Your weekly look at the world of smartphones and mobile technology, this is the Phone Buzz on Friday 11th June 2021.

This Week’s Top Story

• This week’s number one spot has tot to belong to Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference. Tim Cook and his team announced a raft of software updates, although if you were expecting some new MacBooks, you’d have been disappointed (so yes, I was disappointed). But the underlying message was one of privacy. With the existing ‘opt-in to app tracking’ under iOS and iPadOS already having an impact, Cook is pushing forward with more services that will reduce the information that advertisers and social networks can passively obtain when their services are used on Apple hardware. Niemen Labs has a good summary.

Apple Headlines

• Let’s start off the WWDC news with the latest version iOS. The fifteenth numbered version leans into the privacy changes, but also stresses messaging. FaceTime will expand out to Windows and Android; sharing media from certain apps in real time on a call for an ad-hoc watch party; and links through iMessage to specific apps can appear in those apps, such as ‘Connadh shared this news story about Duolingo’s Gaelic update’ showing up in the news app. Apple missed much of the messaging and video conferencing rush during 2020’s ‘work from home’, so this feels a bit like catching up (CNBC).
• Perhaps one the best nits of news on iOS was not about iOS 15, but iOS 14. Previously Apple would depreciate the older versions of iOS and force everyone on to the next whole version number. Not this time. If you want to stay on iOS 14, you can… and Apple will continue to provide security updates to both versions. Whether this remains in place for iOS 14 when iOS 16 is released remains to be seen, but for now this will be welcomed by many (The Register).
• iPad OS up next, and the march towards ‘your next computer is not a computer’ turning into a computer continues. While there are no major changes, the ’Split View improves multitasking and multiple window support on the screen. Oh and there are keyboard shortcuts included as well. Sure sounds like the tablet is doing its best to become a 2-in-1 PC when you add a keyboard (TechCrunch).
• MacOS also picked up some small additions while keeping the main building blocks similar to the previous version – I suspect that most of the changes are at a lower level to improve ARM support and the emulation of x86 apps. The most visible change is the ability to use the keyboard and trackpad of a Mac on your iPad – just swish the cursor off the edge of the screen and see it on the other device. (The Verge).
• As for the more technical updates, Samuel Axon has picked out a few of note, including low power mode (Ars Technica).
• While we didn’t see any new MacBook Pro machines on stage, Apple’s web team may have been caught out, with the livestream keywords on YouTube featuring ‘MacBook Pro M1X’ (Forbes).
• Finally on the update front, WatchOS 8 also picked up smaller changes keeping the broad strokes of the environment intact. A number of the health-based apps have been updated, including Mindfulness, and Sleep; while Tai Chi and Pilates are added to the Workout app (MacWorld).
• With all these updates, I’m picking up a theme. Small tweaks, no major changes, and a steady as she goes but advance slowly where you can. Given the circumstances of 2020, this doesn’t come as a huge revelation. I’d go so far as to suggest that the real focus has been on MacOS and the move from Intel to Apple Silicon taking up the lions share of developer resources.
• Outside of the WWDC stage, its worth noting the update of Adobe’s Illustrator and InDesign to run on Apple’s ARM-based platform, with Adobe citing performance updates of 65 percent and 59 percent respectively. These join the other Creative Cloud apps now running on Apple Silicon,. I wonder when we’ll see these ported to Windows 10 on ARM? (Adobe Blog).
• Also updating to ARM-native code for MacOS is Microsoft’s OneDrive client (Microsoft’s OneDrive Blog), while xCloud Gaming will be coming to iPhone in the next few weeks, not via an app but through the Safari web browser(9to5Mac).

Android Headlines

• Samsung has launched two new tablets in Russia; specifically the Galaxy Tab S7 FE and the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite. No doubt the Android-powered tablets will be coming to more territories over the next weeks (Samsung Newsroom).
• Also popping up in Russia – this time from the certification authorities – is a potential Nokia branded tablet from the HMD Mobile team. As it stands we’ve no more details beyond the model numbers (NokiaMob).
• A second variant of the upcoming Galaxy S21 Fan Edition has been spotted. Listings from the online benchmarking tool GeekBench has listed both the known 6 GB RAM model, and the new 8 GB RAM model. The handset is expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 models the near future (SamMobile).
• Counterpoint Research’s latest look at the smartphone market in Q1 has many interesting stories to tell. I’ll pick out three; Samsung has picked up the largest share of global sales (22 percent of 350 million devices); Apple has a 55 percent share in the North American market; and Huawei has crashed to a four percent share, no doubt due to its inclusion on the US Entities list and the spinning out of Honor  (PhoneArena).
• Huawei’s fall is of particular interest to C Scott Brown, who has taken a look at the company’s current status. From overtaking Samsung as the largest smartphone company in the world, to falling out of the Top Five, what does the loss of Huawei mean to the market? (Android Authority).
• OnePlus has announced the next handset in its successful Nord line-up. The OnePlus Nord CE 5G. This continues the first generation of the Nord family of handsets. It’s powered by the SnapDragon 750G, comes with OnePlus’ fast refreshing screen and fast (albeit wired) charging. The handset is priced at £299 here in the UK for the 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage (TechRadar).
• The second public beta of Android 12 brings a number of new features to those testing the mobile OS. Dieter Chon has picked out the new ‘Internet’ button. This replaces the ‘Wi Fi’ button from previous versions, leading to a new pop up dialog to choose your path to the internet, including your own WiFim but also 4G, 5G, and local hotspots (The Verge).
• Google is also expanding the options in its search engine choice screen. Seen at the startup of a new device, it allows users to set the default search engine on their handset. Google will be showing more search engines on the screen, and offering certain engines free placement if they meet certain criteria (Google’s Keyword Blog),
• Razer has updated its gaming wireless range with the Hammerhead True Wireless X earbuds. Offering support for Google FastPair, as well as 60ms low latency and Razer colour lighting in the touchpads, lthey’re available now (Razer).

And Finally…

• Facebook is planning its own smartwatch, according to Alex Heath. Sporting a forward facing camera for video chats, and a larger camera at the rear (with the watch body detachable from the strap to allow it to be used), the timepiece will integrate with many of Facebook’s services. I’m curious to see just how much data this device will be able to record from the user, and how much you will be able to opt out from (The Verge).

Ewan Spence

Ewan is the editor at Phone Buzz News. For over 30 years he has been covering the worlds of media and technology, from the early days of the first smartphone through to their essential role in today's society.