ShinyShiny snippets: Apple Insider Reveals 30W iPhone 14 Fast Charging
iPhone fans have been disappointed by claims that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 14 lineup will have smaller batteries than expected. But now, new information has provided an exciting twist. According to Apple leaker @Jioriku, iPhone 14 models will quick charge at up to 30W. This is a 50% increase on the iPhone 13 lineup, and the first significant increase in iPhone charge speeds in five years. There are some caveats. Jioriku explains that 30W charging is “for the first bit of a charge cycle. Drops down to 27-25W (depends on heat) so results may vary. Note this wired. Wireless is staying the same.” Forbes
They’re some of the most popular smartphones around the world, but if you own an iPhone, you could soon start seeing more ads. A new report by Bloomberg claims that Apple is testing ads in several of its pre-installed apps including Maps, Books, and Podcasts, as well as on Apple TV+. These ads would work similarly to those in the App Store, with businesses able to pay to rank at the top of search listings. ‘The only question is whether the customers of Apple—a champion of privacy and clean interfaces—are ready to live with a lot more ads,’ Bloomberg’s report said. Daily Mail
The government is launching a new system to simplify access to cheaper broadband. From 22 August, people receiving certain benefits can ask broadband firms check their eligibility for social tariffs. This means customers will not have to take full responsibility for proving they qualify for low cost options. Campaign group Digital Poverty Alliance described it as a positive first step but warned it didn’t go far enough. Elizabeth Anderson, Chief Operating Officer for the Alliance, argues that, as more sectors moved essential resources and services to digital platforms ,”it’s not right that a growing number of people face being cut off from the online world.” Which? analysis of recent Ofcom data revealed nearly six million households are struggling to pay for essential telecoms. BBC
Components manufactured by the Chinese-owned buyer of Britain’s biggest microchip plant have been discovered inside nuclear-capable Russian missiles launched at Ukraine. A Kh-101 cruise missile recovered from a Ukrainian battlefield contained parts made by Nexperia, a tech business attempting to buy the Newport Wafer Fab factory in South Wales. The discovery, by researchers at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), sparked immediate calls for the sale to be blocked on national security grounds. Tom Tugendhat, chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said the disclosure “reminds us of the importance of protecting our industry from exploitation by our enemies”. Telegraph
Blizzard has announced an end date for the sale of Overwatch loot boxes – after one final in-game loot box event to sell lots of them beforehand. The option to buy loot boxes will be removed from Overwatch at the end of the game’s current Anniversary Remix event, which wraps up on 30th August. In a blog post on the event, Blizzard noted that its loot boxes have a chance to contain rare items from previous Anniversary and seasonal events, and told fans not to “wait too long to snag those skins you’ve been eyeing for the past year”. Eurogamer
Microsoft might not want to release Xbox sales figures publicly, but they’ve been forced to by their attempt to buy Activision Blizzard. The previous generation was not a good one for Microsoft. The Xbox One was a flop before it was ever released, with the reveal event proving a disaster when all Microsoft would talk about is the console being always online and how they seemed to be more interested in TV than games. They never recovered and with Sony making a concerted effort to learn from the failures of the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 4 went on to sell 117.2 million consoles. Microsoft refused to release public sales figures for the Xbox One, but it was assumed to have sold around 50 million – and now that’s been officially confirmed. Metro
