Technology

We don’t know too much yet about the long-rumored Apple over-ear headphones, but a patent published today describes a couple of features that the company has at least considered: gesture controls, and rotation detection. The two features would work in tandem … It’s always risky to use patents to get a steer on where Apple may be headed with new products. The company plays with a lot of different ideas, and patents many of them. None of this means the products or features will ever make it into production. But where over-ear headphone patents are concerned, there has at least been some consistency of direction. Back in 2018, for example, we saw a patent suggesting that the headphones may be reversible. Instead of having to ensure that we’re putting them on the right way ...

Apple is shooting for total carbon neutrality across all of its business aspects 20 years sooner than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change targets are aiming for. Apple is already carbon neutral today for its global corporate operations, but on Tuesday, the company unveiled its plan to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030. Specifically, Apple has detailed its plans to reduce emissions by 75 percent by 2030 while developing carbon removal solutions for the remaining 25 percent of its footprint. "Businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "The innovations powering our environmental journey a...

Touch screens become impractical when that screen is next to your eye in something like 'Apple Glass,' so Apple is investigating how you could manipulate virtual controls in the real world. A recently revealed patent application showed Apple proposing a way to use Apple AR to display information on what would appear to anyone but the owner, as a blank screen. Now in a separate application, it's looking at making any surface appear to "Apple Glass" wearers as a control panel, with buttons and a display. "Method and device for detecting a touch between a first object and a second object," filed in 2016 but only this week revealed, points out that this way of presenting controls superimposed on real-world objects is going to be necessary. "A natural way for humans to interact with (real)...

From July 27 to July 31, Chicago's high school students can partake in a week of free virtual "Today at Apple" sessions with some of Chicago's most influential street artists and illustrators. While Apple's in-store "Today at Apple" sessions have been suspended during the coronavirus pandemic, they haven't ceased entirely. Students age 14 to 18 are now being invited to participate in a week-long summer art camp put on by Sentrock Studios Sentrock Studios is headed by Sentrock, a street artist known for his bold illustrative style. During the sessions, Sentrock and members of his studio will help Chicago's high school students improve their illustration techniques and find their own visual voice. Artists included in the program are: Sentrock: Born in Arizona, Sentrock now resided...

Google is rolling out new bike sharing information as part of its cycling route coverage in Google Maps. The new feature means users will be able to get directions using rented bikes from docked bike-share schemes like Divvy in Chicago and Santander Cycles in London. The new functionality means it will be possible to get end-to-end navigation routes that include walking directions to get to the nearest bike dock, cycling directions to get from one dock to another, and then walking directions to your intended destination. Starting today, when you look up biking directions, you’ll see end-to-end directions that include docked bikeshare information. Steps will include detailed walking directions to bikeshare stations near your starting point along with live bike availability, turn-by-tur...

Apple will host free online art sessions for high school students in Chicago next week as part of its continuing "Today at Apple" virtual event series. Titled Sentrock's Summer Studio, the online sessions take place on July 27 through July 31, and feature some of Chicago's "most influential creators," including Sentrock, Hailey M Losselyong, Norma Ojeda, Nikko Washington and Lizz Ortiz. Calling all Chicagoland high school students! From July 27–31, join Sentrock Studio and Young Chicago Authors with Today at Apple for a week of free virtual art sessions for students ages 14–18. Each day you'll go behind the scenes with a lineup of Chicago's most influential creators to find inspiration in their studios, learn illustration tips and techniques, and make artwork inspired by their visual...

Last year, YouTuber and photographer Andrew Levitt teamed up with his friends Jacob Phillips and Taylor Gray to recreate all of Apple's default wallpapers included in macOS Catalina. Photo Credit: Jacob Phillips Following Apple's unveiling of macOS Big Sur at the WWDC conference in June, they again set out to recreate Apple's newest default wallpaper, with no preparation, within just one week. The task was even more challenging this time, however, as the default ‌macOS Big Sur wallpaper showcases the dramatic rugged mountainous area of California's Central Coast region from an elevated vantage point 4,000 feet over the ocean. After doing some research, Levitt and his friends found out that a drone wouldn't be able to get the shot, and regardless, flying drones off the coast of Big...

Apple today announced a target of becoming carbon neutral across its entire business and manufacturing supply chain by 2030. Apple is already carbon neutral across its global corporate operations, and this new commitment means that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have net zero climate impact. "Businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "The innovations powering our environmental journey are not only good for the planet — they've helped us make our products more energy efficient and bring new sources of clean energy online around the world. Climate action can be the foundation for a new era of innovative potential, job creation, and durable economic growth. Wi...

We might be a few years away from the launch of a foldable iPhone, but Apple’s primary adversary, Samsung, is ready to launch its second-generation foldable smartphone. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is scheduled to be unveiled on August 5 alongside the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, but its image has been leaked ahead of the launch, making us wish for a foldable iPhone. The Galaxy Z Fold 2, which will succeed last year’s Galaxy Fold, will be announced during Samsung’s online-only Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event. While its specifications have been swirling on the internet for the past few weeks, its image has surfaced for the first time, and it’s quite blurry. However, it gives us an idea of what to expect from Samsung’s next foldable screen smartphone. Compared to the original G...

Apple is expected to unveil four new iPhones later this year, and all of them are expected to feature 5G connectivity. All the upcoming iPhones 12 models that will be released in 2020 will feature both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G technologies. However, it is being reported that Apple could change its strategy going forward. According to a new report from DigiTimes, the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max will come with mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G connectivity features. However, the Cupertino-based tech giant is reportedly considering equipping its 2021 iPhones with either mmWave or sub-6GHz 5G, depending on the region. All the carriers worldwide that have launched 5G networks are either using mmWave or sub-6GHz 5G technologies. mmWave is used in cities ...