Once again, it’s time to peruse all the Apple-related
rumors and speculation from this week. From an analyst’s prediction
about the camera on the next-generation iPhone to new information
regarding Apple’s automotive ambitions, here are six of this week’s
biggest Apple rumors.
Source: Apple.com
1. Next-generation iPhone will keep 8MP camera sensor
Apple’s upcoming iPhone model (presumably called the iPhone 6S) will keep the 8MP camera sensor that has been used in every model since the iPhone 4S, reports the Taipei Times. In the report that was first spotted by
GforGames, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting analyst Jeff Pu
noted that the iPhone 6S will maintain the same camera sensor
specifications that were used in last year’s models. Pu believes that
high-end smartphone makers like Apple will instead concentrate on other
specification upgrades, such as improved optical image stabilization and
autofocus.
While this may sound like disappointing news for
iPhone photography buffs, it should be noted that Apple has managed to
improve the quality of its smartphone camera each year despite using a
sensor with a lower pixel count than many of its competitors. For
example, an insider source cited by Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber
last November claimed that Apple was developing a “weird two-lens
system” that will give this year’s model a huge boost in image quality.
Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images
2. Apple Store may lose iconic Genius Bar logo
Last week, Tech Cheat Sheet reported on several rumored changes
that may soon be implemented in the Apple Store. A few of the changes –
such as the installation of safes and the use of scales — are directly
related to the upcoming release of the Apple Watch. Other changes appear
to be part of an overall makeover plan being implemented by Apple
retail chief Angela Ahrendts.
According to ifo Apple Store, it appears that the
well-known “atom” logo that is used to designate the Genius Bar area in
Apple Stores is now being phased out
as part of the makeover effort. The logos are being replaced with
various types of wall graphics. As noted by ifo Apple Store, the need to
identify the Genius Bar location in stores with a large logo has become
less necessary over the past several years as the layout of the stores
has evolved. Many Genius Bars that used to be located at the back of a
store or against a side wall have been shifted to standalone tables.
Perhaps the most important question about this change
is who will get to keep the old Genius Bar logo signs. Last year, two
iconic Apple Computer rainbow logo signs were sold through Bonhams auction house for $35,000.
Photo by Brian Kersey/Getty Images
3. Minor MacBook Air upgrade coming in February
As Tech Cheat Sheet reported last week, unnamed “members of Apple” cited by French Apple news website
iGen.fr claimed that Apple would be holding a media event on Tuesday,
February 24. According to the sources, Apple will use the event to give a
detailed demonstration of the Apple Watch and launch a new MacBook Air
model. At the time, it was assumed that this meant that Apple would be
unveiling its long-rumored ultrathin 12-inch MacBook Air. The 12-inch
MacBook Air supposedly features a Retina display,
a fan-less interior, and a width that is about a quarter inch thinner
than the current 11-inch MacBook Air, according to 9to5Mac’s insider
sources.
Unfortunately, the latest rumors suggest that Apple
will debut a less dramatic incremental upgrade of its laptop at the
unconfirmed media event. According to reseller sources cited by Czech
language blog LetemSvetemApplem.eu, Apple will simply update the current
11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs with a minor processing power bump,
rather than unveil a completely new Retina display-equipped model. The
sources noted that the refreshed MacBook Airs would likely use Intel’s
latest Broadwell series chips. Assuming this report is accurate, the
12-inch MacBook Air launch will likely be pushed into June, when Apple
holds its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
Source: Apple.com
4. Several big iOS updates on the way
Earlier this week, Tech Cheat Sheet highlighted several new features
that users can expect to see in the next several iOS updates, including
iOS 8.2 and iOS 8.3. Although Apple has yet to publicly release the iOS
8.2 update, the company seeded the first pre-release build of iOS 8.3
on February 9. We also noted claims about the development of iOS 9
made by 9to5Mac’s insider sources. Per the sources, Apple’s iOS 9
update will fix many of the stability and performance issues that have
accumulated in iOS due to the addition of so many new features over the
years.
Now 9to5Mac’s sources have leaked a few details
about yet another iOS 8 update: iOS 8.4. According to the sources, work
on iOS 8.4 is already well underway. The most important aspect of the
iOS 8.4 update may be the introduction of the revamped Beats Music
streaming service. As 9to5Mac reported last week, Beats Music is
expected to be fully subsumed into a native Apple music streaming app.
However, before you get too excited about the prospect
of a Beats-based Apple music streaming service, it should be noted that
9to5Mac’s sources also claimed that the iOS 8.4 update is not expected
to be released until after the Apple Watch is made available in April.
There is also the possibility that the music streaming service update
could be pushed into iOS 9, which is expected to be released in
September, just in time for the next-generation iPhone models.
Source: Apple.com
5. Improved Touch ID coming to the next-generation iPhone
The next-generation iPhone may be outfitted with
improved biometric authentication hardware, according to an
Apple-focused analyst who has a good track record when it comes to the
company’s unreleased products. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has
earned a reputation as one of the most accurate prognosticators of
Apple’s future plans due to several prescient predictions he has made
about previous products, such as the introduction of a gold-colored
iPhone in 2013, as reported by 9to5Mac.
In a research note seen by MacRumors, Kuo claimed that the Touch ID module will be upgraded
to reduce reading errors and offer a “safer Apple Pay user experience.”
While it’s unclear what changes will be made to the hardware to make it
more accurate, Kuo noted that the new fingerprint sensor will “require
more advanced precision for the module’s laser welding process.”
Although Kuo sees an improved Touch ID module in the iPhone’s future, he
is less sure about the company’s rumored plans to embed the Touch ID
feature into the device’s touchscreen. He believes that the technology
required to implement a touchscreen version of Touch ID makes it
unlikely that it could be implemented in the near future.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
6. Apple “iCar” rumors revived
Last week, rumors that Apple may be developing a driverless car
or some other type of advanced vehicle were revived when it emerged
that multiple camera-equipped minivans spotted across the U.S. were
leased by the iPhone maker. Although at least one technology analyst
cited by San Francisco CBS affiliate KPIX 5 thought that the equipment
on the roofs of the minivans suggested driverless technology, many other industry watchers believed that the minivans were merely acquiring footage for an upcoming Apple Maps overhaul.
While the possibility of a vehicle is not brought up as often as many other Apple product rumors, Steve Jobs was known
to have an interest in this area and even discussed it with The New
York Times journalist John Markoff shortly before he passed away. Apple
SVP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller also confirmed
Jobs’s interest in making a so-called “iCar” while testifying in the
2012 patent-infringement lawsuit against Samsung, according to The New
York Times columnist Nick Bilton. More recently, Apple board member Mickey Drexler said in an interview last year that “Steve Jobs, if he had lived, was gonna design an iCar,” as reported by Business Insider.
So while there is no question that Jobs had an
interest in automobiles, the possibility of an Apple car is rarely
raised by industry watchers today because there has been almost no
evidence for its development since Jobs’s death. However, several
insider sources who spoke with two different media outlets this week
have reignited rumors of an Apple car.
Photo by Eric Piermont/AFP/Getty Images
First, Business Insider was contacted by an unnamed Apple employee
who claimed Apple had a “vehicle development” project in the works that
was attracting employees from Tesla. “Apple’s latest project is too
exciting to pass up,” said the source. “I think it will change the
landscape and give Tesla a run for its money.”
A few days later, The Mac Observer’s Bryan Chaffin made his own inquiries through his contacts at Apple. While a recent Bloomberg report highlighted the significant number of workers that Tesla has poached
from Apple over the past several years, The Mac Observer’s sources
claimed that Apple has been doing its own hiring from Tesla’s ranks.
According to the sources, Apple’s poaching has been much more targeted
than Tesla’s, and appears to be aimed at acquiring workers who would be
well-suited to developing a car.
