Apple

Unlike the rest of the world, China and Hong Kong can reserve the iPhone 5s starting today. However, just minutes after the phone became available, most models and colors sold out across the country.

At the time of writing, only the 16 GB ‘space grey’ SKU’s remain available for reservation. All other models have sold out and are “currently unavailable” according to the online store. Sina reported on the phenomenon, noting that the gold model, in particular, was in high demand…
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Touch ID is far, far more important than most people have realised – the core message behind a Quora post by the CEO of a card payment service. We can expect to learn far more “in the next few months, and that’s likely to eventually include both Touch ID Macs and use of the fingerprint system for mobile payments.

In the torrent of the billions of words already written about Touch ID very, very few people have really understood just how revolutionary this really is.  Apple not only has developed one of the most accurate mass produced biometric security devices, they have also solved critical problems with how the data from this device will be encrypted, stored and secured.

Brian Roemmele, CEO of 1st American Card Service, said that Apple’s attempt to solve the problem of how to develop a truly secure access system goes all the way back to a patent application in 2008, but it was only through the A7 chip – specifically created by ARM with mobile payment security in mind – that the company finally had a gold-standard solution. And its applications will go far beyond iPhone unlock and iTunes purchases … 
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<em>Via Getty Images</em>

According to France-based MacGeneration, which has offered both accurate and inaccurate information in the past, Apple’s next media event will be held on Tuesday, October 15th. Apple is expected to debut a series of new products by the end of this year, including multiple new iPad models, several new Macs, OS X Mavericks, and perhaps an update to Apple TV hardware.

Today’s report also claims that iMac stock is constrained, something we reported earlier this month. An October event following a September event would not be unprecedented. Last year, Apple debuted the iPhone 5 and new iPods in September, and then it launched new Macs, a new full-sized iPad, and the first-generation iPad mini in late October.

We’re expecting OS X Mavericks to hit the App Store toward the end of October. Besides the iMac, the MacBook Pro and Mac mini are both due for Intel Haswell-infused refreshes. We’re also expecting Apple to introduce at least two new iPads, including a redesigned full-sized model and an iPad mini with a Retina display.

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Poor old Siri doesn’t seem to get much love from many users. When I recently mentioned it as the reason I upgraded from the iPhone 4 to the 4S, quite a few disparaging comments were made about the service. Our finding this weekend that Apple now considers Siri good enough to lose the beta tag caused Gizmodo to wonder who actually uses it.

I thought its reclassification as a fully-fledged iOS feature would be a good time to persuade those who’ve abandoned the assistant to give Siri another chance … 
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With only days remaining until iOS 7 is released into the hands of consumers worldwide, Apple has finally managed to bring The Beatles to iTunes Radio.

Since its initial introduction at WWDC in June, users of iTunes Radio would be greeted with an absence of Beatles music, even when creating a specific “Beatles Radio” station. No explanation was given from Apple. Perhaps what’s most interesting here is that from the launch of the iTunes Music Store in 2003 until late 2010, Apple struggled to reach an agreement with Apple Corps to get The Beatles onto the store. This was due to a long series of legal battles with Apple Corps and Apple Inc, stretching back multiple decades. Until this past weekend, it appeared that The Beatles wouldn’t make it onto iTunes Radio either.

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Image: Forbes.com

There were already 42M iPhones in use on China Mobile‘s network even before Apple’s anticipated deal with the carrier to offer the handset officially, claims Chinese site SinaTech.

Up to now, China Mobile iPhone users in the network has reached 42 million, which has exceeded the U.S. AT & T and Verizon combined sales of the two operators …

42 million is a huge number, especially when you consider that none of them were subsidised: all had to have been purchased at full price. If true, you can see why the potential for subsidised handsets in China is massive … 
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iPhone 5s schematic, click to enlarge. 5c below

Apple has updated it guidelines (PDF) for case manufacturers to include specific requirements and schematics for the iPhone 5s and 5c. As expected, the 5s schematics are similar to the iPhone 5 since the outer shell is largely unchanged.

The 5c design is more distinct from the 5, because while the internal layout is nearly identical, the exterior plastic casing is very different. See below for the 5c’s schematics.

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Hardcore iPhone fans in Japan already queuing for the 5s and 5c going on sale on Friday weren’t going to be put off by a mere typhoon (hurricane) warning: they continued their vigil outside Tokyo’s Ginza store. Apple Store staff opened the doors at 7.30am, shortly before the typhoon hit, to bring customers inside, reports Kotaku.

They were allowed to bring in their wet possessions, rest in the Apple Store theater until 10am, and were even given bottled water. “I was so moved how Apple treats its customers,” said YouTube user AppTaylor

Video below the fold … 
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Update: Apple has removed the job listing from its website, but we grabbed a screenshot below.

Apple appears to be investigating the use of thin film solar technology for future mobile products with a new job listing on the company’s website looking to hire an engineer with experience in the solar industry. The thin films engineer would join Apple’s Mobile Devices group and “assist in the development and refinement of thin films technologies applicable to electronic systems.” The job listing adds some proof to rumors in recent years that Apple was evaluating the use of solar panels for future products.

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While the iPhone 5c became available for pre-order today in several countries via Apple’s website, Apple is currently not offering pre-orders for the iPhone 5s or reservations for pickup at Apple Stores for either model. However, this will change on September 17th in China. Apple began noting this on its website on the day the new iPhones were announced, and MacTrast brought it to our attention today.

Starting on September 17th, customers visiting both the general China Apple website and the Hong Kong Apple website will be able to reserve either an iPhone 5s or an iPhone 5c for pickup at an Apple Store. In line with the official launch date of the new devices, the pickups will begin on September 20th. At the Apple Store, employees will help customers who reserve devices choose carrier plans and setup the iPhone…

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We have our first sellout!

Following pre-orders going live today for Apple’s new iPhone 5c, shipping times for the yellow, unlocked model of the device have just slipped from the expected delivery date of September 20 to “available to ship by 9/25.” That’s only for the 16GB model of the device, as all other colors and models are currently still listed as arriving by the previously announced Sept. 20 release date.

The device is also currently listed as shipping in 1-2 weeks on Apple’s Hong Kong website and in Canada all models and colors of the iPhone 5c are shipping between Sept. 20 and Sept. 24.

Apple is currently accepting preorders for the new iPhone 5c in the US, UK, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, and Singapore, and previously announced that the device would begin shipping alongside the new iPhone 5s later this month on September 20. Apple is still listing a delivery date of Sept. 20 in all other launch countries for the iPhone 5c, but we’ll keep you updated if shipping times slip in other countries.

Other than Apple, a number of its carrier and retail partners are also accepting for preorders for the iPhone 5c starting today, but Apple isn’t making preorders available for the iPhone 5s before its release.

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Apple and fashion retailer Burberry have announced that Burberry’s London-based fashion show next week will be captured entirely with the new iPhone 5s. Apple’s iPhone 5s, which was announced earlier this week, includes major camera enhancements with an improved aperture, dual-LED flash, and new camera software like slow-motion and burst modes.

“iPhone 5s makes it even easier to take great photos with the world’s most popular camera,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPhone & iOS Product Marketing. “We’re thrilled to see the amazing photos and HD video Burberry has captured with the incredible all-new iSight camera.”

While the iPhone 5s will officially hit stores on Friday, September 20th, Burberry’s show is on September 16th, so they will be getting early access to the device for this special partnership.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iL5ceRxp4A

Update: Burberry has posted a new video (below) on their Instgram feed which spotlights the slo-mo feature of the iPhone 5s.
http://instagram.com/p/eUvd7NxJCC/

The full press release is available below:

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Following an extensive period of betas for developers, Apple has publicly released OS X 10.8.5. The update is available from the Mac App Store Software’s Update section and is recommended for all users on OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4.

The OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5 Update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users. It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. This update:

• Fixes an issue that may prevent Mail from displaying messages
• Improves AFP file transfer performance over 802.11ac Wi-Fi
• Resolves an issue that may prevent a screen saver from starting automatically
• Improves Xsan reliability
• Improves reliability when transferring large files over Ethernet
• Improves performance when authenticating to an Open Directory server
• Addresses an issue that prevented a smart card from unlocking preference panes in System Preferences
• Contains the improvements included in MacBook Air (Mid 2013) Software Update 1.0

The build number for the public release is 12F37, which is a single build over the most recent beta. Apple has also issued RAW Camera Compatibility updates and a new version of Safari. Later next month, Apple will release OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

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Walmart has announced that it will be offering both of the new iPhone models in their 16Gb versions, the 5c at $79 (a $20 saving) and the 5s at $189 (a $10 savings). Walmart offers the phones on Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.

What’s interesting here is that Apple Stores usually do price matching so it might be worth a try after waiting on line on launch day. Best Buy will also price match often, so this could trigger markdowns all over … 
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