Apple is said to be close to revealing a big update to its iPhone, but if the new model costs too much, it may be a problem for Apple.
That’s the key takeaway from a recent study by ad tech company Fluent. But there’s more to this week in Apple news than that. For instance, Apple doubled down on its response to the Charlottesville, Va. Violence earlier this month, and moved to comply with sanctions limiting Iranians from posting apps for sale in the App Store.
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And like every other week, speculation is running rampant that Apple is working on a major upgrade to the iPhone that may add the ability for people to use a stylus to digitally write on the screen.
Read on for a look at this week’s biggest Apple (AAPL) news and rumors, and why the company may be threatened by Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 8:
This is Coins2Day ’s weekly roundup of the biggest Apple news this week. Here’s last week’s roundup.
- Apple is rumored to be close to unveiling a new iPhone, possibly known as the iPhone 8, that will include several upgrades, including a bigger screen and new all-glass design. But it’s also rumored to be costly, with some reports saying its price could top $1,000. A study this week from Fluent found that just 13% of Americans would buy an iPhone that costs so much, and that only 8% would be willing to pay for an iPhone that costs $1,400. Two-thirds of consumers said a $1,000 iPhone is simply “too expensive.”
- Apple has only made its Pencil stylus compatible with its high-end iPad Pro tablets. But two patent filings uncovered this week by Apple-tracking site Patently Apple suggest the company is considering the feature for the iPhone. The patents describe technologies that would let users digitally write on iPhone screens with the Apple Pencil stylus—which, since the accessory’s release in 2015, hasn’t been possible. Apple, of course, hasn’t confirmed that it’s actually planning to make the iPhone compatible with Pencil.
- Users who would like to donate to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that monitors extremist and hate groups, and alerts police to their activities, can now do so through Apple iTunes. When users log on to the service, they’ll now have the option of donating cash to the organization in increments of $5 to $200. Apple will donate 100% of the proceeds to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The move is a response to the recent Charlottesville violence.
- The New York Times reported this week that Apple has been quietly removing popular Iranian apps from its App Store over the last several weeks. Apple told affected developers that U.S. Sanctions prevent the company from making the apps available. Iran has responded with accusations that Apple does not “respecting customer rights.”
- Apple plans to build a $1.38 billion data center in Waukee near Des Moines, IA. Apple didn’t say what kind of data the facility will house, but it did receive $207.8 million in incentives from the Iowa Economic Development Authority to erect the building.
One more thing… Apple’s chief rival in the mobile industry, Samsung, unveiled its Galaxy Note 8 smartphone this week. It has high-end features and a nice design, and could prove to be a big competitor to Apple’s upcoming iPhones.
