CNET quotes Neil Mawston that in order to compete with Samsung, the iPhone mini is a must-have in the product line:
Showing posts with label iPhone News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPhone News. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Is the iPhone mini Inevitable?
Friday, January 4, 2013
Corning – Maker of Glass Panels For iPhone And iPad Announces Gorilla Glass 3; 40% Visible Scratch Reduction
Gorilla Glass 3 is made of a new glass composition that will offer durability improvements, which should reduce scratches and significantly increase overall strength.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
iOS 6′s “Do Not Disturb” Feature May Not Get Disabled Automatically On New Year’s Day
If you use “Do Not Disturb” schedule feature in iOS 6 then it may not get disabled automatically on New Year’s day.
MacRumors reports that a number of users who use “Do Not
Disturb” feature’s schedule functionality are reporting that the feature
is not getting disabled automatically.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
China's 3G subscribers grow 88% year over year to 222M
The total number of 3G subscribers in China
reached 222 million in November, up 88 percent year over year, giving
yet another indication why the market is so important for continued
growth of Apple's iPhone.
Analyst Brian White with Topeka Capital Markets offered a closer look
this week at the latest stats on mobile subscribers in China. In
particular, he noted that China Mobile's 3G subscriber growth has been
hurting because the carrier does not offer Apple's iPhone.
Apple Wins Critical Patent For SIM Connector
Apple’s patent application detailing an implementation of a SIM connector has been approved by the United States Patent
and Trademark. The patent describes the construction of a tray that
facilitates easy exchange of SIM cards and has measures in place to
prevent accidental damage to the card.
Apple’s mechanism, as we’ve all seen in our iPhones and iPads,
involves a SIM tray with a metallic pin that acts as a tool to help
eject the tray. SIM cards can be inserted by pushing the tray into the
designated slot with a little force, and ejected using the metallic
pin. Additionally, Apple also describes damage prevention measures added
to the connector in cases where the SIM card isn’t inserted properly.
Google Testing New “Quick View” Button In Search Results On The iPhone
A SearchEngineLand user has spotted Google testing a new “Quick View” button in search results on mobile devices like the iPhone.
Search Engine Land reports that when a user clicks on the
“Quick View” button as seen in the screenshot above, the feature loads a
lighter-version of the the web page rather than the full web page for
better web browsing experience.
Custom Search Web Apple Gets Patent To Build Curved Glass Display For iPhone, iPad
It looks like Samsung and Motorola are not the only companies planning to introduce smartphones with curved glass display, Apple
has been awarded a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office for a
technique that molds thin glass into bent or curved shapes.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Apple Updates Lightning Guidelines, POP Kickstarter Can Proceed
Yesterday the world was abuzz that Apple killed a Kickstarter project
that would have included a range a connectors for charging devices.
Today, Apple has amended its documentation so that the project could proceed if the backers were so willing.
We caught this via Ars Technica which says:
Apple Reportedly Working To Bring Foursquare’s Local Data to Maps App
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is in early talks with Foursquare – the popular location-based social network to include local data in the Maps application.
According to the report, Apple is actively looking to build an
“arsenal of local data” to compete with Google, which recently announced
that the Google Maps for iPhone was downloaded more than 10 million times in the first 48 hours.
WSJ reports:
Apple is in early discussions to
integrate local data from Foursquare Labs Inc. into its mapping
application, according to people familiar with the talks, as the company
continues to build an arsenal of local data to try to take on Google.
The talks, which took place in recent weeks and involve Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue,
are the latest sign of Apple’s plans to more tightly integrate local
services into the iPhone and iPad. The discussions with New York-based
Foursquare come as Apple has been talking to a number of companies that
collect local data to improve its new mapping product. The maps service, released in September, has had a rocky reception and faces fierce competition from Google.
In addition to allowing users to check-in at venues like bars and
restaurants and connect with friends, Foursquare also gives personalized
recommendations and deals based on where you, your friends, and people
with your tastes have been. The report claims that Apple could include
that data in the Maps app. Currently, Yelp’s business reviews are integrated into Apple’s Maps experience.
It will be interesting to see how Apple plans to integrate local data
from services like Yelp, FourSquare etc., but it could give Apple the
edge in the long term by integrating with services that directly compete
with Google.
Via: WSJ
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Apple to Add Baidu as iOS Search Engine Option in China
Bloomberg reports
that Apple plans to offer Baidu - China's leading search engine as one
of the search engine options to iPhone users in China, as a part of its
greater strategy to increase its presence in the country. We had heard
about this a few months ago.
The announcement could be made as early as next week, at Apple's WWDC keynote
.
Google would still be the default
choice, but users would now have the option of choosing Baidu and
searching right from Mobile Safari's search bar. Presently, Chinese
users have to either visit Baidu's website or download an app to search
on an iPhone. It remains to be seen if Apple will add Baidu in iOS 5.x.x
or in iOS 6.
Apple's executives have, a number of
times, underscored the importance of China in Apple's future growth, and
this is Apple doing its bit to ensure that the iPhone remains a
compelling offering to Chinese customers. A number of Chinese web
services have been integrated in OS X Mountain Lion, and it'll be
interesting to see if Apple plans to integrate some of China's
social networks into iOS 6 as well. Twitter integration found in iOS 5,
and Facebook integration we might see in iOS 6 are useless in China, where both these services are blocked.
Baidu's market share in China dwarfs
that of Google (4 to 1), and with this integration in place Google's
position would further weaken. It's interesting to note though, that
just like Google, Baidu has its own mobile operating system (an Android fork) that it shops around to manufacturers.
Google had earlier voluntarily pulled out of China due to differences it had with the Chinese government's censorship policies. Apple on the other hand has maintained strong relations with Chinese government officials, since its entire production line as well as its future growth depends largely on this region.
Even if Apple's sole reason to add Baidu is to help out Chinese iPhone users, collectively, Apple's announcements during WWDC, including the mapping service, would be extremely detrimental to Google.
Virgin Mobile USA to Offer iPhone With Prepaid Plans Starting at $30 on June 29
Virgin Mobile Sprint's pay-to-go brand has just confirmed that it will be offering Apple's iPhone with prepaid plans from June 29th.
Virgin Mobile would be the second carrier in the US to offer iPhone with prepaid plans after Cricket Wireless.
Virgin Mobile has announced
that it will be offer Apple's iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 with prepaid plans
that will start at $30, which comes with unlimited SMS and data, as
compared to the $55 unlimited plan offered by Cricket Wireless.
Virgin Mobile's
Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans for iPhone start at $35
per month for access to Sprint's Nationwide Network, and customers can
receive a $5 per-month plan discount when they register for automatic
monthly payments with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account,
making iPhone available for as low as $30 per month. Customers can also
use their iPhone as a mobile hotspot through Virgin Mobile for an
additional $15 per month.
You can check out the pricing for iPhone on Virgin Mobile USA below:
As you can see, Virgin Mobile is not
offering any subsidy for the iPhone, whereas Cricket Wireless offers a
$150 subsidy. But prepaid plans starting at $30 could be attractive for
customers who are not looking for unlimited voice minutes. They will be
able to recover the additional cost for the iPhone within 6 months.
Virgin Mobile will also be throttling speeds after 2.5GB of monthly data
usage. It is also offering the mobile hotspot feature for an additional
$15 per month.
It is not clear if Virgin Mobile will be
taking pre-orders for the iPhone, but they have said that customers
will be able to buy the iPhone on their website, RadioShack, Best Buy
and select local retailers.
Hands-On Video of Leaked Next-Gen iPhone Metal Back Panel
We've seen photos and a video of the purported next generation iPhone front panel, which have corroborated rumors that the sixth generation iPhone will come with a taller 4-inch display.
Now, folks at parts reseller -
ETradeSupply have published a hands-on video with the purported next
generation iPhone back panel.
Just like the photos, the hands-on video of the leaked next generation iPhone metal back casing reveals the following details:
- A large portion of the back panel is made out of metal and the remaining part seems to be made of glass, which gives it a two-tone effect.
- The next generation iPhone will get a metal antenna band like iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, but in case of the sixth generation iPhone, it seems to be moulded with the metal back panel
- The position of the headphone jack has moved from the top to the bottom, next to the speakers
- It has the rumored smaller dock connector
- The speakers grills have been redesigned
Check out the hands-on video below:
If these leaked parts turn out to be
the real deal, then the design of the next generation iPhone would be
incremental rather than an all-new design that we're expecting.
What do you think of the possibility of the next generation iPhone with a metal back panel?
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Google 3D Maps Coming Soon to iPhone And iPad
At the event, Google announced three major features for Google Maps: Full 3D Maps, Offline mode and a new backpack Street View.
Google Maps will allow users to move
around, rotate and interact with 3D models of several major cities.
Google explained that they are using automated technology to extract 3D
from aerial images taken from planes that fly in a tight pattern,
equipped with their own hardware, taking 45-degree imagery. Google 3D
Maps will cover areas with a combined population of 300 million people.
Google Maps for iOS will also include
the 3D Maps feature. Google gave the demo of the 3D maps feature on an
iPad, which was quite ironical.
Google also announced Offline mode for
3D maps, which will allow users to download offline maps of over 100
cities on their smartphones. It was one of the major drawbacks of the
Google Maps app compared to other GPS navigation apps as it needed an
internet connection to download live maps data and also ended up
consuming expensive 3G data. The minimum size of the offline maps is
expected to be around 50MB, so it would probably make sense to download
them while you're on your home or office Wi-Fi network. Unfortunately,
the offline maps feature won't be available to iOS users. Google has
mentioned that they plan to add the feature in the future.
Google has also announced that it will
be improving Street view by using a backback Street View rig, the
Trekker to take images in places where you cannot drive like National
parks, castles, Grand canyon etc.
It is widely speculated that Apple will
be unveiling their own Maps app at the WWDC 2012 Keynote next week and
Google's announcements today seems to have confirmed it.
You can check out the video below to get a glimpse of what 3D imagery will look like on the iPhone:
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Apple May Launch New iPhone And iPad Mini In September
According to Brian White, an analyst
with Topeka Capital Markets, Apple is gearing up for an "exciting"
September with not one, but two major product launches lined up, the new
iPhone and an iPad mini.
White bases his assertions on
conversations he's had with his supply chain sources in Taiwan, where he
is currently attending the 2012 Computex trade show.
He believes that Apple would launch the sixth generation iPhone in September this year, rather than October:
"Regarding the widely anticipated iPhone 5, we believe a September launch is more likely than October, while we also believe this will be coupled with the 'iPad Mini' unveiling that we were the first to uncover last Autumn."
The iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 were all debuted at WWDC in June. Apple broke the tradition in 2011 by releasing iPhone 4S in October, and it seems that the company is planning to do that again with a September launch of the new iPhone this year.
White's sources also add that the next iPhone might feature a unibody aluminium casing. As per component leaks,
the next gen iPhone would have a two-tone back panel with a major
portion made of metal, presumably aluminium, and the rest made of glass.
Apart from a possible launch timeframe, White didn't give any other details about the iPad mini. Rumors
suggest that the device would have a 7.85 inches screen with a
resolution of 1024x768 pixels. (If that figures rings a bell, it should,
first and second gen iPads have the same resolution.)
An iPad mini, priced competitively,
would sell like hot cakes during the holiday season, which is probably
why Apple is looking at a September launch, assuming of course that the
information White picked up is accurate.
Seems like Apple has a lot to show this year, apart from everything they've got scheduled for WWDC.
via Apple Insider, SAI
Apple to Step Up Rivalry With Google With Its Own Maps App
It has been widely speculated that Apple will launch an all-new Maps app in iOS 6 at WWDC next week.
Wall Street Journal has also
confirmed that Apple is indeed planning to replace the Maps app that
currently uses Google's mapping data with its own solution later this
year. WSJ has a good track record when it comes to Apple related rumors
WSJ reports:
Later this year,
Apple is planning to oust Google Maps as the preloaded, default maps
app from the iPhone and iPad and release a new mapping app that runs
Apple's own technology, according to current and former Apple employees.
Apple could preview the new software, which will be part of its next
mobile-operating system, as soon as next week at its annual developer
conference in San Francisco, one person familiar with the plans says.
Apple plans to encourage app developers to embed its maps inside their
applications like social-networking and search services.
WSJ reports that Apple's
decision to launch its own Maps app has a lot to do with Google's
refusal to initially include Street View in the maps app and later
refusing to add turn-by-turn navigation feature.
Google's free Maps Navigation app for
Android is considered as one of the unique selling points of
Android-based smartphones, so Google's reluctance to add features to the
iOS Maps app to protect its interest isn't very surprising. However,
due to this shortsighted approach, Google is now in danger of losing the
ad revenues it generates from iOS Maps app, which is a significant
portion of Google's mobile ad revenues. Apple is also likely to update
the SDK to ensure that third-party developers start using their mapping
solution instead of Google's mapping data.
WSJ reports that Apple has been quietly adding features to iOS to compete with Google's Maps app in the future. According to WSJ, Apple released its own geocoder in iOS 5 last fall.
Apple quietly
launched its geocoder last fall inside its latest iPhone software. It
has remained all but unnoticed outside a small circle of software pros.
Since Apple
released its own geocoder, every time iPhone users open its map app, it
is Apple's technology that translates their position, not Google's.
Software developers can also use a version of the Apple technology,
CLGeocoder, to build apps that let users, for instance, tell their
friends what neighborhood they are in or search for nearby eateries.
WSJ also reports that Apple is
looking to integrate the Maps app with other pre-installed iOS apps to
enhance the functionality of these apps.
For instance, if
Apple's iCalendar program knows that a person has a meeting across town
soon, and traffic is backing up, it might alert the person about road
conditions.
It remains to be seen if Apple will
offer features such as Street View, voice navigation etc in its Maps
app. And even if Apple replaces Google's map with its own solution, all
is not lost for Google, as it could still release the Maps Navigation
app in the App Store.
Interestingly, Google has schedule a 3D Maps event on Thursday, June 6th ahead of next week's WWDC. We won't be surprised if they announce the launch of Google Maps Navigation app for iPhone.
We've been eagerly waiting for the day when Google and Apple take
their rivalry to Maps app. It looks like that day is coming soon.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
AT&T CEO: Data-Only Phone Plans Inevitable
In a somewhat surprising admission,
AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson, at an investors conference in New
York, said that data-only cellphone plans are inevitable, and that he
expects them to arrive within the next two years.
While Stephenson didn't say anything
about AT&T offering such a plan, the industry is definitely heading
towards a data only direction, and it's just a matter of time until one
carrier or the other gives in.
Stephenson's words from the conference:
"I'll be surprised if, in the next 24 months, we don't see people in the market place with data-only plans. I just think that's inevitable."
Smartphone's permanent web connectivity
has given rise to a lot of alternative media of communication, some of
which are much better than the traditional phone calls and text
messages. People have in fact demanded data only connections since quite
sometime, but till now carriers have only offered such plans for 3G/4G
tablets.
Assosicated Press' report on the event notes that AT&T
has been recording a decline in the average number of minutes used per
month, presumably due to people using apps like iMessage, Skype,
FaceTime over traditional voice calls. In fact, AT&T execs has gone
on record saying that iMessage and other similar texting apps are eating
into their messaging revenues.
The transition to data only plans would
be a difficult one for carriers, since significant portion of their
revenues presently come from phone calls and text messages. When the
process of transition is underway, carriers might increase data rates to
compensate for their loss of revenue from phone calls and texts.
Presently, AT&T is on its way to launch shared data plans
which will allow subscribers to share their plan over multiple devices
instead of buying a new one for each of them. Although the initiative
might reduce the amount a consumer pays, AT&T's CEO says that the
company "is determined to make more money from the plans, not less."
One of the ways AT&T's planning to increase its revenue from data is by letting content providers pay for the data consumed on their portals or apps instead of directly charging users. Stephenson says that this idea would be tested next year.
While this might seem like a good idea
at first, at least from a consumer standpoint, it would be disastrous
for companies and organizations low on capital.
All we hope is that in the quest for compensating for their lost revenues, carriers don't come up with absurd ideas.
Via Apple Insider
Rumor: Next-Gen iPhone to Get Broadcom BCM4334 Chip With Wi-Fi Direct For AirDrop
We've some more information about the next generation iPhone (iPhone5,1), courtesy folks at 9to5Mac who have been digging through the beta version of iOS 6 running on a prototype of the next iPhone.
9to5Mac reports that Apple
could use Broadcom BCM4334 single-chip dual-band combo chip in the next
generation iPhone, which is a follow up to BCM4330 which is used in the new iPad and iPhone 4S.
According to AnandTech, this new chip will need half the power for Wi-Fi :
BCM4334 which is the follow-up part to BCM4330 that we’ve seen in a bunch
of devices. BCM4334 changes from a 65nm process to 40nm LP, which
itself offers a power profile reduction. The change isn’t a simple die
shrink either, Broadcom says it has worked on and refined the existing
BCM4330 design and reduced power a further 40-50% and dramatically
reduced standby power by 3 orders of magnitude. I asked Broadcom to give
me a realistic estimate of power consumption – BCM4330 in full Rx mode
consumes around 68mA, BCM4334 consumes 36mA at the same voltage, just to
give an example of the reduction. Air interfaces don’t change between
BCM4330 and BCM4334.
As 9to5Mac
points out, the power savings would be helpful to offset the increase
in power consumption due to the taller 4-inch display and 4G LTE radios.
In addition to the power savings, the
new Broadcom chip also has dual band Wi-Fi which allows content
streaming via technologies such as Wi-Fi Display and Wi-Fi Direct. 9to5Mac
speculates that while Apple is unlikely to use Wi-Fi Display over its
own AirPlay protocol, Apple could use Wi-Fi Direct to bring OS X Lion's
adhoc file sharing protocol to iOS 6.
It certainly
gives Apple a reason to bump the Wifi chip up to this more expensive
dual mode version that was just announced in late February. Wifi Direct
is also used in more and more printers as well, but its main purpose is
making wireless file sharing extremely easy, as Google does in its
Galaxy Nexus devices.
With Apple’s
easy-to-understand interface, an iOS AirDrop feature could make sharing
between Macs and iOS devices and between iOS devices (or dare we say to
Android devices?) beyond simple.
Apple had introduced AirDrop feature in OS X Lion
last year. The feature provides a really easy way to share files
between supported, Wi-Fi enabled Macs, without having to connect through
the local Wi-Fi network.
But this is still quite speculative as
we've seen that Apple has chosen not to use the full capabilities of
Broadcom's Wi-Fi chip.
9to5Mac had previously reported that the
next generation iPhone, which is widely expected to be released in
October will be powered by a variant of the A5 chip like the new iPad and include 1GB RAM.
Via: .iphonehacks
Via: .iphonehacks
iOS 6 Feature: Facebook Integration?
TechCrunch reports that Facebook will be integrated into iOS 6, just like Twitter was integrated into iOS 5.
Apple and Facebook have been in talks
for quite sometime. In fact, according to some reports, Apple had fully
integrated Facebook into iOS 4 back in 2010, and was ready to launch the
mobile-social fusion when API negotiations broke down.
It looked like Apple and Facebook had patched things up as Tim Cook hinted at the possibility of Facebook integration coming to iOS 6 earlier in the week at AllThingsD's D10 conference. When he was asked "What is going on between you and Facebook?" by Mossberg, Tim Cook had this to say:
For us, we want
to provide customers simple and elegant ways to do the things they want
to do. Facebook has hundreds of millions of customers. So, anyone that
has an iPhone or iPad, we want them to have the best experience with
Facebook on those platforms.
So stay tuned.
MG Siegler of TechCrunch reports:
It’s important
to note that Apple being Apple, something could change in the next week
and a half (see again: Facebook/Ping). But as of right now, Facebook is a
go in iOS “Sundance”. One thing still being hammered out according to
our sources is exactly how sharing will work. Sharing is the other big
part of the iOS/Twitter integration, and will be important for
iOS/Facebook integration as well. But Facebook is significantly more
complicated than Twitter in that there are all kinds of permissions for
what you can post where and who can see what. And Open Graph adds
another layer of complexity to all of this.
It is not clear how the Facebook integration will work, but users should
be able to post status updates, share photos and videos from Safari,
Photos, Camera, YouTube, and Maps. It remains to be seen how Apple and
Facebook handle the complexity introduced by privacy controls etc.
via: iphonehacks
Friday, June 1, 2012
Video of Leaked Next Generation iPhone Front Panel
We've seen photos of the purported next generation iPhone's parts
including the front panel, which have corroborated rumors that the
sixth generation iPhone will come with a taller 4-inch display.
Folks at Japanese blog Macotakara have now managed to get their hands on the front panel and have posted photos and video comparing it to the iPhone 4S.
The comparison video and photos confirms
that the next generation iPhone's display will be taller than the
3.5-inch display, but have the same width as the current iPhones.
Macotakara
reports that the display opening measures at 10.33 cm (4.07 in)
diagonally, which would allow a taller 4-inch display to fit in the
opening. This is also in-line with the schematics of the next generation iPhone that was leaked yesterday.
A taller 4-inch display would allow
Apple to add one more row of icons to the iPhone's home screen, moving
to five rows per page plus the row of pinned icons in the dock at the
bottom of the screen.
The new resolution is also expected to
be very close to a 16:9 screen ratio, which means that 16:9 videos can
play full screen at their native aspect ratio.
Next Generation iPhone’s Hardware Details Leaked
9to5Mac continue to leak details about the next generation iPhone.
They have just provided more details
about the next generation iPhone's (N41AP/iPhone5,1) hardware and the
new iOS 6 Maps app, based on information they've managed to dig from the
beta version of iOS 6. This is quite a scoop as Apple is expected to
release the beta version of iOS 6, only after it gives us a preview at
WWDC 2012 Keynote on June 11th.
- The beta version of iOS 6 has revealed that the next generation iPhone will be powered by ARM S5L8950X processor. Apple has used the S5L8945X processor in the A5X SoC that powers iPad 3 (the new iPad).
- Apple's SoC that will power the next generation iPhone is internally codenamed "A5-***", which indicates that the new iPhone will be powered by a variant of the "A5" chip like the new iPad and not the A6 chip.
- The GPU chip that will be used in the next iPhone is called SGX543RC*. Apple currently uses the dual-core SGX543MP2 in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S and uses the quad-core SGX543MP4 in the new iPad to power its Retina Display.
- The next generation iPhone will come with 1GB RAM (iPhone 4S has 512MB RAM).
- The beta version of iOS 6 is running on a Darwin kernel version of 13.0.0. As 9to5Mac points out it is a full release above the 12.0.0 version seen in OS X Mountain Lion and two full releases above the 11.x.x version used in OS X Lion and iOS 5.
- 9to5Mac has also published a screenshot of the new Maps app that is being built in-house by Apple.
Apple is rumored to replace the Maps app that is powered by data provided by Google with an all-new Maps app developed in-house, which includes an incredible 3D mode.
The next generation iPhone is widely expected to be released in October.
