Husain Sumra

Apple will not refresh the iPhone SE in the first half of 2017, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The lack of refresh comes as Apple attempts to maintain high margins on its high-end iPhone models, Kuo said in a new research note. Kuo forecasts that total shipment volume of iPhones will decline in the first half of 2017 due to tepid demand in China, slow shipment volume of...

Apple has hired Duke's Dr. Ricky Bloomfield, one of the early proponents of both HealthKit and ResearchKit, for its health team, according to MobiHealthNews. The hiring was first announced by Dr. Bloomfield's colleague on Twitter and confirmed by Apple to MobiHealthNews. As Duke's Director of Mobile Strategy, Dr. Bloomfield helped Duke become one of the first hospitals to integrate HealthKit....

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a new research report outlining why he's upbeat about MacBook growth in 2017. Kuo expects price cuts for both new and existing MacBooks in 2017 coupled with a refresh that adds support for 32GB RAM and more, bolstering his belief in the MacBook line next year. Kuo cites Apple's tendency to price "major-upgraded models," like the original...

Apple is seriously considering a price drop for Apple Music, according to two sources that spoke to Digital Music News. The sources are not within Apple, but have worked close with the service since it launched. The price drop would see Apple Music go from $9.99 to $7.99, while family plans would drop from $14.99 to $12.99. The new prices would begin rolling out by Christmas, and Digital...

Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn is testing wireless charging modules intended for use in the 2017 10th anniversary iPhone, according to Nikkei. However, Nikkei's source says the feature's inclusion into the iPhone 8 is dependent on yield rates. iPhone concept image via ConceptsiPhone "But whether the feature can eventually make it into Apple's updated devices will depend on whether Foxconn...

Shortly after Apple's October 2016 event, where the company debuted the new 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, Microsoft launched a new promotion aiming to convert unsatisfied MacBook owners to either the Surface Book or Surface Pro 4. Today, we are announcing a limited-time “trade up” offer to invite more people to experience Surface. If you have a Mac but want to experience the ultimate...

Today at its October 2016 Town Hall event, Apple announced an entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro that it is positioning as an appealing alternative for potential buyers of the MacBook Air, the 13-inch version of which remains available to buy for now, with the 11-inch version being discontinued. The new entry-level Pro takes on many of the design features of the rest of the range, except for...

At the beginning of its "Hello Again" Town Hall event today Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company is launching a new accessibility website to help promote the accessibility features in its products. Image via The Verge It's all about the accessibility features that we've designed and built into our products. We believe that technology should be accessible to everyone, and we hope this...

Google tonight updated its Maps app, adding food delivery support for popular services like Grubhub, Seamless, Eat 24 and more. The update also makes it easier for users to find plus codes and to take and add photos within the app. Food delivery support is available on many restaurant pages within Google Maps. There's a new "Place an order" option above the restaurant's phone number and...

Google's Pixel phones are the first official devices with Google Assistant, its machine learning AI and assistant, built directly into it. The company wants Google Assistant to be "your own personal Google," performing basic tasks for a user, carrying on conversations, and performing search queries. YouTuber Marques Brownlee decided to test the new Google Assistant by putting it into a...

WhatsApp today added several new camera improvements for its iPhone app, including the ability to draw, write, and place emoji on photos and videos before sharing them. The features are similar to the camera features offered in both Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Users will be able to use the new editing tools for photos and videos captured within the app and photos and videos previously...

A couple weeks ago GSMArena reported that its tests showed that 32GB iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models had slower storage performance than 128GB and 256GB models. Today, Unbox Therapy's Lew Hilsenteger posted a video featuring several speed tests that confirm that 32GB iPhone 7 models have slower data write speeds than other configurations. In the video, the free PerformanceTest Mobile [Direct Link]...

Angela Ahrendts, Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail, was the opening speaker for Fortune's annual Most Powerful Women Summit, speaking a little about the next-generation Apple retail stores, her vision for Apple's physical presence and more. Ahrendts started the evening by talking about her background and how Apple CEO Tim Cook recruited her, mentioning that she originally tried to...

While on a visit to Japan, Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Nintendo's legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Earlier this morning, Cook posted a good morning greeting from the county alongside a picture of him walking through torii, traditional Japanese gates that are often posted outside of shrines. Photo via Tim Cook Cook tweeted that he was learning how to play the upcoming Super Mario Run...

Apple today debuted a new ad aimed at exploring some of the new features in the redesigned Apple Music. The full ad functions as a basic overview of the service, letting potential users know what they can expect from it. The ad is built around the five tabs on the bottom of the app. It starts out showing off that users can build a library of their own music, segueing into Apple Music's "For...

Apple announced tonight that it would open a new research and development center in Shenzhen, China, continuing attempts to boost its presence in the country, reports Reuters. The move comes a couple weeks after Apple opened a Beijing R&D center, which was announced in August. Shenzhen's High-Tech Industrial Park, >Photo by Brucke Osteuropa Cook announced the new Shenzhen plan during a...

Snapchat tonight has been updated with a new way for users to interact with other people's stories, removing Auto Advance and replacing it with Story Playlists. Currently, when a user finishes watching another user's story, the app automatically begins the next person's story. On its blog, Snap acknowledges that Auto Advance "made it impossible to individually choose which story to watch."...

Apple Music today gained support for user-uploaded unofficial remixes, according to TechCrunch. Unofficial remixes are mixes by DJs typically uploaded by the artists themselves, but major labels choose not to upload them to music services because of rights issues. SoundCloud is one of the few services that can offer support for unofficial remixes. In March, Apple struck a deal with Dubset,...

In the past couple of days, several Apple employees have begun tweeting about the Orchard, a new program created by Apple to find upcoming marketing talent. The Cupertino company has also created an Orchard page on its website teasing the program. The moment is now. Throw everything you know out the window. All in. Head first. Join the Orchard. If you're lucky enough to make the cut, expect to ...

Samsung has acquired Viv, the AI assistant co-founded by Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham, who created Siri, which was acquired by Apple in 2010, reports TechCrunch. The trio left Apple in 2012 and founded Viv. Viv will continue to operate as an independent company. Viv has enhanced contextual understanding thanks to "dynamic program generation," which means that Viv can...