HyperDrive USB-C Hub for the iPad Pro (2018) Adds Headphone Jack andMore

Dongle life is either something you’ve accepted or avoided, and if you happen to be in the former camp HyperDrive has a hub just for you and your new iPad Pro.

Hyper, one of the popular third-party accessory makers for Apple devices, has just announced the new HyperDrive USB-C Hub for the 2018 iPad Pro (which is the first to launch with a USB-C port rather than a Lightning port). As the name of the accessory suggests, this connects directly to the USB-C port on the iPad Pro, and then offers a hub for a variety of other options, including the 3.5mm headphone jack that Apple axed from the iPad Pro lineup this year.

The HyperDrive USB-C Hub also adds an HDMI port, an SD and microSD card slot, USB-A port, and a USB-C PD port. When the Hub is connected, it is flush with the iPad Pro’s display, so it won’t be sticking over the side or anything like that. And while owners of the Hub will technically be able to plug in a USB flash drive, Hyper notes that you will need to use a third-party app to actually import and photos and videos from it. iOS still doesn’t support external storage.

The new HyperDrive USB-C Hub launches in December and works with both the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. When it does go live, it will retail for $99.99.

If you plan on picking up the new iPad Pro, even after the initial reviews, is this one accessory you will be picking up?

[via hyper]
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CIRP Data Says There are 181 Million Active iPhones in the U.S.

Apple Australia

Apple consistently sells a lot of iPhones, especially in the United States, and that trend means there are a lot of active units out there in the wild.

And, according to data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), that number is more than 180 million. The group’s latest data report shows that there are 181 million active iPhones in the United States alone, which is a big uptick from the 176 million active iPhones in the same area last year. In fact, according to the data, active iPhones grew by 3 percent just in the third quarter of this year, and 14% year-over-year.

“For comparison, one year ago, the iPhone US installed base grew 4% over the prior quarter and 17% over the prior year.

‘The installed base of iPhone owners in he US is leveling off, and grows at a steady but historically slow rate,’ said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. ‘This should not come as a surprise, as Apple captured a sizable and stable share of a smartphone market that definitely matured. And, 181 million active smartphones users give the company a significant platform for the emerging strategy of selling more to that installed base. This will include promoting two revenue segments that Apple breaks out, Services and Other Products, which Apple just renamed Wearables, Home, and Accessories.'”

How do Apple’s newest models stack up in the grand scheme of things? Pretty well, according to CIRP. The company’s newest devices (the iPhone XS, XS Max, iPhone X, iPhone 8, and the iPhone 8 Plus) account for about 45 million of the total install base in the United States, or about 25%. But, what about the iPhone XR, which was not on sale last quarter?

“Apple appears to want upgrades to iPhone XR, with a mass-appeal middle size and features that are similar to the newest XS and XS Max, but at the historic flagship price point. We can envision an upgrade cycle similar to the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, when more than half of the installed base upgraded within a year.”

So, things are going pretty well for Apple. But, that doesn’t mean things are staying the same on the company’s end of things. Apple won’t be reporting iPhone, Mac, or iPad sales any longer, which was a huge change that sent out ripples over the analytics and financing markets.

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HomePod Launching in China and Hong Kong on January 18

Apple today announced that it will start selling te HomePod in China and Hong Kong from January 18 for 2,799 yuan and $HK2,799 respectively. It will be available in white and space gray colours.

Apple had previously confirmed that it would be launching the HomePod in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The Siri-powered smart speaker is known more for its excellent audio quality which can rival far more expensive Hi-Fi speakers.

“HomePod is the perfect wireless speaker for music lovers. It delivers an unmatched music listening experience with high-fidelity sound wherever it is placed and creates a new way to discover and interact with music using Siri,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We’re excited to bring HomePod to our customers in mainland China and Hong Kong markets. We can’t wait for them to experience how great it sounds in their home, we think they are going to love it.”

With AirPlay 2 support, iPhone and iPad users will be able to stream content from AirPlay compatible apps to HomePod as well. This includes the likes of QQ Music, Spotify, Penguin Music, DeDao, and more.

The HomePod has not met with the same level of success as Apple might have hoped for. This is primarily due to how limited Siri is on the smart speaker and the high price tag of the speaker.

Apple has been working on fixing the former as it has been rolling out constant software updates for the HomePod since its release to add new features to it.

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