Apple

Original paywalled article: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/Semiconductors/Apple-Samsung-to-invest-in-Arm-as-it-eyes-September-IPO

Apple plans to invest in British chip design company Arm when owner Softbank Group floats its shares in an initial public offering on the Nasdaq in September, reports Nikkei Asia.

The chip designer's market capitalization by that time is expected to be more than $60 billion, which would make it the world's biggest initial public offering so far this year.

Consumer tech has faced scrutiny over the years around "planned obsolescence": making devices so difficult to repair that shoppers have to buy new products and toss devices sooner than they'd like. Now, one do-it-yourself-er is on a mission to prove that it doesn't have to be this way. And he's starting with the (original) Apple AirPods Pro.

Ken Pillonel is no stranger to tweaking popular designs in the name of user convenience and sensibility. We've covered other projects of his, like a $38 part for making the AirPods Pro case self-serviceable and support USB-C, and adding Apple's Lightning port to a Samsung Galaxy A51. He has also modded the iPhone to use USB-C.

Today, the technologist revealed his latest concoction: an AirPods Pro case with a user-replaceable battery, USB-C port, and open source designs.

The original AirPods Pro received a 0 out of 10 repairability score from iFixit, which at the time said: "While theoretically semi-serviceable, the non-modular, glued-together design and lack of replacement parts makes repair both impractical and uneconomical."

Pillonel's take on the AirPods Pro case, which is detailed on his YouTube channel Exploring Simulation, included him modeling each case component and putting the case together with screws and nuts, "making them easily swappable and repairable," according to Pillonel's press release.

In an email, Pillonel told Ars Technica that his design's most repairable feature is the lack of glue.

"The main difficulty with the original case is removing what I call the 'outer shell,' so the [shiny] white outer plastic. Most people end up permanently deforming it because it's just basically a ball of glue," he said.

There is a small amount of glue in his own design, though, Pillonel told The Verge. It's used to keep some magnets put, but it's "cyanoacrylate glue that can easily be removed by soaking it with acetone, unlike Apple's green glue, which feels like concrete."

By ditching most of the glue, it should be easier to open the case when it needs a new battery instead of wasting money and resources on a new case, which is what Apple has advised.

Pillonel told Ars that he chose the first-gen AirPods Pro, rather than the second-gen AirPods Pro or non-Pro models, for this project because of its popularity and because he had already studied the product to make and sell his aforementioned USB-C kit, which required modeling every single part of the case and "is a lot of work."

"I don't plan to do the same for the other models," he added. "I will just model the outer shell for the other models, which already improves repairability greatly. I do plan to do a similar project for the earbuds themselves."

The Verge quoted Pillonel as saying it's challenging to make repairable earbuds because of how small they are and what tools he currently has access to. He hasn't been able to open the second-gen AirPods Pro case without damage.

In his press release, Pillonel said his goal is to demonstrate how the AirPods Pro "could have been easily made repairable with minimal effort" and to encourage customers "to be more mindful of their choices, and to motivate manufacturers to prioritize sustainability."

As with some of his previous projects, Pillonel's latest work casts a stark spotlight on Apple, a tech conglomerate that has not, or will not, release a set of AirPod earbuds that don't require buying a whole new case when a part of eventually dies (as you knew it would).

For this particular mission, Pillonel shared the parts he used, which included pricier machines, like a 3D printer, laser marking machine, and digital camera, as well as more easily attainable ones, like a $70 PCB holder. Surely, if a YouTuber could scrounge up the funds for the tools, Apple could, too. Of course, Apple would be challenged to find a way to figure out how to make any user-repairable product at a much larger scale than Pillonel.

It's worth remembering that Apple has made some recent progress in making its products more user-repairable, including launching its Self Service Repair program in 2022, but so far, that program only applies to some iPhone and Mac models.

Pillonel has made his files available for ProtonMail users for free through his Patreon. Beware that messing with an official AirPods Pro will void any Apple warranty. And this isn't the type of project you should embark on if you're not handy or haven't engaged in self-repairs like this before.

For everyone else, or anyone just curious about what it takes to make a user-repair-friendly AirPods Pro case, you can view Pillonel's video below:

Apple currently includes these cities on its list of locations that support the detailed city experience in Maps:

Atlanta, GA
Berlin, Germany
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Hamburg, Germany
Las Vegas, NV
London, United Kingdom
Los Angeles, CA
Melbourne, Australia
Miami, FL
Montréal, Canada
Munich, Germany
New York, NY
Paris, France
Philadelphia, PA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Seattle, WA
Sydney, Australia
Toronto, Canada
Vancouver, Canada
Washington, DC

Apple Inc.'s main supplier, Foxconn Technology Group, is planning to invest close to $500 million to build two component factories in India as part of a steady diversification from China.

At least one of the factories that the Taiwanese company plans to construct in the southern Karnataka state will produce Apple parts, including for iPhones, people familiar with the matter said. A formal announcement is expected as early as this week, the people said, declining to be named as the matter is not public.

Apple Inc.'s main supplier, Foxconn Technology Group, is planning to invest close to $500 million to build two component factories in India as part of a steady diversification from China.

At least one of the factories that the Taiwanese company plans to construct in the southern Karnataka state will produce Apple parts, including for iPhones, people familiar with the matter said. A formal announcement is expected as early as this week, the people said, declining to be named as the matter is not public.The exact location of these new plants is yet to be decided.

Apple didn't immediately reply to a request for comment. Foxconn didn't respond to an email for comment. The Karnataka state government didn't respond to a request for comment outside of business hours.

Separately, Foxconn has also signed an initial agreement with the southern Tamil Nadu government to set up a component plant with an investment of 16 billion rupees ($195 million), the state's industries ministry said Monday. The project planned at Kancheepuram district is likely to generate about 6,000 jobs.

Apple suppliers such as Foxconn have ramped up business in India over the past few years thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's incentives to boost local manufacturing. States such as Karnataka have also wooed companies with quick decision making, cutting down on red tape and throwing in subsidies.

Foxconn's moves in India highlight how the South Asian nation has fast become a popular destination for manufacturers scouting for an alternative to China amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing. It's also the result of a shift in the global supply chain that accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and could reshape the way electronics are made.

The new component factory plans are in addition to $700 million that Foxconn is investing to build a plant on a 300-acre site close to the airport in Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, Bloomberg previously reported. The plant is likely to assemble iPhones and expected to create about 100,000 jobs.

Foxconn's sprawling iPhone assembly complex in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou

currently the world's biggest source of Apple's marquee gadget

employs some 200,000, though that number surges during peak production season.

Output at the Zhengzhou plant plunged ahead of the year-end 2022 holidays due to Covid-related disruptions, one of several factors spurring Apple to re-examine its China-reliant supply chain.

Foxconn’s decision suggests suppliers may move capacity out of China far faster than expected and is a coup for Modi’s government, which sees an opportunity to close India’s tech gap with China as Western investors and corporations sour on Beijing’s volatile regulations, slowing economy and US trading restrictions.

Multiple proposed charging cases would see the accessory worn around the neck

If Apple's research pans out, the familiar puck-shaped AirPods charging case could be joined by versions that can be worn like a necklace or bracelet.

The whole point of AirPods and AirPods Pro is that they are so light and small that it feels as if the music is surrounding you. But while that's excellent when the earbuds are in your ear, they are also so small once you take them out, you are at risk of misplacing them.

That's one reason they come in a charging case, so that you know where you've put them. Plus, of course, the charging case is key to making AirPods last a decent amount of time.

Only, you do have to remember to put the AirPods back in the case

and even when you do, the current charging case isn't exactly massive and unmissable, either.

Hence the newly-granted patent for a "Wireless Headphone Accessory." Despite the singular title, this patent covers multiple different charging options, though all are intended to solve the same issues.

"While some portable electronic devices can be carried in a pocket or a purse, some activities do not permit the use of pockets or purses to store an electronic device," it says. "For example, some portable electronic devices are commonly used to listen to music while a user of the portable electronic device is jogging or otherwise exercising."

"Accessories for portable electronic devices having features to retain the portable electronic device to the user, however, are traditionally bulky and may be uncomfortable, or may not provide certain desired features, such as charging capabilities," it continues. "Thus, improvements and advances to accessories for electronic devices can be desirable to reliably retain the electronic device in a convenient form factor while providing other desired features."

Presumably smaller AirPods in the future could be stored on a strangely proportioned key ring

What Apple is looking for is a way that a wearer can readily store their AirPods while not in use. And its proposed solutions begin with the chunky necklace.

"As shown, the accessory can include a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion," says Apple. "The first and second receiving portions can be physically connected to one another by a housing portion."

"In some examples, some or all of the housing portion can be flexible or bendable and can be referred to as a flexible portion," it continues. "In some examples, however, the first and second receiving portions can be directly connected to one another, or can even be encompassed or at least partially contained within a housing..."

The first example neck brace illustrated is an open U-shape, where an earbud is slotted into each of the two ends. That rather leaves the earbuds at risk of dropping out, though, so another suggestion is for the U to become more like a large O

a necklace rather than a neck brace

where the two ends fasten together.

Apple's patent then explores many finely different versions of this idea, including one where there are lights to show the charging level. A seemingly much smaller accessory could be used to attach AirPods to a regular keyring.

That is a chest-worn AirPod relaying a phone call to a user, but that is not a regulation Starfleet uniform.

Then one final option is that an AirPods charging accessory could "looped around an article of clothing, accessory, body part or appendage of a user, or any other object as desired to retain the accessory thereon."

That leads most obviously to a suggestion of a bracelet, but Apple also suggests that the "accessory can be passed through or around a strap or portion of a backpack being worn by the user."

Apple concludes with a proposal that a charging case that affixes to clothing could also be used as a very specific, very directional speaker.

"By producing or amplifying directional sound as shown, the accessory can allow the user to hear the sound while other people, even those standing directly next to the user, may not be able to hear the sound," says Apple. "In this way, a user can, for example, continue a phone call being conducted through earbuds when the earbuds are in the accessory and can still maintain a desired level of privacy."

This patent is credited to nine inventors, including Kristen L. Cretella. Her previous related work includes research into making a device remarkably like a "Star Trek" communicator badge.

Korean-language based The Elec reports that Samsung Display was granted approval on August 1, ahead of rivals LG Display and BOE. LG Display, which is supplying OLED panels for both iPhone 15 Pro models, has received conditional approval for the smaller iPhone 15 Pro, with formal approval for the iPhone 15 Pro Max expected in a month or two. BOE, which is supplying OLED displays for the standard iPhone 15 and larger iPhone 15 Plus, is still awaiting conditional approval from Apple.

Rumors have suggested that the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max will have slimmer bezels than the iPhone 14 Pro models, and that this decrease in bezel size is creating manufacturing issues. LG Display in particular is said to have had setbacks in implementing the smaller bezels, and both LG and BOE have faced difficulties in adding cutouts for the Dynamic Island, with the latter supplier highly likely to miss shipments for the rest of the year as a result. BOE has subsequently had to hand over initial OLED shipments to Samsung, which is now expected to achieve higher shipments in 2023 than previously expected.

Although LG Display did not receive mass production approval in time, industry observers have suggested LG's losses may be limited due to other production disruptions that have occurred on the camera module supply side. Image sensors for the iPhone 15 series are being mainly supplied by Sony, while the folded zoom components for the Periscope lens on the Pro Max model are coming from LG Innotek. However, the production yield of both components is said to have fallen below expectations.

According to the report, Apple is likely to be prioritizing production of the 6.1-inch Pro model over the 6.7-inch Pro Max, which is currently experiencing the most production disruption, in order to guarantee a 50-60% supply of Pro models this year. Despite the disruptions, a report from The Information suggests Apple will still release all iPhone 15 models in September as expected, although there could be a limited number of iPhone 15 Pro Max devices available in the first weeks after launch.

Elon Musk recently put an end to Larry Bird, which is the name of the iconic bird in Twitter's logo. Last week, Twitter officially rebranded to X and got a new logo. Although the iOS app was updated days later to match the new identity, the App Store page still mentioned "Twitter" due to one of Apple's guidelines. But it seems Apple has now made an exception for Musk, as the App Store page has been updated and Twitter is now X there.

Twitter is now X in the iOS App Store

As noted by multiple users, the Twitter page in the App Store now shows the name "X" without any additional words or characters. The change has caught the attention of many developers as App Store Connect requires the name shown in the App Store to have at least two characters. That means there's no official way to launch an app with a single letter or number as its name.

Interestingly, the App Store Guidelines don't explicitly mention such a restriction. According to terms 2.3.7 of the App Store Review Guidelines, app names "must be limited to 30 characters," but there's nothing about a minimum limit. However, in practice, Apple doesn't let developers submit an app named with a single character.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the name shown on the iOS Home Screen can be a single character long, but not the marketing name shown in the App Store. Apple ended up making an exception for Elon Musk, probably because of the notability of the platform. But it's hard to imagine that the company would do the same for any other small developer.

9to5Mac's Take

The move from Twitter to X has been quite controversial. Not only because of Musk's questionable decision to kill off one of the world's most famous brands, but also because it seems to have been a last-minute decision.

A week after the change, X's app and website still mention Twitter everywhere. The company's paid subscription is still called Twitter Blue, as is Twitter Spaces. The platform is still slowly replacing terms like "tweet" with "post," which makes it clear that the rebrand wasn't carefully planned.

cross-posted from: https://lemdro.id/post/198257

Last month, 9to5Mac exclusively shared the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro design with basic CAD images. Since then, we’ve been working to gather more exclusive details from MFi accessory makers, new detailed CAD obtained by 9to5Mac’s Max Weinbach, and other sources.

All of this information has been corroborated by multiple sources, and we are confident that this is your best look yet at iPhone 15 Pro.