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.
Some customers have already been able to get their hands on iPad minis in-store through resellers ahead of tomorrow’s official 8 a.m. launch. With only hours to go, New Zealand is one of the first countries to officially start selling the device.
The photos below, courtesy of AMA Creative, are of the iPad mini launch at New Zealand Apple reseller YOOBEE. The store opened at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, officially kicking off the iPad mini’s launch. It’s unclear how supplies of the new iPads will be in comparison to the recent iPhone 5 launch, but we expect Apple and third-party resellers to sell of out of iPad minis quickly due to pre-order delays.
Apple has a new 12W charger shipping with the iPad 4, and it is available online and compatible with a number of other iOS devices. Apple already told us the 12W adapter would indeed charge your iPad faster than the old 10W adapters, but it couldn’t give us an estimate on how much faster. Insanely Great Mac posted the video above today that shows the iPad drawing more power from the new adapter and claimed it was able to shave about 30 minutes to 45 minutes off the charge time. While this charger will work with your iPhones and iPods, we see those devices will only continue to draw 5 watts.
AT&T and T-Mobile just jointly announced that they will be temporarily sharing their network in New York and New Jersey, following Hurricane Sandy. Customers will be able to connect to whichever network is working, despite which carrier they may be on. Here’s the press release:
In the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, AT&T and T-Mobile are taking extraordinary measures to make sure our customers can stay in touch.
AT&T and T-Mobile have entered into an agreement to enable roaming on their networks to customers of both companies in the heavily impacted areas and where capacity is available and for subscribers with a compatible device.
AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be able to place calls just as they normally would, but their calls will be carried by whichever network is most operational in their area. This will be seamless for AT&T and T-Mobile customers with no change to their current rate plans or service agreements even if the phone indicates the device is attached to the other carrier’s network.
T-Mobile and AT&T both utilize network technology based on GSM and UMTS standards, which allows for this sharing of voice and data traffic.
Great to see both the carriers working together in such a hardtime for some people. Stay safe readers. Expand Expanding Close
When Apple originally announced the iPad mini, it said the LTE model would ship two weeks after the Nov. 2 launch date set for the Wi-Fi only models. It didn’t take long for Apple to extend estimated shipping dates to “2 weeks” following selling out of initial supplies. One lucky iPad mini user received their preorder already, but it appears Apple is facing major shortages leading up to the holidays. Especially for the cellular models…
As noted in the tweet below, several readers have noticed Apple has now removed the shipping date for their iPad mini LTE preorders. Previously, Apple provided a shipment date of November 23rd for many who preordered LTE iPad minis on day one. That date was already a week longer than Apple promised during the unveiling. Since providing that date, orders have now been updated to read “mid-November”, indicating Apple could be running into more delays than expected in manufacturing. Whatever the source of the shortage is, it looks like preorder customers might not receive their orders until after the 23rd. Expand Expanding Close
We noted earlier this week that the $39 Smart Covers for Apple’s new iPad mini started arriving for lucky customers. Today, French website iGen.fr posted the images above from a reader who just received their preordered iPad mini ahead of this Friday’s official launch. According to the reader, the iPad mini was preordered through French reseller Darty, and the report noted other resellers such as Auchan have also started receiving shipments.
We also get a quick unboxing in the images showing the new device’s packaging and included Lightning cable. The packaging appears to be almost identical to previous generation iPads, and Apple already told to us it will bundle a 12W power adapter with the mini. We can’t see the adapter in the images, but conflicting reports claim mini will come with a 5w adapter. Some wondered if Apple would include a pair of its new EarPods with the iPad mini, but that does not appear to be the case.
Ahead of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad landing in customers’ hands on Friday, software for both devices has hit the company’s servers. Obviously there isn’t much we can do with the software at this point, but it does give us a look at the build numbers:
iPad2,5 (iPad2,5) version 6.0 (Build 10A406), Download
iPad3,4 (iPad3,4) version 6.0 (Build 10A407), Download
Following its October 25th outage, Apple’s iMessage service is down for many users this afternoon. Our readers and several people on Twitter are expressing their annoyance over the problem. These iMessage outages seem to be happening on a weekly basis, spanning for a few hours.
Additionally, readers are reporting that Game Center, iTunes Match, FaceTime, iTunes Store, and App Store are down as well. Apple’s iCloud system status page confirmed the news that some users are being affected, but if you take a look down south at our comment section, it’s definitely more than just a few.
Update 4:01PM: Apple says all systems are back online. (however that may not be the case for many users)
At its September media event Apple showed off the new iTunes 11, software complete with a redesigned player, new mini player, redesigned store, preview history, iCloud integration, and more. Apple promised the new iTunes was going to be released during October, however, an Apple spokesperson speaking to CNET just announced that Apple has delayed iTunes 11 until November in order “to get it right.”
“The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November.”
As promised, Google has released an update for its Search for iOS app that adds Google Now-like voice recognition. The new voice recognition feature also remind us a lot of Siri. Users can perform tasks like “asking for the weather in a natural way and it will provide results,” Google explained.
You just need to tap the microphone icon and ask your question, the same way you’d ask a friend. For example, ask “What movies are playing this weekend?” and you’ll see your words streamed back to you quickly as you speak. Then Google will show you a list of the latest movies in theaters near you, with schedules and even trailers. It works for everything from celebrity factoids to the height of Kilamanjaro and more. When Google can supply a direct answer to your question, you’ll get a spoken response too.
Google Now, what Google’s iOS’ voice feature is built off of, was formally introduced in Google’s latest Android OS, Jelly Bean. Google Now looks for repeated user patterns, including calendar appointments and location, to provide users with more relevant information. I find it more useful than Siri and others have agreed. Now iOS users have a Siri alternative, especially for users on older versions as far back as iOS 4.3.
Kentucky-based regional carrier Bluegrass Cellular originally had plans to offer the iPhone 5 at the end of September following its launch, but today announced it will finally have the device to offer its customers starting Friday, November 2nd. Like it and other regional carriers have done in the past with the latest iPhone models, it will offer the entry-level iPhone 5 for $50 less than you’ll find it through most others. You’ll of course need one of the carrier’s 3G plans starting at $64.99/month and a two-year commitment to take advantage. Bluegrass will also have the 32GB iPhone 5 for $249, and the 64GB model for $349.
As for the iPhone 4S, the carrier’s customers can now pick it up starting at just $49, while iPhone 4 is still be offered on contract for $0.99. Details on Bluegrass Cellular’s iPhone plans below:
Bluegrass Cellular to Offer iPhone 5 on November 2
Elizabethtown, KY—October 30, 2012—Bluegrass Cellular announced it will offer iPhone 5 beginning Friday, November 2. iPhone 5 will be available starting at $149 for the 16GB model, $249 for the 32GB model and $349 for the 64GB model in all Bluegrass Cellular Customer Care Centers, select Authorized Agent locations and online at www.bluegrasscellular.com/iphone. In addition, iPhone 4S will be available starting at $49 and iPhone 4 will be available starting at $0.99. Bluegrass will allow iPhone 5 customers to connect to its fast 3G network.
iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology—all while delivering even better battery life.* iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features including: Shared Photo Streams, Facebook integration, all-new Maps app, Passbook organization and even more Siri features and languages.
“We are pleased to offer iPhone 5 to our customers throughout the Bluegrass Cellular service area nationwide,” said Ron Smith, President and CEO, Bluegrass Cellular. “Our customers are excited to experience this new device’s unique features and applications on our exceptional network, wherever they go.”
Everything Everywhere, a 50/50 joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom, has launched the UK’s first 4G network today, citing speeds “typically ten times faster” than broadband. The 4G service is now available in 11 cities: Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield, and Southampton. The rollout across the UK will continue 2,000 square miles every month to cover 98% of the country’s population by 2014, the company announced.
4G data plans on EE will start monthly at 500MB for £36, 1GB for £41, 3GB for £46, 5GB for £51, and 8GB for £56. There are six compatible phones that customers can purchase at T-Mobile and Orange stores to use on EE, and as announced last month the iPhone 5 is one of them, along with the iPad mini and 4th gen iPad in mid-November. 4G service will also be available in the UK from Vodafone, O2 and Three in May 2013, after dealing with government regulation.
EE CEO Olaf Swantee discussed the rollout: “But this is just the start as our 4G network will continue to grow stronger and wider by the day. We’re investing £1.5 billion in our network to be the first company to offer mobile 4G in the UK, alongside the biggest 3G network.”
Additionally EE launched 700 retail stores today, offering a place for customers to buy handsets and sign contracts for the 4G network. EE is calling it “one of the biggest and fastest transformations in UK retail history.”
According to Apple’s website, initial supplies of the new fourth-generation iPad have run out and shipping times have subsequently been pushed back to one week. The $499 tablet, along with the iPad mini, is scheduled to be delivered to customers on Friday.
The iPad mini initial supply ran-out completely over the weekend as well, leaving some customers 2 weeks until they receive their prized 7.9-inch device.
Additionally, the first benchmarks for the 4th gen iPad appeared over the weekend. According to Geekbench, the new iPad’s A6X processor clocks in at 1.4GHz and has the same 1GB of RAM as the iPhone 5 and 3rd gen iPad. That puts the new iPad about twice as fast the the 3rd gen — nice.
Apple was initially set to release turn-by-turn navigation for Australia sometime this month, however an update to Apple’s Maps availability webpage this evening has clued us in that the launch has been delayed. Apple is now saying the feature will be available in November, just a month after ex-iOS chief Scott Forstall announced that the turn-by-turn feature was in “qualifying stages” for Australia. The Maps feature did launch in Brunei, Egypt, Macau, Malaysia, Morocco, South Africa, Taiwan and Thailand during October — one commenter pointed out below.
We assume the delay comes after the flurry of problems that have plagued Apple’s iOS Maps. In September, CEO Tim Cook issued a public apology for Maps, saying “we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.” He went on to recommend alternatives.
It looks like Apple may also miss another October deadline. During its September press event, the company promised the redesigned iTunes 11 by the end of October. Apple has two days to hit its promise. As for Australia users, you may as well rejoice for the delay, as turn-by-turn has lead users to some pretty strange places. It happened to me last week when I was thrown nine miles off course, causing a pesky back-track.
Ahead of the iPad mini landing this Friday in the hands of those who pre-ordered, the Smart Cover for the iPad mini has been delivered to a number of customers already. Apple made the covers available to customers last Friday for $39—available in red, dark gray, light gray, pink, green, and blue.
The Smart Cover attaches magnetically to the side of the iPad and folds over to cover the front. It can be folded three times for different viewing angles. Check out our review of the 10-inch version.
For those who pre-ordered, the iPad mini is currently on track to be delivered this Friday. What a tease…
In December, we heard reports that the Pentagon had officially certified an Android device and Android 2.2 for use on Defense Department networks. According to a report from The Washington Post, citing a recent document posted by the Defense Department, the Pentagon is hiring contractors to securely manage a combination of at least 162,500 iOS and Android devices. The document also noted the project could expand up to 8 million mobile devices: Expand Expanding Close
FreedomPop launched its free 500mb monthly data plans in beta earlier this month with a conventional hotspot and USB dongle free to users with a refundable deposit. The promised WiMAX-enabled iPhone and iPod cases were not yet available, but today the company announced availability of a $99 4G Hotspot sleeve for iPod touch called “Freedom Sleeve Rocket” (via TechCrunch). It’s not the best-looking case we’ve seen, and still no iPhone version, but it is free data to third-gen and fourth-gen iPod users in reach of partner Clearwire’s network. FreedomPop will charge you $10 per GB after the free 500MBs, but it will also allow up to eight other devices to connect to the 4G sleeve. TechCrunch said the iPhone version would launch in November.
You might have seen past “banned” Apple promo videos from John Elerick and crew on YouTube. The guys are out with their latest spoof Apple commercial today, but this time it is for the iPad mini. On a serious note, Amazon is taking note of some of the iPad mini’s shortcomings, as pointed out in the video, by posting a comparison of the Kindle Fire HD and the iPad mini on its website. Amazon already included the comparison in its recent earnings release, but today it posted a large graphic on its homepage that reads “Much more for much less” while comparing specs of the two devices:
Elerick’s recent banned iPhone 5 promo, also worth a watch, is below:
According to Amazon, it was unfazed by the announcement of the iPad mini by Apple earlier this week. In fact, the company sold a record amount of $199 Kindle Fire HDs on Wednesday since being available on the market.
In response to a question about how Kindle sales were faring following Apple’s iPad mini announcement on Tuesday, Amazon spokesperson Drew Herdener reported they were selling better than usual. “Wednesday was the $199 Kindle Fire HD’s biggest day of sales since launch and up 3x week over week,” according to a statement emailed to AllThingsD.
For those keeping tabs, the Kindle Fire HD features a 7-inch IPS display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 11 hours of battery life, and a weight of 13.9 oz.
Today, the same thing has happened to the 16GB black iPad mini. Apple’s online store is showing two weeks for the base version, while the 32GB and 64GB versions are still shipping Nov. 2.
Monday morning date: The 32GB and 64GB initial supplies have slipped. All iPad mini variants are now sold out.
The first is the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 priced at $89.99 for those looking for a folio case design and a Bluetooth keyboard. ZAGG said the case has an “intuitive built-in stand to hold the tablet an ideal viewing angle” that makes typing easier. Additionally, ZAGG announced the ZAGGkeys Mini 9 priced at $89.99. It features the same casing as the Mini 7, but it has an upgraded keyboard that offers more space. There are “dedicated function keys” and “island-style keys engineered to provide 90% of the space of a traditional keyboard” for people who have larger hands.
It appears those who ordered the LTE iPad minis late last night in the U.S. will start receiving theirs about Nov. 23, according to what we heard from a number of early buyers. Orders placed overseas are generally less specific. Apple notes only LTE models will ship “mid-November” in its advertising:
Nov. 23 is Black Friday, for those who keep track of such things.
Last week, Apple lost an appeal in the U.K. that forced Apple to apologize to Samsung publicly and state that its Galaxy Tab does not infringe on Apple’s patents.
Britain Court of Appeal upheld a previous ruling that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab does not infringe on the iPad’s patents because it is not “as cool.” Reuters reported that after losing the appeal this morning, Apple has been instructed by the court to apologize to Samsung by running ads on its website and in newspapers saying Samsung did not infringe on patents in at least Arial 14 font.
Hidden at the bottom of Apple’s U.K. website this morning is the required link to the apology, but the apology is more like one your big sister would give you after being reprimanded by your parents. After mentioning Samsung did not infringe, Apple nicely sliced out some complimentary quotes from the ruling:
“The extreme simplicity of the Apple design is striking. Overall it has undecorated flat surfaces with a plate of glass on the front all the way out to a very thin rim and a blank back. There is a crisp edge around the rim and a combination of curves, both at the corners and the sides. The design looks like an object the informed user would want to pick up and hold. It is an understated, smooth and simple product. It is a cool design.”
Apple goes on to say German and U.S. courts ruled otherwise.
However, in a case tried in Germany regarding the same patent, the court found that Samsung engaged in unfair competition by copying the iPad design. A U.S. jury also found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple’s design and utility patents, awarding over one billion U.S. dollars in damages to Apple Inc. So while the U.K. court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement, other courts have recognized that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet, Samsung willfully copied Apple’s far more popular iPad.
Interestingly, Apple seems to have run out of white iPad minis. However, at the time of writing, black Minis still ship by Nov. 2. What makes this somewhat surprising is that people told us —in our totally unscientific Poll— they’d get black almost 2-to-1 over white. That would seem to imply Apple made fewer white ones, perhaps underestimating demand.
It’s been quite an exciting week for those glued to the latest out of Cupertino, and this morning it gets better. As promised, Apple made the iPad mini available on its website for pre-order. The .68-pound tablet that is “thinner than a pencil” offers users a 7.9-inch experience on top of Apple’s traditional iOS. Apple is offering the iPad mini at $329 for 16GB, $429 for 32GB, and $529 for 64GB. Apple plans to ship the first batch to customers Nov. 2 and will make it available in-store at 8AM.
For those who want to get the iPad mini with 4G capabilities added on, they’ll have to do a bit of waiting. For the same storage capacity options as the Wi-Fi-only model, the Wi-Fi + 4G model will be priced at $459, $559, and $659. Apple revealed at its event this week that orders will ship in “mid-November” for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint variants.
The iPad mini has a 7.9-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, A5 dual-core processor, dimensions of “200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm,” a 5-megapixel-iSight camera, 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera, and a weight of 308g.
Additionally, as planned, Apple made the fourth-generation iPad available for customers to pre-order this evening. The fourth-generation iPad features an updated 1.3GHz A6X dual-core processer, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and 5-megapixel back-facing camera.
Apple makes available an iPad mini Smart Cover that comes in six colors, including: gray, silver, pink, green, blue, and (PRODUCT) RED. Apple also offers its slew of 10-inch iPad accessories, including a Smart Cover and Smart Case.
Several readers are reporting they had no issues pre-ordering either product, as the Apple Store looks to be running smoothly. Pre-orders are also available via the Apple Store app on iOS.
