[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrRHPf0_B3M&feature=plcp”]
Shown during its media event last month, Apple posted a new iPod advertisement online. It has also been appearing on television. The ad, titled “Bounce”, highlights the various new designs in Apple’s iPod lineup and the choice of colors it now offers.
In case you are wondering how these iPods really bounce, we have the first iPod touch drop test below:
There is nothing worse than dropping your iPhone…except maybe dropping it into a lake. That is just an awful feeling. Not shamed by the occasion, 9to5mac reader Ken Hovanes shared his story of when he dropped an iPhone into Smith Lake roughly six months ago. He dropped it from a dock and was not able to see through six feet of water to pick it up. Hovanes considered it damaged/lost, so he bought a new iPhone.
Thinking all hope was gone, Hovanes was surprised this weekend to find his lost iPhone in the lake once the water levels lowered and the lake became clearer. Even more surprising: he discovered the iPhone still operates. As you can see in the gallery below, the screen turns on when plugged into a power source. There is a little water damage (including Wi-Fi, screen issues, and the bulges you can see below), but he is trying to clean out the 30-pin adapter area.
Lesson to learn? Do not give up hope on a water-damaged iOS device.
In March, the folks in Cupertino released Apple Configurator. It is a Mac app that allows someone to administer many iOS devices at a time like in a school or business (or a 9to5mac editor’s house) setting. The application has been updated this evening with a slew of features, including: support for new iOS 6 features, iMessage, iBookstore, GameCenter, and for configuring advanced network options on Apple TV. If you have many iOS devices under your watch on a daily basis, you may want to check out this update. [Mac App Store]
The full release notes:
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As the new Passbook feature available on iOS 6 starts to settle in the hands of more users, the sales of printed tickets may start to go down. MarketWatch reported this afternoon that Major League Baseball wants to phase out printed tickets all together and move to apps like Passbook to deliver tickets instead. The MLB tested this type of digital ticket sale with four teams during the last two weeks of the season. From the sound of it, results are better than expected.
Bob Bowman, CEO of MLB Advance Media, told MarketWatch that 1,500 e-ticket buyers, or 12 percent, bought their tickets using Passbook. He was shocked: “That adoption rate really floored us – there is no question our fans want digital tickets.” This has to be just what Apple wants.
Passbook offers benefits that paper tickets do not. Sure, there is nothing like having the paper ticket as a collectors item, but the benefits of a digital version may seem worth it to some. Bowman explained, “Fans can use the tickets, forward them to a friend, resell them, or even donate them to charity – and they never get lost or left at home.” Fans can also purchase a paper ticket, leave it at home, and use their ticket via Passbook instead.
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Apple’s new iPad mini is expected to be announced Oct. 17; and with that launch date swiftly approaching, we have seen our fair share of rumors and leaks. A report from The Guardian today refuted a prior claim, claiming the 7.85-inch iPad mini will not include 3G or 4G and will stick with Wi-Fi instead.
Industry sources indicated to the Guardian that they do not expect to see 3G-capable versions of the iPad mini. That would allow Apple to produce it comparatively cheaply and to limit the top price of the product, while retaining mobile broadband connectivity for its pricier iPad line.
Being Wi-Fi only, it would put the iPad mini in-line to be a direct competitor with the Google’s Nexus 7 that also lacks 3G or 4G. The Amazon Kindle Fire was also without wireless capabilities until it received a refresh last month. Being without cellular connection would keep the iPad mini down on price. However, it seems like something Apple would at least make an option in fear of losing potential customers look to access data on-the-go.
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Apple updated its Australian online store with updated shipping times for the new iPod touch and iPod nano that were unveiled alongside the new iPhone last month. You may remember Apple made pre-orders available Sept. 14 and promised the first batch will be shipped to customers by the end of October. The pre-orders still look to be on-track for a delivery soon.
However, if you are just getting around to ordering, there is good news: the Apple Online Store is displaying shipping times of ‘3 weeks’ this evening for the iPod touch and ‘2 weeks’ for the iPod nano. There is not a backlog like the iPhone 5.
Pre-orders for both music players are also available on Amazon.
Thanks, Jerry Lee!
Update 8:53AM: According to several 9to5mac tipsters, Apple is preparing to ship the fifth-generation iPod touch to customers. Furthermore, the Japan launch for the new iPod touch looks to be October 9, Macotakara reports.
Update Nov. 8: Apple has notified developers that the App Store also falls in the Dec. 21 to Dec. 28 category. More details below.
Does this seem early, or what? Apple’s iBooks team began emailing publishers to notify them that iTunes Connect will shutdown for the winter holidays Dec. 21 to Dec. 28. Presumably, the holiday also applies to developers a part of the App Store review process. Last year, Apple set aside Dec. 22 to Dec. 29 for what we imagine is some much-needed RNR.
As many of you know, the iTunes Connect holiday is a yearly tradition. It is a time where apps and books will not be updated and price changes will be locked. Apple recommends that no changes be submitted during this time.
We strongly recommend that you do not schedule any pricing changes in iTunes Connect that would take effect between December 21 and December 28, 2012. Pricing changes scheduled to take effect during this date range will not be reflected on the iBookstore and your book will become unavailable for purchase.
We also recommend that you do not schedule any books to go live during the shutdown. Releases scheduled with a start date between December 21 and December 28, 2012 will not go live on the iBookstore until after the shutdown.
Apple released a supplemental update for OS X 10.8.2, just two weeks after releasing 10.8.2 to the masses. The update is very minor, offering a fix for three issues:
- Resolves an issue that may cause certain Japanese characters to appear incorrectly in Mail
- Allows Safari to access secure sites when parental controls are enabled
- Addresses an issue that may prevent systems with more than 64 GB of RAM from starting up
The update is now available through Software Update on the Mac App Store.
Designer Martin Hajek (via Gizmodo) posted stunning renders of the upcoming iPad mini based on recent rumors. Hajek gave us a look at how the 7.85-inch screen may look and introduces a new concept: colored backs, just like the new iPod touch. As you can see in the gallery below, this designer did a very good job. Apple should have no problem stealing some 7-inch marketshare away from the Kindle Fire, if these renders are anything like the real deal.
Now we will just have to wait until what most say will be mid-October to hear the official word, straight from Apple. Hajek is offering a 3D model based off rumors on Turbosquid, if your itching finger just cannot wait.
While showing off Passbook at WWDC 2012, Apple touted Starbucks as one of the flagship services to be offered in the one-stop ticket and coupon organizer. However, when Passbook officially became available to the masses last month, many were surprised to see Starbucks was not yet available on the service. In the hopes of calming a few lost souls, Starbucks promised a quick arrival on Passbook.
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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Zjrv9-Botx8″]
Hopping on the “Don’t buy an iPhone” bandwagon with Samsung, Nokia just posted an advertisement touting its slew of colors for the Lumia line to pull customers away from the iPhone’s basic white or black options.
It’s as if the other manufacturers cannot even make an advertisement showing off their phone; they simply bash Apple instead. However, it is worth noting early impressions of the upcoming Lumia 920, running Windows Phone, have all been very good.
Lumia 820
There’s at least one Apple product line with a slew of colors..
Apple announced on its Investor Relations page this afternoon that it will release its Q4 earnings Oct. 25. In typical fashion, Apple releases its earnings in a press release at 4:30 p.m. after the market closes and follows with an earnings call with key Apple executives at 5 p.m. This quarter’s call will be one to tune in for, as CEO Tim Cook will surely discuss iPhone 5 sales and more. You can listen to the call on Apple’s website, and as always, 9to5mac will provide full coverage and analysis when it all goes down.
During Q3’s earnings call, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer said, “Apple expects Q4 revenues of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $7.65.” Apple announced revenues of $35 billion and diluted earning per share of $9.32 in Q3.
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwDUrVgDOdY&feature=plcp”]
In a bait-and-hook situation set up by the folks at ABC News; they were able to track a stolen iPad to the home of a TSA officer. The production team set out 10 iPads in airports known to have thefts, and nine of the tablets were eventually reported as lost.
But in Orlando, the iPad was not immediately returned and two hours later its tracking application showed the device as it moved away from the airport to the home of the TSA officer.
After waiting 15 days, ABC News went to the home and asked Ramirez to return the iPad.
It gets worse. The TSA officer blamed the situation on his wife:
Ramirez produced the iPad only after ABC News activated an audio alarm feature, and turned it over after taking off his TSA uniform shirt.
His explanation for the missing iPad in his home was that his wife had taken it from the airport.
The employee was terminated—and this is another situation of how turning on “Find my iPad” just might save you from losing a tablet.
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Daniel Ioffe and TechCrunch reported earlier this afternoon on a “serious bug that violates Facebook user privacy policy.” According to the report, Facebook made it easy for users to gain random users’ information on Facebook due to a flaw within the “Update All Contacts” feature in iOS 6. Both noted a user could enter a phone number and quickly gather information (users full name, picture, birthday, and email address) without even knowing the other person. However, we have clarified this is not some big privacy conspiracy. It’s simply a Facebook feature and setting, but it is something you might want to watch.
iOS 6 is simply mirroring a feature available on Facebook’s website. The feature enables users to search for emails and phone numbers on Facebook, and users can allow their email and phone number to be searchable by editing the “How you connect” section and by setting the “Who can look you up using the email address or phone number you provided” to friends.
This feature could come in handy if you are trying to fill out contact information without all the necessary data. For example: If you only had the phone number of a person you met at a party, you could easily gain the rest of his or her details. If users do not want the information shared publicly, and therefore obtainable by Facebook integration within iOS 6, they can simply make a change to the setting.
If this concerns you, head over here to edit your Facebook prefs.
Banking (quite literally) on the success of its popular Angry Birds game, the folks at Rovio have released yet another game on the App Store. This morning, the crew has released Bad Piggies for 99 cents. The game reminds us of Angry Birds; it is described as “the ultimate flying/crawling/rolling/spinning/crashing device and pilot the pigs safely to the eggs” by the app development firm. Rovio listed the features:
[iPhone, iPad, Mac] Screenshots:
[tweet https://twitter.com/brettbabin/status/251309620021301249]
Update: Already #1
[tweet https://twitter.com/skiman121/status/251316363556179971]
Fire up your Apple TV folks, there is a new update waiting for you. Not to leave the Apple TV out in the cold after a huge week with other iOS devices, the hardworking group in Cupertino has released its latest update to the second- and third-generation Apple TVs. Surprisingly still not called ‘iOS 6’, Apple released build 10A406e to the masses with a slew of new features. The Apple TV now features shared photo streams, and the ability to switch between iTunes accounts, re-order icons on the second page by holding the select button on the remote, and send audio from the Apple TV to Airplay-enabled speakers and devices. Hit up the download links or open software update on your Apple TV to get going. [2nd Gen, 3rd Gen]
Release notes below:
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Sparrow has certainly made a name for itself as the Mail.app alternative on both the iPhone and Mac. Although acquired by Google, the co-founder of Sparrow, Dominique Leca, just announced that Sparrow would be updated to support the iPhone 5 soon.
After the acquisition was completed earlier this summer, development of Sparrow ceased with the only recent updates being bug fixes. This left many wondering if the black bars at the top and bottom of Sparrow on the iPhone 5 would soon be removed—and luckily, they will be.
Nonetheless, we assume the Sparrow team has been hard at work on the new features within Google’s Gmail offering, or perhaps even the Gmail iOS app, so we would not want to take its time away from that for too long.
[tweet https://twitter.com/domleca/status/250276254232768512]
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LG6Qx127xgs”]
Now that many of you have spent your first weekend with the iPhone 5, you may wonder just how much this amazing new device can stand after having been dropped on the ground or in water or even shot with a gun or dunked in a basketball hoop. Lucky for you, several people with $650 to burn have posted their iPhone 5 durability testing, and we compiled the top 10. To begin, ratedrr shot the iPhone 5 with a .50 cal rifle, and the results won’t surprise you. Check out the nine others, including just how well the iPhone 5 does as a basketball, below:
The war between Apple and Samsung on the patent front seems to never end…and it is about to get worse. Cupertino-based Apple filed a motion late Friday afternoon against South Korean-based Samsung, asking for another $707 million in damages on top of the $1.05 billion it was awarded in late August. Apple said it wants “$400 million damage award for design infringement by Samsung; $135 million for willful infringement of its utility patents; $121 million in supplemental damages based on Samsung’s product sales not covered in the jury’s deliberation; and $50 million of prejudgment interest on damages through December 31,” reported Reuters. Not going to give up without a fight, Samsung asked for a separate trial. It could face damages and key devices like the Galaxy S III could be taken off the market per Apple’s request if found guilty. The last U.S. trial focused on older Samsung devices like the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab 10.1, but Samsung’s newer devices look to be in focus this time around. So, it appears we will be doing this all over again. [Reuters]
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The folks at iFixit have begun their Apple product launch ritual: the teardown. Roughly an hour after the iPhone 5 launched in Australia, iFixit began its teardown of the 4-inch device. Reiterating an earlier report about Apple possibly offering iPhone 5 display replacement in-store like it did with the iPhone 3GS, iFixit added, “We’re having iPhone 3GS flashbacks with the easily accessible display assembly.” iFixit further dived into the device, exposing the new A6 processor. It also revealed some more battery specs: “3.8V – 5.45Wh – 1424mAh. Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G. Standby time: Up to 225 hours.” Once the teardown was complete, it concluded the iPhone 5 has a repairability score of 7/10—certainly not bad. [iFixit]
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If you have been paying any attention to the latest out of Cupertino for the last week, “September 21st, 8AM” is engraved in your mind. As the clock strikes 8 a.m. in countries in the east, Apple’s iPhone 5 has been going on sale. The first country to receive the iPhone was Australia. Here is the first iPhone 5 recipient, complete with advertising (image via igbtys):
And the long line in Australia (image via Pablo):
[tweet http://twitter.com/ifostore/status/248911230738239488]
Following backlash aimed at Apple’s new Maps from the media and customers over the past 24 hours, Apple PR representative Trudy Miller told AllThingsD in a statement:
Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service. We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover, turn by turn navigation, and Siri integration. We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.
Here are some alternatives (while Google gets the… yes or no)
There is nothing more frustrating than dropping your precious iPhone, picking it up, and then finding the darn thing completely cracked. Apple will happily replace a cracked iPhone 4S with a refurbished one, as long as you are signed up for the $99 Apple Care program.
However, a new phone brings new changes. The folks at iMore, who have been on-key with Apple news in the past, report that broken iPhone 5 displays will physically be replaced in-store and no longer will customers be handed a refurbished device. The report added that the equipment to swap screens has begun popping up in retail stores:
iMore has learned from sources within Apple retail that broken iPhone 5 displays may soon be getting replaced in-store. This would be a change from Apple’s current iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 practice, which consisted of swapping the entire iPhone out for a new or refurbished one. Sources within Apple retail have told us that equipment used to remove the screens has started appearing in their stores.
The iPhone 5’s new unibody design makes the front panel easily replaceable. Apple could do similar with the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS until the redesigned body for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S made it much more difficult.
Update (September 12th):Eric Schmidt went on record saying:“We haven’t done anything yet with Google Maps,” Schmidt told reporters in Tokyo today. Apple would “have to approve it. It’s their choice,” Schmidt said, declining to say if the Mountain View, California-based company submitted an application to Apple for sale through its App Store.
If you are missing Google Maps after updating to iOS 6 over the past 24 hours, good news may be just around the corner. As previously rumored, The Guardian suggested this afternoon that the folks at Google built a separate Maps app for iOS 6. The report further added that it will “appear in time,” to which well-known developer Steve Stroughton-Smith seemingly confirmed with a “Yep.”
The same sources say that Google is preparing a Google Maps app for iOS6, which will appear in time. No official statement has been made and there will inevitably be questions over whether Apple will approve it in the App Store. (Apple might not, on the basis that it “competes with existing functionality”, but would invite a further backlash if it did.)
[tweet http://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/248875894943387649]
Separately, we’ve heard Google has been building versions of a iOS GoogleMaps.app for quite a while. Additionally, we’ve learned an updated iOS 6 version of the Google Maps.app has been submitted to Apple. It is awaiting approval, however, and that could take some time. It took a year for Apple to approve Google Voice, for instance, and Apple could technically likewise claim Google Maps “duplicates a native service” even though there are quite a few mapping apps already in the App Store (like Google Earth). Last month, it looked as if Apple were putting an update to Google Voice that featured Siri-like functionality through purgatory.
Update: Jim Dalrymple says “nope”. While this is clearly from Apple, it is a matter of semantics. Google has the app ready and Apple has seen it. It isn’t any different than the below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-cZ4mdrlWYM]
Over the past 24 hours, Apple’s Maps application has received a ton of negative feed back from the press and some users. Sure, Apple’s Maps has great functionality like turn-by-turn navigation, Siri integration, and more, but many have found Apple Maps to be sub-par without key mapping data (that Google once brought to iOS). The Guardian claimed the folks at Google are enjoying the bad press thrown at Apple:
