Apple Investigating Reports Of ‘Serious Battery Failure’ On iPhone 8 Plus

Apple has admitted it’s looking into multiple reports of  swelling batteries in its new flagship iPhone 8 Plus smartphones.

Pictures on social media and growing reports from tech websites and mainstream news media have shown a number of the high end iPhone 8 Plus handsets that appeared to have split alongside the side, forcing the screen to come away from the main body of the phone.

The issue seems to appear during charging. The issue also appears to be global, with several similar faults being reported in Europe, Asia, and North America, suggesting that the fault may be more than just a single bad batch, although how many are original reports are authentic is still unknown.

An Apple spokesperson said the company was currently looking into the issue, but the company has not elaborated further at the time of writing. Several devices have however, allegedly been collected by Apple partners and returned for investigation by the tech giant.

Fire in the disco?
While reports of swelling batteries is a serious concern, there have been no reports of any of them catching fire. The chemical makeup of lithium-ion batteries and the energy they store can however make them a potential hazard with any kind of fault.

Didn’t this happen last year?
Yes. Except the fault last year was with the Samsung GaIaxy Note 7, which Samsung were forced to recall after several incidents of the battery catching fire while charging. There were only around 100 confirmed incidents of the Note 7 actually catching fire.

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Apple Trade-in Program Will Replace Broken iPhones with New Ones

iPhones are delicate and it’s no big secret. But if you are an iPhone user, you are not alone in worrying about the safety of your device. Clearly Apple has been giving it some thought and seems to have come up with a solution. According to reports, Apple is about to launch a program that would allow customers to exchange their broken iPhones in return for credit to but a new one.

The models to be made part of this scheme include iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as of now. Older models won’t be able to get their devices exchanged. The company would offer $50 against 5s and about $200 and $250. This trade-in program includes broken screens, buttons and cameras.

The trade-in program would be rolled out in the US soon, but no news on when it would be made available in India. We can expect it here in the next couple of months though, before the end of 2016.

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Ford Updates 5M Cars With Siri

This ain’t your granddaddy’s Ford… In software-related vehicle news that mercifully has nothing to do with Volkswagen destroying the planet on purpose while reaping profits, US automaker Ford has announced that as many as five million of its vehicles are compatible with an update that will enable the autos to run Siri, Apple’s popular virtual assistant.

The vehicles, manufactured after 2010 and running the SYNC entertainment system, can receive a software update (yeah, explain that to your grandfather) that will allow drivers to activate Siri using the voice recognition button on the steering wheel. An active Apple phone synced to the vehicle’s system is required, and advanced features of the car’s SYNC software also require a subscription.

This update has been a long-time coming for some vehicle owners, who want the convenience and safety of an eyes-off Siri experience. Now, Ford owners whose cars are between 2011 and 2016 can simply go to the SYNC website to update their vehicles’ software in order to type and send text messages, get turn-by-turn directions from Apple Maps, play music from their Apple Music accounts, and of course, make phone calls. “Siri Eyes-Free is another great voice-activated feature that not only adds convenience but helps our customers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.”

While the idea of updating the software in your car just like you do for your smartphone or web browser might seem foreign to some drivers, it’s actually part of a movement to keep drivers connected to their pre-purchased vehicles for longer spans of time. While consumers have been known to upgrade or make a switch–even on very high-dollar items–over the “extra touch”-type of features, the ability to innovate on a current model car means less interest in leaving behind a fully functioning car.

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Apple-1 computer built by Steve Jobs to go for 330k pounds

One of the very first Apple computers hand-built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in a garage almost 40 years ago is set to fetch up to 330,000 pounds when it goes under the hammer here.

 The Apple-1 Computer motherboard was in the first batch of computers for Apple's first client, the Byte Shop, originally costing just 437 pounds.

The computer, which is fully functional and one of the best preserved version ever seen, will go under the hammer in Bonhams on September 21 with a conservative estimate of 330,000 pounds.

Designed and assembled by Jobs and Wozniak in a garage, the 1976 motherboard was traded in at a computer shop in Florida having rarely been used.

 The pre-assembled computer is just a motherboard that required the owner to provide a screen, keyboard and casing.

"This is from the first batch of 50 because they received an order from the Byte Shop who put inventory numbers on them with a security pen, Only 66 surviving authentic Apple-1's are currently listed on the official Apple 1 registry.

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Apple releases iOS 8.2

Apple had a big day with their Spring Forward event; they released all kinds of details about their forthcoming Apple Watch (including pricing), they released information regarding a new 12-inch Macbook with Retina display, and, among other things, they also announced that iOS 8.2 was available as an update to certain iPhones, iPads, and iPods. While not a huge upgrade, the update did make some needed changes.

Of course those weren’t the only areas updated, just the main highlights. The update also claims to improve Music, Maps, and Mail among other apps.

I updated earlier and found it to be a seamless process; it doesn’t take a whole lot of storage space to do it over the air, and it probably took less than 10 minutes for the installation and all.

Have you installed iOS 8.2 yet? If so, what do you think?

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Want To Recover Lost iOS Data? iFoneBox helps you !

Have you ever been in the unfortunate circumstance where you wreck your iPhone? It looks like you may lose some of your really important content. Sound familiar?

 This is where you need a helpful app like iFonebox.

iFonebox is a really useful utility tool, which helps recover lost iOS data and transfer the recovered data back to your device. iFonebox can help you to recover deleted data from your device (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) and iTunes backup files. It can also backup existing data from the device or iTunes backup file to PC or Mac in viewable formats. iFonebox can also transfer recovered contacts and notes directly back to your device.

Download iFonebox today!

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Apple releases a Guide to help Android users move to iOS

Apple is rolling out the new iOS 8 update tonight and the iPhone 6 devices are all prepped to be shipped. According to The Verge, the company appears to be expecting that a lot of people will be switching from Samsung, HTC, and other devices to their new iPhone.

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