In case you missed events and exciting news from the world of Apple this week, check out this roundup of top stories, so you’re all caught up with everything Apple.
This week, we came across a sketchy rumor that Apple would do away with the SIM card slot on the upcoming iPhone 14, at least in a few regions. Besides, Apple’s VP of Acoustics, Gary Geaves, and another senior executive explained how Bluetooth’s bandwidth limitations constrained the AirPods 3 design. On the legal front, things took a downturn for Apple this week. It put contract iPhone manufacturer Foxconn on probation after a plant remained inoperative in India. Meanwhile, the country’s antitrust regulator has opened an investigation into the company’s in-app purchase system.
Rumor Suggests iPhone 14 Could Skip the SIM Card Slot
After nuking the headphone jack, rumor has it that Apple has set its sights on the iPhone’s SIM slot. The company could soon do away with it in some markets when it launches the iPhone 14. The rumor was corroborated when MacRumors was tipped that Apple asked US carriers to prepare to launch eSIM-only smartphones by September 2022. This suggests that the phone could very well be the upcoming iPhone 14.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series already pack support for eSIMs but still offer a nana-SIM card slot to ensure compatibility because several carriers around the world still don’t support eSIM. It is likely that Apple will launch iPhone 14 Pro models without a physical SIM card slot in the US in 2022 and proceed to nuke the iPhone’s SIM tray as we know it in 2023.
Senior Apple Executives Suggest Bluetooth Bandwidth Could Be Hindering AirPods Development
In an interview with What Hi-Fi about the development of AirPods 3, Apple’s VP of Acoustics Gary Geaves and Head of AirPods Product Marketing Eric Treski said that Bluetooth has its limitations and Apple could use a protocol with more bandwidth to improve the AirPods. Geaves said that the AirPods 3 were “built from the ground up” with proprietary components. He added that the speaker driver packs a “complicated acoustic system” to reduce pressure in the ear canal.
In the detailed interview, the VP of Acoustics also touched upon how the ear canal’s shape and head width affect how you perceive sound. These parameters are mathematically encapsulated in the Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF). Apple’s engineers reportedly gathered HRTFs from thousands of people to derive the most optimal one to design the AirPods 3, which caters to a broader spectrum.
Apple Puts Foxconn on Probation After Protests in India
This week was somewhat underwhelming for Apple in India. The company’s contract manufacturer Foxconn was placed on probation after its iPhone plant in the country remained closed due to multiple food poisoning incidents and worker protests over poor living conditions. The plant has been closed for over a week, and the reopening has been delayed repeatedly. The local government instructed Foxconn to review amenities for staffers.
If that wasn’t distressing enough, the Competition Commission of India opened an investigation into Apple’s business practices following a complaint filed by the non-profit group Together We Fight Society. The market regulator is investigating Apple’s mandate that app developers use only Apple’s payment system for in-app purchases. The CCI is pursuing this investigation despite Apple’s small 2 percent market share in India.
A Look Back at 2021 for Apple: The Highs and Lows
With the year coming to a close, we glanced back at how 2021 was a proverbial roller coaster ride for Apple. The year had several positive moments for Apple, such as becoming the world’s largest smartphone maker in February, launching its new iPhone 13, iMac, iPad Pro, AirTag, Apple TV 4K, etc. The company also released the iOS 15 update and macOS Monterey update, although some headliner features remain unavailable.
On the other hand, there were some dull moments for the iPhone maker. It was dragged to court by Fortnite developer Epic Games alleging antitrust practices with the App Store. In May, Apple CEO Tim Cook also testified in the legal battle. Besides, the Pegasus spyware leaked the data of several prominent individuals through an iMessage exploit. Apple later sued the spyware developer NSO Group. The company’s CSAM scanning feature also drew intense criticism from privacy advocates and non-profits alike. We suggest you check out our detailed post here.
Other Top Apple Stories This Week:
- The Best Apple Products Launched in 2021
- 6 Underwhelming Apple Products Launched in 2021
- South Korean Government Asks Apple’s App Store and Google Play to Block Play to Earn Games
- You Can Now Jailbreak iPhone XS and iPhone 11 Running iOS 14.6 – iOS 14.8 Using Unc0ver v8
- T-Mobile’s Recent Data Breach Was Related to SIM Swap Attacks
- Apple Offers Stock Bonuses of Up to $180k To Prevent Meta From Poaching its Engineers
- New Apple Card Users Are Getting 5 Percent Cashback on Select Products
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