iFixit Teardown Reveals iPad Pro’s Four Speaker Design Eliminates Up to 50% of Potential Battery Space
iFixit is in the process of tearing down the iPad Pro, providing a closer look at how Apple organized the internals of the larger iPad. While the majority of the internal layout is similar to the iPad Air 2, there are some significant differences, including the inclusion of a brand new four-speaker audio setup.
Each corner of the iPad Pro has a speaker driver sitting next to a capped resonance chamber. Each speaker is designed identically, as the iPad Pro shifts the speaker’s function depending on the orientation of the device. The two speakers on top provide higher frequencies while the bottom speakers provide lower frequencies.
Once it removed the speaker drivers, iFixit uncapped the volume chambers, which Apple says gives the iPad Pro’s speakers 61 percent more “back volume” than previous iPads. Underneath the carbon fiber caps are enclosures filled with foam, which are used to amplify the speaker’s sound. However, iFixit notes that the speakers take up space that could have been used to increase battery capacity by 50 percent. Previous iPads, due to the lack of premium speakers, were able to dedicate more space to battery capacity.
One of the first changes the team at iFixit noticed was that the logic board has moved to the center of the device, unlike previous iPads where it was off to the side. Additionally, the logic board’s shielding had to be removed before iFixit was able to remove the logic board itself, unlike previous iPads.
The teardown also found that the iPad Pro uses the DP695 Timing Controller, which may be an iteration of the DP665 LCD timing controller found in the 5K Retina iMac. However, as noted by iFixit, the iPad Pro’s timing controller is likely modified to better use the display’s refresh rate. Also, the teardown experts found that Apple has added adhesive pull tabs under the iPad’s batteries, making them easier to remove.
Finally, iFixit’s teardown offers physical confirmation that the iPad Pro includes 4 GB of RAM, which was confirmed by Apple’s own Xcode tools in mid-September.
iFixit’s teardown is ongoing, and this post will be updated if any other significant discoveries are made.
Update: iFixit has discovered that the iPad Pro has a 10307 mAh battery.
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Apple is reportedly working on peer-to-peer payments
Apple is reportedly in negotiations with US banks to create a mobile personal payment platform that would compete with PayPal’s popular Venmo app. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources close to the talks, states that discussions are currently ongoing though there’s no confirmation that any banks have actually signed on yet. Chase, Capital One, Wells Fargo and Bank have all been named as potential partners.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Apple Working on Mobile Person-to-Person Payment Service
Apple is in talks with U.S. banks over a potential person-to-person mobile payments service, reports The Wall Street Journal. Such a service would perhaps be positioned as an expansion to Apple Pay, and it would allow people to send each other payments, much like PayPal’s Venmo or Square’s Square Cash service.
Little is known about the talks at this early date, but The Wall Street Journal says communication between Apple and the banks is ongoing and it’s not known if Apple has inked any concrete deals. Apple is said to be speaking to Chase, Capital One, Wells Fargo, and U.S. Bank, but key details “remain in flux” and the technical details still need to be worked out.
It isn’t clear how Apple intends to make money from the service. Indeed, the company may view a person-to-person offering mostly as a way to get more consumers to convert to its phones.
Under the current discussions, Apple wouldn’t charge the banks for participating in its person-to-person payment service, said the person familiar with the talks. That is different from Apple Pay in which the banks pay Apple for each transaction
Person-to-person services like Venmo and Square Cash are used for personal payments and are useful for things like paying back a friend who bought dinner or splitting a rent payment. With Apple’s system, iPhone and iPad owners could perhaps use Apple Pay to send secure payments to one another from a checking account.
A launch date for the service is unclear as of yet, but Apple may be targeting a 2016 debut.
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The mobile world’s walls are crumbling
Ponder the photo you see above for a moment. Yes, that’s Apple Music running on a BlackBerry phone powered by Android — products from three mobile rivals working in harmony. The very concept of this would have been outlandish just a year ago, let alone a few years earlier when these companies were at each other’s throats. This is the best sign yet that some of the walls in mobile tech are finally tumbling down. Companies are realizing that they sometimes have to play nicely with each other if they want to succeed… and that’s good for everyone.
iPad Pro Tidbits: A9X Outperforms MacBook, Apple Pencil is Weighted, T-Mobile Financing and More
Apple released the iPad Pro on the Apple Online Store and at select Apple Retail Stores and resellers earlier today, and we have rounded up some interesting facts and news announcements surrounding the 12.9-inch tablet.
iPad Pro Delivers Notebook-Level Performance
Geekbench results show that the iPad Pro’s A9X processor is a dual-core chip running at about 2.25 GHz, as reported by Ars Technica.
The A9X chip had a 3,233 single-core score and 5,498 multi-score score in browser-based CPU tests, outperforming the iPad Air 2 and other recent iPhones and iPads by a significant margin.
iPad Pro also outperformed the 12-inch Retina MacBook, equipped with an Intel Core M dual-core processor clocked at 1.1 to 1.2 GHz, but the A9X chip’s CPU performance falls short of devices like the 2015 MacBook Air and Surface Pro 4 with Intel’s latest Broadwell or Skylake U-series processors.
Ars Technica also shared iPad Pro CPU performance results
The iPad Pro’s GPU performance is much more impressive, with GFXBench OpenGL test results showing the A9X chip outperformed the 2015 15″ Retina MacBook Pro with Intel Iris 5200 integrated graphics, in addition to the 12-inch MacBook, 2015 MacBook Air, 2015 13″ Retina MacBook Pro, Surface Pro 4 and all recent iPads.
We’re looking at MacBook Air-class CPU performance and MacBook Pro-class GPU performance, so the iPad Pro ought to be able to handle more multitasking features with aplomb as Apple sees fit to add them. Professional 3D apps like AutoCAD and the Complete Anatomy app Apple showed off in September all seem to run just fine, too.
Apple Pencil is Weighted
Lauren Goode of The Verge shared an interesting anecdote about the Apple Pencil in her iPad Pro review:
But the Pencil is just plain fun. It is indeed Apple white, and there are Apple-y things about it — for example, the fact that it is weighted, and won’t roll away on a table top, and always stops rolling with the word “Pencil” facing upward on its metal band.
Read our iPad Pro review roundup.
T-Mobile Financing for iPad Pro
T-Mobile has announced the iPad Pro will be available November 18. Eligible customers can finance their iPad Pro purchase through the carrier’s JUMP! On Demand program, starting at $199.99 upfront with $34/month payments.
T-Mobile has a sign-up page to receive an email alert when orders can be placed. Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard will also be available on T-Mobile for $99 and $169 respectively starting November 18.
Apple Store Availability
iPad Pro launched today with limited in-store stock at select Apple Retail Stores in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and some other countries. Personal Pickup is available in U.S. stores.
Most Apple Stores have not received stock of the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, while online shipping estimates currently range between 3-4 weeks in the U.S. and many other countries for the accessories.
Tim Cook Calls Microsoft’s Surface Book “Deluded”
The Irish Independent has published an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the company’s plans to expand in Ireland, iPad Pro and more, with his comment about Microsoft’s new Surface Book drawing some attention:
Mr Cook had some sharp words for competitors. Despite saying that Apple’s relationship with Microsoft as “really good”, he described the software giant’s new Surface Book laptop as “deluded”.
“It’s a product that tries too hard to do too much,” he said. “It’s trying to be a tablet and a notebook and it really succeeds at being neither. It’s sort of deluded.”
Follow our iPad Pro timeline for the latest news about the 12.9-inch tablet.
Tags: T-Mobile, Apple Store, Geekbench, A9X chip, Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard
Buyer’s Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)
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Dear Veronica: Self-promotion advice with John Scalzi!
Happy Wednesday, everyone! We’ve got a few fantastic questions this week, starting with this question about self-promotion!
#DearVeronica ,In this tech age, how should a novice novelist make an impression and promote his book to grab attention of a lot of people?
— Rajat Joshi (@MrRajatJoshi) August 14, 2015
John Scalzi, author of some of my favorite books, is here to help Rajat out! In the meantime, I tackle some questions about my favorite audio ripping software, and the best way to clean a very “grody” Macbook Air screen.
Keep those questions rolling on in to me by using the hashtag #DearVeronica on Twitter! See you next week.Subscribe in iTunes, RSS or YouTube!
Periscope’s skip-ahead update hits mobile, with 3D Touch on iOS
Periscope’s latest update hit the web late last week, and today it’s live across Android and iOS devices, with some special twists. Mobile users can now fast-forward and rewind through replays, as promised. The app’s Global Map has a few more functions, as follows: Zoom in on a location and the map will show live broadcasts (red dots) and replays (blue dots) from the past 24 hours. Anyone with Periscope on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus can use 3D Touch to press down on the app icon and pull up a menu of options: Search People, Teleport (which takes you to a random live stream), Broadcast Mutuals and Broadcast. Android users finally get pinch-to-zoom in this update, as well.
[Image credit: Periscope]
Source: Periscope on Medium
Apple Committing €1 Million to Ocean Wave Energy Research in Ireland
Continuing its recent moves to embrace renewable energy sources, Apple has agreed to fund a €1 million initiative through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to support research into harnessing wave energy.
Ocean Energy Test Site in Galway Bay, Ireland
“We’re excited by the potential of ocean energy to someday serve as a source of clean power for the data centre we are building in Athenry, County Galway,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “We are deeply committed to powering all our facilities with 100 percent renewable energy and believe investing in innovative projects will make reaching our goal easier.”
The initiative funded by Apple will help fund researchers testing their wave harnessing technologies at the Galway Bay Ocean Energy Test Site.
Wave energy is just one renewable energy source Apple has supported in an effort to become more environmentally friendly. Solar energy has been a major component of Apple’s initiative, although the company has also embraced wind, biogas fuel cell, hydroelectric, and geothermal solutions to help power its data centers and other facilities as it seeks to move to 100% renewable energy for its own facilities and even help its suppliers make similar transitions.
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Disney Launches Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars-Themed Bundle for New Apple TV
Disney today launched a new Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack for the fourth-generation Apple TV, bundling a SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller and a Bluetooth-enabled Disney Infinity Base in a package that’s now available for purchase directly from Apple retail stores.
The new Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition game for the Apple TV is available on the device as of today, and in addition to the controller and the base, the bundle Disney is offering is Star Wars-themed with the Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic Play Set piece and the Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures. The figures will unlock a comprehensive Star Wars gaming experience with both new and classic Star Wars characters and storylines.
Earlier figures and Power Discs from the 1.0 and 2.0 versions of Disney Infinity are compatible with the new Disney Infinity 3.0 version of the game on the Apple TV. Disney Infinity has largely been limited to console-only platforms from Xbox, Nintendo, and Playstation, but in recent months, the franchise has expanded to PC, Android, and iOS devices.
With gaming now available on the Apple TV, Disney has delivered the first full console style experience to Apple’s set-top box with the launch of Disney Infinity 3.0. For those unfamiliar with the Disney Infinity line, it’s a sandbox-style action adventure world where gamers can unlock new characters and gameplay experiences using real-world collectible figurines.
The Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack for the Apple TV can be purchased from the Apple Store for $99.95.
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Apple plans to add 1,000 more jobs in Ireland
Apple is gearing up to add another 1,000 employees in Ireland, and it’s also expanding its headquarters in Cork to make room for the new crop, reports RTÉ. That would bring the company’s total count of employees in Ireland up to 6,000, and it’s an easy way for it to demonstrate its commitment to Ireland. That’s particularly useful, now that the European Commission is probing into Apple’s tax situation in the country, which has been criticized for being a bit too friendly (and illegal). Ireland plans to end Apple’s tax deal in a few years, but it’ll still have the benefit of fairly low corporate tax rates.
Source: RTÉ
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