robjn

So the writer of the article thinks the big heavy toolkit supplied by Apple is almost entirely not required and all that’s really needed is a couple of screwdrivers and a plastic spludger.

This completely ignores battery safety and repair quality. Apple’s complex tools are absolutely required to do the job properly. Third party repair shops and people like iFixit have been compromising safety and quality for years.

For example, Apple’s tool kit includes a battery press that is used to adhere the battery without damaging it. These batteries are soft and can be damaged just by pressing them with your fingers if you are doing an unsafe iFixit style repair.

Another example, is that Apple’s toolkit provides screwdrivers that tighten screws to a specified torque. This prevents screws from being under or over tightened, either of which can lead to damage or future failure.

So people at the EU are writing letters to Apple because of irrational paranoia they read on the internet.

This entire rumor is based on a misunderstanding. Apple need to switch to USB-C in a way that maintains backwards compatibility with old Lightning accessories, so yes compatible MFi cables are still needed.

Besides, everyone knows that there are many different kinds of USB-C cable, even if they all have plugs that look the same. Not all offer maximum data and charging speeds. How can people know what a cable can do? Right now they don’t. The USB consortium failed! So there is obviously still a place for MFi type labelling so that consumers know they are buying a cable that is fully capable with iPhone. That’s not the same thing as limiting capable cables. Capable cables will obviously work. They are just providing a way of identifying capable cables, which is what the USB consortium have failed to do.

iFixit misunderstand how this mechanism works.

When they push in the corner it lifts in the middle - but this is only because there is no trackpad attached. 

“More recently, an icon discovered in the beta of iOS 13.2 appears to show that noise-cancelling is coming to the AirPods.”

The icon only shows a new design that may have a more air tight seal in the ear. It is a line of code in the beta that pointed to noise cancelling.

The code refers to a “focus mode” and this implies at least one new mode. Evidently, the user will be able to switch modes depending on whether they want ambient sounds to pass through (allowing awareness of surroundings) or whether they want those sounds to be canceled out in order to focus entirely on the audio.

Kuo made bullish predictions after new iPhones went on sale last year, in fact he predicted what he called a “super cycle”. Then within about a month or so weeks he reversed his predictions and the super cycle never happened.

I fully expect him to change his predictions again next month.