iOS devices refer to any of Apple’s hardware that runs the iOS mobile operating system which include iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Historically, Apple releases a new iOS version once a year, the current version is iOS 10. Here is the complete list of iOS 10 compatible devices.
Today’s report is something a bit out of left field however. Kuo expects the iPhone 5S to have a sapphire fingerprint reader home button that will no longer be plastic and concave but actually protrude slightly from the iPhone in a convex manner. This isn’t the first we’ve heard of Sapphire home buttons but the first reputable source on the matter. Kuo
Convex home button creates space for fingerprint sensor; yield to improve. We think that a fingerprint sensor will be placed under the home button of iPhone 5S. However, assembling it could be difficult as the space under home button is limited as it already has to accommodate the Lightning connector, speaker and microphone. Thus, we think the shape of the home button could be changed from concave to convex to create more space for a fingerprint sensor.
Sapphire prevents home button from being scratched. A convex home button could be more easily scratched, so a harder material is required. We believe Apple will switch from plastic to sapphire, whose hardness is second only to diamond. Sapphire would protect the home button from being scratched and the fingerprint sensor from being damaged.
Vietnamese website Tinhte, which has a solid track record of getting its hands on pre-release Apple products and accurate mock ups,today posted what it claims are mock ups of two next-generation iPhones. One is the full-fledged “iPhone 5S” upgrade, while the other claims to show the much rumored low-cost “iPhone 5C” that we’ve been hearing a lot about recently. It’s worth noting that Tinhte says the source of the images, Vietnamese accessory supplier PhukienGiare, also supplied the publication with accurate pre-release mock ups of the iPad mini leading up to its launch.
For the iPhone 5S, the design of the mock up appears to be largely the same as the current iPhone 5. Most rumors seem to agree with that much, and the site notes its report from earlier this year that claimed the device will pack in a new 12-megapixel camera. The mock up also shows the dual LED flash that is rumored to make an appearance on the device.
The second mock up shows what the site is referring to the “iPhone 5C“, and shows the all-plastic design that we’ve seen several times in other alleged leaks. The site notes that the Lightning connector looks slightly smaller on the mock up, but it’s unsure if this is just on the mock up or if Apple is experimenting with tweaked connector designs. (The iPhone in the images with the leather skin is an iPhone 5 for comparison).
iPhone 5S/5C Physical Mockups
iPhone 5S/5C physical mockups
Earlier this week photographs leaked showing the iPad mini-like design for the next-generation 9.7-inch iPad that we posted of photos of back in January.
Today, a series of new shots have emerged at repair shop MacFixit’s website (via MacRumors) of the front panel and digitizer. The site provides the following tidbits about the part:
– The display area is the same as the iPad Retina.
– The edges of the frame are narrower using the same style as the iPad mini.
– The ITO (Indium tin oxide) is the same as the iPad mini.
– There is now 2 connectors instead of 1.
– The connectors have been changed from FFC (Flat Flexible Cable, like the iPad 2/3/4) to FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits, like the iPhone 4/5).
Recent reports have pointed to the new tablet launching in early September. A full gallery of all the photos are below:
VEVO, the popular music video streaming service, is currently developing a new Apple TV application, according to AdAge. The VEVO TV app will, of course, stream content 24/7, and VEVO already has an app for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, Android, Microsoft devices, and the Roku.
Roku integration into the Apple TV would be as an “app” much like HBO, Hulu, ESPN, and YouTube. The rumored addition of VEVO comes at a time where Apple and Time Warner Cable are reportedly working to strike a deal to bring Time Warner Cable content to the Apple set-top-box.
PatentlyApple spotted an interesting-looking patent that could have both editorial and advertising applications in podcasts and iTunes Radio broadcasts. It’s of course written in the usual dense patent language:
Hyperlinks within an audio stream provide a way for a listener to access linked resources. An audio hyperlink encoded in an audio stream indicates the presence of an audio hyperlink in the audio stream, as well as providing information for traversing the hyperlink to the linked resource. The hyperlink may be conditionally traversed upon a user interaction or automatically upon detection in the audio stream, possibly pausing the audio stream containing the hyperlink during the traversal of the hyperlink and resuming the audio stream if the audio stream is returned to from the linked material. The linked material may be other audio content, but may also be any other type of desired content that may be accessible by the system processing the audio stream.
Or, in plain English, a simple audio signal can be included in a podcast that can do various funky stuff. It could, for example, allow a spoken-word podcast to display photos to illustrate points being made, or include a link to an optional video which the user could activate with a spoken command. In that example, the podcast would automatically pause while the video is playing and resume again when it ends.
While existing Enhanced Podcasts can do some of this, the new system would be significantly more powerful and flexible. It could launch any form of media, from a webpage to a movie, and would be available in any audio format, not just AAC.
While we’d hope to see some of the editorial applications I’ve described, it’s also likely to be used to activate advertising on iTunes Radio.
Apple today added eight new countries to its iTunes in the Cloud for Movies service, allowing customers to re-download any movies previously purchased from the iTunes Store.
iFun and MacRumors note that the service has been rolled out to Japan, and seven European countries: Austria, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Switzerland.
U.S. customers were first to get movies added to the iTunes in the Cloud service in March last year.
T-Mobile US’s customer base jumped by 1.1 million in its financial Q2, with the iPhone – offered by the carrier for the first time back in April – accounting for 29 percent of sales.
The company had lost over 200,000 customers in the same quarter the previous year. The company’s turnaround is being attributed to a combination of its new approaches to contracts – Uncarrier (whose introduction was not without controversy) and Jump – and the decision to add the iPhone 5 to its handset range. Earlier research by CIRP had suggested that 300-400,000 customers would have left the carrier if it hadn’t introduced the iPhone … Expand Expanding Close
An online poll conducted by Polar compares key user-interface elements from iOS 7 to the iOS 6 counterparts. Despite the outpour of criticism from some of iOS 7, these results show that an overwhelming amount of poll responders prefer the design of iOS 7 to iOS 6 and other previous iOS versions…
In the coming weeks, Apple will be making significant enhancements and changes to its AppleCare support service, according to sources. Planned to go live as soon as Monday, August 12th is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week AppleCare support via online chat. Sources did warn that August 12th is a “target date” that could be pushed back.
Users who have support questions and issues at anytime of the day will now be able to have their concerns answered. Apple tested such a service over eight years ago, but next week’s scheduled rollout appears to be a major event for AppleCare that will go beyond just a pilot phase.
The 24/7 chat support will likely be applicable for both Mac and iOS Device users. As Apple’s iPad and iPhone hardware competition increases from companies such as Samsung, Apple will need to utilize its unique customer support prowess as a differentiating factor in the marketplace. 24/7 chat support via an easy-to-understand medium could assist in this.
If the 24/7 web chat support offering is successful, a similar program for phone support could be considered for the future.
To complement the new 24/7 chat support, Apple is putting the finishing touches on a redesigned AppleCare website that the company tells employees is designed to gel with Apple’s new iOS Device customers:
A Foresee survey of consumer satisfaction with streaming video services found that iTunes got the top slot, just one point ahead of runners-up HBO Go and Netflix. Close behind were Amazon Instant Video, Crackle and Hulu Plus.
The average score across all streaming video services was 77 – ten points up on the previous year. Though looking at ‘mobile’ devices, 52 percent of all streaming on tablets and phones was actually done from home.
If you’re a mixed platform kind of person, with both iDevices and an Android media server, you can now use the popular XBMC media player to stream audio and video from your iPhone, iPad or Mac to your TV without any third-party hacks.
Engadget reports that Zeroconf support (aka Airplay compatibility) has been added to the latest pre-release Android version of XBMC, Gotham.
Full details and download from the XBMC site. The usual cautions about pre-release software apply.
We mentioned back in June that iOS 7 uses location data to incorporate Google Now-style info into the Notification Center. In the latest iOS 7 betas, Apple allows users to see some of their frequently visited places in Settings. This helps the system determine how much traffic will be present when you need to head to your next destination.
With iOS 7, if BuzzFeed’s report is accurate, and nothing in the process has fundamentally change, it’s a feature that has to be enabled by users on setup (allowing the iPhone to use your location has been opt-in for years), and will now also include a user-facing interface so you can actually see what’s been recorded. And that, apparently, might scare people. Not the headlines that make it sound scary, of course, but the non-hidden, still relatively benign, still opt-in and disable-able, user facing feature.
By virtue of location services in iOS 7 always being able to be disabled by the user, the new user-facing-interface showing your location is actually a transparent move by Apple to ensure the user knows what the system is tracking. Of course, this is still an option, not a requirement. However, this feature will improve location-based services in iOS (for the users), and Apple’s data collection is anonymous.
Popular chat app whatsapp now allows iPhone users to exchange voice messages with a push-to-talk style function. The feature is also being pushed out simultaneously on the app’s other platforms: Android, Blackberry, Nokia and Windows Phone.
We spend a lot of time at WhatsApp thinking how we can make keeping in touch easier, and we know there’s no substitute for hearing the sound of a friend or family member’s voice. So today we are introducing a new feature we are truly excited about: Voice Messages
While there are other push-to-talk apps out there, whatsapp has introduced a number of features which it says makes the functionality particularly easy to use … Expand Expanding Close
A little over a week after iOS 7 beta 4, Apple has seeded iOS 7 beta 5 to developers. It is available over-the-air via Software Update. The previous beta brought several minor interface and performance tweaks to the operating system and beta 5 will likely continue doing that.
A new Apple TV seed is also available:
You can now use an iOS 7 device to set up an Apple TV after restoring or resetting all settings. (iPhone 4 and iPad 2 are not supported.)
A new Xcode 5 preview has also been issued to developers.
We will continuously update this post with discovered changes. If you find anything new, you can let us know at tips@9to5mac.com.
The HiRise is compatible with iPhones and other Apple devices even if they remain in carrying cases. Twelve South uses examples such as using FaceTime with the HiRise and other apps. We previously reviewed the HiRise for both the MacBook and iMac. We will have a review of the iPhone HiRise up in the coming days.
New figures from analysts Canalys show that the iPhone fell from 5th to 7th place in its Chinese market share in the last quarter, being overtaken by local companies Huawei and Xiaomi. Apple now has 4.8 percent of the smartphone market in China … Expand Expanding Close
Apple appears to be further preparing for the official launch of iTunes Radio, Apple’s Pandora-like streaming music service, by asking streaming radio stations to provide cover art. iTunes Radio is included in the Music app in iOS 7, as seen in our hands-on video.
Dear Internet Radio Provider,
Cover Art
The iTunes Store now requires cover art for Internet Radio stations. The cover art files must be 1400 x 1400 pixels in JPG or PNG format using RGB color space. The image URL must end in “.jpg”, “.jpeg” or “.png”. To add cover art to your station, send an email to itunesradio@apple.com including your contact name, station name and cover art file.
Cover art should avoid pixelation. Any text should be legible at reduced image sizes on small devices. Note that Internet Radio cover art is not currently displayed.
Questions about iTunes Radio?
Check out iTunes Radio here.
Regards,
The iTunes Internet Radio Team
While cover art is already available for many radio stations, some of it is very small and wouldn’t scale well on a Retina iPad.
Image via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanghaidaddy/4444779602/in/photolist-7LLE85-bjGce9-7LLExS-7X3TR7-9WWqCL-bepqXP-9XBTYw-7VzKHA-bepqTv-bepqP2-bepqJc-bepqD6-bepqxF-7zrnxR-7zv8s1-cSjqLL-81gkaM-9w9Hfc-bDqzWX-ercVuv-eNUGCf-bfoHWa-9aXhCK-8T4TuB-byHASi-ebuyCS-a65L1S-dBQrY9-e39tKK-aqUYwc-drrKYZ-8xouBm-8xov7q-azkgHt-a65L3f-a62UpF-a62UoB-a62UmB-a62Unn-a65L4s-dRhAY6-dyRScD-dyXkiq-ddkczz-9iCbpz-9iFiQC-7TmVNY-9nuiGM-dHJig2-dHJhxp-dHJhG8/lightbox/">Flickr</a>
Following controversy in recent weeks regarding the safety of counterfeit and third-party USB charging adapters for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad, Apple has announced a new trade-in program for these adapters. The program will be held at both official Apple Retail Stores and Authorized Apple Resellers. The program will officially kickoff on August 16th in the United States and on August 9th in China. Apple also shares that customer safety is its top priority:
Customer safety is a top priority at Apple. That’s why all of our products — including USB power adapters for iPhone, iPad, and iPod — undergo rigorous testing for safety and reliability and are designed to meet government safety standards around the world.
The replacement program will allow anyone who feels uncomfortable with their adapter to replace it with an official unit for a discounted price of $10. The option will be available until October 18th of this year. Customers must bring in their corresponding device in order to be applicable.
If you need a replacement adapter to charge your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, we recommend getting an Apple USB power adapter. For a limited time, you can purchase one Apple USB power adapter at a special price — $10 USD or approximate equivalent in local currency. To qualify, you must turn in at least one USB power adapter and bring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to an Apple Retail Store or participating Apple Authorized Service Provider for serial number validation. The special pricing on Apple USB power adapters is limited to one adapter for each iPhone, iPad, and iPod you own and is valid until October 18, 2013.
Apple will properly recycle the traded-in adapters. Last month, an Apple customer reportedly passed away from electrocution due to a counterfeit charger used with an iOS Device. Immediately following this incident, Apple opened up a webpage to properly identify Apple-built adapters. Apple has begun notifying its stores and reseller partners of the upcoming program.
As this fall approaches, both rumors and actualevidence have pointed to the next iPhone’s marquee feature being a fingerprint sensor for authentication purposes. We previously provided iOS 7-based evidence and information regarding Apple’s work on implementing a fingerprint sensor in future products.
President Obama and Vice President Biden with an iPhone
United States President Barack Obama and his administration have issued a veto on a potential ban for iPhone 4 and 3G-capable iPad 2 models in the United States. The news comes by way of a notice from the U.S. Government. The official ruling comes from Michael Froman, a trade representative for the United States:
In addition, on January 8, 2013, the Department of Justice and United States Patent and Trademark Office issued an important Policy Statement entitled “Policy Statement on Remedies for Standard-Essential Patents Subject to Voluntary FRAND Commitments” (“Policy Statement”).2 The Policy Statement makes clear that standards, and particularly voluntary consensus standards set by standards developing organizations (“SDO”), have incorporated important technical advances that are fundamental to the interoperability of many of the products on which consumers have come to rely, including the types of devices that are the subject of the Commission’s determination. The Policy Statement expresses substantial concerns, which I strongly share, about the potential harms that can result from owners of standardsessential patents (“SEPs”) who have made a voluntary commitment to offer to license SEPs on terms that are fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (“FRAND”), gaining undue leverage and engaging in “patent holdup”, i.e., asserting the patent to exclude an implementer of the standard from a market to obtain a higher price for use of the patent than would have been possible before the standard was set, when alternative technologies could have been chosen. At the same time, technology implementers also can cause potential harm by, for example, engaging in “reverse holdup” (“holdout”), e. g., by constructive refusal to negotiate a FRAND license with the SEP owner or refusal to pay what has been determined to be a FRAND royalty.
The would be, no-longer affected Apple devices include the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2 3G, and the original 3G-capable iPad. This ruling mostly affects the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4 as those are the pertinent products that Apple actually currently sells in the U.S. The President’s block of the ITC ban is the first block of this kind since the 1987 Reagan administration.
Newer iPhone and iPad models, such as the iPhone 5 and 3rd/4th generation iPad, are not affected because they use a different cellular chipset design.
Following several photo leaks and reports, Macotakara has posted two videos that show purported shells for the upcoming fifth-generation iPad and low-cost, plastic iPhone. Above is the video of the iPad 5 shell, which shows thinner bezels and is in line with our exclusive photos from January. Below, is the video of what some are calling the “iPhone 5C.” These future products will likely hit the market this fall.
The functionality works both in Apple Stores and actually if you are not in a store. A user just needs to pull up a store inside of the app’s store panel (see image above). When you click the free content option, you are taking to a screen to finalize your download.
We previously reported that Apple Store employees are instructed to install this application on a new iOS Device during Personal Setup (After a purchase). At an internal event in San Francisco last month, Tim Cook revealed that only a small percentage of Apple customers are aware of the app, but Cook wants to use the app as an element of his plan to boost iPhone sales in his stores.
With the lower-cost iPhone supposedly already in production, in time for launch later this year, the likelihood of parts leaking can only increase. Earlier today, iPhone5skopen posted images of supposed front panels for the cheaper device. As shown by previous leaks, the faceplate is almost identical to an iPhone 5 with a plastic body being the main differentiating factor in the product lineup.
Now, Chinese site IT168 has posted pictures of supposed camera modules for this device (via MacRumors). The site claims the sensor is the same as the one found in the iPhone 5, being 8 megapixels in resolution, albeit in a plastic casing. The inclusion of an eight megapixel sensor, rather than a five megapixel one as some expect, gives more weight to the idea this device is by no means a “budget” product. Recent reports have put the ‘cheap’ iPhone in a mid-range price bracket, around $350.
The update supports Gmail via a login through Google, while other IMAP email accounts are supported via a login-system within the app. Non-IMAP accounts (like POP) are not supported.
For those who receive a lot of email, Pebble has included an option to temporarily pause email notifications:
Once it has been successfully set up, you will see the account listed on the Email Notifications page. A blue bar means that the account is active. If you would like to temporarily disable the notifications, simply tap the bar once to turn them off; it will appear grey when the notifications are disabled. Tap the bar again when you wish to re-enable the notifications.
