first three years after being bought from a retailer.


Owners of a faulty iPhone 8 can get in touch with a local Apple store or an Apple authorized service provider. Customers may also opt for a mail-in service where the iPhone 8 is mailed out for repairs then returned once service is completed.

The free service may be restricted to the region or country where the iPhone 8 was sold. On another note, owners are also advised to back up their data just in case, since the iPhone’s logic board is basically what makes the smartphone operate.  /ra

source: technology.inquirer.net

iPhone X speculations mostly got it right

Apple finally lifted the veil from their new devices on September 12, namely the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

In the months leading up to this announcement, numerous speculations were reported and it appears that a lot of these were spot on.

What previous reports got right

Earlier reports stated that there were three devices to expect, but the naming convention was still up in the air until much recently. More recent reports prior to Apple’s announcement suggested that the flagship device would be called iPhone X as a reference to the iPhone’s tenth anniversary, while the successors to the iPhone 7 line would be called the iPhone 8.

Speculations regarding the iPhone X’s full face display design turned out to be correct. Previous reports cited information leaks from Foxconn insiders, appropriated CAD designs, and even data mined from a non-release version of the iOS 11.



Gone is the home button, replaced by iOS 11 gestures to let the 5.8-inch retina display have all of the front face. The glass back, which was earlier reported for the then assumed iPhone 7s, turns out to be a shared feature between the iPhone X and the iPhone 8.

Wireless charging for the iPhone X was also speculated and it turns out to be right on the money.

A facial recognition security system was discovered in the unreleased version of iOS 11 which turned out to be true, in the form of a new artificial intelligence-powered Face ID feature.

A new AI-dedicated chip in the iPhone X allows machine learning tasks to be done on the device and this also helps in recognizing the owner’s facial features. Being AI-powered adds protection from spoofing the biometric system with photos or masks.

Speaking of chips, information dug up from the iOS 11 Golden Master (GM) build, leaked a day before Apple’s big event suggested a 6-core A11 processor. Two of the cores were said to be high-powered while the remaining four were for efficiency. This turned out to be accurate. The A11 Bionic central processing unit of the iPhone X has all six cores, and then some.

Integrated within the A11 is a dual-core chip called the A11 Bionic neural engine which powers all AI-related tasks. Other than Face ID, it’s also used in part by the new camera system, the Animoji feature, augmented reality and gaming.

As for gaming, it gets a three-core chip of its own which is also integrated into the A11 Bionic. It’s said to be 30 percent more powerful than previous graphics chips by Apple.

In total, the A11 Bionic processor has eleven cores inside, each designed to handle a different task that should allow for a smooth user experience.

With a starting price tag of $999 (roughly P50,800), fluid performance can be expected from this new high-end iPhone. The 64 gigabyte and 256 gigabyte models will be available on the market.

Cameras

The Face ID facial recognition feature relies on the front facing 7-megapixel TrueDepth front camera. This front cam comes with wide color capture, auto image stabilization and precise exposure control.

When using Face ID, 30,000 invisible IR dots are projected to form a pattern which will be initially captured then sent to a neural network to create a mathematical model of the user’s face. This information is sent to a secure database and then back to the device so that future verifications can be done by the onboard AI. Allowing the computations to be done locally also helps protect the user’s privacy.

In the back is a dual 12-megapixel camera system which has a wide-angle and a telephoto lens to create HDR photos. This is then coupled with a quad LED True Tone Flash to provide illumination. The Slow Sync feature in this flash allows users to get more even lighting in their photos.

Furthermore, the Face ID system learns about the user’s face and adjusts accordingly. Even when wearing heavy makeup, the system should recognize the user’s basic facial structure.

Not included and new feature

There were some speculations regarding a rear fingerprint sensor, but it appears Apple has done away with it.

Little social feature was added in the form of Animoji. Using the A11 processor and TrueDepth front camera, users can create animated emojis that mirror their own facial expressions.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus

While the iPhone X stands as Apple’s new flagship device, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus can be seen as the true successors to the iPhone 7 series. They retain a similar design philosophy to the iPhone 7 while sporting some of the internal features found on the iPhone X such as the A11 Bionic processor, cameras, wireless charging and retina display.

The iPhone 8 will start with a price tag of $699 (over P35,000) with 64 gigabyte and 256 gigabyte variants. JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

iPhone 8 latest leaks may have actually come from Apple

A lot of speculations from various sources have come out over the past few months concerning Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8. A latest information leak confirms a good number of persistent assumptions, as it came directly from Apple, and quite accidentally.

Guilherme Rambo, a developer for a Brazilian e-commerce company, stumbled upon a firmware update for the Apple HomePod, tagged as beta iOS 11.0.2. According to a report by Wired, he found this occurrence as strange, because this device is still scheduled for release in December later this year, making a firmware update irrelevant.

Digging through the firmware’s code, with his curiosity piqued, he eventually uncovered clue after clue that pointed him to information regarding the upcoming iPhone. These clues included code for a Biometric system that involves face recognition and vector data for the device’s physical design.

When rendered, the vector data painted an image very similar to what previous leaks reported about: a smartphone with thin bezels and the absence of a home button.

An apple developer by the name of Steven Troughton-Smith confirmed Rambo’s findings. He stated that the information Rambo found was supposed to be for internal use only. He also assumed that the HomePod firmware was released by accident before all sensitive information and references were removed.

“It’s a process Apple goes through every year, to make sure developers can still access the upcoming iOS without revealing too much about the unannounced iPhone that will come upon the final release,” Troughton-Smith said in the report.

Rambo also uncovered references to an iPhone 9.9 and iPhone Pro or iPhone 10, the internal codename of which was D22.

“This is a rough situation for Apple,” added Troughton-Smith. “For them to be the source of the only concrete leaks about it and its design is going to upset a lot of people internally.”

With this new piece of information, and directly from an internal Apple document no less, it may be safe to assume that what will be unveiled in September is almost exactly as previous leaks described. Alfred Bayle/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

iPhone 8 set for October release; reports assure no production delays

Rumors of an iPhone 8 release being delayed has been going around for the past couple of weeks. Apple analyst KGI Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that it was due to production issues. However, a new report states otherwise, asserting that the new iPhone is in fact on schedule.

DigitTimes and Economic Daily News report that the launch for the iPhone 8 will happen in September, and Apple will start selling the new devices by October. Normally, new iPhones would be available in stores by September.

As for the device itself, speculations hint at a curved design and an edge-to-edge display. It is said that it will also have wireless charging and augmented reality features,  reports TechRadar.

If you skipped on the iPhone 7, then October 2017 appears to be the month to look forward to. Alfred Bayle/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

iPhone 8 mass production may be delayed by up to two months

Apple fans may have to wait until much later this year to get their iPhone 8 fix.

A reputable Apple analyst, KGI Ming-Chi Kuo, has indicated that mass production of the iPhone 8 may be delayed by one to two months from Apple’s usual release dates, reports 9to5Mac.

KGI claims that the possible causes for delay involve production of some cutting-edge major components. These include the custom OLED display, a custom Aple A11 10-nanometer SoC (system on chip), a newly-designed 3D touch module, and 3D sensing cameras.

The delay would also leave Apple vulnerable to competition from its rivals, as more bezel-less Android devices make it to the market.  Furthermore, despite the rumors, Apple has yet to officially hint at what the iPhone 8 will actually look like.

Given the trend, it’s fairly safe to assume that it will also be a bezel-less device. It would at the very least put Apple on equal footing with Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi in that area.

KGI has indicated a pessimistic outlook on the sales of iPhone 7 models—interim updates at best that KGI believes will pale in comparison to more recently released smartphones.

Until more information gets released directly from Apple, there isn’t much else to do but wait and speculate. Who knows, the iPhone 8 might end up being worth the wait. Alfred Bayle/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

New flagship iPhone may be called ‘iPhone Edition’

Last year, Apple said not to expect much from the 2016 iPhone release because they were apparently planning something big for 2017.

Japanese news site Macotara is serving up a dash of new speculations on the 2017 iPhone release and says that the upcoming 5-inch high-end model could be called the “iPhone Edition”, reports 9to5Mac.

According to the report, Apple is said to be testing various flagship prototypes. Some of these models are said to have no Home button while others retain it. Some prototypes apparently also have aluminum, glass and ceramic chassis designs.

Prototype testing is reportedly being carried out alongside engineering validation testing (EVT). However, Apple will need more time to procure materials to proceed with design validation testing and make final decisions. It is because of this that Macotakara claims that the iPhone may have a late release this year.

Other details contained in the Macotakara report mentions a possible OLED display, wireless charging, dual-cameras and a 5-5.1-inch screen real estate.

Finally, Macotakara claims that the iPhone Edition should be announced by September, together with the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus.

Should September actually be the release date of the “iPhone 8″, then that leaves fans quite a lot of time to save up for what should be a major iPhone update. Alfred Bayle/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net