It’s been an up and down kind of week for Apple fans.
Over the last several days, several reports have suggested that Apple is making progress in developing new technology for future iPhone X models. And there’s a good chance that the company’s investment in augmented reality—a technology that places virtual elements over the real world, allowing you to interact with both—is producing results.
This is Coins2Day’s latest weekly roundup of the biggest Apple news. Here’s last week’s roundup.
But that positive news was followed by Apple’s acknowledgement that it has delayed the debut of its HomePod speaker—a challenger to Amazon Echo—until 2018. Meanwhile, a cybersecurity firm says it has figured out how to access the Face ID facial scanner that lets iPhone X owners unlock their smartphones—raising the possibility of a security vulnerability in the iPhone X.
Here’s a look back at all of those Apple news stories and more from the past week.
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- Apple is rumored to be working on a new sensor that would sit on the back of the iPhone X and allow the device to map the surrounding world. The technology, which may premiere in 2019, would make for better augmented reality by helping the device weave in virtual objects. It’s part of a broader push by Apple to invest in augmented reality.
- Apple’s HomePod, the home speaker that also works with the company’s virtual personal assistant Siri, has been delayed from December to “early 2018.” In a statement on Friday, Apple said that it needs more time to work on the device.
- Face ID, the face-scanning technology in the iPhone X, has been hacked, a researcher claims. Bkav, a Vietnamese cybersecurity firm, says it used a mask made with a 3D printer, some silicone, and paper tape to approximate a person’s face and fool Apple’s Face ID into believing it was actually the smartphone’s owner. Apple has previously said that there’s a one-in-a-million chance of duping the iPhone X into believing an unauthorized person is really the owner and then unlocking the device.
- Denise Young Smith, a long-time Apple employee who was appointed to the company’s diversity chief position just six months ago, has stepped down. Smith will be replaced by Christie Smith, who is responsible for ensuring that Apple has “a more diverse workplace,” the company said in a statement.
- Apple was the world’s leading smartwatch maker during the third quarter, according to new data from researcher Canalys. The researcher said Apple shipped 3.9 million Apple Watches worldwide during the three-month period, accounting for 23% market share.
One more thing… Cold temperatures got your iPhone X down? Apple has made a software update that stops the screen from turning off when the iPhone X is exposed to temperatures below 32 degrees. Phew.
