Apple’s “find” app is a little troublesome, 80% of AirPods can’t be sold new

Apple’s iOS 15 operating system integrates AirPods into the “Find” app search. If users accidentally lose their headphones, they have the opportunity to retrieve them through “Find”, but this good intention has now become a small trouble for retailers. According to foreign media reports, if consumers buy AirPods and return them, but consumers have linked the earphones to their Apple IDs and forgot to unpair them from Apple IDs, retailers can hardly sell the new earphones.

“9to5mac” reported that the recent iOS version seems to integrate the “Find” app with AirPods headphones more, but it has also caused trouble for retailers, because consumers have returned Apple ID paired headphones or exchanged for another pair of headphones. Unlinked from the old Apple ID, so the headset cannot be sold as a new one.

If a device refurbisher sells the paired Apple ID paired earphones to the next consumer, the pairing of the earphones may be rejected, and the message “AirPods does not match” will appear on the screen.

“9to5mac” reported that this “finding” little trouble has affected retailers such as Walmart supermarkets. GoTRG, an equipment refurbishment business partnered with Walmart, was forced to stock more than 30,000 affected headphones in just a few weeks. goTRG pointed out that this problem affects at least 80% of AirPods.

R2Cell, which sells refurbished AirPods exclusively on Amazon’s e-commerce platform, was forced to stop selling refurbished AirPods entirely.

The only solution at present is to unlink the Apple ID through the original AirPods consumer. And before returning or replacing AirPods or selling second-hand AirPods, it is best to unpair Apple ID; if you buy new or second-hand AirPods without unpairing, it is likely to be mastered by the previous user using the “Find” App. whereabouts.

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Foldable pins, dual USB-C holes, Apple’s 35W fast charger appearance exposed

Previous news pointed out that Apple is developing a 35W dual USB-C charging head, which can charge two devices when needed. Now a Twitter account has revealed the appearance of the new charging head.

ChargerLAB posted a set of pictures of Apple’s latest 35W dual USB-C charging head on Twitter. ChargerLAB did not specifically mention the source of the photos.

It can be seen that Apple’s 35W dual USB-C charging head looks different from the existing 20W USB-C charging head. This 35W dual USB-C charging head has a pair of foldable pins, and the two USB-C ports are not designed to be on opposite sides of the pins, but side by side.

And in order to allow users to better unplug the charging head, the other two sides of the charging head have a prototype groove design, which allows users to better hold.

However, it seems that more news about this 35W dual USB-C charging head has not yet been released, and ChargerLAB also pointed out that more news will be brought soon.

Which laptop has the longest lifespan? Battery life competition, MacBook Pro did not win the championship

Can your laptop last all day on a single charge? The US non-profit organization “Consumer Reports” (Consumer Reports) selected the “longest battery life” laptops of various sizes, and it was unexpected that the MacBook Pro was not on the list.

The laptop selection is divided into 17/18-inch, 15/16-inch, 14-inch, 12/13-inch and 10/11-inch models. Unfortunately, Apple’s MacBook series did not rank first in all categories.

First up is the largest laptop, the 2021 model LG Gram 17 can last 18 hours of web browsing and 10 hours of 4K video playback without a power connection, with the large laptops a landslide winner, with the Dell Inspiron coming in second at 13 hours 25. The report suggests that if you have a budget, you can choose the 2020 LG Gram, with only about an hour less battery life and a much more affordable price.

The 15/16-inch model is the 2021 model Dell XPS 15, with more than 18 hours of battery life for web browsing and 8 hours of 4K video playback, plus a NVIDIA graphics card for gaming.

The longest-lasting 14-inch laptop is the Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-75UX, with over 27 hours of web browsing and 11 hours of video testing, which is quite impressive. The report also recommends the ASUS ZenBook Duo, because in addition to a certain level of battery life (over 21 hours in the network test and 12 hours in the video test), it is also a dual-screen laptop, which can be said to be quite convenient.

The longest-lasting 12/13-inch laptop is the Galaxy Book Pro 360, which can maintain 20 hours of Internet access and 12 hours of 4K video playback. The HP Envy is another option, at the same price but with more storage, nearly 19 hours of web browsing and 7.5 hours of 4K video playback.

The report pointed out that there are not many types of 10/11-inch notebooks. Due to the slow processor and limited storage space, the power is somewhat insufficient. If you want to choose one, you can choose the AK0012DX of the HP Stream 11.

The UK-Germany 725km submarine cable is expected to start construction this year

Under the shadow of the Russian-Ukrainian war, countries are also striving to ensure energy supply. The 725-kilometer-long submarine cable plan connecting the UK and Germany has also made new progress. At present, more than 1.5 billion pounds of contracts have been signed, and the project is expected to start this year.

NeuConnect is the UK’s first power grid directly connected to Germany, with a total length of 725 kilometers, allowing 1.4GW of electricity to be transported in both directions. At present, NeuConnect has signed contracts with Prysmian S.p.A. and Siemens, and Prysmian will be responsible for the design, manufacture , installation, testing and commissioning of 725 kilometers of line, Siemens is responsible for the design and construction of the UK and Germany converter station (converter station), the total value of the two contracts is about 1.5 billion pounds.

Among the investors behind the NeuConnect plan are Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners and Kansai Electric Power. NeuConnect said that since key contractors are now in place, it is expected to complete financial settlement in the next few weeks, and construction can begin this year.

Julia Prescot, Chairman of the Board of NeuConnect and Co-Founder of Meridiam, said, “Our need for a more resilient and sustainable energy infrastructure has never been greater, so the team is delighted that NeuConnect can reach another key milestone, a step towards a vital energy line. An important step.”

NeuConnect sees this as an invisible “energy highway” and the first grid to directly connect the UK and German energy markets.

However, the NeuConnect project is not the first line to connect the UK with European countries. In 2021, a 724-kilometer submarine cable connecting the UK and Norway has been launched. Norway’s abundant hydropower resources will be able to assist the UK’s power grid system. The wind power generation resources in Norway can also help Norway to stabilize power supply; and the United Kingdom also announced a multi-billion-pound underwater energy highway plan in 2020, which will send more Scottish power to England, and will develop a high-voltage high-voltage with a total capacity of 4GW. DC line.

Shanghai continues to dynamically clear, Tesla may suspend work until May 15

Shanghai has finally ushered in the initial “micro-unblocking”, but under the premise of the continuous dynamic clearing policy, Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory is still unable to start construction, and the shutdown time may exceed original expectations.

Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory has been suspended since March 28, and it was originally expected to resume work in mid-April, but due to the continued tension of the epidemic, the resumption of work seems to be a long way off.

Shanghai announced the “micro-unblocking” of some areas yesterday. Only about one-fifth of the citizens can go out to take a breath, and most of the rest are still staying at home according to regulations. The Pudong Lingang Industrial Zone, where Giga Shanghai is located, is continuously closed. The latest news pointed out that the Shanghai Gigafactory may not resume work until May 15.

“According to local contacts in China, Tesla’s Shanghai plant will need to be shut down for at least a month.” Gordon Johnson, an analyst at research firm GLJ Research, said the worst thing is that the Shanghai plant is not expected to resume until the third quarter of 2022. maximum capacity.

Since the electric vehicle factory is not a necessity for people’s livelihood, and Tesla employees come from many different regions, the priority of reopening will be very low, and it is impossible to put all of them in place at one time. It must be partitioned to allow some employees to gradually return to the factory.

According to Tesla’s estimation, it will take 2-3 days to restore the original production capacity for one day of shutdown. If the dynamic clearing can be achieved on June 1, then Tesla will need at least the third quarter to restore the original production capacity. productivity. In other words, in the second quarter of this year, Tesla is likely to experience losses not seen in a long time.

“We don’t think the stock price has fully priced in the shutdown in Shanghai, and Tesla’s production in the second quarter of this year is likely to be less than 190,000 vehicles,” Gordon Johnson said. Compared to the 300,000-plus vehicles in the past two quarters, the second quarter does not look optimistic.

Tesla’s stock price has tumbled for two days in a row, causing many investors to panic, but don’t forget that Gordon Johnson is also a super black, always estimating Tesla’s situation from the worst angle, and this time is no exception. According to the current official statement, the resumption of work will be re-evaluated every week. Although the resumption of work in mid-April seems hopeless, it is uncertain whether it will be delayed until mid-May.

Don’t forget that the entire Shanghai city is heavily involved in the Chinese economy. Under political considerations, the city closure policy will be a “dynamic” decision, not a monolithic one, just like the reset policy.

Ecological changes in the semiconductor supply chain, research: packaging lead time is extended to 50 weeks

Semiconductor packaging lead times continue to lengthen, and IC design service consulting firm Sondrel pointed out that due to the change in the order of capacity reservations in the semiconductor supply chain, and the time it takes for new packaging capacity to be in place and personnel training, the packaging lead time has been extended to 50 weeks.

UK-based IC design services consultancy Sondrel has warned that although the semiconductor supply shortage appears to be easing, the package lead time has been extended to 50 weeks.

Sondrel pointed out that in the early days of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak, packaging factories faced customer orders cut, but with the recovery of semiconductor production capacity, packaging factories tried their best to solve the large number of orders such as the tsunami, but established new production capacity. It takes time to train skilled operators.

According to Sondrel’s analysis, the order of production capacity reservations in the semiconductor supply chain has changed. In the past, it took about 12 weeks to complete the IC design and then hand it over to the wafer manufacturing. Factory ready. The current situation is that it takes at least 20 weeks to complete the packaging design and production capacity before the semiconductor design is completed to ensure that the wafer fabrication and packaging are completed together.

Sondrel pointed out that if new semiconductor manufacturing process patterns are not observed, the wafer production cycle will be delayed to about 40 weeks.

ASE Investment Control, a major packaging and testing company, previously pointed out that the semiconductor industry continues to expand capital expenditures, equipment delivery times continue to lengthen, and the supply of wafers, carrier boards, lead frames, etc. is still tight. However, according to customer information, semiconductor production capacity and supply chain constraints will continue beyond 2023.

Industry insiders and Japanese foreign legal persons said that last year, the production capacity of packaging factories increased by 10% to 20%, and packaging factories continued to open new production capacity this year. However, Japanese foreign legal persons pointed out that this year, the semiconductor packaging and testing foundries (OSAT) should pay attention to it. Whether the market supply and demand reverses, wafer inventory adjustment, changes in Chinese chip demand and other variables, the capital expenditure plan for this year will be adjusted in a timely manner.

Catching up with the Japanese factory, Samsung Electro-Mechanics pushes the high temperature MLCC to attack the automotive market

The second brother of the global multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC), Samsung Electro-Mechanics, has caught up with the Japanese factory in technology and has developed a high-temperature automotive transmission system MLCC, which is to attack the automotive market.

The Korea Times and BusinessKorea reported that the internal temperature of the transmission system of traditional cars and electric vehicles can reach 150 degrees Celsius, and the parts used need to be extremely reliable. Samsung Electro-Mechanics has developed 13 MLCCs for automotive drivetrains that can withstand temperatures as high as 150 degrees Celsius.

Before that, only Japanese factory Murata and TDK could produce such MLCCs. Now Samsung Electro-Mechanics has successfully entered the market and can take a share of the fast-growing automotive MLCC market. A Samsung Electro-Mechanics spokesman said the company has expanded its range of automotive parts to improve product competitiveness and expand its market share.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ new products come in a variety of sizes and capacities, including 3325 models (3.2mm wide and 2.5mm long), small 1608 models, and high capacitance 22uF models.

MLCCs are the core components of electronic devices such as smartphones, and can control the steady flow of current in circuits. Nowadays, more and more electronic devices are used in vehicles, and the automotive market has become a coveted pie for MLCC manufacturers.

Finally want to say goodbye to bangs? Apple wins patent for under-screen Face ID

For many iPhone users, Face ID not only brings some trouble when wearing a mask to identify, but the bangs on the “top” of the screen also make people feel unsightly, which makes many users call for Touch ID. return. However, users who don’t like bangs may be able to look forward to future new iPhone models. According to documents released by the US Patent and Trademark Office on April 5, Apple has obtained a patent for under-screen face recognition technology.

And if you look closely at Apple’s filings, it also shows that the company has been planning this technology for a long time, because the patent application was first filed on September 24, 2019.

According to the “TechNave” report, Apple’s patent is to plug the front lens on the back of the display (inside the fuselage), which can be used to take photos without affecting the image quality captured by the front lens.

However, some people may guess that since Apple has obtained this patented technology, does it mean that the iPhone 14, which will be launched in the second half of this year, is expected to be equipped? In fact, because this patented technology has just been approved, it is unlikely that the iPhone 14 series will adopt this new technology, and may still maintain the rumored capsule-shaped front lens.

As for the iPhone 15 series, it may be difficult to see this feature configuration, because Apple is often planning for a long time when developing new products, so it will have to wait until the iPhone 16 at the earliest to have the opportunity to carry this new technology.

Samsung Heavy Industries partners with Danish nuclear reactor supplier to develop offshore nuclear power plant equipment

According to a report by South Korean media “BusinessKorea”, South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries recently announced that it has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Denmark’s Seaborg, the developer of the compact fourth-generation reactor – Molten Salt Reactor (CMSR). Development of offshore nuclear power plant equipment.

The report pointed out that CMSR can use nuclear fission to generate electricity, but does not emit carbon dioxide. Moreover, the nuclear reactor built on the basis of CMSR is smaller than the general large-scale nuclear reactor. In addition, the reactor has strong stability, that is, when an abnormal signal occurs in the reactor, it will be mixed with molten salt. The material solidifies its nuclear reactor, which makes the reactor under this technology have a wide range of applications.

The report emphasized that based on its offshore plant manufacturing capabilities, Samsung Heavy Industries plans to cooperate with Seaborg to develop up to 800MW of nuclear reactor power plant models in 2022. In addition, Samsung Heavy plans to expand its business to develop offshore power plants that use hydrogen and ammonia in the sea to generate electricity.

Seaborg founder and CEO Troels Schönfeldt said the technology partnership with global shipbuilding supplier Samsung Heavy Industries is expected to speed up the commercialization of offshore nuclear power plants. Samsung Heavy Industries also stated that it is currently focusing on developing innovative products for carbon-neutral energy, ranging from renewable energy to nuclear energy.

Kunshan extends closure and control, legal person: PCB factory may increase transportation costs and delay shipments

The epidemic situation in China is severe. Kunshan, a major Taiwanese business town near Shanghai, extended the closure and control for 4 days to April 12, and required enterprises to be fully closed for management. The legal person believes that printed circuit board manufacturers may face increased transportation costs, some shipment delays, and foundries are also affected by logistics, but the overall impact on the production side of Taiwanese factories has little effect.

Kunshan upgraded its epidemic prevention measures on the evening of April 1, announcing multiple rounds of nucleic acid testing across the city, requiring companies to take turns to reduce production, work from home, and control external traffic; on the evening of the 5th, it announced that it would further upgrade epidemic prevention and control measures from the 6th to the 8th. Businesses must be in full lockdown, followed by an extension of four days to April 12.

Kunshan is an important production center for components such as printed circuit boards (PCB), electronic foundries, and panels. Many Taiwanese companies have settled in the area. The outside world is worried that the closure and control may affect the shipment of 3C products, and even impact the global electronics supply chain.

According to the legal person analysis, in addition to the production impact of the PCB manufacturers located in Kunshan, due to the controlled logistics, the transportation costs will be slightly increased and some shipments will be delayed. Influence.

According to the legal person’s estimation, Xinxing’s subsidiary Kunshan Dingxin, which mainly produces PCB and HDI in Kunshan, and Xinxing Tongtai, a subsidiary that mainly produces flexible boards, account for about 20% to 25% of the production capacity; Taiguang Kunshan’s production capacity accounts for about 20% to 25%. 30% to 40%; Nandian Kunshan’s production capacity accounts for about 40%, mainly producing PCB and BT carrier boards.

The legal person pointed out that the production lines of electronic assembly plants Pegatron, Wistron and Compal in Kunshan are operating normally, but the logistics are affected. Overall, the Kunshan lockdown has little impact on the production side of Taiwanese factories, but it is still necessary to pay attention to the negative impact of the lockdown on logistics and demand.

The copper foil substrate and environmentally friendly substrate factory Taiguang announced today that its subsidiary Taiguang Electronic Materials (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. cooperated with the local government to prevent the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) epidemic, and temporarily extended the suspension until April 12. Normal operations resumed after notification by the local government.

Guanghua-KY, a car interior parts factory, pointed out that its subsidiary Xiangyang Guangjia has flexibly adjusted its production plan in response to the impact of stricter epidemic control and logistics blockades in Shanghai, Wuxi, and Kunshan for its major customers. At present, sufficient raw material inventory has been prepared to meet the production needs of customers after the resumption of work.

The board factory MSI announced on the 8th that the subsidiary Weimob Electronics (Kunshan) cooperated with the local government to implement closed management requirements for the epidemic. It will suspend work from the 8th, and the exact resumption time will be notified by the government; it will keep close contact with customers and suppliers to adjust Production and shipping time, and continue to evaluate the impact of the local epidemic on financial business.