Apple’s September 2021 event has just concluded yesterday. They kick it off with the 9th generation Apple iPad. While it is not the most powerful Apple iPad available in Apple’s tablet line-up, it is technically the most accessible and the most popular Apple tablet ever.
The new 9th generation Apple iPad is a much-improved Apple iPad even compared to the 8th generation they introduced last year though. For starters, the latest Apple iPad comes with a powerful A13 Bionic chip that is even more powerful than the chip that came before while offering an extended battery life. The new A13 Bionic chip also allows the iPad to be an even more powerful learning and productivity tool than ever.
The 10.2-inch Retina display now packs True Tone technology that ensures that you get the best viewing experience in any lighting conditions. It still supports the 1st generation Apple Pencil for more intuitive note taking. You can pair it to Apple’s Smart Keyboard too for productivity purposes.
The front-facing camera is now a 12-Megapixel ultrawide shooter that works with Center Stage. Center Stage on the new iPad engages the A13 Bionic’s neural engine to automatically recognise faces through your front-facing camera and optimises the camera angle and frame to fit a single subject or multiple subjects. Center Stage is now supported by Zoom, Webex, and Bluejeans. Of course, you get the same functionalities on FaceTime.
The new iPadOS 15 powered iPad also comes with at least double the storage compared to the previous generation iPad at 64GB. There is also a larger 256GB storage option if you really need the space.
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The Apple iPad starts at US$ 329 (MYR 1,499*). There is also a WiFi + Cellular variant with prices starting from US$459 (MYR 2,119*). The new Apple iPad will come in either the silver or space grey finishes. The new Apple tablets will be shipping to customers in 28 countries and regions, including the United States (US), from the 24th of September 2021. Pre-orders has not started for Malaysia just yet though. You can find more information on the new Apple iPad on their website.
BEIJING, Sept. 16, 2021 — Innovation is often regarded as a pressing task in China, and to facilitate the high-quality development in all-round areas, efforts must be made in this regard.
 
The message was well emphasized during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s two-day inspection tour of northwest China’sShaanxi Province, where he highlighted about innovation and high-quality development in energy, ecological conservation, education and people’s livelihood.
Innovation, the most pressing task
Sci-tech innovation is the most pressing task and efforts must be accelerated to achieve breakthroughs in key and core technologies, Xi stressed during Monday’s visit to a chemical company to learn about the consumption and development of China’s coal industry.
The coal chemical industry, as a sector with huge potential and good prospects, must be transformed into a high-end, diversified and low-carbon industry, Xi said.
Coal is so far the primary energy consumption in China. Given the situation, Xi said a green and low-carbon development path for the industry is essential to the country’s mission to realize carbon neutrality by 2060. He emphasized the importance of sci-tech innovation to transform the traditional industry into a high-end, diversified and low-carbon one.
Ecological conservation, a balance between humans and nature
The Loess Plateau, once famous for its endless highlands of yellow earth from land erosion on the banks of Yellow River, now has been changing colors with local people’s tireless afforestation efforts.
Among them, Gaoxigou Village is known as a model of ecological conservation. During his trip to the village, Xi affirmed villagers’ efforts while stressing the need to integrate ecological governance with the development of distinctive local businesses.
We must firmly implement the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and explore a way to attain coordinated development between ecology and economy, and harmony between humans and nature, the Chinese president said.
Education, fundamental to national rejuvenation
Xi gave further explanation to the fundamental role of education when paying a visit to a middle school in Suide on Tuesday.
According to him, the aim of education is to improve people’s overall quality so as to raise the national degree of social civilization, achieve cultural confidence and enhance the national creative vitality.
He stressed the importance of reform in the education sector and called for efforts to cultivate young people who are equipped with moral grounding, intellectual and physical ability, and aesthetic sensibility that can contribute to the society.
Meanwhile, the Chinese president also urged to strengthen the primary role of schools in education, noting that the quality of education should be improved in an all-round way while easing students’ burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring.
Folk arts, an invaluable asset of the Chinese nation
While touring an exhibition hall for local intangible cultural heritage in Suide, Xi expressed appreciation for the local efforts to protect and inherit traditional culture.
Noting that Suide is one of the important origins of the Loess Culture, with abundant resources of intangible cultural heritage and traditional folk arts, Xi highlighted the importance of protecting folk arts as they are invaluable assets of the Chinese nation, and are vital to sustaining historical legacy and building a socialist country with great cultural strength.
He called for a creative transformation and development of the traditional culture so as to better link it to modern life to meet people’s ever-growing needs for a better life.
Apple’s iPad Air that was launched in 2020 was a game changer for the Apple iPad. It marked a shift for Apple’s product direction. It is Apple’s first mobile based device that features a USB Type-C port instead of the regular Lightning port.
The move to USB Type-C is a welcome change for users. It is also another door for whole new possibilities for the Apple iPad ecosystem. The availability of USB Type-C now allows Apple to develop even faster charging devices too for the Apple iPad ecosystem. But before the Apple event launch yesterday, the only Apple mobile device that sports the USB Type-C port is only the Apple iPad Air.
There is a new USB Type-C device in Apple’s stables though. The new iPad mini is finally refreshed and is a lot more powerful than before. It features the highly requested USB Type-C port.
Source: Apple
The iPad mini share plenty of similarities to the iPad Air launched in 2020 though. It is void of any physical button on the display plane, for example. The Touch ID button is now integrated with its power button on the top right corner of the device. That also allows the display to occupy a larger real estate on the device.
The 8.3-inch display is a Liquid Retina panel that boasts 500 nits in brightness. It is also a highly accurate display with P3 wide colour gamut coverage. To ensure that you get the best experience in any lighting conditions, True Tone technology on the display will adjust its colour profile based on the lighting conditions in your environment.
The Apple iPad mini now supports Apple’s 2nd generation Pencil which attaches to the iPad Mini magnetically. At the same time, the Apple Pencil will be wirelessly charged while attached to the iPad mini. Of course, with the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, the iPad Mini becomes a completely different workhorse.
Source: Apple
Power comes in the form of Apple’s latest A15 Bionic chip, the same one you find on the Apple iPhone 13 Pro. That also means you get a combination of two high-performance cores and four low-power cores for a total of six cores from the 5nm system on a Chip (SoC). With five dedicated GPU cores, the new A15 Bionic delivers 80% more graphical performance compared to the older iPad mini the 2021 variant replaces. At the same time, the dedicated 16-core Neural Engine and new Machine Learning (ML) accelerators offers twice the ML performance of the older iPad mini. That also means that Siri on the Apple iPad mini is more powerful than ever.
The rear camera is now a 12-Megapixel sensor. No, it ends there. There is only one camera out the back of the iPad mini that is paired to a True Tone LED flash. Clearly the iPad mini is not made for photography.
It is made to be a productive machine that you can work remotely with though. The compact iPad features a 12-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor out the front of the device. That allows Apple to inherit the Center Stage technology from the iPad Pro devices. The ultra-wide sensor allows for a larger frame, but at the same time, with the clever AI engine on the A15 Bionic SoC, the camera can cleverly focus on you, zoom in and out of scenes to include more users to be in the frame, and even for users to scale in and out of video calls. The feature is also now supported on Zoom, BlueJeans, and Cisco’s Webex apps.
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The iPadOS 15 powered Apple iPad mini for 2021 will be available in 28 countries, including the United States (US) from 24th September 2021. The iPad mini for 2021/2022 should be available in Malaysia October 2021 onward. it will be available in two storage options – 64GB and 256GB options. You can choose between Space Grey, Pink, Purple, and Starlight colour options. The Apple iPad mini will set you back US$ 499 (MYR 2,299*) onward for the WiFi only version and US$ 649 (MYR 2,949*) onward for the WiFi + Cellular variant. More on the Apple iPad mini for 2021/2022 can be found on their website.
* Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.16 on xe.com as of 16/09/2021
New assets will enhance Park Place’s Professional Services globally and expand offerings for enterprise customers
CLEVELAND and NORWELL, Mass., Sept. 15, 2021 — Park Place Technologies, a global IT infrastructure services and solutions provider, announced the acquisition of specific assets of Congruity360. Norwell, Massachusetts-based Congruity360 provides global, vendor-agnostic, IT Management services.
Park Place will acquire Congruity360’s third-party maintenance business, data migration services businesses and new hardware sales offerings. Congruity360 will maintain ownership of its information governance and software business.
"When we acquired Curvature late last year, it greatly strengthened Park Place’s hardware maintenance and professional services capabilities. The Curvature acquisition created a significant and meaningful competitor to OEM data center maintenance. Additionally, it greatly enhanced our professional services capabilities. Congruity360 mirrors that model with a nice slate of maintenance clients and a dynamic and growing data migration business that will add another layer to our professional services capabilities," said Chris Adams, Park Place President and CEO.
Gartner reports that because data migration projects can involve multiple systems and are time-consuming, nearly 50 percent of all such projects will exceed budget or be detrimental to the business. Park Place’s Professional Services solutions will incorporate Congruity360’s data migration practice to efficiently and cost-effectively consult, manage and carry out the largest and most complex data migrations, regardless of OEM and VAR.
"The Congruity360 team understands data, understands workflow, and understands compliance and security," said Brian Davidson, Congruity360 CEO. "We are experts in moving petabytes of storage data for Fortune 500 companies. We help plan and strategize for moves involving Cloud, on-prem and hybrid storage platforms, meeting the biggest challenges that CIOs and CEOs face when migrating data today. We own the process from end to end; we can augment internal teams or provide knowledge transfer for new infrastructure in the environment with unmatched speed and efficiency."
This is Park Place’s second acquisition in 2021 and 18th acquisition since 2016.
ABOUT PARK PLACE Park Place Technologies is a global IT infrastructure and solutions provider with a unique portfolio (of resources and services) designed to streamline the monitoring and management of digital environments.
Our DMSO (Discover, Monitor, Support & Optimize) approach increases infrastructure visibility and control by integrating IT management at the hardware, network, OS, and application levels. Park Place’s industry-leading and award-winning services include Park Place Hardware Maintenance™, Park Place Professional Services™, ParkView Managed Services™, Entuity™ software and Curvature Hardware sales.
For more information, visit www.parkplacetechnologies.com. Park Place is a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners and GTCR.
MEDIA CONTACTS Park Place Technologies Contacts: Jennifer Deutsch, Chief Marketing Officer jdeutsch@parkplacetechnologies.com 440-991-3105
The Apple Watch has become one of the most popular fitness wearables since its launch. This year, we’re seeing Apple bring some of the most requested features to the smartwatch as well as expanding its fitness offerings with Fitness+.
The Apple Watch Series 7 drops all the vanities for functional upgrades this year. Unlike the version circulating in rumors, the Series 7 continues to have its familiar design with one big difference. It now sports even slimmer bezels and a larger display. Coming at a minute 1.7mm, the bezels on the Apple Watch Series 7 are the slimmest to date – 40% slimmer than the Series 6. The always-on display is also 70% brighter than the series 6 making it easier to see without waking the screen.
To take advantage of the larger display space, Apple is also enabling a full QWERTY keyboard on the Apple Watch. To ease typing the keyboard will take advantage of QuickPath which will allow input by swiping with a single finger. There are also two additional larger font sizes.
In addition, the Apple Watch Series 7 is also coming with new enhancements that are not only more environmentally kind but also more durable. Cupertino is claiming that this is their most durable watch yet. The front of the watch is now made of thicker crystal with, what they say is, a stronger more robust geometry and is 50% thicker than the series 6. It’s more crack-resistant as well. It’s also IP6X dust resistant and maintains its WR50 water resistance rating.
The Apple Watch Series 7 marks a milestone in watch OS as it brings new software features. This time, watch OS 8 brings features that enhanced features that take advantage of the new, hardier build. Apple has enhanced its watch OS algorithms to make tracking cycling more reliable. Using the GPS, heart rate, accelerometer and gyroscope the Apple watch is now able to detect when you start, stop and even have a tumble while cycling. It is also able to detect pedal assist on e-bikes.
Apple Fitness+ Gets More Interactive and Expanded Availability
Together with the new Apple Watch Series 7, Apple is also expanding the availability of their Apple Watch-centered fitness service: Fitness+. Apple Fitness+ will be making its way to 15 new countries including Austria, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, and Mexico among others.
In addition to the expanded availability, Apple Fitness+ will be introducing even more activities to get you moving. Joining the arsenal of fitness activities is guided meditation and pilates. Users can now get guided meditation sessions to help with mindfulness and stress as well as work on their core and body conditioning with trained experts on Fitness+.
You don’t have to do kick off your fitness journey alone either. Apple Fitness+ is bringing group workouts. You’ll be able to work out with your friends and family thanks to SharePlay. Simply text or FaceTime to set up the session and work out together remotely. You will be able to see your friends’ milestones to celebrate together in group workouts. It will also contribute to your own progress as you work to close that ring!
Pricing & Availability
The Apple Watch Series 7 will be available in 42mm and 45mm versions later this fall. It will be available in five new aluminum case colors: midnight, starlight, green, and a new blue and (PRODUCT)RED. It will also be available in standard stainless steel as well. Prices start at USD$399 (MYR1,659.13).
Apple Fitness+will be available later this year priced at USD$9.99 (MYR41.54) per month or $79.99 (MYR332.63) per year. It’s also included as part of the Apple One Premier Plan which is available for USD$29.95 (MYR124.54). The Apple One Premier subscription also includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and 2TB of iCloud storage.
Solutions that break down data help FSIs build a more collaborative and successful business, finds Frost & Sullivan
LONDON, Sept. 15, 2021 — The surge in cloud adoption in the UK has caused a simultaneous increase in the incidence of cyberattacks. The financial service industry (FSI), one of the leading adopters of cloud and new digital technologies, has often been a target for cybersecurity threat actors due to the sensitive nature of its data. To survive the waves of increasingly sophisticated attacks, FSI businesses turn to third-party cloud experts with integrated solutions that can offer them deep and wide-ranging visibility into their networks and devices.
Frost & Sullivan’s latest white paper, Modernising Operations and Customer Interactions in the UK Financial Services Industry, analyzes the opportunities and challenges inherent in FSIs’ recent migration to the cloud. It explores how the right solution provider can ensure successful outcomes.
To download the complimentary white paper, please visit: http://frost.ly/64h
"FSI businesses need to work with partners that understand the industry’s requirement for secure, compliant solutions and provide the right tools for data storage and management. Such tools can help avert costly repatriation, security challenges, and keep costs manageable," said Roberta Gamble, Partner & Vice President at Frost & Sullivan. "Advanced cloud solution providers such as NetApp are ideally positioned to address FSIs’ direct needs, creating greater organizational visibility through a ‘single pane of glass’ offering."
"FSI is a heavily regulated industry with significant internal compliance, so any solution deployed must ensure these requirements are met, while still providing all the value of moving to the Cloud, such as greater agility, accelerated modernisation and the increased ability to innovate. NetApp provides both solutions and expertise to thousands of FSIs looking to deploy a Hybrid, Multi-cloud environment," said Steve Rackham, Senior Solutions Engineering Manager – FSI at NetApp.
With the right security solution, FSIs can be sure that:
The data is fully protected yet fully accessible wherever it resides.
The full benefits of cloud are realized while limiting risks.
They are compliant with all industry regulations.
Data backup and recovery from the cloud are optimal.
The management of a multi-cloud environment will be easy.
About Frost & Sullivan
For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.
Startups have become the norm nowadays. They’ve become a hallmark for not just the tech industry but also a thriving economy. However, when it comes down to it, the startup arena can also become one of the most brutal, unforgiving arenas any founder or individual can find themselves. The world has its eyes on Southeast Asia – Malaysia included – as its startup ecosystem teeters on the verge of another boom. The start-up arena has become one of the largest spaces for investment in the region, attracting some USD$1.48 billion in just Q1 of 2021 alone according to CB Insights. A significant chunk of 40.6% of this investment is driven by early-stage deals.
So, the big question is, what do we do with this data? We’ve heard tonnes of startup stories – so, we’re offering a slightly different perspective. Let’s talk about the tech. Yes, not every startup is an app or tech-related. However, with the rapidly changing needs and challenges now, it has become even more important for startups to be able to adapt and react accordingly – in a word – AGILE. Again, it’s a term we’ve heard or read countless times. That said, it’s become even more important now that they do – it could be the difference between survival and disappearing into the ether.
Fail Efficiently, Innovate Quickly
Like a wise woman once sang – “Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start…”. The world as we know it has changed over the past few decades. In fact, it’s changed in the past few years! The costs of starting a startup have reduced from USD$5 million in 1999 to just over USD$50,000 in 2010 and continue to decline.
The biggest difference? The Cloud. Cloud computing has significantly reduced the capital needed to start-up enterprises and it will continue to do so. Companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) are enabling agility and cost-efficiency. They are enabling startups to take off with no upfront costs but most importantly they encourage startups to experiment and fail fast – allowing them to move forward with innovating their next approach. Each failure allows startups to learn, optimise and eventually succeed.
“The great thing about startups is the ability to start small and learn as you go. So long as you get the foundations right – such as ensuring you are secure by design from the outset – it won’t matter so much if you make the odd misstep along the way, because the consequences will be small.”
Digbijoy Shukla, Business Development Lead, Startup Business Development ASEAN, AWS
These flexibilities are key in startups as it goes without saying – the road to their success is how fast they are able to present and prove their concept. The ability to provision and decommission servers and technological resources quickly and efficiently will help these start-ups further optimise and conserve resources. With this inherent efficiency built in it falls to start-ups and their management to take advantage of the tools at their fingertips to enhance their offering, evolve their approach and embrace the insights they are privy to.
Source: Adobe Stock
The Right Cloud Computing Partners can determine the Success of Startups
The ability to fail fast and experiment comes secondary to the tools any startup has at its disposal. Cloud computing continues to be a necessity simply because of its robust offerings. Going digital is no more about changing typewriters to desktops, it’s about a set of tools that allow you to create, adapt and react to ensure that the company is meeting its clients’ and customers’ needs.
“It’s critical to align yourself with the right partners and support as early as possible. Folks like 500 Startups and AWS aren’t here to be new and trendy, we’ve been part of the core ecosystem infrastructure since the early days.”
Khailee Ng, Managing Partner, 500 Startups
Choosing the right cloud, then, is an essential part of a start-up’s success. It’s like choosing the right business partner, you need someone who believes in your vision and complements your skills with the correct tools. With the number of Cloud providers continually increasing, start-ups are forced to make a choice based on the needs and skill level of their organisation.
In our session with AWS, Khailee Ng, Managing Partner at 500 Startups, stressed that getting the right partner can be akin to getting that first investment. Programs like AWS Activate enable startups to continue experimenting and functioning while upskilling and adapting. It creates a simultaneous process in which founders, staff and enablers are continually interacting and improving. In fact, programmes like AWS Activate essentially provide startups with an infusion of not just credits for experimentation and setting up, it provides a platform for startups to learn and implement the relevant knowledge for their success. AWS also provides technical support which allows non-technical founders to also benefit.
Scale, Pivot and React with Actionable Insights from the Cloud
Being on the Cloud is not always about cost or efficiency. It’s about the amount of data that will be available from the experimentation and even day to day usage of services and products. The data and insights that it gives will invariably determine the direction in which the startup can grow. In fact, if utilised properly, this data can even provide insights into new niches and services that can grow the startup’s user base and open new markets.
In the initial six months, we were a car listings site. We pivoted the business in 2016, based on the data. We then extended our sales online, with customer benefits such as five days money back guarantee. Our (sales) pickup rate became much stronger, as we saw the same level of sales (as what we experienced) before the lockdowns. It’s really all about navigating successfully through this crisis.”
Eric Cheng, Co-Founder and CEO of Carsome, an integrated car e-commerce platform
Source: Adobe Stock
Take, for instance, Malaysian born startup – Carsome which started as a platform for searching for second-hand cars. The company ended up pivoting to complement its pre-existing service. They expanded to include the sales and purchase of these vehicles based on insights derived from the data generated by their users. They were able to gain insights that highlighted a niche that they could occupy; more importantly, it complemented their existing product. With these insights, they were quickly able to adapt, react and develop an offering that enhanced their product and led to exponential growth. They continue to use this data to enhance their service and ensure user happiness.
Of course, the Cloud doesn’t just provide for actionable insights and agility. It’s also about offloading mundane tasks and leveraging offerings like AWS Sagemaker. Implementing AI and Machine Learning in taking over tasks that can and should be automated will allow startups to focus their workforce on more pertinent tasks that will allow them to differentiate themselves further. Focusing on what is important will allow startups to eventually be able to scale. Of course, this doesn’t mean that vital tasks are offloaded, but it does mean that startups are able to maximise efficiency and optimise their workforce allowing them to flourish.
The Cloud Is Not the Future, It is Now
We keep hearing that the Cloud is the future. In truth, startups and companies that fail to adopt and adapt are bound to be held back by their own inefficiencies and stigmas. It is crucial that we realise that the Cloud is now – it’s not the future; at least, not anymore. Leveraging the Cloud and its many tools is a pivotal skill that startups need to develop. In fact, it would not be unfounded to say that it is a skill that all organisations should already be developing.
We are at a stage in the world where technology has already proliferated every aspect of our lives; from our entertainment to our work and even in our day-to-day lives. Why then are we hesitant to adopt it at scale to increase our own efficiencies and productivity? Why are we hesitant to put technology – already available – to use to increase profitability?
Startups cannot wait to adopt Cloud computing anymore. In fact, they are setting themselves up for failure without the proper Cloud and the willingness to learn how to use it. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to put technology to work for you in this day.
MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 15, 2021 — Tonik, the Philippines’ first digital-only neobank, has launched a pioneering Quick Loanproduct on its platform. The launch of Quick Loan marks Tonik’s entry into the deeply underserved consumer lending market in the Philippines, in which it intends to establish itself as one of the market leaders. Tonik’s game-changing all-digital Quick Loan is designed to serve the vast unbanked and underbanked Filipino middle class with a quick and affordable bank credit proposition.
Mass Market Appeal. Tonik’s Quick Loan doesn’t require the client to have a prior credit history or a pre-existing bank account at another bank, relying instead on world-class alternative credit scoring technologies for credit decision.
Rapid Application and Credit Decision. The Quick Loan offers a market-leading rapid application path of under 15 minutes, based on an upload of only one ID and the latest pay slip. The credit decision is typically made within minutes through proprietary AI-driven underwriting.
Instant Disbursement. Once approved, the funds are instantly credited to the client’s Tonik Account. From there, the funds can be withdrawn through OTC partners Cebuana and MLhuillier, moved to client’s other bank or e-wallet account, or paid out through an ATM or merchant payment using the Tonik Debit Card.
Affordable and Convenient Repayment. By availing of up to 24 months loan duration, Quick Loan clients can comfortably spread up to P 50,000 of total loan principal across their monthly budgets. The clients can also set their own preferred monthly repayment dates, as well as save time and reduce their interest rate by linking their salary payroll ATM card.
Tonik enters consumer lending with a game-changing 15-minute Quick Loan
"Traditional banks require the applicant to have credit history to approve a loan while 80%+ of the Filipinos don’t have any credit history. As a result, the Filipino consumers are forced to borrow from friends and family or from payday loan providers at very high interest. This damages their long-term financial stability and undermines their future, and we think this is unfair. We estimate that there is USD 100 billion of potential market for consumer loans in the Philippines, which is currently 90% unserved. Our plan is to change this balance and make affordable loans accessible for majority of Filipinos," said Greg Krasnov, CEO and Founder of Tonik.
"We have already attracted close to USD 80 million of consumer deposits since our launch six months ago. This has validated our ability to rapidly scale our resources for lending, and therefore enables us to grow our loan book fast and without any reliance on third party wholesale funding. So, the Quick Loan is only the first in a range of all-digital consumer lending products that we will introduce over the coming months. Our plan is to use advanced digital technology to help solve financial inclusion in the country," said Krasnov.
Tonik is supervised by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) through its own digital bank license, and deposits are insured by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC). Its unique cloud-based solution is powered by global financial technology leaders such as Mastercard, Amazon Web Services, and Finastra.
Tonik is the first digital-only neobank in the Philippines, providing a full stack of Loan, Deposit, and Payment products to consumers on a highly secure digital banking platform. The neobank operates on the basis of its own bank license issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Tonik is led by a team of retail finance veterans who have previously built and scaled multiple retail banks and fintechs across the global emerging markets. It is backed by top international venture capital funds. Tonik operates out of hubs in Singapore (HQ), Manila, Chennai, and Kyiv.
What is an Apple event without an Apple iPhone? We do not actually know the answer to that. Whatever though, because the new Apple iPhone for 2021/2022 is here; the Apple iPhone 13 and its Mini version is here.
You will now that you have the new Apple iPhone 13 though if you put it beside an iPhone 12. While most of its overall dimensions stays similar, the camera array on the Apple iPhone 13 is just a tiny bit different. It is distinct enough to notice though. Instead of the cameras arranged in a straight line down, it is now diagonally placed across each other. There is a reason for this, and we will talk about it later.
Source: Apple
Flip it to the front and the only differentiator between the 12 and 13 is the size of the notch that houses the Face ID sensor alongside 12-Megapixel front-facing camera. It is still the same Super Retina XDR OLED display that you get from before though at 5.4-inch on the Mini and 6.1-inch on the regular iPhone 13. Except they are now brighter at up to 1200 nits.
At the back are two 12-Megapixels that handles different jobs. The one at the bottom is the main 12-Megapixel sensor that features a larger sensor than before for even better looking low-light photos. The main sensor also features Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) for steady handheld shots whenever and wherever you are. The other camera is an Ultra-Wide sensor.
The cameras also features Photography Styles where users can choose between a collection of pre-set colour settings to really bring out their creativity in photos. At the same time, the camera is capable of shooting videos in Dolby Vision HDR at up to 4K 60p resolution. On top of that you also get Cinematic mode with Rack Focus effects on the Apple iPhone 13.
All the added features are possible thanks to the new Apple A15 Bionic System on a Chip (SoC). It is made with 5nm process, which is still the standard we are used to today. The most advanced chip from Apple is now a six-core SoC though with two of its cores being high-powered cores for the best-in-class processing performance. It also features a 4-core GPU which is powerful enough to drive the most demanding mobile games you can find on Apple’s App Store. With a 16-core Neural Engine, Siri on the iPhone 13 is more powerful than ever.
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The Apple iPhone 13 will be available for pre-orders starting from 17th of September 2021 onward. It will start shipping out in Apple’s major markets from the 24th of September 2021 onward. Unfortunately, Malaysia is not a part of the first markets to get the Apple iPhone. We do not have to wait for that long though since the Apple iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini will be available 1st of October 2021 onward. You get to choose from pink, blue, midnight, starlight, and RED colour options for both the iPhone models. Storage options start at 128GB and tops out at 512GB. The Apple iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini starts at US$ 799 (MYR 3,899*) and US$ 699 (MYR 3,399*)respectively. You can find more information on Apple’s latest iPhone from their website.
Apple’s Event just happened, and of course, as expected, we are graced with Apple’s latest iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. For good measure, they keep the best for last. They launched the Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max at the end of their show instead. It is the star of the show anyway, the most anticipated Apple device for the year 2021.
So, what changed? The design of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro series has not changed all that much compared to the Apple iPhone 12 Pro series. In fact, they feature the exact same dimensions that should also allow your iPhone 12 Pro cases to work with the newer Apple iPhone 13 Pro devices that was just launched. Even the camera module looks similar. There is no additional notches or dips on the device’s body itself that makes it stand out over the Apple iPhone 12 Pro series.
Put the devices side by side and you might notice a small difference on the forehead of the devices. The Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max now features a smaller notch compared to the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. The iconic notch has not changed in shape though. You get slightly more in terms of the display real estate in this case. They remain the same sizes though at 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch for respective model.
Source: Apple
The new ultimate Apple iPhone variants still feature the same Super Retina XDR display that you would find on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro models from before. Of course, the bigger displayed Pro Max will pack a bit more pixel on the 6.7-inch OLED display than the 6.1-inch OLED of the regular Pro device. They now come with something Apple calls ProMotion. To be fair, ProMotion is a fancier way of saying that the new device now features up to 120Hz (as low as 10Hz) in refresh rate. It is also a variable refresh rate that brings the display up to speed with other Android flagships.
You still get the usual HDR display with TrueTone technology on the Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. Of course, wide colour gamut coverage is still available on the Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, important since they sold the device as a content creator’s ultimate tool. The ceramic shielded display now can display at up to 1200 nits in brightness though, which is brighter than the iPhone that came before.
Within the IP68 rated body that is made with a combination of glass, stainless steel, and ceramic is a mighty Apple A15 bionic chip that boasts a new more powerful 16-core Neural Engine for an even more responsive Siri and cleverer camera functions. The A15 bionic chip also features a new 6-core 5nm process CPU block with 2 high-performance cores. It also features a 5-core GPU.
There is a relatively new camera system on both the Pro and Pro Max devices too. They are still boasting the same resolutions as before. The new most advanced Apple iPhone features a main camera with a slightly larger sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) though. The direct result of that is supposedly better low-light performance from the camera.
Source: Apple
The ultra-wide camera can not only take great looking ultra-wide photos. It can also act as a macro camera with a minimal focal distance of 2cm. Thanks to the A15 Bionic too, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max’s camera app now features new Photographic Styles that allows users to quickly set their iPhone up to shoot photos with distinct colour profiles that reflects the users’ preferences. Night mode is also now available for all three of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max’s camera app.
With better cameras and better neural programming, the video capabilities of the iPhone Pro models are extended. The most powerful iPhones can now shoot in ProRes format at 4K 30p resolution. You can also edit ProRes videos directly on the device. The most interesting addition to the video capabilities is Rack Focus via Cinematic mode on the. Rack Focus on Cinematic mode allows users or content creators to quickly change focus and add depth to films to force the viewers perspectives. The depth data is also built into the videos you shoot on the Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max so that you can go back to the video and choose your focus moments to the dot while editing the video on board.
While Apple never discloses their battery capacity information to the public, they say that they have made some breakthroughs with the battery life of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. They managed to make the new Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max last for 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours longer on average compared to their respective predecessors. The numbers are quite subjective though, meaning Apple did not really disclose the actual battery life of the devices.
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max is available for pre-order in the United States this Friday onward and will be available from the 24th of September 2021. There is some good news for Malaysia though. The devices will be available in Malaysia on the 1st of October 2021 onward. Both the Apple iPhone 13 Pro devices will be available in four finishes – Graphite, Gold, Silver, and Sierra Blue. You also get to choose between 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and now 1TB storage options too for both models. The smaller Apple iPhone 13 Pro will set you back US$ 999 (MYR 4,899*) onward. The larger Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max will set you back US$ 1,099 (MYR 5,299*) onward. There are no confirmed prices for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max in Malaysia just yet. You can find more information on the most powerful Apple iPhones ever from their website.
