Apple Self Service Repair Comes to M1 MacBook Air and Pro
The Self Service Repair program Apple launched in April is expanding beyond iPhones to include M1-based Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops.
Starting on Tuesday you — or a host of service centers, if you’re not comfortable — will be able to find a repair manual, buy select components from Apple, swap them out for replacements and return the old components to Apple, in many cases for credit.
The company plans to add more Macs to the roster later this year.
For all the models supported by this initial rollout — the 2020 M1 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MBP — Apple allows you to replace about 15 different components. They include the audio subsystem, battery, display, logic board, case top and bottom, antennas, keycaps (plus Touch ID circuit board) and more.
From Cnet
Specs and features of iQOO Z6, Z6x appear online
The iQOO Z6 series will arrive in China later this week, and we expected two new devices, different from their international namesakes.
Now leaked specs and official teasers give us a better idea on what to expect. The iQOO Z6 with 80W fast charging appeared on China Telecom’s website with a Snapdragon 778G+ chipset, while the iQOO Z6x was officially confirmed to have a big battery, charged through a USB-C port that has a 3.5mm audio jack next to it.
The vivo iQOO Z6 is listed with a 6.64” LCD with 1080p resolution. It has a single punch hole for the selfie camera and rumors are suggesting up to 120 Hz refresh rate. The Qualcomm chipset will have either 8GB or 12GB RAM and two storage options – 128GB or 256GB.
The trio of cameras on the back are have 64MP, 2MP and 2MP sensors, while the front has an 8MP selfie shooter. As the images confirmed, the Z6 will have OIS. There is a 4,500 mAh battery and preliminary prices of around $300, but they will be confirmed at the event on August 25.
From Gsmarena
Samsung confirms Galaxy A23 5G release date, price, wall charger bundle
After teasing us with a spec sheet listed online two weeks ago, today, Samsung officially revealed the launch details for its latest 5G budget phone, the Galaxy A23 5G. The device will go on sale in Taiwan next month, and early buyers will get a few bonuses, including a wall charger. In addition to the Galaxy A23 5G, Samsung also intends to bring the Galaxy A13 5G to Taiwan next month.
The Galaxy A23 5G will be available in Taiwan at the Samsung Smart Pavilion, Samsung Mall, and retail partners from September 16. The phone will be available in two memory configurations with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, or 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage. The two Galaxy A23 5G variants will cost NT$8,990 ($298) and NT$9,990 ($331), respectively.
In addition to the Galaxy A23 5G, Samsung also announced that it’s bringing the Galaxy A13 5G to Taiwan at the Samsung Smart Hall, Samsung Mall, and other retail stores. The phone will be available with 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of storage for NT$6,990 ($231) and NT$7,990 ($265), respectively, beginning September 1.
From Sammobile
The Huawei Mate series is back with the Mate 50, launching in September
The US trade ban dealt a massive blow to Huawei’s smartphone business. The Chinese company did not exit the market entirely, but the shortage of core components forced it to slow down the pace of launches significantly. And while Huawei phones are available outside of China, the lack of Google Play access means they don’t find many takers. Despite all these hurdles and setbacks, the company has released some impressive devices over the years, including the foldable Mate Xs 2, P50 Pocket, and the P50 series. Now, Huawei is gearing up to launch the Mate 50 in China on September 6—a day ahead of the rumored iPhone 14 launch event.
The Mate 40, which launched in October 2020, was the Chinese smartphone maker’s last phone from the lineup. Following the various trade sanctions that led to a shortage of core components, the company presumably decided against releasing new phones in the series. Nearly two years later, the firm plans to resurrect the brand with the Mate 50. The Mate lineup has represented the best of what Huawei has to offer, so it will be interesting to see what the upcoming Mate phone packs, especially since the trade sanctions are still in place.
From Android Police
New iPad, iPad Pros tipped to appear at an Apple event in October
Right now there’s a lot of focus on the new iPhones that Apple is due to unveil in September, but we’re also expecting a new entry-level 10.2-inch iPad 2022 and two new iPad Pro 2022 models in the coming months – and we just got some more information on the upcoming slates.
As per well-known tipster Mark Gurman at Bloomberg and sources speaking to 9to5Mac, Apple is planning an October event to launch its three new tablets, which may well appear alongside new and updated M2 versions of the Mac Mini, Mac Pro and MacBook Pro.
The most affordable iPad in the range, the 10.2-inch model, is apparently getting some pretty major upgrades: the port will switch from Lightning to USB-C (to match the other Apple iPads), and the screen could get a boost in resolution as well as increasing in size to 10.5 inches or 10.9 inches. Internally, it should get upgraded to the A14 Bionic chip.
From Techradar
vivo Y02s officially unveiled with Helio P35 chip
Earlier this month we saw the entry-level vivo Y02s leak in full detail on the company’s website and now vivo has officially launched the device in the Philippines. The Y02s serves as a successor to the vivo Y01 which launched earlier this year and the two share plenty of specs in common.
The display on the Y02s still measures in at 6.51-inches and sports HD+ resolution. The selfie cam housed in the waterdrop notch is a 5MP shooter while the back houses a single 8MP module while the second ring cutout is for the LED flash.
The phone is still powered by the Helio P35 chip with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. The software side is covered by Android 12 with FunTouchOS 12 on top compared to the Y01 and its Android 11 (Go edition) with Funtouch 11.1. You also get a 5,000 mAh battery with 10W charging.
The vivo Y02s comes in Black and Blue colors and will retail for PHP 6,499 ($116) in the sole 3/32GB trim.
From Gsmarena
Netflix’s ad tier may ditch commercials for some content
Details on Netflix’s upcoming ad-supported tier are continuing to trickle through.
The latest is that folks claiming to have knowledge of the plans told Bloomberg that some content will escape ads, specifically original movies and original children’s content.
Original movies would likely play without ads during the early stages of release on the streaming service, with Netflix apparently likely to include them once the movie has been on the platform for a while, though the time period — whether days, weeks, or months — isn’t clear.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, Netflix is apparently set on excluding ads during the early stages of a movie’s release in an effort to placate “top filmmakers” who might not take kindly to the idea of their work being interrupted by commercials.
The report also noted that when it comes to children’s content, it could be more than just Netflix’s original offerings that escape ads, as some studios have licensed kids’ content to the streaming platform with the agreement that it will be free of ads.
This chimes with earlier reports suggesting that Netflix is currently trying to strike new deals with various studios to allow ads to be played with a broad range of their content on the ad tier. It’s thought that until it can reach agreements with those studios, some content is unlikely to be available on the ad tier when it launches in early 2023. However, Netflix Co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos insisted last month that the ad tier will, at launch, include “the vast majority” of the streaming platform’s content.
It also recently emerged that subscribers to the ad tier are unlikely to be able to download content for offline viewing, ensuring customers have an incentive to upgrade to one of the ad-free paid tiers, which offers the feature.
But as Bloomberg notes in its report, Netflix is still working through the details of its plan for its ad tier and so the specifics could change between now and when it launches.
Pricing has also yet to be revealed, though it seems likely that it will be cheaper than Netflix’s cheapest ad-free option, Basic, which costs $9.99 a month. However, there’s a chance it could follow in the footsteps of Disney+ by raising the cost of its Basic tier and offering its ad tier at $9.99 a month.
Disney+ is set to launch an ad tier on December 8, 2022. The monthly fee for the most basic service will be $8, pushing the current monthly fee of $8 for the ad-free tier to $11, or $110 per year.
From Digital Trends
Gurman: Apple Planning to Show Ads in Maps App Starting Next Year
Apple plans to begin showing search ads in its Maps app on the iPhone starting next year, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
“I believe the engineering work is already underway to launch search ads in the Apple Maps app, and we should begin to see it be implemented sometime next year,” wrote Gurman, in the subscriber-only version of his “Power On” newsletter today.
Ads in the Apple Maps app would not be the traditional banner ads that you see on websites, but rather paid search results. For example, a fast food chain could pay Apple to appear near the top of the results when a user searches for “burgers” or “fries.” Many similar apps already offer search ads, including Google Maps, Waze, and Yelp.
Apple already displays search ads in the App Store, allowing developers to pay to promote their apps to users who search for relevant keywords. Apple is also planning to show ads in the App Store’s “Today” tab and in a new “You Might Also Like” section at the bottom of app listings, while banner ads are displayed in Apple’s News and Stocks apps.
Last week, Gurman said Apple is planning to significantly expand its advertising business over time. In his newsletter, he said that Apple’s advertising division is generating about $4 billion in revenue annually and that Apple’s advertising chief Todd Teresi wants to increase that figure to at least $10 billion per year over time.
From Macrumors
WhatsApp Group Admins Can Delete Any Message for Everyone in Latest Beta
WhatsApp has rolled out a new group chat feature to beta users on iOS that gives group admins the ability to delete messages from other participants, reports WABetaInfo.
WhatsApp has been busy building out its group chat features in recent updates, and this latest feature aims to help group admins better moderate conversations, which can involve up to 256 people on the platfrom.
For beta testers who have received “group admin delete” privileges, they will be able to delete any recent message from a chat group in which they are an admin, courtesy of a new “delete for everyone” option in the delete menu popover.
When a message is deleted for everyone in the group, group members are notified in the thread that a particular group admin removed the message.
Also new in the latest beta is an optional ability to view Status updates within the chat list. Similar to WhatsApp Stories, Status updates let WhatsApp users post photos and videos within the app that disappear after 24 hours.
From Macrumors
YouTube kicks off its podcast push with an Explore page
YouTube’s interest in podcasts appears to extend beyond paying creators to make videos. 9to5Google notes YouTube has quietly launched a podcast Explore page. Only some people can access it on desktop or mobile, but those that can will see popular channels, episodes and playlists as well as categories and recommended shows. At present, you’ll see standard video thumbnails and playback controls, even if you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber who normally sees listening-oriented options.
We’ve asked YouTube for comment. The Explore page appears to have gone live near the end of July, but is only now becoming more widely available. It’s not clear what (if anything) will happen to Google Podcasts.
From Engadget
