France had ordered a halt to sales of the device, released in 2020, on Tuesday after finding that the model emitted more electromagnetic waves than permitted.

"Apple has assured me that it will implement an update for the iPhone 12 in the next few days," said digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot in a statement to AFP.

Both the firm and Barrot insisted there was no danger to public health from the radiation.

"This is related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern," Apple said in a statement, adding that the device complied with rules on emissions all around the world.

"We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators."

On Tuesday, Barrot gave the US tech giant two weeks to issue an update to its phone, which was coming to the end of its career as a front-line Apple product.

He said the agency in charge of testing, the ANFR, would quickly assess the update and he would then decide whether to lift the ban on sales.

The World Health Organization has said several studies have been conducted in the field and "no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use".

© 2023 AFP

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Also:  Apple Promises iPhone 12 Software Update to Solve Radiation Problem

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As we know now, after the debacle of Google postponing the Android 14 launch event, which was supposed to be held on September 5th, it will now release Android 14 on October 4th during the Pixel reveal event.

Last week, Google published the final patch for its beta program, Android 14 Beta 5.3, mainly focusing on bugs in the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablets. In the forum post, it writes preparations for Android 14 December Quarterly Platform Release (QPR1) is on its way. Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1 will be launched to the public on September 18th and will include the latest improvements and bug fixes. Registered beta testers now have two paths to choose from; If you want to continue in the beta program, you will automatically receive the Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1 as usual. If you want to exit the beta program and receive the final stable public release, you must perform the following steps to avoid loss of data:

• Opt out of the program before September 18th, ignore/don’t apply the downgrade OTA update, and wait for the final public stable release of Android 14 (UP1A) coming soon. The OTA message will have ‘Downgrade’ in the description. Opting out will not cause a data wipe as long as you don’t apply the downgrade OTA update.

 

Note: If you want to immediately return to the latest public version (Android 13), you can install the downgrade OTA update which will wipe the data on your device per usual program guidelines.

 

• If you opt out after September 18th and your device has already been offered the Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1 update, don’t install the update. Instead, first opt out of the program, ignore/don’t apply the downgrade OTA update, and wait for the official Android 14 public release.

 

Note: If you opt-out of the program after installing the QPR1 Beta 1 update, all user data on the device will get wiped per usual program guidelines. The next opportunity to exit the Beta Program without a data wipe will be towards the end of the Android 14 QPR1 Beta cycle in December 2023.

You can opt out of the beta program at this link. Since Android 14 will be launched in less than a month, you can expect QPR1 Beta 1 and UP1A to be almost the same. So make up your mind before it's too late to save your data.

Via: Reddit

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On average, moms and dads spend nearly five hours a day on electronic devices. Sadly, that’s more than the less than four hours they spend on meaningful activities with their kids, according to the survey of 2,000 U.S. parents. Most parents (80%) own three electronic devices or more, with the majority of their kids (81%) owning at least two electronic devices, highlighting the enormous presence of technology in households.

Only two percent of their kids do not own any devices.

Parents in the digital age need more quality time with their children

The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Campspot, reveals that more than half of U.S. parents (60%) are seeking ways to escape technology and reconnect with their kids. With nearly eight in 10 (79%) of parents claiming their experiences with their children are more memorable without the presence of electronic devices, it’s no surprise that most (52%) parents have attempted to limit technology usage within their households. 

Moms and dads are encouraging more outdoor play (76%), setting time limits (74%) and creating device-free zones (63%). The majority also started engaging in outdoor family activities this summer, with camping and hiking trips (59%) emerging as the most popular choice. That’s followed by picnics (58%) and visiting amusement and water parks (58%).

“Summer is the perfect time to unplug and reconnect with what truly matters – our families,” says chief marketing officer at Campspot, Erin Stender, in a statement. “We know the power of stepping away from screens and immersing ourselves in nature, since it’s often in these moments that we create the strongest family bonds. Camping in particular offers a unique opportunity for families to experience new adventures together, fostering not only a love for the outdoors but also nurturing children’s self-development.”

American parents agree, with a majority asserting that outdoor activities foster communication and connection (60%) within the family as well as create lasting memories that help a family bond (57%).

Let’s go camping!

With camping trips deemed the most popular summer activity, parents are seeing the positive impacts that specific camping activities have on their children’s personal development. These include nature walks (44%), campfire cooking (42%), fishing (38%) and setting up tents (32%).

Moreover, they observed that camping and outdoor experiences fostered problem-solving skills (59%), independence (54%) and resilience (54%) in their kids.

Parents also noticed a positive shift in their own parenting style when outdoors. Seventy-two percent reported being able to focus more on family time, while more than half (52%) admitted to feeling more relaxed and laid-back in such environments.

“By spending quality time without electronic devices, we give ourselves the gift of undivided attention, fostering deeper connections and meaningful conversations that become the foundation of lasting memories,” adds Stender.

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 parents of school-aged children was commissioned by Campspot between June 21 to July 7, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

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• Belgian regulator to assess iPhone 12 after French ban
• Apple says iPhone 12 compliant with global radiation rules
• German regulator says France could be guide for Europe
• Italy says monitoring situation, no action for now

PARIS, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Belgium said on Thursday it would review potential health risks linked to Apple's iPhone 12, raising the prospect that more European countries might ban the model after France ordered a halt to sales due to breaches of radiation exposure limits.

Apple contests the French findings, saying the iPhone 12 - now a relatively old model launched in 2020 - was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with radiation standards.

Researchers have conducted a vast number of studies over the last two decades to assess the health risk of mobile phones. According to the World Health Organisation, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by their use.

But Paris' move to halt iPhone 12 sales until Apple fixes radiation issues detected in two tests has raised the prospect of further bans in Europe - though others, like Italy, said they would take no steps for now.

"It is my duty to make sure all citizens ... are safe", Mathieu Michel, Belgium's state secretary for digitalisation, said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

"I have rapidly reached out to the IBPT-BIPT (regulator) to ask for an analysis about the potential danger of the product", Michel said, adding he had also asked the regulator to review all Apple smartphones, as well as devices made by other producers, at a later stage.

Germany's network regulator BNetzA reiterated that the work in France could act as a guide for Europe as a whole and that it would examine the issue for the German market if the process in France had progressed sufficiently.

The Dutch digital watchdog also said it was looking into the matter and would ask the U.S. firm for an explanation, while stressing there was "no acute safety risk".

Italy's industry ministry, meanwhile, said it was monitoring the situation but not taking any action for now.

MONITORING

Britain, where the iPhone 12 met radiation safety standards when it was released, has not announced any plans in the wake of France's decision.

In Spain, consumers' associations OCU urged authorities to follow France's move and halt the sales of iPhone 12.

Industry experts said there were no safety risks as regulatory limits, based on the risk of burns or heatstroke from the phone's radiation, were set well below levels where scientists have found evidence of harm.

Apple doesn't break out its sales by country or model.

The company launched the iPhone 15 on Tuesday and the three-year old iPhone 12 is not available to buy from Apple online in France and other European countries. It can, however, be bought from third parties, including Amazon France.

"Limiting iPhone 12 sales, in and of itself, should not be that impactful for iPhone. We would be more concerned if newer models were involved," DA Davidson analyst Tom Forte said, while pointing out that Apple could face bigger problems elsewhere, such as potential curbs on the use of iPhones in China and new data regulations in Europe.

Apple's revenues totalled about $95 billion in Europe last year, making the region its second biggest behind the Americas. Some estimates say it sold over 50 million iPhones last year in Europe.

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The DuoWOA team released a new set of drivers to improve your experience when running Windows on the original Surface Duo. Key changes include fixes for audio peripherals, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock support, UEFI improvements, and more.

The official changelog published on GitHub contains the following:

Surface Duo 1:

• Updates System firmware binaries for Surface Duo 1 to the latest version ever for this device as shipped by Microsoft.

• Addresses an issue where Audio peripherals such as mics or bluetooth speakers would be broken under Windows 10 Version 2004 or lower

• Enables support for the Surface Thunderbolt(TM) 4 Docking accessory

• Further work comitted towards WCOS enablement, nothing to share at the moment

• (UEFI change) Resolved an issue where the OS may crash and not boot anymore properly on Windows 11 Moment 2 and Moment 3 updates after installing the blacklotus mitigation updates.

• (UEFI change) Resolved an issue where Windows 10 Version 1809 and lower builds may fail to boot under the uefi environment

• General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience.

Surface Duo 2:

• Nothing New. Surface Duo 2 is still a Proof of Concept (PoC), don't expect much.

In addition, developers released ready-to-go/made dual boot images for the original and second-generation Surface Duo smartphones. If you plan to flash the device with those images, read the official release notes with details about targeted firmware versions. Swapping Android with Windows on the Surface Duo is still a complicated process, so be sure to follow the guidelines and check the list of known bugs before proceeding.

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You may also want to check out our additional Spec Appeal articles comparing the iPhone 15/15 Plus with their predecessors and the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max with the previous-gen iPhone Pro models.

There are four key differences between the iPhone 15/15 Plus and the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max: materials, displays, processors, and cameras. More affordable iPhone 15 models are made from aluminum, while their more expensive siblings offer polished grade 5 titanium. Apple says replacing stainless steel in the iPhone 14 Pro with titanium allowed for a lighter chassis without compromising strength and durability. Also, the iPhone 15 Pro lineup features a reworked chassis with easier back glass replacement.

When speaking about chassis, the new Action button in the iPhone 15 Pro lineup is also worth noting. It replaced the old single-use mute switch, giving users a customizable button for launching the camera, recording notes, turning on accessibility features, or executing shortcuts. The baseline iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus still use the old mute switch.

Although all four iPhone 15 models now have Dynamic Island instead of the old notch, there is still a notable difference between displays. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max support Pro Motion with refresh rates ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz. Another great feature in "Pro-grade" iPhones is always-on-display. "Regular" iPhone 15s still use 60Hz displays without AOD, albeit their sizes, resolution, and peak brightness match their more expensive siblings.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are powered by a newer A17 Pro SoC that offers a 10% increase in CPU performance and a 20% GPU performance boost. In addition to raw horsepower, the new processor features a dedicated AV1 encoder, hardware-accelerated ray tracing for powerful games, and a USB 3.0 controller for faster data transfer via a USB-C port (other iPhone 15 models have a USB-C 2.0 port).

The final biggest difference between the iPhone 15/15 Plus and the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max is cameras. The Pro models have an extra 12MP telephoto camera with 3x (or 5x in the iPhone 15 Pro Max) optical zoom. There is also a second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, macro photo/video, night mode portraits, and Apple ProRAW support.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are also better at video recording: You can record ProRes video at up to 4K 60 fps with external recorder support. There are also Log and ACES support.

Here are the key distinctions between the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15/15 Plus summed up in a list:

• Chassis material difference: titanium in Pro and aluminum in regular models.
• A newer and better processor.
• Faster screens with adaptive refresh rate and always-on display support.
• Better cameras with a dedicated telephoto camera and a LiDAR sensor.
• 1TB storage option.
• Wi-Fi 6E support and dual-frequency GPS.
• USB-C 3.0 instead of the slower USB-C 2.0.
• Longer battery life.

Now here is a more detailed spec comparison:

The iPhone 15 series will be available for preorder on the official Apple website on September 15, 2023, with availability beginning September 22, 2023.

Are you buying one of the new iPhone 15s? Are you going for pros or regular ones? Let us know in the comments.

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The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus lineup features upgrades in three distinct areas: display, cameras, and connectivity. The screen is what you will notice right off the bat. Gone is the old, even though slightly narrower notch. The entire iPhone 15 lineup now has Dynamic Island with the extra information to display. You can control music, see directions in Mas, get real-time updates from apps, and more. Besides, the screens are significantly brighter, with peak brightness reaching a whopping 2000 nits.

The main camera in the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus now has a 48MP sensor that defaults to 24MP images. A larger, higher-res sensor enables 2x telephoto without sacrificing quality, giving you three zoom modes in a two-camera system. It also provides an improved portrait mode that automatically collects depth data, allowing users to adjust the focus point and depth of field after the photo has been taken.

Connectivity is one of the biggest changes in the new iPhones. Apple has ditched the old Lightning in favor of USB-C, giving customers one cable to charge them all. However, it is worth noting that the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are limited to USB 2.0. The faster USB 3.0 standard is only available in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. In addition to a new port, Apple has upgraded its Ultra Wideband chip with three times the range as before and the ability to share location with friends and find each other in crowded areas.

Here are the key changes summed up in a list:

• Improved displays with 2000 nits peak brightness and Dynamic Island instead of the old notch.
• A newer A16 Bionic SoC.
• A reworked camera system with a 48MP main camera and 2x optical zoom.
• A USB-C port instead of the old Lightning.

Now here is a more detailed spec comparison with the main improvements in the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus highlighted:

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will be available for preorder on the official Apple website on Friday, September 18, 2023, with availability beginning September 22, 2023.

Do you plan to buy the iPhone 15 or 15 Plus?

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France's National Frequency Agency (ANFR) has notified Apple that it is banning the sale of iPhone 12 models in the country. The decision was made after ANFR conducted a series of tests that found the smartphone's Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) exceeded the legally permissible limit. The junior minister for the digital economy in France, Jean-Noël Barrot, shared this information in an interview published on Tuesday with Le Parisien newspaper.

For the unaware, the European Union (EU) has a limit on how much radiation cell phones can emit, which is called the SAR value. The French authority will also share its findings with regulators in other EU member states, which might lead to a wider ban on the iPhone 12.

Barrot told the French newspaper that a software update should be sufficient to resolve the radiation issue with the iPhone 12. He mentioned Apple is expected to respond within two weeks, and if they fail to do so, it could result in a recall of all iPhone 12 models currently in circulation (Via Reuters).

In their response to Reuters on Wednesday, Apple stated that their iPhone 12 model had received certification from multiple international bodies, confirming its compliance with global radiation standards. Apple also noted that they had shared various test results from both their own laboratories and independent third-party labs with ANFR, all of which confirmed their compliance with SAR regulations and global standards.

The Cupertino company expressed its disagreement with ANFR's conclusions and conveyed its intention to work closely with the agency to show ongoing compliance.

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“We have always been open to foreign companies and welcome them to seize the opportunities and share the fruits of China’s economic development,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing.

She added that China has noticed “many media reports on the security incidents of Apple’s iPhone,” and that the country “attaches great importance to information and cyber security.”

Mao did not elaborate. She also urged foreign cellphone companies in China to follow the country’s privacy laws and to prevent “any person or organization” stealing data stored in their customers’ phones.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that China had banned the use of iPhones by central government officials, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The report triggered a drop in Apple’s shares — the stock suffered its largest daily loss in a month.

China is the largest foreign market for the company’s products, and Chinese sales represented about a fifth of the company’s total revenue last year. Apple hasn’t replied to a request for comment.

The company doesn’t disclose iPhone sales by country, but analysts at research firm TechInsights estimate that there were more iPhone sales in China than in the United States last quarter. Apple also produces the majority of its iPhones in Chinese factories.

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China remains key for the U.S. tech giant, which unveiled its new iPhone lineup on Tuesday. The company occupies a leading position in China's premium smartphone market, in part due to the decimation of Huawei Technologies' (HWT.UL) smartphone business by U.S. export controls, but has also come under scrutiny in the run-up to the iPhone 15's launch.

Shares in Apple (AAPL.O) and its suppliers were battered last week after reports that Chinese government agencies and state firms were banning staff from using the phone and Huawei launched a new smartphone with an advanced chip, seen as an effort by the Chinese firm for a comeback.

The unveiling of Apple's iPhone 15 attracted intense discussion online on Wednesday, as new models have done in the past. The new phone goes on sale online in China on Alibaba's (9988.HK) Tmall marketplace on Sept. 15, and in-stores on Sept. 22.

Topics discussing the new launch attracted 380 million views on social media platform Weibo, with more than 800,000 discussions, including posts, comments and likes, on the iPhone 15.

Many cheered the iPhone 15 Pro's new 3 nanometer chip and Apple's pitch that console-quality games such as "Resident Evil 4 Remake", can be played on the device, appealing to China's army of mobile gamers.

But several social media users had misgivings about choosing an American brand over a domestically made rival, especially after state media applauded the roll out of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro earlier this month as a triumph by China over U.S. sanctions.

A survey by Chinese news portal Sina on the social media platform asking participants if they would buy the Mate 60 or iPhone 15 saw 61,000 votes for the Huawei device versus 24,000 for the iPhone 15.

Comparisions of how the Mate 60 Pro could make calls and send texts via satellite, while the iPhone 15 was only capable of satellite texts, also generated significant discussion.

"The iPhone 15 can only send SOS messages via satellite, using last-generation technology already deployed in Huawei's Mate 60, which supports full satellite calling," one user wrote.

China's smartphone market, like the sector globally, is in the midst of a slump and analysts cautioned that this, and the country's slowing economy, could also weigh on sales of the iPhone 15.

Apple's third-party retailers in February launched rare discounts on the iPhone 14 Pro by as much as 10% that helped sales but could undermine demand for the latest series, analysts said.

"This is not a good signal for the upcoming 15 series as some demands have been fulfilled before the launch," said Archie Zhang, a research analyst at Counterpoint. "Before Huawei's surprise launch, we projected Apple's sales in China Q3 and Q4 to be flat or slightly weaker than last year."

Will Wong, an analyst with industry research group IDC, saw recent public sector developments and Huawei posing a challenge for Apple.

"Sales (of the iPhone 15) are not going to be easy, especially since Chinese consumers are either being cautious in spending or shifted their focus to leisure or travel," he added.

IDC expects Apple's share in China's premium phone market will gradually decline due to increased competition from Huawei.

For the first half of 2023, Apple held 67% of market share for phones priced over $600, followed by Huawei with 15.6%.

($1 = 7.2825 Chinese yuan)

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The French agency that regulates radio frequencies, the ANFR, said testing found that the model emits more electromagnetic waves susceptible to be absorbed by the body than permitted.

The ANFR said it "ordered Apple to remove the iPhone 12 from the French market from September 12 due to the model exceeding the limit" for electromagnetic absorption by the body.

It said accredited labs had found absorption of electromagnetic energy by the body at 5.74 watts per kilogram during tests simulating when the phone was being held in the hand or kept in a pocket.

The European standard is a specific absorption rate of 4.0 watts per kilogram in such tests.

"Concerning phones already sold, Apple must in the briefest of delays take corrective measures to bring the affected phones into compliance," said the ANFR in a statement on its website.

"Otherwise, Apple will have to recall them."

ANFR noted that tests that measure the electromagnetic radiation absorbed at a distance of five centimeters was in compliance with the limit of 2.0 watts per kilogram.

ANFR said its agents would verify beginning Wednesday that that iPhone 12 models were no longer being offered for sale in France.

When contacted by AFP, Apple insisted in a statement that it is compliant with exposure limits and would continue to engage with the French regulator to demonstrate that.

Regulators in a number of countries have limits on the amount of electromagnetic radiation mobile phones may emit to prevent adverse health effects.

The World Health Organization states on its website that following a large number of studies that "no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use".

jub/rl/rox/md/

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If you were hoping for a radical new Apple Watch design or a plethora of new features, 2023 won't be your year. That said, the Apple Watch Series 9—which was just announced in Apple's September livestream—brings some welcome if modest tweaks to the popular wearable.

 

The most notable of these is the inclusion of the new S9 chip, which promises improved performance—but more importantly, better battery life. It promises 60% more transistors in its CPU than the Series 8, and 30% more in its GPU. Perhaps most importantly, its neural engine promises big boosts to on-device processing for Siri requests, including 25% faster voice dictation.

Using your Apple Watch to find your iPhone gets a bit easier, too, with the Series 9 incorporating Ultra Wide-Band (UWB) to show you the distance and direction to your phone, rather than simply having your phone make a loud ping noise.

 

Apple also promised a new gesture that they claim Watch users will be using "every day," though we'll have to see if it ends up being another Force Touch. "Double Tap" isn't based on the Watch face, but on its Neural Engine's detection of "the unique signature of tiny wrist movements and changes in blood flow when the index finger and thumb perform a double tap." Apple says the gesture functions as the "primary button" in a Watch app, so it can play and pause music, start or stop a timer, and open the Smart Stack on a watch face.

 

There's a new watch strap style, FineWoven, meant to replace the leather that Apple is phasing out across its entire product line. FineWoven is a "microtwill made of 68 percent post-consumer recycled content that has significantly lower carbon emissions compared to leather," Apple states. The new Sport Loop is made of 82 percent recycled yarn. Apple says the Series 9 Apple Watch is their first carbon-neutral product.

 

The Apple Watch SE remains available for $249, while the Series 9 starts at $399. They're both available for pre-order today, and should be released on Sept. 22.

 

Ars is updating this post as new information becomes available.

 

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The iPhone 15 and its titanium frame.

Apple

 

Details about the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were revealed in a live broadcast from Apple today, and we're looking at a mostly modest update—apart from the long-awaited switch to USB-C.

 

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will go up for pre-order on Friday, September 15th. Both will be available on September 22. The 15 Pro starts at $999 for 128GB, the same starting price as the iPhone 14 Pro for last year. The Pro Max technically gets a price hike, but only because Apple has axed the 128GB version—a 256GB iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199, the same price as the 256GB model from last year.

 

The most noticeable change is a shift from a stainless steel frame to one made out of a brushed "grade 5 titanium," which Apple says makes the phone more durable while also making it lighter. The phone is also a little smaller than past models, thanks to slimmer display bezels. The screen sizes stay the same—6.1 inches for the base model and 6.7 inches for the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max one. Apple didn't announce any changes to the phones' actual screens, so expect the same resolution, ProMotion refresh rate, and brightness as before.

 

Also new is an Apple Watch-esque "action button" that replaces the iPhone's traditional mute switch. By default, it still serves as a mute switch, but users can change it to launch apps or the camera, or even to launch custom Shortcuts workflows.

 

The chips in Apple's Pro phones also remain a generation ahead of the non-Pro phones. The A17 Pro is Apple's first chip built on TSMC's 3nm manufacturing process, which allows Apple to cram 19 billion transistors into a phone-sized SoC (up from 16 billion for A16 Bionic) continues to use two large high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores; Apple says the performance cores are 10 percent faster than they were before, a relatively mild improvement, while the efficiency cores are more efficient rather than being faster.

 

The A17 Pro's six-core GPU is 20 percent faster than the A16 Bionic, a slightly more significant update; Apple has also added hardware-accelerate ray-tracing to the A17's GPU, a feature also supported by newer Nvidia GeForce, AMD Radeon, and Intel Arc dedicated GPUs. The chip also includes hardware acceleration for the AV1 video codec, a royalty-free alternative to H.265/HEVC video codecs that is becoming more popular on streaming services like YouTube.

 

Apple has also added a new USB controller to power that USB-C port, allowing the iPhone to use 10 Gbps USB 3 transfer speeds for the first time (technically, this would make it either a USB 3.1 gen 2 or 3.2 gen 2 controller, if you can keep the USB-IF's naming straight). Most people don't use their iPhones for high-speed file transfers, but this will be a welcome update for people who use their phones to shoot gobs of high-resolution 4K video and want to transfer it to their desktops or laptops for editing.

 

Apple is also keeping the Pro's camera system a step ahead of the standard iPhone. Apple says the Pro's 48 megapixel main sensor is larger than the one in the regular iPhone 15. Like the iPhone 15, by default it will shrink the finished product down to 24 MP to save storage space, but if you're shooting in ProRAW mode you can get the full 48MP image for cropping and editing. The camera defaults to a 24mm focal length, but 28mm and 35mm options are also made possible by the large sensor, and you can set any of the three focal lengths as your default.

 

The telephoto lens is one point of differentiation between the Pro and Pro Max; in the iPhone 15 Pro, this continues to be a 3x telephoto lens with a 77mm focal length, similar to older models. In the larger Pro Max, the extra space allows Apple to step up to a 5x telephoto lens at a 120mm focal length. The 12MP ultra-wide camera lens gets a new coating and a macro shooting mode, but otherwise it isn't changing much. Collectively, Apple says that the three lenses can shoot in macro, 13mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 48mm, and 77/120mm modes without using digital zoom.

 

The camera system is also looking ahead to the launch of the Vision Pro headset—Apple says that after an iOS update "later this year," the phone will be able to shoot spatial video that can be viewed in three dimensions in a Vision Pro headset.

 

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The Google Play Store listing for the beta version of the app (via MSPoweruser) may not be visible yet on all Android smartphones. While we found the listing while searching on the web version of the store, we were unable to find a listing for the app on our own Android smartphone. It's possible Microsoft is limited access to the Designer beta app to a select number of devices.

Microsoft Designer was first announced in October 2022 as a new design tool powered by generative AI features, It finally launched as a public preview version on the web in April 2023. In August, Microsoft Designer was added as an integrated part of Microsoft's Edge browser.

As with the web versions, the Android app has been developed to allow users to create graphic art designs by just typing in a few text prompts and then allowing its generative AI features to create the content. You can use it to create things like blog posts, websites, digital postcards, and more.

The Android version of the app is also designed to make it easier to not only create content but to share it across social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and more with just one tap on your smartphone or tablet.

If you can access the beta version of the Android app, you can use it for free on your Microsoft account. However, Microsoft has already hinted that when the public preview of Designer ends, the company may charge extra for accessing certain features.

Speaking of which, Microsoft has also said it will add additional features to Designer in the future, including a way to quickly replace a background in an image with another one.

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There’s a general rule about consumer electronics: The older a device becomes, the more competitors appear and prices fall. This was true for televisions, personal computers and portable music players.

It was supposed to happen with smartphones. But the iPhone has defied gravity.

On Tuesday, Apple will unveil the 17th iteration of its flagship product. Remarkably, at an age in which most consumer devices have lost some of their appeal to users, Apple has increased its share of smartphone sales over less expensive rivals.

Over the past five years, the iPhone has increased its percentage of total smartphones sold around the world while expanding its share of sales in four of the world’s largest regions: China, Japan, Europe and India.

In the United States, the iPhone’s largest market, the device now accounts for more than 50 percent of smartphones sold, up from 41 percent in 2018, according to Counterpoint Research, a technology firm. The gains have helped it claim about a fifth of the world’s smartphone sales, up from a low of 13 percent in 2019.

Apple has expanded its smartphone empire as the broader industry has faltered. Over the past two years, sales of Android smartphones have plummeted, but the iPhone has suffered only modest declines because it’s been winning new customers. It has done so despite being the industry’s priciest device.

Apple has overcome price sensitivity by creating a business that is reminiscent of U.S. car sales. Like a car, iPhones last for years and can be resold to offset the purchase of a new one. Wireless providers, much like auto dealers, offer discounts and monthly payment plans that make it more affordable to buy the latest model. And customers, like brand-loyal car buyers, are more likely to buy another iPhone than switch to Google’s Android operating system.

Apple has also been lucky. Two of its biggest challengers, Samsung and Huawei, have stumbled in recent years. Samsung faltered in 2016 when the batteries in its flagship smartphone spontaneously combusted. Huawei, which was popular in China, floundered in 2020 after the Trump administration blocked it from buying U.S. technology.

The iPhone has avoided wobbles with a reliable blueprint: Apple annually updates the iPhone’s spare but sleek design and reliable software, and brings it to the masses with an operations machine that assembles 200 million flawless iPhones a year with military precision.

In the United States, the iPhone’s popularity is expected to widen in the years ahead. Nearly 90 percent of teenagers own an iPhone, according to Piper Sandler, an investment bank.

For young people, iPhones equal inclusion. Many choose it over Android because Apple’s messaging service, iMessage, will turn the color of messages from its default blue to green if a non-iPhone user is in a messaging group. The stigma associated with having green text messages is so pronounced that when it came time for Dave Storrs’s 14-year-old son to get his first smartphone, the teenager told his father that he wanted an iPhone or no phone at all.

“It’s a status thing,” said Mr. Storrs, an Army retiree who lives in El Paso. “They don’t want to be treated differently.”

Mr. Storrs, who is 49, has been subjected to the same pressure. For more than a decade, he took pride in being what he called an “Android renegade.” He owned a series of LG and Motorola phones, even as his son and other family members pressed him to buy an iPhone. He gave in this year after his family gave him a $99 pair of Apple’s wireless AirPod earbuds.

Each time he wanted to use the AirPods on his Android phone, he had to manually sync them. The laborious process inspired him to buy an iPhone 13, which connects the AirPods instantaneously. After years of using a free Android phone, he now pays $11 a month for the iPhone. But he says that he’ll never go back to Android because he likes that he can wear AirPods and take phone calls while walking his Catahoula leopard dog, Teddy.

“It’s just convenient,” he said.

New buyers like Mr. Storrs illustrate how Apple is gaining customers. The gap between the two major operating systems is tilted in Apple’s favor. About 94 percent of iPhone customers are likely to buy another iPhone, while 91 percent of Android customers are likely to buy another Android, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, a technology research firm.

The migration from Android to Apple has accelerated as promotional discounts, financing plans and trade-in offers make higher iPhone prices less of a barrier. Wireless carriers sweetened their offers as they scrambled to gain or keep customers after T-Mobile merged with Sprint in 2020. When the combined company, the new T-Mobile, offered the iPhone 12 free with a 30-month contract, AT&T countered with a similar deal, said Cliff Maldonado of BayStreet Research, a smartphone research firm. It made switching priceless.

Around the same time, Apple and wireless carriers began more aggressively promoting monthly payment plans. The plans have reduced the cost of a new iPhone to less than $40 a month from the $800 to $1,200 that customers had to pay upfront. The prices are lower for people who trade in used devices. The old iPhones, which could fetch up to $640, have been auctioned to buyers in Asia, who resell them at a markup, Mr. Maldonado said.

“The phone market is like the housing market,” he said. “You get equity, and pay over time.”

In China, the second-most important country to Apple’s business, the iPhone has become the default choice for people who want a premium smartphone. Samsung was squeezed out of the market several years ago, and Huawei has been unable to make a phone with the latest wireless technology. The lack of competition has helped to make the iPhone the country’s best-selling smartphone in recent quarters.

But new challenges threaten Apple’s lead. Last month, Huawei unveiled a new premium smartphone, the Mate 60 Pro, its first to feature chips capable of running on 5G cellular networks. Beijing also directed employees of national government agencies not to use iPhones for work. Instead, they have been encouraged to use domestic smartphone brands, raising the possibility that nationalist momentum undercuts future iPhone sales. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Apple didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Apple may be able to offset a dip in China with growth in India. The company now claims 5 percent of sales in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone nation, up from 1 percent in 2019. Counterpoint Research predicts that Apple could double its share to 10 percent next year.

The iPhone’s gains in India have been years in the making. In 2017, Apple began working with government officials to start manufacturing iPhones locally, a move that has improved affordability by avoiding import tariffs. It has also opened stores in New Delhi and Mumbai.

The new flagship iPhones that Apple is set to unveil this week will feature speedier processors, more sophisticated cameras and titanium rather than stainless steel cases, according to supply chain analysts. The changes are expected to come with a $100 to $200 price increase, bringing the cost of an iPhone Pro to $1,100 and the Pro Max to $1,200.

But analysts predict that iPhone loyalists will shrug off higher prices. The increases would be less than $5 a month for people on monthly plans and even less for those who trade in old iPhones.

“The economy is doing pretty well, and everything costs more,” said Michael Levin, a co-founder of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

“People are desensitized to increases right now.”

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Microsoft announced the Surface Duo at a special event on October 2, 2019, alongside another ill-fated device, the Surface Neo. Unlike the bigger Neo and its now-dead Windows 10X operating system, the Surface Duo was powered by Android 10, which made it the only non-Windows-based Surface device.

Of course, it was not software that made the Surface Duo special in the good sense. The smartphone featured an incredibly thin chassis with sturdy hinges, fantastic build quality, and two big OLED displays. Interestingly, it was so thin that the USB-C port could barely fit, eventually leading to reports of the plastic material chipping around it.

Inside the 5mm-thick case, you would find a Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128 or 256GB of storage, and a split 3,577 mAh battery. The smartphone had a single front-facing 11MP camera with an LED flash, unanimously declared one of the worst cameras in modern smartphones in that price range ($1,400 and up). What you could not find inside the Surface Duo is 5G and NFC support, which contributed to the lukewarm reception.

As it later turned out, the lack of 5G and NFC were not the smartphone's biggest problems. To begin with, Microsoft launched the Surface Duo almost one year after the initial announcement, delivering customers a well-built hardware full of bugs. The situation slightly improved with time, and Microsoft even released two Android upgrades, with Android 12L being the final official release. Still, Duo's monthly firmware updates would often delay and deliver disappointing updates containing nothing but Android security patches.

Although you could hardly suggest the Surface Duo to a regular consumer (even with some incredibly hard-hitting discounts), the smartphone became a great toy for enthusiasts. The WOA Project makes it possible to replace Android with Windows 11, with most parts of the device working as they should. Also, there is an unofficial port of "clean" Android 13 for those preferring a mobile OS on a mobile device.

The first-generation Surface Duo was a rough attempt to disrupt the mobile market with something fresh and unconventional after the end of Windows Phone (gone but not forgotten). In 2021, the second-generation Surface Duo attempted to improve the formula with faster OLED displays, better chassis, noticeably improved cameras, snappier hardware, and more. However, the software aspect remained lackluster at best.

Four years after the initial announcement, the smartphone duo (get it?) is almost impossible to find. Rumors claim Microsoft is no longer producing the Surface Duo 2. Moreover, customers should not hold their breath for more platform upgrades—according to a recent report, Microsoft transferred most of the Duo team to other projects, and there are no plans to upgrade the smartphone to Android 13 or 14. The company will stop supporting the SUrface Duo 2 on October 21, 2024.

The original Surface Duo is now history. It was a great idea and a nice try. It is a shame it did not work out.

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The issue was discovered by researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, who said the software flaw was being "actively exploited" to deliver commercial spyware called Pegasus developed and sold by the Israeli company NSO Group.

Pegasus is an expensive tool typically used to target dissidents, journalists and political opponents, so ordinary users likely have little to fear. Still, Citizen Lab recommends that all users should "immediately" update their devices.

To install the update, open Settings on your iPhone, then select "General" followed by "Software Update." You should see the iOS 16.6.1 software update there; tap to begin the installation.

If you don't see the update, go back to the General page, then tap "About" to check your iOS version number. If it's 16.6.1, you already have the update installed. If your phone is still using 16.6 or an earlier version, repeat the above steps. If you still don't see an update, try restarting your phone. If that doesn't make the update appear, double-check your internet connection and then wait a bit before trying again.

© 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Also:  Update your iPhone now to patch a major 'Pegasus' vulnerability.

Last week, Google announced details about its upcoming product launch event, where it will unveil new devices in the Pixel line. The company said the event will showcase the latest products joining the Pixel portfolio. These are rumored to include the Pixel 8 series and Pixel Watch 2.

Google has released a new video titled "The W8 is Almost Over," teasing its upcoming Pixel devices, expected to be announced at its Made by Google event on October 4.

The other video provides the first official glimpse of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, showcasing the new Porcelain colour option. The Pixel 8 appears to have a glossy finish, while the Pixel 8 Pro seems to feature a matte texture, matching recent leaks.

The phones are said to have a 50MP primary camera using Samsung's GN2 sensor. Among other things, the Pixel 8 Pro may also have a new tool called Audio Magic Eraser, which will allow users to quickly get rid of unwanted audio in videos.

In July, we reported that the Google Pixel 8 could come with a higher price tag compared to its predecessor. A new report suggests that the Pixel 8 could cost between $50 and $100 more, starting from $649 to $699.

Also making an appearance is the Pixel Watch 2, which looks nearly identical to last year's model, confirming rumorsthat the design will remain essentially unchanged. The watch is shown in the same Porcelain colour scheme.

A matching new Porcelain version of the Pixel Buds Pro earbudsis also teased. It's unclear if this is a refreshed model or just a new colourway.

The fine print in the video confirms that pre-orders for the new devices will begin on October 4 after the launch event keynote. Based on last year's timeline, the Pixel 8 series could start shipping as early as October 11.

With Google ramping up marketing ahead of its fall hardware event, we expect more official teasers in the coming weeks. But for now, fans are getting their best look yet at the upcoming Pixel 8, Pixel Watch 2, and Pixel Buds Pro.

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The new flagship device, which reportedly includes a new 5G Kirin 9000s processor developed specifically for Chinese manufacturer Huawei, recently shocked industry experts who didn’t understand how the company would have the technology to make such a chip following sweeping efforts by the United States to restrict China’s access to foreign chip technology.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said during a White House press briefing Tuesday that the US needs “more information about precisely its character and composition” to determine if parties bypassed American restrictions on semiconductor exports to create the new chip.

In 2019, the government banned US companies from selling software and equipment to Huawei and restricted international chipmakers using US-made technology from partnering with Huawei. The government cited perceived national security concerns, such as the potential for cyberattacks or spying from the Chinese governement. The inclusion of a custom-built 5G chip would be a major benchmark for Huawei as it grapples with the impact of the US restrictions on its device business.

Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I think the reaction in China seems to be one of mass excitement because Huawei, which was at one time vying to be the number one smartphone brand worldwide, is seen to be fighting its way back into the smartphone market with Chinese-made silicon, and has no doubt been trading on a ‘Made In China’ mantra,” David McQueen, a director at market research firm ABI Research, told CNN.

But he said the launch also raises questions around how Huawei managed to launch the phone when it has spent the past four years under US restrictions banning access to 5G technology.

“While access to 5G for the chipset is one thing, I’m not sure how the company managed to source all the other components that need to go into a 5G smartphone, such as power amps, switches and filters,” he said.

When Huawei unveiled the Mate 60 Pro smartphone late last month, it did not include much information about the chip on its website product page, beyond that it promises better communication experience and a more stable network connection. But last week, consultant firm TechInsights did a breakdown of the Mate 60 to get a closer look at the chip, which appeared to be a 7-nanometer processor made by China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC).

SMIC, which is a partially state-owned Chinese company, was included in the export restrictions set up by the US government several years ago.

National Security Adviser Sullivan added that the United States “should continue on its course of a ‘small yard, high fence’ set of technology restrictions focused narrowly on national security concerns … regardless of the outcome.”

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The Chinese government is set to expand the ban on iPhone use to include government-backed agencies and state-owned companies.

China has decided that the iPhone poses a national security risk, but banning the use of Apple's smartphone at some Chinese ministries is apparently just the first step. As Bloomberg reports, the ban is expected to expand to include employees at state-owned companies, as well as those at agencies backed by the government.

The impact of such a ban could be significant on future sales of iPhones in China. For example, state-owned companies such as PetroChina employ over 500,000 people. If you scale that up to include all companies and agencies subjected to the ban, it could easily see Apple lose millions of iPhone users in China this year.

Although Apple is establishing manufacturing locations outside of China, it's still heavily reliant on the country for producing hardware. In turn, Apple has helped create millions of jobs across China in the manufacturing sector, which may play a part in how widespread this ban becomes.

There's also a question regarding consumer confidence going forward—will Chinese consumers continue to choose the iPhone once it becomes widely known the government classes Apple's smartphones as a national security risk?

Alongside the iPhone ban, China is slowly reacting to the US sanctions blocking the most advanced chip-making technologies from being exported to the country. Recently Intel's $4.5 billion Tower Semiconductor acquisition was killed through China's inaction, exports of two vital chip-making metals were restricted, and Micron chips were banned. Meanwhile, Apple will be increasingly glad it decided not to use cheap Chinese memory in its smartphones.

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Also:  Wall Street Journal: China bans use of iPhones for government officials.