Vendor News

Apple Updates All Devices at September Event

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September brings the tradition of the Apple device launch, and the company goes big for 2019 as it announces three iPhone models, the 7th generation iPad and the Apple Watch Series 5, together with details on the services such as Apple Arcade and Apple TV+.

Apple iPhone 11

As mentioned above, the Apple smartphone for 2019 comes in three flavours-- iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Perhaps unsurprisingly the regular iPhone 11 is the most basic model, designed to be a replacement for the iPhone XR. It features the same 6.1-inch display as the 2018 model, and promises longer battery life and two new cameras. Meanwhile the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max are XS successors, with 5.8- and 6.5-inch displays respectively and stainless steel cases with an optical PVD coating for a matte texture.

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Bloomberg Claims Upcoming iDevice Secrets!

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The next Apple event might be around a month away, but Bloomberg claims to have some details of the upcoming crop of iDevices-- including camera-focused "Pro" phones, new iPads, a larger MacBook Pro and new Watch finishes.

iPhone 11Most of the juiciest information in the Bloomberg piece covers the next iteration of the iPhone, currently dubbed the iPhone 11 (although the final naming remains unknown). The report states Apple has three models in the works. Two are "Pro" replacements for the iPhone XS and XS Max, while the third is a replacement for the iPhone XR. The Pro iPhones reportedly feature triple rear cameras with a wide-angle lens allowing for higher resolution photos, better low light performance and improved video performance, whereas the third model has dual cameras.

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Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo Working on Easier Mobile File Transfers

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Three smartphone makers-- Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo-- join forces to create a P2P file transfer protocol allowing for easier file sharing between Android devices without need for 3rd party applications.

Vivo Oppo XiaomiThe announcement takes place on Chinese social network Weibo. It does not detail the technology behind the protocol, but it probably uses Bluetooth LE to establish connections with transfer speeds of around 20MB per second. Users should be able to transfer multiple file formats and even entire folders through the solution between not only devices from the same brands, but also any devices from the three companies, in any combination.

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Apple Buys Intel Modem Business

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Apple confirms months of rumours as it announces the acquisition of the "majority" of the Intel smartphone modem business in a $1 billion deal covering intellectual property, equipment, leases and around 2200 employees.

Intel AppleThe primary reason for such a purchase is, perhaps obviously, precious IP-- the Intel modem business includes no less than 17000 wireless technology patents covering anything from cellular standard protocols to modem architecture and modem operations. The patents acquired by Apple are solely focused on smartphones, with Intel retaining IP relating to applications such as PCs, Internet of Things devices and autonomous vehicles.

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Samsung Produces LPDDR5 DRAM for Premium Phones

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Samsung starts mass production of what it says is the first 12Gb LPDDR5 mobile DRAM in the industry. Aimed at the premium smartphones of the future, the memory is optimised to enable 5G and AI features.

Samsung ram

The announcement comes all of 5 months after Samsung started mass producing 12GB LPDDR4X memory, and just a month before it starts mass producing 12GB LPDDR5 packages combining eight of the 12Gb chips, in line with growing demand for higher performance and capacity from premium smartphone makers.

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