What's up with the iPhone 14?
What's up with the iPhone 14?
Hype around Apple's 2022 flagship smartphone is really starting to pick up.
I just got the iPhone 13 Pro through an early 12 Pro trade-in with T-Mobile (JUMP! is totally worth the $18 a month I pay). I’ve been using it all weekend, and I’ve gotta say, it’s a terrific device. I can already tell the battery life and cameras are better than my 12 Pro, and the 120Hz screen is beautiful.
One of the first things I read on my new iPhone was an article. A newsletter, sent by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, who is giving us new details on the next iPhone.
It’s still September, the iPhone 13 just came out four days ago, and we’re starting to hear from reliable leakers like Gurman that the iPhone 14 is coming and it’s gonna be big. Gurman literally headlined his newsletter, “It’s time to talk about the iPhone 14.” Hype is definitely starting to build for this device, and early.
Granted, Gurman doesn’t detail everything there is to know about the iPhone 14. However, he does say that the phone will sport a “complete redesign” with “new entry-level and Pro models” in the lineup. This corroborates what we’ve heard from other leakers like Ming-Chi Kuo and Jon Prosser who also say Apple is gearing up for a major revamp of the iPhone next year.
Here’s what’s likely in store: Apple is expected to have four new iPhones, just like the last couple of years, but it’ll drop the Mini from the lineup. In its place, Apple will develop a new “iPhone 14 Max” as a sort of more affordable 14 Pro Max for those who want a bigger screen. The regular iPhone 14 will succeed the regular iPhone 13, while the two Pro models are expected to retain the same screen sizes and overall dimensions.
Prosser’s recent render leaks include an iPhone that greatly resembles the iPhone 4 from 2011. That phone had a stainless steel band (that wasn’t glossy) and a seamless piece of glass that covers the entire back of the phone (including the cameras with no camera bump). Swap the stainless steel with titanium, and you’d have yourself what everyone thinks the iPhone 14 will look like. In addition, Kuo has reported that Apple will drop the notch on the next iPhones, with a simple hole-punch cutout in its cutout.
It isn’t clear what would happen to Face ID. If anything, Apple may figure out how to shove all the sensors into the top bezel or hide them behind the screen. Another solution could mean getting rid of Face ID completely and replacing it with Touch ID. That’s the pipe dream of a lot of reviewers and consumers alike, and there are a few rumors that suggest a fingerprint scanner will be included either under the screen or on the power button of the next iPhone.
Personally, I don’t see Apple getting rid of Face ID entirely on the iPhone, so if Touch ID ever does come back, it’ll be in addition to Face ID. Kuo notes that it’ll more likely ship in 2023 instead of 2022, so Apple might take another generation to figure out what it wants to do.
Oh, and until we hear differently, the iPhone 14 will undoubtedly have a Lightning port. *insert sad emoji face here*
Now, do any of these rumors confirm anything? God no. We’re a full year away from the potential release of the iPhone 14, and anything could change in that timeframe.
But something weird is definitely going on. Lately, the iPhone 14 has been getting a ton of attention in the media, and I’ve heard some people even talking about it on their own. The reason for its popularity likely has to do with the incremental improvements Apple made to this year’s iPhones. Many have called these changes “boring” and “minor,” when in reality some of them are pretty meaningful year-over-year.
However, the iPhone 13 looks just like the iPhone 12, and that’s not necessarily a good thing for those looking to get excited for this generation. So when you hear that Apple actually has a “complete redesign” in the works for the iPhone in 2022…well, your ears would perk up too, right?
I imagine we’ll be hearing a lot about the iPhone 14 in the not-too-far-off future. I’ll keep you posted if there are any more rumors worth talking about. Until then, go out and enjoy your iPhone 13s, people. They’re great phones.
Amazon is hosting a hardware event today
Amazon announced last week that it was hosting a hardware-focused event on September 28th, and that’s today. Current rumors indicated a new Alexa-powered soundbar, a 15-inch mountable Echo Show, and an update to Echo Autor are on the cards for the event. However, Amazon has managed to keep leaks at bay for many of its product launches, so expect a number of surprises. I’ll have coverage of the biggest announcements on Matridox.com later.
Instagram doesn’t think it’s toxic for teens, pauses development of Instagram Kids
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, published a blog post announcing that the company is pausing development of Instagram Kids, a version of the main app designed for younger audiences. Mosseri also says Instagram doesn’t see itself as toxic for teens after The Wall Street Journal published a bunch of findings that suggested it. “Recent reporting from the WSJ on our research into teen’s experiences on Instagram has raised a lot of questions for people. To be clear, I don’t agree with how the Journal has reported on our research,” Mosseri said.
Instagram says it’s still working on getting the experience of using its app for those under 13 years of age right, and that will likely mean expanding special monitoring tools to parents through the main app. In addition, it doesn’t seem like Instagram Kids is a dying idea - Mosseri stressed that “critics of ‘Instagram Kids’ will see this as an acknowledgement that the project is a bad idea.”
“That’s not the case. The reality is that kids are already online, and we believe that developing age-appropriate experiences designed specifically for them is far better for parents than where we are today.”
This is a major story, and I’ll be following it closely if more details surface.
Ford is recalling the Mustang Mach-E because its roof can literally fly off
Ford has announced a major recall of its Mustang Mach-E EV which involves the roof of the car. Apparently, the panoramic ceiling of the vehicle isn’t secured enough on some 18,000 units, and it could come flying off while you’re driving. What’s more, the windshield isn’t properly mounted either and might leak. Ford says around 13,000 customers are likely affected by the design flaws, although there hasn’t been a reported case of a roof or windshield leaking or flying off.
Recall details will be announced next month, according to the company.
Microsoft still believes in Skype
Microsoft is giving Skype yet another redesign with a new call interface, all-new themes, better performance, support for “every browser,” and more. Microsoft hasn’t given Skype this much attention in years, so I’m wondering what they believe the future of Skype is. They already have Teams, and Teams was the chosen one for Windows 11. Where does Skype fit in?
The colorful MacBook Air isn’t coming until 2022, according to Ming-Chi Kuo
Apple has a new MacBook Air in the works with a faster ARM-based processor and fun colors like the new iMac. Unfortunately, it looks like it won’t be released until the third quarter of 2022, at least according to Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac). While that’s kind of a shame, at least it still seems that we’ll be getting new MacBook Pros by the year’s end.
Spotify knows it sucks on iOS 15, and it’s trying to figure out why
Spotify’s app for iOS has been reported as battery-draining on iOS 15 and iOS 14.8. According to the company, it’s investigating the issue to discover what’s causing the problem. There’s currently no word on when this might be resolved, so if you use Spotify on your iPhone, you may wanna limit your usage in the mean time.
Apple will fix a problem with unlocking your iPhone 13 with your Apple Watch while wearing a mask
Some new iPhone 13 owners have reported a problem where they aren’t able to use their Apple Watch to unlock their phone while they’re wearing a mask. Apple has acknowledged the problem and has promised a fix, although it’s unclear when it’ll be released.
TikTok has 1 billion users