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Charlotte Henry

Charlotte is a media junkie, covering how Apple is not just a revolutionary tech firm, but a revolutionary media firm for TMO. She is based in London, and writes and broadcasts for various outlets.

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Samsung Takes Bigger Chunk of U.S. Marketshare Than Apple For First Time Since 2017

Samsung grabbed a bigger chunk of the U.S. smartphone market than Apple in the third quarter of 2020, according to data from Strategy Analytics, picked up on by Cult of Mac. That the first time since 2017 that Samsung has beaten Apple.

Apple accounted for a 30.2 percent market share of the U.S. smartphone market in Q3 2020. However, it lost out slightly to Samsung which made up 33.7 percent of the marketshare. The last time Samsung beat Apple in Apple’s home country market was Q2 2017. In third place was LG Electronics, which accounted for just a 14.7 percent share of the market. The reason for Samsung’s victory over Apple in the quarter likely involves the delayed launch of the iPhone 12. New model iPhones don’t usually make a significant impact until calendar Q4. However, their appearance in September does give the July through September quarter a boost for Apple. This year, the iPhone 12 handsets weren’t even shown off until October. This was due to manufacturing challenges related to coronavirus. Meanwhile, Samsung launched new flagship devices such as the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Z Fold 2 during the quarter.

The Mandalorian: Season Three and Boba Fett Spinoff Could be on Way

Fans have only just begun to be able to watch season two of The Mandalorian, but Deadline reported Season 3 could start shooting soon. There may also be a spinoff miniseries based on Boba Fett.

Disney+’s signature original series, The Mandalorian, just returned for its second season, which had wrapped production just before the pandemic hit in March. While not officially greenlit, a third season of the hit Star Wars series has been in pre-production for months, with creator, director and executive producer Jon Favreau publicly stating that he hoped to start filming by end of 2020. That may be the case, with some sources indicating that production would be starting as soon as next week (or in late November/early December), while others point to spring or even fall 2021. The confusion stems from the level of secrecy in the Lucasfilm camp. But persistent chatter could explain the discrepancy — that another Mandalorian-related project/spinoff, I hear possibly a Boba Fett miniseries, would film first, starting next week or later this month, with The Mandalorian Season 3 production coming after that.

Fortnite Could Return to iPhone Via Nvidia

The dispute between Apple and Fortnite-maker Epic Games is well documented. However, BBC News reports there could be a route back to the iPhone for the battle royale game courtesy of Nvidia’s cloud gaming service.

Nvidia has developed a version of its GeForce cloud gaming service that runs in the mobile web browser Safari. Apple will not get a cut of virtual items sold within the battle royale fighting title when played this way. Apple is embroiled in a legal fight with Fortnite’s developer Epic, which led the iPhone-maker to remove the game from its iOS App Store… Unlike Android, Apple does not allow games or other apps to be loaded on to its phones or tablets via app stores other than its own. But it does not restrict which third-party services can run within Safari or other web browsers available via its store.

Analyst Ming Chi Kuo Starts Looking Ahead to iPhone 13

The entire iPhone 12 range is not yet available, with the final set of pre-orders opening Friday. However, thoughts are already turning to the next generation of devices. According to a note by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, seen by MacRumors, there will be four models of the next set of devices in the same sizes as this year’s.

Specifically, Kuo says the Ultra Wide cameras on the two high-end models will be significantly upgraded to f/1.8, 6P (six-element lens) with autofocus. All the current ‌iPhone 12‌ models are equipped with f/2.4, 5P (five-element lens) Ultra Wide cameras with fixed focus. Looking further ahead, Kuo says he also expects all the new 2022 iPhones (tentatively called the ‌iPhone‌ 14 series) to be equipped with the same improved Ultra Wide camera with f/1.8, 6P and autofocus. Kuo states that Largan is likely to become the major supplier of voice coil motors (VCM) for the improved Ultra Wide cameras. It is expected that Largan will obtain about 70% of the VCM orders for the ‌iPhone 13‌ under the advantages of vertical integration of lens production and VCM, versus 50% of the ‌iPhone 12‌ series’ Ultra Wide angle lens.

How iPads Helped Baseball Crowds ‘Return’ to Ballparks

When Major League Baseball returned, without fans, during the coronavirus pandemic, those involved realised crowd noises still needed to happen. Oakland A’s executive producer for ballpark entertainment Amelia Schimmel and others told Sports Illustrated how iPads helped bring empty ballparks to life.

“When you see a fly ball that’s clearly not going out for a home run, but everybody does that oooh? That still has to happen,” says the A’s Schimmel. “Because we’re not trying to make it sound just like how we’d want it to sound. We’re trying to make it sound real.” The end result of all those layered noises is somewhere north of 1,000 individual sounds per game in Oakland, Schimmel estimates. (It’s common to have several different ones layered for each at-bat, she notes, as they try to adjust the background murmur a bit for every individual pitch in the count.) “It’s almost like playing the piano,” she says, with some buttons pressed together like chords and others on their own, all blended into one greater body of sound.

WhatsApp Users Can Now Send Disappearing Messages

WhatsApp finally gave users the ability to send that message that disappear after a certain period of time. As The Guardian noted, it’s something of a shift for the Facebook-owned app.

Unlike some competitors, such as the secure messaging app Signal, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, decided against offering flexibility to users. There is no option to change the length of time messages are stored, for instance; and the service also removes images and videos sent. “We’re starting with seven days because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent, while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about,” the company says in a blogpost. “The shopping list or store address you received a few days ago will be there while you need it, and then disappear after you don’t. “While it’s great to hold on to memories from friends and family, most of what we send doesn’t need to be everlasting. Our goal is to make conversations on WhatsApp feel as close to in-person as possible, which means they shouldn’t have to stick around forever.”

Why The 'Vintage' iPhone 5c Lives on

The iPhone 5c is now officially vintage, meaning support is “subject to availability of inventory.” However, as Cult of Mac points out, the colorful, budget-friendly, device has had a lasting impact on the iPhone range.

The iPhone 5c was one half of the first bifurcation of an iPhone launch. Up until that point, Apple released just one iPhone each year, the only variations being color and storage capacity. In 2013, with iPhone sales still rocketing upward with no sign of an end in sight, Apple released two different handsets for the first time. There was the premium iPhone 5s, which came with the all-new Touch ID. Then there was the cheaper, primary-colored, “unapologetically plastic” iPhone 5c. Despite being cast as a failure by many, Apple doubled down on the iPhone 5c concept in the years following. For one thing, Apple never again had a year in which it launched just one iPhone. This year, it offers five models: The iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone SE.

Portland, Maine Votes to Ban Facial Recognition

Amongst various ballot initiatives to pass on Tuesday, voters in Portland, Maine decided to ban the use of facial recognition tech by police and city agencies. The Verge reported that private citizens will be entitled to at least $1000 if the police use such technology on them.

The initiative follows a city council vote in August, which put a preliminary ban in place as an ordinance. Today’s vote replaces that ordinance with a stronger measure, which cannot be revoked for at least five years. The ordinance was placed on the ballot earlier this year by the Southern Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, as part of a raft of other progressive initiatives including a $15 minimum wage and new limits on rent increases. The new measure also adds concrete penalties, entitling private citizens to a minimum of $1,000 in civil fees if they are surveilled in violation of the ordinance. Violations of the ordinance are also established as grounds for terminating or suspending a city employee. Private sector use of the technology is not affected.

Apple MagSafe Duo Charger May Launch Soon After Being Certified in South Korea

Customers may be able to get their hands on Apple MagSafe Due charger in the near future. MacRumors reported it has been certified by South Korea’s National Radio Research Agency (NRRA), indicating it is getting close to becoming available.

Apple announced the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo during its ‌iPhone 12‌ launch event in October. The charging accessory is vaguely reminiscent of Apple’s canceled AirPower charging mat, featuring space to charge both an ‌‌‌iPhone 12‌‌‌ and Apple Watch (but not ‌AirPods‌) at the same time. Apple hasn’t provided specific availability or price details for the charging pad, and it’s not yet listed on Apple’s online store. Apple’s ‌iPhone 12‌ press release simply says that it will be arriving at a “later date.”