Google's first mid-range Pixel phones may be close at hand -- at least, if Google itself is any indication. Both the company's store and the Google Play Developer Console's device catalog (which helps app developers allow or restrict device access) have made references to the Pixel 3a phone family. The store isn't revealing much beyond the series' existence, but it does hint that there will be a fabric case. The device catalog is the real star of the show, as it appears to confirm some of the core details.
The smaller Pixel 3a, "Bonito," would have a 2,160 x 1,080 display, while its larger 3a XL counterpart ("Sargo") appears to have a taller 2,220 x 1080 screen. That's slightly odd when renders and pictures have suggested that neither phone would have a notch, but it wouldn't be completely surprising. Both handsets would also have 4GB of RAM, and there are hints they'd both share the Pixel Visual Core that gives more recent Pixel phones their photographic prowess.
Earlier rumors had the base Pixel 3a running a Snapdragon 670 chip, while the 3a XL would move to a Snapdragon 710.
It's not certain just when Google will unveil its more affordable Pixels. The listings hint at a "midyear experience," though, and company Senior VP Hiroshi Lockheimer admitted to snapping photos with an "unreleased phone" in late March. It wouldn't be surprising if Google announced them shortly, though, whether by themselves or as part of its I/O conference on May 7th.
With no warning and little explanation, Netflix has removed the easiest way to sling its shows from one Apple device to another: AirPlay.
Netflix confirmed to The Verge that it pulled the wireless casting feature this past week, due to what it’s calling a “technical limitation.” But it’s not the kind of technical limitation you’d think.
You see, Apple recently partnered with most of the major TV brands to allow AirPlay 2 to send shows directly to their 2019 TV sets with a firmware update later this year, but a Netflix spokeperson tells me AirPlay 2 doesn’t have digital identifiers to let Netflix tell those TVs apart — and so the company can’t certify its users are getting the best Netflix experience when casting to those new sets.
So now, it’s throwing out the baby with the bathwater and pulling the plug on AirPlay, period. “We can’t distinguish which device is which, we can’t actually certify the devices... so we’ve had to just shut down support for it,” a Netflix spokesperson says.
To be clear, that means Apple TV set-top box users can no longer cast Netflix, either.
Here’s the company’s official statement:
We want to make sure our members have a great Netflix experience on any device they use. With AirPlay support rolling out to third-party devices, there isn’t a way for us to distinguish between devices (what is an Apple TV vs. what isn’t) or certify these experiences. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue Netflix AirPlay support to ensure our standard of quality for viewing is being met. Members can continue to access Netflix on the built-in app across Apple TV and other devices.
As spotted by MacRumors earlier today, the company’s official support page now includes this phrase: “Airplay is no longer supported for use with Netflix due to technical limitations.”
It’s a little weird and misleading, though, because we’re not talking about a situation where the technology doesn’t work — apparently it just doesn’t look quite as nice as Netflix wanted, and Netflix, Apple and the TV manufacturers can’t be bothered to fix it.
Maybe Netflix wasn’t prepared for a new wave of AirPlay 2-enabled TVs, and can’t justify spending the technical resources to upgrade its AirPlay implementation to support them properly. Maybe it’s Apple or Samsung, LG, Vizio and company who can’t justify the spend to fix the “limitation.” Maybe Netflix will even reinstate support after things get figured out, though a spokesperson strongly suggested to me that the ball is in Apple’s court now. Apple declined to comment.
Without a fuller explanation, it’s hard to resist thinking that Netflix is intentionally snubbing Apple for some reason, perhaps to build a wall around its subscribers, or perhaps to gain more negotiating leverage. (Netflix denies this: “It’s not a business competition play.”)
But both Apple and those TV manufacturers want to be able to use Netflix to sell fancy new AirPlay 2-enabled TVs to users, so it’s in their interests to make things work. Why aren’t they?
There is a strong potential reason for an Apple-Netflix spat: Netflix recently decided it wasn’t going to be part of Apple’s new TV Plus subscription video service, preferring to stay a competitor.
Reed Hastings confirms that Netflix won't be a part of the new Apple video hub announced next week. "Apple’s a great company. We want to have people watch our shows on our services.”
And it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a cold war between two companies who want control over streaming TV users — Amazon stopped stocking Google’s Chromecast for three years, using its own platform in an anti-competitive way, while it refined its own rival Fire TV products.
It’s true that most smart TVs already have Netflix built-in these days, and there’s no shortage of other ways to get that content on your TV screen. Unfortunately for Apple users, one of the most convenient ways is now winking out.
There are quite a few deals to check out this weekend, some of which are exclusive to readers of The Verge. Starting with arguably the best deal that we’ve come across this week: Daily Steals is offering readers an exclusive discount on refurbished Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL phones.
The Pixel 3, the smaller of the two, usually starts at $799 brand-new, while the Pixel 3 XL starts at $899, but these refurbished models are over $300 off of their normal prices.
The Pixel 3 with 64GB of storage will only cost $462.99 with the offer code THEVERGE3. You can pick between black, white, or pink. If you want a bigger phone that has more screen real estate, the Pixel 3 XL in black with 128GB of storage is $569.99 with the offer code THEVERGE3XL128 (usually $999). The respective discounts will apply automatically at checkout, but in case you flip-flop on the phone you want, you’ll need to paste in the other code.
Both have a 90-day warranty, as well as coverage from Google (once that runs out) until October 2019 at the earliest (depending on when they were originally activated). Daily Steals scores each of these refurbished phones as “Grade A” on a scale that judges physical condition, which translates to them having “little to no cosmetic defects.” Both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL were originally released on Verizon, though you’ll be able to activate them on any GSM or CDMA carrier.
Readers of The Verge can also save $70 on the Ninebot Segway ES2 and ES4 electric scooters with the offer code THEVERGERIDE, thanks to an exclusive deal from Wellbots.
The ES2 is the cheaper of the two at $499 (usually $569) and can reach speeds of 15.5 miles per hour at a range of 15.5 miles per charge. If you want more speed, range, and a smoother ride, the ES4 is $699 instead of its usual $769 price. That one has a top speed of 19 miles per hour and a range of 28 miles.
Apple announced a permanent price drop for its HomePod smart speaker. Usually $349.99, it’s now $299.99 from several retailers, including B&H Photo and Target, in either white or space gray. Even better, it’s $279 at Best Buy, though if it sells out there, at least it’s cheaper at other retailers than it was before.
The LG G8 ThinQ is set to release next week at $849.99, but B&H Photo is offering a big pre-release discount on the unlocked phone. For a limited time, this next LG flagship is $699.99, and features a Snapdragon 855 processor, a 6.1-inch OLED display, and compatibility with GSM and CDMA carriers.
No matter how you try to spin it, there’s no getting around the fact that iPhone sales have been stagnant over the past few years. Despite some respectable upgrades over the past few years — the introduction of Face ID and a brand new form factor with the iPhone X being two prime examples — the simple reality is that consumers are holding onto their devices for longer. Suffice it to say, the 2-year upgrade cycle that helped transform Apple into the most profitable company on the planet is now nothing but a memory.
Looking ahead, there is reason to believe that a monster refresh cycle — which analysts have been anticipating for the last two years — may be right around the corner. Most notably, the advent of 5G may prove to be just what Apple needs to inject a little bit of life into the iPhone line. Unfortunately, though, Apple will not be adopting 5G until 2020 at the absolute earliest. A recent analyst report even floated the idea that 5G iPhones may not see the light of day until 2021.
So where does that leave Apple in the interim? Are iPhone sales doomed to take another dip in 2019?
Not necessarily.
One area where it’d be great to see a tremendous improvement in iPhone functionality involves the iPhone camera. While the camera on Apple’s iPhone XS is best-in-class across certain categories, there’s one category in particular where Apple needs to play a little bit of catch-up with its Android counterparts; low-light photography. If Apple wants the iPhone 11 release to make a huge splash and reinvigorate sales, a vast improvement in low-light photos is certainly one way to go.
Now there’s no disputing that the iPhone XS takes absolutely stunning photos in ideal lighting conditions, but there’s also no denying that its low-light capabilities simply can’t keep up with the Google Pixel 3 and the recently unveiled P30 Pro from Huawei.
Originally introduced last year, Night Sight mode on Pixel devices is incredible and actually engenders excitement amongst new buyers. With Apple set to unveil its 2019 iPhone lineup in just about 5 months now, we can only hope that Apple will be able to match what Google managed to do with respect to low-light photography.
And because a picture is worth a thousand words, Jeremy Burge a few weeks back posted some damning photos comparing low-light photos taken with a current iPhone and a 18 month old Google Pixel 2. The results speak for themselves.
LOL @ all the people defending the iPhone camera in my mentions. At night, Pixel Night Mode is better by a long shot every time
Two bad photos of a church in Mountain View, taken at 4am in moonlight. I’d prefer the blurry pic I can see on the right to the blurry dark pic I can’t see on the left (+ imagining how good it could be with a bigger sensor 🤤) ⬅ iPhone / Pixel ➡ pic.twitter.com/2ToacC7Eek
As impressive as that is, the P30 Pro takes things to an entirely new level. The quality of low-light photos taken with the P30 Pro borders on modern-day magic and even puts Google’s Night Mode to shame. The following photo comparison is simply jaw-dropping.
All that said, we should see some considerable camera improvements with Apple’s iPhone 11 lineup later this year. Rumor has it that Apple’s flagship — the iPhone 11 Max — will include a triple-lens camera scheme. Meanwhile, the entry-level iPhone 11 will reportedly include a dual-lens camera scheme a’la the iPhone X and XS models. That’s all well and good, but if Apple wants consumers to truly get exited about its forthcoming iPhone models, it can’t go wrong with improved low-light photography. Most consumers simply fall to sleep when you start talking about optical zoom and triple-lens cameras. But one thing that every smartphone user can immediately comprehend and appreciate is a gorgeous photo taken in less than stellar lighting conditions.
Google and Huawei have recently set new bars for mobile photography. Hopefully, with the iPhone 11 release looming overhead, Apple will return the favor sooner rather than later.
The iPad Mini is not the best tablet Apple makes (that’s the 11-inch iPad Pro). It’s not the good enough tablet either (that’s the iPad Air). It’s the awkward one. A little too small, but a little too big, and demanding a fairly radical change to how you operate a tablet if you’ve been using any other iPad before. But boy, after a week of using the newly refreshed Mini, I’m still finding it awfully damn appealing. The iPad Mini is the true content consumption queen.
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What do I mean by that? Maybe it doesn’t make sense at first. After all the iPhone XS Plus has a much prettier 6.5-inch OLED display, the iPad Pro has that big and gorgeous display with a faster refresh rate. They shaved and shaved those bezels until they’re a razor’s edge and the Mini’s bezels look old fashioned and far too chunky by comparison.
But have you ever tried to read a book on an iPhone or the average-sized iPad? It feels either too small or too large. The Mini with its 7.9-inch 2,048 by 1,536 resolution display, is like Baby Bear’s bed. It’s just right. The bezel is big enough I can hold the iPad one-handed and not accidentally flick to the next page as I do with a larger iPad. I found myself reaching for it all week even though it lasts well under twelve hours of marathon reading while my Kindle Oasis lasts for days. In part, this is because I could hop over to a Game of Thrones wiki to refresh myself on characters I’m reading about instead of reaching for my phone as I do with my Oasis.
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And yes, the iPad Mini’s lovely for watching videos too. It won’t flop down when the person in front of me on the plane cranks their seat back like a large iPad might, and the range of colors in something like that gnarly Quantum Realm scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp looks plenty bright and not muddy. Having the wider P3 color gamut isn’t necessary, but I’m sure it will come in handy if I want to edit pictures of my dog on the Mini for Instagram.
Which is a little easier to do thanks to Apple Pencil support, which was frankly too long a time in coming. (Seriously how hard is it to implement Pencil support?) Although Pencil support also feels...unnecessary? Using the Pencil on the Mini’s small screen makes everything feel cramped, a smaller Pencil, more appropriately sized for the smaller Mini might make things feel a little less tacked on.
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And here’s where I nitpick in a very finicky way. The screen is really too small for creating content and taking advantage of the A12 CPU at the heart of the thing, but it also feels too large for watching stuff. If I’m just watching a movie, and not watching a movie while doing something like playing Stardew Valley, then there are huge black bars that make the film feel a little less intimate. It is ugly.
With a starting price of $400, it’s also pretty appealing—particularly compared to last year’s simple iPad, which is heavier, has a lower resolution display, and crummier processor. If I have to spend under $400 on an iPad, I’d rather the tiny fast one than that great big slow one.
But the real issue, the one that has me pondering whether the iPad Mini even has a place in my grubby hands in 2019, is that it, like any other non-Pro iPad, just feels old.
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Apple made a big deal of adding gesture support and Face ID to the Pro last year, and I adore those features. On the Pro, I swipe up and go home, whereas on the Mini, I fumble for the Home button. On the Pro I glance at the camera to autoload a password for LastPass, on the Mini I hope the finger I’m pressing to the Touch ID button has already been programmed in.
Super minor annoyances, but also ones Apple has ably solved and chosen to exclude! It leaves the iPad Mini feeling less like the cutting edge tiny tablet it is (seriously the display is lovely) and more like a lazy refresh Apple pushed out just so there would be some cheaper devices for people to buy to use with all those new services it’s rolling out this year.
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It’s so much thinner than the original Mini.Photo: Alex Cranz (Gizmodo)
Which speaks to the larger problem Apple is having with hardware at the moment. Everything feels uninspired. Good, certainly, like the new AirPods this new Mini is an exceptional piece of hardware you’re never gonna hate while using. But it has remade no wheel; it has pushed forward no conversation (apart from criticism of Apple). It’s a mere refresh. And it feels like it could have been so much more.
With Samsung and Huawei making folding phones, which are essentially foldable versions of the iPad Mini, there’s a time for Apple to make a big bold statement. Only Apple chose to carry ahead on, offering the most modest of refreshes. Which means right now, the iPad Mini is an exceptional buy and the best choice for people seeking under 8-inches of screen real estate it and the folding phones provide. But in a year? Or two? This perfectly solid device is gonna be perfectly outdated.
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README
The updated display looks wonderful and makes older iPad Minis seem lame.
Touch ID isn’t as good as Face ID.
A Home button is no longer as nice as gesture support.
This is still the best small tablet you can buy, and a wonderful ereader upgrade.
Netflix has supported AirPlay streaming from iOS devices to Apple TV since 2013, and while it wasn't the world's most necessary feature it is odd to hear that this week users noticed it suddenly stopped working. As MacRumors and Apple Insider point out, a support page on Netflix's website now says "Airplay is no longer supported for use with Netflix due to technical limitations."
Whatever those technical limitations might be -- arising at the same time Apple revealed a Netflix competitor with Apple TV+ and is making its AirPlay 2 protocol available on more devices -- they shouldn't interrupt your streaming by much. The Apple TV, and any other AirPlay-ready device, will certainly include a Netflix app built-in, and may even work with the Cast button as a fallback. Even if it doesn't, AirPlay Mirroring still works too, even if it's not as convenient. It could be annoying logging into Netflix with an awkward TV remote instead of just pressing one button on your phone or tablet, but for now that's what it will take.
Netflix has supported AirPlay streaming from iOS devices to Apple TV since 2013, and while it wasn't the world's most necessary feature it is odd to hear that this week users noticed it suddenly stopped working. As MacRumors and Apple Insider point out, a support page on Netflix's website now says "Airplay is no longer supported for use with Netflix due to technical limitations."
Whatever those technical limitations might be -- arising at the same time Apple revealed a Netflix competitor with Apple TV+ and is making its AirPlay 2 protocol available on more devices -- they shouldn't interrupt your streaming by much. The Apple TV, and any other AirPlay-ready device, will certainly include a Netflix app built-in, and may even work with the Cast button as a fallback. Even if it doesn't, AirPlay Mirroring still works too, even if it's not as convenient. It could be annoying logging into Netflix with an awkward TV remote instead of just pressing one button on your phone or tablet, but for now that's what it will take.
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