Apple to receive yet another class-action lawsuit for its screen cracking M1 MacBook design

Posted on by Roland Udvarlaki

We heard several reports of the M1 MacBook Pro displays cracking very easily, and now a class-action lawsuit is being prepared against Apple.

The post Apple to receive yet another class-action lawsuit for its screen cracking M1 MacBook design appeared first on Pocketnow.

iPad and MacBook production faces delay as global chip shortage hits Apple

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

Looks like the global semiconductor crunch has finally hit Apple. As per a report by Nikkei Asia, the production of some MacBooks and iPads has been delayed owing to the worldwide chip shortage that has put the automobile as well as consumer electronics industry under severe stress. As the demand has shot up and continues to outweigh the supply, Apple faces a tough task ahead as the company prepares a highly anticipated slate of products that includes redesigned Macs with in-house silicon, upgraded iPad Pro models with a new display technology, and of course, the upcoming iPhone 13 family.

“Chip shortages have caused delays in a key step in MacBook production — the mounting of components on printed circuit boards before final assembly — sources briefed on the matter told Nikkei Asia. Some iPad assembly, meanwhile, was postponed because of a shortage of displays and display components, sources said.
As a result of the delay, Apple has pushed back a portion of component orders for the two devices from the first half of this year to the second half, the people said.”

As per the publication’s sources, the production of iPads has also been postponed due to the shortage of displays and display components. In MacBook’s production, the step of mounting the components on printed circuit boards just before the final assembly is being affected. Hence, Apple is now pushing back a part of its component orders for both products from the first half of this year to the second half.

So far, iPhones have remained immune to the chip supply woes

However, it is unclear if the production delay concerns only iPad and Macbook models that are already on the shelves, or if the semiconductor shortage has also affected the production of the yet-to-be-launched models too. And even though the production of iPhones has not been hit, the report mentions that the supply of some components is ‘quite tight.’ As per a Bloomberg report from earlier this month, ‘the tightened supply of Qualcomm AP chips produced by TSMC is affecting everybody except Apple.’

iPhone 12

Apple is known to have a solid supply chain control mechanism, and also commands a ‘priority client’ status. And that means it is among the few big brands with the luxury of a steady component supply while smaller names are hit by upheaval in the notoriously complex semiconductor industry. Foxconn, Apple’s key manufacturing partner, revealed earlier in March that its shipments will reduce by 10% due to the global chip shortage. 

Key Apple supplier Foxconn has already announced 10% cutdown in shipments

Industry sources believe that delays are a sign that the chip shortage is growing more serious, which could in turn, impact smaller tech firms even more adversely. So far, the production of iPhones has not been affected by the supply shortage. The report goes on to say that the component shortage remains a supply chain issue for Apple, but it hasn’t yet had an impact on product availability for consumers.

“We really don’t see an end to this shortage, and things could be even worse, looking ahead to the end of the June quarter, as some smaller tech players could run out of some critical inventories to build their products and need to scale back production,” said Wallace Gou, president and CEO of Silicon Motion, a NAND flash memory controller chip developer that supplies Samsung, Western Digital, Micron, Kingston and many others. If you’re looking for an in-depth take on the ongoing semiconductor crunch and how it is affecting everything from phones to cars, read this excellent Bloomberg explanation.

(Nadeem Sarwar contributed to this article.)

The post iPad and MacBook production faces delay as global chip shortage hits Apple appeared first on Pocketnow.

We could soon see iPads and MacBooks with OLED displays

Posted on by Samuel Martinez

This seems like a bold statement, given that we are still waiting for Apple to give us mine LED displays on the upcoming iPad Pro and a possible MacBook Pro refresh. However, DigiTimes’ latest information claims that Apple won’t take that long to transition to new OLED displays.

It seems that we may get new iPad and MacBook devices with OLED displays as soon as next year. This isn’t the first time that we get information suggesting that Apple would adopt OLED displays on its future iPad Pro models since they started to pop up here and there during the final months of 2020. We can even track these rumors back to May 2019, when we received the first rumors claiming that the 16-inch MacBook Pro was going to feature OLED displays from Samsung.

As of today, Apple is still using LCD displays on both MacBooks and iPads, and we are still waiting for a possible Apple event that may deliver the first iPad Pro with a mini-LED display that’s supposed to help the tablet to give us improved brightness, and power management. Still, this new feature is said to be exclusive for the larger 12.9-inch variant, so it could be the perfect experiment to see if these new displays will also be good enough to come in the new 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh and the new rumored 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Who knows, maybe a future iPad Pro refresh will give us a mini-LED display on the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro, while the 12.9-inch variant makes the jump to OLED, and the same thing could happen with the MacBook Pro models. Now, that wouldn’t be the only improvement we may get, as it is believed that Apple will continue its transition to Apple Silicon, but only time will tell if these new upgrades arrive in 2022.

Source MacRumors

Via DigiTimes

The post We could soon see iPads and MacBooks with OLED displays appeared first on Pocketnow.

Apple now shows repairability score for iPhones and MacBooks on its website in France

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

Apple has slapped a repairability score badge to iPhones and MacBook models listed on its official website in France, in compliance with a new law that asks companies (especially consumer electronics makers) to reveal the important score. As per rules drafted by France’s Ministere De La Transition Ecologique, the country is targeting a net repairability of 60% for all electronics and electric appliances sold in the country within the next five years. This rule is part of a broader environmental initiative that targets everything from a ban on single-use plastic and more effective recycling of e-waste to telling consumers how much their data usage and digital consumption is contributing to greenhouse gas emission.

The move aims to boost the practice of repairing products, rather than throwing them in a bin

Coming to the repairability score for Apple devices, it is shown as a green label towards the bottom right corner as you scroll down on the shop page. For example, as you can see in the image above, the iPhone 12 Pro has been awarded a repairability score of 6/10. You can find the complete list of iPhones and MacBook models for which repairability scores have been calculated and are now shown on the Apple website here.

READ MORE: iPhone 13 could arrive with better 5G support thanks to Qualcomm
Repairability score breakdown for iPhone 12 Mini (Tap to view full-sized image)

Interestingly, the iPhone 11 has been given a repairability score of 4.6/10, while the older iPhone X sits above it with a repairability score of 4.8/10. The MacBook Pro (13-inch, A2338) stands at 5.6/10, while the MacBook Pro (16-inch, A2141) ranked significantly higher with a repairability score of 6.3/10. Apple’s support page says that these repairability scores have been created for the standard configuration of products to align with a French law that aims to reduce e-waste.

READ MORE: 14-inch MacBook Pro to arrive with mini-LED display and more?

The process of awarding a repairability score might be a tad skewed

However, the process by which repairability index is awarded to a product can’t be called 100% non-biased, as certain parameters that go into calculating the final score are rated by manufacturers themselves. As per the official manual that details the whole process of calculating repairability index, it depends on factors such as availability of detailed and easy to understand documentation, ease (of disassembly, accessibility, tools, fasteners), availability of spare parts, pricing of spare parts, and certain product-specific criterion.

The post Apple now shows repairability score for iPhones and MacBooks on its website in France appeared first on Pocketnow.

Pocketnow Daily: M1X MacBook Leaks: EVERYTHING We Wanted? (video)

Posted on by Samuel Martinez

Gaming monitors, Marshall Bluetooth speakers, and more accessories are on sale

iPhone 11 Pro, OnePlus 8T, Galaxy S21 and more phones on sale today

Looking for gaming peripherals? There’s a ton of Razer deals available right now

And yes, let’s end the week, as we end ever week, with Deals, and it actually begins with the ones you should not let go by. The Galaxy S21, S21+, the Ultra and every product we got at Unpacked is still available for pre-orders with huge savings. For example, if you get the Galaxy S21 it is available for just $99 and the S21+ for $299, if you have an eligible device for trade-in and you also get $100 or $150 respectively in instant credit for accessories and 6 months of Spotify. In the case of the S21 Ultra, that one is available for just $499, with up to $200 in instant credit, a smart tag, and 4 months of YouTube Premium. I know, it’s crazy. If you’re looking to protect your new Galaxy, SUPCASE is still our go-to choice for rugged cases and we’ll leave links for both Amazon and SUPCASE.com. Where you can use code POCKETNOW15 to get a 15% discount. If you want an older devices, the S20 FE is available for $350, while the Z Fold 2 is still available for $1000 if you have a device for trade-in. If you’re looking for an iPhone, Verizon currently has the 11 Pro for $400, leaving it at $599 on an installment plan. The OnePlus 8T is available on a Buy One Get One Free deal for 50% off, meaning you can get two entry level models for $1124. Finally, the Google Pixel 3 XL is available for just $300 over at B&H, if you want a great camera. We have more deals on Razer peripherals, LG smartphones and more.
    Samsung Galaxy S21 Pre-Order

    Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Series

    iPhone 11 Pro

    Verizon smartphone Deals

    OnePlus 8T

    LG 34GL750-B 34 Inch 21: 9 Ultragear Curved Wfhd Gaming Monitor

    LG 32GK650F-B 32” QHD Gaming Monitor

    Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2020

    Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020

    Samsung Galaxy Buds Live

    Beats Solo Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling On-Ear Headphones

Honor could launch smartphones with Google Mobile Services

Let’s move on to Honor, and a positive note for a change after all the mess that was 2020 for them. Recently, Huawei announced the sale of the Honor Brand due to “tremendous pressure” from the sanctions they’ve been imposed by the US. Well, a new report from a Russian publication claims that Google Mobile Services might be making a comeback to Honor devices, as they are no longer a Huawei subsidiary and, the sanctions imposed on Huawei don’t apply. The report claims that GMS could come back to Honor smartphones this Spring and the company has reportedly been working on two new lineups with support for GMS. This means that the new devices getting launched by Honor will no longer have Huawei’s App Gallery pre-installed, but older devices still won’t have access to GMS. They are currently preparing the Honor V40 which will debut on January 22 but, this one most likely won’t support Google Services. It is said to bring the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+, 8GB of RAM and 128GB with Android 10 running on Magic UI 4.0. We’ll see how this evolves as, this is kinda huge for other markets like Latin America now that Google Services are back.

LG’s smartphone business could be handed over to a Vietnamese manufacturer

LG’s new rollable smartphone could be canceled before its possible launch

Moving on to LG and more of a negative news, the rumors of the company selling their mobile division just got worse. On the last Pocketnow Daily we talked about how the company might sell or downsize their smartphone division due to losses over the years. Well, a new report claims that LG Electronics might want to sell their smartphone business to Vietnamese Conglomerate, Vingroup Co. This company is actually an ODM for LG and has been producing smartphones for them since 2018, being the third largest manufacturer in Vietnam after Samsung and OPPO. This company has a market capitalization of $16.5B and they reportedly want LG’s business in the United States, as they own 12.9% of the market on this side of the pond. Moving on to another report, at CES LG shared some teasers of their rollable smartphone which would debut in September. However, the Korea Herald reports that LG might pull the plug on the Rollable. The cause is that the Wing has sold less than 100K units since it launched, being considered a financial failure. And now, insiders are doubting that the Rollable might make it to the market, because of the hefty price tag. They claim that even if it outperformed the Wing, it might not be enough to keep the whole division alive. We hope that LG manage to turn things around as, they don’t make the best smartphones but they did pioneer a lot of what we see today, and now their more experimental phones are also great to see.

iPhone 13 again rumored to flaunt a smaller notch, upgraded camera for Pro models

I feel like every year we hear a ton of rumors of what we’re getting with the next iPhones and half of them don’t happen but, this year everything seems so consistent. According to a new report from DigiTimes, a ton of the rumors we’ve been hearing about will be happening. First off they mention that the notch will be shrinking down thanks to a Face ID redesign. However, they claim that it will only shrink vertically, while maintaining the same width. The report also adds that the smaller iPhones, meaning the 13 and the 13 mini, will come with superior CMOS Image sensors, the ones we currently have on the 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max. These sensors will reportedly be supplied by Sony and Apple will continue using the same 7-element system we currently get. Finally, the report also reiterates on the fact that all of the iPhone 13 family will bring sensor shift image stabilization which is currently exclusive to the 12 Pro Max. So once again, 2021 is sounding like an S year for the iPhones. The cause is that the Wing has sold less than 100K units since it launched, being considered a financial failure. And now, insiders are doubting that the Rollable might make it to the market, because of the hefty price tag. They claim that even if it outperformed the Wing, it might not be enough to keep the whole division alive. We hope that LG manage to turn things around as, they don’t make the best smartphones but they did pioneer a lot of what we see today, and now their more experimental phones are also great to see.

Samsung could be prepping to launch a cheaper, 4G Galaxy S21

You know, it’s funny but I seriously thought the S21 was like this year’s S20 FE, but it seems there’s a broader plan behind that. See, last year, when 5G wasn’t the norm yet, Samsung announced the S20 5G, but kept an LTE model with the Exynos for regions where 5G isn’t really available just yet. This year with the Exynos 2100, the company put 5G modems on all models. Well, a 4G variant of the Galaxy S21 was just certified by Bluetooth SIG with two different model numbers. Now, this could mean two things. Either Samsung is already working on the Fan Edition for this smartphone, or this is just a less expensive variant of the phone with no 5G support. Either way, this should be less expensive than the flagship model but, we don’t know if Samsung plans to downgrade the processors and other specs since they won’t be adding 5G. AS a recap of the specs, this means a 6.2-inch display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a similar camera array at the back. We know that it’s pretty early for Samsung to be working on the FE variant for this phone and that this might not be the case at all. Regardless, for those asking if the $100 price difference between the S20 FE and the S21 is worth it, I say it is.

Story of the day:

Next MacBook Air: Thinner, lighter, smaller, more powerful

Upcoming MacBook Pro could have a microSD card slot

Face ID support on iMac isn’t coming soon

And finally the hottest news today have to do with Apple. Let’s talk Macs as we’re currently expecting the next generation of Apple Silicon Macs and, we actually have a report for three separate line-ups here so bear with me. Let’s start with the upcoming MacBook Air as, a new report from Mark Gurman claims that the next MacBook Air will be a higher-end model and it will bring Apple’s MagSafe Charging technology and next-generation Apple Silicon processor. He also claims that Apple is considering making the laptop smaller, by shrinking down the bezels in the display, but it will still be a 13in panel. Apparently, there’s also some rumors of a 15in MacBook Air with 4 USB-C ports.. Finally.. But this isn’t certain at all. Since the MacBook Air was just refreshed, we’ll most likely see the changes Gurman mentioned until 2022, hopefully with 16 and 32-core processors. As for this year and moving on to the MacBook Pro, Gurman claims that the company is planning to bring back the SD Card Slot, which makes a TON of sense considering how Apple caters to content creators. The report also reiterates on details we’ve heard before, like the fact that it will feature a brighter panel, with higher contrast and that the Touch Bar is going away. Finally, we’re expecting a huge redesign for iMacs this year and one of the rumors was that we would get Face ID with this new design. Well, Gurman claims that it won’t happen, at least not for the models launched this year. So yeah, we should expect these iMacs and MacBook Pros around the middle of the year, and it looks like we’ll have to wait until 2022 for that higher end MacBook Air which sounds very enticing considering the Apple Silicon rumors.
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/pocketnowsub http://pocketnow.com Follow us: http://flipboard.com/@Pocketnow http://facebook.com/pocketnow http://twitter.com/pocketnow

The post Pocketnow Daily: M1X MacBook Leaks: EVERYTHING We Wanted? (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.