This is a bitter hit for Apple: The expert responsible for the development of own chips for iOS devices and Apple TV is going to Google. Manu Gulati has been with Apple since 2009.

Chip developer Manu Gulati goes to Google. There the engineer is to develop new chips for the pixel devices. Google is also looking for other experts who want to shape the architecture of future chip generations for smartphones and tablets.

On Google, Manu Gulati is a senior SoC architect, as he writes in his LinkedIn profile. Before he started at Apple 2009, he was busy with AMD and Broadcom.

With its own SoC, Google wants to push ahead with a media report the development of its mobile devices. We are looking for a "Mobile SoC CPU Architect" as well as a "Mobile SoC Architect".

So far, Google, like most other Android manufacturers, uses Qualcomm's chips based on an ARM architecture. Of course, this also means that most smartphones of a class and generation are hardly differentiated by performance. How should this work if they are based on a similar hardware platform?

Apple loses with Gulati an important coworker, which alone is already seen in the number of patent applications, which list him as co-inventor. 15 patent applications bear his name. Apparently the engineer was also involved in the development of the "Secure Enclave". This is a special security area for the chips, which is used, among other things, for Touch ID. It is shielded from other areas on the processor.

Some time ago, it was said that Apple plans "in the next one to two years" synonymous with the Mac to use its own SoC. The MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has already been done - but only for the Touch Bar itself. The heart of a MacBook still comes from Intel.

The post iPhone Chip Developer Manu Gulati Move to Google appeared first on LabLance.

Apple has good laugh as a "big player" in the market. As a reliable partner to many suppliers, the company is also equipped with the necessary financial resources to outperform other competitors when purchasing parts. The agency Reuters reports, referring to several sources, that the order volume from Cupertino concerns folds on the forefront many competitors.

Will smartphones from suppliers such as Huawei soon be delivered with scaled-down specifications? Even now, some customers of the Chinese manufacturer Huawei are disappointed, because the flagship Android smartphone P10 was partially equipped with less advanced and less powerful memory modules. Buyers experience considerable differences in performance within this series. At the request of news agency Reuters Huawei did not want to express itself in this context.

IPhone 8 could increase pressure on market

Already, according to the report, Apple purchases about 18 percent of the world's memory chip production. This is at least asserted by analysts. This assumes that if the iPhone 8 is to develop a success, Apple with the device will exert additional pressure on the market. This even goes so far that some manufacturers could run out empty and so would be forced to bring your smartphones with stripped down specifications to the market.

Hamster purchases at Apple's competitors

The relative scarcity of chips, both in the area of ​​memory (DRAM) and NAND flash memory, already leads to hamster purchases. According to Reuters, electronics manufacturers would buy memory chips around the world in order to continue manufacturing their devices.

The forecast is quite gloomy. But the current situation is not a rumor or a fairytale. LG Electronics confirmed to Reuters that it was preferable to store purchases after the supply bottlenecks became known. Exactly these behaviors expect analysts also with other manufacturers. Two scenarios are outlined. Manufacturers would have to negotiate long-term and expensive contracts at the same time in order to be adequately supplied. Or, they would have to spontaneously fill themselves with existing capacities so as not to end up empty in the end. In the end this could lead to the fact that in the foreseeable future we will see "new" devices on the market, which might have offered more storage but cannot be offered because of the mixture.

Samsung, which as an Apple competitor brings out their own smartphones, is excluded from the market situation. Also because the company itself produces memory chips, among other things for Apple.

The post Apple is Worried About Competition Concerns: iPhone 8 Ensures Memory Shortage appeared first on LabLance.

According to the news agency Bloomberg, Apple is currently again in negotiations with the music industry. You want to negotiate new conditions for Apple Music and the iTunes Store. Should no agreement be reached in the short term, the existing treaties would initially be extended indefinitely.

That Tim Cook is a well-known good merchant, has got around. Now his company would like to renew the expiring contracts with the music industry on improved terms. Apple would like to pay less for music streaming and also keep a larger share of the sale of digital music in the iTunes Store.

Apple Wants To Improve Position

Anonymous sources against Bloomberg have revealed that the iPhone manufacturer wants to improve its basic position against the music publishers. When the iPod and the iTunes Store were still number 1, and the sale of digital music outside Apple's Onlineshop played no big role, Apple could negotiate significantly better terms.

Spotify has Better Conditions

Now one is striving above all the price for the music streaming in his favor again to negotiate. Currently, many labels from Apple will receive 58 percent revenue share. The iPhone manufacturer would rather prefer the same level of Spotify. The market leader in the field of music streaming recently sold 55 percent of the sales to the music publishers, but recently achieved a new contract conclusion with only 52 percent.

iTunes Store Does Not Neglect

The fact that Spotify was able to negotiate better conditions also has to do with the growth of the platform. But Apple Music has also developed very well. This development plays Apple apparently in the cards. According to Bloomberg, the music publishers are willing to grant Apple similar conditions. But the partners want the company from Cupertino the iTunes Store not neglected. Especially in countries, where the music streaming was not so common, Apple should stir the advertising drum for iTunes. In principle, however, the fears that no music would be sold any more would not have come true.

The post Apple is Planning to Reduce Contracts with Music Publishers appeared first on LabLance.

This autumn the iPhone 8 is to be presented. The experts are already in agreement. This should be a high-end smartphone at all corners and ends. This includes simple as well as fast loading options. Since the inductive charging is also considered safe, there is still disagreement about the lightning connection. Will it be soft for USB-C, or is the anniversary iPhone delivered with a lightning-on-USB-C cable, which could allow a quick charge?

The MacBook has been running on USB-C since 2015 and also the Pro-models were changed to the new standard last year. Therefore, of course, the question arises whether iOS devices will also be equipped with the new all-round standard in the future. With the iPhone 8 there could be a first step in this direction. According to the reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new Apple smartphone could be delivered with a USB-C charger. This would mean that the scope of delivery would also include a lightning-on-USB-C cable.

In line with this, Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis has also investigated a USB-C power adapter in the "iPhone 8" package, which is supposed to have a power of 10W, which would enable a much faster charging.

To achieve this, a new USB-C chip has also been integrated for energy management - in the power supply and in the iPhone. According to MacRumors, Curtis assumes that the chip will be delivered by Cypress Semiconductor and will also be used in the new iPad Pro. Also here it is already possible to use the quick charge function via the lightning-on-USB-C cable and the USB-C power supply.

At the moment, Apple is only adding a 5W power adapter to its smartphones, which also has a "slow" USB-A connector.

The post iPhone 8: Will Apple put on a USB C cable for faster charging? appeared first on LabLance.

When Apple announced on the WWDC its ARKit and thus the entry into Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality announced what the surprise great. But instead of bringing this technology only to the iPhone, iPad and the Mac, Apple could also include a new hardware category in the range: AR glasses like Google Glass. But Apple does not want to know anything.

In the face of Apple's investment in Augmented Reality, the idea is that AR glasses like Google Glass will soon be on the market. But you'll have to wait a little longer. Apple will first stay on the iPhone and iPad and use these as display devices.

This is what Greg Joswiak, Apple's product marketing manager, told The Australian. Plans for AR glasses or a head-mounted display like the Oculus Rift was not confirmed by Joswiak. It is, however, Apple's policy not to announce most of the products before, exceptions have recently been made.

ARKit is a "gigantic" possibility for Augmented Reality, Joswiak says euphorically. This is also due to the fact that with the iPhone and iPad there are one billion devices that are equipped for the technology. The ARKit belongs to iOS 11.

Already developers have shown with demos, what is possible with the interface. Apple is enthusiastic, according to the manager. Wherever the developments will lead, Apple does not know.

Powerful Technology

The technology requires a lot of computing power, which could be a problem with older iOS devices. In a recent statement on ARKit, Apple has now seen that only devices with an A9 or A10 chip are powerful enough to analyze the environment in real-time to present the augmented reality. Even the A8 chip would not be able to do so without any performance dips.

Due to this circumstance, only the iPhone 6s / 6s Plus, the iPhone SE and the iPhone 7/7 Plus from ARKit will benefit. The iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6/6 Plus support most iPhone models with "iOS 11" compatibility, which is why Joswiak's statement that one billion devices are AR-kit-capable is probably something far-fetched.

The post iPhone and iPad Use as Display Device for Apple ARKit appeared first on LabLance.

The dispute between Apple and Qualcomm escalates. The chip maker has called the US Trade Commission to force an import stop for iPhones and iPads into the United States of America. It is also intended to prohibit the sale of equipment that is already in the USA and which, as it were, infringes the company's patents.

The economic magazine Fortune reports on a new escalation stage in the patent dispute between Qualcomm and Apple. As a result, the chip maker turned to the International Trade Commission (ITC) in the USA. It wanted to reach the import stop of iPhone and iPad to the USA, because the products against valid Qualcomms patents infringe. Such smartphones and tablets from Cupertino, which are already in the "country of the unlimited possibilities", should also be subject to a sale ban.

Qualcomm will file another patent complaint

But not enough. For Qualcomm is also to have filed a new patent complaint against the iPhone manufacturer at the court for the southern district in California.

If it goes to Qualcomm, then Apple violates six of its patents. These should have to do with the discovery of mobile radio resources, and also the energy saving during ongoing communication. The US chip maker was apparently granted these patents in the years 2013 to 2017. They did not protect any basic technology, which has its own law in the US, that allows other companies to use it. But the patents are also not part of the license agreement that the two companies have signed. Correspondingly, it is also argued that and how much Apple Qualcomm ultimately has to pay for the licensing.

The post Dispute escalates: Import of iPhone and iPad in the US is to be banned appeared first on LabLance.

Apple found a vendor of printed circuit board (PCB) equipment last month. To purchase the equipment directly. Apple signed a contract worth hundreds of billions of dollars. It is not uncommon for an Apple factory to have a manufacturing facility. It is also an unfamiliar thing in PCB industry. Why was Apple suddenly buying equipment?

Apple is expected to lease the equipment it is currently leasing to suppliers that supply RFPCB. There are two companies that are in the spotlight, and they are preparing for actual equipment wear.

RFPCB is a mixture of rigid 'rigid' and bendable 'flexible' PCBs. It is classified as high value because it is more technical level than standard product and it is difficult to make.

Apple's purchase of equipment is due to changes in supply and demand. Especially, it was analyzed that it was related to the organic light emitting diode (OLED) According to industry sources, three companies wanted to get RFPCBs for touch screen panels ( TSPs ) into OLED iPhones . TSP is a part that enables finger touch input on the screen of smartphone.

However, just before the mass production, one company broke away from the ranks. "We know that one company has given up manufacturing because it cannot supply it," said an official with a PCB company. The company explained that the company, which suffered a shortage of RFPCB supply and was in need of supply, directly supported the expansion of other makers' facilities. The manufacturer who gave up manufacturing was known as Taiwan PCB Company.

RFPCB makers are medium or small businesses and therefore are not well funded. Apple, on the other hand, has huge cash holdings. The direct expansion of RFPCB makers is burdensome, while Apple is much less. Rather, the production disruption of the iPhone is a bigger task for Apple. Apple also has the ability to run more quickly because it has available cash to run.

The reasons for the abandonment of the Taiwanese business were not confirmed. In terms of parts makers, Apple is a very large customer. Last year, however, Sony had been trying to supply Apple with a dual camera and then withdrew it. Technical difficulties, manufacturing problems, and profitability. The Taiwanese company's abandonment seems like a small happening in preparation, but the industry is not so much affected. Especially, it is causing butterfly effect in domestic FPCB industry. Two companies will share Apple's RFPCB quantities, which are expected to reach 100 million units this year.

As the order volume is expanding, we expect more than expected results. Both companies, which are expected to increase orders, are domestic companies. Here, Apple is adding an additional RFPCB vendor. The Taiwanese company is filling up the missing vacancies. New suppliers are reportedly preparing for production lines within the year and participating in supply from next year. It is also a domestic company to place a new name. The company is preparing to invest in facilities. "An overseas FPCB maker, such as Taiwan or China, concentrates on producing double-sided or multi-products, and there is no suitable equipment to produce the RFPCB required by Apple," said a PCB official who asked for anonymity. "Apple's orders are being driven by the availability of production infrastructure, including experience and know-how."

The post Why Apple Did not Buy Factory FPCB Equipment appeared first on LabLance.

Samsung Electronics will return to producing chips for Apple in next year's iPhone lineup, according to a new report today by The Korea Herald. Before, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company held the sole supplier responsibility of providing Apple's A10 chip in the iPhone 7, as well as the A11 chip in the upcoming iPhone 8, but now today's report references a "crucial deal" made between Samsung Electronics co-CEO Kwon Oh-hyun and Apple during a visit to Cupertino last month.

According to the report, Samsung managed to close the deal because of the company's decision to purchase equipment solely intended for 7-nanometer chip fabrication for iPhone devices. This move, as well as using Samsung's "close ties on OLED," convinced Apple to reintroduce the supplier into the iPhone chip supply chain. Although details remain vague, The Korea Herald's sources said that Samsung would "share some parts" of the 2018 iPhone orders that have been previously monopolized by TSMC.

According to news reports on July 18, Samsung recently purchased extreme ultra violet lithography machines, the most advanced chip manufacturing equipment, to produce seven-nanometer mobile processors solely for iPhone.

“The CEO could persuade Apple’s top brass taking advantage of their close ties on OLED,” said an industry source. Samsung, the world’s largest mobile OLED maker with a whopping 95 percent market share, is the sole OLED supplier for the upcoming iPhone.

In 2015, Apple dual-sourced the A9 chip from both TSMC and Samsung for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, leading to some blowback from consumers when battery tests were performed and saw the TSMC chips outperform those made by Samsung. To avoid that issue again, and thanks to TSMC's aggressive moves to adopt smaller and more energy efficient manufacturing processes, Apple chose the company as the sole supplier of the A10 and A11 chips.

Now, Samsung is said to be preparing tests for its own chip processing machines, and next plans to "seek final approval from Apple for the chip production" for what will presumably be called the A12 chip. As the sole OLED supplier for the 2017 iPhone, Samsung Display's deal with Apple has placed the manufacturer with providing between 70 and 92 million OLED displays for the upcoming iPhone 8. Apple is predicted to shift to OLED-only iPhone production as soon as 2018 or 2019.

The post Samsung back on board? iPhone chips next year also from Korea appeared first on LabLance.

A few days ago, sources of information from manufacturers Nodus shell case has revealed the entire design of the iPhone 8 upcoming and confirmed that this is the final design. These images also confirm previous rumors, such as the bezel design, the physical Home button being removed, and the dual camera cluster along the back.

Today, Nodus continues to share the latest images of the iPhone 8 with the BGR technology page. This time there are images from all angles and the display has been turned on, so we can see how the screen looks of the iPhone 8 looks like.

This 3D model gives us a clearer view of every aspect of the iPhone 8. It is possible to see two antenna strips on the side of the iPhone 8 and extend down to the bottom of the phone, but are blurry and hard to see. Than the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

This design has a display on, so we can see the location of the waves, Wi-Fi and battery icons. Apple places these icons at the top, in line with the position of the front camera and sensor.

As a result, the screen of the iPhone 8 will have more room to display. However, this design image does not show the Function Area as previous rumors. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the iPhone 8 would be equipped with functional areas at the bottom, including the Touch ID sensor and features like the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar 2017.

According to Forbes, the Home button of the iPhone 8 is much larger than the iPhone before. Therefore, Apple will probably put the Touch ID sensor on this Home button, to replace the integrated fingerprint sensor under the touch screen when the technology is not ready.

So we know what the iPhone 8 looks like. However, the location of Touch Sensor is still a big question mark. Besides, the price of the iPhone 8 is also a problem that many people are interested but no answer. It is very likely that the iPhone 8 will have very high prices, from $ 1,000 to $ 1,200.

The post The complete design of the iPhone 8 looks from all angles appeared first on LabLance.

With Firefox 8 for iOS, there is a new, alternative browser for the iPhone and the iPad, which brings some new features that make it more comfortable to surf. On the one hand, the app now offers a night mode, which is less dazzling and can scan the other QR codes, behind which often hide URLs.

The iPhone and the iPad get a new browser - but not from Apple, but from Mozilla. The Firefox is released in version 8 for iOS and brings some interesting features. The update includes a built-in QR code reader. This is handy when it comes to recognizing the URLs from the point patterns. The folds with the built-in camera of the smartphone or tablet very well. IOS does not yet have native support for QR codes. This will change only with iOS 11, which is currently in the trial phase and will not come to market in autumn 2017.

The night mode is intended to ensure that the user is blinded by the browser in low ambient lighting. The system is not identical to the iOS-widely implemented night mode of Apple, but harmonizes with it without problems. Also the display of tabs has changed Mozilla in Firefox 8.

Firefox also shows users new features of the browser in a kind of tutorial. More and more apps go for iOS because it has been proven that old users often do not know what new features their software is capable of. Of course, the tutorials can also be canceled so as not to be disturbed. If you want, you can use the synchronization function to send a single page to the desktop browser. This is quite practical.

Of course, Firefox 8 is still free of charge and, as usual, uses the WebKit and thus the rendering engine from Safari. Apple is still rigorous and does not allow the operation of alternative browser engines.

The post Firefox for iOS with Night Mode and QR Scanner appeared first on LabLance.

All pre-buyers are flying high: Apple fans are waiting for the 12th September, when Apple will introduce the new iPhone 8 to the public and probably on an anniversary phone with OLED display. However, according to recent media reports, you and we will be able to pre-order the upcoming Apple smartphone as of September 15th. Apparently, employees of German mobile phone operators have puzzled themselves.

From September 15th: Pre-order iPhone 8

Next Tuesday (September 12, 7:00 pm German time), Apple invites you to the September Keynote after Cupertino. The event takes place on the grounds of the Apple Park at the Steve Jobs Theater. No other product is currently as hotly debated as the upcoming iPhone flagship. Whether this is now iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Pro, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Edition, iPhone Edition, iPhone X Edition or whatever is hot, be set times. What is important is how this looks and what functions it offers.

We are looking forward to the keynote and ask ourselves for a few weeks, when the new iPhone 8 pre- orders. From sources with two German mobile phone providers, we have now been given to Apple that the offerer informed that the iPhone 8 reservation or pre-booking from 15 September will be possible. Therefore, the operators are already preparing intensively for the next Friday.

Then you will be able to pre-order not only with o2 and Vodafone the iPhone 8, but also with the Telekom. As always, the sooner you order, the sooner you will get your Apple smartphone. The actual sales start takes place seven days later on September 22nd. Then the first devices are delivered and the sales start also in the stores.

The post iPhone 8 pre-order from 15 September appeared first on LabLance.

The countdown is running. Tomorrow, Tuesday, Apple will reveal the mystery surrounding the new iPhone models and probably confirm numerous rumors that have stirred in recent days. Especially since the iOS 11 Gold Master has entered the Internet, the density of iPhone X and iOS 11 rumors increased. Now there are more insights.

iPhone X with 6-Core CPU and New Status Bar

With the current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple is setting up an A10 Fusion chip with a total of four cores. The iPhone X will probably use the A11 chip. According to iOS 11 GM, this will have a total of six cores. Four nuclei are called Mistral and two nuclei are called Monsoon.

The fact that the status bar will change in the upper part of the iPhone X should have been around. The display recess in the upper area makes this mandatory, so that the iPhone X will have a two-part status bar.

To the left of the recess you find the time, on the right the mobile radio and Wifi signal strength, the battery indicator and an activity indicator. Depending on whether you are conducting calls or activated screen recording, the time will turn red or green. With the iPhone 7 and under iOS 10, Apple in such a case is based on an additional (colored) status bar.

iOS 10 with a Market Share of 89 Percent

Just before the presentation of the new iPhone models and a few days before Apple releases the final version of iOS 11, we are still looking at the distribution of the current iOS versions. We did this in early August. At that time iOS 10 was installed on 87 percent of all iOS devices.

Meanwhile, about six weeks past and the Apple Dev Center shows that iOS 10 runs on 89 percent of all devices. iOS 9 is installed on 9 percent of devices, and older iOS versions are responsible for 2 percent.

Comparing this to iOS 9 at the same time last year, iOS 9 was installed on 88 percent of devices. The fresh numbers were collected on 06 September 2017 by hits on the App Store.

The post iPhone X with 6-Core CPU and New Status Bar – iOS 10 with 89 Percent Market Share appeared first on LabLance.

iPhone 8, AppleTV 4K and Apple Watch 3 are sent to customers. Just last night, we reported that Apple is preparing to ship the new products, now we can report enforcement.

Good news for all early adopters who have placed an order for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch 3 and AppleTV 4K last week. Those who have pressed the order button at an early stage will get their equipment delivered on time on Friday.

According to Macrumors, several readers have reported that they have already received mail from their mail service providers that their goods have been sent by post. The individual products will be dispatched from different locations. This is how US readers report that their iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are being sent from Pennsylvania, while Apple Watch Series 3 and AppleTV 4K come directly from China.

Just a week ago it is now that Apple last week Tuesday, iPhone 8 (Plus), AppleTV 4K and Apple Watch 3 has unveiled. Three days later, the advance sale and the official sales start will be celebrated on Friday (September 22). Shortly after the start of the sales the delivery time of the individual devices already went up. Especially the iPhone 8 Plus 256GB, Apple Watch 3 LTE as well as AppleTV 4K 64GB are particularly in demand.

Now the first devices have been shipped, so that they will arrive on Friday at the end customer. From 27 October you can the pre-iPhone X.

The post iPhone 8, AppleTV 4K and AppleWatch 3, devices are sent to customers appeared first on LabLance.

The Apple iPhone X introduced in September can be officially pre-ordered from today. From the 3rd of November it should be delivered.

Interested customers can pre-order their new iPhone X on Friday, October 27, 2017, from 9:01 am on the Apple website and in the Apple Store App. We have already written down some tips for you. The key data for the device can be found in this post.

Who does not want to order online, can try his luck in an Apple Store. There, the model will be available on Friday, November 3, 2017 at 8:00 pm. The stores will also have iPhone X available to customers without pre-orders, which Apple recommends "early" to be on-site.

The Apple iPhone X will be available in 64GB and 256GB models in Silver and Space Gray starting at $ 1,149 and is available (sooner or later) from authorized Apple dealers and mobile service providers.

The post Apple iPhone X: Pre-order starts today appeared first on LabLance.

One day after the launch, the first case appeared, and now more and more owners of an iPhone X are in support forums and social networks. On the OLED display of the anniversary iPhone appears after a short time a permanent green vertical stripe. Apple expresses itself so far not to the error.

The anticipation of the new iPhone X is great for many, you had to wait longer for the launch, as in the last iPhone generations. And for the vast majority of new owners there are no problems after unpacking. But more and more users report a display error on their iPhone X. Suddenly and without warning, a vertical green stripe appears.

Most of them are on the right side of the display, but some are left or center. After a short search in support forums and the social networks can be discovered already several dozen devices with the error.

Apple said so far not to the problem, the devices but the reports of many affected after, without any ifs and but directly from. If you also see a green stripe on your display, you should immediately contact Apple Support.

With several million sold iPhone X cannot be spoken by any "Green Line Gate". With so many devices, there may be a few defects. However, the problem appears much more frequently than, for example, the bursting battery on the iPhone 8. Hopefully, this is not a general problem with Samsung's OLED displays manufactured for Apple.

The post iPhone X: Green Line Display Errors are Increasing appeared first on LabLance.