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.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Apple and its suppliers are testing versions of the iPad and iPhone with larger displays.
Apple and its Asian component makers are testing larger screens for iPhones and tablets, officials at the company’s suppliers say.
Due to mounting competition from hardware competitors like Samsung, a larger-screened iPhone has long been expected and rumored. However, this is one of the first specific claims for a larger sized iPad. In March of this year, an unverified claim emerged for a 12.9-inch iPad model being in the works with a rather unlikely name. WSJ‘s report points to a display “measuring slightly less than 13 inches diagonally.”
This slight interface change comes for a good reason: one of the main new features of the app is downloadable content. As you can see in the photo of the upcoming app update (to the right), the app will promote content from the three Apple content stores. This content normally costs money, but it will be available free for a limited time via this new app.
Apple, internally, positions this as a way to boost content sales as this new feature is designed to raise awareness about Apps, iTunes, and iBooks content.
Sources say that the new app update is also designed to go hand-in-hand with a new initiative in Apple Stores. When a new iOS Device is sold, Apple employees will be encouraged to install the new Apple Store app on the newly purchased device. According to comments from Tim Cook at last month’s secretive summit for Retail Leadership, only 20% of Apple customers are aware of the Apple Store app’s existence. This new plan will certainly increase that percentage.
Despite Microsoft’s disastrous quarterly earnings report, in which it took a $900M writedown on discounted Surfaces, the company has just pushed out a new ad for its Surface v. iPad campaign.
As with its previous advertisements, Microsoft bashes the iPad’s inability to perform certain tasks that the Surface is specifically designed to handle. This particular ad highlights the iPad’s lack of built-in back stand, USB port, and keyboard accessory, all of which are not built-in to or included with the iPad.
Interestingly, in this ad, the Siri-inspired voiceover says, “This isn’t going to end well for me, is it? Nope definitely not ending well,” which is particularly intriguing given yesterday’s financial results. As evidenced by these results, it would appear that Microsoft’s Surface is in a precarious position, and not Apple’s iPad. Expand Expanding Close
If you’ve ever been frustrated by having to recomplete levels in Angry Birds or The Croodswhen you download the game to a new device, Rovio has you covered.
After a limited trial back in May, Rovio has now announced that its account-synchronisation feature is being rolled-out globally across both iOS and Android devices. When you download a game to a new device, you just login with your Rovio account to continue right where you left off.
The feature is currently limited to the original Angry Birds and The Croods, but Rovio will be adding all its games over time.
The sources also added that LG is reportedly making new headway in producing Retina panel technology for use in the next-generation iPad mini, and expects to ship about 2-3 million units a month in preparation for Apple’s expected October release date.
At this point, it looks like we have no solid information about the release date, despite this report’s claim of October 2013. DigiTimes has been extremely hit-or-miss, so it would be unwise to take this as complete verification.
An Apple patent published today suggests that the long-rumored fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S may be built into the phone’s screen, rather than the home button, as had been previously suggested (via CNET).
A fingerprint sensor has been one of the two most persistent rumors for a distinguishing feature for the 5S, the other being NFC. A combination of the two as has been recently suggested – using a fingerprint to verify purchases as well as unlock the device – would certainly be a killer feature, though it’s worth noting that Apple isn’t generally an early adopter of new technologies like cardless payments. Fingerprint sensors themselves are a mature tech, with rumors of iPhone inclusion dating back to Apple’s acquisition of mobile security specialists AuthenTec last year …
Apple has begun assembling a team of hardware and software engineering, medical sensor, manufacturing, and fitness experts, indicating the company is moving forward with a project to build a fitness-oriented, sensor-laden wearable computer, according to our sources.
Over the past half-decade-or-so, Apple has experimented with and shelved numerous wearable computer designs. Internal prototypes have included designs that could clip onto different pieces of clothing (like an iPod shuffle/nano) in addition to devices that could wrap around a wrist.
Based on comments from Apple CEO Tim Cook and numerous reports, the wrist is the part of the body in which top Apple executives are currently targeting…
Verizon’s iPhone activations in Q2 this year grew 44 percent to reach 3.9 million, beating analyst predictions of 3.5 million. The iPhone continued to be responsible for more than half of Verizon’s sales. Overall smartphone penetration increased from 50 percent last year to 64 percent this year … Expand Expanding Close
The average estimate of 18.1 million iPad units during Q3 works out to around 6.2% growth compared to 183% and 84% in Q3 2011 and Q2 2012, which some might still consider significant due to the lack of new product announcements and competition from Android tablets: Expand Expanding Close
Bloomberghas picked up on a wildly unlikely Commercial Times (Taiwanese newspaper) report that claims production of the iPhone 5S has been delayed due to a late decision by Apple to switch from a 4-inch to 4.3-inch screen. This is the same paper that told us back in January that an even larger 4.8-inch iPhone would be arriving last month.
Apple Inc. (AAPL) may delay the introduction of the iPhone 5S until the end of the year after the design was changed to feature a bigger 4.3-inch retina display screen, the Commercial Times reported.
The company previously scheduled the release for September or October, the Taiwanese newspaper reported … Expand Expanding Close
Some unverified news out of China this morning points to new iPhone 5S production shots and specs which don’t seem out of the realm of possibility. The production shots above claim to be of the iPhone 5S, but with the case expected to be identical to the 5, it is hard to tell the difference.
Other purported improvements include 2GB of RAM, same A6 CPU at a higher clock with improved quad-core SGX 554MP4 (upgrade from the 3-core PowerVR SGX543MP3 in the iPhone 5) and improved LTE. Perhaps the power savings in display will offset the higher power usage needed for this improved hardware. That and a slightly bigger battery.
None of these seem outside of the realm of possibility (which is suspicious), but taken together seem to paint a picture of a dramatically improved iPhone 5S with some pretty incredible sensor improvements.
For those looking at upgrading to the lower cost plastic iPhone, the site also includes shells for those compared to iPhone 5, below (originally from Sonny Dickson): Expand Expanding Close
Additionally, like with the recent update to the Android version, enhanced navigation with incident reports and live traffic updates are included.
Also new is an Explore function to browse popular places such as restaurants, shopping, playing, and sleeping. This feature is integrated with Zagat ratings and deals via Google Offers.
The 2.0 update also includes indoor mapping functionality for malls, transit stations, and airports, according to Google. The new update has begun rolling out to some countries in Asia, but is not yet available in the United States. In fact, Google Maps is currently unavailable to download in the App Store for many countries until this update is released.
Some users have had success downloading the new version of Google Maps by deleting their current version and downloading it from iCloud. (Thanks @ITSFEST)
Roku took about a fifth of the marketshare and TiVo was down to just 6.5%. Notably, Google TV must have been placed into the “Others” slice of the pie.
Apple’s executives are quick to reiterate their view of the Apple TV as a “hobby device”, even as the content library begins to grow. The $99 device now has Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, WatchESPN, MLB.tv, NBA, NHL, WSJ Live, Sky News, YouTube, and a few others.
Just last week, Tim Cook and Eddy Cue attended the Sun Valley conference, where many tech and media big shots meet together and many impactful deals are made. Live TV or a larger content library could be in the Apple TV’s near future, depending on the negotiations with content providers and media networks.
Shortly after an Apple patent for a flexible battery design suitable for the rumored iWatch was published, German site MobileGeeks has shown off a real-life example of a fully-flexible, watchstrap-sized battery from Taiwanese company ProLogium.
Flexible Printed Circuits (FCP), where components are mounted on a bendable plastic substrate, have existed for several years, but until recently the batteries were the stumbling block. The patent shown by Apple still appeared to show rigid batteries mounted on an FCP. FCP Ceramic Lithium Batteries are the latest version of this technology, allowing the batteries themselves to be flexible. A quick video look after the break:
Digitimes, which is notorious for its mixed track record, is out with a new report claiming that initial shipments of Apple’s next-generation iPhone will be in tight supply. The reason being low yield rates for the production of the sensor for the device’s rumored fingerprint scanning technology. That’s in addition to some chips required to power the new iPhone’s LCD.
Poor yields of fingerprint-recognition chips and LCD driver ICs will likely force Apple to reduce first-quarter shipments of the rumored iPhone 5S, which is slated for launch in September 2013, according to industry sources. Volume production of fingerprint-recognition and LCD driver chips for the iPhone 5S should have started at the end of June or early in July, but issues related to yield rates will delay commercial production of the two chips to the end of July, therefore affecting the initial supply of the iPhone 5S, the sources explained.
Furthermore, the site says that production of said device’s sensors should have begun late last month or earlier this month, but production won’t actually begin until later this month. This in turn will affect initial shipments of the new iPhone come September. Digitimes says this will result in 3 million delayed units…
Following major announcements from T-Mobile and Sprint (and rumors about big device upgrade changes at Verizon Wireless), AT&T has made its “network related” announcement that it teased last week. The company has introduced a new program named “AT&T Next.” Similar to T-Mobile’s new “Un-carrier” offering, AT&T Next allows users to upgrade their smartphone or tablet device each year (T-Mobile, though, allows this to happen twice a year).
“With AT&T Next, customers can get the newest smartphone or tablet every year with no down payment. That’s hard to beat, and it’s an incredible value for customers who want the latest and greatest every year,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility.
In a change from the typical ways of purchasing a phone upfront with no contract or at a subsidy with a contract, AT&T Next allows a customer to purchase a smartphone or tablet with $0 down payment and pay for the device with a monthly cost. For example, according to AT&T, a customer who wants a Samsung Galaxy S4 can purchase the device with no down payment and pay an extra $32 per month (on top of their standard monthly service bill). More details below:
In a move that follow’s T-Mobile’s recently launched “un-carrier” initiatives, Verizon Wireless plans to debut a new “VZ Edge” program aimed at retaining its customer base, according to a leaked presentation slide posted by Droid-Life.
Marketed as a plan to “stay on the leaning edge of technology,” this new Edge program seems to be similar. T-Mobile also allows customers to put a down payment on a phone and then pay the cost overtime, and Edge seems to provide a similar solution.
Edge will also allow customers to upgrade to a new phone once the device if 50% paid off, and this seems to be similar to T-Mobile requiring users of the JUMP plan to have already paid 6 months of service for their current device.
As it has done in the past for iPhones and other products/services, Apple has reached out to international Apple Retail Employees for some ideas to sell more iPhones in retail stores. The message (above) to employees was sent out late last week. Interested employees will be able to submit their idea and eligible employees will be offered an 8-week trip to work out of Apple’s Cupertino, CA headquarters with the iPhone sales team on the idea. While Apple has held similar programs in the past, the timing is interesting…
If today’s Digitimes report is to be believed, Apple has a spec-updated iPad Mini due later this year, in time for the holidays. Details are, of course, scant but a slightly updated version of the current iPad mini which is expected to be ‘lighter, thinner and equipped with improved specifications’ is said to be targeted for a 2nd half of 2013 release.
I’m not sure how much sense it makes to change the size of the iPad Mini at this point but some improved CPU/GPU would be appreciated – almost as much as a $30 price drop, which might make more strategic sense.
Perhaps most interesting here is that Apple is said to be working on a bezel-less design for the Retina Mini which could either make the device smaller or the screen bigger in the same form factor. Apple would also have to increase the battery size and GPU considerably as it did when the iPad 3 went Retina.
Apple is reportedly aiming to use Retina panel technology equipped with 2,048 by 1,536 resolution in the next generation 7.9-inch iPad mini. Apple is also said to be revising the design of the chassis to give the next-generation iPad mini an almost bezel-free look.
Additionally, the sources said that Apple’s upcoming fifth-generation iPad is expected to use thin-film touch screen technology, which will be able to reduce the weight of the device by 20-30%. The device will also feature a slimmer bezel design to allow a bigger viewing area.
As reported by Financial Times, “people familiar with Apple’s plans” for the iWatch are claiming Apple has started a hiring frenzy as they ramp up development of the upcoming product. The article goes on to state that people close to Apple feel that “the timing of the hiring spree implied the iWatch would not be ready for launch until the latter part of next year.”
iPhone integration in car consoles is of course nothing new, with Siri Eyes Free becoming an increasingly standard feature in new cars. But next year’s electric scooters appear to be taking the idea one step further: if you go to the showrooms to look at an electric scooter next year, you may well find that your iPhone doesn’t just connect to the console, it is the console … Expand Expanding Close
Choosing a phone is pretty simple if you’re the kind of person who wants the latest & greatest handset and has the budget to pay for it. Even if you’re not sure what platform you want, you’re essentially choosing between a handful of flagship products and are currently likely to walk away with an iPhone 5, Samsung S4 or HTC One.
There isn’t too much head-scratching at the bottom end of the market either: buyers there don’t care about the handset, and take whatever freebie their carrier pushes at them.
But the mid-market is where life gets complicated. You care enough about your handset to want something decent, both in specs and design, but you don’t want to take out a mortgage to buy it. It’s this market that is going to get incredibly colorful this fall … Expand Expanding Close
