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- A 5G iPhone? Why Apple's in no rush to sell you one
- Google remotely changed the settings on a bunch of phones running Android 9 Pie
- Let's Play Destiny 2's New 'Last Wish' Raid-Unlocked Strike And Mission
| A 5G iPhone? Why Apple's in no rush to sell you one Posted: 15 Sep 2018 07:01 AM PDT Virtually all of the major players in the wireless industry are scrambling to tie their fortunes to 5G. Verizon will launch its 5G Home wireless broadband service next month. Sprint and LG want to bring out the first smartphone using the next-generation technology. One company is unmoved by the hype: Apple. It's a good bet that the consumer electronics titan, which on Wednesday unveiled three new iPhones and a new Apple Watch, will opt out of putting 5G into its next iPhone. And it's still a question as to whether the cellular tech may show up in an iPhone by 2020.  Watch this: Apple iPhone 2018 event: Editors react 10:59 Apple likes to wait to get the kinks out of emerging technologies before committing them to its products. It lagged well behind its Android counterparts in adopting mobile payments and wireless charging, and it was at least a generation behind in adopting 3G and 4G LTE cellular capabilities. Most industry analysts expect the same lag with 5G, even as the technology races toward reality. "5G is arriving a little quicker than everyone expected," said Ian Fogg, an analyst for OpenSignal, which collects and analyzes data from mobile networks. If Apple does take the slow road, it would stand as one of the few companies that isn't immediately embracing 5G, the next generation of wireless technology poised to change the world. There's been a lot of hype and bluster around 5G, but its enhanced speed, responsiveness and ability to handle multiple devices beyond your phone could change the way we live. Given the excitement over 5G, it's easy to see why other companies, from wireless carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile to telecom equipment makers like Nokia and phone makers like Samsung are jumping in -- this is another potential feature to crow about. That Apple has shied away from 5G is further evidence that the company doesn't need any help generating its own hype, as if this week's launch of new, pricier iPhones wasn't reminder enough. The company wasn't available to provide a comment. Slow followerA decade ago, the original iPhone marked a huge leap for smartphones. Its touchscreen interface and full browser capability, among other features, revolutionized what a smartphone could be. Except for that slow, slow cellular connection. As we sit upon the cusp of a 5G world, it's easy to forget that the original iPhone had a 2G radio. You felt the network schlepping along as a website loaded bit by bit. At the time, other phones had already moved to the faster 3G network. Apple didn't include the capability until a year later with the second-generation iPhone 3G. Likewise, the first iPhone with a 4G LTE connection was 2013's iPhone 5, more than two years after Verizon unveiled its first batch of 4G smartphones. Last year, when Android smartphones were going supersonic with Gigabit LTE speeds, Apple stayed mum on that technology as it introduced the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.  Apple's just talking about Gigabit LTE. Android smartphones have had it for more than a year. James Martin/CNETIt wasn't until this year's iPhone XS, XS Max and XR that Apple cozied up to Gigabit LTE. (Want to know more about the network technology? Check out this Gigabit LTE explainer.) The company has adopted to double down on access to new LTE technology, banking on the mature 4G network over the promise of 5G. "I don't think they're in a rush," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst for Creative Strategies. Why the slow adoption? Apple has to consider what it's packing into a smartphone and just how many people will be able to take advantage of each feature. Gigabit LTE only saw adoption in select markets around the world, which likely didn't justify the move there. "Smartphone design is all about the trade-offs," Fogg said in a report. "It's impossible to fit everything into a small handheld device." Competitive hypeBut the public's awareness of cellular technology, and the need for a speedy connection, is far more prevalent than when those 3G and 4G networks emerged. So when competitors start talking about 5G, it may be a message that Apple won't be able to ignore because consumers more fully understand the advantage. Apple's only benefit is that 5G deployments will be limited at first, even in the US, where the carriers are aggressively promising multiple cities with the next-generation service. Experts see more broad adoption by 2020 or beyond. Not that Apple could jump into 5G early if it wanted to. Qualcomm is supplying the modems that will go into early 5G smartphones, slated to arrive in the first half of 2019. Apple ceased using Qualcomm modems because of a legal dispute over the terms of its former relationship. Instead, it uses Intel modems. "What complicates things is the current dispute with Qualcomm," said Ross Rubin, an analyst for Reticle Research. Intel, which supplies modems for the iPhone, says its 5G modem will be ready for commercial devices in the second half of 2019, with broader deployment in 2020. The company, however, declined to talk about specific customers.  Qualcomm is supplying most of the 5G modems going into smartphones in the first half of next year. Roger Cheng/CNETWith 5G networks launching throughout the US, Korea and China over the next several months, those carriers are going to need compatible smartphones to talk about. Apple may be facing a situation in which key global competitors like Samsung and Huawei loudly tout the benefits of 5G along their carrier partners, giving them an advantage. Huawei has already knocked Apple off as the world's second-largest phone maker. Still, that doesn't have too many analysts concerned. "I don't think there's any need for a 5G phone," said Maribel Lopez, an analyst at Lopez Research, adding that she sees Apple going to 5G in 2020 at the earliest. Apple going at it alone?The other option is Apple taking advantage of the generational shift in network technology and bringing the modem in-house. It's not a ridiculous notion. Apple already designs its own processor, the latest being the A12 Bionic chip powering the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. It has its own custom Bluetooth chip for a speedier connection to its AirPods and Beats headphones. When Apple took a firmer hold of camera technology back in 2011, it went from a mediocre experience to one of the premiere smartphone cameras in the industry, Fogg said.  Apple has brought the development of a lot of its technology in house. So why not the modem? James Martin/CNETBuilding a modem is hard. Qualcomm has spent decades perfecting the craft, and there's a reason Intel struggled for years before winning Apple's business. But Apple has the resources to pour into this area, and a deep dive would allow it to craft a modem well tuned to its products. "It gives them the ability to innovate on their own schedule and do things differently," he said. Just don't hold your breath for that 5G modem to show up anytime soon. The story originally published on Sept. 14 at 5 a.m. PT. Update, Sept. 15 at 7 a.m. PT: To include additional background and analyst comment. Everything Apple announced at its Sept. 12 event: Our exhaustive roundup. iPhone XR, XS, XS Max: Apple's three new iPhones start at $749. |
| Google remotely changed the settings on a bunch of phones running Android 9 Pie Posted: 14 Sep 2018 11:03 AM PDT  Yesterday a mix of people who own Google Pixel phones and other devices running Android 9 Pie noticed that the software's Battery Saver feature had been switched on — seemingly all by itself. And oddly, this was happening when the phones were near a full charge, not when the battery was low. As reported by Android Police, initially it was assumed that this was some kind of minor bug in the latest version of Android, which was only released a few weeks ago. Some users thought they might've just enabled Battery Saver without realizing. But it was actually Google at fault. The company posted a message on Reddit last night acknowledging "an internal experiment to test battery saving features that was mistakenly rolled out to more users than intended." So Google had remotely — and accidentally — changed a phone setting for a bunch of real-world customers. Several staffers at The Verge experienced the issue. "We have now rolled battery saver settings back to default. Please configure to your liking," the Pixel team wrote on Reddit before apologizing for the error. This wasn't just limited to Pixel phones, however; devices including the Essential Phone, OnePlus 6, Nokia handsets, and others running Pie (even in beta form) switched Battery Saver on without any user action. According to Google, when active, Battery Saver:
So that might've resulted in some frustration for users who didn't even realize it was on. Both Apple and Google have emergency means of forcing updates or making other changes to iOS and Android, respectively. It's a necessary option to have at their disposal for user safety and security, and it's not a new one. Way back in 2008, Steve Jobs confirmed that Apple had a kill switch option for malicious apps; he told The Wall Street Journal "hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull." But it's the silent and invasive nature of Google's mistake that's bothering people. You'd hope there would be more walls between internal Android tests at Google and the Android OS that customers are using daily on their personal devices. |
| Let's Play Destiny 2's New 'Last Wish' Raid-Unlocked Strike And Mission Posted: 15 Sep 2018 06:45 AM PDT  DestinyBungie It turns out you didn’t have to bang your head against a wall for 19 hours to just to get something out of Destiny 2’s Last Wish raid after all. As it turns out, the world’s first clear of the Forsaken raid has unlocked a few new things in game for all players. First, there’s a cutscene that plays when you enter the dreaming city, showing how Riven, the last Ahamkara was slain, then there’s actual stuff for you to do, as it turns out…it probably wasn’t’ the best idea to kill her. From what I can tell, there are three new additions to the game in the wake of the Last Wish raid clear, a Dreaming City Gambit map (which I haven’t played yet since that’s on random rotation), a new mission from Petra and a new Strike you can see listed on the Dreaming City director. I’ve gotten to play both the mission and strike so far, and here’s what I’ve found. Spoilers ahead, I suppose. DestinyBungie Mission: Broken Corsair This mission has you talking to a wounded Corsair who explains that Awoken relics have been stolen that you need to get back. Turns out it’s the Hive that have them, and you have fight three encounters and three yellow bar bosses to get them back. Recommended power of this mission is 520, but it’s not super hard, so I think you can go lower. Eventually, you will descend into the Confluence, the giant, as-of-yet unused area of the Dreaming City map underground that links various spots on the map through Taken portals. You will then reach a central boss location where you have to fight another one of those weird tentacle eye monster things that ate Uldren. I believe it’s a new one, implying this is a race, not just one weird mutant darkness…thing. This encounter is actually easier than the campaign, though probably because I was properly leveled for it. The same mechanics are there where you have to kill orbs to make it not immune. The loot for this mission was…good. I got a Tigerspite Dreaming City assault rifle that dropped 10 levels about my current power, or close to it, and I can use it to infuse my god-roll Outlaw/Kill Clip Tigerspite I already have. I’ve seen some people getting Dreaming City sparrows from this mission too. One odd thing was that the blue items dropping here were far higher than normal blues, so don’t auto-dismantle them. Petra does not seem to have any more missions after this, but it seems likely there may be more to come. I believe you can complete this on all three characters. DestinyBungie Strike: The Corrupted Now this was a trip. Thankfully you can now select individual strikes from the director to play them at will, and yes, there is matchmaking when you do that, thank god. This was a really long strike that has you jetting all around the Dreaming City in places I have never seen before, not even when exploring every inch of the existing zones. You are hunting down a Taken Awoken witch who used to be good, but now must be “freed” (ie. killed). You spend a lot of time hopping in and out of the Ascendant Plane, and there was one interesting miniboss encounter where you have to fight two ogres, one in the real world and one in the Ascendent Plane as the map keeps shifting between the two. The final fight against the witch is…something. You are…I don’t even know where you are, but some insane place full of rocks and space and Taken, and you have to use raid-lite mechanics to throw a relic orb at her to bring her immune shield down. Pass it between players and it powers up for more damage, though trying to communicate this to my rando teammates got us killed quite a few times. It’s a hard strike, though obviously this was my first time through so I imagine future clears aren’t going to take half an hour, but it’s really creative and recycles pretty much nothing we’ve seen in the game already, which is a pleasant surprise. There was no special loot I found for this strike, nor a powerful reward for completing it. I assume it will have Nighfall-specific loot, however, when the time comes. The Gambit Map I don’t know anything about this other than the fact that it exists. I’m just picturing the Drifter asking Petra if he can play his gambling murder game in her sacred city, which is hilarious. So, get out there and…do new stuff! Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Read my new sci-fi novel HEROKILLER, which combines my love of fighting games and action movies. I also wrote The Earthborn Trilogy. |
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