Latest news with #JuliClover
India Today
23-07-2025
- India Today
iOS 26 beta 4 drops major clue about Apple's first HomePod with a display
Apple has long been rumoured to be working on a HomePod with a screen. This highly anticipated Apple device is said to function as a smart home hub, controlling accessories, facilitating communication via FaceTime and Intercom, and even operating as a security system. While Apple has yet to officially confirm the launch of a HomePod with a display, the latest iOS 26 beta strongly hints on its existence and suggests that the long-rumoured HomePod with a built-in screen is finally on the recently released iOS 26 beta 4, introducing the new Liquid Glass aesthetic, fresh CarPlay wallpapers, and performance improvements. However, buried in the code is a particularly telling piece of language that further suggests Apple is indeed planning a new device for the future of the smart home. As reported by MacRumors' Juli Clover, one setting in the iOS 26 beta refers to HomePod behaviour when location access is turned off. The wording in this setting seems somewhat out of place, unless you're thinking about unreleased hardware. The setting reads: 'Your HomePod won't be able to show you the local weather, time, or respond to Siri requests about your area.'Now, the current HomePod models, including the standard HomePod and the HomePod mini, do not feature a screen and therefore cannot 'show' anything. They can respond via audio, but not visually. So, Apple's mention of a device with the ability to display information suggests that the company is indeed planning a future HomePod with display capabilities, something that's been rumoured for years but has yet to officially materialise. Over the past few years, several reports have circulated about a HomePod with an iPad-like interface but in a more compact, square form factor. With Siri integration at its core, the device is expected to act as a central hub for HomeKit and Matter smart home other rumors also suggest that this new HomePod with a display will offer more than just smart speaker functionality. It is expected to feature a 6-to-7-inch touchscreen and run lightweight versions of Apple's core apps such as Weather, Calendar, Apple Music, Photos, and Apple News. It would also likely provide visual feedback for Siri queries and serve as an interactive control panel for home automation, media playback, and daily there have been several reports mentioning the delay in the launch. According to reports, Apple has been pushing back the release of HomePod with display multiple times, primarily due to challenges with the Apple Intelligence platform and Siri's readiness to support a visual interface effectively. These software-related setbacks have reportedly shifted the expected launch from the originally speculated 2025 timeline to a more likely window in early 2026.- Ends
Forbes
14-06-2025
- Forbes
iOS 26 New Release: Apple Quietly Delivers Unprecedented iPhone Update
Apple announced the latest iPhone software, iOS 26, on Monday, June 9. The first release for developers came later the same day. Just three days later, Apple released a second build of the first beta — that's unprecedentedly soon. Almost always, there's no update until the second beta in late June or early July, and that routinely arrives at least two weeks after the first beta (and the first public beta is scheduled for July). So, what's going on? The update that's quietly arrived is only for iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series models. So, iPhone 14 and earlier users won't see the update for their developer betas. To check, follow the usual route towards software updates: open Settings, choose General and then Software Update. You need to be a registered developer, of course. The old build number was 23A5260n and that moves to 23A5260u with this update. In other words, this is a new build of the first beta, not the second developer beta. Nevertheless, it's worth updating to it if you're offered it. Apple has not revealed what the differences are between the two builds, though some think it's about the battery life, for instance Juli Clover at MacRumors. 'The revised beta addresses an issue that could cause some iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models to show a low battery symbol and be unable to start up after updating to the initial iOS 26 beta,' Clover reports. Other analyses suggest something different, like Ryan Christoffel at 9to5Mac, suggests that 'Apple discovered a crucial bug or security issue—or perhaps code that leaked future products—and felt it necessary to push a new build,' the report says. That reference to future products concerns code in the first beta which mentioned AirPods Pro 3. As more information becomes public, I'll update this post, so please check back.
Forbes
29-04-2025
- Forbes
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Key Feature Canceled, Report Claims
Apple will release the iPhone 17 series, its 2025 flagship phones, in a matter of months (almost certainly in September). However, one predicted feature, an all-new screen technology, may have been ditched, it seems. Previously, it had been rumored that the next Pro models of the iPhone, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, would have a different display technology that would add a new anti-reflective layer. If you've seen the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, for instance, you'll know that anti-reflective is a very good thing indeed, making for much easier viewing in brighter light situations. The earlier rumors also said that the new covering would be more durable, too. However, in a new report from MacRumors, Juli Clover says that new information throws all this into doubt. 'Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors,' it claims. The original report is more than a year old, coming from Instant Digital, a leaker on Weibo with a decent, though not perfect, track record. They claimed that a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch-resistant than Ceramic Shield, was on its way, destined for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models. The report claims that the reason we haven't heard any more about this report is down to Apple hitting problems when it tried to introduce the display technology at scale. 'The process for adding the anti-reflective coating to the iPhone display was too slow when taking into account the millions of devices that Apple produces, so even though it was only planned for the Pro models, it still seems that it wasn't feasible this year,' Clover says. Just as intriguing as the lack of reflections onscreen was the prospect of better resistance to scratches. As someone who has grazed their display in the most innocent of gestures repeatedly over the years, scratch-resistance is high on my wishlist. Ceramic Shield is exceptional for preventing the front of the iPhone shattering when it falls, but those scratches can still be a nuisance. If not this year, a future generation may still deliver this. Fingers crossed.
