The name Feld & Volk may only ring a bell for fans of customized iPhones with a luxury twist, but the company has leaked some iPhone 6 features in recent times.  In July, the company had leaked an unfinished rear shell supposedly belonging to the iPhone 6, and that leak had given us some insight on the device’s design aesthetic.  That very same part was leaked late last week, and it now appears to be late in the production stage, if not fully completed.

What’s interesting about Feld & Volk’s new leak is that it shows off several iPhone 6 features that were not evident on earlier models or mock-ups.  The volume control holes appear to be recessed, and this could be Apple’s way of preventing accidental spikes or drops in volume when the volume controls inadvertently get pressed.  There also seems to be a metal Apple logo on the back, embedded quite similarly to the Apple logo that was one of the original iPhone’s features in 2007.  Feld & Volk believes that the logo may be made out of a Liquidmetal alloy, or a “very extraordinary” and scratch-resistant alloy, as the company describes it.

The purpose of the external camera ring that seems to fit snugly into the 4.7-inch iPhone 6’s rear camera hole is still unknown, but it’s another interesting and heretofore unseen feature that suggests the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 won’t have a flush camera design.  Likewise, there are also some doubts regarding the final iPhone 6 feature – a flex cable that may belong to the device’s home button.  According to MacRumors, the length of the cable makes it possible that the part actually belongs to Apple’s next-generation full-size tablet, the iPad Air 2.

A group of researchers from Stanford University has managed to create a stable lithium anode, which according to the report’s authors has the potential to revolution the world’s relationship with and dependence on battery power.

In a world that’s increasingly dependent on large servings of electrical power that last as long as possible, the question build bigger, better and safer batteries is relentless to say the least. Current battery technology is to a large extent pretty dated and hasn’t changed conceptually in some time – something dozens of the world’s biggest technology companies have a vested interest in changing.

However, it’s taken a group of researchers from Stanford University to come up with what’s being called nothing less than the battery design ‘Holy Grail’. The development of a stable lithium anode has the very real potential to revolutionize the way the world looks at battery power for future generation – the achievement has sent shockwaves around the world’s scientific community.

“Of all the materials that one might use in an anode, lithium has the greatest potential. Some call it the Holy Grail,” wrote Yi Cui, professor of Material Science and Engineering and the lead author of the study.

“It is very lightweight and it has the highest energy density. You get more power per volume and weight, leading to lighter, smaller batteries with more power.”

“Lithium has major challenges that have made its use in anodes difficult,” added Guangyuan Zheng, who also worked on the project.

“Many engineers had given up the search, but we found a way to protect the lithium from the problems that have plagued it for so long.”

Also on the team was former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Nobel Laureate Steven Chu, who spoke of a future where electronic vehicles powered by the new-generation batteries cold become universally affordable for the first time.

“In practical terms, if we can improve the capacity of batteries to, say, four times today’s, that would be exciting,” he said.

“You might be able to have cell phone with double or triple the battery life or an electric car with a range of 300 miles that cost only $25,000—competitive with an internal combustion engine getting 40 mpg.”

Having achieved what was in many circles deemed impossible, the scientists have spoken of the significance of the breakthrough. And while admitting that without a coulombic efficiency of 99.9 percent the batteries cannot be considered ready for commercial application, the improvements have been tremendous and the target is well within reach.

“The difference between 99 percent and 96 percent, in battery terms, is huge. So, while we’re not quite to that 99.9 percent threshold, where we need to be, we’re close and this is a significant improvement over any previous design,” added Cui.

“With some additional engineering and new electrolytes, we believe we can realize a practical and stable lithium metal anode that could power the next generation of rechargeable batteries.”

In the run-up to each new iPhone launch, we find ourselves wondering what exactly Apple will do to steal the show once again. There have been years when the folks in Cupetino have gone for something of a softly-softly approach, changing little to nothing about the core recipe and delivering a largely unchanged device. All well and good when the iPhone was the supreme leader with no genuine contenders from the Android camp, but this year things are looking decidedly different.

As of the fall of 2014, there will be so many competing devices on the market with truly staggering specs and features that Apple has no choice but to push itself and its iPhone further than ever before. So pulling together what we know about the device to date, how are they going to pull it off this year?

Size

Well, for one thing the new iPhone/s set to launch this year are expected to be the largest to date. Even the Android market’s standard mid-rangers are delivering 4.5- to 5-inch screens as standard these days, so in order to Apple to keep up with the pack it needs to think big. As such, analysts expect to see a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and a larger 5.5-inch iPhone Air – the latter perhaps arriving a little later.

Screen Quality

They’ll also have to up the ante in terms of screen quality too, what with the likes of the QHD LG G3 having set a new standard for the high-end. If Apple goes ahead with an increase to 1,704 by 906 pixels as forecast, the iPhone 6 will boast 416ppi pixel density and the iPhone Air 365ppi.

Power and Storage

A new A8 64-Bit processor is also something of a given this time around, while most expect to see a 128GB storage option introduced as standard. There may also be a 15% improvement to battery life according to some analysts, which will be applied to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions alike.

Appearance

There’s little reason to suspect that Apple will make a great many design changes this time around, if for the simple reason that the iPhone 5S is still considered one of the best-designed devices of its type ever released. However, all signs are pointing to a considerably slimmer overall profile and a lighter weight.

Price

One of the most unfortunate elements of all about the iPhone 6 and Air could be their respective price tags. Though nothing has yet been confirmed, it’s suspected that the both will cost $100 more than their predecessors when taken on-contract, meaning around $299 and $399 depending on the carrier chosen. And if taken SIM-free, costs could begin from around the $800 mark and go well beyond $1,100.

Debut

It’s unlikely that Apple will deviate from its most recent mid-fall rollout schedule for new iPhones, so you can expect to see it somewhere between late September and the middle of October. There’s also talk of one of both of the new iPhones arriving alongside Apple’s first Smartwatch, currently going by the name of the iTime, though again this is yet to be confirmed.

Apple’s CEO has spoken with confidence about the future of the firm’s iPad range, despite having recorded two quarterly declines in a row.

Despite the proximity of the iPhone 6 debut, Apple’s current-generation Smartphone range is going from strength to strength. Particularly in developing and secondary markets outside the US, strong sales in a usually deflated period have contributed to growth of an impressive 12% compare to the same quarter last year.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for its sibling…the iPad.

Apple’s market-leading tablet is in a state of free-fall right now, having once again slipped in sales performance for the second quarter in a row. And while the Cupertino collective may have insisted the slump is nothing more than a temporary glitch, others are beginning to question just how the iPad can or will continue to hold its own going forward.

In specifics, Apple reported total iPhone sales of 35.2 million units for the three-month period ending June 28. This represented an increase of 12.7% compared to the same period last year, almost hitting the targets set by analysts. Interestingly, Apple credited much of its iPhone gains to its success in the ‘BRIC’ territories outside the US – those being Brazil, Russia, India, and China. These fast-emerging markets brought home the most impressive iPhone sales growth of all, collectively recording a 55% improvement over last year.

“We’re thrilled with the results, and we’re thrilled with where we are going,” said Tim Cook following the revenue announcement.

“The momentum is really strong.”

Fans of the iPhone in particular have a great deal to look forward to over the coming month, with both the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone Air set to launch mid-fall. These larger Smartphones could also be joined by the very first Apple Smartwatch, which according to new patent sightings could launch under than name of the iTime.

However, Q2 proved to be another troubling period for Apple’s iPad which came out with a battered and bruised 9.2% slide in sales performance compared to the same three months last year. Q1 performance was even worse, with iPad sales slipping a full 16% compared to Q1 2013. This contrasts rather painfully with the second quarter of 2012, when iPad sales spiked a staggering 84% year-on-year.

The problem largely comes down to dwindling demand in the iPad’s most important markets of all – particular those of Europe and the US. Saturation has become such that overall demand for tablet PCs – particularly those of a high-end nature – is beginning to taper-off at a somewhat alarming rate. However, Apple’s CEO made it clear that he’s in no way concerned about the iPad’s poor performance in 2014 to date and insists that the device range as a whole still has plenty to give.

“This isn’t something that worries us,” said Mr. Cook.

Around the same time as the report’s publishing, Apple announced a new venture with IBM that would see the pair create upward of 100 new corporate-focused apps that would be built wholly around tablet PCs, rather than the usual formula of modifying existing desktop apps. It’s hoped that the partnership will to some extent bolster iPad demand among the lucrative business markets of the US and Europe, where tablet PC sales on the whole are likewise on the decline.

Everybody seems to be most interested in the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Korean company’s so-called “next big thing” and a device that may be launching in about a month from now or thereabouts.  However, Samsung had something quite fascinating to trot out at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, as the company announced yesterday a new line of Galaxy Tab slates.  Unlike the original Galaxy Tabs, though, these devices are neither entry-level or midrange; rather, these are premium tablets that may be best suited for productivity users.

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro series launched yesterday against a backdrop of rumors suggesting that Apple may be cooking up a new “iPad Pro”, a tablet that would come with a huge 12- or 13-inch display.  The largest Galaxy Tab Pro, as a matter of fact, is in that size range, with a display size of 12.2 inches and resolution of 2560 x 1600.  That’s QHD resolution on a high-end tablet, and that also happens to be the resolution of the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and Tab Pro 10.5.  Specifications are quite similar across all three tablets, but the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 also includes basics such as an eight-core Samsung Exynos processor for non-LTE versions or a quad-core Snapdragon 800 on the LTE edition, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB or 64 GB internal memory, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front camera, and Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.  Features include an IR blaster and support for Bluetooth 4.0 and microSD cards.  A fourth tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, is similar specs-wise to the Tab Pro 12.2, but comes with an S Pen stylus like the rest of the Galaxy Note line.

The above mentioned features may sound quite useful, but they are, at the end of the day, rather basic features as compared to the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 and Note Pro 12.2’s new user experience.  As described by Samsung on the official press literature, the “personalized” Magazine UX is “specifically optimized for a large screen”, and allows for comprehensive customization of one’s Galaxy Tab Pro/Note Pro usage.  “The UX enables them to organize their favorite content in an easy-to-use dashboard with automatic feed or news updates and then quickly access the most frequently used apps for a more comfortable reading experience,” explained Samsung. “By utilizing a screen size that is more comparable to traditional magazine-sized material, content is easier to view in its original format when reading digital magazines or e-books.”

Other unique and/or special features include Multi Window View, which, as longtime Samsung device users know, allows for simultaneous use of two apps on a single screen, and Virtual Keyboard, which provides a “more realistic typing experience” as it allows users more space to type accurately and comfortably.  No release dates for the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, 10.5, and 12.2, and Note Pro 12.2 was mentioned, and neither was pricing, though it’s expected that these devices fill in similar price points to the iPad Air, which starts at $499.