Apple Launches Repair Program for iPhone 6s Devices Experiencing Unexpected Shutdowns
Apple today launched a new repair program for iPhone 6s users whose devices may be unexpectedly shutting down. The issue is a limited one only affecting certain devices manufactured between September and October 2015.
Apple has determined that a very small number of iPhone 6s devices may unexpectedly shut down. This is not a safety issue and only affects devices within a limited serial number range that were manufactured between September and October 2015.
If you have experienced this issue, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider and have your device’s serial number checked to confirm eligibility for a battery replacement, free of charge.
Apple’s resolution for the issue is to replace the device’s battery free of charge, although Apple notes that if there are other problems with a user’s device such as a cracked screen that could impair the battery replacement procedure, those issues must be repaired for a fee before the battery issue can be addressed.
Users who previously paid to have their batteries replaced for this issue can contact Apple to request refunds.
Just three days ago, Apple launched a repair program for iPhone 6 Plus owners whose devices are experiencing so-called “Touch Disease” where users may see display flickering or a loss of touch sensitivity. That program carries a $149 repair fee, as Apple says the issue is caused at least in part by the device having been “dropped multiple times on a hard surface.”
Related Roundup: iPhone 6s
Buyer’s Guide: iPhone (Buy Now)
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Nexar’s dashcam app is free, but at the cost of your data
We likely aren’t going to get flying cars anytime soon, but we will have self-driving ones. They’ll be packed to the gills with sensors to keep us safe and sound as we Snapchat ourselves cruising down the highway, bellowing along to our favorite Urfaust tracks. But those are a ways off, and the phone in your pocket already has a pretty solid set of sensors in it. Plus, using a device you already own is far more economical than buying a new car. That’s where Nexar’s dashcam app comes in. A $7 mount holds a phone, while the free app uses your gizmo’s onboard accelerometer, cameras and microphone do the rest of the work.
Nexar’s promise is that when enough drivers start using the app, the vehicle-to-vehicle network will alert folks of accidents seconds ahead of time, giving you a larger window for avoiding one yourself. Say, if someone does a hard stop a few cars ahead of you, you’ll get an alert about it. Or if you have an issue, other drivers using the app will get a ping saying what’s up so they have a chance to plan around it. It uses machine learning too, so over time, and with enough users, the app should progressively get better at predictions. This week, New York and San Francisco went online with the service, and it’s available on both Android and iOS.
As Wired notes, however, there’s no such thing as free lunch: Because the Nexar app is constantly using your phone’s camera to survey the road, it’s sending all that data back to its Israel-based servers for analysis. So, the more it’s used, the better the system gets. Opting in to the app means that Nexar has every right to do whatever it wants with your data, including sell it to third parties. Apparently, insurance companies have started tapping into this to offer people rewards for good driving. And though the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says there isn’t a formal agreement in place, Wired says Nexar has agreed to share driving data with the government.
Oh, and the company is even planning to roll out driving scores, assigned by driving habits and tied to license plate numbers, as well. What’s more, there’s no word what the constant video transmission will do to your monthly data cap, either. What’s a little driving data amongst friends, though, right?
Via: Wired
Source: Nexar, Google Play, iTunes
Apple Launches ‘Touch Disease’ Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus
Apple today launched a new repair program for the iPhone 6 Plus, addressing complaints about a manufacturing issue that can cause the iPhone 6 Plus to become unresponsive to touch.
According to Apple, some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit Multi-Touch issues after “being dropped multiple times on a hard surface,” causing damage to the device. Under its repair program, Apple will fix affected iPhone 6 Plus devices for a service price of $149.
Customers who paid more than $149 to have their devices fixed before the repair program was implemented will be able to get their money reimbursed by Apple.
Complaints about the iPhone 6 Plus touchscreen issue started in August, after iFixit published a video highlighting the bug and dubbed it “Touch Disease.” Touch Disease presents as a gray flickering bar at the top of the screen and a display that becomes unresponsive or less responsive to touch.
The problem is believed to be caused by the touchscreen controller chips soldered to the logic board of the phone, making repairs difficult. Third-party repair outlets speculated that the issue could be linked to the same structural design flaw that caused the major “Bendgate” controversy, and Apple’s suggestion that it is caused by repeated physical damage seems to confirm that.
Customers who have an iPhone 6 Plus with Multi-Touch issues can visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple retail store to see if they qualify for the $149 repair fee.
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Bloomberg: An OLED iPhone is coming next year
OLEDs make for better displays because they draw less power and provide much nicer color reproduction. The only thing stopping them from being on every smartphone in the world is that they’re a hassle to make. It’s one of the reasons that an OLED iPhone remains as much-rumored as Half-Life 2: Episode Three. Bloomberg, however, believes that we’ll see the device hit store shelves in limited quantities by next year. At least, that’s what Apple is planning, but like the sapphire crystal display that never was, these things can always change.
The story claims that the change will coincide with a radical new design for the iPhone to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It will be “all glass,” with an edge-to-edge design and a virtual home button in place of the physical one we currently have. But Bloomberg also says that Apple wants to push an OLED iPhone in 2017, despite there being some obvious supply constrains that it can avoid if it just waited a year. It’s believed that suppliers like Samsung, LG, Sharp and Japan Display will only be able to meet Apple’s demand by 2018.
The report says that, in a rush to get OLED out of the door, it will release one device with the specification rather than across the whole line. It doesn’t seem likely that Apple would so radically bifurcate its iPhone product line beyond the two different sizes it already offers (not counting the iPhone SE). The only main difference between the iPhone 7 and its larger sibling is display size, battery capacity and an improved camera. To introduce an OLED display (and a new design) on one and not the other seems uncharacteristic.
Then again, looking at Apple’s strategy with the new MacBook Pro: keeping a lower-priced version with function keys around since the Touch Bar hardware itself is too expensive. Although it seems like it would annoy more customers than it would delight, especially since the company makes a big deal of introducing new technologies across both of its devices. It would also muddy the sensible “Small,” “Big,” “Bigger” philosophy that the company has going on across its mobile range, and make things much more like the cluttered iPad landscape.
Source: Bloomberg
Swift Playgrounds Updated With New Coding Lessons, Hour of Code Challenge
Apple’s Swift Playgrounds app received its first update today, introducing a new set of coding lessons and a few new features to enhance the coding experience.
Included in the update is the “Learn to Code 3” module, which features a fresh guided learning experience designed to walk children and adults through basic coding with Apple’s Swift programming language. Learn to Code 3 features lessons based around Blu, a fun character that’s aimed at making it easy to learn to code.
Along with Learn to Code 3, Swift Playgrounds version 1.1 features an Hour of Code challenge, which Apple says is meant to give new Swift Playground users a taste of the Learn to Code lessons.
Apple today announced plans to host several free one-hour Hour of Code workshops between December 5 and December 11 at retail stores across the world. Registration for Hour of Code is now open.
Also new in Swift Playgrounds are music and sound effects, notifications for new content, and a feature that highlights each line of code as it is run.
What’s New in Version 1.1
– Learn to Code 3 continues the guided learning experience as you help Blu explore the universe
– Hour of Code challenge gives a Byte-sized introduction to the Learn to Code lessons
– Step through your code to highlight each line as it is run
– Learn to Code now includes music and sound effects
– Notifications for new and updated contentNote: Download new copies of Learn to Code from the Featured page to get the music, sound effects, and line highlighting features.
Swift Playgrounds, which is available for all the iPad Air and later, iPad mini 2 and later, and all iPad Pro models, can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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PlayStation Vue Now Available on Apple TV
PlayStation today announced that its PlayStation Vue television service has expanded to the fourth-generation Apple TV, allowing PlayStation Vue subscribers to watch live TV and access other Vue features on Apple’s set top box.
Priced at $30 to $65 per month, PlayStation Vue provides several different live streaming television packages that include live TV, sports, movies, and more, plus it offers on-demand video and cloud-based DVR streaming so recorded content can be watched across multiple devices.
Starting today, PlayStation Vue will be supported on Apple TV (4th generation), leveraging Apple TV’s latest hardware to create an innovative experience. You will be able to take advantage of Apple TV’s Siri Remote and easy navigation with touch, while enjoying PlayStation Vue’s sleek look and feel. PlayStation Vue brings popular programming to Apple TV, from live sports networks like ESPN and NFL Network, to premium channels like AMC, FX, HBO, and Showtime.
PlayStation Vue subscribers can link their accounts to the Apple TV after downloading the PlayStation Vue app, which is available as of this morning. PlayStation Vue allows for content to be streamed simultaneously on up to five devices at once, making it ideal for families.
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Firefox Focus brings easy private browsing to your iPhone
Many modern smartphone web browsers have private modes. They’re rarely turned on by default, however, and you may have to wade through settings just to make sure you’re a ghost online. Mozilla wants to try something different: it’s launching a browser for iOS that revolves around privacy. Firefox Focus isn’t very sophisticated (you don’t even get multiple tabs), but it blocks ad, analytics and social trackers by default, with simple sliders used to turn tracking on and off. Also, see that conspicuous “erase” button up top? Hit that and it immediately wipes your current browser history — all the evidence of your gift shopping goes away in a moment.
You can take your browsing to extremes if you want. There’s an option to block more content trackers if you’re not worried about breaking site compatibility, and you can disable sites’ custom web fonts if they’re bogging you down. You still have the option of jumping into standard Firefox or Safari if you want to load a page in a more conventional browser.
There’s no question that Firefox Focus is a one-trick pony, and it’s not completely necessary when Mozilla’s content blocker for Safari (confusingly named Focus by Firefox) is still around. However, that single-minded strategy might be Mozilla’s ace in the hole. Firefox faces an uphill battle gaining share on iOS when Safari is the default, and Chrome is easily the most popular alternative. How is it supposed to stand out? Well, Firefox Focus does — it could be your go-to option when you’re determined to remain invisible.
As for other platforms? Mozilla tells us that it will “consider building a similar product” for Android if the iOS version proves successful. In the meantime, anti-tracking measures are already available in both the desktop and mobile editions of Firefox.
Source: App Store
Apple to Halve App Store Fees for Subscription Video Apps
To appease video content makers and lure new video services to the App Store, Apple plans to cut the fees it charges streaming video apps, reports Bloomberg.
Apple normally takes a 30 percent cut of all App Store app purchases and subscriptions, but for subscription-based streaming video apps like Netflix and Hulu, Apple plans to cut its fee to 15 percent. Apple has already reduced the fees for some of its video partners, and will soon extend the 15 percent rate to all subscription video services that are integrated with the company’s upcoming TV app.
Apple’s hefty cut of sales made via its App Store has long angered partners, some of whom have accused the technology giant of anti-competitive behavior. The concessions speak to the growing importance of video to Apple, which next month will introduce a new app devoted to TV shows and movies.
For non-video subscription apps, Apple will continue to charge 30 percent, but will reduce that amount to 15 percent after an Apple customer has been subscribed to the service for a year, a change that was announced earlier this year.
Fee reduction rumors come as Apple is preparing to launch the aforementioned TV app, which will be available on both the fourth-generation Apple TV and iOS devices. Currently in beta testing, the TV app is designed to make it easier for users to find content to watch across multiple apps.
Because TV app is reliant on third-party content providers, it is in Apple’s best interest to lure as many content providers to its platform as possible for the best user experience.
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‘Super Mario Run’ arrives on iPhone and iPad December 15th
At the iPhone 7 event, Apple and Nintendo revealed that Mario would make his way to iOS devices this December. Well, today Nintendo revealed the exact date: December 15th. That’s the day Super Mario Run will be available to play on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The app can be downloaded for free, but you’ll only be able to play parts of the game’s three modes without handing over additional funds. To unlock the full game, you’ll have to pay $10.
When the time comes, Super Mario Run will be available in 151 countries (full list here) and 10 languages including English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian and traditional Chinese. If you happen to live in one of those locales, you’ll just need to make sure you have a device that runs iOS 8.0 or later in order to leap over obstacles, take on enemies and collect coins in a few weeks.
Don’t worry, Android faithful: Nintendo says you’ll get a chance to play the mobile game as well. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t announced when, just the vague “at some point in the future.”
Source: Nintendo (Business Wire)
Chinese media: Trump’s trade war will hurt Apple and Boeing
If the next president starts imposing trade tariffs on China, then he’s going to be harming America’s own companies. That’s the line from China’s Global Times, which has published an editorial theorizing potential responses to any future trade war. For instance, should the US follow through on promises on the campaign trail and block sales of Chinese products, the nation will retaliate in kind. For instance, China would ditch Boeing orders in favor of those from Airbus, or ban sales of Apple’s iPhone in the country where it’s manufactured.
It’s important to note, however, that while Global Times is a state-run outfit, it’s hardly the best venue for saber-rattling. If China really wanted to drop some not-so subtle warnings about international relations, it’d use Global Times’ parent the People’s Daily, or Xinhua News. This byline-free editorial is more of a rebuke to the accusation that China is a currency manipulator. The stuff about blocking the iPhone and Boeing seem to be baseless conjecture than anything else. Although, given how far baseless conjecture can get you these days, maybe we should worry.
Via: The Verge, The Guardian
Source: Global Times, (Chinese)
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