Sunday, December 23, 2018

2019 iPhones: Everything We Know

Source: MacRumors.com

AT A GLANCE

  • Apple is expected to debut refreshed iPhones in September 2019, and rumors about the new devices are already circulating.

EARLY RUMORED FEATURES

  • Three sizes
  • OLED and LCD displays
  • Triple-lens rear camera
  • Upgraded TrueDepth camera
  • Apple Pencil support?
LAST UPDATED 2 weeks ago

    2019 iPhone Rumors



    Contents Upper Lower

    1. 2019 iPhone Rumors
    2. Possible Names
    3. Displays
    4. A13 Processor
    5. Rear Cameras
    6. Front-Facing TrueDepth Camera System
    7. Apple Pencil Support
    8. Future iPhones
    9. Launch Date
    2018 brought the iPhone XS (5.8 inches), the iPhone XS Max (6.5 inches), and the iPhone XR (6.1 inches). The two XS devices have higher price tags starting at $999, while the XR is priced starting at $749.

    We're expecting a similar lineup in 2019, perhaps with a continuation of both the iPhone XS and XR devices, with rumors suggesting we'll see 5.8 and 6.5-inch OLED iPhones along with a 6.1-inch LCD iPhone. We don't yet know what Apple will call the new iPhones, but iPhone XI or iPhone 11 are possibilities for the iPhone XS successors. Given that naming is up in the air, we're going to be referring to the upcoming iPhones as the "2019 iPhones" for now.
    Rumors about the 2019 iPhones started before the iPhone XS and XR were even announced, and we've heard quite a few details on what we can expect.
    Apple is expected to continue using OLED displays for the 2019 devices, and while some rumors suggest Apple may go with an all OLED lineup, doing away with the LED displays of the iPhone XR, other rumors believe Apple will stick with LEDs because of the high price of OLED displays.
    All 2019 iPhones are likely to adopt upgraded A13 chips from TSMC, Apple's chip supplier. Chip upgrades typically bring improved performance and efficiency, and the A13 will be no different.

    The iPhone XS and XS Max
    Multiple rumors have suggested Apple could be planning to use a triple-lens rear-facing camera setup in the 2019 iPhones, which may be able to capture detailed depth and distance information to enable TrueDepth-style augmented reality functionality.
    It's not entirely clear if this is Apple's plan, however, as at least one rumor suggests this technology is not the direction Apple plans to go. If Apple does include a triple-lens camera system in the 2019 iPhones, support for 3x optical zoom is a possibility, and improved image quality is a sure thing.
    We may also see a revamped front-facing TrueDepth camera system, with rumors suggesting either a smaller notch or no notch at all. It's not quite clear how Apple would pull that off, but there are some technologies that would allow for it.
    Apple eliminated 3D Touch in the iPhone XR, replacing it with a new Haptic Touch feature, and rumors have suggested the same thing could happen in the 2019 iPhone lineup, with 3D Touch set to be removed.
    There have been some rumors of Apple Pencil support in the 2019 iPhones, which would allow the devices to work with Apple's stylus, but we've heard nothing concrete just yet.
    Keep an eye on this roundup, because we'll be updating it regularly with all of the rumors about the 2019 iPhones ahead of their launch. We're expecting to see the 2019 devices debut in September 2019, in line with Apple's traditional yearly iPhone launch schedule.

    Possible Names

    Apple deviated from its standard naming scheme with the iPhone X (pronounced iPhone 10) in 2017, and in 2018, we got the iPhone XS and the iPhone XR. Apple went from iPhone 8 to iPhone XR (10R) and we never had an iPhone 9.


    With the jump to the "X" name, it's difficult to predict what Apple will call the 2019 iPhones. iPhone XI or iPhone 11 are both possibilities, but what comes after "XR" is a mystery we have yet to solve. Apple's iPhone names for the last 11 years are below:
    • 2007 - iPhone
    • 2008 - iPhone 3G
    • 2009 - iPhone 3GS
    • 2010 - iPhone 4 (new design)
    • 2011 - iPhone 4s
    • 2012 - iPhone 5 (new design)
    • 2013 - iPhone 5s
    • 2014 - iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (new design)
    • 2015 - iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
    • 2016 - iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
    • 2017 - iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X (new design)
    • 2018 - iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR
    • 2019 - iPhone XI and XI Max?
    Apple could opt to go with an entirely different name like it did with the iPhone X, and because Apple uses codenames for development, the company's naming schemes often remain unknown until right before new devices launch.
    With no clear picture of what Apple plans to name the devices that will launch in 2019, we will refer to them as the "2019 iPhones" until we get a clearer picture of the company's naming intentions.

    Displays

    For the last few years, Apple has been working to bolster its OLED display supply chain for diversification purposes and to cut down its reliance on Samsung, the company that has supplied displays for the iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.


    Apple has mulled a partnership with Japan Display, pushed LG Display to build out its OLED display production facilities, and has purchased equipment to build an OLED panel research and development site in Taiwan.
    The display of the OLED iPhone XS
    Apple is said to be aiming for an all OLED lineup at some point in the future, perhaps in 2019, but it's not clear if that will be possible given the high price of OLED displays.
    Rumors have disagreed on Apple's 2019 display plans, with some rumors pointing towards an all OLED display and other rumors suggesting Apple will continue to use some LCDs.
    It's likely the 2019 iPhone lineup will look like the 2018 lineup, with premium OLED devices offered alongside more affordable LCD options.
    Apple's 2019 iPhones could potentially be thinner and lighter due to the adoption of Samsung-designed OLED display technology called Y-OCTA, which integrates the touchscreen layer into the display panel.
    Given that the display panel is already a thin component, it's not clear how much thickness reduction we'll see, but apple is likely to use the technology due to its lower cost.

    3D TOUCH

    Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis, who has a somewhat mixed track record, has suggested that all 2019 iPhones will do away with 3D Touch. Apple did eliminate 3D Touch in the lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone XR, and the company could be planning to remove the feature entirely in the future. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max continue to offer support for 3D Touch at this time.

    A13 Processor

    TSMC will be the sole supplier of the next-generation "A13" ships that will be used in the 2019 iPhone lineup, and iPhones coming in the future. The A13 is expected to be built on TSMC's 7nm+ package with extreme ultraviolet lithography.


    The A13, like all chip upgrades, should bring performance and efficiency improvements.

    Rear Cameras

    Rumors suggest that Apple is working on 3D depth sensing technology for the rear-facing camera, which could come in 2019.


    Taiwan's Economic Daily News, for example, has suggested the 2019 iPhones will use a triple-lens rear-facing camera system that offers "more advanced" sensing than the front-facing TrueDepth camera system through a time-of-flight (ToF) depth sensing system.
    ToF systems use a laser to measure the light between the camera and the subject to calculate metrics like distance and depth, while the TrueDepth camera system uses a dot projection method.
    A mockup of a triple-lens camera system
    Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often accurately predicts Apple's plans, is skeptical that the 2019 iPhones will include more advanced depth-sensing features, however.
    Kuo believes that the distance and depth information provided by a time-of-flight system is currently insufficient for creating the "revolutionary AR experience" Apple is aiming for. He also does not believe it would provide better photos, which is another reason why Apple might not use the technology.
    According to Kuo, the AR experience Apple wants will require 5G connectivity, augmented reality glasses, and a "more powerful Apple Maps database," so more advanced depth sensing technology may not be introduced at this time.
    Regardless, Apple could introduce a triple-lens camera system for other purposes, with a triple-lens option able to offer up better low-light performance and optical 3x zoom for the first time.

    Front-Facing TrueDepth Camera System

    Rumors suggest Apple is planning to make changes to the front-facing TrueDepth Camera System that enables Face ID in the 2019 iPhones.


    Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes 2019 iPhones will feature a new flood illuminator that will improve Face ID by lowering the impact of the invisible light from the environment.
    Apple may be able to introduce a smaller notch by combining the front-facing camera and the Face ID sensors into a single face recognition module.

    The current TrueDepth camera system in the iPhone XR
    Another rumor suggests Apple could potentially introduce an iPhone design that will eliminate the notch entirely. It's not yet clear how Apple would accomplish this feat, but the report, from Korean news site ET News, suggests Apple could drill holes in the display itself for the camera equipment or use a patented multi-layer Black matrix display.
    Apple is said to be planning to introduce an upgraded TrueDepth Camera System with new AR related features in the 2019 iPhones that will consume more power, therefore requiring larger batteries.

    Apple Pencil Support

    Korean site The Investor, which does not have an established track record for accuracy, has suggested Apple is considering offering an Apple Pencil-style stylus alongside the 2019 iPhone models.


    It's not clear if this is accurate, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is reliable, has said that Apple Pencil support is a possibility for a future iPhone.

    Future iPhones

    We've heard several other rumors about features that could come to iPhones in the years beyond 2019.


    Apple and Intel are rumored to be working on 5G hardware for the widespread rollout of 5G technology, which is expected in 2020. Apple is said to be planning to roll out its first 5G iPhone in 2020 using modem chips sourced from Intel.
    5G network technology is expected to become available starting in 2019, but Apple does not plan to release a 5G iPhone until at least 2020, according to rumors. Apple will delay support for the feature as it has done with past network technology upgrades due to the potential for poor coverage and other issues.
    Apple may be delaying 5G support because it is no longer using Qualcomm modem chips and Intel's technology, which Apple is now using, won't be ready until 2019.
    Apple designers are said to be aiming to remove most of the external ports and buttons on the iPhone for a clean, streamlined device. Apple is expected to work towards this goal with each iPhone iteration, and the first port to go could be the Lightning port once wireless charging technology improves.
    LG's foldable display technology
    As for the more outlandish, Apple is said to be developing an iPhone with a foldable display in partnership with LG Display, with panel production for an iPhone with a folding display set to kick off in 2020. Apple is also said to be working on touchless gesture controls and curved screens, technologies that could launch within three years.

    Launch Date

    If Apple sticks with its standard yearly iPhone upgrade cycle, we will see the new 2019 iPhones in September 2019.




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    Friday, March 2, 2018

    FAQ - Apple File System (APFS)

    Source: Macworld


    With the release of macOS High Sierra and its upgrade for SSD-based startup volumes to Apple File System (APFS), Macworld readers had many questions about how this new filesystem—more efficient and reliable for SSDs—will interact with older Macs, hard drives, networked filesharing, and more. Here are the answers.

    Many questions revolve around a concern that files stored on an APFS-formatted volume won’t be readable or usable elsewhere. Generally, a filesystem structure only affects the way in which documents are stored on a drive. When the files are retrieved, they’re independent of that format and can handled just as they would in any other case, like downloading a file from a website.
    Table of Contents

    If you clone your drive routinely, make a full clone before you upgrade, because otherwise you won’t be able to revert on an APFS drive to a previous system that uses HFS+. It also gives you a clean revert position in case of an upgrade failure.

    Table of Contents

    Can I opt to not install APFS?

    Table of Contents
    No. It’s mandatory on SSDs when you upgrade to High Sierra. Fusion drive support (Apple’s hybrid SSD and HDD combo) is coming and, we assume, mandatory with the upgrade that carries it.





    Is APFS a reason to avoid upgrading to High Sierra for now?

    Table of Contents
    Opinions vary. It’s an entirely new filesystem if you have an SSD startup drive, and I generally recommend most people wait until there’s a “dot” release, in this case 10.13.1 or even 10.13.2, to ensure any glitches found by early adopters are fixed without you living through the experience. (Since some games and software, like Adobe InDesign, isn’t working correctly with High Sierra at the moment, that’s another reason to delay.)

    Once High Sierra upgrades my startup volume APFS, can I revert to HFS+?

    Table of Contents
    A reader having problems after upgrading to High Sierra wonders if APFS is the problem and, if so, can they revert? You can’t: High Sierra doesn’t have a back-out mechanism.
    You should make a clone (see next entry) if you want to have the option to revert back to Sierra. This will require wiping the drive, reformatting it, and then restoring the clone.

    Can I use cloning software to back up my drive?

    Table of Contents
    Yes, but with provisos. Folks who develop cloning software for macOS are on the front lines of coping with these changes. Dave Nanian of Shirt Pocket, makers of SuperDuper, has a beta release out (free to existing owners) that supports APFS volumes, but on his blog he advises general users against upgrading yet. Bombich’s Carbon Copy Cloner, the other popular drive cloning app, has a release version that supports APFS, but notes (as Shirt Pocket does) that Apple has left some features undocumented, and has a long list of resources to read before upgrading.

    If you clone your drive routinely, make a full clone before you upgrade, because otherwise you won’t be able to revert on an APFS drive to a previous system that uses HFS+. It also gives you a clean revert position in case of an upgrade failure.
    You should also upgrade your clone target to APFS for reasons of like-to-like compatibility, and if you want to have a bootable High Sierra volume. It’s not mandatory, but it’s a good idea. (See below on converting external drives.)
    I would advise people who rely on clones as one leg of their backup process—something I strongly recommend—delaying High Sierra until both major clone-software companies express satisfaction with the state of documentation and stability on their blogs.

    How do I move data from an APFS volume to a non-APFS volume or an older Mac?

    Table of Contents
    You’ve got many, many choices:
    • Attach an HFS+ (or other supported format) external drive to your Mac, and copy files to that drive. Eject that drive and move it to the other Mac.
    • Turn filesharing on for your High Sierra Mac, and mount it as a volume on the older Mac.
    • Use AirDrop. (It sometimes works!)
    • Use Dropbox, SFTP, SMB, email, or any other networked file transmission technology to mount a remote volume, sync with a directory, or send a file or files. (APFS drives apparently can’t be shared over the now-outdated Apple Filing Protocol.)

    Will Apple stop supporting HFS+?

    Table of Contents
    Not for many years, because of the tens of millions of systems out there. It would be foolhardy and it’s unnecessary. It will likely provide more and more reasons in future releases for external drives to move to APFS, like requiring APFS drives for Time Machine. But I can’t imagine that HFS+ will be unmountable in macOS anytime in the next three years, and it will very likely remain possible for years after that—although Apple could only support read-only HFS+ mounting at that point.
    Effectively, Apple would want the large majority of Macs in use to be capable of being upgraded to at least Sierra, which can read and write APFS volumes, before it stopped including read/write HFS+ support.

    Should I upgrade my external volumes to APFS?

    Table of Contents
    You can upgrade external drives that use either SSDs or hard drives, but not Fusion drives. However, there are no advantages for hard drives, so I would recommend against it.
    If you have an external SSD that is only used for storage, the advantage is likely not high enough to give up compatibility if you ever think you would want to remove that external SSD and use it with a pre-Sierra Mac. See our instructions on using Disk Utility to upgrade an external SSD. 
    There’s also some concern with how High Sierra’s initial release handles external drives that have encryption enabled, a feature that’s separate from FileVault, which only encrypts the startup volume.

    Should I turn on encryption on an external HFS+ drive in High Sierra?

    Table of Contents
    No! Apparently, an unexpected behavior in this first release is that using the Finder-based option to encrypt a mounted physical drive converts HFS+ drives to APFS without warning. (That’s when you select a volume, right-click, and choose Encrypt “Drive Name.”)

    Can I mount an APFS volume on a Mac running an older version of macOS than High Sierra?

    Only Sierra, which can read and write APFS volumes. While Apple says in its APFS FAQ, “For example, a USB storage device formatted as APFS can be read by a Mac using High Sierra, but not by a Mac using Sierra or earlier,” this seems incorrect, as we’d heard from other Mac experts that Sierra could. We tested with a USB-connected SSD drive, and we can read and write to an APFS partition.
    One reader asked if Apple might release a compatibility upgrade for pre-Sierra OS X and macOS releases to allow them to mount APFS externally. My definitive answer is also no (though I don’t know Apple’s mind). APFS is a fundamental reworking of the filesystem, which requires extensive changes to the OS. I can’t see a trivial way to allow this to propagate backwards, even if Apple were in the habit of releasing upgrades for older macOS releases except for security reasons or Safari updates.
    A third-party might be able to use the APFS spec to allow mounting such volumes, but there seems to be little market for what would be an expensive product to develop and support only for an ever-smaller number of users of older macOS flavors who also had upgraded boot or external drives in High Sierra or later releases to use APFS.

    Apple says encryption is built into APFS. Can I turn FileVault off?

    Table of Contents
    No. Apple tries to simplify security explanations, and I fear the way it has marketed APFS may confuse people, since a few readers have already asked this. With HFS+, the long-running previous format, encryption was applied as a layer external to the format. This required more intermediation between the operating system and the underlying files when FileVault was enabled.
    With APFS, encryption is an inherent property that can be turned on and negotiated at the filesystem level. That should make it less likely that things could go wrong, and should be more efficient. As a FileVault user, don’t disable the feature, but you shouldn’t notice any differences in everyday use.

    Are my Time Machine backups of an APFS volume also in APFS format?

    Table of Contents
    No. HFS+, APFS, FAT32, and other formats affect how data is laid out in a disk partition. It doesn’t affect information read from a drive. If your Time Machine drive has HFS+ partitions, those will remain in HFS+ format.
    Apple says that a feature of APFS allows creating snapshots of an entire file system at a given moment in time, which Time Machine will rely on in High Sierra for mobile backups, which are the interim Time Machine versions stored on your computer when it’s not connected to a Time Machine volume or network with a Time Machine server or Time Capsule on it.

    If I have APFS on all my iOS devices and Macs, are iCloud files now encrypted at a device level?

    Table of Contents
    Readers wondered if APFS’s ability to use encryption natively meant that files were stored in a different fashion when synced among devices all connected to iCloud. They are not. iCloud remains encrypted in transit and among your devices, but Apple holds all the encryption keys for contacts, events, photos, mail, and other data that you can access at iCloud.com when you log in.
    iCloud Keychain remains encrypted end-to-end by devices. The new facial-identification sync system in iOS 11 and High Sierra also syncs via iCloud, but is encrypted in a fashion in which Apple doesn’t have a way to decrypt the data in transit.
    Device-based storage (data encrypted at rest) can’t per se be end-to-end, because it has to be decrypted and read to be acted upon by the local device, like a Mac. End-to-end encryption is typically between the operating system acting upon data on your device and another operating system on the other end at a destination.

    Ask Mac 911

    We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered.


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    Tuesday, February 27, 2018

    Apple Leak 'Confirms' iPhone Range Changes

    Source: forbes.com

    I’m ready to call it. Following leaks from two of the most reliable Apple tipsters, we now have a third from arguably the biggest of them all confirmingApple’s 2018 iPhone line-up will feature its most radical changes yet… In a new report, Bloomberg’s rightly acclaimer leaker Mark Gurman both backs up and expands upon the recent discoveries from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s upgraded iPhone X SE and MacRumors’ production factory scoop.


    Concept Creator
    iPhone X 2018 concept by Concept Creator showing a reduced notch
    Here’s what we learn:

    A New iPhone “Model For Everyone”

    Perhaps Apple’s most daring move will be what Gurman describes as a cheaper (but larger) variant of the iPhone X which the company believes will be “a model for everyone”. It will have a 6.1-inch bezel-less display, Face ID and a top of the range A12 chipset but the screen will be LCD rather than OLED and the edges will be aluminium rather than stainless steel.
    I’ve previously dubbed this model the ‘iPhone X SE’ but it is expected to cost as much as an iPhone 8 ($699) while Apple is not expected to retain the budget iPhone SE or introduce any new models based on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus designs.
    Gurman says Apple hopes the iPhone X SE will “rekindle” iPhone sales after the company was (secretly) disappointed that iPhone X sales were lower than analyst expectations last quarter.
    The “Largest iPhone Ever”
    Apple’s next big move according to Gurman is a 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus (codename ‘D33’), which was also backed up by MacRumors and Ming-Chi Kuo. This will overtake the 5.8-inch iPhone X as the new flagship model and have all its premium features (OLED, stainless steel edges, dual rear camera, etc) in a larger form factor with a bigger battery.
    Benajmin Geskin

    Apple iPhone 2018 expected range


    Gurman’s says Apple will increase the screen resolution of the iPhone X to 2688 x 1242 pixels for iPhone X Plus, the highest in any iPhone. He also says Apple is currently considering introducing dual sim support on the iPhone X Plus and the second generation iPhone X (codename ‘D32’). This would make it easy to switch carriers, for example, when travelling. He does warn:
    “Apple hasn't made a final decision on including the feature and could choose to wait for E-SIM technology, which will connect phones to multiple networks without the need for a removable chip. Apple has wanted to offer E-SIM technology, but some carriers are resistant to the idea and Apple needs their support. A dual-SIM capability would provide a compromise.”
    Gurman expects Apple to add a gold colour option to the new iPhone X and iPhone X Plus. That’s appropriate given their potentially jaw-dropping new price tags.

    Production Runs Already Underway

    Lastly, tying in nicely with MacRumors’ aforementioned iPhone factory leak,Gurman says Apple has already started production test runs of its 2018 iPhones. This should mean Apple avoids repeating the chaotic launch of the iPhone X, which only went on sale six weeks after the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus and in limited quantities for the critical pre-Christmas shopping period.
    So yes, Apple is making iPhones a lot bigger in 2018 and a lot more expensive at each price point (potentially up to $1,400). Consequently, the million dollar question is: if supply won’t be a problem in 2018, will Apple finally pass a cost threshold where finding buyers is...?
    ___

    More On Forbes


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