Skip to content

News bites – the stories you may have missed

Plenty of Apple, iPhone, and iPad news gets released every single day – but we know you’re busy, so we’ve got your back. Here, we’ve picked out some of the most important stories from the past week or so and summarized them for easy digestion. You’re welcome.

Let’s take a quickfire look at some of the most interesting recent headlines of late. As ever, click through to read the full stories if you want to know more!

iPhone 12 Mini has inferior  MagSafe charging

We’re all eagerly anticipating the belated release of the iPhone 12 Mini, with its promise of the full iPhone 12 experience in a much smaller form factor. We know that the Mini will have a slightly lesser battery life than its big brother, but there’s another way in which it falls a little short. A fresh Apple support page has revealed that the iPhone 12 Mini will not be able to take advantage of MagSafe’s full 15w charging speed. It’ll be limited to 12w, which can be achieved using a charger running at 9V/2.03A or higher.

Apple wins patent for in-display Touch ID

In a world where many of us are wearing masks out in public, Face ID has lost a little of its effortless charm. Apple could have a ready solution in place for the iPhone 13, as it was just awarded a patent for an in–display fingerprint recognition system by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Unlike most existing in–display fingerprint sensor solutions, Apple’s approach involves infrared, which means that it won’t create a dazzling light source every time to want to unlock your phone manually. This isn’t the first in–display authentication method Apple has explored through patents, but current world health conditions could finally trigger the green light for one of them.

AirPods 3 leak hints at redesign

Fresh images have leaked of what appears to be Apple’s next AirPods revamp. Twitter tipster DanRui posted a series of images showing a new design that appears to have picked up a few tricks from the AirPods Pro. While you still don’t get the Pro’s silicone tips, the alleged AirPods 3 would seem to have a similarly stubby stem with pressure–sensitive touch controls, and a slightly chunkier head. Also supplied is an x–ray of the alleged new model, which shows a familiar internal design and charging box. Expect to hear more about AirPods 3 in the first half of 2021.

Apple TV app coming to Xbox Series X

The launch of the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max aren’t the only major hardware releases coming in November. Both Sony and Microsoft are launching next-generation games consoles this month. These two separate hardware streams appear to have crossed with the confirmation from Microsoft that the Apple TV app will be available for its Xbox Series X and Series S consoles at launch. This follows the previous news that the Apple TV app would be coming to Sony’s PS5 at launch. Whichever next-gen console you opt for in November, then, you’ll be able to watch your Apple TV content through it.