A Berlin resident used an improvised fishing line attached to a strong magnetic material to successfully find and retrieve his friend’s iPhone 12 Pro that fell into a muddy canal. The magnetic fishing rod was able to attract the phone thanks to MagSafe, a strong ring of magnets that is built into the back around the wireless charging coil on the iPhone 12 series.

Apple had designed the MagSafe to attach MagSafe accessories like wireless chargers, but the smart Berliner put it to impressive use. App developer Frederik Riedel tweeted the story via his Twitter handle. According to Riedel, his friend inadvertently dropped his iPhone 12 Pro on a 3-foot deep muddy canal and groped through the mud without any success in search of the phone.

However, they then created the innovative solution by improvising a magnetic material to attach to a fishing rod. The improvised magnetic fishing rod was then plunged into the canal, searching for the submerged iPhone. Obviously, the device was stuck in the mud, but the taut line created by the magnetic fishing rod upon contact with the iPhone made it possible for the man to successfully extricate the iPhone 12 Pro from the bottom of the muddy canal.

We built a magnetic fishing rod and catched it!!!!! MagSafe ftw pic.twitter.com/M4g4RTLZxF

— Frederik Riedel (@frederikRiedel) May 30, 2021

The iPhone was still working, and the battery was still virtually full even after spending several hours in such an extreme state. The incident further proves that the iPhone 12 Pro has strong water resistance capabilities. The excellent working condition of the retrieved device is clear evidence of the rugged credentials of the iPhone 12 Pro.

Stories of this sort are boosters to Apple to continue to raise the bar in terms of quality, durability, ruggedness, and adaptability of its iPhone lineup.

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It had covered the story yesterday (Wednesday) that tech giant Apple was planning to start assembling the iPhone 12 series in India. The news was quite hazy at that point but confirmation has now come from Apple, saying that they have indeed started the production of the iPhone 12 in India. The inroads into the huge market provided by the Indian population of over 1 billion, marks a giant leap by the US-based company.

In a statement made public on Thursday (via), Apple said that they were proud of the decision to begin the production of the iPhone 12 in India, which will be mainly for the huge local market available for the product.

In order not to be caught in the crossfire that has now defined the simmering trade conflict between the US and China, Apple had been gradually shifting some aspects of its production from China to other countries. Even with a new administration in place in the US, tensions are still high. Vietnam and India, inside sources have revealed, are among the beneficiaries from a scaled-down production activity of Apple in China.

Taiwanese suppliers Foxconn and Wistron are the major drivers of the iPhone production project in India since 2017 when iPhone production commenced in India, with a number of plants already operational in different parts of the country.

The iPhone 12 production in India will be at Foxconn’s Tamil Nadu plant, although Foxconn has yet to provide information on the details yet, insisting that it does not make comments on client’s based services being rendered by it.

Obviously, there are plans by Apple to also assemble its tablets in India, as it continues to scale up investment in the country under a quite favorable investment and political climate. Thousands of direct and indirect jobs will be created in the process, to be mainly manned by the citizens of the country. Therefore the outlook looks good for the Indian economy and it is expected that the Indian government will continue to provide incentives for growth in the tech economy, as it pursues its policy of making India a hub for the region.

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Apple’s iPhone 12 became the world’s top-selling 5G smartphone in just two weeks of its launch. Now, a report by Digitimes says that the entire iPhone 12 series has helped Apple gain a huge market share in China for Q4 2020.

According to the report, the iPhone 12 series’s sales in China has exceeded the expectations during Q4 2020. If you recall, right from the launch, the iPhone 12s have been under demand in China. The initial waiting period was from five to six days for iPhone 12 while it was several weeks for iPhone 12 Pro. However, the company has overcome this and shipped nearly 18 million units in Q4.

That said, the reasons for demand on Apple’s iPhone 12 series were ranging from power management chips for iPhone 12 to the  IC shortages for the 12 Pro variants. Still, Apple’s strong foothold on the Chinese soil is reportedly due to the adoption of 5G which is already mainstream in the country.

EDITOR’S PICK: Apple iPhone 12 shipments to rise by 38% annually in Q1 2021: Report

China’s market has faced the maximum of ups and downs in the horrific 2020 year. Apple is no exception to this. It began the year by selling just less than 500K phones during February 2020. Cut back to Q2, it witnessed a 225% growth and sold 13 million iPhones despite the HUAWEI’s domination.

Now, the situation of sales and market share seems to be totally under its control as the report says the market share of Apple has gone above 20% in Q4. We have to give it up to Apple here as it has managed to battle tough local players like Xiaomi and HUAWEI. If the  Digitimes’ report is to be believed, the situation will further improve going into Q1 of 2021.

UP NEXT: Apple to lead in 5nm chips in 2021, while Samsung only reaches third the spot

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Apple is planning to boost the iPhone production in 2021 according to a Nikkei report. The move comes at a time when it already faces shortages of several components for the iPhone 12 series.

According to the report, Apple is planning to make 96 million iPhones in H1 2021. That’s a 30% YoY increase which is reportedly due to the demand for its 5G devices. Apple brought the 5G connectivity to iPhones with the iPhone 12 series. Since then, there has been a good demand for the devices in Europe, China, and other Asian markets. In fact, it’s initial demand forecasted a two-week recovery period due to shortages of supplies.

Anyway, the report says Apple has directed suppliers to get ready for the target which also includes iPhone 11, and iPhone SE. Further, Apple is also planning to take it deep with a total of 230 million iPhone shipments next year. Recently, Apple got pushed to 4th place by Xiaomi in Global Smartphone Shipments.

Precisely, the company has so far shipped 116 million iPhones in 2020. Out of this, the majority of shipment is from the 5G devices according to the report. Either way, it has crawled back up with just a 1% YoY dip in shipments so far. And with the global smartphone market’s recovery far away in 2022, Apple has no choice but to crank it up a notch and do something.

EDITOR’S PICK: Xiaomi aims to overtake Huawei and Apple next year with 240 million smartphone shipments

However, Apple has a main concern to address in order to achieve the next year’s target. Although the report says Apple has enough stocks of processor, it has been increasingly facing shortages of components. A recent report on IC shortages for iPhone 12 Pro which could last till Q2 2021 gives more bad news.

That’s not all as the report says in spite of reallocated parts of the iPad to the iPhone 12 range, Apple is chasing for other components to meet demand. Experts also say that even though a positive atmosphere lies ahead in 2021, Apple won’t benefit from Huawei’s absence, unlike other companies. Either way, Apple’s target for 2021 is a 20% YoY increase from 2019.

Going into 2021, it already has healthy demands for iPhone 12Pro, 12 Pro Max but not-so-great want for iPhone 12 and 12 mini. Nevertheless, the iPhone 12s will allow Apple to take a chunk of total OLED shipments but experts feel that the next iPhones won’t have any excitement now that 5G is already here.

UP NEXT: Samsung set to supply more OLED panels to Apple for iPhones in 2021

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Recently, a report said that Apple would account for more than 50% of flexible OLED shipments in 2021. Now, the same Korean media says that Samsung could be the top beneficiary with BOE scraping a small part.

As mentioned above, an earlier report speculates that Apple will ship about 160 to 180 million OLED iPhones in 2021. Apparently, the prediction includes both the current iPhones(iPhone 12 series) and the upcoming one(Tentative: iPhone 13). Now, a report by the TheElec says(via Mydrivers) that Samsung Display will contribute to about 140 million shipments out of the total.

That is, it will supply about 140 million OLED panels to Apple which is more than 70% of the total shipments of the company. So that works out to about 30-40 million remaining units. Out of this, if the report is true, BOE will account for about 10 million.

Although it’s less than one-tenth of the entire shipments, it’s better than worst considering the year it has had with vendors. After failing to lure Samsung for the Galaxy S21 orders, it reportedly failed Apple’s test yet again recently. Now, one might wonder how will BOE get orders if it failed the quality control test. Here’s where the catch lies.

EDITOR’S PICK: Apple kicks off its own cellular modem development; trouble for Qualcomm?

BOE is expected to re-apply for Apple’s evaluation next year, and if it gets through, it might be able to supply refurbished iPhone 12 models. Although the report doesn’t rule out the possibility of that becoming void, let’s hope for the best. Anyway, the rest of the 30 million orders will be fulfilled by LG Display(about 20%).

Besides, the report also mentions the shipments LG’s POV(Point Of View). Accordingly, if LG exceeds 40 million units, Samsung’s orders will sit around 120-130 million and BOE, the rest. Precisely, despite the discrepancy, BOE is expected to cover only around 10 million OLED panels.

That said, a 60-80%YoY surge in OLED shipments is due to the fact that Apple switched the entire iPhone 12 lineup to OLED in 2020. And it is bound to follow the route going forward. Speaking of which, the next iPhone(iPhone 13) is likely to have a 120Hz display. If the report is true, two of them would have LTPO(Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) display designed by Apple.

Assuming the two would be the Pro variants, we can also expect them to get an upgrade in ultra-wide camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a 6P lens. Other leaks point to an Apple A15 Bionic SoC, 1TB storage option, and a possible inclusion of Touch-ID.

UP NEXT: Apple investigates Wistron India after violence struck its facility

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A few days ago, Apple revealed the prices of MagSafe Duo Wireless Charger along with iPhone 12 leather cases. Now, it has confirmed via listing that the MagSafe Duo Wireless Charger will charge at less rate than the regular MagSafe Charger.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg was quick to note(via Macrumors) the changes on Apple’s listing of the wireless Charger. As he says, Apple’s listing shows that MagSafe Duo Charger provides wireless charging up to 14W. Precisely, if you use a 20W charging USB-C adapter, the charger will give you Wireless charging up to 11W. Instead, if you use a 27W or higher adapter, you can get a maximum output of 14W.

That’s disappointing considering Apple’s MagSafe regular charger which costs lesser($₹4,500/$39) than the Duo, charges the iPhone 12 series at 15W(for iPhone 12 mini– 12W). Also, at the time of writing this news, Apple has updated the info only on the USA website and not on the Indian page.

Wow, Apple has just updated the MagSafe Duo page. The $129 charger only gets you 11 watts for charging with a 20 watt brick, or 14 watts with a 27 watt brick. That compares to 15 watts you get with the solo MagSafe charger. pic.twitter.com/Z9iWM4PGpU

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) November 18, 2020

For the unware, MagSafe is a proprietary standard that charges the iPhones wirelessly through a magnetically-attached charger. MagSafe Duo Wireless Charger is priced at $129/₹13,900 and can charge an iPhone(12 series), and an Apple Watch simultaneously. While buying the Duo charger in the future you will get only the charger and a USB-C to lightning cable.

Hence, you have to buy a separate charging adapter(if you don’t have one) to use the wireless charger. Apple recommends a 20W or higher brick for the 11W output and a 27W or higher for the 14W output. Interestingly, as Gurman says, Apple doesn’t sell a 27W adapter but has a 30W USB-C power adapter priced at $49/₹4,900. This shows that to use the MagSafe Duo Charger at 14W, you have to shell out $178 in the USA and ₹18,800 in India effectively(Wireless Charger+ Adapter).

Although a regular MagSafe Charger doesn’t always output the 15W, it doesn’t cost you more to buy a higher output charger. Anyway, let’s wait for real-world testing as the charger comes out. Right now, it is still listed as “coming soon”.

UP NEXT: Apple iPhones could run faster with future MagSafe cooling cases

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A few days back MagSafe Duo Charger was spotted on Korea’s NRRA certification suggesting an imminent launch. Now, Apple itself has revealed the pricing of the Wireless Charger and Leather cases for the iPhone 12 series.

According to Apple‘s official website(via Gadgets360), the MagSafe Duo wireless Charger is listed as “coming soon” with an overview below. Still, the webpage doesn’t really reveal the specifications of the charger but says it supports iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods charging case. And other Qi-certified chargers.

MagSafe Duo Wireless Charger Price- India, USA

You can take a look at the USA/India pricing below:

• India– ₹13,900
• USA– $129

Also do note that you get only the MagSafe Duo Charger and the USB-C to Lightning cable in the box. And you will have to buy an adapter if you don’t already have one. Apple recommends using a 20W USB-C Power Adapter which it sells separately($19/₹1,900). That said, the availability of the wireless charger in both India and the USA is not known yet.

To compare, the MagSafe regular charger for iPhone 12 series costs about ₹4,500, and $39 in India, and the USA respectively. However, if you need a charger that can charge the iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously, MagSafe Duo Charger is the best bet for you. At the event, Apple said that MagSafe Duo Charger is light and portable. It has a foldable design with what looks like soft pad material at the surface.

iPhone 12 series- Leather Sleeves, and Cases

Anyway, along with the MagSafe Duo Wireless Charger, Apple also revealed pricing for new MagSafe Leather sleeves that covers the entire phone, for iPhone 12 series. It costs ₹12,900, and $129 for all the models in India, and the USA respectively. It comes in Baltic Blue, Saddle Brown, Pink Citrus, and Product Red options.

Similarly, the MagSafe Leather rear Case for iPhone 12 series is priced at ₹5,900 in India, and $59 in the US. The color options include Baltic Blue, California Poppy, Saddle Brown, Black, and Product Red.

Apple launched the iPhone 12 series back in October. Initially, it launched the iPhone 12, and 12 Pro was available for purchase. But the pre-orders for iPhone 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max went live just yesterday.

UP NEXT: Pro variants of the Apple iPhone 13 series will get an upgrade in ultra-wide lens: Ming-Chi Kuo

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Apple‘s iPhone 12 Pro series have three rear-cameras along with a LiDAR Scanner. Among them, the ultra-wide lens is responsible for wider shots. We already know that the next iPhones(Tentative: iPhone 13) have started coming under the radar of leaks. Now, Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says their ultra-wide lens will get a significant upgrade.

As reported by MyFixGuide(via GSMArena), Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the iPhone 13 will have four models like the iPhone 12 series. Accordingly, we can expect an iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max. But these names are our guesses and let’s wait for more leaks. He reportedly refers to the next iPhones belonging to H2 of 2021 which has been the case every year(Around Sep-Oct).

Upgrade in ultra-wide

Now, the interesting part is the camera details. He says that the Pro variants of the next iPhone 13 series will likely get an ultra-wide lens with f/1.8 aperture, 6P lens. And Auto Focus feature(AF). Currently, iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max has a 12MP ultra-wide with f/2.4 aperture. But only has FF(Fixed Focus), and a 5P lens.

Basically, P stands for plastic where more than one lens element are combined to offset dispersion. That said, we can expect improvements in ultra-wide features like Deep Fusion, Night Mode, and Lens Correction. Besides, Ming-Chi Kuo expects this lens to make its way to all the models(Tentative: iPhone 14) by 2022.

Furthermore, Taiwan’s Largan Precision Co Ltd. is likely to get about 70% of orders for the upgraded 6P ultra-wide lens on the iPhone 13 series. This is reportedly an upgrade over the 50% orders for iPhone 12 series. Additionally, Largan will also become the new supplier of VCM(Voice Coil Motor) for iPhones from 2021.

iPhone 13 series: Early guesses

Early reports of the iPhone 13 indicate that it will have a 120Hz refresh rate screen. It will reportedly adopt the LTPO(Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) display designed by Apple. Under the hood, it is likely to be powered by the Apple A15 Bionic manufactured by TSMC using a 5nm node. And tipster Jon Prosser has already hinted that future iPhones will have a 1TB storage option.

UP NEXT: Apple reportedly prepares more than 20 million older iPhones for the holiday season

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Anker launches a series of charging accessories aimed at banking the Charger fiasco of Apple iPhones. The Accessories carry the Doraemon theme which is a. And the list includes three charging bricks, two USB cables, and a Wireless Charging Adapter. All the accessories will go for a pre-sale on Wednesday(November 4).

Anker updated the sale details, and features of the accessories on its Official Weibo(via GSMArena). Anker already has all of the accessories in the Standard version. This is more of a Doraemon paint job over them. All of the chargers have Anker’s IQ(PowerIQ) labeled on them. This means they support Apple devices, USB-C Power Delivery, and Quick Charge. So you can use it to charge other devices as well.

Anker x Doraemon iPhone 12 Charging Accessories Details

Anyway, the normal-sized charger has speeds up to 65W. Anker says you can use the 5A charging USB-C cable to completely charge a Macbook Pro in 2 hours.  A slightly bigger(Super Charger) one has two ports- 1xUSB-C, and 1xUSB-A. Anker says you can charge an iPhone and a Laptop/any others simultaneously.

Besides, the smallest of the lot is the Anker 20W Charger. Anker says the charger is up to 3x faster. And can charge iPhone 12 and 12 Pro to 50% in about 30-minutes. Additionally, there are two cables- 1xUSB-C to Lightning, and 1xUSB-C to USB-C. These cables have been tested 12,000 to check bending and breaking. They also come with a cute Doraemon tag that acts as a cable organizer.

Further, Anker has also launched a Wireless Adapter. It supports Apple’s MagSafe coil charging for iPhone 12 series up to 15W and Qi-Charging Standard for older iPhones like iPhone 12, AirPods Pro. Anker says it is made of an Al-Alloy and it can take the device to a 50% in one-hour charge. All the accessories will be up for pre-orders starting November 4 at 0:00 on Tmall, JD.com, and Anker store.

UP NEXT: Listings for an Anker wireless charger reveal 2nd Gen Echo Buds will support wireless charging

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At the Apple Event on October 13, the company brought back the MagSafe Charging technology to the iPhone 12 series. The official MagSafe accessories include a MagSafe Charger, MagSafe Charging Case, and a MagSafe Duo. However, we don’t have the details of the MagSafe Duo yet. Now, it has reportedly been certified in Korea indicating an imminent launch.

As reported by Macrumors, the “MagSafe Duo Charger” has finally hit Korea’s NRRA Certification. NRRA is Korea’s National Radio Research Agency. As per the certification, the model number of the charger is A2458. Interestingly, the charger is made in China and not in Korea. Sadly, the certification doesn’t reveal much here.

MagSafe Duo: what we know so far

Still, Apple’s Press release on its official website still includes the keywords MagSafe Duo Charger in three places along with an image. One of them says the Charger will be available at a “later date”. Anyway, at the event, Apple said that MagSafe Duo Charger can charge both the iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously. You can take a look at the folding mechanism below:

1 of 4

Besides, the Duo Charger, albeit laying flat, looks very little like the reportedly canceled AirPower. This is because the images show a foldable design with what looks like soft pad material at the surface. Accordingly, Apple also said that the MagSafe Duo is light and portable for travel.

That said, the Charger aside, among the iPhone 12 series, the pre-orders of the remaining iPhone 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max are yet to begin on November 6. Also, Apple has scheduled an event on November 10 where it is expected to unveil the new ARM Macs.

So, there is a possibility that MagSafe Duo might go live around the same time but let’s wait for the official word. We got to know how the MagSafe Charging coil looks inside the iPhone 12 but will have to wait for a bit to know the insides of the MagSafe Duo.

UP NEXT: Apple offers free replacement for certain AirPods Pro units with sound issues

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Apple recently launched the iPhone 12 series. However, the devices still miss out on USB-C, and Touch-ID which has become unavoidable these days. Now, a tipster claims that the next iPhone(Tentative: iPhone 13) will travel down the same path. And only have few improvements over the predecessor.

Tipster Jiorīku on Twitter says(via wccftech) early iPhone 13(tentative) prototypes have been made. And its design isn’t reportedly far away from the iPhone 12. He says the new prototype has designed very similar to the latter but with “few extra steps”. In fact, he mentions that the prototype doesn’t even include the in-display Touch ID that we all have been waiting for. This is disappointing considering Apple went back to Touch-ID on the recent iPad Air 4.

However, this contradicts earlier reports where Analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will launch at least one model with in-display Touch-ID. That said, the iPhone 13 will adopt a similar design to the iPad Pro if Jiorīku is right. It could carry forward the boxy design with flatter edges, display sitting flush with the metal frame, and rounded corners. However, it could go down the same route of having a display with a wide notch for housing the Face-ID sensors and front camera.

As we already know, early reports of the iPhone 13 indicate that it will have a 120Hz refresh rate screen. Additionally, it will adopt the LTPO(Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) display designed by Apple. Under the hood, it is likely to be powered by the Apple A15 Bionic manufactured by TSMC using a 5nm node. And tipster Jon Prosser has already hinted that future iPhones will have a 1TB storage option.

Let’s wait and see if Apple decides to include both the Touch-ID and 120Hz which may reflect in the future updates of the iPhone 13 prototypes.

UP NEXT: Apple offers free replacement for certain AirPods Pro units with sound issues

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