Apple unveils the new 4-inch ‘iPhone SE’
The “iPhone SE” is now official as Apple today unveiled the device on stage at its ‘Let us loop you in’ press event in Cupertino.
Who will buy the iPhone SE? Over 35% of iPhone users are still using a 4-inch device
Who will buy the iPhone SE? Data shows that over 35% of iPhone users are still using a 4-inch device…
Apple seemingly turns to Tumblr to promote the iPhone 5c
Apple appears to have taken to Tumblr to start up a new advertising campaign for the iPhone 5c. The campaign is called “Every color has a story,” and the webpage called “ISee5c” appeared within the past couple of days.
The advertisements are videos portraying different iPhone 5c phone colors and case colors. Each roughly 15 second video plays a different song and showcases the dots featured on the rear of the iPhone 5c official cases and on the iOS 7 dynamic wallpapers…
Incipio’s NFC-enabled iPhone case for ISIS payments now available to Verizon customers
First launched by AT&T at the end of last month, Verizon announced today that it too will be selling Incipio’s Cashwrap iPhone case that builds in an NFC chip for using the ISIS mobile wallet service. The Google Wallet competitor was previously only available to Android users and is backed by a number of major mobile carriers and credit card companies. It’s supported at around 200k contactless payment locations in the US so far and, like Google’s Wallet app, also supports loyalty reward programs. To go with the case, the ISIS Mobile Wallet for Verizon app is also now available on the App Store.
To celebrate the national launch of the new Isis Mobile Wallet, Verizon Wireless customers will receive $10 when they download Isis Mobile Wallet and activate a new American Express Serve Account, as well as an additional $10 after their first tap-to-pay transaction at a Verizon Wireless location.
The Incipio Cashwrap ($69) is available now through Verizon for iPhone 4, 4S, 5, and 5s in Black and requires the ISIS mobile app for Verizon from the App Store. It’s also available in several other colors for the same price through AT&T.
Apple posts new 30-second iPhone ad created from Burberry fashion show footage
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKcBNbRSdyI]
In September of 2013, Apple and Burberry partnered up to shoot an entire fashion show using only iPhones. Today Apple released a new thirty-second ad for the iPhone 5s that features footage from the show combined with behind-the-scenes footage of the iPhones used to document the event.
The show was filmed with fourteen different iPhones throughout the venue just prior to the public release of the phone to the public.
Tim Cook: iPhone 5c popular among first-time iPhone buyers, but not as popular as expected
During today’s earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the iPhone 5c was the most popular choice among new iPhone users. However, the colorful new lower-end device did not meet the company’s expectations in sales. Despite the fact that iPhone 5s sales came in above Apple’s target, the iPhone category overall significantly missed analysts’ projected sales mark of 55 million units.
It’s likely that Apple misjudged the low-end smartphone market here, believing that users would jump at the chance for a “new” iPhone at a lower price than usual. Smartphone shoppers don’t seem to be taking the bait, instead opting for the more expensive, more “premium” 5s or going elsewhere. It’s hard to say they’re making the wrong call, considering that the iPhone 5c is actually much closer in specs to the previous generation than it is to the latest model, which seems to be more than worth its $100 premium.
As the holidays approach, iPhone 5s shipping times once again improve to 3-5 days
The iPhone 5s launch was initially plagued by constrained supply and lagging shipping times, but in the past few weeks those issues have been alleviated as shipping times dropped significantly. The shipping times have dropped yet again, this time to only 3-5 days. This is down quite a bit from the previous 2-3 weeks required to ship.
This is an especially welcome update for those buying iPhones as gifts this holiday season, although shipping times of 24 hours, which iPhone 5c buyers have enjoyed since the phone launched, would be ideal for last-minute shoppers.
Introduced at iPhone 5s event, M7-integrated Nike+ Move fitness app launches
Introduced by Apple at the September 10 iPhone 5s event, Nike has launched its Nike+ Move application for the iPhone 5s. The app was originally scheduled to arrive on November 6th alongside the new FuelBand SE hardware, but it appears that Nike unleashed the program a bit early.
The application requires an iPhone 5s as it is completely based off of the new iPhone’s M7 motion co-processor chipset. The M7 chip, which Apple plans to integrate with its own mapping software next year, works with the iPhone’s motion sensors (like the compass and accelerometer) to provide by reliable data while simultaneously improving the phone battery’s overall efficiency.
Apple confirms iPhone 5s battery life affected by manufacturing issues in some units
<a href="http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+5s+Teardown/17383">Image via iFixit</a>
Apple has confirmed to The New York Times that a “very limited” number of iPhone 5s units could experience shortened battery life as the result of a manufacturing problem.
“We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life,” said Teresa Brewer, an Apple spokeswoman. “We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone.”
The exact number of affected units is not clear, but the statement is said to imply that the number is in the few thousands range. Apple sold 9 million iPhones total over its opening weekend. The NYT notes that a manufacturing problem does not equal a defective battery, so it is unclear what the actual source of the issue is.
Affected users can expect to be contacted by Apple soon and will be issued a replacement phone.
Apple TD-LTE job listing serves as additional confirmation for China Mobile iPhone
While a possible deal with China Mobile, one of the world’s largest telecoms, was rumored for quite sometime leading up to launch of the new iPhones, the company said in August that it was still working out “commercial and technical issues” with Apple. Today, Bloomberg points us to an Apple job listing in China that provides some evidence that the company is indeed preparing to launch the iPhone on the carrier’s network:
The manager, who will be based in Beijing, will “support and drive the carrier approval of mobile phones,” Apple said in an advertisement on its China website. The position seeks experience with TD-SCDMA, China Mobile’s own third-generation standard that isn’t used by other carriers.
On top of TD-SCDMA, the job listing is also seeking an engineer with experience in TD-LTE, which is the LTE standard that China Mobile has quickly been rolling out. Back in August the often reliable KGI analyst Mingchi Kuo claimed that Apple was ramping up TD-LTE supported iPhone 5c production and estimated that the iPhone 5s and 5c on China Mobile could account for penetration of 25% and 35% of total shipments for the two devices. Currently the carrier has approximately 756 million subscribers, around 63% of the 1.2 billion wireless subscribers in China.
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Best Buy giving out $50 gift cards with iPhone 5c purchases through Oct. 7
Best Buy has noted on its website that between today (Thursday) and October 7th (next Monday), it will be offering $50 gift cards with iPhone 5c purchases. The offer is exclusive to purchases within Best Buy’s physical retail stores via on-location purchases or the in-store pickup option. The gift card will not be applicable to the iPhone 5c purchase, but can be used for future transactions at Best Buy. If you return the iPhone 5c, you must also return the gift card, according to Best Buy. Best Buy is currently not running any promotions for the (still constrained) iPhone 5s.
Update: Best Buy has updated its terms. Yes, you can use the gift card toward the 5c in-store.
Chinese iPhone buyers desperate for gold turn to $2 stickers
The new gold color option for the iPhone 5s might be driving higher demand over the 5c in China, but for those unable to find or afford the more expensive model, gold stickers and skins have quickly become an inexpensive alternative. The Wall Street Journal reports that a long list of retailers in the country have started offering gold skins for the iPhone 5/5s, allowing users to give their iPhone a similar gold appearance for as little as $2.
“Dear, you don’t need to sell your kidney for the new iPhone,” one of the ads said.“Instead of paying 5288 yuan (the retail price of the 16-gigabyte iPhone 5S in China), you only need to spend 35 yuan to make your iPhone 5 look like a golden iPhone 5S in seconds.”
The report notes that online retailers through taobao.com have sold thousands of gold iPhone skins in less than a month, and there is certainly no shortage of similar options through Amazon and other online retailers.
The new gold iPhone is in limited supply at most retailers around the world, and even Apple’s own retail stores have had extremely limited supply of the model compared to other color options since the device’s launch on September 20.
As noted by WSJ, the gold iPhone 5s is considered somewhat of a status symbol in the country with local Chinese media often referring to the gold 5s model as “Tuhao Jin” or “local tyrant’s gold.”
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Long lines forming at Apple Stores around the globe for iPhone 5s/5c retail launch
As online sales for the iPhone 5s begin to go live in Australia, Asia, and now the UK, lines outside of Apple stores around the world are starting to grow in anticipation the September 20th, 8AM retail launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c. Shipping times for the 5c have been slipping since preorders went live last week, but Apple seems to be in even shorter supply of the iPhone 5s as shipping times are starting at 7-10 days in most countries where online orders have already kicked off.
If you’re expecting to queue up to get your hands on an iPhone 5s like the many customers pictured below, you might want to get in line soon. We learned earlier today that retailers, including Apple stores, are getting little to no Gold and white iPhone 5s units, and will mainly have just the new Space Grey model available in store. However, as we’ve seen following launches in other countries today, the 5s in all colors seems to be in shorty supply even for online orders.
@varunkrish People in line at Apple store , Apple reps saying not more than 10 pieces of gold iPhone per store.
That is pretty bad.— SD (@sonaldeshmukh) September 19, 2013
The September 20 iPhone 5s and 5c retail launch will take place in the US, Australia, China, Canada, Germany, France, Singapore, UK, and Japan.
Head below for a look at the long lines starting to form outside Apple Stores around the globe:
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Report: Apple could use sapphire crystal for home button on new iPads, cover glass on 2014 iPhones
With Apple utilizing a new laser cut sapphire crystal in its redesigned home button that now includes a capacitive fingerprint touch sensor on the iPhone 5s, it’s not that surprising that rumors of a sapphire home button on future iPads are starting to pop up. We’re certainly not taking this one as fact, as it comes to us from the not-so-reliable DigiTimes, but a new report from the publication says new models of Apple’s full-sized iPad and iPad mini will also utilize the hard sapphire crystal material. The rumor apparently comes from “Taiwan-based sapphire makers.”
The report adds that Apple could also be looking to utilize the material for entire touch screen covers for new iPhones coming in 2014, but that price could be a factor, as sapphire crystal is reportedly still around 5 times more expensive than alternative materials.
In it’s latest promotional video for the new iPhone 5s home button and TouchID feature (below), Apple says the Sapphire crystal button protects the the new touch sensor and also “acts as a lens to precisely focus it on your finger.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJkmc8-eyvE
Apple asks developers to start submitting iPhone 5s-optimized 64-bit apps
Ahead of the iPhone 5s’s launch later this week, Apple has put up a notice for developers to start submitting 64-bit compatible App Store apps. One of the iPhone 5s’s marquee features is a new 64-bit A7 processor that improves gaming and speed performance across the system and apps. Apple’s notice to developers:
Plastic iPhone dummy units show altered color palette including pink & yellowish-orange
As Apple’s September 10th iPhone event approaches, speculation is rising in terms of what Apple will announce.
It seems clear that Apple will launch a new iPhone 5S with a fingerprint scanner, a gold casing option, and an improved processor. It also seems likely that Apple will finally take the wraps off of a lower-cost, plastic iPhone model that comes in multiple colors.
Poll: Which iPhone 5S/5C color would you choose?
Rumor has it Apple is about to introduce an iPhone 5S alongside a new lower-cost iPhone 5C at an event early next month. On top of a fingerprint sensor and iOS 7, it’s also expected to introduce new color options for the device for the first time. We’ve already reported that Apple has plans to introduce a new gold color option for its next generation iPhone and, if leaks are to be believed, the lineup will also include a selection of iPod-like colors for the lower-cost iPhone 5C. A report this morning claimed that Apple could even introduce a fourth grey or ‘graphite’ color iPhone 5S pictured above, but we’re skeptical to say the least.
Will Apple’s new iPhone colors be a hit with consumers? Or will you be sticking with the classic white or black iPhone when it comes time to upgrade? Let us know in the polls below:
iPhone 5S:
iPhone 5C:
Remember what the iPhone 5 looked like in all the pre-announcement leaks?
Let me remind you; http://t.co/vWv9ZAUUx2 http://t.co/AxR3F51DHn
— 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓 (@sentry) August 26, 2013
Consumers in U.S. make case for low-cost iPhone demand w/ increased sales of previous generation iPhones
New numbers out today from research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (via AllthingsD) show that consumers in the U.S. are purchasing an increasing number of previous generation iPhones compared to recent years. It certainly helps make the case for a much rumored lower-cost iPhone, with the iPhone 4 capturing 18 percent of iPhones sold in the US during the June quarter, and the iPhone 4S an impressive 30 percent.
As noted by AllThingsD, the 52 percent of total iPhone sales captured by the iPhone 5 is much less than the iPhone 4S had just nine months into its release:
Nine months after the iPhone 5′s debut, it accounts for about half of all iPhone sales. The 4S still accounted for nearly three-quarters of iPhone sales almost a year after its launch.
While the obvious conclusion to draw from the data is an increased demand for a lower priced iPhone, CIRP’s Josh Lowitz thinks Apple could continue to take on the lower price market in the US with its previous generations of iPhones:
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Sketchy photos claim to show backplate for rumored low-cost iPhone, iPad 5 schematics
This morning, a pair photos claiming to depict the backplate for Apple’s rumored upcoming low-cost iPhone have appeared on the WeiPhone forums. The backplate, which is unverified to be legitimate, appears to be made of a plastic material and is shown in a green color. The overall design of the purported part lines up with past reports suggesting that Apple is developing a low-cost iPhone with a plastic-like-casing in a number of colors.
NowhereElse found two more including red, yellow and green variants.
Spy shot claims to show iPhone 5S front panel on assembly line
Following the latest round of images yesterday claiming to show a redesigned next-generation iPhone, today gforgames.com points us to a new image that apparently shows the front panel of the device. The report speculates the image, originally posted to Chinese blogging service Sina Weibo, shows the device on an assembly line, which could point to the device entering production. There appears to be slightly redesigned flex connectors that we’ve seen in other images, but from this angle these could very easily have been faked.
Below is another alleged shot of the device’s front glass that we’ve received:
‘iPhone 5S’, cheaper iPhone to come in multiple new colors, July announcement?
According to Macotakara, new colors will be one of the more visible features of Apple’s next-generation iPhone models. According to a new report from the Japanese website, Apple’s iPhone 5 successor, already dubbed by some as the “iPhone 5S,” will come in three additional colors on top of the already existing black/slate and white/silver designs found on the iPhone 5.
It seems that it will have gossiped if the 5-color lineup of low-priced edition iPhone is carried out until now, but iPhone 5S may be 3 colors added to 2 colors of iPhone 5 1 color somehow. However, the informed sources did not tell about the kind of detailed color.
The site also claims that Apple’s already-rumored cheaper iPhone will come in five colors, but the report does not specify if this is five colors in addition to the black and white models or including the black and white options. Multiple analyst reports have previously claimed that Apple’s next iPhones will likely come in new colors.
Analyst says $300 price point is sweet spot for unsubsidized iPhone mini
Topeka Capital analyst Brian White issued a report to clients today (via Forbes) to provide what he thinks Apple has in store for the much-rumored low-cost iPhone. According to White, Apple will introduce the lower-priced iPhone as early as June. This is of course something we heard before from previous reports, but White also predicted pricing and a possible name for the device…
Some new information that White added: He said the device will be called the “iPhone mini” or “iPhone Air” and sell for an unsubsidized price of $250 to $300.
“A $250-$300 price range would also be competitive with China-based Xiaomi that offers a high-end phone experience at a mid-range price of ~$320 in China,” he writes. “We believe a $250-to-$300 price point will allow Apple to significantly expand its reach in the smartphone market and better address developing markets such as China, while opening up more opportunities in Brazil, Russia, India and elsewhere.”
