New images shared on Weibo appear to show a circular array of magnets housed inside an "iPhone 12" chassis. The unverified images depict 36 individual magnets in a circular arrangement, suggesting they could be related to mounting or charging.
EverythingApplePro, who shared the Weibo-originating images on Twitter, also posted an image of an alleged iPhone 12 case with a similar array of magnets built in, which he suggests are "likely for perfect alignment with Apple's wireless chargers."
Apple hasn't released any native wireless chargers for iPhone. The company canceled its much-anticipated AirPower charging mat last year due to quality concerns. Rumors persist that it continues to work on an AirPower-like charging mat, although faked images have been shared in support of this.
Back in January, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expected Apple to release a small wireless charging mat in the first half of the year, but no such product materialized in that timeframe.
For months ahead of their unveiling, last year's iPhone 11 series was rumored to feature a Qi-based device-to-device charging feature, allowing for an Apple Watch, AirPods, and other accessories to charge on the back of the iPhones. The feature was expected to be similar to Wireless PowerShare on Samsung's Galaxy S10.
According to one leaker, the iPhone 11 series includes the necessary hardware for a two-way charging feature that was widely rumored for the devices, but Apple disabled the feature on the software end. According to Kuo, the feature was abandoned because the charging efficiency did not meet Apple's requirements.
Yup. Official iPhone 12 cases will also have this magnet system built in. Likely for perfect alignment with Apple's wireless chargers. pic.twitter.com/eDEQ474NIX
— EverythingApplePro (@EveryApplePro) August 5, 2020
We're expecting Apple to launch four iPhones in three display sizes this year, and a recent rumor has suggested Apple could release the devices in two stages.
Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital."
In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by Juli Clover
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag.
Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year.
Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by Juli Clover
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro.
The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup.
The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie.
The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...
So...question here... I’ve been walking 7,000 miles across the highest peaks in America armed with the most capable iPhone on earth for ultralight backpacking... the OG SE
Every Apple device designed under Tim Cook has lessened the end user experience compared to the Steve Jobs SE. It’s 50% lighter than the lightest iPhone on the market in 2020, and has 4x the sound spectrum capability that any iPhone can produce in 2020. (However the iPhone 4 still has the best DAC ever planted in an iPhone, using German precision components instead of the cheap Asian crud that is favored by the gullible masses today)
I would never ever purchase an Apple device that is bogged down with stainless steel or copper charging coils which add undo weight and add zero to the end user experience of a human being who does a marathon every day.
Is there a way to remove these wireless charging components from the device by taking it to an aftermarket cell phone repair shop and having a technician take the phone apart?
Reason being is that I’m intrigued that Apple is actually releasing a slightly smaller device this year, but it will be bogged down by these unnecessary components and will weigh in at around 6.5-7 ounces. If these components are removed then the device should be lighter and more capable for marathons. It’s a shame that Tim Cook is only doubling the RAM in the 5.4 inch 2020 iPhone compared to the OG SE. Looks like 2021 is the best year to upgrade, this cycle reminds me of the iPhone 6...and Tim Cook purposefully gimped the RAM on that device for planned obsolescence. The iPhone 6S & SE still fires today because of RAM.
6GB RAM should be the minimum for the 5.4 inch iPhone, and they are gimping the 2020 5.4 so that the 2021 5.4 will be powered by the same RAM that the 2020 Pro models have. Would really enjoy a snappier processor and more local storage capacity over the 128 GB OG SE, and that is why the 5.4 inch iPhone intrigued me...but only if I can lessen the weight of the device to make it more capable for marathons
Of course. Apple should just think of the 0.0000000000000000001% of their customer pool that run marathons with their phones in their backpacks, and therefore remove any feature from the phone that can not be used while climbing the highest peaks. The only user experience that matters is yours, and the rest of the customers have to live acording to your needs.
