Sunday digest. Here are all the most interesting things of the week that you might have missed.

Weekends and weekends to relax and take stock of the week over a cup of invigorating Sunday coffee. Here is what we collected the most interesting things that users discussed on the Internet this week, and what we wrote about on the pages of iPhones.ru, in the format of a convenient information sheet for you.

This week we discovered new electric cars from leading corporations, as well as several prototypes of Apple gadgets, one of which looked the best. It’s good that it remained a prototype.

So, first things first:

1. Apple will add support for RCS messages that replace SMS

The company said it will add support for the new RCS standard to iOS next year, which replaces SMS and MMS.

With RCS, iPhone and Android users can message each other, create shared chats, and send location and uncompressed photos and videos. RCS also provides support, reading and typing records.

Apple ignored RCS for a long time, but has probably decided to add it under the control of regulators Google and Samsung.

On topic: What is the RCS technology that replaces SMS. Does it work in Russia

2. Xiaomi presented its first electric car, Tesla’s main competitor – a technological crossover.

The Chinese manufacturer of everything-in-the-world presented its first electric car, the SU7, a five-seater sedan with a panoramic glass roof and autopilot. The length of the SU7 is 4997 mm, the wheelbase is 3000 mm. Wheels with a diameter of 19 and 20 inches will be available to choose from.

There will be two versions of the car: rear-wheel drive with a power of 220 kW and all-wheel drive with a maximum power of 495 kW (220 kW + 275 kW). The rear-wheel drive version weighs 1980 kg and accelerates to 210 km/h, the all-wheel drive version weighs 2205 kg and has a top speed of 265 km/h.

Production of the sedan will begin in December 2023, with delivery in February 2024. The price is kept secret. BAIC has already launched test production.

Some time later, Lucid Motors announced the Gravity crossover technology. This company is considered the main competitor of Tesla, so its announcement aroused strong interest from Western media; there is not too much information about the news yet.

This car has three rows of seats and is built on the Air version platform. The new product features a streamlined design with smooth body lines and thin diode optics.

The 900-volt architecture allows for high charging speeds. The most advanced version can accelerate to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. The power reserve reaches 708 km. There is support for fast charging: up to 45% in 15 minutes.

There are no other technical details, but visually the crossover looks very stylish.

3. Photos of two Apple prototypes appeared online: iPhone 8 and Apple Watch Ultra.

A collector of prototype Apple devices under the name Kosutami published photos of a pre-production version of the iPhone 8 with a Touch ID scanner on the back panel and a double connector located vertically.

Apple was going to launch mass production of this smartphone and even made a test batch, but at the last moment changed its mind. And it’s good that it happened this way. The switch fingerprint scanner on the rear panel is not at all about the iPhone, as we think.

Later, user X under the nickname @ParrotSWD discovered photographs of prototypes of the first Apple Watch Ultra in an unusual black color in the US Federal Communications Commission database.

Moreover, it has a black titanium case and a ceramic lid. It looks very stylish.

If you look closely, you’ll notice a redesigned button action. It is most likely made of plastic rather than metal. Perhaps an Apple Watch Ultra in black will arrive with band updates sometime in the future.

4. Problems with BMW and Mercedes. Owners complain about blocking

Owners of these European cars imported into Russia through parallel imports began to be incentivized with software locks due to manufacturer restrictions. Izvestia’s source told the publication that when trying to service cars in uncertified service centers, they turn into “brick” and I stand “dead stake» in garages.

Similar problems can also occur on Mercedes-Benz and Renault. This is due to sanctions that, for the title of automakers, disconnect Russian dealers from their software, and non-original equipment may not work correctly with new cars.

However, Renat Tyukteev, deputy general director for sales of new cars at the Avilon dealer holding, told Gazeta.Ru that by the end of the year, new Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW cars, imported in parallel with imports, will appear in Russia.

According to him, there is now stable demand for these brands. The appearance of a new product contributes to the growth of interest from consumers.

5. Microsoft closed the app store for Windows 10 Mobile and released a Windows app for iOS and Mac.

Without any big announcements or press releases, Microsoft has disabled all major app store features for Windows 10 Mobile. The store closure was decided in December 2019 to end support for all Windows 10 mobile devices.

The main store page is no longer accessible, the page has been updated and the download is not working correctly. In addition, the page describes the use of periodic problems.

Microsoft later introduced a new Windows App that lets you connect remotely to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft Dev Box, or your own PC.

The app for Windows can already be downloaded as a preview version from the Microsoft Store (the latest version of Windows 365 includes it) and from TestFlight (macOS/iOS). The browsers Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox and Safari (only on macOS) are also used for work.

6. Various interesting things

📍 Apple allowed the user to store applications on the iPhone, bypassing the App Store in 2024. Users can download apps directly from developer sites and save them without using the App Store. This will allow developers to avoid paying Apple’s 15-30% commission.

Last July, the European Parliament used the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which obliges Apple to allow the installation of applications on the iPhone from any source. It came into force on November 1, 2022. Apple opposes this law, but it rewards compliance because if it loses, it can be fined 20% of global revenue.

📍 The final trailer for the film “Brother 3” with rapper Ptah has been released. Release November 23rd. The plot of the film tells the story of two twin brothers, one of whom is a general, and the second is the leader of a criminal gang.

It is important to understand that this project does not have any plot connections with the cult film that we all know. Why it was necessary to tie this film to the duology of Alexei Balabanov is a mystery. We’ll have to watch.

📍 This week, the film “Captain Marvel 2” (“Marvels”) was released in theaters in Europe. Recent superhero films, such as The Eternals and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantomania, have not been very interesting, both according to critics and audiences.

We have already watched the new product and will hasten to share our impressions. Did the authors manage to avoid past mistakes? Spoiler: more likely no than yes.

On topic: I watched the movie “Captain Marvel 2”. Everything is lost, they’ve dropped from the bottom

📍Apple has stopped selling installation discs for OS X Lion 10.7 and Mountain Lion 10.8. OS X Lion was released in 2011, and OS X Mountain Lion was released in 2012.

The company released the discs because it was determined to update audio that had weak internet or a computer without access to the Mac App Store. Now that’s it, an era has passed. Updates only via the Internet.

📍 For 10 days now, Vsosmart stores have been selling smartphones and tablets with the Russian Aurora system. And by asking on the device, it exceeded all our wildest expectations.

A total of 367 devices were sold for 6.1 million rubles: 308 smartphones (4.1 million rubles) and 61 tablets (1.2 million rubles). 78% of sales come from online orders. Smartphones and tablets with Aurora buy the system from all users who want to test the new operating system or for its intended use.

That’s what this week was like. Thank you for reading us, see you next weekend.