Samsung's Galaxy S21, coming in 2021, may not include a power adapter or headphones in the box, according to reports from Korean media sites highlighted by SamMobile.
Rumors earlier this year also said that Samsung was considering removing these accessories from future smartphone models, but that didn't stop Samsung from mocking Apple for selling the iPhone 12 models without a power adapter or EarPods.
Apple's iPhone 12 models ship with just a USB-C to Lightning cable. When announcing the change, Apple said that the accessories were eliminated for environmental reasons, but there has been speculation that Apple removed the power adapter and EarPods to cut costs due to the expense of the 5G modems used in the new iPhone lineup.
With a major competitor no longer offering accessories like power adapters and EarPods, Samsung too may want to save some cash by selling accessories on the side rather than including them with smartphones. Korean sources suggest that the power adapter and headphones could be removed across the entire S21 lineup, though there is a chance that Samsung will offer the power adapter while removing the headphones.
Samsung has in the past mocked Apple's design and product decisions before doing the exact same thing. When Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, for example, Samsung made fun of the iPhone before turning around and removing the headphone jack from the 2018 Galaxy S8.
Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development.
Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag.
Timing
Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false.
The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by Tim Hardwick
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence.
Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476
The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick.
"We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote.
If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by Juli Clover
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices.
With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...
I wonder how long until the first lawsuit because someone bought a crappy no-brand charger from a mall kiosk and it caught fire, burning down their house.
At least by including a charger with every phone, Apple and Samsung ensure that most people are using a high quality charger. Now everyone who buys a new phone will have to buy a charger if they don't have one, and you know people will go for the cheapest garbage that does the job.
Samsung's marketing strategy is just embarrassing. Since it's so predictable, how is it actually effective? You think they would've given up the "mock, then copy" formula. Surely anyone can see through it by this point.
Predictions: Sep. 2021 - Apple removes all ports from the iPhone. Oct. 2021 - Samsung mocks their decision. 2022 - Samsung removes all ports in the new Galaxy phone.
