Technology - Google News

Jeep ends Wrangler JK production after 12 years of success
Apple's working on a powerful, wireless headset for both AR, VR
iPhone X old news? What that means for new 2018 iPhones

Jeep ends Wrangler JK production after 12 years of success

Posted: 28 Apr 2018 05:31 AM PDT

After nearly 12 years on the market, Jeep has ended production of its wildly successful Wrangler JK model. The last vehicle, a white Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited, rolled off the assembly line at the Toledo, Ohio factory on Friday, months after its successor, the 2018 Wrangler JL, was first unveiled. Since its debut in 2006, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) produced over 2.1 million Wrangler JK models, selling an average of more than 180,000 units during its 12-year lifespan.

The Wrangler JK is noteworthy milestone for the Jeep brand, as it was the first Wrangler to feature a four-door option. This made it an almost immediate success, as the vehicle now appealed to a much wider consumer market that was rapidly becoming more interested in crossovers and SUVs. 119,000 Wrangler JKs were sold during its first year of production, eventually peaking at over 200,000 sales during 2015.

"There was no competition. When the four-door came along it opened it up to another demographic, another market. It became not only a great off-road vehicle, but it also became a family vehicle," said Chuck Padden, manager of the Toledo Assembly Complex plant where the vehicle was produced. The last remaining Wrangler JKs can be found alongside the first Wrangler JLs at Jeep dealerships, but no more will be arriving from the factory.

The Toledo plant is already producing the Wrangler JL in another part of the factory, while the assembly line where the Wrangler JK was built will now be renovated to produce Jeep's upcoming 2019 pickup truck model. While no official images have been revealed yet, that vehicle will be named the Jeep Scrambler, and is said to be the spiritual successor to the CJ-8 Scrambler, which ended production in 1986.

SOURCE The Blade

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Apple's working on a powerful, wireless headset for both AR, VR

Posted: 27 Apr 2018 10:31 AM PDT

Apple CEO Tim Cook has nothing but praise for augmented reality, saying it's a technology that's potentially as important as the iPhone. It turns out he may have big plans for virtual reality too.

The company is working on a headset capable of running both AR and VR technology, according to a person familiar with Apple's plans. Plans so far call for an 8K display for each eye -- higher resolution than today's best TVs -- that would be untethered from a computer or smartphone, the person said.

The project, codenamed T288, is still in its early stages but is slated for release in 2020. Apple still could change or scrap its plans.

Apple declined to comment.

Now Playing:Watch this: Apple is developing a combo VR-AR headset

1:35

It's notable that Apple is working on a headset that combines both AR and VR given its intense focus over the past year on pushing augmented reality in iPhones and iPads. Cook has said he sees bigger possibilities in AR than VR, partly because augmented reality allows you to be more present. Either way, it's vital for Apple to expand beyond its iPhones, currently its top moneymaker, and the slowing mobile market.

The Cupertino, California, company has dabbled in smaller VR projects, but the headset marks a major investment in VR, a tech that transports you into a different, digitally created world when you don bulky goggles. Once touted as the next hot tech trend, VR has failed to resonate with consumers despite heavy investment from companies like Facebook's Oculus, Google and Samsung.

The industry has increasingly sided with Cook when it comes to bullishness on augmented reality, which overlays digital images on the real world using special headsets or your phone. Many of the early examples of popular AR capabilities include games like Pokemon Go or filters and lenses that go over your face in photos on Instagram and Snapchat.

Apple's headset would connect to a dedicated box using a high-speed, short-range wireless technology, according to a person familiar with the company's plans. The box, which would be powered by a custom Apple processor more powerful than anything currently available, would act as the brain for the AR/VR headset. In its current state, the box resembles a PC tower, but it won't be an actual Mac computer.

And unlike with the HTC Vive, users wouldn't have to install special cameras in a room to detect their location. Everything would be built into Apple's headset and box, the person said.

Apple's AR/VR potential

VR and AR, while nascent markets today, are expected to explode over the next several years. Companies like the secretive Magic Leap have been pouring millions -- if not billions -- into development, with the promise that the formats will change the way we see the world. Facebook views AR and VR headsets as the future of computing and communication.

Consumers are expected to buy 22 million VR and AR headsets and glasses this year, according to a report from CCS Insight. In 2022, the number should soar fivefold to 120 million units, the analyst firm said, noting the market could be worth nearly $10 billion at that point.

Last year brought the first public efforts by Apple in AR and VR. At its June WWDC developer conference, Apple unveiled ARKit to let developers make augmented reality apps for iPhones and iPads. It also said it was working with Valve to bring the Steam VR platform to its desktop Macs. Previously, VR rigs didn't work with Apple computers.

When it comes to AR and VR hardware, though, Apple has stood on the sidelines while its competitors have released numerous devices. Samsung partnered with Oculus -- the VR headset pioneer bought by Facebook for more than $2 billion -- on virtual reality headsets that use Samsung smartphones. Microsoft has been working on its HoloLens augmented reality headset and Windows 10 mixed reality goggles. Google released do-it-yourself VR kits, called Cardboard, that make the tech more accessible to consumers, and two years ago added Daydream View headsets. And Magic Leap's upcoming AR system, which promises Star Wars-style holograms integrated into the wearer's real-world field of view, has captured the attention of everyone from tech companies to celebrities.

While Apple hasn't done much publicly with AR and VR, it's been working behind the scenes. It's hired executives and acquired startups, as well as filed for patents related to both technologies. One patent application earlier this month aims to use VR to help alleviate motion sickness and boredom for passengers in a vehicle.

Bloomberg reported in November that Apple aimed to have technology ready for an AR headset in 2019 and ship it as early as 2020. The device would have its own display and run on a new chip and operating system, the publication said.

Goodbye wires

One of the problems with VR in its current state is the hassle of setting up a system. Samsung's Gear VR requires a Galaxy smartphone to run, while powerful rigs from Sony, HTC, Oculus and others need to be powered by high-end PCs or game consoles.

And then there are the wires. So many wires.

The future of VR is expected to be cordless devices -- and Apple wants to bring its trademark simplicity to the setup. The box would use a wireless technology called 60GHz WiGig, the person familiar with Apple's plans said. A second-generation version, called 802.11ay, would boost speeds and range and make the technology more attractive for high-end VR headsets that aren't tethered to computers. A final version of WiGig 2.0 likely won't arrive until 2019.

The box to power Apple's AR/VR headset also would use a 5-nanometer processor, which is industry lingo for how tightly transistors can be packed into a tiny space. How small are we talking about? According to the National Nanotechnology Initiative, a fingernail grows at a rate of about one nanometer -- or a billionth of a meter -- a second.

In comparison, the iPhone X is powered by a 10-nanometer processor. And when it comes to chips, the smaller the number, the faster and more power efficient things get.

Controlling its own fate

Apple has been expanding into the components market as it seeks to control all the hardware and software in its devices. It now designs its own application processors that act as the brains of its mobile devices, a Bluetooth chip that quickly links its AirPods to its iPhones, and security chips that protect personal data and biometrics from hacking attempts.

By building its own chips, Apple is able to better control the features it releases, as well as better manage the timeline for introducing new devices.

It's been working on processors to replace Intel's chips in Mac computers as soon as 2020. The chips used in future Macs would be similar to what Apple would use in its T288 AR/VR project, said the person familiar with the company's plans.

The 8K displays in Apple's new headset, meanwhile, would help the VR and AR images look more lifelike. The smaller, more powerful chip, combined with the extreme high-quality video, would be critical to creating experiences that won't make you vomit if things get too shaky or move around too much.

LG and Samsung earlier this year at CES showed off 8K TVs, but they're not yet on the market. And no one has released 8K VR goggles. A Chinese startup, Pimax, has sought crowdfunding to create an 8K virtual reality headset. In the case of that device, it would have a 4K display for each eye. Apple's aim is even higher resolution, with an 8K screen for each eye.

Jony Ive, Apple's design chief, said at a New Yorker conference in October that "there are certain ideas that we have, and we are waiting for the technology to catch up with the idea," specifically calling out displays and semiconductors.

Apple has made its mark by jumping into established markets -- smartphones, tablets, smartwatches -- with polished, dead-simple products. The company is likely hoping history repeats itself with AR and VR.

Tech Enabled: CNET chronicles tech's role in providing new kinds of accessibility.

Blockchain Decoded: CNET looks at the tech powering bitcoin -- and soon, too, a myriad of services that will change your life.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

iPhone X old news? What that means for new 2018 iPhones

Posted: 28 Apr 2018 04:00 AM PDT

Apple will share its second quarter earnings -- that's January through March 2018 -- on May 1, but tough times for the iPhone X are already predicted.

iphone-x-05 — What will become of the iPhone X?
Sarah Tew/CNET

Late 2017 was supposed to be the iPhone "supercycle," with Apple enjoying bumper sales from its latest iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus alongside the dramatically redesigned iPhone X. And while Apple reported big profits in that holiday quarter (October through December), iPhone sales took a slight dip. Now, reports suggest that this quarter may be worse for the iPhone X.

Add that to the fact that this week has been heavy with talk about this year's new iPhones, including the rumored iPhone SE 2 and three iPhone X successors. So if you're looking for a hint about the future for the iPhone, here are the stories you need to know.

Much of the iPhone X paranoia is due to reports from Apple suppliers. Manufacturers such as Samsung, TSMC, AMS and SK Hynix -- all of which make different parts for the iPhone X -- have reported slow demand for the exact component they source to the iPhone X. Samsung reported disappointing sales for its OLED displays, chipmaker TSMC pointed to "continued weak demand from [its] mobile sector" and 3D sensor manufacturer AMS gave its own negative outlook.

Since all these companies have one thing in common, analysts predict that low demand for these parts points to low demand for the iPhone X overall. One theory analysts share is that the iPhone X's high price is contributing to lukewarm customer interest among the wider consumer market, now that the hardcore fans have already bought the X in its early days.

Another premium feature rumor: three cameras on the back of a future iPhone. Current top-of-the-line iPhones like the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus have a dual rear camera setup, which allows for advanced camera functions like low-light sensing and portrait mode. But the rumor is that Apple may add another camera for even more photography skills.

The new Huawei P20 Pro comes with three rear cameras, and it also takes some awesome photos. Who's to say we won't see other phone makers doing the same thing in the near future?

iphone-8-first-look-still — Is this the iPhone 8's time to shine?
CNET

It may seem like a strange rumor, but one analyst claims that Apple could release a new iPhone with a stylus. The analyst predicts that the so-called "iPen" may be compatible with Apple's most premium 2018 iPhone (rumored to be called the iPhone X Plus).

Now, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs was famously antistylus in his outlook -- thus the groundbreaking touchscreens on the iPhone and iPad. But Apple has since created a stylus of sorts for its iPad line in the form of the Pencil, a $99 accessory designed for drawing and sketching. Whether compatibility would simply be for the existing Pencil, or a new, smaller stylus would be on deck is unclear. But it would create a step-up feature on premium iPhones -- another way to delineate from a cheaper model (see below). And it would offer Apple a counter to chief rival Samsung, whose Galaxy Note line pioneered the use of a stylus in a modern phone.

KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts three new iPhones in the fall of 2018, with one of the models, a 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, acting as the budget option. According to the report, this iPhone could start as low as $550, and go up by $100 to $200 depending on storage or dual-SIM compatibility. Still, a new $550 iPhone would be about half the price of an iPhone X, giving a new option to people who steered clear of the iPhone X due to its price.

Would Apple really release a $550 iPhone? We have our doubts. But if it did, Apple would have to cut back iPhone features to make a cheaper phone with Face ID work.

The iPhone X was supposed to be the more premium and exciting iPhone compared to the iPhone 8, but it seems like the tables have turned, according to one survey. Consumer research group CIRP did a survey of 500 US iPhone buyers and found that 23 percent of participants bought the iPhone 8, 21 percent bought the iPhone 8 Plus and 16 opted for the iPhone X.

The survey accounted for purchases made between Jan. 1 and March 31, but CIRP ran a similar study for the previous quarter and found that demand for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus has gone up, while the percentage of people buying the iPhone X has dropped.

As a rule, Apple doesn't break down iPhone sales by model. But CEO Tim Cook said on Feb. 1 that the iPhone X was the top seller every week since it shipped in November, but this survey paints a different picture. Perhaps CIRP's data is incomplete -- or things have changed since Cook made that statement.

The iPhone SE -- Apple's last holdout for a small, cheap phone -- is rumored to get an update soon. One upgrade in store for the iPhone SE 2 is said to be wireless charging. Apple's fall 2017 iPhones were the first to get wireless charging, but Apple may be expanding the tech to nonpremium iPhones by bringing it to the SE.

The original iPhone SE released in March 2016, and plenty has happened in the iPhone world since. We're hoping that the iPhone SE 2 gets some solid upgrades compared to its predecessor, but still remains affordable.

Now Playing:Watch this: 5 best Apple iPhone SE 2 rumors

1:47

For a full rundown on all the iPhone SE 2 rumors we've heard, check out CNET's rumor roundup here.

Also be sure to check out features we expect for Apple's 2018 iPhone lineup here.

Let's block ads! (Why?)