Charlotte Henry

Lots of Apple watchers think there is plenty to be positive about, following the company’s latest results announcement. Ed Hardy on Cult of Mac outlined his five reasons to be cheerful.

A significant part of the increase in company revenue came from growth in services like the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and others. “Our long-running investment in our services strategy is succeeding,” said CEO Tim Cook. “This business is growing and is a reflection of our enduring, large and growing installed base.” The company did not break out how its new video and gaming services are doing from the general increase in revenue.

Rumors abound that software building tool Xcode is coming to the iPad. AppleInsider asked a variety of developers what they think about that prospect.

Whilst I’m excited about the prospect of Xcode for iPad, it’s unclear how it would realistically build most existing projects,” says ITV Hub developer Steve Barnegren from the UK. “Many developers augment Xcode’s build process by inserting custom scripts in to the build process, or requiring some build steps to be performed on the command line before Xcode itself can build the project.” “On macOS, developers can leverage any command line tools installed on the system, and have unrestricted freedom to modify or generate files during the build,” Barnegren continues. “Without some sort of access to a command line, and more complete file system access, it’s difficult to envision how these types of workflows could continue to exist on iPad.”

CNET has done a nice comparison of the cameras on Apple and Samsung’s $400 phones. Both are good, but for video and detail when magnifying, the iPhone SE wins out.

The iPhone can also film at 4K/60fps, while the A51 can only film at 4K/30. Autofocus on the Galaxy A51 isn’t as smooth as it is on the iPhone SE… Both these $400 phones have capable cameras that bely the retail price. The Galaxy offers more flexibility if you want to be able to switch between different scenarios like using ultra-wide or macro. But the iPhone has stronger video recording and, in some cases, the camera captures more detail at full magnification.

Epic Games is requiring that users have two-factor authentication activated in order to claim free downloads, until May 21. The Fortnite developer said in a blog post that this was to help protect account security and is presumably because more people are downloading more free games at the moment.

If you do not have two-factor authentication enabled on your account, you will see the following message when attempting to claim a free game: “Two Factor Authentication Required Claiming this free game requires you to have Two-Factor Authentication setup on your account. Two-Factor Authentication provides an additional level of security to your Epic Games account and will help prevent unauthorized access.” In order to enable two-factor authentication, please head over to your Epic Games Account settings. Two-factor authentication can be used to help protect your account from unauthorized access by requiring you to enter a security code when you sign in.

Siri has had a voice upgrade in Germany. AppleInsider reported that this is particularly noticeably to HomePod users in the country and is courtesy of an update that was meant to arrive in… 2017.

Now German-language users are reporting that the Siri voice they hear every day has been noticeably improved to sound more human and natural than before. According to German site iphone-ticker.de, Siri has finally received an update that was actually promised back in 2017…. Readers of iphone-ticker.de say that the new Siri voice is more melodic, as well as natural, and that this is particularly noticeable on HomePods. However, there have been certain problems. Some readers are saying that since the update, “Siri always sounds like helium.” Apple has yet to comment.

It has arrived. Having outlined which iPhone 8 parts go in the 2020 iPhone SE, iFixit has published its teardown of the new device.

The two most commonly replaced components, display and battery, remain straightforward to access with the proper knowledge and tools. Most components are modular and independently replaceable, including many that are cross-compatible with iPhone 8. IP67 seals complicate repair, but make the need for difficult liquid damage repairs less likely. While the overall construction is pretty repair-friendly, you’ll still need up to four different driver types for many repairs. The fragile glass back is impractical to replace.

As has been widely noted, the 2020 iPhone SE has the same body as the iPhone 8. An iFixit teardown showed that you can swap certain parts of the old device into the new one.

The good parts first: iPhone SE’s cameras, SIM tray, Taptic Engine, and display assembly (including the microphone and proximity sensor) are all swappable with iPhone 8 parts. And that screen should be cheaper to replace than any new iPhone we’ve seen in years. However, as with any modern iPhone screen swap, you will lose True Tone unless you have access to a screen programmer. And home buttons are still not interchangeable—you’ll need to hold on to your original home button in the event of a repair, substitute an aftermarket home button with no Touch ID, or else pay Apple whatever they ask to fix it for you.