IS APPLE PLANNING A FOLDABLE IPHONE 8?

Next year marks the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, and Apple is widely thought to be planning something major for the double-digit birthday of its flagship product. And judging by a new patent awarded to Apple, the iPhone 8 may well confound even the most speculative of analysts.

Published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Monday, Apple’s latest patentdescribes a foldable iPhone concept that uses carbon nanotubes to allow the smartphone to fold completely in half.

Apple has been exploring the concept of foldable and bendable smartphones since 2013, with patents including a Flexible Electronic Device from 2015 that made use of flexible printed circuits, flexible batteries and flexible displays.

A patent for a foldable smartphone was awarded to Apple Tuesday by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

It is not the only smartphone manufacturer to be looking into such concepts, with chief rival Samsung filing dozens of patents relating to such technology. Whether or not any of them find their way into actual products remains to be seen, but the continued interest suggests the companies are serious about at least attempting to make the concept a reality.

The relatively anti-climactic launch of the iPhone 7 appears to be proof that Apple is switching to a three-year iPhone cycle. The Cupertino company previously took two years between full-model changes, however the device unveiled in September was more of an incremental upgrade of its predecessor, the iPhone 6s.

Industry analysts have pointed to a slowing market and limited advancements in smartphone functions as reasons for Apple’s switch.

Apple reported its first decline in iPhone sales earlier this year, with a 16 percent drop in it Q2 2016 results. CEO Tim Cook cited the pace of smartphone upgrades as a reason for the slump, saying the iPhone 6s was unable to match the “accelerated” upgrade cycle the company achieved when it launched the iPhone 6 in 2014.

Posted by Editorial Team on 12:34 AM in

Not everyone is hating on Apple’s new MacBook Pros

Based on a litany of widely-publicized complaints surrounding Apple’s newly unveiled MacBook Pros, you might be forgiven for thinking that Apple’s media event last week was nothing short of a disaster. Sure, Apple’s new MacBook Pro isn’t without its fair share of shortcomings, but the Touch Bar could very well prove to be a game-changing feature and many people are, in fact, excited about Apple’s recent revamp to its notebook lineup.

Earlier today, Apple executive Phil Schiller emphasized this point in an interview where he said that Apple’s online store “has had more orders for the new MacBook Pro than any other pro notebook before.” So while there is clearly a vocal contingent of developers and creative professionals who are disappointed with the new MacBook Pro, their position is far from universal.

Interestingly enough, a recent thread on Reddit, allegedly authored by someone working in Hollywood, relays that many folks within the industry are actually excited by Apple’s new MacBook Pros. Asking around for opinions on a few production sets, our fearless Redditor found that the recently unveiled Touch Bar may prove to be a huge selling point.

The thread reads in part:

I figured I’d ask around the movie and TV sets I am on and see what people think. People are overwhelmingly excited for these computers from every department down. I’m telling you, from set design, to wardrobe, to script supervisors, to casting departments, props, actors, down to 2nd ADs, PAs and extras people are all generally excited to get these new computers. I’ve also talked with friends in the apparel industry, and marketing and everyone seems to at worst be happy for a spec bump, and at best super excited to see what the touch bar will do for them in their workflow so if you’re wondering how at least entertainment industry professionals feel about them, they are all reacting pretty positively.

Nobody at all is talking about the great Microsoft migration, nobody is gawking at the price, nobody wishes the laptops were touch screen.

While far from a scientific survey, it’s an interesting read given the avalanche of backlash that Apple’s MacBook Pro has attracted over the last few days. What’s more, given reports that Apple in 2017 will reduce the price and introduce a MacBook Pro model that can handle 32GB of RAM, the current MacBook Pro controversy, like most other Apple-oriented controversies, will likely come and go without so much as making the tiniest of dents on Apple’s bottom line or reputation

Posted by Editorial Team on 12:30 AM in