Tag: iPhone

  • WhatsApp’s new update will support group voice call with up to 32 participants

    WhatsApp’s new update will support group voice call with up to 32 participants

    In the last few months, the popular Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp has made news by adding new and widely requested features in its Beta releases.

    Many other features, including enhanced file sharing size, emoji reactions, and the ability to hide last seen from select contacts, will be available in the live release of the app soon, according to the business.

    As per reports, WhatsApp has begun rolling out a new update for iOS that includes support for 32-person talks, a redesigned call user interface, waveforms, and other enhancements. On iOS, the update will be available in the live build of WhatsApp.

    Until now, WhatsApp users had been able to make group phone calls with numerous people at once. Previously, a group voice discussion could only hold up to eight people, but WhatsApp is now rolling out a new version that allows up to 32 individuals to join.

    In WhatsApp Groups, voice calls with up to 32 participants would be possible. To accommodate the new members, the platform has changed the way participants are displayed on the screen. Different WhatsApp users are labeled using waveform pictures.

    Read more: Google to ban call recording apps in the next update

    This new capability is included in the update version 22.8.80, which is 109.7MB in size for iOS devices. Android users will get a similar upgrade with these additional features in the near future, but it will not be available on the windows or desktop version.

  • Samsung Galaxy S23 to launch with high capacity battery, inspired by electric vehicles

    Samsung Galaxy S23 to launch with high capacity battery, inspired by electric vehicles

    The Korean tech giant, Samsung will offer the upcoming Galaxy S23 series with larger batteries, presumably in an attempt to rival Apple’s industry-leading battery longevity. These improvements will be made possible by an electric vehicle (EV) inspired battery technology that allows a 10 per cent increase in energy density.

    Apple’s existing smartphones continue to have the best battery life in the industry. Samsung’s next-generation mainstream flagships, the Galaxy S23 series, appear to be set to change things up. The Galaxy S23 series, codenamed ‘Diamond’ is expected to have significantly larger batteries than the Galaxy S22 series, according to new rumours.

    The Galaxy S22, in contrast, has been chastised for reducing from the Galaxy S21’s 4,000 mAh battery to a 3,700 mAh unit. Samsung is expected to address this with the Galaxy S23, which is expected to feature a 4,500 mAh battery. The Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra are expected to receive similar updates, with battery capacities increasing to 5,000 mAh and north of 5,500 mAh, respectively.

    All of this appears to be due to Samsung’s ambitions to incorporate new battery technology into the Galaxy S23 series. Samsung Digital Interface (SDI) will leverage the stacking technology it uses for its EV battery production on future smartphone batteries.

    Read more: Netflix loses 200,000 subscribers in Q1 2022, projects deeper losses in Q2

    This technology will allow smartphone batteries to have a 10 per cent higher energy density. Production is allegedly already underway, with a line at the company’s plant in Tianjin, China. Still, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is unlikely to gain from this advancement.

  • Is the iPhone SE 2022 a major flop?

    Is the iPhone SE 2022 a major flop?

    Apple is limiting the production of its recently launched ‘budget’ smartphone, the ‘iPhone SE 2022’ owing to lower-than-expected demand. The tech giant has urged suppliers to reduce the manufacturing of the iPhone SE, by roughly 2 million to 3 million devices, or about 20 per cent of initial booking orders.

    In fact, the iPhone SE is still not as well-known as Apple’s higher-priced iPhones. According to research, from its launch through Q4 2021, the 2020 edition of the iPhone SE contributed to only 12 per cent of total iPhone sales.

    It is worth mentioning that Apple also slashed orders for AirPods by around 10 million devices for the current year.

    The 5g enabled iPhone SE is marketed by the company as an alternative for the premium devices from Apple. However, its price tag of Rs105,238 (excluding PTA charges) still seems surprising as compared to the earlier SE model which was offered with a lesser price tag of Rs72,520 (excluding PTA charges).

    Read more: Apple to offer subscription-based service for selling iPhone, iPad, MacBook

    According to Nikkei, the drop in production is a result of the Ukraine crisis and inflation’s detrimental influence on the demand for gadgets.

    Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, several major IT companies, including Apple, ceased sales in the country. The United States, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have all slapped economic sanctions on Russia, causing supply chain disruption and raising inflation concerns.

  • Want to buy the new iPhone? Think again because the new Pakistan tax is shocking

    Want to buy the new iPhone? Think again because the new Pakistan tax is shocking

    If you are thinking of asking your relative or a friend to bring you iPhone 13 Pro Max 1TB from abroad, think again. The government has yet again increased taxes on luxury phones.

    Let’s suppose you buy the highest-end iPhone from abroad. The 1TB phone will cost you $1,730.92 which is 305,068.94 PKR, for the highest-end iPhone.

    If you will a buy a 128GB phone it will cost you $1,189.67 which is 208,571.16 PKR. Similarly, the price for a 256GB phone will be $1,297.92 which is 227,549.39 PKR.

    The price of a 512GB phone is 1514.42$ which is 265,505.84 PKR.

    A government source has informed The Current that phones from abroad are now being subjected to 17% sales tax instead of a fixed sales tax. The total tax will also include customs tax.

    Earlier, the fixed sales tax on the iPhone13 Pro max was Rs. 10,000 but if you now calculate a 17 per cent tax on 305,068.94 PKR in our case, the tax will be 51,861.7198. The customs tax is Rs 34,000 on the iPhone.

    If you now want to buy an iPhone 13 Pro max in Pakistan, the total tax will be 51,861.7198+34,000=85,861.17 for the 1TB Phone.

    If you have a passport on which you came back with the phone, it will cost you a little less, 51,861.7198+26,000=77,861.7198.

    Government sources while talking to The Current said, “If a person can afford a phone worth almost 300k, then he can pay 78k too. These phones have inelastic demands.”

    “Most smartphones sold in Pakistan (more than 80%) and mid category (between $150-200). 70% of these are now made in Pakistan and have very little tax on them. The ones in the range that are imported have a tax of around Rs 5-8k on them,” the source added.

  • Woman orders Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, gets apple-flavoured yogurt instead

    Woman orders Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, gets apple-flavoured yogurt instead

    A woman in China was surprised after she received apple-flavoured yogurt instead of an iPhone 12 Pro Max she had paid for online.

    According to details, the incident happened in China’s Anhui Province as the woman took to Chinese social media app Weibo to share her experience.

    In the video, the woman claims she paid 10,099 yuan for the iPhone 12 Pro Max on Apple’s official website on February 16.

    A box arrived two days later but what she got in that box was not an iPhone but apple-flavoured yogurt.

    The woman said she didn’t directly receive the package from the courier, it was left in a parcel locker inside her residential community.

    As per reports, Express Mail Service has appointed a special team to investigate the matter. Apple has also stated that they are looking into the matter.

    The local police have also been involved in the inquiry and have doubts that it might be a theft case.

  • WhatsApp will stop working on selected iPhones, Android devices from 2021

    WhatsApp will stop working on selected iPhones, Android devices from 2021

    Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp has announced that it will end support on some old Android and iOS smartphones from 2021.

    As per reports, WhatsApp is ending support for Android phones and iPhones that run on a dated operating system. The app will stop working on smartphones that are not running on at least iOS 9 or Android 4.0.3 operating systems.

    The iPhone models include all iPhone 4 and earlier models. However, if you have iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6S, you will have to update your phone to iOS 9 or later if you want to continue using WhatsApp.

    The iPhone 6S, 6 Plus, and iPhone SE first generation can be updated to iOS 14.

    Similary, Android phones that do not have Android 4.0.3 will lose access to WhatsApp. This includes models like HTC Desire, LG Optimus Black, Motorola Droid Razr, the Samsung Galaxy S2 and some other Android phones.

    Some users may still continue to access WhatsApp on their older smartphones as their operating systems may have received a patch with an update

    How to check the operating system running on your phone?

    In order to find out what operating system your phone is running on, iPhone users can go to Settings > General > Information, where you will find information about the software version on your iPhone. 

    On the other hand, Android users can go to Settings > About Phone to see which Android version their smartphone is running on.

  • As economies fall, Apple ‘quietly’ launches new, only $399 iPhone

    As economies fall, Apple ‘quietly’ launches new, only $399 iPhone

    Apple has “quietly” — without fanfare — unveiled a new entry-level iPhone, aiming to appeal to consumers facing a suddenly bleaker economic backdrop.

    The updated iPhone SE will start at $399, or less than half the price of its flagship devices, and be available for order as of today (Friday) in more than 40 markets.

    Apple made the announcement in a statement, forgoing the normal splashy product launch events of the past few years.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQIbeAk-bFA

    The screen is on the small side for smartphones, measuring 4.7 inches diagonally — bigger than the first-generation iPhone SE but smaller than the newest phones — yet boasts high-definition graphics for rich visuals.

    Apple trimmed coasts by leaving out some of high-end features such as facial recognition, giving iPhone SE a fingerprint sensor and a home-screen button which fans will remember from previous generations.

    While the iPhone had been in the works for months, the launch comes amid a pandemic-induced economic slump which has hammered the smartphone market and hit consumer sentiment.

    “It is incredibly fortuitous timing,” said Bob O’Donnell, analyst with Technalysis Research.

    “This is the exactly the phone a large percentage of people will want. It’s hard to justify spending $1,200 on a smartphone in this economic climate, yet people still depend heavily on their phones and a lot of people want to upgrade.”

    O’Donnell said the new device is also likely to appeal to consumers seeking a small-format handset, and in countries where consumers may have not been able to afford iPhones.

  • Apple fined again for slowing down old devices

    Apple fined again for slowing down old devices

    France’s competition and fraud watchdog DGCCRF has fined Apple $27 million for deliberately slowing down older devices without making it clear to consumers.

    In 2017, Apple had confirmed that it slowed down devices but claimed it was done to “prolong the life” of older smartphones of Apple.

    However, many users believe that Apple slows down the phones to create psychological pressure on consumers so that they upgrade their devices.

    In 2017, the company acknowledged that operating system updates released for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE and iPhone 7 included a feature “to smooth out” power supply from batteries that are cold, old or low on charge.

    The lithium-ion batteries installed in the smartphone become less proficient in supplying to demands and become dated over time.

    The smartphones without the adjustment would shut down abruptly because of a safeguard designed to prevent components from getting fried, said Apple.

    However, according to the French watchdog, iPhone users “were not informed that installing iOS updates (10.2.1 and 11.2) could slow down their devices”.

    According to reports, the amount of the fine is equal to profits Apple earns in just three hours.

  • 5 products of this decade that transformed the tech world

    5 products of this decade that transformed the tech world

    The year 2020 is almost here, marking the end of this dacade, but it surely brought a lot of new technology and gadgets which range from latest mobile applications to mobile phones, computers to smart devices, and much more in the internet of things.

    But not every product that is created in the past ten years has the same impact on the society. It takes some serious innovation and cultural adoption to really change the tech world.

    We have listed here a few tech innovations that truly changed tech and were hailed as the most revolutionary products this in this decade.

    WhatsApp:

    Launched in November 2009, WhatsApp is a social media messaging platform that is owned by Facebook and its impact on society was significant enough to be mentioned here.

    WhatsApp specializes in cross-platform messaging, it is a free service that lets users message one another seamlessly between mobile and desktop devices. It is known for its enhanced privacy features, like end-to-end encryption, and its free audio and video international calling services.

    Apple iPad:

    When Steve Jobs first revealed the iPad in early 2010, many wondered whether there was a room for a product that was bigger than a smartphone, but lighter than (and more limited in features than) a laptop.

    Apple originally designed this new device to occupy a new product category between the iPod touch/iPhone and the Mac and by late 2012, over 100 million iPad devices had been sold worldwide and around 71 million iPads were sold in 2013 alone.

    It runs the same version of operating system as the iPod touch and iPhone. Similarly, the iPad devices are compatible with the vast majority of mobile applications written for the iPhone and iPod touch as well.

    Uber:

    Launched in 2012, ther ride-hailing service Uber has become the most recognized alternative to the traditional taxi services around the world. The service is available in over 700 cities including around the world including Pakistan, and this number is set to increase even more.

    This service allows its users to order a cab from a mobile application by just mentioning the pickup and drop-off locations.

    However, with expansion the problems in the service also increased. Wired has reported that the company’s relationship with its drivers is fraught and the company also refuses to classify its drivers as employees. Moreover, it is has also been criticized for skimping on driver background checks.

    Apple iPhone 4S:

    The original iPhone was launched in 2007 and it was one of the most influential events of our modern era. But the launch of the iPhone 4S in October 2011, was the big game-changer for Apple company’s business.

    Its new design and being the first iPhone mobile device to boast a front-facing selfie camera with the launch of FaceTime and Apple’s video chat service, the device captured the market in an instance.

    Oculus Rift:

    Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset, designed to connect to a high-powered PC to enable advanced computations and graphics rendering. The original prototype of this device was created in 2011 by the (then) 18-year-old Palmer Luckey in his parents’ garage in Long Beach, California.

    But what captured the comsumers’ interest was the launch of an HD (high-definition) version of the device in 2012. Later, in the fall of 2012, the company raised over two million dollars through its kickstarter crowdfunding campaign which is significantly higher that the $250,000 the startup sough.

    Oculus Rift’s constellation positioning technology uses gaze tracking and IR LED sensors to identify the user’s position while interacting with the virtual environment. It allows users to move freely within their physical environment, where they can sit, stand, walk, turn, duck and dodge as they desire.