Apple reportedly doubles down on chips: Modem and Wi-Fi go in-house

Photo: Apple

Apple's ambitious chip strategy continues to unfold, with two significant shifts poised to reshape its product landscape. One is the long-anticipated transition to Apple-designed cellular modems. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports in his Power On newsletter that this project is nearing fruition. These chips, set to debut in the 2024 iPhone SE and a slimmer iPhone model, will supposedly gradually replace Qualcomm components across the iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices by early 2027.

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Rogers turns on three new cell towers on British Columbia's Highway

Photo: Rogers

Rogers Communications has activated three new cellular towers along British Columbia's Highway 16 to improve public safety and wireless coverage. You should get better access to 911 and 5G connectivity in section of the highway known as Highway of Tears. This corridor between Prince Rupert and Prince George honours the memory of the many Indigenous women and girls who have disappeared or have been found murdered along the route.

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Review: Fitbit Flyer

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Fitbit has created a sporty Bluetooth headset to accompany its Fitbit Ionic smartwatch.

Being the first audio product from Fitbit, I had some reservations about the Flyer and wondered about things like fit, finish and sound quality.

I was pleasantly surprised when the Fitbit Flyer fit me right out of the box without me needing to attach any of the included rubber earpieces. Not only did it fit well, I found that I didn’t suffer stress or pain wearing it for a prolonged period of time.

I’ve tested a lot of these Bluetooth headphones and fit has always been a sticking point. So far, the Jabra Coach headphones have been the best I’ve tried in terms of comfort and sound, but the Fitbit Flyer fits better and I can wear them for a longer period of time because they're comfortable and because they last longer.

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Facebook’s Aquila drone successfully completes second test flight

The first test flight of Facebook’s Aquila drone went a bit awry after a 20-foot section off the massive 113-foot wingspan broke off during landing. A gust of wind knocked the drone off its flight path and the autopilot attempt to correct its course had Aquila flying faster than intended. Facebook’s engineers seem to have learned from that mistake and was able to fly the Aquila for an hour and 46 minutes. More sensors were added to the drone to gather additional data. Its auto-pilot software was modified. Spoilers were to the wings to increase drag and reduce lift during landing approach. And a horizontal propeller stopping mechanism was installed to support the successful landing.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg conceptualized Aquila back in 2014 with the idea of using this large solar-powered, high-altitude drone to connect areas in the world where it’s hard to get reliable internet access. The eventual plan is to have the drone fly up for 90 days at a time and provide internet access to an area 60 miles wide.

Source: The Verge + Tech Crunch