Comparison photos of purported iPad 3 shell point to more tapering, thicker form-factor, narrower bezel
In a roundup of iPad 3 rumors, MICGadget included photographs of a purported iPad 3 shell. The shell is shown in comparison to an iPad 2 back shell. Notable differences include a 1 mm to 1.5-mm thicker design, depending on where on the iPad 3 you are measuring. In addition, more tapering is shown. This will likely make the iPad 3 feel thinner than the iPad 2 when being held. While not visible in the images, the report claimed the iPad 3 bezel is slightly narrower than the iPad 2′s bezel.
MIC’s sources also pointed to the iPad 3 having a larger camera lens. This would mean the iPad 3 has an improved camera, but MIC is uncertain of the quality. It also included some bits such as 16GB, 32GB, and 128GB iPad 3 capacities in addition to claims of a 7-inch iPad launch later this year. We would not put too much trust into the iPad mini claim, because these smaller-iPad rumors typically come and go with no success.
China Telecom’s 130M subscribers will get access to CDMA iPhone 4S on March 9
China Telecom officially announced it would begin selling the iPhone 4S next month. China Telecom is a major market for Apple, because its 130 million mobile subscribers will now have the opportunity to purchase Apple’s latest smartphone. The iPhone 4S will go on sale on March 9 on China Telecom, and pre-order offerings will start on March 2. China Telecom has almost 200 million customers in Mainland China, including fixed line, mobile and broadband. It also boasts about having the largest CDMA network in the world (ahem Verizon) by installed base.
Apple provided a well-timed statement on the matter to The Loop:
iPhone 4S has been an incredible hit with customers around the world,” Apple spokesperson Natalie Harrison, told The Loop. “We’re thrilled to be launching iPhone 4S with China Telecom and can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers in China.
We previously noted that China Telecom would begin to sell the phone around the announced timeframe. The iPhone 4S on China Telecom will be available in every configuration: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. The phone will start at “free” with a contract. China Telecom received its license to sell the iPhone in January.
Apple looking to launch iTunes Store, App Store overhauls later this year
In a move that will surely keep the Mac and iPhone maker on top of the digital music and software application industry, Apple is preparing its first iTunes Store redesign in nearly three years. In late 2009, Apple launched a new iTunes Store that traded in a blue-themed, convoluted store for a much simpler, white-themed store that provides a great focus on the store’s downloadable content.
The redesign of the iTunes Store that runs on both the iTunes application for the Mac and the PC is a top priority for Apple. The work on the redesign comes soon after the launch of new services in the United States such as the Spotify music streaming service and the growing popularity of Amazon’s online music store. Apple dominates the majority of the digital music market, and it will continue to bet on an in-application download store and not an online store found only in a web browser.
The new design is said to be even simpler and more user-friendly than the current design. Apple is working on ways to enhance the speed and efficiency of finding new content, such as songs, videos, and applications. The cornerstone element of Apple’s new iTunes Store is interactivity. As Apple vaguely explained to a number of music labels and entertainment partners, Apple is looking to make the iTunes Store a much more engaging experience. Read on for more…
Photo shows that Apple may have prototyped iPad 3 with “A5X” processor last year
A WeiPhone forum member claims to have an image of a prototype iPad 3 logic board with an “A5X” system-on-a-chip (via MacRumors). Notably, an “A5x” processor would likely point to the third-generation iPad including an enhanced dual-core A5 processor, rather than a quad-core A6 chip. While multiple reliable reports pointed to a quad-core iPad 3, this would fall in line with a recent report that claimed the iPad 3 will not have a quad-core processor, but rather just a dual-core chip with improved graphics. Read on for more….
iPad 3 w/8 Megapixel camera pictured by Apple Daily publication
Apple Daily today has images of what it claimed is the next iPad compared to an iPad 1 and an iPad 2. You will notice increased tapering and a bigger camera lens. The publication said the camera is a whopping 8-megapixels, which would likely mean it is the same Sony camera found in the iPhone 4S that CEO Howard Stinger first leaked in April of last year. Apple will likely bring some of its optics over, as well.
We first heard reports of 5- to 8-megapixel cameras in the next iPad at the end of last year in a wide-ranging set of reports.
Apple.pro grabbed some images of the print version that seem to show the tapering better.
The iPad 3 picture seems to be coming together but that does not mean there are not going to be some surprises.
Apple Daily also noted new cabling (pictured below): Read more
MLB at Bat ’12 available for free on App Store Feb. 29 with $119 subscription
Pitchers and Catchers are set to report over the next few days and MLB is getting its 2012 App ready
Baseball fans will be happy to hear that Major League Baseball is again bringing the MLB at Bat app back to the App Store so they can enjoy every game throughout the season on their iOS device. In previous years, the MLB at Bat app on the App Store made available audio of the games and in-game statistics. A premium package could open video for all games. This year, MLB is changing the way they bring you games.
Luckily for this season, MLB confirmed with EverythingiCafe that MLB at Bat ’12 would be available for free on the App Store for both the iPhone and iPad— as long as you pay for the one time subscription. The app will stream both audio and video and bring in-game stats.
MLB at Bat ’12 will be available Feb. 29 for free. However, if you want to use the app, you will have to pay a once-a-year $119 subscription as a returning customer or $125 as a new customer. Those who subscribe can view 150 Spring Training games and all 2,430 regular season games, though some are subject black outs. You can now sign up for the MLB.TV season on the MLB website. The first game will stream March 3.
Leaked iOS 5.1 pre-GM build contains camera slider and Japanese Siri?
Portuguese language blog BlogdoiPhone leaked reported screenshots of the iOS 5.1 ‘pre-GM’ (via MacRumors) that it claimed to receive from a local carrier. We already postulated iOS 5.1 is most likely going to launch with the iPad 3 on the rumored March 7 date. Today’s leaked screenshots reveal two more features in iOS 5.1, such as a new camera button on the home screen, and Japanese Siri.
On earlier versions of iOS, double clicking the home button revealed the camera button that you can click, but today’s leaked screenshots (above, left) show iOS 5.1 will now have a camera button that slides up to turn on the camera. This change eliminates accidental clicks.
Earlier this week, we discovered that Siri revealed the Japanese language is on its way to the voice-activated assistant. Today’s leaked screenshots also show that Japanese Siri support is included in iOS 5.1 (above, right).
FTC criticizes poor privacy disclosures in apps for kids, says industry must improve standards
Let’s take a quick break from the hordes of Mountain Lion OSX news to talk about privacy issues within apps…again. However, this time the spotlight is on children’s apps in both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android Marketplace.
The Federal Trade Commission released a report today (PDF) based on a survey that found apps for children do not fully disclose the types of data collected nor do they adequately educate parents about data harvesting.
The consumer protection agency scrutinized privacy policies, recommended each developer give comprehensible disclosures on how data is accrued and shared, including whether children’s data is linked to social network apps, and it even mentioned conducting a six-month review on disclosures and using enforcement if needed. The report focused on the two main app stores themselves and requested more be done to tell children and their parents about privacy concerns…
Google and Apple team up to save diabetic
The iPhone is great in many ways, but perhaps one of the best cases is in a medical emergency. KVAL reported a 57-year-old Oregon man was suffering from a diabetic reaction while driving down a local highway. (Video link here.)
When two medical responders came to the scene and tried to assist the man, they ran into quite a language barrier. The man only spoke Chinese, but luckily, one of the responders knew to reach for his iPhone. He fired up Google Translate and was able to speak Chinese with the man to figure out his condition and give him the help he needed.
Cross posted on 9to5Google.com
Study: Jailbreak apps upload less private data than Apple-approved apps
The app development world went into a frenzy when social network app Path was caught uploading users’ address book information without asking for permission last week. We already gave our view on the matter, but Forbes reported on a study by University of California at Santa Barbara yesterday that found Cydia apps leaked private data less than apps available on the iTunes App Store.
The group built a tool called PiOS that analyzes iOS apps for private data leaks. It looked at 1,407 free apps: 825 apps from the App Store; and, 526 apps from Cydia’s repository the BigBoss.
The findings indicated 21 percent of the App Store apps tested uploaded a users’ iOS device’s UDID, 4 percent uploaded location information, and .5-percent uploaded users’ address book—like Path did. When it came to the 526 apps tested on the BigBoss repo, only 4 percent leaked users’ UDID, and only one app leaked location and address book data.
Many people are under the impression that third-party apps do the majority of the uploading, but that might not be the case. Perhaps Apple’s new restriction on uploading address book information without permission will help remedy the situation.
You can view the study’s full graph after the break:
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