Rumour Suggests Next iPhone SE Retains Predecessor’s Design; Gains 5G And A15 Chip

Apple is said to be releasing a new entry to its more occasional smartphone series, the iPhone SE, sometime in early 2022. According to Japanese blog Macotakara, the upcoming model will allegedly come with recent hardware for its core internals, but retains its predecessor’s overall design.

In regards to the latter, this means that the new SE will still sport the iPhone 8’s look once more. Therefore, it may also feature a 4.7-inch LCD display with large upper and lower bezels, a curved aluminium frame, and a single rear camera setup. Concurrently, this would see the return of the Touch ID-enabled Home Button below the phone’s screen as well.

As for hardware, Macotakara suggests the next-gen iPhone SE will be equipped with the 5G-enabled A15 chip – the same SoC that is featured in the brand’s current generation iPhone 13 series. Unfortunately, no information regarding its battery or its front and rear camera sensors were shared by the Apple-specialised Japanese blog. Lastly, it is said that the new SE will begin production this December, and is expected to be launched later in Spring 2022.

This actually isn’t the first time that Apple is rumoured to be releasing a follow-up model to its iPhone SE line-up. Back in June, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo similarly suggested a new iteration of the phone with upgraded internals is currently in the works, and that it would also feature the same chassis as its predecessor. While the rumours are seemingly corroborating with each other, it is still worth reminding that both of which are unofficially sourced and may end up to be inaccurate in the end.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Leak Suggests 120Hz Display, Thunderbolt Ports

Microsoft has an announcement event coming up this week, which likely has to do with its Surface line of products. One of the products to get a reveal may be a Surface Pro 8, which has recently been leaked. And there’s more than just a pinch of detail here.

Twitter user @Shadow_Leak shared an image of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 that looks to be from a Chinese retailer. And there’s a fair amount of info to gleam from it. Chief among which are the 13-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate, and the fact that it will have Thunderbolt ports. The tweet itself goes on to say that there will be two of these.

Other details include the inclusion of Windows 11, which is to be expected, an 11th gen Intel Core processor, and replaceable SSDs. This is a feature we saw with the Surface Laptop 4 which was made available on our shores in May. It’s an impressive feature to have, judging from the thinness of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8.

Naturally, none of this are confirmed just yet. But it won’t be long before we know for sure, since the scheduled announcement event by Microsoft is due in just a couple of days.

Silicon Valley Democrat Suggests Breaking Up Facebook And Its Subsidiaries

Facebook’s takeover of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 has been its most well known acquisitions in the last decade. Ever since then, the social media giant established an ecosystem between the two and its own social media platform and even enabled various cross-platform integrations along the way. However, one US congress member isn’t onboard with the company’s growth and suggests that it should be broken up.

“It seems to me we would be better off if they were multiple platforms,” said California Democrat and Silicon Valley representative Ro Khanna in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “I don’t think that merger [with Instagram] should have been approved in the first place.”

He explained that having Instagram and WhatsApp as separate entities would build up more competition, and expressed that there aren’t many robust social media platforms currently available. Khanna also referred to a bill introduced by fellow Democrat and Senator of Minnesota Amy Klobuchar, which challenges companies to prove a takeover isn’t anti-competitive. Bloomberg noted that the US Federal Trade Commission, which reviewed and approved Facebook’s aforementioned acquisitions in 2012 and 2014, had filed a lawsuit seeking to break the companies up in December of last year.

In addition, Khanna called for guidelines for content regulations during the interview, believing that these should not be determined by the heads of social media platforms such as Twitter’s Jack Dorsey and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. “I don’t think that’s how we ought to operate,” he said.

The Silicon Valley Democrat also brought up the Internet Bill of Rights, a proposal he introduced in 2018, which ensures net neutrality by forbidding broadband providers from favouring their own content, guard against mass government surveillance, and provide individuals more control over their data. “I believe [technology is] a force for innovation and entrepreneurship, but we need stronger regulations on privacy, with my Internet Bill of Rights, and on antitrust to have a competitive playing field,” he added.

New Leak Suggests Nikon Might Launch A US$1000 Retro-Inspired Camera Soon

A recent leak first reported by Nikon Rumors is suggesting that Nikon may be planning to launch a new retro-inspired mirrorless camera soon. Believed to be called the “ZFC”, the new camera is shown to feature a design that is reminiscent of the Nikon FM series that were released during the 1970s and 80s.

But before we move forward, we would like to clarify that the full overhead view of the alleged camera shown above is a visualisation created by Nikon Rumors, using parts from different mockups to fill in the blanks. The actual leaked photos provided to the publication (shown below) only revealed portions of the device – mainly showcasing its viewfinder, upper dials, as well as its shutter and record buttons. So keep in mind that there is a chance the visualisation may end up as inaccurate.

As for its hardware, the site claims that the new ZFC camera will be a Z-mount APS-C camera and would feature similar specifications as the Nikon Z50 from 2019. To recap, the latter is equipped with a 20.9MP sensor, an ISO range of up to 51,200, high autofocus at -4 EV, 11fps of high-speed continuous shooting, and up to 4K UHD video recording with no crop.

Besides that, Nikon is also expected to launch two APS-C prime lenses alongside the ZFC, under a new “SE” line: a 28mm f/2.8 and a 35mm f/1.8. The latter is expected to be shipped together with the camera as a kit lens. Unlike the ZFC, Nikon Rumors noted that the new lenses will retain the familiar Nikkor Z-mount design and would not feature a retro-inspired look.

Nikon is said to announce the camera later this month on 28 June, while its release is expected to happen at the end of July this year. The new Nikon ZFC will reportedly retail at US$999 (~RM4,112), while the pricing for the two lenses remains unknown for the time being.

If this leak is accurate, this would make the unannounced ZFC to be the second retro-inspired digital camera from Nikon. The first being the Nikon Df in 2013, which also featured a “timeless design” based on the brand’s classic FM series. But unlike its alleged mirrorless successor, the camera was much bulkier due to being a DSLR.

Rumour Suggests Huawei And Leica Partnership To End After P50 Series’ Release

The newly established partnership between Sharp and Leica that was revealed earlier, along with the unveiling of the Aquos R6 smartphone may come as a surprise for many. This is the first time for the German camera maker to collaborate with another smartphone brand after exclusively partnering with Huawei since 2016. However, Leica’s contract with the Chinese tech giant may finally come to an end later this year, according to a recent rumour.

This information comes from Finnish leakster Teme (aka @RODENT50) via Twitter, who said that the partnership will end after the release of Huawei’s P50 flagships which are said to be officially unveiled in July. The most possible reason that comes to mind to why Leica may be considering ending this deal is the ongoing US sanctions imposed on the Chinese company. This has drastically impacted Huawei, causing it to cut down on smartphone production due to the shortage of supplies, especially semiconductors. This is quite apparent as aside from the upcoming P50 series, the company has not unveiled or released any other smartphone model in 2021.

Although this may seem like an impending end of a six-year partnership between the two companies, there’s a chance that Teme’s information is inaccurate. Interestingly, the leakster followed-up on this tweet a few days after, stating that the Leica-Huawei collaboration could still continue even after the release of the P50 series. He also noted that the camera maker’s new partnership with Sharp will not affect its relationship with the Chinese giant as multi-branded deals are quite common in the smartphone industry. For instance, optical systems manufacturer Zeiss to this date has partnered with three smartphone makers, namely Sony, Vivo and Nokia.

Regardless, we highly advise our readers to take this information with a pinch of salt. And this isn’t the first time that the Leica-Huawei partnership is rumoured to be expired either. Chinese tech insider Digital Chat Station also suggested the same insight on Weibo in late 2020, which was shot down by both companies in their own respective statements. This then resulted in the leakster to delete his post on the Chinese social media platform soon after.

Leak Suggests Lite Variants Of Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 And Tab A7 Launching In June

Samsung has been offering consumers with more affordable variants of its flagship smartphones and tablets with the introduction of the Lite series, including those from the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Tab S6. It appears that the company is continuing to follow that approach again this year, as suggested by a recent leak of alleged promotional materials featuring the Lite variants of last year’s Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab A7.

Images of the materials are provided by leakster WalkingCat (@_h0x0d) via Twitter, which reveals only minor tidbits regarding the supposedly upcoming tablets. If what’s shown is to be believed, Samsung may debut both devices later in June – although no specific date was provided.

The Galaxy Tab S7 Lite is shown to feature a similar design and screen size as last year’s Plus variant. Specifically, the tablet is suggested to feature a 12.4-inch display with a front facing camera situated on its side. Unfortunately, no images of its rear design have been provided, so it’s uncertain what the Lite’s back panel may look like or whether it also features a dual camera setup as the original.Additionally, the alleged promotional materials reveal that the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite will support 5G connectivity and comes with Samsung’s Galaxy Continuity feature, which allows users to receive calls and messages from a connected and compatible Galaxy-branded smartphone. Given that this is intended to be a more affordable variant, it is expected that Samsung will downplay certain hardware such as cameras and other internal components. Using the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite as reference, it is possible that this upcoming tablet will feature an Exynos chipset instead of the Snapdragon 865.

Next up is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, which is shown to feature a “slim metal design” along with a screen size of 8.7-inches. The image suggests that it would also come with one-handed operation functionalities and provide “immersive entertainment” capability. It is not clear what the latter is trying to imply, but it is likely something related to the device’s display and onboard speaker system. Much like the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite, not much regarding the specifications of this model was provided in this leak.

Whether these promotional materials are authentic or not remains to be seen at this time, but WalkingCat does have a good track record of leaks. That being said, it will still definitely take a while until we find out since the suggested June launch window for the alleged Lite variants of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab A7 is still a couple of months away.

Reuters Report Suggests Bitcoin May Cause More Harm Than Good For Environment

By now, you would have already heard of Elon Musk’s US$1.5 billion (~RM6.11 billion) investment into Bitcoin and how he intends to make it possible for consumers to buy cars from his company, Tesla with the cryptocurrency. As eco-friendly as the man’s action may seem, some people believe that his actions could have the opposite reaction to the global environment.

As explained in a Reuters article, one of the biggest problems with mining for Bitcoin – or any cryptocurrency, for that matter – is the amount of carbon dioxide created by the mining farms that solve and execute the calculations provided by the blockchain, and getting paid for it.

According to data provided by the University of Cambridge and the International Energy Agency, cryptomining is expected to generate nearly 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. To put it in another way, the energy consumed by all current mining farms to-date, nearly matches the energy consumption of The Netherlands back in 2019.

That is not to say that there are no environmentally conscious miners in the world. SJ Oh, a former Bitcoin trader and environmentalist, co-founded Pow-re, a company that is reported to run “green” bitcoin mining operations with hydropower. All in sub-zero temperatures, situated within Canada’s subarctic region.

We also shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Musk’s and Tesla’s endeavours to go green. Despite the fears of an environmental whiplash, the man recently offered US$100 million (~RM404 million) for inventions that could effectively reduce carbon dioxide emission, both from the atmosphere and oceans. Moreover, there’s also the possibility that the man could, in some form or another, develop a sustainable method of mining Bitcoin in the future.

Twitter Suggests Apple’s New App Tracking Rules Could Have ‘Modest Impact’ On Revenue

In its latest earnings report, Twitter suggested that Apple’s new app tracking transparency rules could have a “modest impact” on its revenue this year. Like other social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter tracks user behaviour on its platform to provide personalised ad services.

“Assuming the global pandemic continues to improve and that we see modest impact from the rollout of changes associated with iOS 14, we expect total revenue to grow faster than expenses in 2021,” said Twitter in its quarterly (Q4 2020) earnings report. The company’s bottom line overwhelmingly depends upon advertising – ad revenue amounted to USD$1.15 billion (~RM4.65 billion) last quarter, out of a total revenue of USD$1.29 billion (~RM5.21 billion).

Unlike Facebook, Twitter hasn’t been publicly critical of Apple’s new rule requiring all apps on its platform (starting with iOS 14) to obtain user permission before tracking their online activity. Facebook ran full-page newspaper ads against the change, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg even described Apple as one of its biggest competitors. Subsequently, Apple CEO Tim Cook lambasted Facebook (without naming the company) over misinformation and data privacy.

In response to Apple’s new tracking rules, Twitter said it believes in choice, and promised to work to find “the right balance for meeting the needs of both the people and advertisers on our service.”

It added, “We are currently planning a phased rollout of Apple’s ATT consent prompt to people with iOS14 devices. We want to get the design, timing, and experience of the consent prompts right to ensure people on Twitter understand the scope of the new controls and the value exchange associated with their choice.”

Rumour Suggests Nokia 3650 To Be The Next Modernised Reissue From HMD Global

When brands still had the creative freedom over the designs of their mobile phones back in the early noughties, the Nokia-branded ones are probably the most striking among all. Some of these, such as the 3310 and 8110, were eventually reissued by parent company HMD Global during recent times as feature phones with a modern twist.

Allegedly joining these re-releases is said to be the Nokia 3650 from 2003, which features a unique candybar design and a circular keypad. News of this was first reported by Russian tech site MobilTelefon, claiming to have exclusive insider information from people familiar with the matter.

However, nothing else is known of the rebooted version of the handset. But based on other re-releases before this, it is very likely that Nokia may tweak the phone’s design with a modern and sleek look. Also not forgetting significant updates to its hardware such as a larger display, LTE and Wi-Fi support, better battery and camera, as well as a KaiOS interface instead of the original Symbian operating system.

MobilTelefon says that HMD Global is planning to launch the alleged Nokia 3650 reissue sometime this year. But as usual of such rumours, it is best to not raise your expectations as it may not turn out to be true in the end.

Alleged Apple iPad mini 6 Leak Suggests Dual In-Display Punch-Holes

Earlier rumours regarding upcoming Apple products such as the 2021 iPhone and MacBook Pro suggests major changes may be happening to their designs. A new leak had recently surfaced online, claiming that a drastic design change is also expected on this year’s model of the iPad mini.

Uploaded by leakster @xleaks7, in collaboration with Italian website CoverPigtou, is a series of renders depicting what is said to be the 2021 iPad mini 6 – claimed to be based on leaked CAD files from Apple. What is surprising about this leak is that the images reveal that the new tablet features an all-screen design that is reminiscent of the iPad Pro series, but with noticeable differences. It is shown to have thinner bezels than the Pro and most interestingly, two in-display punch-hole cutouts: a smaller hole on top for the front-facing camera and a larger one below for the home button (believed to also feature Touch ID).

This leak will certainly raise eyebrows of both fans and skeptics alike, as it would be highly unlikely that Apple would want to debut a new design language on an iPad mini instead of a flagship device or even the iPad Air. But it does make sense in a way since the company has never included its Face ID feature on the minis, which usually require a larger bezel or notch.

Moving on. While the front design of the iPad mini 6 is shown to exhibit a major design change, the same cannot be said for its rear case, however. The renders reveal that not much has changed for this part of the device, sans some minute difference when compared to its predecessors.

Coverpigtou says that the new iPad mini’s dimensions are the same as before, coming in at 203.2 x 134.8 x 6.25mm. It added that with the thinner bezels and dual punch-holes would enable the device’s display to expand up to 9.15-inches, which is a significant boost from the 7.9-inch screen featured on the previous model.

As always with such leaks and hearsays, we highly advise our readers to take information such as these with a pinch of salt. Should this leak prove to be accurate in the not so distant future, Apple would be the first company to ever introduce a dual in-display punch-holes approach to a smart device.

At this time, there’s no word on when the company plans to unveil its next generation iPad mini, let alone other models of its tablet line-up. But for reference, Apple launched the current versions of its iPad mini and iPad Air in March 2019, so an announcement could be expected in the coming weeks – again, provided that this leak is to be believed.