Category: Tech

The Current’s tech news keeps you upto date with news of new gadgets, tech updates, information about tech startups and technology reviews.

  • Leaks reveal iPhone 14 could be the best model ever

    Leaks reveal iPhone 14 could be the best model ever

    While a number of smartphone manufacturers are cutting back on their flagship shipments, Apple is quite confident about its upcoming range of the iPhone 14.

    The Cupertino-based business has reportedly informed its vendors that the iPhone 14 series will sell more units than it had planned, increasing the total number of units it will make from 90 million to 95 million.

    The iPhone 14 may be the best iPhone ever made for a number of reasons, as the higher-end iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models are rumored to come with some significant changes, including improved camera capabilities with a new 48MP lens, a new pill-shaped and hole-punch notch replacement, and a faster A16 chip.

    According to a recent article from the Taiwan Economics Times, Apple anticipates that the iPhone 14 series would perform better than expected in terms of sales.

    As a result, it has instructed its suppliers to create and ship 5 per cent more iPhones than originally anticipated, or 95 million units instead of the first expected 90 million.

    The highest-end iPhone 14 Pro Max will have the greatest stock, according to the report, which cites sources. This shouldn’t be shocking considering how popular the iPhone 13 Pro Max was as well.

    As a result of the current political confrontations between China and Taiwan, earlier reports from July hinted that the projected September release of the iPhone 14 series might be delayed.

  • Mobile phone service suspended in specific areas

    Mobile phone service suspended in specific areas

    To ensure law and order during Muharram processions, mobile phone service was suspended in specific areas and sectors of Islamabad, including G-6, G-7, G-8 and G-9 on Monday night. While sector I-10 and its nearby areas faced long signal outages from 10 pm to 6 am.

    On the 11th of Muharram, the mobile phone service will be halted from 9 am to 10 pm in the areas of Bari Imam, said a press note issued from the office of the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad.

    Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said the service was suspended in G-6, G-7, G-8 and G-9 from 9 am till midnight and from 10 pm till 6 am in I-10.

    Cellular services will not be available on 10th Muharram from 10 am to 4 pm and from 9 am till10 pm in areas of Bari Imam on 11th of Muharram, the official said.

    After 8 pm, certain areas of Lahore, particularly those near the Imam Bargah, experienced signal outages on Monday, including Nishat Colony, some areas of Cantt, Thokar Niaz Baig, Model Town and Canal Bank.

  • Google apologises after software update causes outage

    Google apologises after software update causes outage

    According to outage tracker Downdetector, tens of thousands of users reported being unable to access several Google services on Monday night.

    Google Maps has been having issues since 9:36 PM EDT (0136 GMT), according to a tweet from Downdetector.

    More than 40,000 users reported problems using Google’s services, primarily the maps and search engine, including in New York City and Denver, Colorado.

    A small number of customers continued to report issues using Google’s cloud and calendar services after the outage had been reported for about two hours, according to Downdetector.

    “We’re aware of a software update issue that occurred late this afternoon Pacific Time and briefly affected availability of Google Search and Maps, and we apologize for the inconvenience,” a Google spokesperson said.

    “We worked to quickly address the issue and our services are now back online.”

    Some individuals who attempted to use Google tweeted screenshots of the ‘500 error’ notice on Twitter, which said the server had “encountered an error and could not complete your request.”

  • This Apple Watch Series 7 clone costs less than Rs2,000

    This Apple Watch Series 7 clone costs less than Rs2,000

    On Pakistani online marketplaces, there are a number of replicas that are so similar to the original product that a layperson would have a hard time telling the difference.

    Apple Watch clone smartwatches, which are significantly less expensive than the original Apple Watch, are one of the most popular products in online marketplaces like OLX and Daraz.

    Here is the cheapest Apple Watch Series 7 copy version currently available on Daraz with a price tag of just Rs1,899:

    The seller claims that the ‘I7Pro Max IWO13 PRO’ is an IP67-resistant watch with a heart-rate monitoring system and 1.8-inch ‘HD’ screen. It is currently one of the cheapest Apple Series 7 clone smartwatch available in Pakistan.

    These smartwatches come in a variety of model numbers and brand names, and most of them are made in China.

    Lower grade replicas are more affordable ones. Smartwatches costing more than Rs5,000 can be thought of as slightly superior to ones costing less than Rs4,000.

    Read more: Cheapest new cars to buy in Pakistan

    The most intriguing thing is that despite many online shoppers knowing that these affordable watches don’t offer good quality or features, they continue to purchase them since the original Apple Watch Series 7 has a starting price of Rs90,000, which is significantly higher than what an average consumer can afford.

  • Apple facing issues in production of iPhone 14

    Apple facing issues in production of iPhone 14

    The release of the iPhone 14 has been eagerly anticipated by Apple fans worldwide, but according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the flagship has a coating crack quality problem.

    The coating crack, according to the analyst, was intended to be used in the phone’s rear cameras, but since it is defective, the tech company has been having production problems.

    This coating crack issue is posing a risk to the tech giant, since it may delay the shipment of the iPhone 14 lineup, which is scheduled to hit stores this fall. Given how important the problem is, Apple has contracted with a new coating supplier; this time, a Taiwanese company called “Largan” will help the tech giant with the iPhone 14’s camera lenses.

    Ming-Chi Kuo recently tweeted that “Apple had transferred about 10 million lens orders from Genius to Largan to avoid affecting iPhone 14 shipments.” This indicates that the tech giant has stopped purchasing lens coating from “Genius” and will do so permanently if that company can’t resolve its coating crack quality problem.

    While highlighting a different issue with the production of the iPhone 14, Kuo wrote that a variety of panel and memory suppliers are experiencing component shortages.

    Despite this, Kuo claimed that the issue will be easily resolved because Apple has brought in a large number of suppliers to fill the component gap.

    “I have learned that recently some iPhone 14 panel and memory suppliers have experienced supply issues”, however indicating little to no impact he added that “other suppliers can fill the supply gap.”

    Apple is doing everything it can to keep up with demand, manufacture, and deliver the iPhone 14 by the projected date despite a number of production issues. Once available, the iPhone 14 is anticipated to outsell the iPhone 13 and surpass its all-time high revenue of $448 billion.

  • Twitter blames Musk for $270 million Q2 loss

    Twitter blames Musk for $270 million Q2 loss

    The social media company’s latest quarterly earnings figures offered a glimpse into how the social media business performed during months-long negotiation with billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk over whether he will take over the company.

    The company lost $270 million in the April-June period after revenue slipped 1 per cent to $1.18 billion, reflecting advertising industry headwinds, as well as uncertainty over Musk’s acquisition bid.

    The number of daily active users rose 16.6 per cent to 237.8 million compared with the same period a year before.

    Twitter chalked up the gains to “ongoing product improvements and global conversation around current events.”

    Twitter’s legal battle with Musk to fulfil his April promise to purchase the company for $44 billion has overshadowed its most recent sales figures. To close the deal, Twitter last week sued Musk, and now the two parties are preparing for a trial in October.

    Twitter announced that it wouldn’t hold its customary quarterly earnings conference call or publish a shareholder letter due to the impending acquisition.

    Beginning with the April 4 disclosure that Musk had purchased a sizable stake in the company, opening the door for his takeover bid later that month, Twitter experienced a turbulent three months during the April-June fiscal quarter. Shortly after Musk publicly tweeted his concerns about Twitter and its employees and gave the impression that he was reconsidering his position, the relationship quickly grew strained.

    Musk’s actions and his “repeated disparagement of Twitter and its personnel,” according to Twitter, created uncertainty that was bad for the company’s operations, staff, and stock price.

    Musk wanted to wait until next year due to the complexity of the case and his demands for more of Twitter’s internal data about how it counts fake and automated “spam bot” accounts, which he’s cited as a key reason for trying to terminate the deal. It called for an expedited trial so the company could continue with important business decisions.

    Before the opening bell on Friday, shares were reduced by 2 per cent.

    The trial was postponed this week by the judge, who agreed with Twitter that too much delay could harm the company irreparably. Unless Musk and Twitter resolve the case prior to that time, it will be heard in Delaware’s Court of Chancery, which hears numerous high-profile business disputes.

    On Friday, Elon Musk retaliated against Twitter for partially attributing its second-quarter revenue shortfall to the uncertainty surrounding the pending $44 billion acquisition of the Tesla CEO by the social media behemoth.

    “I’m rubber, they’re glue,” Musk tweeted. 

    According to Musk, Twitter is “in material breach of multiple provisions” of the agreement and “appears to have made false and misleading representations” when it accepted Musk’s acquisition offer on April 25.

    Musk announced last month that he would be terminating the agreement. Musk disputes Twitter’s internal estimates that less than 5 per cent of its users are made up of spam and fake accounts.

  • Apple may launch its eSIM-only iPhone 14 variant this year

    Apple may launch its eSIM-only iPhone 14 variant this year

    People may soon switch to phones with eSIM instead of physical SIM slots as more carriers and phone makers worldwide adopt the standard.

    The upcoming iPhone 14 series from Apple may only be available with eSIMs in some markets, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

    However, it is not anticipated that the tech giant will completely abandon physical SIM variants in favour of eSIM-only models for all of its iPhones. Apple appears to be analysing public reaction to the new eSIM-only models.

    According to reports, Apple has already alerted a number of significant US carriers to get ready for the arrival this Fall of its eSIM-only iPhone models. The primary benefit of removing the SIM slot from a phone is the release of limited interior physical space that can be used for other components. Another aspect that will help users is security, as telecoms can simultaneously send security updates to millions of users.

    Speaking of Pakistani users, this is both good and bad news since some folks are used to physical sim variants because they are straightforward and simple to use, whereas you must visit carrier franchises to obtain an e-sim and the setup is a little different from using a sim card.

  • Netflix introduces ‘add a home’ feature to prevent password sharing

    Netflix introduces ‘add a home’ feature to prevent password sharing

    Netflix has opposed password sharing for a while now since it allows multiple users to watch their favorite seasons on an account while paying only one subscription fee.

    It had previously signaled about restricting the sharing of passwords, but users were convinced that it wouldn’t happen. Unfortunately, Netflix is now testing a feature to charge additional users.

    Users can purchase additional ‘homes’ to share their Netflix account with by using the ‘add a home’ feature. Although there is an additional monthly fee for each home Rs670 ($2.99) on top of your regular subscription fee, this fee is still significantly less than the price of a full Netflix subscription, allowing a few households or users to save some money on Netflix.

    Additionally, you can use the feature to watch Netflix while travelling on a tablet, laptop, or phone. According to Netflix, a new setting will soon be available that will allow users to manage where their accounts are being used and to instantly remove any additional homes.

    The feature will go live on August 22nd, according to Netflix. When a user shares their account with another household, Netflix points out that it will not automatically add homes and charge a fee; instead, users will be prompted to add homes and consent to the additional fee.

    Read more: Netflix subscriber count drops by 1 million

    The feature’s use is subject to a few restrictions. Depending on its tier, a particular account may only be able to add so many additional “homes”: A second home may be added to a Basic account, a Standard account, two, and a Premium account, three.

  • Classic Nokia game ‘Snake’ turns 25 this month

    Classic Nokia game ‘Snake’ turns 25 this month

    This month marks the 25th anniversary of the classic Snake game, which debuted in July 1997 on the Nokia 6110. Despite the fact that mobile games have evolved, sporting cutting-edge graphics, fans of Nokia still recall Snake.

    Before games like Candy Crush and Subway Surfers, this was the game that kept players glued to their phones for hours. Since many millennials played it as one of their very first games, it brings back memories for them. The game’s ease of play and the anger at defeat made it extremely addictive.

    A snake that grew as it consumed food was under the player’s control. To get a high score, the snake had to keep picking food while avoiding contact with its own body or any other obstacles.

    “You’d always want to come back for more with Snake — it’s simple and it frustrates you in a carefully balanced way, so you’re willing to start again from scratch each time,” said game developer William Cox.

    “It is iconic and part of the history of the games industry,” he added.

    Snake was a single-player arcade game that was designed after the two-player arcade game Blockade.