Flipkart Apple Days: iPhone 7 for OnePlus 5T price, iPhone X at Rs 82,999

Home-grown e-commerce giant Flipkart has put up a promotional sale for Apple products, a second time in February. Dubbed as Apple Days, the promotional offer started on February 27 and will go on until March 2.
Under Apple Days, the e-commerce portal is offering iPhones, iPads and smartwatches at discounted prices, along with an extra cashback of 5 per cent to SBI customers.

The online shopping portal is also providing a no-cost equated monthly instalment (EMI) option, which removes the interest component from fixed monthly instalments on select products.
Here are some of the best offers under Apple Days:

iPhone X
The anniversary-edition iPhone X was launched in the 64GB and 256GB storage variants at Rs 89,000 and Rs 1,02,000, respectively. Under the offer, the e-commerce portal is selling the iPhone X at Rs 82,999 and Rs 98,999 for the 64GB and 256GB, respectively.

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus base models with 64GB storage had been launched at Rs 64,000 and Rs 73,000, respectively.
Under Apple Days, Flipkart is offering the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus smartphones at Rs 54,999 and Rs 64,999, respectively.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models with 256GB storage -- launched at Rs 77,000 and Rs 86,000, respectively -- are being offered at Rs 69,999 and Rs 79,999.

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Apple iPhone X: From price to design, how they compare

When Microsoft revealed a replacement to Windows 8, it skipped the number 9 and went straight to Windows 10. Apple’s iPhone 8 was followed by the iPhone X (pronounced “ten”). But Samsung refused to follow: The successor to its Galaxy S8 is the Galaxy S9 (and a larger S9 Plus), and it’s coming out in March.

The phone is critical for the company. Samsung needs to show it has the hardware and software chops to maintain its leadership in the Android market, while proving Apple isn’t king of smartphone design. Then there’s fending off rising Chinese competition from Huawei and reassuring investors that Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee has the company’s future under control since his legal woes commanded global headlines.

But above all, Samsung needs to be better than the iPhone X in the eyes of consumers. Here’s how they compare.

Photography and video
Great pictures are essential for any top-end phone. Samsung has equipped the S9 Plus with two cameras: a wide-angle, and a telephoto (like the iPhone X) and both capture at a resolution of 12 megapixels (also like the iPhone X). Samsung even mounts the two lenses of the S9 Plus vertically — something Apple also does with its flagship.

Move over iPhone X! Apple planning to unveil 3 new iPhones this year

Apple is reportedly gearing up to introduce three new iPhones this year and one of them will be more popular than the others, a top analyst with Taiwanese business group KGI Securities has said.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the most famous analyst with KGI Securities when it comes to Apple, the Cupertino-headquartered giant will aim to sell 100 million units of "a 6.1-inch iPhone it's planning to release this year".

"The 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will apparently resemble the iPhone X with a similar full-screen design, but at a more accessible price for customers.

The analyst expects this new iPhone to be priced to replace iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, as cheap as $699," 9to5Mac reported late on Wednesday.

"The replacement for iPhone X is believed to consist of a three-SKU 2018 iPhone lineup. A new iPhone X style device with improved internals, a larger 'iPhone X Plus' with a 6.5-inch OLED display and the 6.1-inch LCD model," the report added.

Apple iPhone X pre-booking starts today; base model priced at Rs 89,000

After launching iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple is gearing up to bring its anniversary edition iPhone X to India on November 3. The smartphone will be available for pre-registration through e-commerce platforms starting today.

Apple iPhone X will be available in two colour variants – silver and space grey – and both the variants will come with two storage options – 64 GB and 256 GB. The price of iPhone X will start at Rs 89,000 for the base model.

In terms of design and features, the iPhone X sports glossy stainless steel frame body covered on the front and back by a glass design. It has a wide 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display. The glassy back is accentuated by a vertically placed 12-megapixel dual camera set-up, which supports optical image stabilisation (OIS).

On the front, a new 7-megapixel TrueDepth camera enables auto image stabilisation and precise exposure control, and brings the portrait mode to the front camera for stunning selfies with a depth-of-field (Bokeh) effect.

The iPhone X dual camera set-up boasts a f/1.8 aperture on the wide-angle camera and an improved f/2.4 aperture on the telephoto camera for better photos and videos. A new quad LED True Tone Flash offers twice the uniformity of light and includes Slow Sync, which brings more uniformly lit backgrounds and foregrounds.

The cameras on the iPhone X are custom-tuned for the augmented reality (AR) experience. Each camera is individually calibrated with new gyroscopes and accelerometers for accurate motion tracking.

iPhone X debut: Should Apple worry as model 7 outsells 8 in US?

Apple Inc’s older iPhone 7 models are outselling the recently launched iPhone 8 ahead of the early November debut of the premium iPhone X, broker KeyBanc Capital Markets said, citing carrier store surveys.

Traditionally, new editions of the iPhone have sold quickly as fans queue for the latest upgrade, but early surveys have added to chatter that the iPhone 8 is not proving as popular as its predecessors.

US wireless carrier AT&T said last week its third-quarter postpaid handset upgrades were fewer by nearly 900,000 from a year ago, and brokerage Jefferies attributed it to weak iPhone 8 demand.

“Many respondents indicated that a meaningful portion of customers are buying iPhone 7 in lieu of the new iPhone 8, given the lack of significant enhancements in the new phone,” KeyBanc analyst John Vinh wrote in a client note.

Vinh also said feedback from stores indicated that customers were waiting to purchase the iPhone X or to compare the iPhone X with other models before buying the iPhone 8.

Apple last month introduced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which resemble the iPhone 7 but have a glass back for wireless charging. While iPhone 8 starts from $699 in the United States, iPhone 7 is retailing from $549 after a price cut.

Reliance Digital offers 70% buyback on iPhone 8 & 8 Plus, Rs 10000 cashback

Reliance Digital has announced a buyback offer wherein customers of the to-be-launched Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus would be "eligible for 70 per cent of the original purchase price as buyback amount on return of the device after a year". According to sources, customers can avail this offer at Reliance Digital or Amazon.in as well as MyJio, Jio.com and Jio Store.
 
Further, according to sources, Reliance Digital will offer customers who have pre-booked the phones between September 22 and September 29 a Rs 10,000 cashback on the day of the launch (September 29) if they use a Citibank Credit Card to purchase the devices.

Reliance Jio has also launched a tariff plan especially for iPhone 8. The Rs 799 plan provides 90 GB of data per month for postpaid users, over and above the free voice, SMS and complimentary subscription to Jio’s premium applications. The Rs 799 plan is also available for prepaid users with a 28-day validity.

Customers will be able to pre-order the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus beginning September 22 at Reliance Digital, Amazon.in, Jio.com and Jio Store, and both will be available in stores starting September 29.

Additionally, the iPhone X will be available for pre-order from October 27 and for purchase from November 3.

Will iPhone X hurt iPhone 8 and 8 Plus sale? Here's what experts say

As Apple gets ready to ship iPhone 8 and 8 Plus before it opens iPhone X for pre-orders, a top analyst with Taiwanese business group KGI Securities has warned that iPhone X will cannibalise iPhone 8 orders.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the most famous analyst with KGI Securities when it comes to Apple, it is very likely that iPhone X demand will cannibalise iPhone 8 pre-orders.

"While it takes three to six weeks or more to ship new iPhone models after they are available for preorder, they see the iPhone 8 taking less than one to two weeks. This is due to the iPhone X cannibalisation," streetinsider.com quoted the analyst as saying late on Monday.

Apple unveiled both iPhone X and iPhone 8 models, with the "super-premium" iPhone X starting at $999.

Ming, however, said the new Apple Watch Series 3's (GPS + Cellular version) could be a runaway hit.

"We estimate the preorder weighting of the GPS + Cellular version is 80-90 per cent. While not available in all countries, most users have pre-ordered the GPS + Cellular version because it offers phone and internet access functions without an iPhone and given the low premium of $70 over the GPS version," the analyst predicted.

According to the Verge, while Apple Watch shipments are well below iPhone shipments, investors should start keeping tabs on this new product, with shipments expected to surge much higher than previous generation models.

Will Apple's new augmented reality feature be the face of iOS 11?

Taking a step ahead in technology, Apple on Tuesday unveiled a handful of demonstrations of its new augmented reality (AR), displaying the efficiency of the ARKit platform and power of the new camera and A11 Bionic chip on the iPhone 8, thus diffusing the feeling of visuals placed dynamically in the real world to its viewers.

Ahead of the launch of the iOS 11 on September 19, the tech giant through its ARKit aims to bring AR to mainstream consumers by baking it directly into the iPhone and iOS, reported The Verge.

Hailed as one of the biggest upgrades to iOS this year, Apple brings a host of features to its consumer base, such as Siri translations, Apple Pay in iMessage, split screen mode on iPad, drag and drop, Do Not Disturb mode while driving and so on.

One of the much-anticipated features of this year undoubtedly remains the Face ID, which will replace the age-old touch ID in Apple's anniversary edition, iPhone X, which is deemed to be the 'future of smartphones'. Using a combination of infrared cameras and 3D depth sensing technology, the software helps recognize a user's face, or the Face ID, which can subsequently be used to unlock the phone, authorize Apple Pay payments, and even create customized animated emojis, or simply, emojis.
READ MORE

Hold Sleep/Wake button to activate Siri in iPhone 8

As Apple decided to do away with the physical Home button in its upcoming iPhone 8 flagship, a developer has suggested that the Sleep/Wake button in the soon-to-be-released device might activate Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant Siri.

In its iPhone editions released till now, users could long press the iconic Home button to activate Siri.

According to a report in Macrumors website, iOS developer Guilherme Rambo has also said users may activate Siri by using the voice command "Hey Siri" as well.

Rambo's comments are based on a discovery that he has made in source code that points to the possibility.

The Brazilian developer has previously found several details of upcoming Apple products in the company's beta software, including references to a 4K Apple TV in tvOS 11 as well as references in early HomePod firmware to some features widely expected in the company's upcoming OLED iPhone.

Last month Brazilian blog iHelp BR discovered a line of code in the HomePod firmware that suggested the Sleep/Wake button could in fact change functions on the OLED iPhone depending on the app currently in use.
READ MORE

Google Pixel vs Apple iPhone 8: Know everything about much awaited devices

Google and Apple are gearing up to unveil their next generation smartphones soon -- Pixels and iPhones. The next iteration of Pixel devices and iPhones are the most awaited smartphones this year.

This year, Apple is expected to launch two upgraded versions of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus i.e. iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, and an anniversary edition ‘iPhone 8’ that has been hitting the rumour mills and is touted to feature dual rear camera and curved edge-to-edge OLED screen. The next generation iPhones are speculated to feature screen size ranging from 4.7-inch to 5.8-inch.

The iPhone 8 is speculated to feature faster A11 processor, designed on 10nm production unit, iOS 11, virtual home button, cameras with augmented reality app support, 3D facial recognition and infrared sensor for face recognition in low-light.

As for pricing, reports hint that the basic version of the next generation iPhones may cost in excess of $1,000.

iPhone 8 to feature new display format with OLED design: Report

Apple's next generation iPhone will not be similar to the display like the previous devices and will sport an 18.5:9 aspect ratio like LG G6.

"The new aspect ratio allows manufacturers to increase the size of a smartphone display while keeping it narrow enough to hold one-handed and still use the keyboard comfortably," Forbes.com reported on Monday.

iPhone 8 is rumoured to sport a bold new design featuring an OLED display without a bezel and the company may also move the fingerprint reader to the back of the phone.

Apple will also bring "True Color iPad Pro" screen technology to its smartphones for the first time that uses advanced four-channel ambient light sensors to automatically adapt the colour and intensity of the display to match the light in your environment.

The full spectral sensing ambient light sensor will be added across the iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 8.
READ MORE

Apple exploring app that can charge iPhone handsets using Wi-Fi routers

US tech giant Apple is experimenting with wireless charging technologies that could see users charge their iPhones with a Wi-Fi router.

"Apple's patent application for 'Wireless Charging and Communications Systems With Dual-Frequency Patch Antennas' is a method for transferring power to electronic devices over frequencies normally dedicated to data communications," appleinsider.com reported on Friday.

The patch antennas may be used for wireless power transfer at microwave frequencies or other frequencies and may be used to support millimetre wave communications.

The patch antennas may be used to form a beam steering array. The wireless circuitry may include adjustable circuitry to steer wireless signals associated with the antenna array.

"Apple's patent application merely covers the theory behind wireless power transmission using existing communications link frequencies, and does not divulge specific operating details beyond the implementation of specialised beam forming patch antennas," the report noted.

Apple is set to bring "True Color iPad Pro" screen technology to its smartphones for the first time.

"The screen technology uses advanced four-channel ambient light sensors to automatically adapt the colour and intensity of the display to match the light in your environment. Which means reading anywhere is more natural and comfortable - almost like looking at a sheet of paper," Forbes.com reported earlier.

The full spectral sensing ambient light sensor will be added to the iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 8.
READ MORE

Apple takes on Samsung, iPhone 8 to start at $850-900

Apple's pricing strategy for its iPhones to be released in 2017 is predicted to be lower than previous versions and the rumoured high-end iPhone 8 with an OLED display is expected to cost upwards of $1,000, but a base 64GB model could start at $850 to $900 in the US.

"This price point would be similar to Samsung's new Galaxy S8+, which starts at $840 to $850," macrumors.com quoted Steven Milunovich, Analyst, financial services firm UBS, as saying.

iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will start at around $649 and $749, respectively.

In addition to an edge-to-edge OLED display with narrow bezels, the iPhone 8 is expected to come with wireless charging, no physical Home button, and potentially 3D facial recognition and/or iris scanning.

The upcoming phone are also rumoured to equip "True Color iPad Pro" screen technology for the first time.

The screen technology uses advanced four-channel ambient light sensors to automatically adapt the colour and intensity of the display to match the light in your environment. Which means reading anywhere is more natural and comfortable - almost like looking at a sheet of paper.

The full spectral sensing ambient light sensor will be added across the iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 8. (READ MORE)

Apple leak reveals new expensive iPhone 8

LATEST BUSINESS NEWS - The 5.8-inch iPhone 8 with an OLED display — that may be called 'iPhone X' — is reportedly being launched along two other devices — updated iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (with brand names as iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus), a media report said.

According to the financial newspaper Nikkei, Apple will shrink the top and bottom bezels to make iPhone 8 smaller than the iPhone 7 Plus.

The report also claimed that priced at $1,000, iPhone 8 will be the most expensive smartphone Apple has ever released.

In February, a report claimed that out of the a 5.8-inch display, only 5.15-inch would be usable. The rest of the space would feature a "function area".

Apple's upcoming iPhone 8 would also come with wireless charging.

The company was also planning to introduce a new connector type for accessories for the iPhone, iPad and other devices through its official Made-for-iPhone (MFi) licensing programme.(READ MORE)