The Week in Tech: Apple Park, the Academy Awards, iPhone 8 News

Ready for landing

Cupertino’s new “spaceship” campus now has an official name, Apple Park. The facility opens its doors to employees in April, the company announced on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Envisioned by Steve Jobs and designed in collaboration with Foster + Partners, the new 175-acre campus features a 2.8 million-square-foot main building that’s ring-shaped and clad in the world’s largest panels of curved glass. It will eventually host 12,000 Apple employees, who will move in over the next six months.

In honor of the late Apple co-founder, the facility’s new theater will be named the Steve Jobs Theater. Jobs, who would have turned 62 on Feb. 24, died in 2011. When it opens later this year, the 1,000-seat theater will include a 20-foot-tall glass cylinder at its entrance, 165 feet in diameter, which supports a metallic carbon-fiber roof.

Rumors about this year’s iPhone continue to arrive on an almost daily basis. Instead of converging into one broad narrative, however, many of the more recent “iPhone 8” rumors are in conflict with previous ones.

For example, the next iPhone was supposed to feature a curved OLED display. However, Apple might have shelved this plan because of production problems.

Additionally, the “iPhone 8” was once rumored to feature Energous’ long-range wireless charging technology, which doesn’t require a separate charging pad. It now looks like the new handset will include more traditional wireless charging capabilities.

For more on the 2017 iPhone, see:

• Wireless Charging An Important Feature on Apple’s Next iPhone
• ‘Revolutionary’ Front-Facing Camera Coming on ‘iPhone 8’
• iPhone 8 Rumors: What We Know About the 2017 Handsets

An Apple March event will soon be announced where the company will unveil a new iPad Pro lineup and other products, according to Macotakara.

According to the reputable Japanese website, the new iPad Pro lineup will include 7.9-inch, 9.7-inch, 10.5-inch, and 12.9-inch models.

The report also says that the iPhone SE, first announced in March 2016, will see the addition of a 128GB storage option. Apple currently offers the 4-inch smartphone with 16GB and 64GB capabilities.

Additionally, mid-cycle, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will gain a red color option, while new bands are coming for Apple Watch.

See also: 2017 iPads: Announced in March, Not Released Until May or June?

Here are some other tech headlines making news during the past week:

• Tim Cook Honors Steve Jobs on What Would Have Been His 62nd Birthday
• Federal Court: Cops Can’t Unlock iPhones Unconditionally
• T-Mobile Will Start Rolling Out LTE-U Technology This Spring

The 89th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood tonight, Feb. 26, beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC.

Ahead of the event, AppAdvice’s Trevor Sheridan looks at each of the nine Best Picture nominees as they relate to iOS gaming. Yes, gaming. 

Meanwhile,  Christine Chan added four new titles to the AppAdvice app review library, including:

• Hidden Folks is a Charming, Modern Day ‘Where’s Waldo?’
• Soul Knight is the Ultimate Roguelike Shooter on iOS
• Get Animals to Their Destinations in the Puzzling Rhom Bus
• Burn Through Time in Lit the Torch, a Charming Puzzle Platformer

This past week, we introduced the newest part of AppAdvice – GearAdvice. Your one-stop shop for products and accessories, the site features four major sections: daily gadget deals, the best gadgets, gadget reviews, and gadget guides.

To celebrate the launch of GearAdvice, we’ve teamed with some of the biggest accessory companies in the industry to offer some awesome giveaways totaling more than $3,000. Those giveaways begin Monday, Feb. 27.

Here’s just a small taste of what to expect:

• Eero Wi-Fi Station (3-Pack) – MSRP – $499
• Ecobee3 Smart Thermostat – MSRP – $249
• Incipio ClamCase+ for iPad Pro 9.7 – MSRP – $159
• Tile Combo Pack – MSRP – $100
• Juuk 42mm Black Stainless Steel Watch Band – MSRP – $189
• Master & Dynamic ME05 Headphones – MSRP – $199

Be sure to visit GearAdvice and AppAdvice often for further giveaway news.

Here’s a small sample of what was discussed at GearAdvice during the past week:

• The ZAGG Slim Book will Make Your iPad Feel Like a Laptop
• This iPhone 7 Leather Case Looks Like Apple’s But Costs Way Less
• Audeze In-Ear iSINE 10 Headphones Provide Beautiful Sounds
• The Prynt iPhone Case Adds a Dose of Old-School Charm to Digital Photo Prints