Appleviews – 30th December 2022
It’s nearly that time…
And so, here we are – the last blog of the year. And even now, as things appear quiet, I have managed to find some newsworthy stories for you.
So, sleeves up, settle back, grab a coffee, and let’s take a look at what’s brewing – starting with iPhone 15.
A leaner iPhone 15
Finally, TSMC has started production of the 3nm processors. These are expected to be used heavily in 2023, in both Macs, and iPhones alike. And, the early rumours are that this new generation of processors, will be more power efficient, and offer greater speed.
At the official event announcing the processors, the company’s chairman, Mark Liu, took the opportunity to look ahead to the 2nm manufacturing process. He also confirmed that, even with plants being built elsewhere, that production would continue in Taiwan;
“The semiconductor industry will grow rapidly over the next decade,” he said, “and Taiwan will surely play an even more critical role in the global economy.”
Although Lui didn’t specify who from, he mentioned that demand was high for the new 3nm chips.
Although official figures have not yet been released, historically, each A-series chip has been roughly 10%-25% faster than its predecessor. It is thought the new chip could be as much as 35% more power efficient as well.
More iPhone 14 Pro’s in 2023
With the Christmas demand now having peaked, it looks as if Apple is back controlling the production issues they’ve been suffering from. Production at the world’s biggest assembly plant is now back to 70% of its full capacity.
The improvements in production are already evident, with selected models of iPhone 14 Pro available for same-day collection in some Apple stores, and even online, delivery dates are now only showing a 1-2 week delay.
One plant in Zhengzhou, China, is responsible for around 80% of the global iPhone supply. Unsurprisingly, Zhengzhou has been tagged ‘iPhone City’. That plant was severely hit during the heights of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The lockdown ended a month ago, but it was too late for Apple to offer many models of the iPhone 14 Pro for this Christmas. But, this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that J.P. Morgan has stated that iPhone 14 Pro production is almost back to normal.
Apple Watch – officially good
A new study this week makes the claim that the ECG function, and other measurements from the latest Apple Watches, can act as a basic stress detector.
We first heard about anxiety monitoring, on Apple Watch, as far back as 2020. At that point, monitoring mental health was the focus, and anxiety in particular. Although Apple still does not offer a specific stress-test, progress has been made in other, associated areas.
In a research paper from Frontiers in Digital Health, they conclude;
“The link between stress and multiple biomarkers has revealed opportunities to develop technologies to quantify stress. One such feature is heart rate variability (HRV) which is now routinely quantified through an electrocardiograph (ECG).”
Participants in the study were given both an iPhone 7 running iOS 15, and an Apple Watch 6 on watchOS 8.3. Using the ECG app, they were asked to collect data from the ECG app six times per day. At the studies’ conclusion, they added;
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to use Apple Watch ECG data to predict stress levels of individuals. Further, the results are in line with the start-of-the-art for stress prediction, although at the low-end.”
That’s great news for Apple Watch devotees. Even though it is basic, and limited, it would appear that the data being collected by Apple Watch can genuinely help in detecting stress.
History was made
No Macs were released in the last quarter of 2022 – the first time in twenty-two years.
With history as our guide, Apple has released at least one new Mac between October & December, dating as far back as 2001.
There were numerous rumours of various Macs that we could have seen at the close of 2022, but, clearly, none came to fruition. The long-awaited Mac Pro has been pushed back until next year, as to, have any new MacBook models.
The Mac Pro, in particular, is waiting for the latest 3nm processors to become available, to gain as much power as possible. Another stumbling block, for the Mac Pro, has been cost. Bringing all the power they want to market at an affordable price, has proved a problem.
Even Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is not certain of the final port layout, and design, but is convinced that plans for the ‘M2 Extreme’ chip have now been shelved.
Happy New Year
The Chinese New Year rolls in on 22nd January, and to mark it, as is generally the case, Apple has released a limited, special edition AirPods Pro.
Being the Year of the Rabbit, if you order your AirPods online from their Chinese, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Macau sites, you can order your AirPods Pro with a rabbit engraving.
The logo will appear on both the outer packaging, and the wireless charging case.
When he speaks, we listen
Ross Young, the much-respected screen analyst, yesterday confirmed that Apple is working on an 11.1-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Pro. They are set for release in the first quarter of 2024.
Although we had heard of these OLED rumours before, this is the first time we have heard about these 11.1-inch and 13-inch options. With larger screen sizes, we could see slimmed down bezels rather than an overall change in the size of the device.
Young is not alone in believing that Apple is deep in to developing OLED displays. Both The Elec, and DigiTimes has also confirmed that this new panel technology is being developed across the board – even including larger devices such as MacBooks.
Not to be out done…
Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities, another highly reliable source, says that Apple is also working on a new version of the popular iPad mini, for release either later 2023, or early 2024.
The main focus of the new model would seem to be processor focused, with other changes, only being fairly cosmetic.
The current iPad mini, released in September 2021, boasts an A15 Bionic chip, an 8.3-inch display, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, and 5G support on cellular models. The iPad mini’s pricing starts at $499 in the U.S. for the 64GB model.
There are still no immediate plans for a foldable iPad mini, though.
HomePod news
It looks, increasingly likely, that an updated version of the original HomePod may make its way to market in 2023.
The new HomePod will be sized somewhere in between the mini and the original speaker. The price, which was always a sticking point, when the first HomePod was launched in 2018, is anticipated to be around, a more affordable $200.
Early predictions suggest that it will run the S8 processor, that is found in the current Apple Watch 8. It could feature a multitouch display on the top for physical control purposes.
With it now looking more than likely that Apple will finally replace that loved, original, HomePod in 2023, what are the chances of it releasing the Apple Music Classical with the HomePod speaker.
And with that…
All it leaves is for me, is to bid you a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
Thank you for all the reads, interaction, and support through 2022 – heres to plenty more in the year ahead.
d
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