Week 2, September 2021
“Don’t delude yourself into thinking something’s working when it’s not, or you’re gonna get fixated on a bad solution.” — Elon Musk
● Heart Analyzer for iPhone and Apple Watch is one of the best and most powerful ways to visualize the health data collected by your Apple Watch. A new update to Heart Analyzer today brings a variety of new features and enhancements to the app, including new Heart Reports, a redesigned Heart Home, and more.
2. Germany wants Apple to update and repair iPhones for 7 years
● A new environmental responsibility proposal from the German government to the European Union says Apple should require security updates and spare parts for iPhone for at least seven years. According to Heise Online, Germany’s Ministry of Economics also wants spare parts provided “at a reasonable price.”
3. Apple Products Could See ‘Noticeable’ Price Rises Amid Increased Chip Costs
● Apple will need to pay more for the chips in its devices and may pass rising costs on to its customers. TSMC, Apple’s main chip supplier, is in the process of increasing its prices following wider inflation in the industry caused by the global chip supply shortage. The company’s planned price rises are said to be the most substantial chip price hikes in a decade.
4. iPhone sales in India expected to grow by over 50% this year
● Analysts expect iPhone sales in India to grow by more than 50% year-on-year, up from under $2B in Apple’s 2019/2020 financial year to around $3B by the end of the current financial year. iPhone production in India has also increased dramatically since 2017.
5. Hands-on: Here’s how Background Sounds work in iOS 15
● Ahead of WWDC in June, Apple announced Background Sounds would be coming to iOS to help users find focus, calm, and rest. Now in the iOS 15 beta, the feature is available to test out. Read along for how to use iPhone Background Sounds in iOS 15, what you get, what you don’t, and more.
6. Report: iPhone 13 satellite features will only be available in select markets, more
● Last week, a reliable Apple analyst said Apple would support LEO satellite communications with iPhone 13, then, Bloomberg gave more details about the feature and its implementation. Now, in his Power On newsletter, the journalist goes a little bit further and says satellite features will be available only in select markets.
● While reports have suggested the Apple Watch Series 7 is facing production issues, Apple is reportedly still planning to announce the new device alongside the iPhone 13 as soon as next week. According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to move forward with the announcement, but that the Apple Watch Series 7 will be available in severely limited quantities at launch.
8. Roundup: AirPods 3 could launch this month; here’s what we know so far
● AirPods 3 are rumored to launch alongside the new iPhone 13 as well as the Apple Watch Series 7 this month. After a year full of rumors, here’s what to expect from Apple’s next-generation AirPods.
9. First look: How reactions in WhatsApp for iOS will work
● Almost two weeks since WABetainfo was able to discover that WhatsApp’s working on reactions to its messenger app, let’s have a closer look at it.
10. Users can now transfer WhatsApp chats from iPhone to Android, but this requires a cable
● WhatsApp recently announced that users would finally be able to transfer their chat history between iOS and Android devices, starting with Samsung Galaxy smartphones. While this feature was already available in WhatsApp Beta for some users, the transfer option has now been made available to everyone — but it requires nothing less than a cable.
