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.
With one iOS device update out of the way for 2012, Apple is working on updates to the iPhone and iPod touch. While these updates are expected, we’ve learned some details about this new iPhone and iPod touch.
First, the new iPhone. Much like they did last year, Apple has internally seeded a prototype next-generation iPhone with the iPhone 4 design. The actual next-generation iPhone is specifically said to not include the iPhone 4/4S design, but Apple is testing these new devices in older casings to throw off leaks. The purpose of the prototype iPhone that we heard about is to test a variation of the “A5X” chip in an iPhone. The A5X processor in the new iPad was specifically built to drive the new Retina Display, so that chip wouldn’t make much sense in an iPhone.
Instead, the iPhone prototypes that we’re talking about have a variation of the A5X’s S5L8945X architecture. Like the A5X-powered iPad, these new iPhone prototypes are packing 1GB of RAM. This prototype is labeled N96 internally, but we’re not sure if this internal codename will carry over to the actual next-generation iPhone. Again, this iPhone that we are describing is an internal-only unit built for testing the performance of a new chip in an iPhone, not an actual phone that Apple will produce.
Depending on your network connection, the Vimeo App Store application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch will now play video up to 1080P quality. The player will also fallback to 720P HD on slower connections. Playback and buffering is also described by Vimeo as more reliable. The update is free on the App Store right now.
Following Apple’s acknowledgement last month that the iPad “4G” marketing in Australia may be misleading to some customers, Apple has sent iPad 4G buyers in Australia refund information by email. Additionally, the company has instructed resellers to update their in-store signage with new signs that better outline the iPad’s true cellular data capabilities in Australia. Apple makes it clear in their new signage and letter to customers, as first posted by MacRumors, that the iPad WiFi + 4G does not support Australian LTE or WiMax. Apple’s new store sign is above, and the refund instructions sent to customers is directly below:
According to an internal AppleCare document, Apple is actively investigating a series of WiFi-related issues affecting the third-generation iPad. Since the new iPad’s launch, many users have been complaining about third-generation iPad WiFi issues ranging from connection drops, slow download and upload speeds, or the device’s inability to even pickup local WiFi networks. A thread discussing the issue exists on Apple’s online support forums has almost amassed 700 replies from users with similar issues. Here are some examples from the forum thread:
I am in a hotel with my laptop and new ipad3. The laptop wifi reception is as strong as it gets, but the iPad only registers a weak signal. Anyone else having similar problems? Any suggestions?
It has absolutely nothing to do with routers. I am right next to my wife, to whom I gave my iPad 1: she has full bars and I have 1-2. FYI: on Speedtest near the router I get over 10 mb downloads; 20 feet away I get .2 mb downloads. That’s ridiculous.
Same problem; same issue. Mine with University’s wifi or my home wifi (Airport Express). Original iPad maintains a strong connection right next to new iPad, which doesn’t.
Besides the supposed third-generation iPad charging and overheating issues, the iPad WiFi issues were noted by the media during the past couple of weeks. Apple has taken notice and has admitted internally to some new iPad models having the WiFi issues described in numerous reports and on forum threads. The company says “symptoms can include, but are not limited to: intermittent connectivity, slow WiFi speeds, and WiFi network not seen.” Apple tells AppleCare employees to ensure that devices they test are not facing these issues due to normal software bugs, but instead because of the actual hardware components.
WiFi-only third-generation iPads are the only devices affected by these issues, according to Apple. The 4G LTE models are presumably safe from these issues due to the extra network power allowed by the black rubber cut on the top of the unit.
iPads that are affected by WiFi issues are supposed to be “Captured.” According to one source, “Captured” is code for the device to be immediately packed up and shipped to Apple’s engineering centers for examination and investigation. Apple employees are instructed to Capture the iPad itself and included accessories (the charging adapter and USB cord). Apple will replace affected units.
Apple has released a new version of their iAd Producer software with several enhancements and new features. iAd Producer version 2.1 is faster so loading and saving for iAd Producer files happens more quickly. Additionally, exporting of iAds is quicker and utilizes less device memory. On the new features side of things, iAd Producer 2.1 extends support to the third-generation iPad with the Retina Display, allows for on-device ad debugging, and now supports WebGL assets. Perhaps the most important new feature is integration with Twitter. Apple says iAd creators can now integrate Twitter into their advertisments. This represents increasing Twitter integration with Apple products; a partnership that began last year with iOS 5 and that will be extended later this year with OS X Mountain Lion. The entire change log is after the break.
Popular third-party Android browser Dolphin made its way to the App Store in August of last year bringing highly customizable gestures, built-in translations, and a dock-style sidebar for quick access to tabs, bookmarks, and speed dial. Today, developers MoboTap Inc. pushed out an update to the iPhone app that, among other new features, introduced voice search functionality called “Dolphin Sonar.”
Dolphin Sonar is super easy to use and can do almost anything. Instead of typing, tap the microphone at the bottom left or just shake your phone (because who doesn’t want an excuse to do that!). Then say what you want to say and Dolphin will do the rest… use your voice to search the Web, find exactly what you’re looking for on sites like Facebook or eBay, bookmark your favorite website, and (like a real Dolphin!) use Sonar to navigate. Ask Dolphin to search on Facebook or create a new tab…all without having to type a single letter.
Other additions to the update include the return of the URL keyboard “by popular demand,” new search engine options to switch between four default settings, three font size options for browsing, and the ability to dim the screen with a single tap using “Night Mode.” Like the default Safari browser, Dolphin will also now save images directly to your iPhone’s photo album. You will also get the usual stability and performance enhancements when you grab version 4.0 of the Dolphin browser on the App Store (iTunes link). Expand Expanding Close
Following Nielsen’s latest survey that showed over 90 percent of United States smartphone buyers are choosing iOS or Android, research firm comScore today released its data of the top smartphone platforms and OEMs in the U.S. The survey included more than 30,000 people over a three-month period ending February 2012. It found Android was up 17 percentage points from a year ago with 50.1-percent of the U.S. smartphone market. In comparison, Apple’s 30.2-percent accounted for an increase of 5 percentage points from the same period a year ago.
According to comScore, Google passed the 50 percent milestone for the first time during February 2012. The numbers represent a 3.2-percentage point increase over previous three-month period for Google, and a 1.5-percentage point increase for Apple.
A Japanese TV crew approached a booth at the Foxconn plant in the suburbs of Taiyuan in Shanxi Province and asked a woman manning the booth about the 18,000 people Foxconn is recruiting for the next iPhone (video here at 7:10 via Macotakara). She said something about “being built for June.”
That plant is hiring many workers (and facing strikes from current workers) for iPhone production, according to local reports.
While she seems to imply that Foxconn is ramping up for a June production or release (or it may not), we are not convinced this is a credible source with knowledge of Apple’s plans.
Late last month, we reported Swedish security firm Micro Systemation claimed its “XRY” application was capable of cracking an iOS device’s passcode, logging keystrokes, and accessing data like GPS, call logs, contacts, and messages. The video showing the app in action is now removed, but the firm’s claims are coming under scrutiny by at least one fellow hacker. Will Strafach, better known in the jailbreaking community as “@chronic,” just posted his summary of what is really happening with the software to clarify the issue.
While explaining XRY does not use exploits similar to jailbreak programs, as claimed by many covering the story, Strafach clarified the tool is “simply loading a custom ramdisk by utilizing the publicly available ‘limera1n’ exploit by George Hotz. The ramdisk is not even very special, because anyone could put together their own using open source tools.” He continued by explaining the “two-minute” claim of Micro Systemation is only true if a passcode is “0000.” The time increases when a more complex passcode is set.
Chronic also noted XRY cannot be used on iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and third-gen iPads, something most publications are not reporting. Here is his explanation:
This “iPhone PRO” concept from designer Choi Jinyoung (via Plusmood) takes the 4.5-inch edge-to-edge rumors to another level with the addition of “Pro” features including a 1.2-megapixel 3D camera, mount for DSLR lenses, a removable hard disk, and a built-in projector system. Go past the break for a full gallery. Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s Nintendo-DS like remote concept from 2010 patent
In their review of the third-generation iPad, AnandTech discusses the Apple mobile gaming market and one issue that seems to be arising now that iPads and iPhones are becoming faster, more powerful, and better devices for gaming: touch. The review notes how Android has the ability to be connected to physical game controllers, and that a gaming controller adds an important element to advanced gaming expieriences. With this in mind, Anandtech slips in a tidbit claiming that Apple is working on a physical gaming controller for iOS devices:
Although many casual Android/iOS games do just fine with touch, some are certainly better suited for some sort of a controller. While controller support in Android in its infancy at best, it’s more than iOS currently offers. I know of an internal Apple project to bring a physical controller to market, but whether or not it will ever see the light of day remains to be seen. As smartphones and tablets come close to equalling the performance of current game consoles, I feel like the controller problem must be addressed.
The report is quick to note that it is an “internal Apple project,” which may mean Apple has no market plans for such a device. However, Apple has patented a gaming controller (seen above) with camera and touch input methods. While the advanced additions of a camera and touch are present, a full mechanical series of buttons (such as a D-Pad) are also present. A remote such as the patented one would seemingly bring Apple’s current gaming hardware even closer to console like gaming. Coupled with AirPlay and the Apple TV, Apple may have a very bright gaming hardware future.
The first customer satisfaction survey since the release of the new iPad shows that owners are almost completely smitten with their new devices.
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Changewave surveyed 200 new iPad owners from March 22 to March 28 and found that those “Very Satisfied” were up 8 percent from the iPad 2 to an impressive 82 percent.
Apple has always provided 70% of application download revenues to developers, but has only provided 60% of the revenue for iAd clicks. Now, Apple has boosted the iAd revenue share to 70%. In this long run, this may mean a major boost in income for developers who rely on the iAd platform for their income. (While today is April 1/Fools day, this comes direct from Apple’s developer iTunes Connect website.) Apple notes the change in an updated developer agreement:
(a) Apple Campaigns. Developer shall receive seventy percent (70%) of the Net Advertising Revenue derived from the sale of advertising on the Developer’s Mobile Properties (“Developer Revenue Share”) net of any applicable taxes as provided in Section 6 of this Agreement. The Developer Revenue Share percentage may be adjusted from time to time at Apple’s sole discretion. Notice of material changes to the Revenue Share percentage will be posted on the Company Portal. “Net Advertising Revenue” is defined as gross advertising revenue recognized through the delivery of ads by Apple less: a) any allowances actually made or taken for returns, credits, cash discounts and promotional allowances; and, b) Agency and agent fees, discounts, commissions and referral fees.
While we can’t confirm this independently, a possible explanation for the revenue share increase has been posted by developer zSprawl. According to the developer, Apple – starting today – will only count impressions, not clicks, for developer revenue. If this is true, it can be assumed that Apple is including the extra 10% to make up for the lost click money. Also, advertisers apparently only have to create $100,000 (or up) accounts with Apple, which is down significantly from the former $500,000 and $1,000,000 minimums, according to the developer.
Just seeing Epson’s MegaPlex iOS device projector at tradeshows and in still pictures doesn’t do it justice. Set up in a small, awkward booth and surrounded by bright lights, the projector does not inspire a second look. It was not until I got a private screening at Macworld that I really saw what this thing could do.
The MegaPlex MG-850HD is an incredibly bright 2800 lumen 720P projector with some mighty 10-watt stereo speakers built-in, but it adds something that you would not find in many other high-end consumer projectors: a 30-pin iOS device dock. The dock will accommodate anything from an iPod touch, iPhone, or even any iPad.
Amazon has the MegaPlex MG-850HD for $612. Buy.com has it for $620.
This thing is a Portable. Home. Movie Theater—and I mean that in every sense of the word “portable.” At less than eight pounds and with a sturdy handle, it is easy to pack and take it to the parents’ house, or even move it from the basement to the bedroom. Your iOS device is the “brains” of this thing, and it starts working immediately upon plugging in, so it takes only seconds to set up. You can watch your iTunes, Hulu, or Netflix videos in under a minute after choosing a destination.
Similar to most high-end projectors, this one features manual movable feet to adjust projection angles, focus, zoom, and horizontal keystone. The MegaPlex also does auto-vertical keystone and iris controls to make setting it up at angles surprisingly easy.
This thing boasts some range, as well. With the early spring weather this year, we turned an evening birthday party into an impromptu outdoor movie showing on the backside of our house (with a sheet over a window). The MegaPlex is rated for an over 25-foot diagonal screen, and I can attest that it looks fantastic even before it is fully dark outside.
With that said, something even better happened with the release of the new iPad and 1080P Apple TV…
FireCore announced today that it successfully jailbroke the Apple TV 2 (not the new Apple TV 1080P that released earlier this month). The jailbreak is tethered, which requires the Apple TV to be connected to a Mac/PC when first powering it on (only once). You also have to pay fireCore $30, but it has been plenty good about updating.
What’s new in the 5.0 AppleTV software? Should I update?
New interface: – Fast, visual access to all content choices
Movie purchases in iCloud: Support for buying movies on Apple TV and playing back purchased movies from iCloud
Genius Recommendations: Recommendations for content on the iTunes Store based on previous rentals and purchases
Screensaver photos: New National Geographic photos built-in for screensaver
On-device sign-up: On-device sign up for content partners on Apple TV using your Apple ID
Not all plugins are currently working. The full list is below: Expand Expanding Close
At the launch of Apple’s third-gen iPad, the company’s Marketing Chief Phil Schiller claimed the device’s new A5X processor with quad-core graphics provided up to 4x the graphics performance of NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 chip. Schiller also claimed the new chip provided 2x the graphics performance of the iPad 2’s A5 chip. NVIDIA was skeptical of the benchmark data behind the claims, but early benchmarks seemed to show A5X outperforming a Transformer Prime running Tegra 3 in the majority of tests.
New benchmark data provided byIGNshows the iPad 2’s A5 chip outperforming both the A5X and Tegra 3 with the A5X’s improved graphics going largely toward powering the new iPad’s high-resolution Retina display of 3.1 million pixels. The A5X shows a significant increase in performance over iPad 2 and Tegra 3 devices only when the chip is not forced to power the Retina display in “off-screen” benchmarks.
Google made less than $550 million in revenues for Android between 2008 and 2011, while making four times as much revenue during the same period with Apple products that employ Google services like Search and Maps.
According to The Guardian, the settlement offer provided yesterday by Google to Oracle depicted Android’s revenue streams. Settlement discussions ordered by Judge William Alsup were derailed when Oracle rejected Google’s low offer to pay royalties on Android if alleged patent infringements deem true in court.
The author’s own online Pottermore Shop displays all seven titles in ePub format, and prices vary between $8 each and $10 each, per copy. Fans can also purchase the entire series for $57.54.
The ePub files are unprotected and compatible with most iOS devices, Android devices, and any other eReader, tablet, or smartphone that accepts ePub format. In addition, the Harry Potter eBooks are available in Amazon Kindle formats. A full list of compatible devices and reading services is also available on the Pottermore Shop website.
Conspicuously, Rowling did not make the eBooks available through Apple’s iBookstore.
Sina Technology News on March 26 morning news, according to informed sources, Apple iOS operating system next month will be formally introduced Baidu search, Baidu and Apple between cooperation component in the China region.
Google’s Susan Creighton revealed last fall that two-thirds of the Mountain View, Calif.-based Company’s mobile search comes from Apple iOS devices.
Meanwhile, recent speculation claims Apple is moving to an in-house Mapping solution that would replace Google Maps. The firm also recently removed its publish to YouTube option in QuickTime for Mountain lion. If these latest rumors deem true, Apple’s move to Baidu would further indicate a significant effort to reduce Google’s presence in iOS.
With that said, the move to Baidu might be more than a snub to Google. As SearchEngineLand noted, Baidu holds 80 percent of the search market in China, and it would make sense for the Chinese to carry the same search on their mobile devices as they have on their desktop.
MOG is a Spotify-like service that streams 14 million songs to your devices and allows you to download music for offline viewing. The free version allows you to stream music against advertising. Meanwhile, the $4.99 version allows you to not only listen to ad-free music but also download music. The $9.99/month version allows unlimited downloads on mobile devices. Today, MOG added one new big device to its list: The iPad.
The iPad version (not universal?) hit the App Store today joining the earlier iPhone version. Perhaps, if you like your music on a native iPad-sized app, it is time to move to MOG (14-day free trial here with unlimited downloads).
Since the launch of the third-generation iPad, Dr. Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation, has put the device through its paces testing just about every aspect of its “resolutionary” new Retina display. The lengthy report provided a detailed comparison of the new iPad’s display versus the iPad 2 and iPhone 4.
In a running time time of the new iPad’s battery, Dr. Soneira found its “batteries do not actually reach full charge when 100% is shown,” and noted up to an extra hour of charging is required before reaching full capacity. We already discovered that the third-generation iPad’s new 42.5-watt-hour battery takes considerably longer to charge than the iPad 2—up to several hours. One explanation suggested is that Apple is trying to shorten the amount of time people think it takes to charge to line up with iPad 2 expectations. Soneira found the new iPad running no applications at maximum brightness lasted for 5.8 hours in comparison to the iPad 2 at 7.2 hours.
He did not go into detail about his findings in the report, but Soneira provided an explanation of the charging issue below:
According to an in-store iPhone advertisement in at least one Target location in Orlando, the store is offering $25 off the 8GB iPhone 4 and both the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 4S models until the end of the month. A tipster sent the image above showing the deal is offered for upgrades or on a new two-year contract available through AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint depending on your location.
(Thanks L. Nielsen!)
We are also noticing some of the best prices ever on iPad 2s. When Apple dropped the price of the iPad 2 by $100 (now starting at $399) after the introduction of the new iPad, retailers immediately started slashing prices even further on the last-generation device. We already saw the 16GB entry-level iPad 2 go for as low as $360, and today 9to5Toys pointed us to a 32GB model in white or black for $449 from Go4Computers through eBay Daily Deal. That deal includes free shipping and no tax (outside Florida), and the same goes for the 8GBiPod touch, which is usually $199 but now goes for $169.
With the introduction of a new LTE iPad, there is no shortage of rumors about a 4G iPhone not being far behind. We saw LTE in iOS code strings before the new Pad was introduced, but it was only speculation whether those were for iPhone, the new 4G iPad, or both.
Today, code strings in iOS 5.1 discovered by Cydia developer Krishna Sagarcontain the text: “Enabling 4G will end your phone call. Are you sure you want to enable 4G?” It also has various other mentions of enabling and disabling 4G when on phone calls and FaceTime. While most of the references to 4G in the strings could be for the iPad, references to calling features is pretty solid evidence that Apple is at the very least testing a LTE iPhone.
AT&T recently began calling its HSPA+ service 4G on iPhone 4S, but switching that on and off would not disable a phone call or a FaceTime chat.
There is also a full reference to FaceTime over 4G in the code strings (below):
Popular third-party 
