Tech

Why Apple has increased divide between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro

Published

7 months ago

September 8, 2022

With the announcement of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple has further divided its iPhones into two categories which are vastly different from each other.

When the Pro stands out

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus aren’t staggeringly different phones, except for some differences in battery size, display size and weight. Even the notch, to the disappointment of fans worldwide, is the same. The camera, Apple’s standout feature on its iPhones, has received an upgrade. Imagine the disappointment of fans world wide when they heard that Apple’s latest vanilla iPhone comes with the same chipset, the A15 Bionic, as last year. It’s a break from tradition and one that stings.

But thanks to Apple’s decision, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max stand out in sharp contrast. The Dynamic Island technology looks very impressive. The brand new UI and UX approach from Apple seems to be extremely fluid, convenient and snappy.

That is saying a lot considering the company’s already smooth UI. It’s impossible to say if this is going to become an industry standard going forward, but its one that we should hope for.

Apart from that, the introduction of the next-gen A16 Bionic is going to be what pushes Apple fans to flock towards the Pro and Pro Max. The company claims that the chipset’s neural engine is capable of 17 trillion processes per second and that it is 40% more powerful than Apple’s rival chips. Packaged with the new 48 megapixel camera and an ultra-wide 12 megapixel camera, the Pro series is likely to be a beast of a machine.

Silver linings…for Apple

Even though the decision to stick an older chipset into the newest version of its phone has generated disappointment, the decision might be based on supply chain concerns as opposed to giving fans the finger. Given the current geopolitical situation and the chip shortage worldwide, the company might have made the distinction between the vanilla iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro in an attempt to meet consumer demand.

Through the pandemic, Apple managed to have its supply chains be left relatively undisturbed. So much so that despite the pandemic, it managed to ship 5.4 million iPhone units to India as well as up its market share to a whopping 4.4% by the end of the 2021 calendar year.

India’s mobile phone market is dominated by Android phones and the Chinese company Xiaomi. Apple is expected to up its market share to 5.5% by the end of calendar year 2022, according to market research firm Cyber Media Research.

By making the Pro and Pro Max a nearly separate line of phones, Apple might just be able to deal with the demand for the iPhone 14.

Prices are staying the same

One of the most comforting pieces of news that came out of the Far Out event yesterday is that the iPhone 14 will cost the same as the iPhone 13. At release, the iPhone 14 will cost Rs 79,990, the same as iPhone 13. Some wallets can breathe a litter easier.

Giving the vanilla variants the next-gen A16 chipset would likely have caused the price to hike. In the past, Apple’s vanilla variants have always been the main attraction. This time around however, by using the older A15 Bionic, Apple can afford to keep prices stagnant while also not impacting their margins.

Even though the gap between the vanilla and Pro variants are now a gaping Rs 40,000, Apple will likely be able to bring in more people to the fold because the cost of entry has stayed the same.

It’s official folks, the iPhone 14 has been revealed. preorders start at 8AM ET / 5AM PT on Friday, September 9th and will go on sale on Friday September 16.

But Apple’s iPhones have changed with the ‘vanilla’ versions of the new models being considerably toned-down variants of the Pro models.

Earlier, these ‘vanilla’ variants didn’t do much different from the Pro or Plus versions, after all, they had the same processors and the same camera. Not anymore.

With the announcement of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple has further divided its iPhones into two categories which are vastly different from each other.

When the Pro stands out

That is saying a lot considering the company’s already smooth UI. It’s impossible to say if this is going to become an industry standard going forward, but its one that we should hope for.

Silver linings…for Apple

By making the Pro and Pro Max a nearly separate line of phones, Apple might just be able to deal with the demand for the iPhone 14.

Prices are staying the same

Even though the gap between the vanilla and Pro variants are now a gaping Rs 40,000, Apple will likely be able to bring in more people to the fold because the cost of entry has stayed the same.

Tech

E Performance opens new chapter for Mercedes S Class

Published

2 months ago

January 13, 2023

Mensah Ayartey

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There is more to a Mercedes – any Mercedes – than just the prestige that comes with the badge. It presents style, class and innovation, and this new S Class E is exceptional on all levels.

The building of the Affalterbach reputation started 52 years ago, and since then, those AMG letters on any Mercedes have become the benchmark for luxury and brutal performance.

Today, the new Mercedes-AMG S 63 E Performance with AMG hybrid technology once again sets the benchmark in the segment.

B33B88CE 3259 44E4 A418 31D4E24000C6 — Der neue Mercedes-AMG S 63 E PERFORMANCE (Angaben WLTP | Kraftstoffverbrauch gewichtet, kombiniert: 4,4 l/100 km, CO2-Emissionen gewichtet, kombiniert: 100 g/km, Stromverbrauch gewichtet, kombiniert: 21,4 kWh/100 km); Exterieur: MANUFAKTUR kaschmirweiß magno; Interieur: Leder Exklusiv Nappa AMG macchiatobeige / magmagrau // The new Mercedes-AMG S 63 E PERFORMANCE (Data WLTP | weighted, combined fuel consumption: 4.4 l/100 km; weighted, combined CO2 emissions: 100 g/km; weighted, combined power consumption: 21.4 kWh/100 km); exterior: MANUFAKTUR cashmere white magno; interior: AMG Exclusive nappa leather macchiato beige / magma grey

It combines the AMG 4.0-litre V8 Biturbo engine with the AMG-specific hybrid powertrain and a new expansion stage of the AMG battery (HPB). The new HPB 150 offers the same high performance and directly cooled battery cell as the well-known HPD 80.

The focus of the powertrain, however, is less on electric range and more on best-in-class performance. With 590kW and 1 430Nm, this saloon accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 3.3 seconds, topping out at 290km/h.

“The S-Class has always had a very special meaning for us. In 1971, it made the AMG brand famous overnight with its legendary appearance in the Spa 24-hour race. This was undoubtedly an important foundation stone for our rise as a performance and sports car brand with global significance.

With E Performance, we are now opening a new chapter. Never before has a luxury saloon so perfectly combined best-in-class performance with superior comfort and virtually silent electric driving. In this way, we are also opening up to highly discerning target groups who see Mercedes-AMG as the performance luxury brand of the 21^st century. With the most powerful S-Class of all time, however, we are not only going our own technical way, as is characteristic of AMG, but also making a strong visual statement. For the first time, the S-Class Saloon also has our AMG-specific radiator grille, so the brand affiliation is closer than ever before,” says Philipp Schiemer, chairperson of the board of management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

This car presents an expressive exterior and interior design. The MBUX infotainment system includes various AMG- and hybrid-specific displays and functions. These include the displays in the instrument cluster, on the multimedia central display in portrait orientation in the centre console and the optional heads-up display.

The instrument cluster view can be personalised with different display styles and individually selectable main views.

Source: northcoastcourier.co.za

Tech

You Can Finally Improve Your iPhone’s Always-On Display

Published

4 months ago

November 20, 2022

Mensah Ayartey

You can finally hide your wallpaper while using your iPhone 14 Pro’s AOD.

The iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max feature an Always-On Display (AOD) that allows you to check the time without waking up the entire screen. The feature is great to have (albeit years behind Android), but its execution was a bit lacking, as it wouldn’t allow you to hide your wallpaper entirely. Instead, Apple’s approach involved showing a dimmed Lock Screen wallpaper. This looks fine, but in practice, it could lead to worse battery life—plus, it’s easy to mistake the dimmed AOD screen as your iPhone actually being awake. Overall, it’s a bit of a mess.

However, the situation has changed with iOS 16.2 beta 3. You can finally decide if you want to see your wallpaper (and notifications) on your iPhone’s AOD, rather than have Apple decide for you. As iOS 16.2 is still in beta testing, you will need to enroll your iPhone in Apple’s beta program to try it out. Remember, though, that beta software is unfinished, which means it isn’t reliable: If you need to remove the software for whatever reason, you could lose your data, so we don’t recommend installing beta software on your main device.

To use this feature on an iPhone 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max running iOS 16.2, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display, and you will see two new options: Wallpaper and Notifications. To improve your battery life,disable the Wallpaper option.

In case you want to minimize distractions andmaximize your battery life, you should disable both of these options. By doing so, your iPhone’s AOD feature will show you the date and time and nothing else. It’s a relatively small change that makes the feature much more subtle.

iOS 16.2 is expected to ship in the coming weeks, so you can always wait if you don’t want to bother with beta software now. In the mean time, you could always try this hack to fix the shortcomings of the AOD feature on your iPhone. This alternative method involves creating a Focus mode to get the job done, and it’s surprisingly effective.

Source: lifehacker.com

Tech

Make This Shortcut for Your iPhone Downloads

Published

4 months ago

November 20, 2022

Mensah Ayartey

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Stop googling “where is the downloads folder on my iPhone.” Add it to your home screen.

After a long decade, the iPhone finally added a downloader to Safari with iOS 13 so you can download files and automatically store them on your iPhone in a Downloads folder. But where exactly is the downloads folder? How do you actually access the files that you downloaded from Safari?

Well, they’re not in Safari. They’re in this other app called Files, and you can find it by going to Files > Browse > iCloud Drive > Downloads. But instead of taking four steps, you should use the Shortcuts app to create an automation thatopens your Downloads folder (or any folder that you need, for that matter). Add that shortcut to the home screen and you’ll have your own dedicated Downloads app.

To get started, open the Shortcuts app, tap Plusfrom the top right, and tap Add Action in the shortcut editor. Here, add the “Folder” action from the Files app. Tap the empty “Folder” icon in the shortcut, navigate to the “Downloads” folder, and tap “Open.” That’ll make the Downloads folder the target for your shortcut. To open that folder easily, search for and add the “Open File” shortcut. When it’s added, it’ll automatically take the folder from the previous step as the input—but make sure to tap the “Default App” button and choose the “Files” app.

Then just tap the shortcut title at the top, give it a name like “Downloads,” and tap “Add to Home Screen.” You can add a special icon there if you want, then just tap “Add” to add it to your home screen. When you tap your new makeshift “Downloads” app, it will take you directly to the Downloads folder in your iCloud Drive (or local storage, depending on your settings).

Source:lifehacker