Month: May 2022

Report: Apple planning new colors for AirPods Max alongside AirPods Pro 2 launch this fall

Report: Apple planning new colors for AirPods Max alongside AirPods Pro 2 launch this fall

AirPods Max first came in several colors, including sky, space, gray, blue, green and silver. Now, a new report indicates that we can expect an AirPods Max color refresh as soon as later this year alongside a new version of AirPods Pro. For more information, see below.

AirPods Max color refresh and AirPods Pro 2

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple has two updates planned for AirPods this year. First, as we’ve detailed in the past, there’s a new version of AirPods Pro on the way.

Reports so far have indicated that AirPods Pro 2 are expected to feature a new design as well as support for Lossless playback for the first time. There are also rumors of new “health management” and fitness tracking features, but we’re still waiting on more details to know exactly what health and fitness features Apple could be planning.

In the most recent edition of Power On, Gurman doubles down on AirPods Pro 2 coming sometime this fall. He notes that we are nearly three years past the original AirPods Pro launch, “so the batteries are already probably in trouble for some early adopters.” As an AirPods Pro early adopter, this is something I can corroborate.

Also in Sunday’s newsletter, Gurman says that alongside AirPods Pro 2, Apple is planning new colors for AirPods Max. While Gurman notes the he would “hope” to see a price drop as well, there’s currently no indication that Apple has any price drop planned.

Look out for the new AirPods Pro this fall. The current model has been on the market since fall of 2019, so the batteries are already probably in trouble for some early adopters. Also look out for an AirPods Max refresh with new colors (and, we hope, a price drop–$550 is absurd for those headphones).

Ideally, Apple will do more than simply update the color options when it refreshes AirPods Max this fall. Over-ear headphones do not support Lossless playback via wired or wireless. This becomes an even more glaring omission if AirPods Pro 2 add support for Lossless playback this year.

What do you want to see from an AirPods Max refresh? Are you looking for more features, a drop in price or new colors? Let us know down in the comments.

Lead Image Concept Created by Parker Ortolani for 9to5Mac

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Weekly poll: How many people have smartwatches and which type?

Weekly poll: how many of you have a smartwatch and what kind?

Time for a Headcount – Who here owns a smartwatch? What kind of smartwatches do you have? Smart wearables are already a big business for tech companies and wearers like the convenience of having notifications or a payment system on their wrists. But we’re curious how popular they actually are.

There are many smartwatches with Apple watchOS and HarmonyOS. Some older models have Tizen. Those have access to a rich selection of apps from their respective app stores and tend to have more fully-featured communication options (including walkie-talkie functionality and even calls over the carrier network).

They have a poor battery life but can last for a couple of days or less. You can get smartwatches with a longer battery life, which may last up to a week. You may not need all the apps that some smartwatches have, however. This is part of our second question, and we will get to it.

Weekly poll: how many of you have a smartwatch and what kind?

If you only need basic health monitoring (e.g. heart rate, sleep and exercise tracking), then a smart band can do the trick. A smart band is also a good option if you only need basic health tracking (e.g. heart rate, sleep, exercise, and at-a glance notifications). These smart bands are less expensive, which means you won’t have to feel the band as soon as you touch it.

So, who has a smart wearable and what kind?

If this poll widget isn’t working for you, try casting your vote here.

As to our second question, which features do you prioritize? There is some advanced functionality that arrived in recent years like ECG for more accurate and detailed heart info than a simple heart rate tracker. That tends to be reserved for the pricier models, however. Many people want to be able to run with their phones off the phone, and have a GPS tracker or music storage. Having voice calling available helps with that too and mobile payments are quite convenient.

What features do you look for when considering a new smartwatch or band? Note that you can tick several options, including a custom answer by filling in the Other option.

If the poll widget above is giving you trouble, try casting your vote here.

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A Virtual Roundtable With Samsung Research’s 6G Leaders

A Virtual Roundtable With Samsung Research’s 6G Leaders – Samsung Global Newsroom

The next generation of communications technologies, 6G, is set to bring about an all-new era of connectivity. With connectivity speeds up to 1 Tbps (one trillion bits per second) data transmission rate, real-time conversations with people on the other side of the world via holograms, as well as connected networks that support our vehicles, robots and even home appliances, are no longer going to be mere visions of science-fiction once 6G is commercialized.

As anticipation and competition ramp up around the development of 6G technology, Samsung Electronics is set to hold its first-ever Samsung 6G Forum on May 13.

As competition and anticipation mount around the development of G technology, Samsung Electronics will hold its first-ever Samsung [******************************************************************************************************************************************************]G Forum on May [******************************************************************************************************************************************** ********************************************************************************************************************************************************

In order to introduce some of the technologies being prepared by Samsung ahead of the upcoming Forum, Samsung Newsroom undertook a virtual roundtable with Samsung Research’s1 leading experts in the field. Sunghyun Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of the Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research, and Charlie Zhang, Senior Vice President at Samsung Research America, came together virtually to share some of their most recent research and breakthroughs within the 6G communications technologies, as well as what they anticipate the future of the field will look like. The virtual roundtable was moderated by Jaebum Park, researcher at Samsung Research’s 6G Research Team.

Read on to learn more about the groundbreaking work Samsung Research has been undertaking in order to prepare for the next generation of communications technologies.

Jaebum Park Welcome and thank you to both of you for joining this online roundtable. Firstly, as are all well aware, the competition surrounding the development of 6G technologies has steadily been increasing. After accomplishing the world’s first commercialization of 5G, Samsung is now working hard at its research and development (R&D) into 6G. Why is this 6G R&D so important?

Sunghyun Choi 6G is the next-generation communications technology that will bring huge changes to every aspect of our lives, as well as to various industries. To make it a reality, this technology requires a lot of investment and effort. Samsung is striving to lead 6G R&D and standardization, with the goal of bringing next-level, hyper-connected experiences to our customers.

Park In July 2020, Samsung released a white paper entitled “The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All.” which outlined the company’s vision for 6G. Can you tell us more about the technologies Samsung currently is working on to realize this vision?

Choi 6G is expected to be characterized by ultra-wideband, ultra-low latency, ultra-intelligence and hyper-spatialization. Unlike communications technologies of previous generations, 6G is expected to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Samsung has developed a variety of new solutions to this problem. For example, an AI-based technology reduces the power consumption of base stations and a technology that uses AI at the receiver in order to correct the distortion of the transmitter’s power amplifier. These technologies can greatly improve coverage and quality for high-rate data signals. We have also seen growing demand for greater coverage.

In response to these requirements, Samsung proposes considering all available bands for 6G, from low-band under 1 gigahertz (GHz) to mid-band in the 1-24 GHz range and through to high-band in the 24-300 GHz range. We also need to consider the existing bands used for 3G, 4G and 5G networks. The transmission distance of higher bands is shorter. In order to mitigate this issue, Samsung has developed solutions such as Cross Division Duplex (XDD) technology, whose standardization process is already underway, and is also pursuing the development of technologies such as Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS), which improves beam sharpness and can steer or reflect the wireless signal to a desired direction by use of a metamaterial surface.

The Samsung Research Advanced Communications Research Center in fact recently published a white paper, entitled “6G Spectrum: Expanding the Frontier” which includes ways to obtain the spectrum needed to achieve the company’s 6G vision. In the field of next-generation communication technologies, we are working closely with both industry and academia.

Park The white paper lays out the company’s vision for securing global frequency bands for 6G. I have heard that Samsung Research America, along with Samsung Research and researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), recently managed to successfully demonstrate wireless communications in the terahertz (THz) band which is one of the candidate bands for 6G.

Charlie Zhang The THz spectrum covers from 100 GHz to 10 THz. The team created a prototype proof-of-concept system that could demonstrate the potential for the THz spectrum. This included GHz to [*******************************************************************************************************************************************************].

In collaboration with Professor Mark Rodwell’s research team at UCSB and the Samsung Research team based in Korea, in 2021, we succeeded in demonstrating 6G THz wireless communication with phased-array beamforming capability.

Even though we still have a long way to go to improve the performance, this achievement of phased-array beamforming at a long distance is an important milestone for THz research as it demonstrated the clear potential of the THz spectrum for future cellular communication.

Park The commercial launch of 6G is not expected to occur soon. However, the competition surrounding the development of 6G technologies has steadily been increasing. What would you characterize as Samsung’s unique advantages when it comes to developing these next-generation technologies?

Choi Samsung is a company that offers a wide variety of products, ranging from smartphones and base stations to chipsets – something that it is not at all common in the industry. Furthermore, in April 2019, Samsung was among the first to realize the commercialization of 5G. Samsung also has a strong track record of having led technology standardization with its partners for many years at the telecommunications standards organization that develops unified global standards for mobile telecommunications, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

Zhang In order to accelerate the development process of the next generation telecommunications system to the point where it can become a commercial reality, development and utilization of various technologies are key, and at Samsung Research, we are very happy to see that many partners are joining us in these efforts. Samsung Research was one of the first research institutes in the world to publish a 6G vision white paper. Following on from our previous collaborations, we will continue, along with various partners, to identify key solutions in order to successfully commercialize 6G technology.

Park I understand that the standardization of 6G technology is expected to begin around 2025. Could you please introduce the standardization process and the work that needs to be done to successfully achieve 6G standardization?

Choi The future of communications technology will be defined by its ability to bring the next hyper-connected experience to all. Communication technologies allow human-to human, machine-tomachine, and human-to human connections. To connect different devices or machines, we need the same standard of communications across the board, and the process to set this standard is called ‘standardization.’ To standardize the communications technologies, the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), an agency of the United Nations, first defines the technical requirements, which is then followed by the work of organizations such as 3GPP to establish technical standards according to these requirements. Through the submission of proposals, consensus is reached among the constituting members.

While it is essential to develop outstanding technologies, it is also important to form a consensus on 6G technologies in the standardization process. As part of this effort, Samsung is holding its first-ever Samsung 6G Forum on May 13, which will see leading experts from all over the world in the mobile communications field gather to discuss 6G.

Park Can you please elaborate more on what we can expect from Samsung’s first-ever 6G Forum?

Choi The upcoming Samsung 6G Forum will be a sphere within which the world’s top experts in the field can set the tone for the future of 6G. We are set to have presentations and panel discussions on the topic of 6G air interface in the morning, and will then hold presentations and panel discussions about AI-based intelligent networks for 6G in the afternoon. Anyone interested in 6G technologies is able to participate in the Forum through online pre-registration.

Zhang At the 6G Forum, Samsung will be demonstrating some of the 6G candidate technologies that it has been developing over the past three years, as well as the company’s vision for future technology development. Although there is still a long road ahead of us before we achieve 6G commercialization, I believe that the hyper-connected experiences across all areas of life that 6G is set to bring us will become a reality sooner rather than later by bringing together industry, academia and research experts regularly through the opportunities like Samsung 6G Forum.

Park These days, the term ‘6G’ is a commonly known one. The general gist of what the 6G era will bring includes communications speed increases and mobile-based virtual reality experiences, changes that will totally transform users’ daily lives. I am curious what you, as two leaders in 6G research and development, have to say about what the biggest changes are set to be for this era?

Choi From my perspective, the era of 6G is set to connect as many as 500 billion devices, resulting in the vehicles, appliances and even the buildings around us being connected to this super-fast communications network.

Samsung Research defines the biggest changes in three ways: firstly, services such as truly-immersive extended reality (XR), high-fidelity mobile holograms and digital replicas will be possible. Secondly, the performance of telecommunications networks is set to improve greatly thanks to the implementation of AI technologies. Finally, the connected experience offered to users will be available anytime and anywhere, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and from the ground to the sky.

Zhang Even now, limited XR devices and services such as VR and AR exist and digital replication technology is already being harnessed in industrial IoT. These technologies are not widely used due to the limited capabilities of the hardware and poor communications. In a world where 6G technology is universal, those truly-immersive XR and high-fidelity mobile holograms, as once seen only in science fiction movies, will become possible. It will be possible to quickly and safely address real-world problems by linking the virtual and the real worlds.

Park What are your thoughts on the future direction of and your goals for 6G technology research?

Zhang At Samsung Research America, we will focus on undertaking research into how to successfully commercialize 6G technology along with our partners. Along with our research into THz, we are planning to continue our research to improve high-capacity data transmission and latency and to simplify future network deployment. Research collaboration with industry and academia will continue to accelerate the realization of the 6G vision of providing next-generation hyper-connected experiences across all areas of life.

Choi The process of preparing for 6G commercialization that Samsung is working on is set to be a long and painstaking one, requiring a lot of hard work. This cannot be achieved by Samsung alone, and will require the collaboration of industries, academics and governments alike. We at Samsung intend to play a leading role in leading both innovation and collaboration.

Park I’d like to thank you both for your time today. Do you have any closing remarks you would like to share?

Zhang It has been an honor to speak with you today and introduce the efforts and vision of Samsung Research for 6G. While there are many challenges ahead, I agree with Dr. Choi that by continuing innovation and collaboration, we can definitely achieve the goal of bringing the next hyper-connected experience to every corner of life via 6G.

Choi The first step in moving towards our joint goal of realizing 6G will be taken at the Samsung 6G Forum, and we look forward to the interest and participation of many at the event.

If you are interested in pre-registering online to take part in the Samsung 6G Forum on May 13, you may do so by visiting the event website until the day of the event. Registering guests can also access the event website to receive updates and to ask questions before each session.

The Samsung 6G Forum, divided into two sessions, will be broadcast live online via Samsung’s YouTube channel. Be sure to tune in on May 13 to learn more about the future of the hyper-connected experience, and stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom for all the latest news about 6G.

1 Samsung Research, Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, leads the development of future technologies for the company’s Device eXperience (DX) Division.

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Samsung Unveils 6G Spectrum White Paper and 6G Research Findings

Samsung Unveils 6G Spectrum White Paper and 6G Research Findings – Samsung Global Newsroom

Company’s vision and plans to prepare for the next-generation communication system

Samsung Electronics today released a white paper that lays out the Company’s vision for securing global frequency bands for 6G, the next generation communications technology. The paper, titled “6G Spectrum: Expanding the Frontier,”1 discusses ways to obtain the spectrum needed to achieve the company’s 6G vision introduced in a white paper released earlier in July 2020.

“We have started on our journey long ago to understand, develop and standardize the 6G communications technology,” said Sunghyun Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of the Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research. 2 “We are committed to taking the lead and sharing our findings to spread our vision to bring the next hyper-connected experience to every corner of life.”

6G Spectrum: Expanding the Frontier

6G would require spectrum with ultra-wideband contiguous bandwidth ranging from hundreds of MHz to tens of GHz to enable new services such as high-fidelity mobile holograms and truly immersive extended reality (XR) that are characterized by ultra-high speed communications and large amount of data. There is also growing demand for greater coverage. In response to these requirements, Samsung proposes considering all available bands for 6G, from low-band under 1 GHz, to mid-band in the 1-24 GHz range and high-band in the 24-300 GHz range.

It also highlights the importance of securing new bands for commercial deployments of 6G, as 5G networks will still be operational when the 6G deployment starts. The mid-band within the 7-24 GHz range is a candidate that can support faster data speed and reasonable coverage. The sub-terahertz (sub-THz) band in the 92-300 GHz range is being considered for support of ultra-high speed data rate. The white paper also mentions the refarming of existing bands used for 3G, 4G and 5G networks to 6G operation as another way to obtain all the spectrum necessary for 6G. In addition, it notes that research on forward-looking regulations and technologies on spectrum utilization is essential to provide efficient and flexible support of 6G and other services with the limited spectrum.

Recent Findings on 6G Candidate Technologies

Along with the release of the 6G spectrum white paper, Samsung also highlights its research findings on some of 6G candidate technologies – specifically about sub-THz band communications, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), cross division duplex (XDD), full duplex, artificial intelligence (AI)-based nonlinearity compensation (AI-NC) and AI-based energy saving (AI-ES).

Sub-THz is considered a spectrum candidate for 6G communications, which is expected to support the data rate up to 1 Terabits per second (Tbps), 50 times faster than 20 Gbps of 5G networks. Samsung successfully demonstrated 6 Gbps data rate at a 15 meters distance indoors in June 2021, and 12 Gbps at a 30 meters distance indoors and 2. 3 Gbps at a 120 meters distance outdoors the following year.

RIS can improve the beam sharpness and can steer or reflect the wireless signal to a desired direction with the use of a metamaterial surface. This can decrease penetration loss, and also block high-frequency signals, such as mmWave. Samsung demonstrated that their RIS lens technology can enhance the signal strength by four times and the beam steering range by 1. 5 times.

XDD can improve the propagation distance of uplink signal up to two times in the TDD system by enabling the continuous uplink transmission in a small portion of the system bandwidth. Hence, XDD is capable of dramatically enhancing the coverage of the TDD system often used in high-frequency bands. Samsung demonstrated its core technology, self-interference cancellation at the base station.

With full duplex, the data transmission and reception can take place simultaneously using the same frequency so that the data speed increases up to two times. Samsung carried out a successful trial of the full duplex in the mmWave band with a base station and a terminal 100 meters apart, demonstrating the self-interference cancellation of over 114 dB and 1. 9 times improvement in the data rate.

AINC uses AI to correct signal distortions caused by nonlinearity in a transmitter power amplifier. This can dramatically improve coverage and quality for high-rate data signals. Samsung demonstrated 1. 9 times improvement of the coverage for high-speed uplink data and 1. 5 times improvement of the transmission speed for a given coverage.

AIES uses AI to reduce energy consumption at base stations by adjusting power-on/off parameters of select cells based on traffic load. This does not affect network performance. In a real data-based replicated simulation of base stations, Samsung applied AI-ES to demonstrate an energy saving of more than 10%.

Samsung plans to share more details and the findings of its 6G research at the company’s first Samsung 6G Forum (samsung6gforum.com) scheduled on May 13, 2022.

For more information on ‘Samsung Tech Forum’, please visit Samsung Research website at research.samsung.com/events.

1 Samsung’s 6G spectrum white paper is available for download at research.samsung.com.

2 Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, which leads the development of future technologies for its Device eXperience division

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Weekly poll results: the vivo X80 Pro is shaping up to be a winner, the X80 gets lost in its shadow

Weekly poll results: the vivo X80 Pro is shaping up to be a winner, the X80 gets lost in its shadow

We have a winner – the vivo X80 Pro convinced 1 in 3 readers to vote in its favor in last week’s poll. If the price is right, that number could easily double. The phone is available only in China right now, but that is changing – the global launch is today (May 8). Last year the X70 Pro launched at Rs47,000 ($630/EUR545 at the time).

A potential problem for buyers is the fact that vivo tends only to be present in Asia and does not bring its flagships into all other markets. Europe is still looking at the X60 Pro, the X70 Pro is nowhere to be seen half a year later).

Weekly poll results: the vivo X80 Pro is shaping up to be a winner, the X80 gets lost in its shadow

Other than that, the sharp 120Hz LTPO AMOLED panel, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Dimensity 9000 chipsets, the custom camera hardware including the 1/1. 3″ Samsung GNV sensor (50 MP) and vivo V1+ ISP, plus advanced image stabilization, not to mention the fast charging (80W wired, 50W wireless) have their fans.

As far as criticisms go, people complained about the size – a 6. 78″ display is never going to appeal to everyone. The periscope camera drew some complaints as well, some thought the 5x optical magnification wasn’t enough (wishing for 10x), others said that a higher resolution sensor would have been better (an 8 MP sensor is what the phone has behind its periscope). There were the usual complaints of “no headphone jack” and “no microSD slot”, which are a constant chorus at this point.

As for the vanilla vivo X80, very few were interested in it – 5% voted in its favor, another 5% said “maybe”, contingent on the price.

Despite being 33% cheaper while still offering a Dimensity 9000 chipset and a 120 Hz AMOLED, the cutbacks to the display (FHD+ resolution instead of QHD+, no LTPO panel either) and the camera made the X80 a fairly unpopular option. There was much discussion about the Pro model. It is the most popular of all the models.

Finally, the Pro is not the pinnacle of the X80 series – the X80 Pro+ is coming in Q3 of this year. Worth the wait? No way to tell yet, but the X80 Pro is here today and is well liked as it is.

Weekly poll results: the vivo X80 Pro is shaping up to be a winner, the X80 gets lost in its shadow

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Totem Rollable OLED display offers enhanced viewing and doubles as a soundbar

Totem Rollable OLED display offers enhanced viewing and doubles as a soundbar

Totem Rollable Display with Soundbar

Display technology has come a long way, and we believe it will continue to improve. Gadget screens have advanced, and now flexible and rollable displays are available.

The rollable display technology is relatively new, but it is now used on smartphones. Soon, we’ll see foldable tablets and rollable TVs or touchscreen windows or walls in the future. Rollable OLED display rollability is a game changer, and tech titans LG lead the charge.

Designers: Richard Bone and Jisu Yun (Studio BooBoon)

Totem Flexible Display with Soundbar


The LG Display team has launched a competition that aimed to imagine and design products and experiences that would present the use of LG digital displays. The designs should be able to enhance users’ lives and offer new experiences.

The competition now has 20 shortlisted designs. There are many designs that include cabinets with digital displays and foldable TVs that can transform into lamps. One notable project was the Totem by Studio BooBoon, led by designers Richard Bone and Jisu Yun. Totem is a combination of a soundbar and a rolling display, designed by the Tokyo-based group.

Totem Rollable Display Demo

The name Totem is used because of the upright position. You can use it horizontally, or only as a soundbar. The device was available in four colors, including salmon, white, blue grey, and charcoal. It is said that the device has a small footprint.

Totem Rollable Display with Soundbar


The flexible OLED technology is being used here. It allows a customizable display that can be adjusted to different heights. It reminds me of a retractable and portable projector screen.

The LG Display’s OLED rollable technology is integrated with a soundbar. Studio Booboon’s Totem can be used as a soundbar only. It may also be used for digital graphics with music. This could be used to promote, educate, and provide information in many establishments.

Totem Rollable Display Soundbar

The Totem can also be used at home as you can use it in different ways. You can use it as a screen-mirroring device or as a speaker. When you need a larger display, it can enhance your viewing experience of movies and videos. It is very adaptable, according to the designers.

Totem Rollable Display Details

The screen-soundbar concept appears like an art piece by itself. The screen-soundbar concept is minimalist and can be adapted to most interiors. This is part of the finalist list for a competition in which only five top designers will be honored. The overall winner will get EUR35,000 in June. The second placer will get EUR20,000; the third place will receive EUR15,000, while the fourth placer will get EUR10,000, and the last one will get EUR8,000.

Totem Flexible Display

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Roundup: Here are the latest rumors on when to expect new AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max

Roundup: Here are the latest rumors on when to expect new AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max

With a successful AirPods line, it’s only natural for users to wonder when Apple will release a new generation of the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. Head below as we round up the latest rumors on when expecting a new version of each of these products…

When will Apple launch AirPods Pro 2?

For the next AirPods Pro model, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in his Power On newsletter that Apple will launch AirPods Pro 2 this year with a new design and new fitness tracking features:

“Apple has been testing a new design with an even shorter stern or no stern at all, plus new motion sensor for fitness.”

With that, Apple’s next wireless earbuds could look similar to the Beats Studio Buds. About its sensors for fitness, a study by the company shows how AirPods could be used to monitor respiratory rate.

In the report, Apple and Cornell researchers used a model-driven technology to estimate a person’s respiratory rate using short audio segments obtained after physical exertion in healthy adults. Data was collected from 21 individuals using microphone-enabled, near-field headphones before, during, and after strenuous exercise.

The study found that this audio can be a “viable signal for passively estimating” respiratory rates, also making it a more cost-effective way of doing so compared to traditional healthcare.

Another change to expect with AirPods Pro in 2022 is a redesigned charging case, which will reportedly remain 21mm thick, while it will be 46mm tall and 54mm wide. For comparison’s sake, the current AirPods Pro charging case measures 45.2mm tall and 60.6mm wide.

In a December report, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo corroborated with Gurman saying the new AirPods Pro will release in late 2022, featuring a ‘significantly upgraded’ chip.

He also said the new AirPods Pro could support Lossless thanks to new technology:

We expect Apple to launch AirPods Pro 2 in 4Q22 with new selling points, including a new form factor design, support for Apple Lossless (ALAC) format, and a charging case that can emit a sound for users to track. We are optimistic about the demand for AirPods Pro 2 and estimate shipments will reach 18–20mn units in 2022.

In addition, Kuo also believes Apple will likely discontinue the original AirPods Pro when releasing its second generation:

AirPods 3 orders for 2-3Q22 have been cut by 30%+. Due to the failed product segmentation strategy, demand for AirPods 3 is significantly weaker than for AirPods 2. AirPods Pro may get discontinued after Apple launches AirPods Pro 2 in 2H22 to avoid repeating the same mistake.

When Apple will launch a new AirPods Max?

AirPods max concept

For the high-end AirPods Max model, which was released by the end of 2020, Apple has no plans to release a second generation yet.

Users are expecting Apple to announce a new model since the company released support for Lossless quality with Apple Music last June and AirPods Max technically can’t play in this quality, even via a wired connection

The $549 AirPods Max is expected to stay as they are for some time, but Gurman reported in May that Apple could be only planning new colors for the AirPods Max:

“Apple only recently caught up with demand for the product, and it is not currently working on a second generation of the AirPods Max, though it has discussed launching additional color variations in the future.“

As AirPods Max just turned one, it’s still unclear whether the company will ever update these headphones. 9to5Mac Parker Ortolani created a concept regarding a second-generation, featuring USB-C + MagSafe charging, some level of water resistance, more colors, etc. Click here to learn more about it.

Read more:

  • Here’s how AirPods Pro 2 could foreshadow the launch of the new AirPods Max

When will Apple launch AirPods 4?

Wow, are you already expecting AirPods 4? Apple just released AirPods 3 in October, with a similar look as the AirPods Pro but without the ear tips.

These wireless earbuds don’t feature ANC or Transparency Mode, although the company says they got a boost in bass. They also have 6 hours of battery on a single charge and a new MagSafe Charging Case. Apple also brought support to Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio with these buds.

It’s unclear when the company will release a follow-up of the AirPods, but you can learn more about the AirPods 3 here.

What AirPods are you waiting for Apple to introduce? Tell us in the comment section below.

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https://9to5mac.com/2022/05/07/roundup-latest-rumors-airpods-4-pro-max/

Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh special edition wireless earphones now available

Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh special edition wireless earphones now available

Apple subsidiary Beats announced the Powerbeats Pro NBA edition in February, and now the company is back with another special edition of its wireless earphones, made in collaboration with London-based English-Iranian fashion designer Paria Farzaneh.

The Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh special edition has the same design and features as the regular version unveiled back in April 2019, but the charging case and earbuds now come in yellow and purple-colored patterns printed on them.


Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh limited edition earphones
Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh limited edition earphones
Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh limited edition earphones
Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh limited edition earphones

Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh edition earphones

The limited edition Powerbeats Pro earphones are sold in a unique box with similar yellow/purple patterns, which also includes a set of special Paria Farzaneh stickers.


Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh earphones come in a unique box with special stickers
Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh earphones come in a unique box with special stickers

Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh edition earphones come in a unique box with special stickers

The Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh special edition earphones are available for purchase through SSENSE for $250 – the same price as the regular model. But you can also buy them from Farzaneh’s website at a lower price for a limited time.


Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh edition's charging case
Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh edition's charging case

Powerbeats Pro Paria Farzaneh edition’s charging case

Source 1, Source 2

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https://www.gsmarena.com/powerbeats_pro_paria_farzaneh_wireless_earphones_price_sale_date-news-54227.php?rand=119

WhatsApp for iOS launches up to 512 people to a group feature – but not in Brazil

WhatsApp for iOS launches up to 512 people to a group feature – but not in Brazil

A couple of days ago, 9to5Mac reported that WhatsApp had finally released the ability to react to a message. Alongside this feature, the company is also bringing up to 512 people to a group and increasing the size limit of a file from 100MB to 2GB.

According to WhatsApp in a blog post, “one of the top requests we’ve consistently received is the option to add more people to a chat, so now we’re slowly rolling out the ability to add up to 512 people to a group.”

The company emphasizes the importance of creating a safe and private environment. Brazilian users will need to wait for the feature to roll out worldwide. This is what’s interesting about it. According to the company :

” Based solely upon our long-term strategy in Brazil, this functionality will not be implemented until it has been tested in other markets .”

This is part of the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court’s effort to stop the spread of false news and misinformation via groups, as happens in Telegram.

In addition, WhatsApp users can now start sending files within the app up to 2GB in size at a time, protected by end-to-end encryption. The company explains:

“This is an increase from the previous limit of 100MB and we think will be helpful for collaboration among small businesses and school groups. For larger files, we recommend WiFi. We will display a counter during uploading and downloading so you can see how long it takes .”

What do you think of these features arriving on WhatsApp? Which one are you most excited to use? Comment below to share your views.

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https://9to5mac.com/2022/05/07/whatsapp-512-people-group-feature/

Apple @ Work: Google Workspace integration gives more businesses a reason to consider using Managed Apple IDs

Apple @ Work: Google Workspace integration gives more businesses a reason to consider using Managed Apple IDs

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that fully integrates 5 different applications on a single Apple-only platform, allowing Businesses and Schools to easily and automatically deploy, manage & protect all their Apple devices . Over 32,000 organizations leverage Mosyle solutions to automate the deployment, management and security of millions of Apple devices daily. Request a free account to learn how your Apple fleet can be put on autopilot for a low price.

Apple has announced that Apple Business Essentials will be available in production. In Apple’s Newsroom post, there was a small mention of something fairly earth-shattering in the enterprise world. It suggests that Apple is able to understand what it takes for enterprises to succeed with Apple’s work.

Employees sign in using an Apple ID Managed to access their work account. Once they sign in, they will have access to everything they need to be productive, including the new Apple Business Essentials app, where they can download work apps available to them. Managed Apple IDs can be created by federating with Microsoft Azure Active Directory and, coming later this spring, with Google Workspace identity services, allowing employees to log in to their device with a single business username and password. Apple Business Essentials can be used with both company-provided devices and personal computers. Employees’ private information is encrypted and kept separate from their work data with Apple’s User enrollment feature.

I nearly missed the mention in the initial release when I was going through it. I’ve become so accustomed to reading about Google Workspace, so it didn’t register in my brain. Apple has publicly committed to integrate Google Workspace in Managed Apple IDs as part of this new release. This functionality has been requested by me since the launch of Apple Business Manager, Managed Apple IDs. Google Workspace has been compared to Microsoft’s cloud services by industry peers. Organizations fall into one of two camps: Google or Microsoft. If you’re using Microsoft 365, Azure AD, etc – you’ve enjoyed the easy creation and management of Managed Apple IDs for a few years now.

What does this mean for Apple in the workplace?

Managed Apple IDs are a slow process for organizations that have used Google Workspace to manage their cloud identities. This has been frustrating for many companies using Managed Apple IDs. With this announcement, Apple will make it easy for organizations with Google to use Managed Apple IDs. Google and Apple have had their fair share of problems over the years, but I think Apple has made this decision for a single reason: it makes an Apple Business Essentials subscription more attractive to all businesses.

It doesn’t appear that Apple has plans to roll out a competitor to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 anytime soon, so it makes sense to enable IT departments to integrate their chosen identity system into Apple Business Manager easily. What I believe this signifies is that Apple is taking a “and Apple approach” to enterprise identity management. Apple is recognizing that Google and Microsoft are deeply integrated in every company around the globe. Apple wants to be a secondary subscription. Managed Apple IDs make using Apple devices at work even more streamlined.

I had long believed Apple would roll out a competitor to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, but I don’t believe that’s true now. Apple has an objective of driving service revenue. However, it is not just about enterprise email hosting. Apple has created a new type of service that is aimed at increasing services revenue. More organizations are likely to say yes to Apple Business Essentials with integration into Google Workspace. The iCloud Storage is excellent, but the most important reasons to subscribe are device repairs and 24/7 support. For hybrid work organizations, Apple Business Essentials can be that frontline IT support, handle device repairs, and make it easy to secure all their Apple devices.

Summary

With Apple Business Essentials, Apple is not trying to compete against folks like Jamf, Kandji, or Mosyle. Apple’s device management APIs are the same as those of these great MDM vendors. The enemy of Apple Business Essentials is unmanaged devices in the enterprise. With this new business offering, Apple says: We want to help all businesses secure and manage their Macs and iOS devices, so we’re going to make it easy to connect with whatever identity management system you have. Google Workspace integration makes it a possibility for thousands of businesses who wouldn’t have considered Apple Business Essentials before.

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that fully integrates 5 different applications on a single Apple-only platform, allowing Businesses and Schools to easily and automatically deploy, manage & protect all their Apple devices . Over 32,000 organizations leverage Mosyle solutions to automate the deployment, management and security of millions of Apple devices daily.

Request a FREE account today and discover how you can put your Apple fleet on auto-pilot at a price point that is hard to believe.

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https://9to5mac.com/2022/05/07/google-workspace-integration-gives-more-businesses-a-reason-to-consider-using-managed-apple-ids/