Tag: apple canada

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Apple details how it reduced its environmental impact in 2022

Apple’s homepage has been updated to display a new banner just in time for Earth Day.

“Behind every product is a plan for the environment,” reads the website’s homepage, which links users to a dedicated ‘Environment’ microsite that details the initiatives it has taken to go carbon neutral and what it plans to do in the future. “Our commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 drives everything we do. Every Apple product will be made with clean energy and even more recycled and renewable materials. Because the earth won’t wait, and neither will we,” reads the website.

Through an interactive infographic, Apple revealed how its environmental initiatives played out in 2022:

  • Recovery: More than 40,000 metric tons of electronic scrap directed to recycling in 2022.
  • Materials: 20% of all materials shipped in products last year came from recycled sources.
  • Make: More than 250 suppliers, representing over 85% of our direct manufacturing spend, have committed to using 100% renewable electricity for Apple production.
  • Shipping: 80% reduction in shipping emissions of HomePod (2nd generation) through our new transportation plan.
  • Product use: Over 70% reduction in average product energy use since 2008.

Apple then highlights how its products are made of more recycled materials than before. It uses the iPhone 14 as an example, saying that it uses recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine, and recycled tin in the solder of multiple printed circuit boards, in addition to using 100 percent recycled gold to the wire all cameras and the plating of multiple circuit boards. Further, it detailed how not just the product, but its packaging too is made with the environment in mind. “70% of iPhone 14 packaging is made with recycled wood fiber,” reads the website.

You can check out the full report here.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Apple cuts iPhone 14 production estimates by three million

Sources familiar with Apple are reporting that the Cupertino-based company intends to produce roughly three million fewer iPhone 14 units in 2022 than it had initially anticipated.

The information comes via a Bloomberg report that suggests the “iPhone 14 has suffered from blunted consumer spending,” and that Apple aims to produce a total of 87 million units, compared to the initial target of 90 million.

The trimmed-down figure is a result of a lack of demand for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models, both of which still feature last year’s A15 chipset and also lack the new Dynamic Island notch. And while demand for the higher-end iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max still remains high, Apple is having issues on those fronts too. In a press release from Sunday, November 6th, Apple said, “COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China.”

Adding to that, the company said that it continues to see strong demand for the higher-end flagships, however, it expects “lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than previously anticipated and customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.”

Apple states that it is working closely with its suppliers, which, in the Zhengzhou factory’s case, happens to be Foxconn, to return production back to normal levels, while not compromising on the health and safety of the factory workers.

As of today, delivery estimates for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max in Canada state delivery between December 9th – December 15th.

Source: Bloomberg

Categories
Mobile Syrup

iPhone 14/14 Pro lineup and 2nd-gen AirPods Pro available to pre-order in Canada

Apple’s ‘Far Out’ event-announced iPhone 14 lineup, including the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max and the new second-gen AirPods Pro are now available to pre-order in Canada.

The new iPhone lineup would be available starting September 16th, excluding the iPhone 14 Plus, which comes out on 7th October, while the second-gen AirPods pro hit the shelves on September 23rd.

Here’s how much you’ll have to pay to pre-order the devices today:

iPhone 14

iPhone 14 Plus

iPhone 14 Pro

iPhone 14 Pro Max

You can learn more about the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus here, or the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max here.

Second-gen AirPods Pro

Learn more about the second-gen AirPods Pro here.

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though we may earn a commission on purchases made via these links that helps fund the journalism provided free on our website.

Image credit: Apple

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Apple increases its Apple Music Student plan cost by $1

After raising the Apple Music Student plan cost in several countries last month, including India, New Zealand and Isreal, Apple is now doing the same in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

In Canada, the plan cost has been hiked up to $5.99/month from $4.99/month. Similarly, in the United States and the United Kingdom, the student plan now costs $5.99 and £5.99 instead of $4.99 and £4.99, respectively.

It appears as though the change in price has taken place in the last 24 to 48 hours, and while it doesn’t seem much, it might deter students from joining or continuing their membership, and instead, migrate to services like Spotify, which still offers its student plan for $4.99 in Canada.

While Apple normally informs its customers in case there is a change in price in an active subscription, U.S., U.K., and Canadian Apple Music Student Plan subscribers seem to have received no notice yet.

Don’t want to continue your subscription with Apple? Check out the story below to find out which music streaming app might be right for you:


What music streaming app is right for you?


What music streaming app is right for you?

Everyone subscribes to a streaming music platform nowadays and for the most part, when I look around, I only see people using Spotify or Apple Music. This makes sense since these are easily the two most popular music streaming services. But there are a lot of other platforms out there that may be worth it depending on how you listen to music.

This article is a quick way to stack up how these apps compare to one another and which one is likely to work the best for you.


Read Now

Via: 9to5Mac

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google wants beef with Apple, uses Drake’s new track as a diss

Toronto’s very own Drake dropped his seventh studio album, “Honestly, Nevermind” over the weekend, and the album’s third track, “Texts Go Green” is already a topic of conversation.

The track and its title reference what happens when an iPhone user blocks someone from contacting them via iMessage, and the blocked individual’s messages go through as green SMS bubbles.

Google’s marketing team was quick to jump on the track and release an “unofficial lyric explainer” video, which was tweeted out by the official Android Twitter account.

In the lyric explainer video, Google takes shots at Apple by showcasing the more general green versus blue bubble issue when Android and iOS users connect via SMS, and how Apple should adopt RCS (Rich Communication Services), something that Apple reportedly considered back in 2019.

“The Android team thinks Drake’s new song “Texts Go Green” is a real banger. It refers to the phenomenon when an iPhone user gets blocked. Or tries to text someone who doesn’t have an iPhone. Either way it’s pretty rough. If only some super talented engineering team at Apple would fix this. Because this is a problem only Apple can fix. They just have to adopt RCS, actually. It would make texting more secure too. Just sayin’. Great track tho.”

Google wants Apple to get rid of iMessage colour-coding, where message bubbles blue if sent to an Apple device and green if sent to a blocked number or Android phone. Google has historically called Apple out on the disparity, while a The Wall Street Journal report from earlier this year talked about how “Teens Dread the Green Text Bubble,” and the dominance of iPhone among young US users.

Check out the track in question below:

According to Google, if Apple adopts RCS, cross-device messaging will become safer and faster for users. RCS allows users to send and receive high-quality photos and videos, include read receipts, typing indicators and reactions. iMessage includes all of those features too, but only when you’re texting someone who also owns an Apple device, a disparity that Google wants to be abolished.

Image credit: Apple

Via: 9to5Google

Categories
Mobile Syrup

13-year-old from Saskatoon among Apple’s Swift Student Challenge winners

Apple hosts its Swift Student Challenge annually that tasks participating youngsters globally to display their coding skills by creating a Swift Playground app project on the topic of their choice.

This year’s challenge saw a 13-year-old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan not only be a part of the winners, but also virtually meet Apple CEO, Tim Cook.

Drake Jordan, who started coding just two years ago after being intrigued by Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, experiences synesthesia, a perception phenomenon where the stimulation of one sense involuntarily leads to the stimulation of another, like being able to see sounds, hear colours, touch smells and more.

Synesthesia can be a combination of any human senses, including touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. It’s worth noting that synesthesia is not a disease or a disorder. It doesn’t have an impact on an individual’s cognitive abilities and doesn’t hinder the individual’s everyday life. Household names like Beyoncé, Marilyn Monroe, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Nikola Tesla, Frank Ocean, and Pharrell Williams are some of the several people who experience(d) synesthesia.

To help others experience the world the way people with synesthesia see it (or hear it), Jordan developed an app called Sway on Swift Playground. Sway helps people experience synesthesia in the form of movement and colour.

What Sway does is display a colour gradient on the screen that changes according to the way you move your device, combining how we interpret motion and colour.

According to Jordan, any two senses can be linked together, and he will try to add as many combinations to his app as he can, all while refining and polishing the app before it releases on the app store for free in a few months.

We’ll be sure to check the app out when available and share more information about it on MobileSyrup.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Apple and MLS agree on a ten year streaming partnership

Apple and Major League Soccer (MLS) have announced that starting in 2023, soccer fans in Canada and the United States would be able to catch all MLS games directly on Apple TV, until the partnership ends in 2032.

According to Apple, it will release a new “MLS streaming service” that users would be able to subscribe to through the Apple TV app. “In addition to all of the match content, the service will provide fans a new weekly live match whip-around show so they never miss an exciting goal or save, and also game replays, highlights, analysis, and other original programming,” reads Apple’s blog post about the partnership.

Additionally, fans that buy the MLS full-season ticket packages would be able to claim the MLS streaming service subscription for absolutely free.

Fans would be able to catch the action don’t the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, smart TVs, and streaming sticks that support Apple TV and even on the web at tv.apple.com.

“For the first time in the history of sports, fans will be able to access everything from a major professional sports league in one place,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. “It’s a dream come true for MLS fans, soccer fans, and anyone who loves sports. No fragmentation, no frustration — just the flexibility to sign up for one convenient service that gives you everything MLS, anywhere and anytime you want to watch.”

MLS fans would be able to watch the games in English and Spanish, whereas games involving the Vancouver White Caps FC, Toronto FC and CF Montreal would be available in French as well.

Apple says that more information regarding when fans can sign up, subscription pricing, specific details about the new MLS programming, match schedules, broadcast teams, production enhancements, and pre and postgame coverage would be announced in the coming months.

Learn more about the partnership here.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple

Categories
Mobile Syrup

New macOS Ventura feature requires you to grant USB-C and Thunderbolt accessories permission

Alongside dropping the first developer beta for macOS Ventura at WWDC 2022, Apple also revealed some information about the new SDK and how it aims to provide a higher degree of “accessory security” to users.

According to Apple, you’ll have to grant permission to USB-C and Thunderbolt accessories before they can communicate with your Mac. “On portable Mac computers with Apple silicon, new USB and Thunderbolt accessories require user approval before the accessory can communicate with macOS for connections wired directly to the USB-C port,” reads Apple’s release notes. 

It’s worth noting, however, that you don’t need to grant permission to power adapters, standalone displays or connections to an “approved hub.” Additionally, if you choose to not allow the USB-C or Thunderbolt accessory to communicate with your device, you’ll still be able to charge it.

By default, your Mac will ask to grant the accessory permission if it’s being plugged in for the first time, though you can adjust the settings by going into System Settings > Security and Privacy > Security. Additionally, this is where you can choose to completely toggle off the security option if don’t wish to use it.

macOS Ventura’s developer beta is available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting now, while a wide rollout will take place later this fall.

For all of the Apple news from WWDC 2022, follow this link.

Source: Apple Via: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Apple is offering ‘extra trade-in credits’ until May 31st

Apple Canada is currently offering extra credit when you trade in an eligible Apple device towards purchasing a new one.

The extra-credit promotion, which is available until May 31st, is applicable when trading in an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.

Check out how much in credits you can receive if you decide to trade-in your old Apple iPhone below:

  • iPhone SE (2nd generation): Up to $225
  • iPhone 6s: Up to $50
  • iPhone 6s Plus: Up to $80
  • iPhone 7: Up to $80
  • iPhone 7: Plus Up to $125
  • iPhone 8: Up to $150
  • iPhone 8: Plus Up to $215
  • iPhone X: Up to $240
  • iPhone XR: Up to $290
  • iPhone XS: Up to $300
  • iPhone XS Max: Up to $380
  • iPhone 11: Up to $390
  • iPhone 11 Pro: Up to $485
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: Up to $575
  • iPhone 12 mini: Up to $455
  • iPhone 12: Up to $570
  • iPhone 12 Pro: Up to $695
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max: Up to $810

Follow the link to check how much extra-credit other Apple devices can net you towards the purchase of a new device.

Additionally, if you don’t want to purchase a new device, and just want to responsibly recycle an old device and get credits for it (not extra credits, just regular credits), Apple will put the value of your trade-in device on a gift card that you can use to shop for Apple products and services in the future. Follow the links to check out the trade-in value of your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.

Learn more about the promotion here.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Now-deleted support doc suggests Apple might release a 35W Dual USB-C Power Adapter

A now-deleted support document on Apple’s website suggests that the Cupertino, California-based company might be planning to release a 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter.

First reported on by 9to5Mac, the support document indicates that a Dual USB-C Power Adapter isn’t an in-development accessory, and instead, a product that might go live on Apple’s webstore any day.

Use the Apple 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter and a USB-C cable (not included) to charge your device. Connect a USB-C cable to either port on the power adapter, extend the electrical prongs (if necessary), then plug the power adapter firmly into the power outlet. Ensure the power outlet is easily accessible for disconnecting. Connect the other end of the cable to your device.

According to 9to5Mac, the support document was taken off the website soon after it was published, which could indicate either that such a product is in development or that it is ready, but the support document was published too early. I’m leaning towards the latter, considering how detailed the support document is.

Previous leaks from often-reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have indicated that Apple plans to release a 30W GaN charger in 2022. GaN, which stands for gallium nitride, allows chargers to produce less heat and offer a higher charging wattage in a smaller form factor.

While Apple already offers a 140W GaN charger with the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2020), the new 35 or 30W charger would most likely be used to simultaneously charge less power-hungry devices like the iPhone or Apple Watch.

Source: 9to5Mac