It’s been an eventful week for Apple as it announces the release of three new iPhones in the near future, tackles decreasing demand for its products in international markets, cutting corners on iPhone X to reduce prices and introducing an iOS version of Photoshop for iPads. Here are the hottest updates from the world of Apple this week.
Apple recently confirmed three new iPhone models tagged as A19, A20 and A21 that could be revealed later this year
New iPhone Models on the Way
According to Apple’s regulatory listing in Eurasian database, the company has confirmed that three new iPhone models could be released anytime in the near future. Gordon Kelly from Forbes revealed further details about Apple’s next iPhone launch. According to the public identifiers filed by the company in the database, the new models are tagged as A19, A20 and A21 with various sub-models under each new phone.
Kelly claims that the order of the new models is possibly arranged according to price with A19 being the cheapest ‘budget’ model and A21 the most expensive one. According to speculations, the A19 will be a 6.1 inch version of iPhone X, A20 a second-generation 5.8 inch smart phone whereas A21 the biggest one of the three at 6.5 inches.
FaceID in All iOS Devices
Apple first introduced FaceID in iPhone X last year and it seems like the innovative feature is here to stay. The company is planning to expand FaceID to all of its iOS devices in the future. With increase in supply chain numbers, Apple can now afford to integrate the critical components of its facial recognition system in three new handsets by the end of 2018. These include a brand new iPhone X Plus, and the LCD-equipped replacements for iPhone 8 and 8s.
The change in hardware won’t just be limited to iPhones; many fans are expecting the facial recognition feature to be introduced in iPads as well after an expected update to its hardware in the near future. FaceID has become Apple’s unique selling point and the company has spent plenty of resources to market the feature and its ease of use. It’s only natural that it wants to expand the new biometric recognition system to the rest of its gadgets as well.
The VCSEL technology used in FaceID reduces the risk of false matches and provides secure user authentication which is why many banking apps are choosing to implement the new form of biometric recognition instead of the old fingerprint unlock method.
Cutting Corners
There will also be another major update to iPhone 8’s hardware over the coming months. Many are suspecting that Apple will revamp the technology in its iPhone 8 model range to turn it into a budget iPhone X. The updates will include a FaceID system and a significant change in design to give the phone thicker bezels – a cost-cutting strategy in order to bring down the iPhone X price point from last year’s $1,000 and make it more affordable to customers.
Apple only managed to sell less than a million iPhones in India this year due to high import tariffs
To justify the lower price, Apple is also discontinuing the use of pricier OLED screens in iPhone 8 series, replacing them with cheaper LCD panels instead. Since LCD displays don’t bend around the phone’s edges like OLED screens do, the ‘budget’ iPhone will have considerably thicker bezels than its successor, iPhone X.
Apple Losing Market Grip in India
Apple’s smartphone business is flourishing in North American and European markets, but the same can’t be said about Asian territories, which are experiencing the highest growth in technology sector. In India, the company only managed to sell less than a million iPhones this year due to high import tariffs.
To cope with inflated prices, Apple is resorting to marketing its older generation phones in the country which can be manufactured domestically, and hence don’t have to be imported. But the consumer market in India is gravitating towards more affordable brands like Samsung and Xiaomi which are able to sell their latest smart phone models at a cheaper price.
iOS version of Photoshop
If you’re a fan of Photoshop but also love using your iPad, you no longer have to choose between the two. Scott Belsky, the Chief Product Officer at Adobe, recently confirmed that the popular photo editing tool will be available in an iOS version for Apple users in the near future, although dates for the software’s release haven’t been specified yet.
