Apple News & Rumors, Feb. 11: Mystery Noises & Auto-Adjusting Watch

Mysterious noises at the Apple campus, a new processor for the iPhone 7, and an Apple Watch that auto adjusts for ambient noise are among the Apple and Mac rumors for today. (Getty)

The news and rumors for Apple on February 11 are pretty mysterious and exciting. A mystery noise heard on Apple’s campus could reveal a new tech in the works. A new patent reveals a possible auto-adjusting Apple Watch. And we’ve got more details on the iPhone 7’s processor.

Here’s what you need to know.

Mystery Noise Could Reveal Apple Car

Apple has a top-secret facility in Sunnyvale, California, where it’s testing automotive technology. One resident who lives nearby complained to the city about mysterious, loud motor noises coming from the property, Apple Insider reported. The person said they could still hear the sounds late at night even with the windows closed.

It’s not known if the sounds were from construction or testing a vehicle, because Apple is very secretive about the facilities, including getting special permits to build a 10-foot tall security fence for physical and visual security. In Sunnyvale, Apple occupies seven building in a large office complex. One of the buildings was advertised as home to a company called SixtyEightResearch, Apple Insider reported. Many believe this is a shell for Apple. Shipments related to Project Titan, Apple’s secret automotive project, have been sent to the Sunnyvale campus.

A New Patent Shows the Apple Watch Auto-Adjusting to Ambient Noise

The United States Patent and Trademark Office just published a patent that Apple filed back in March 2014 for an Apple Watch that automatically adjusts the iPhone’s audio based on ambient sound, Mac Rumors reported. This would help noisy environments where alerts might not be heard. A microphone would periodically listen for ambient noise and use the data to adjust the iPhone’s volume. The patent also covers accounting for sound barriers, such as the iPhone’s being in a pocket or a bag.

TSMC Will Exclusively Build the iPhone 7’s A10 Processor

TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) was awarded an exclusive deal by Apple for manufacturing the iPhone 7’s processor, Mac Rumors reported. The processor will likely be called the A10. TSMC was rewarded the deal for its 10-nanometer manufacturing process and its advanced device packaging techniques which bring better efficiency and performance. In June, the chip is expected to go into full production. For the iPhone 6s, Apple used TSMC and Samsung. TSMC’s chip outperformed Samsung’s for battery life by 2 to 3 percent.

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