Most iPhone rumors suggest that Apple will release three new iPhones this fall, all featuring the same design as the current iPhone X. The list includes a cheaper 6.1-inch phone with an LCD screen, a handset some call the iPhone 9, as well as two iPhone X successor packing 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED screens.

When these three new phones arrive, Apple is expected to retire the iPhone X and iPhone SE, a new report says. Apparently, Apple is betting big on the 2019 iPhone, which could convince more iPhone users to finally upgrade.

Seen by Barron’s, the BlueFin Research Partners note says that Apple is ramping up production like never before.

"Despite angst surrounding the 2018 September releases, one common thread we continually uncover is the lack of concern for overall demand for 2018-2019," analysts John Donovan and Steve Mullane said.

The analysts refer to the three 2018 iPhones as iPhone 9, iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Plus, which are extremely unrealistic names, especially the "11" part.

"The iPhone 11 Plus should satisfy those unhappy with the iPhone X due to size concerns, while the iPhone 9 device should satisfy more budget-conscious buyers and the aforementioned extension of the iPhone 8 model builds will round out a fairly extensive line-up. We continue to hear that upgrade activity over the past."

They also think that the upcoming iPhone series will fix Apple’s upgrade problem:

"1-2 cycles was below historical patterns for myriad reasons (size, cost, lack of differentiation from previous models) and so expectations are for an extended demand for these new iPhones which reach across multiple platforms."

The two said that Apple is planning to manufacture 91 million new iPhones this fall, and another 92 million in the first two quarters of 2019 — the latter figure would be "far larger than normal cycle."

The analysts expect Apple to make 28 million iPhone 9 and iPhone 11 units in the third quarter, 64 million in the Christmas quarter, and then 46 million iPhones in each of the following two quarters. The research notes that actual shipments will reach 20 million, 60 million, 45 million, and 40 million, respectively.

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Some iOS users have been reporting problems with excessive battery drain after updating to iOS 11.4.

Last 8 July, 9to5Mac reported on a raft of posts on Apple forums complaining about excessive battery drain since updating. ZDNet also flagged complaints around the issue early last month.

The update to Apple's mobile operating system was released at the end of May, adding support for Messages in iCloud, plus some media and entertainment features, such as AirPlay 2 and support for two HomePod speakers to work as a stereo pair.

Safe to say, radically reduced battery life was not among the listed additions.

TechCrunch writer Natasha Lomas also noticed an alarming depreciation in battery performance after updating to iOS 11.4 at the end of last month - with the battery level dropping precipitously even when the handset was left untouched doing nothing.

TechCrunch reached out to Apple immediately after noticing the problem - but the company has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Judging by forum complaints, other iOS users have also found that updating to iOS 11.4 impacts the standby battery life of their device.

The 'battery usage' report that's built into iOS also seemed unable to shed any light on what was causing the battery to drain so fast - listing an app that had been used prior to the previous charge as responsible for the largest chunk of usage. So evidently not identifying the real culprit.

In the end, rebooting the affected iPhone seemed to improve the battery drain issue.

Battery and performance issues have been something of a recurring problem for Apple's iOS devices in recent years.

Meanwhile after more user complaints last year Apple was forced to apologize for not being more transparent with customers about how it handles performance on iOS devices with older batteries - clarifying that its software in fact slows down the maximum performance of iPhones with older batteries as a power management technique to avoid unexpected shutdowns.

The company has faced lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny as a result of this throttling of device performance.

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It has been almost three months since Apple's last incremental update for various devices like Apple Watch, iPhones and Apple TV. While the upcoming iterations of the company's operating systems (iOS 12, watchOS 5 and macOS Mojave are still in beta, users can now update your Apple gear to the latest current release of each.

Apple's iOS 11.4.1 is mostly bug fixes, reports 9to5Mac, but it does add a more reliable Find My AirPods feature.

More specifically, the update fixes a problem that kept some users from seeing the last known location of Apple's true wireless earbuds with the Find My iPhone tool. It also also improves the reliability of syncing Mail, Contacts and Notes with an Exchange account.

The new watchOS 4.3.2 is apparently similarly basic, mainly consisting of bug fixes and stability improvements. tvOS 11.4.1 is also available, though there don't seem to be any readily available release notes on Apple's developer site. macOS High Sierra's latest update (10.13.5) appears to have gone live on June 1st.

This third software update to HomePod, says 9to5Mac, is similarly basic, bringing stability and quality improvements to Apple's smart speaker.

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While it is true that Apple depended solely on Samsung as its supplier of OLED displays in 2017, a report from The Korea Times suggests that another supplier will join the ranks for Apple's next round of premium iPhones.

According to the report, sources claim that Apple is considering using LG Display as a "second supplier" for advanced organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels that will be featured in at least one of its new smartphones this fall.

The sources believe that tapping LG Display as an alternative supplier will allow Apple to procure OLED displays faster while simultaneously cutting costs. As Samsung has been the only supplier of OLED displays for the past year, it has allowed the South Korean rival to charge higher prices for the display it produces.

This news is obviously terrible for Samsung, but it’s great for end users who can expect a more abundant supply of new iPhones this year at lower prices; the 5.8-inch model is expected to drop by US$ 100 while the new larger 6.5-inch OLED iPhone is seen occupying the iPhone X’s current price points.

"Initially, Apple will get between 3 million and 5 million OLED displays from LG Display," an industry source told the website. "LG plans to increase its production capacity. Apple is attempting to release new iPhones with enhanced features next year and it is eyeing developing foldable iPhones, which will come several years later."

The source says that the deal is worth "millions of dollars," but that the key concern on Apple's end is whether or not LG's production capacity can keep up with Apple's demand compared to Samsung Display's. The source also notes that the display LG has produced for the V30 doesn’t stack up well against the latest Galaxy phones.

Apple's initial deal with Samsung was for 110 million OLED displays, just to clarify the difference between these two deals. That said, 3-5 million displays is more than a Bloomberg report from late last month suggested. It’s not yet a done deal, but LG is reportedly “frantically” trying to up its capacity to meet Apple's demands.

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Tech giant Apple may be releasing its next iPhone in a few more colors than usual.

In addition to the usual gray and white, according to 9to5Mac, Ming-Chi Kuo reports that the entry-level 6.1-inch iPhone will be available in blue, red and orange. (It is unclear if the red version is a PRODUCT(RED) phone, as seen in the image above). Also, the 6.5-inch iPhone will come in gold, as well as black and white.

Kuo's report also details three new iPhones this fall. The current iPhone X, at 5.8 inches, will receive an improvement in specs, while a new 6.5-inch OLED iPhone X Plus will retail for around $1000. This means that the 5.8-inch phone will likely drop $100 or so in price. A cheaper LCD iPhone will round out the offerings at 6.1 inches; to hit a lower price point, it will be missing some of the premium features of the iPhone X.

It's important to note that these are just reports; nothing has been confirmed by Apple yet. Kuo is a reliable source on these sorts of things, but Apple hasn't introduced colored iPhones beyond the base model 5cs, so it would be an interesting (though very welcome) move on the tech giant's part.

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Apple's iPhone X, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are considered the company's first devices to include wireless charging support. During the launch last September 2017, Apple also said it would be releasing its own wireless charging mat, called AirPower. This wasn't like every other mat out there, though, in that it could charge multiple devices at once - an iPhone X, Apple Watch Series 3 and a set of AirPods, for example.

The AirPower was given a vague 2018 release date, and according to sources speaking to Bloomberg, development of the mat has been marred with issues. Apparently it was expected to be on sale by this month, but is now likely to hit shelves around September, probably at the same time as the AirPods wireless charging case.

Engineers are said to be dealing with various technical issues, such as ensuring the AirPower doesn't overheat. Other complications include cramming in multiple charging sensors, which may have to overlap, and finalizing the firmware for the custom Apple chip responsible for power management and device pairing. In short, the AirPower hasn't been as simple to manufacture as perhaps first thought, though it is in testing according to one source.

Apple never specified a release date, possibly because as Bloomberg notes, both the AirPods and HomePod speaker went on sale several months later than originally announced.

Launching the AirPower a few months later than originally hoped might not be a very big deal for Apple, however. According to sources, the mat is part of a bigger strategy of doing away with the Lightning port much like the 3.5mm headphone jack. It's said this was even considered during the development of the iPhone X.

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