How Apple could make the iPhone 7 a comparative steal even at $650
Apple on Monday announced a couple of new products that had been revealed weeks before by assorted leaks. Some say the iPhone SE and iPad Pro are boring updates on existing products, but that’s hardly the case. The iPhone SE is as powerful as the iPhone 6s, and the 9.7-inch tablet has some features that are better than what’s available on the 12.9-inch model.
But Apple really surprised audiences with some of its pricing announcements: The Apple Watch is now cheaper than ever, and the iPhone SE has $400 entry price.
Is it possible that the iPhone7 will be cheaper than expected?
DON’T MISS: All the best new iPhone and iPad features in iOS 9.3
It’s clear that Apple is interested in making some of its new products more affordable, even if that means its margins might take a hit in the process. But it’s one thing to reduce the price of an iPhone that has an old design that’s more affordable to manufacture, and quite a different thing to do it with a brand-new iPhone design such as the iPhone 7.
However, just like the iPhone 6 almost two years ago, the iPhone 7 could be cheaper than its predecessors, without Apple changing its pricing structure. How can that happen? One word: Storage.
The iPhone 6s is available in three options, including 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB, which retail for $649, $749, and $849, respectively. These are the same versions and prices of the iPhone 6 – and sound theories explain why Apple kept in place de 16GB for one more year with the iPhone 6s rather than replacing with a 32GB option.
This year, Apple may very well make a significant change to storage tiers, opting for a 32/128/256GB or 64/128/256GB setup. Rumors say that Apple may have a 256GB iPhone in stores this year, joining its iPad Pro models, both of which are available in 256GB memory options. As for pricing options, Apple would likely keep in place the same tiers, without modifying a single thing.
However, regardless of iPhone 7 model, doubling base storage (the 32/128/256GB model) while maintaining the same price in place essentially gives you a cheaper iPhone. You won’t have to shell money for a more expensive iPhone just because the 16GB model is insufficient. You won’t have to pay more for cloud storage, and you won’t need to purchase external flash memory for the iPhone.
Of course, this is just speculation at this point, based on Apple’s latest announcements and taking into account what some rumors say about a 256GB iPhone 7.
Two things are clear, though: 16GB of storage on iPhone doesn’t seem to cut it anymore. I’ve purchased 64GB versions of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, and I’m usually using more than 40GB of storage, so it’s likely I’m never going to buy a 16GB iPhone in the future. Secondly, Apple seems to favor a 32/128/256GB lineup for its iPads, which is a subtle way of acknowledging that 16GB isn’t enough for the base models, so we might see the same storage setup adopted for the iPhone of the future.
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Netflix explains why it releases episodes of its hit shows all at once
In the dark days before Netflix, TV fans had to patiently wait for new episodes of their favorite shows to air on a per week basis. Once Netflix became obsessed with churning out its own original content, it completely turned the traditional notion of TV viewing on its head. Rather than releasing episodes on a weekly basis, Netflix opted to release entire seasons of new shows in one fell swoop, ultimately resulting in the creation of the phrase ‘binge watching.’
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In what seemed like an instant, ‘binge watching’ transitioned into a phrase used casually in everyday conversation.
“What’d you do over the weekend?”
“Not too much, just binge watched Making a Murderer and season 7 of Dexter.”
Though Netflix itself didn’t create the term, the streaming giant was quick to embrace it despite some initial reservations. As Netflix VP of Product Todd Yellin explains, the company was, ever so briefly, concerned that the phrasing didn’t sound very healthy or fun.
But once ‘binge watching’ began to pick up steam as a popular saying, there was no stopping it, and Netflix hopped on board the bandwagon.
Now given that premium channels like HBO and Showtime still release their hit shows on a week to week basis, it’s not unreasonable to wonder why Netflix remains committed to releasing entire seasons of its original productions all at once. Tackling this question head on, Yellin recently explained why the company believes it’s business model empowers TV viewers and, in turn, delivers a more enjoyable user experience.
To us, binging is really about consumer control. It’s not about someone telling you that you only get one hour a week, and we’re going to slowly parse out the story you’re enjoying… “Hold on! All scenes from next week. Tune in next Sunday at 8 o’clock!” … It’s not about that. It’s about giving the control back to the consumer – “Here’s the whole story, now watch as much as you want.”
It’s been I think 170- years since anyone published a book where they go, “We’re only giving you one chapter, next week we’re giving you the next chapter.” They give you the whole book!
…
And that’s the way TV should be. Give me the whole friggin’ story and then I can watch as much or as little as I want.
Interestingly, Yellin added that just a small percentage of users actually binge watch entire seasons of a show the moment it goes live. Rather, most Netflix viewers watch about 2-3 episodes in an evening and perhaps a bit more on the weekends.
You can check out Yellin’s full take on binge watching below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yDh6LzScrM
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Hilarious: Google Now offers tips for pirating ‘Deadpool’
Google Now is arguably the best thing about using an Android phone. If you give it permission, Google will track everything about you, extract the right information and present it in an easy-to-digest form right when you need it most. But who knew that among the many things Google can do is offer you tips on how to download pirated copies of blockbuster movies?
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One Android user was surprised to find a card in his Google Now updates that offered him a linked to a site that hosts pirated copies of Deadpool.
Using Google Now on a Nexus 6, Torrent Freak reader Ryan got a “Download Torrent Deadpool” card, as seen below, sandwiched between news items from The Guardian and The New York Post.
It’s not clear what triggered this particular recommendation from Google Now. It’s certainly strange that it didn’t tell Ryan where to see Deadpool near where he lives and instead chose to point him directly to a Torrents site. Does that mean Ryan likes to download movies illegally here and there? You know, just enough for Google Now’s advanced AI to pick up the habit and make a note of it for future recommendations?
Such Google Now recommendations are all the more hilarious considering that copyright content owners have assaulted Google in the past by suggesting the giant search engine doesn’t do enough to prevent pirates from discovering illegal downloads online. With this new revelation, they may have a point.
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Leaked Nintendo NX photos reveal a strange, buttonless controller
More evidence supporting a Nintendo NX controller leak appeared online today as a Reddit user called perkele37 shared high-quality images of what he claims to be the controller for Nintendo’s next-gen console. The controller in the image has an oblong shape and appears to feature a touchscreen in place of buttons.
DON’T MISS: With Wii U’s fate in question, Nintendo’s NX might be its last chance
When the images leaked on Wednesday, commenters were quick to point out that the “controller” could actually be the portable unit that is expected to release ahead of the home console, but the leaker returned to clarify that “this is the controller unit for the console.” He also noted that this is a dev kit, so the design is subject to change.
As for the controller’s functionality, the leaker was able to provide a few details. Apparently, only the upper ‘nubs’ of the analog sticks move, similar to the Circle Pad on the New 3DS. The rollers on the top of the controller, which you can just barely make out, feel like the scroll wheel on a mouse. There’s also haptic feedback within the controller and a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the bottom.
Kotaku reached out to Nintendo for a comment, but the company simply said it had “nothing to announce on this topic.” Nintendo is expected to reveal the NX by E3 2016 in June. We’ll be on the lookout for more leaks and details until then.
UPDATE: A third photo leaked online a few minutes before this post was published:
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See how the new, smaller iPad Pro stacks up against the 12.9-inch model
Although the iPhone SE was the highlight of Apple’s spring event on Monday, it wasn’t the only new device announced. Apple also unveiled a smaller, more affordable iPad Pro which features some notable improvements over its predecessor.
SEE ALSO: See how the iPhone SE stacks up against the iPhone 6s and iPhone 5s
It may share a name with the 2015 iPad Pro, but the new tablet doesn’t look quite the same. First of all, the 2016 iPad Pro features a display of 9.7 inches — a significant downsizing from the 12.9 inches of last year’s model. As a result, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro weighs in at just 0.96 pounds to the 12-9-inch iPad Pro’s 1.59 pounds.
Another key difference is the display. Yes, the smaller screen with have a slightly lower resolution, but Apple says that the iPad Pro will be the first Apple device to feature a True Tone display. The company says that True Tone displays are able to dynamically change the color temperature of the screen to better suit the setting.
The camera setup has also improved dramatically with the smaller iPad Pro. Unlike last year’s model, the new iPad features a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. If you can deal with the camera bump on the back of the device, you’re in for a much better picture-taking experience, with an f/2.2 aperture, 63-megapixel panoramas and True Tone flash.
Internally, the devices are far more similar, both equipped with the upgraded A9X processor and M9 motion coprocessor. But despite this parity, the 9-7-inch iPad Pro is the only one of the two that supports always-on “Hey Siri” functionality.
Finally, when it comes to available models, the miniaturized iPad Pro has its big brother beat once again. Along with the 128GB/256GB cellular models and the 32GB/128GB/256GB Wi-Fi models of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the 9.7-inch tablet will also have a 32GB cellular model. Plus, you can get a 9.7-inch iPad Pro in Rose Gold.
Here’s a graphic showing off a few of the key differences between the tablets:
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This speaker is almost as good as Sonos, but it’s waterproof and about half the price
The top of the line speaker from Sonos is the Sonos PLAY:5, and it’s pretty fantastic. In fact, it’s one of the best wireless speakers out there, no question. That said, it’s kind of annoying that with Sonos, you’re limited as far as what sources you can stream music from. The PLAY:5 also isn’t portable, so you can’t take it with you outside or when you travel. Come to think of it, there are some other limitations too — it only has six drivers, it’s not rugged, and you can’t control all of its features with your voice.
Check this out: the FUGOO Sport XL Portable Rugged Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker sports eight drivers, it’s waterproof, it’s rugged, it integrates with Siri, and you can stream anything and everything you want to it. And best of all, it’s on sale right now through April 9 for about half the price of a $500 PLAY:5.
Here are some key details from the product page:
- 360 degree sound with 8 symmetrically placed drivers crank out clean highs, midrange punches and deep, roaring lows. 4 tweeters, 2 mid/sub drivers, 2 passive radiators and a 97 db. sound pressure level, the CORE-X fills produces rich audio.
- 100% Waterproof and the perfect teammate for the beach, paddle boarding and sailing. IP67 rating insures it can go 3′ under water for 30 minutes, though it will float as well for easy retrieval. Fully dustproof, mud-proof and shock proof to 3′ as well.
- 35-HOUR BATTERY LIFE – Best-in-its-class battery life means more than a day and a half of continuous jams, uninterrupted experiences and all-out adventures.
- Portable Power Bank -Quick charge your phones and tablets from the included USB Port
- SIRI & GOOGLE NOW CONTROL – With Apple Siri and Android Google Now accessible through your FUGOO Bluetooth speaker, you’re a voice command away from unlimited searches. There is also a built in full duplex speakerphone for hands free chatting.
FUGOO Sport XL Portable Rugged Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker: $278.99 with free Prime shipping
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I’ve never wanted a Tesla more than after watching this ‘Ludicrous Speed’ video
I have wanted a Tesla for years… but unfortunately they’ve all been way out of my price range. But with the new Model 3 set to sell for as low as $25,000, my dreams of actually owning a Tesla are much closer than they’ve ever been to becoming a reality.
There are many reasons that I would love to drive a Tesla and one of them is the insane acceleration that Tesla cars have — in “Ludicrous Mode,” for instance, the Tesla Model S P85D can go from 9 to 60 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. If you want to see how this looks in action, then you need to check out a new video posted by YouTube channel AutoTopNL that shows a Tesla Model S P90D burning down an autobahn in Germany at a top speed of 155 miles per hour.
FROM EARLIER: Update to iOS 9.3 right now to fix a serious iPhone security flaw
Here is the video:
As you can see, the car blows past 60 miles per hour (or 96.5 kilometers per hour) in under three seconds. From there, it takes an additional 27 seconds or so to hit 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour) before slow decelerating.
I’m going to assume that the driver was able to get away with this because they were in a portion of the autobahn that doesn’t have a speed limit — I personally can’t imagine them being able to pull this off on the Mass Pike, for example.
At any rate, this video only has me more excited for Tesla’s big Model 3 announcement coming at the end of the month. Even if it doesn’t deliver “Ludicrous Mode,” I’m sure it will have better acceleration than any other comparably priced car on the market.
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With Wii U’s fate in question, Nintendo’s NX might be its last chance
After spending three-and-a-half years languishing at the bottom of the market, the Wii U is finally being put to rest. That’s according to a report published by Japan’s Nikkei on Tuesday, which claims that Nintendo will cease production of the ill-fated console before the end of 2016, perhaps in preparation for the rumored NX console.
Hours later, Nintendo responded to the report by denying it out of hand, saying that it wasn’t an official report from the company. According to Nintendo, “production is scheduled to continue” in the coming months.
But whether or not the report is completely accurate, it begs an interesting question about the future of the company: Is the next home console Nintendo’s last chance to compete with the PS4, Xbox One, PC and VR?
DON’T MISS: Could this be our first look at Nintendo’s next-gen NX console?
Ever since the Wii U launched in 2012, Nintendo’s revenue has been sliding at an alarming pace. Despite the shocking success of the Wii, sticking with a brand name wasn’t enough to buoy the upgraded console. The E3 reveal was confusing and disorganized, the tablet-sized controller turned people off and the lack of third-party games was an ominous sign long before the Wii U even made it to store shelves.
The Wii U felt like it was dead in the water from day one. To make matters worse, when the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launched at the end of 2013, the Wii U became laughably outdated. Graphics aren’t everything, but when your 1-year-old console can’t even begin to stack up against the competition, consumers take notice.
So where does this leave Nintendo?
In my mind, this is the beginning of what could either be another massive revitalization for the flailing House of Super Mario, or the final chapter in the long, winding saga of Nintendo as a hardware powerhouse.
If the NX manages to strike a chord with the general audience the way the Wii did ten years ago, Nintendo won’t have to worry about high-end processors and limited time exclusive map packs — it will just need to provide an experience that the average consumer can enjoy and that the hardcore gamer can appreciate.
Easier said than done, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
On the other hand, if Nintendo delivers yet another flop, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the company abandon the home console business for the foreseeable future. That’s not to say we’d never see another Nintendo console, but if the NX were to bomb, we’d be talking about a bare minimum of five consecutive years and two straight console generations of critical and financial disappointment.
Besides, home consoles are far from Nintendo’s only source of revenue.
To date, Nintendo has sold over 57 million Nintendo 3DS consoles worldwide. The portable console business isn’t the cash cow it once was, but 3DS sales are still trouncing Wii U sales month-to-month. Then there’s amiibo, the company’s toys-to-life figures – some of which are harder to find than rare Beanie Babies in their heyday.
And then there’s mobile. Over one million users signed up for Miitomo, Nintendo’s first mobile game/app/social network within days of its release. Imagine what those numbers could be for a full-fledged Mario or Zelda game?
Regardless of whether or not the NX tanks, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Nintendo is able to keep up with Sony, Microsoft and the onslaught of VR devices. It’s still too early to sound the death knell for Nintendo’s home consoles, but the company is going to have to bring its ‘A’ game to E3 this year.
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This could be Apple’s next game-changing move with the iPhone
There’s no doubt about it: Apple makes the best smartphone chips out there. The company’s mobile chip division has put intense pressure on rivals in recent years and iPhones crush their biggest rivals in performance tests on a regular basis. That’s because Apple controls both the hardware and the software and is able to create efficient chips ready to deliver steady, speedy performance.
The one major component that Apple does not fully control right now, however, is the graphics processing unit.
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A source familiar with negotiations told Ars Technica that Apple is in advanced talks to buy Imagination Technologies, the company that has made every iPhone PowerVR GPU since the iPhone 4.
Imagination Technologies has not confirmed the talks, but it hasn’t denied them either. The company has been struggling lately, and such an acquisition might not be a bad idea. The company said in February that longtime CEO Hossein Yassaie will step down and that it will be restructuring its business. Last week, the company said it will be firing 350 people and focus on PowerVR for the future.
On the other hand, Apple told CNBC that it doesn’t plan to buy it. Currently, Apple owns 9.5% of Imagination Technologies, and the British company has a market capitalization of about £500 million.
Despite earlier reports, Apple says it doesn't plan to make an offer to buy Imagination Tech. but it did hold some talks with the company.
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) March 22, 2016
Bringing PowerVR development in-house would be a major move for Apple, whose chip division already does a stellar job on its A-series CPUs. Even if it doesn’t buy the British company, making its own GPUs should be a top priority for the iPhone maker.
A recent benchmark comparison between the iPhone 6s and top Android devices revealed that while CPU makers are chasing Apple’s lead in the processor department, the latest iPhone doesn’t have the best GPU in town.
Controlling both the CPU and GPU design process isn’t only important for the future of the iPhone and iPad though. Apple is expected to make a virtual reality play in the future. Furthermore, the company is toying with the idea of replacing Intel chips for future MacBook models, and the A9X chip in the iPad Pro shows that moment could arrive a lot sooner than expected. The company would definitely need a powerful GPU to make such things happen, so it’s more than logical to see it acquire Imagination Technologies or design its own GPU.
And if the Apple TV is supposed to become a real Xbox One and PS4 competitor at any point in the future, the device would need a highly efficient and very powerful GPU to get the job done. Again, PowerVR GPUs of the future, developed by Apple’s own chip engineers, might be the ones to do it.
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Warning: Update to iOS 9.3 right now to fix a serious iPhone security vulnerability
We’ve already given you so many reasons to update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 9.3 when we showed you all the best new features in Apple’s latest mobile OS update. We also told you how to fix the coolest new iOS 9.3 feature if it’s not working properly for you. For whatever reason, some people still aren’t convinced, so now it’s time to see if fear is a better motivator than the promise of great new features.
If you don’t update to iOS 9.3 right now, your iPhone or iPad will remain exposed by a serious security flaw that could allow hackers to steal photos, videos and other files that you send or receive through iMessage.
DON’T MISS: The 5 best things about Apple’s new iPhone SE – and the 2 worst things
Apple’s iOS platform has a few major advantages over devices powered by Google’s Android software, and the instant availability of updates is somewhere near the top of the list. As Apple CEO Tim Cook noted while speaking on stage during a press conference on Monday, about 90% of all iOS devices in the world run a version of iOS 9 while less than 2% of Android devices run the latest available version of Google’s mobile platform.
iOS 9.3 was first released on Monday following Apple’s big iPhone SE and iPad Pro unveiling, and tens of millions of people have already updated their devices. If you’re not among them, you need to be — Apple’s new iOS update fixes a major security flaw that was discovered recently by security researchers at Johns Hopkins University.
In a nutshell, the researchers found that photos, videos and other files sent via iMessage could be intercepted by hackers. iMessage conversations are encrypted, but they found a hole in that encryption that allows it to be broken.
It is unclear if this vulnerability had been previously discovered and exploited by hackers, but there’s only one way to ensure you’re safe: download and install iOS 9.3 right now. If you’re unclear on how to update, this post explains the simple process.
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