Comcast plans to start running live tests of its 10G multi-gigabit symmetrical internet services later this year before starting to offer it to customers in 2023. The company has been working on ways to boost home internet speeds over the existing cable network over the last couple of years and the final piece of the puzzle appears to be coming together.
The original aim was to hit speeds of speeds of 10Gbps and higher and Comcast is edging closer to that benchmark. It recently tested the last component required to offer 10G- and DOCSIS 4.0-powered multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds across its whole network. In the test, which was conducted with newly designed Full Duplex DOCSIS 4.0 (FDX) amplifiers, engineers achieved download speeds of 6Gbps and upload speeds of 4Gbps "across a complete six-amplifier cascade," according to a press release. The download speed is 50 percent faster than what Comcast was able to reach with 10G tech early last year.
"This architecture is inclusive of the vast majority of the Comcast network and is easily and quickly replicated where network environments may differ," Comcast said. "As a result, the successful test is key to delivering 10G to all Comcast customers."
This month, Comcast started rolling out 2Gbps internet service in four states. However, upload speeds are initially restricted to 200Mbps on the Gigabit 2x plan. When Comcast starts offering 10G services next year, users will theoretically be able to download and upload files at multi-gigabit speeds. The company aims to provide the 2Gbps service to more than 50 million US households by the end of 2025.
Apple has another bug to quash in iOS 16. Senior manager Ron Huang told a MacRumors reader that the company will fix the frequent permissions prompts when you try to copy and paste content between apps. This is "absolutely not expected behavior," Huang said. While Apple didn't spot the problem internally, the manager acknowledged that others were dealing with the problem.
Huang didn't provide a timeline for a patch. Apple is already testing iOS 16.1 betas that could include a fix, but hasn't said when it expects to deliver the release.
The flaw is the latest in a handful of problems affecting iOS 16 since its debut earlier this month. iPhone 14 Pro owners have complained of camera rattling with some third-party apps, as well as unresponsiveness when transferring data from another iPhone. Apple even had to issue a day-one patch for iPhone 14 models that couldn't properly activate FaceTime or iMessage. Launch bugs certainly aren't unheard of for operating systems, but these have been more irksome than usual.
Just in time for the arrival of the iPhone 14 line, iOS 16 is officially here, after spending several months in beta. I’ve spent the last week or so testing out the final version of the software, and there are plenty of new things to try, including customizable lock screens, improvements to the Messages app and some smarter AI tricks. Just as importantly, it’s not buggy. The latest edition of Apple’s mobile OS works with the iPhone 8 and newer models, although some features, demand the relatively recent A12 chip. (More on that later.)
This year’s version of iOS is an update you’ll notice – something that was hard to say about iOS 15, whose most notable features related to media sharing, Focus modes and SharePlay. iOS 14, now two years old, added widgets to the grid of icons and shook up your homepage experience for the first time since the iPhone launched. With iOS 16, Apple finally tackled the lock screen.
A personalized lock screen
The lock screen used to feature a clock and not much else. Things are a little different now, but let’s start with the clock. The font is thicker and you can even choose the color of the text and there’s now space for widgets. You might not like how the new default font looks (I don’t), but the good news is that it’s customizable, with several font styles and colors. You can of course choose photos for the lock screen, which isn’t anything new, and you can apply filter styles and even choose a shuffled selection of photos to cycle through. If the images were taken in Portrait mode, you can also enable a multilayered photo effect, with the photo's subject popping out in front of the time. If you do have an iPhone 14 Pro, check out our full review for our thoughts on the Always On Display and, naturally, Apple's new Dynamic Island.
There are two different widget areas you can customize. First up is a slim box above the clock that’s best suited to one-line text (think: the date, chances of rain, or your next calendar event.) Below that, there’s a box that can house up to four different widgets — a mix of 2x1 and 1x1 icons. From the lock screen, you can tap on these to launch into the appropriate itself, but don’t expect to glean any extra information by long-pressing on the icons, which seems like a very Apple way to expand the information offered by these widgets. Maybe in iOS 16.1, or iOS 17?
Mat Smith / Engadget
Similar to the debut of home screen widgets on iOS 14, it’ll take time for third-party app developers to get widgets into their updates and onto your phone, but I’m sure productivity, fitness tracking services and others will jump at the chance. Google in particular seems ready to get on board: Its forthcoming Gmail widget will absolutely be getting a place on my lock screen when it becomes available.
The new lock screen keeps some classic features, too. You’ll still see signal strength and battery icons (now with a percentage readout), and both the flashlight and camera shortcuts are still available to tap away at. Oddly, the battery indicator only visually replicates how charged it is when the battery is under 20 percent, which is counterintuitive when you’re at 50 percent, for example.
The lock screen refresh also functions as a renewed way of showcasing an iOS 15 feature that can be pretty laborious to set up: Focus modes. You can now assign a Focus mode to individual lock screens (one for personal, one for work, one for sleep), each with their own custom widget layouts and photos. If you rarely change your wallpaper during weekdays, you could set up, say, a fun weekend image of your family, and assign it to your personal focus mode.
Conversely, I have a pretentious motivational quote on a black background for when I’m crunching away on deadlines and have my phone set to Do Not Disturb. The ability to swipe between Focus modes makes them easier to use in everyday life. Sure, I could have done so in the past from the top-right drop-down menu, but I didn’t. With iOS 16, I’m already using Focus modes more often.
A better messaging experience
Mat Smith / Engadget
Apple’s native messaging app gets some unique tricks, including new Visual Lookup features. It now handles image copy-and-pasting, pulling subjects from photos, screenshots and more, turning them into easy-to-share stickers. Long-press on the object / animal / person and your iPhone (if it’s an XS or newer) will endeavor to clip it away from the background, ready to paste elsewhere.
It’s uncannily accurate for such a, well, lazy method. I love it. The Visual Lookup skills in iOS 16 are even more expansive, with the new ability to lift text from video. In addition to videos you take yourself, it should work with full-screen videos in web browsers.
Messages has also expanded its sharing capabilities beyond SharePlay and stickers. You can now send documents, spreadsheets and more, as long as they’re saved in one of Apple’s office software file types. Hopefully, third-party support for Microsoft and the Google Suite will soon follow.
Apple is making up for lost time elsewhere as well. Finally, you can edit and unsend messages on the Messages app – if you’re quick enough. You’ll have up to 15 minutes to edit after you first send the message, with the chance to change your message up to five times. You can see any edited messages from other folks also using iOS 16, which will be grayed (blued?) out underneath the corrected message. Unsend features are only for iPhone-to-iPhone messages.
Similarly, you can now undo send and schedule emails from the native Mail app. (Finally.) There are also further modern features you are probably already used to on Gmail, like suggestions when you might have forgotten an attachment or recipient. .
Apple has upgraded its voice dictation, too. Now when you’re talking into your iPhone, the keyboard will stay on screen, meaning you can type and correct while the dictation takes place – ideal for specific names and places. You can also tap on a word and dictate over them to correct any mistakes. Apple has also added more rigorous auto punctuation to dictation, which generally helped insert commas, periods and the rest without you having to say “question mark” at the end of your text-based requests to friends. It also gleans emoji as you say them, inserting them into your typing. (This feature requires the A12 Bionic chip found in the iPhone XR and newer devices.)
Health and Fitness
Apple’s Health and Fitness apps are relative newcomers to the native app family, and they continue to evolve. The Health app has a new Medications feature that helps log what you take and when. You can set up multiple meds for different time-of-day reminders and frequencies and your iPhone will ping you when it’s time. Another addition to the Health app is the ability to enable notifications if your logged menstrual cycles show a pattern of infrequent periods and other signs of possible abnormalities.
On a more light-hearted note, depending on how serious an athlete you are, Apple has also added a My Sports tab to its News app, dedicating a section to your favorite sports teams. This encompasses news, results, related stories and upcoming game reminders. A word of warning: Some of the stories may be locked behind Apple’s News+ paywall.
One of the best updates is one you might miss. I did too, until I perused Apple’s iOS 16 lengthy release notes: Haptic typing is here, on an iPhone, several years late. Until now, if you wanted typing vibrations on an iOS device you’d have to install Gboard – yes, Google’s third-party keyboard – to get this functionality. Now, mere days later it’s hard to imagine going back to typing on glass without it. Android users have had it good.
Everything else
iOS 16 introduces some potentially life-saving personal safety updates as well. Emergency SOS, which sounds an alarm on the phone before automatically calling emergency services, can now be activated by rapidly pressing the side button five times. Crash Detection, enabled in settings, will take data from the motion sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, barometer and microphone, and combine it with algorithms to estimate if you’ve been in a car crash. When detected, a warning will flag up on both your iPhone and your Apple Watch. If you're still responsive, you can swipe the screen to call emergency services or close the alert, if it was a false alarm. Like the SOS call, the iPhone will automatically dial emergency services after 10 seconds have passed.
Mat Smith / Engadget
It wouldn’t be an Apple update with at least a few security updates. Perhaps the most noticeable addition is Safety Check, which can decouple your iPhone from specific contacts, gadgets and services. From here, you can uncheck permissions and even nix the connection completely with “Emergency Reset” or “Select All and Stop Sharing.” You will need to use your passcode or FaceID for these more extreme measures.
Apple is also touting what it calls Passkeys: digital keys that use your iPhone’s security features to securely log in to websites and devices like your smart TV. These aren’t an Apple invention, but with Passkeys on iOS devices this should lead to wider uptake and, well, a chance to use them. That said, I haven’t yet found any opportunities yet to test them out.
And there are even more notable features:
Apple Maps includes support for multi-stop routing, which can also be synced with your Mac. Travel fares are also displayed when you’re riding public transport.
Camera-wise, you can add foreground blur on Portrait mode photos, and Apple has improved cinematic mode video capture – at least on select devices. You’ll get cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 series and newer.
The Home app has been streamlined, with categories for lighting, speakers, TV and more. The tiles have been redesigned to make it easier to discriminate between all your connected gadgets. And, of course, there are now Home app lock screen widgets.
Apple has expanded the Fitness app to everyone; you no longer need an Apple Watch to use the activity tracking parts. Your iPhone’s motion sensors will estimate your steps, distance and workouts to offer up a rough calorie burn figure, too.
New accessibility features include Door Detection in the iPhone’s Magnifier mode – if you have a device with LIDAR, anyway. (That’s ‘Pro’ iPhone models starting with the iPhone 12 Pro.) A new detection mode offers more detailed descriptions in Magnifier, as well as people detection and image descriptions.
Apple finally lets you hang up on calls with Siri, hands-free. It sounds incredibly abrupt, sure, but hang-ups required a physical tap until now. You can also adjust Siri's wait time before it responds to your voice commands.
Wrap-up
iOS 16 marks another notable evolution for Apple’s often slow-to-change mobile OS, this time enriching your iPhone lock screen in several ways. I focused on the lock screen in this review because it’s an inescapable part of the iPhone experience. Changes elsewhere are small, but there are an awful lot of them, and they add up. (Apple has added seven more nose options for Memoji, FYI.)
There are some features that I haven’t been able to test, including accessibility upgrades for LIDAR-capable phones and Passkey support. As with many iOS updates, you might not notice all of the improvements. Many will find the medication reminder features useful and simple; others won’t even know it’s there. Sports fans might love the dedicated News app tab, but on the other hand, you also might not care about sportsball? You can test out the lock screen widgets, set up some Focus modes. Or not. But please turn on Haptic typing, and never let your iPhone make those typing sound effects ever again.
Apple has announced that it's raising the prices of both apps and in-app purchases, not including auto-renewable subscriptions, across several regions starting on October 5th. All territories using the Euro currency are affected, along with Chile, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Sweden and Vietnam. Apple says the price increase in Vietman reflects new laws that require the company to collect value added tax (VAT) and corporate income tax.
The amount added to old prices vary, based on the list of updated pricing tier (PDF) the tech giant has published. Apps that currently cost 99 cents will set users back €1.19 in Euro territories, while those that cost €4.99 will cost a Euro more at €5.99. The additional charge gets bigger the higher one goes in the pricing tier — purchases that cost €14.99, for instance, will cost people €17.99 instead.
Apple didn't explain the reason behind the price hike for most territories aside from Vietnam. For Euro-using countries, it could be partly because of the fact that the Euro is weak against the dollar and even fell below parity for the first time in almost two decades. Perhaps this price hike shouldn't come as a surprise because of that, seeing as people are also expected to pay much, much more for the iPhone 14 in Europe than in the US. The iPhone 14 Pro, for instance, will set buyers back $999 in the US. Converted, that's only €997, but the model is priced at €1,299 in Germany, €1,319 in Spain and €1,339 in Italy.
Xbox's online DRM has been one of the biggest issues with Xbox Series X consoles, as outages and other issues have left players with no access to purchased games. Another big complaint is that cross-platform Xbox One disc games have been inaccessible offline, even with games that don't require a connection. Now, a new update means you won't be forced to do an internet check or download from an Xbox One disc anymore, engineering lead Eden Marie confirmed in a tweet.
Users started noticing the change recently, but it has been in place since the 2206 update earlier this summer, Marie said. "We examined data since Series X|S launch & determined the online compatibility check isn't needed in the vast majority of cases for Xbox One discs. Some games may still need to be updated online after install to ensure the best experience," she added.
Yes, this is true since the 2206 update. We examined data since Series X|S launch & determined the online compatibility check isn't needed in the vast majority of cases for Xbox One discs. Some games may still need to be updated online after install to ensure the best experience.
What was the problem before? The issue essentially revolved around Microsoft's Smart Delivery system. Previously, when you inserted various types of Xbox One/Xbox Series X game discs on a new-gen console, it wouldn't install the game straight from the disc — rather, it would install an updated version via the internet. This, despite the fact that Series X consoles are perfectly capable of playing most Xbox One games directly (the main exception being Kinect games).
What this means it that you can now play many games offline that are branded "Xbox One," "Xbox One/Xbox Series X," "Xbox Series X/Xbox One" and "Xbox Series X." However, you can't play original Xbox or Xbox 360 games without updates, as the data "can't be used directly," according to Eden. (Most of this doesn't apply to the Xbox Series S, of course, because it doesn't have a disc drive.)
There are a few other exceptions as well. For instance, some disc games known as "stubs," like Forza Horizon 5 or Halo Infinite, don't contain the full version of the game — so you'll need a connection for those. You'll also need the internet to download the latest versions of games, along with expansion packs, etc. And Series X consoles require an account, so you'll need to be online at least once to set that up. Still, the update is a good step and means you'll be able to play a lot more games in the not-so-rare event that Microsoft's servers go down.
One good thing that came out of the pandemic is that more people picked up cycling. In the first three months of 2021, American consumer spending on bikes and cycling accessories increased by 34 percent year on year to $8.2 billion. However, the pandemic also saw more die and suffer injuries while biking. According to the National Safety Council, 1,260 cyclists were killed in 2020, a 16 percent increase from 2019.
It’s a problem that Ford thinks technology can address. On Monday, the automaker announced it’s working with Commsignia, PSS, Ohio State University, T-Mobile and Tome Software to explore how a smartphone app could warn drivers of pedestrians and cyclists they may not see. As someone sharing the road with a car, you would install the company's software on your phone. With the help of Bluetooth Low Energy, vehicles with Ford’s Sync infotainment system would see you as “beacons.” If the car then determines there’s the potential for a crash, it will warn the driver using audiovisual cues.
According to Ford, its approach has a few advantages. One is that Bluetooth LE is nearly ubiquitous. The technology has been part of the Bluetooth protocol since 2009, meaning every modern smartphone has access to it. If you own a Ford vehicle, you won’t need to bring your car to a dealership for a hardware upgrade since the Sync system features Bluetooth compatibility. The other advantage of using Bluetooth LE is that your car won’t need to see pedestrians and cyclists before it can warn you. Ford and T-Mobile are also working on a version of the app that uses 5G instead of Bluetooth LE.
In practice, the company’s approach is reminiscent of the COVID exposure notification apps some countries and states deployed at the beginning of the pandemic. As you may recall, those also used Bluetooth LE. However, despite backing from Apple and Google, they were never effective due to low usage. In Canada, for instance, the federal COVID Alert app was only downloaded 6.9 million times and logged 63,117 positive tests. Put another way, nowhere near enough Canadians downloaded the software to make it an effective contact tracing tool. Ford's app is likely to experience some of the same issues.
As an avid cyclist, I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen riding their bikes at night without an LED light to make themselves visible to traffic. On the other hand, statistics suggest motorists have been driving more aggressively in recent years, leading to the aforementioned increase in cyclist deaths as well as vehicle crashes. Any kind of intervention would be welcome, but Ford's app isn't likely to be a meaningful solution if it ever comes to market. While the Bluetooth LE solution to COVID had only one uphill climb, apps like Ford's have two: adoption by cyclists and adoption by automakers.
Uber believes it has identified the team behind last week's hack, and the name will sound all too familiar. In an update on the breach, Uber said the perpetrator was affiliated with Lapsus$, the hacking group that has targeted tech firms like Microsoft, Samsung and T-Mobile. The same intruder might also have been responsible for the Rockstar hack that leaked Grand Theft Auto VI, Uber said.
It's also clearer just how the culprit may have accessed Uber's internal systems. The attacker likely bought the contractor's login details on the dark web after they'd been exposed through a malware-infected computer. Two-factor authentication initially prevented the hacker from getting in, but the contractor accepted an authentication request — that was enough to help the invader compromise employee accounts and, in turn, abuse company apps like Google Workspace and Slack.
As before, Uber stressed that the hacker didn't access public-facing systems or user accounts. The codebase also remains untouched. While those responsible did compromise Uber's bug bounty program, any vulnerability reports involved have been "remediated." Uber contained the hack by limiting compromised accounts, temporarily disabling tools and resetting access to services. There's also extra monitoring for unusual activity.
The incident update suggests the damage to Uber is relatively limited. However, it also indicates that Lapsus$ is still hacking high-profile targets despite arrests. It also underscores major tech companies' continued vulnerability to hacks. In this case, one wrong move by a contractor was all it took to disrupt Uber's operations.
Apple acknowledged that the iPhone 14 was designed to be easier to repair, but it might have undersold that upgrade. iFixit has finished a teardown of this year's base iPhone, and it's clear that the device was reworked from the ground up with do-it-yourself fixes in mind. The back glass is easier and cheaper to fix, as promised, but used a metal midframe to keep the front just as accessible. The design is more repairable than the many Android phones that are only simple to open from the back, iFixit said.
The iPhone 14's midframe maintains the same structural rigidity you saw in the 13 family. Apple had already moved the earpiece and front camera array to a more repairable location on the previous generation's mainframe.
The iPhone 14 isn't going to make Fairphone buyers regret their purchases. Apple still requires that customers and technicians activate parts after they're installed, so you can't just use an unofficial back instead of potentially pricier Self Service Repair components. Even so, iFixit claims this is the most repairable Apple handset since 2016's iPhone 7.
The rework isn't completely surprising. Apple is facing pressure to improve repairability from both the federal government and state legislatures. If it didn't address at-home repairs with its designs, it risked battles with regulators that could force changes and dish out penalties. Whatever the reasoning, you probably won't mind if you've been waiting for an iPhone that's truly fix-friendly.
Apple released its latest iPhone lineup last week. While many folks were excited to get their hands on a new device, their elation may have been tempered by some problems with the camera system. It seems that several prominent third-party apps have compatibility issues with the iPhone 14 Pro's rear camera unit. Users have reported problems including shaking, rattling and mechanical noises emanating from the device when using apps like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, as 9to5 Mac reports. It seems there are problems with autofocus and focus too.
Along with sharing reports of the problems on the likes of Reddit and Twitter, some have been sharing videos that show the issues. One appears to depict a grinding sound coming from an iPhone 14 Pro when Snapchat is open. Another shows a similar issue while TikTok accesses the rear cameras.
Given that these issues only appear to be present when third-party apps are in use, rather than Apple's own Camera app, a software issue may be to blame, as 9to5 Mac points out. In particular, the apps may not be playing nicely with the iPhone 14 Pro's optical image stabilization, which seems to be the cause of the rattling. It's not yet clear whether the problems are on Apple's end or with the third-party apps. Engadget has contacted Apple, TikTok, Snap and Meta for comment.
This might be your best chance yet to buy Apple's flagship tablet. Amazon is selling the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M1 with 128GB of storage at a new all-time low price of $900 after an instant savings at checkout, or $200 below the official sticker. You can buy the 256GB and 512GB versions with similar $200 discounts. While you won't get cellular data or other extras, this is still a significant bargain if you crave a large-screen slate.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro remains one of the most powerful mobile tablets you can buy. The M1 chip is speedy enough for multitasking and other serious work, while the mini-LED screen is a treat whether you're editing video or kicking back with a TV marathon. Add Thunderbolt support (for peripherals like monitors and external SSDs) and a robust accessory ecosystem and this might replace a laptop in the right conditions, particularly once iPadOS 16 arrives with features like Stage Manager.
This is still a mobile OS-based machine, so you may want a laptop or Windows tablet if you're juggling multiple apps or need desktop-level software. However, the main reason for pause might simply be timing. Rumors persist of Apple introducing an M2-powered iPad Pro this October with MagSafe charging and other possible upgrades. You might want to wait if you insist on the most powerful iPad you can buy. If you're mainly interested in value for money, though, the M1 model is difficult to beat.
