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iPhone 11 Pro: The first iPhone with ‘Pro’

There’s also the iPhone 11 Pro Max

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The first thing that will jump at you about the new iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max is the triple camera module. While people will talk about whether its design and layout is attractive or otherwise, what’s not debatable is how it will perform.

Triple cameras make iPhone a pro

It’s these cameras and what they can do that put a lot of the Pro in the iPhone 11 Pro. Apple’s calling it the (hold your breath) Cutting-Edge Pro Camera System. The three cameras will give you three different views: Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto.

Naturally, with the three new perspectives come improved overall image quality. It promises to produce better portraits and better low-light shots with Night Mode. The next-generation Smart HDR will help a lot in improving lighting. Apple says it will intelligently relight a scene to produce a more natural-looking image with greater detail.

However, perhaps the biggest developments are in video. Apple has typically always led the way in mobile phone videography and the iPhone 11 Pro is no different. Video mode will let you seamlessly switch between all three cameras. Coupled with improved dynamic range and stabilization, this adds versatility to the shots you can take.

You can even take it to another level and use Filmic Pro when shooting. The app will allow you to use all of the iPhone 11 Pro’s cameras at the same time. Giving you even more different approaches you can take when filming a scene.

Taking things a step further, refining and putting together all your shots all on the iPhone is also just flat out better. All the editing tools — including color correction — previously only available for photos will now also work in videos. Mind. Blown. 🤯

A13 Bionic — the pro chip

All of the above mentioned are possible because of the (very android sounding) new chip — the A13 Bionic. The new processor is built for machine learning, with a faster Neural Engine for real-time photo and video analysis.

Apple is calling it their fastest ever chip performing 20 percent faster than its predecessor. The chip is supposed to outperform Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 and Huawei’s Kirin 990.

The chip not only boosts performance but also helps lengthen battery life. Apple is promising up to five hours more screen time with the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max compared to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

Superior Display

Completing the trifecta of the Pro billing is the display. The iPhone 11 Pro is equipped with the new Super Retina XDR display It’s a custom-designed OLED screen that provides users an immersive HDR viewing experience for movies and other high-definition video.

It also has the rumored new taptic engine called Haptic Touch. Deeply integrated in iOS 13, the new engine provides shortcuts for things like the home screen, checking your calendar, previewing email, and taking selfies. Speaking of selfies, it also has something new.

Slofies and other features

Yes. Slofies. The same company that brought us the Animoji and Memoji is now making slofies a thing. What’s a slofie, you ask?

Apple has equipped the front-facing camera of the iPhone 11 with slow motion video. They promoted the feature in a very tongue-in-cheek manner showing a girl being assisted by a younger sibling as she takes a slofie complete with wind effect.

We’re not sure exactly how useful it will be but I’m sure people will come up with different ways to use it.

Other features include a faster and safer FaceID, a U1 chip that gives the iPhone better spatial awareness which will aid AirDrop, better audio, and a Gigabit-class LTE.

Pricing and availability

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max will be available in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB models starting at US$999 and US$ 1,099, respectively. The phones will come in four colors: midnight green, space gray, silver and gold.

Customers can also get the iPhone 11 Pro for US$ 24.95 a month or US$ 599 with trade-in and the iPhone 11 Pro Max for US$ 29.12 a month or US$ 699 with trade-in from apple.com, in the Apple Store app and Apple Stores. iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers.

It will be available in the US, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and more than 30 other countries and regions. Pre-orders begin at 5AM PDT (12MP GMT) on Friday, September 13 with availability beginning Friday, September 20.

Apple Event: iPhone 11 | iPhone 11 Pro | Apple Watch Series 5 | iPad 7th Gen

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The iPhone 18 might sell out for an unexpected reason

The ongoing shortage might play a part in the phone selling out earlier than expected.

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An iPhone selling out is not news. Because of how popular the phones are, it’s within the realm of probability that Apple runs out of stock at some point. According to a new report, this year won’t be any different… but it’s for an entirely different reason.

First reported by analyst Tim Culpan, Apple is reportedly struggling to meet its demand for semiconductors for the iPhone 18 and the foldable iPhone. The ongoing memory shortage is cutting off Apple’s ability to deliver the required supply of smartphones in a timely fashion. The report even claims that TSMC, which helps produce the iPhone, is sitting on a shipment of processors, worth US$ 1 billion, that don’t have memory chips.

Now, Apple is still confident that it can weather the launch. However, if the shortage persists, the iPhone 18 generation will likely sell out much more quickly than expected.

It’s an interesting time for Apple to experience such a shortage. It’s been heavily rumored that the company will launch its very first foldable phone next month, creating a new market for the brand. Apple definitely wants this attempt to succeed after the tepid response to its last new product, the Vision Pro.

SEE ALSO: Did Tim Cook just confirm that iPhone prices are going up?

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These “smart” glasses just sold out in under a week

DuckDuckGo touts that these glasses have zero AI, zero cameras, and an infinite battery life.

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Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While a chunk of the population views them as cool and innovative, another significant chunk sees them as a privacy nightmare. If you’re in the latter group but want to see what life is like on the former, DuckDuckGo has a new product: a pair of anti-surveillance glasses with no camera or AI, otherwise known as just normal sunglasses.

If it’s not obvious, yes, it’s a troll product. DuckDuckGo is a search engine famously known for pushing privacy as a priority, opposing Google’s penchant for advertising and AI. Now, the search engine is taking on the smart glasses market.

Partnering with Knockaround, DuckDuckGo released the Paso Robles, a pair of sunglasses touted as having zero cameras, an always-offline mode, and a battery life of infinity.

It’s a statement piece. The rims have a logo mark, similar to the Meta’s glasses. The packaging also states that the glasses are “designed to block the sun, not send data to the cloud.”

Now, if you want a pair, they cost only US$ 35, as opposed to Meta’s US$ 299 price tag, but they are already sold out.

Which says quite a bit about today’s sentiment against AI and for privacy. Of course, to be fair, DuckDuckGo’s supply is certainly less than Meta’s stock for their smart glasses. It does, however, prove that the sentiment is there.

As of now, the world is slowly realizing that unimpeded smart glasses aren’t such a good idea, leading to people concerned about their privacy. In fact, some states have already started banning the technology in certain public spaces.

SEE ALSO: New York becomes first state to ban smart glasses

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Google will force Android users to use Gemini next month

Google Assistant will be retired as well.

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What is Google’s voice assistant called? Technically, there are two possible answers: Google Assistant and Gemini. Despite Google’s push for Gemini, the ubiquitous Google Assistant is still a common option for most users. However, the company will soon take that choice away as the voice assistant will retire in favor of Gemini.

First reported by 9to5Google, Google has sent emails to users, declaring that Google Assistant will no longer be an option for Android users starting September 4. On that date, the company will slowly roll out an update to get rid of the assistant’s availability on device.

Google also makes it clear that Gemini will be “the assistant experience on Android” moving forward. If you’re used to Google Assistant to help you with handsfree use, you’ll have only one option soon. This also affects other peripherals including smartwatches and audio accessories.

Of course, there are a few exceptions. Devices that can’t support an AI-powered assistant like Gemini are mercifully spared of the forced transition. Likewise, devices in countries that don’t support the AI assistant are also saved.

Despite the tepid reception of AI today, Google remains adamant about pushing Gemini to more users, regardless of whether they want it or not. In fact, a forced move like this will likely inflate the numbers that more devices are using Google’s AI software than ever before, while conveniently hiding the fact that most users never really had much of a choice.

SEE ALSO: Apple gives up on making AI, inks a deal with Gemini to power Siri

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