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 sources for Digitimes within upstream supply chains, Apple is planning complete overhauls for much of their product lineup for 2012. This seems likely seeing that Apple did not re-design any of their hardware products for a 2011 launch. The publication is calling for an all new iPhone, iMac, MacBook Air and iPad. This all new iPad is likely the one Digitimes spotted for a Q3 launch in the supply chain. This completely new iPhone could be the teardrop-shaped device we’ve heard so much about and rumors of an iMac redesign have yet to become specific.
Apple last overhauled the iMac in 2009 with larger, brighter LED displays, thinner unibody casings, and faster processors. The most recent update came in May with an HD FaceTime camera, improved graphics performance, and faster, quad-core processors across the lineup. In addition, the publication is calling for a MacBook Air overhaul, which seems unlikely given that brand new MacBook Air designs were launched in late 2010. If Digitimes is correct about a MacBook Air overhaul, we think 15 inch addition is what they are discussing. The report says that the new iPhone and iMac are scheduled for launch during the second half of 2012, but offers no launch details for the new MacBook Air line. (Image: The Verge)
Digitimes claims that the next-generation iPad will launch in March with a thinner overall design and improved battery life. The catch is that Digitimes essentially calls this iPad update an upgraded iPad 2 rather than a full “iPad 3.” Interestingly, the publication says a real iPad 3 is coming Q3 2012. We find it highly unlikely that Apple would launch a thinner iPad then a full “iPad 3” upgrade only months later. We do think that the thinner, battery better life, and March launch components are strong possibilities, though. Faster processors (A6) and Retina Displays have also been rumored additions for the next-generation iPad.
As you can see in our video above, a Smart Cover can essentially unlock an iPad 2. The person who unlocks your iPad 2 will not have complete access to your iPad, but will be able to gain entrance to whatever you locked your iPad 2 on. If your iPad 2 went to sleep in Mail, Safari, Messages, Contacts, or Maps, you can imagine the sorts of personal information that can be viewed on your iPad. If you left your iPad 2 on its Home screen, the person can view which applications you have on your device, control media from the multitasking bar, but not much else.
Now, with the release of iOS 5.0.1 beta, we’ve discovered that one of the new security fixes is a fix for this Smart Cover bug. It appears that Apple has fixed the issue by not allowing the iPad 2 to go to sleep by way of the Smart Cover closing while on the power off menu. iOS 5.0.1 should make its way onto everyone’s iOS 5 devices in a few weeks.
C Spire confirmed via press release today after announcing it last month, that Apple’s iPhone 4S will be available on their network on November 11th in the Southeastern United States. C Spire will keep with Apple’s pricing, offering the 16GB version for $199, 32GB version for $299, and the 64GB version for $399. The carrier will be offering 4 plans with the iPhone 4S, outlined below. For those who don’t want to go with a data plan they can pay for it as they go for one penny per five kilobytes.
Plans 1 and 2 above, while they have unlimited data, somehow only allow 30 minutes of streaming video per month. Having the iPhone 4S available on CDMA C Spire is part of Apple’s plan to expand availability of the iPhone to almost everyone. C Spire currently has almost a million customers in Mississippi, Florida, and parts of Alabama and Georgia and Tennessee and boasts “the highest level of smartphone penetration among carriers in the US”.
MG Siegler reports that Google is “on the verge” of releasing a native Gmail client for the iPhone through the App Store. Gmail users have long complained over the lack of push Gmail for the iPhone, which this native application is said to bring. Siegler says the application will likely also bring Priority Inbox and one click starring. Of course, nobody says that this application has been approved or will be approved by Apple, so until then, don’t get too excited.
Following up on the first iPhone 4S Siri TV advertisement from last week, Apple has just released three new advertisements surrounding the iPhone 4S. The iCloud iPhone 4S advertisement shown above shows the out of the box iCloud integration for the iPhone 4S. Examples include downloading a song on the iPhone 4S and having it instantly appear on the user’s Mac, bookmark syncing between an iPhone 4S and an iPad 2, iWork document syncing, and Photo Stream.
On the iPhone 4S launch date just a couple of weeks ago, we broke the news that developer Steven Troughton-Smith had successfully ported the Siri user-interface and some of the underlying code from the iPhone 4S onto the iPhone 4. The port was functional except for the most important part: talking to Apple’s servers. Now, Troughton-Smith has followed up with Chpwn to get the server fully working on an iPhone 4 and iPod touch.
Exclusive in-depth iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S Siri comparison video
Troughton-Smith exclusively provided 9to5Mac with the above high-quality video that shows Siri fully working on an iPhone 4. The video not only shows the Siri functionality on an iPhone 4, but is in depth and shows a side-to-side comparison against its newer, faster sibling, the iPhone 4S. In addition, our video shows the Siri Dictation in action. A video showing the iPod touch port is after the break. Troughton-Smith also shared with us some specifics about the porting.
Troughton-Smith tells us that an iPhone 4S jailbreak was necessary in order to accomplish the task of porting the proper files for Siri’s servers to connect to an iPhone 4. I also sat down with Troughton-Smith for an exclusive interview about the port:
A 3D model of Las Vegas Strip created by Apple purchased C3
Since the original iPhone’s debut in 2007, Apple’s iOS devices have made use of an Apple-built Google Maps application to provide users with a quick glance at driving directions, traffic, route guidance, current location information, and details about destinations. Like with most sections of Apple’s business, the company is continually innovating, looking to take products to the next level.
A few years ago, Apple set out to seemingly reinvent this iOS mapping experience. As 9to5Mac reported in 2009, Apple scooped up their own mapping software development company called Placebase. In the summer of last year, Apple went one step further in their obvious pursuit of a completely in-house mapping solution and acquired a 3D mapping firm called Poly9.
MercuryNews was told by the San Jose Police that using Siri while driving is illegal. The San Jose Police Luitenant said that the actual act of talking to Siri isn’t illegal, but it’s the part when you use you’re hands to navigate through its functionality when things start getting setup for a nice ticket.
“It’s legal to talk to Siri, as long as the phone’s not in your hand,” says San Jose police Lt. Chris Monahan. “But if you have to push the phone to activate her, or if you ask for directions and she puts them up on her screen for you to read, then California’s hands-free law says your’re breaking the law.”
Where it gets murky is that the iPhone is also a GPS device and it isn’t illegal to use your fingers to use GPS devices, especially one that is mounted to your dashboard. Let’s just say: keep it safe.
CNET’s Brooke Crothers has heard some information about the iPad 3’s upcoming 264PPI display. As we’ve heard a lot in the past, it will be a 2048×1536 resolution display as long as the Korean display manufacturers, Samsung and LG, can produce them in large numbers. According to his source, there could be some problems building it in the monstrous quantities that Apple demands.
The closest that iPad display manufacturers like LG Display and Samsung can get is 2048×1536 resolution display, according to the source. That’s a PPI of 264, twice the 132 PPI on the iPad 2.
But whether manufacturers can make them in volumes that Apple demands is the question. “They have production plans for 2,048×1,536 displays. Starting in November. But those are only plans at this point,” said the source, referring to LG and Samsung.
“It’s not a question of making just one. That, of course, can be done. The challenge is making lots of them,” the source said. “This is a quantum leap in pixel density. This hasn’t been done before.”
If manufacturers are not able to hit the volumes necessary for the higher resolution, there is an interim option of 1,600×1,200, according to the source.
The display is also expected to have a brightness of 550 nits. That’s pretty bright, as the typical laptop display panel tops out at about 350 nits.
I don’t think it is as easy as dropping the resolution down to 1600×1200. Apps don’t scale that easily even if the aspect ratio is the same. If for some reason, they can’t pump out the 2048×1536 in sufficient numbers (and Samsung is already testing better ones), Apple will continue with the same resolution….or wait until they can produce enough high resolution displays.
Apple has just announced to developers this evening that they will be deleting iTunes Match libraries of those who are currently beta testing. The deletion will be taking place Thursday, October 27th (tomorrow), after a prior deletion took place a couple of weeks ago. Apple advises you to turn off iTunes Match on all of your computers and iOS devices, though music on your computer shouldn’t be affected. This move by Apple is to begin prepping the Match platform for public use.
DirectTV users can now do what Comcast, Time Warner and Optimum users can do – stream video in their homes to their iPads. The new 1.3.1 app (Free, iTunes) allows users to stream 40 channels of content…
Turn your iPad into a portable TV and watch your favorite shows in any room of your home. – Quickly scroll through a list of channels available to watch on your iPad with a dedicated “Live TV Streaming” Module. – Get tips in the help section to guide you through features in the app. – Set parental controls to block live TV channels viewed on the iPad. – Change start and end times to add padding to a program when setting a recording.
There is one caveat however. The new DirectTV doesn’t appreciate Jailbreakers and shuts down if it detects that it is being used on a Jailbroken device (below). Fix is here.
The Next Web is reporting that an internal email has been going around that both Sprint and Apple are working on a fix to the slow data speeds that are plaguing Sprint iPhone 4S owners. Sprint customers with an iPhone 4S have been experiencing slow data speeds since the iPhone 4S landed on the Sprint network October 14th. Ironically, many customers switched to Sprint for the fast unlimited data plan.
One possible temporary solution, as Don Southard points out, is a free AirRave 3G Airvana offered by Sprint to help with data speeds on the device.
Sprint (and Apple) also had a slip up today by offering the iPhone 4S off-contract for only $199 (supposed to be $650). A forum user explained earlier:
Apple has just released an update to the 2nd generation Apple TV — version 4.4.2 (9A336a). We’re not sure if the update features anything besides bug fixes, but we’re downloading to see. Let us know what you’re getting in the comments below. Apple’s last update to the Apple TV, version 4.4.1, was pulled at first but then reintroduced. The update brought bug fixes, and we suspect that 4.4.2 does the same.
Update: We’ve been hearing reports that this update is causing a reset of the Apple TV, but works with a second try. Be careful!
Check out the MacBook Pro software update after the break:
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced in a press release (via MacRumors) that ‘Bluetooth 4.0’ will now be branded as “Bluetooth Smart Ready” and “Bluetooth Smart” to create “awareness around compatibility for new devices” (such as the iPhone 4S) that support the standard.
The press release explains:
“The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced two new brand extensions to its globally recognized logo today in an effort to create consumer awareness around compatibility for new devices implementing Bluetooth v4.0 – the Bluetooth Smart Ready trademark and the Bluetooth Smart trademark. Bluetooth Smart Ready devices are phones, tablets, PCs and TVs that sit at the center of a consumer’s connected world and implement a Bluetooth v4.0 dual mode radio. Bluetooth Smart devices are sensor-type devices like heart-rate monitors or pedometers that run on button-cell batteries and were built to collect a specific piece of information. Bluetooth Smart devices include only a single-mode low energy Bluetooth v4.0 radio.”
So in other words, the “Bluetooth Smart Ready” trademark signifies a device such as the iPhone 4S, that is ready to interact with “Bluetooth Smart” peripherals such as a heart-rate monitor or smart watch. CMO of Bluetooth Special Interest Group Suke Jawanda explains further: Expand Expanding Close
China Mobile doesn’t officially offer the iPhone yet. But it is carrying 10 Million iPhones on its network according to Reuters.
“We have not yet got agreement with Apple,” Wang said on the fringes of the ITU World telecoms fair in Geneva. “Apple promised to provide, when they develop the iPhone for LTE, that it will include TD-LTE. We are discussing the details.”
There had been rumors that Apple would offer a TL-LTE version of the iPhone 4S earlier this year with China Mobile going as far as saying:
China Mobile and Apple hope to find a solution for close collaboration. We discussed this issue with Apple. We hope Apple will produce a new iPhone with TD-LTE. We have already got a positive answer from Apple.
It appears that positive answer wasn’t for this round of devices, though the CDMA Verizon iPhone arrived off schedule in January. TD-LTE will require some separate chips which could be hard to fit inside the iPhone 4S’s enclosure. Apple however has to look longingly at that 600 million+ subscriber base, however.
While T-Mobile USA is on the opposite end of the subscriber spectrum (China Mobile has around the same amount of subscribers as the populations of Europe and the US combined), T-Mobile is the #4 carrier in the US in the midst of AT&T attempting to swallow it.
But they both don’t officially offer the iPhone, yet have a significant number of iPhones floating around on their network. Both offer a different type of high speed 4G network that stock iPhone 4Ses can’t take advantage of. Both networks do offer EDGE/GSM speeds however which some may find valuable tied with reduced fees or better coverage. T-Mobile told us earlier this year that they had over a million iPhones on their network, a figure that is likely to go up with Apple sneakily offering iPhones 4S unlocked at launch.
The winner of this week’s #HelpiFixYouri contest is… Richard Bourgeois. What happened?
3 year old Godson. Angry Birds. He lost. So did I. In the form of a busted phone.
The iFixYouri iPhone repair shop and 9to5Mac will be fixing your iPhone for free! For those who didn’t win this time around, we will be picking another winner next Friday! Here are the rules:
In order to enter the contest, retweet this post on Twitter with hashtag #HelpiFixYouri and a picture of your broken iDevice for a chance to win. If the story about your broken device requires more than what a tweet can share, send an email off to support@iFixYouri.com or like and share it on their Facebook page.
A winning contestant will be randomly selected each week. You are only allowed to enter once and a winner can only win one time. If it is determined that your device is irreparable (and doesn’t start in Blend-Tec condition), iFixYouri iPhone repair and 9to5Mac will replace the device with a good working equivalent! (also no iPod shuffles or nanos are eligible)
You will also need to follow both iFixYouri and 9to5Mac on Twitter so we can DM you in case you win. Just a hint, send in high-quality pictures of your device.
According to research firm Strategy Analytics (via Bloomberg), Google’s Android-based tablets gained market share in the iPad dominated tablet market during the third quarter, specifically led by new models from Samsung (presumably referring to the same Galaxy Tab family that is currently the focus of patent related litigation between Apple and Samsung).
The report claims Android was up from just 2.3 percent from the same three month period last year, to a 27 percent share of worldwide sales during the third quarter in 2011. The iPad’s market share during the same period reportedly fell from 96 percent to 67 percent. The research firm notes that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets currently account for 9 percent of the total tablet market.
There is also reason to believe Android’s growth on tablets will continue to grow into 2012, as the introduction of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (the first Android OS specifically designed for both phones and tablets) could help tablet adoption among Android smartphone users. Strategy Analytics believes that Amazon’s Kindle Fire will also drive Android tablet sales, estimating the company will sell more than 15 million units by 2013.
In contrast to this obvious good news for the Android tablet market, which the WSJ’s Walt Mossberg recently described as having “flopped” in an interview with Google mobile chief Andy Rubin, there are conflicting stats for Android tabs in the enterprise. Rubin’s answer? “There’s a little over 6 million Android tablets that we know about”, a figure which of course includes pre-Honeycomb devices but not the Nook and those that don’t use Google services. The recently released Good Technology Device Activations Report for Q3 2011 shows that when it comes to tablets in business, enterprise users are clearly choosing iPad over the alternatives, noting “iOS tablets represent over 96 percent of total tablet activations”. Their graphic (above) also speaks volumes. Expand Expanding Close
If you are the type that likes a 10″ display for driving navigation, TomTom just updated its $59.99 iOS turn-by-turn navigation app to be universal and optimized for the iPad. You’ll of course want to have a 3G version of the iPad/iPad 2 or be tethered through an iPhone that can share GPS.
TomTom also hints that a new version with some interesting features is on the way:
iPHONE 3G USERS: THIS IS THE LAST VERSION OF THE TOMTOM APP FOR iPHONE THAT WILL FULLY SUPPORT YOUR DEVICE. You will be able to download and use the next version of the TomTom App but new features will not be available to you.
More screenshots and full description below (thanks Caleb!):
We mentioned the iHelicopter back in August and it looked like one of the better iOS controlled flying devices out there. Today, it got a significant update.
The $69.99 Cobra iHelicopters now get to go on the offensive. The Cobra is armed with two missiles that can take out targets over 6 feet away.
Apple has aired their first television commercial about the iPhone 4S and it is amazing. The commercial is about the iPhone 4S Siri voice command feature and the ad goes through a few real-world uses of the feature. Some Siri examples from the commercial:
Looking up Google Maps directions (to a hospital)
How to do something (tying a bow tie)
Checking the weather
Location-based reminders
Playing music from the iPhone music application
Setting up alarm clocks
Sending text messages
Update: Official upload from Apple hit the web, below Thanks, Russ!
Talk over an iPhone 4S security flaw regarding Siri working from the lock screen has made the rounds the past few days, but this “security flaw” is not so much a flaw, but an intended feature from Apple. In fact, Apple allows users to choose to turn off Siri from the lock screen in the iPhone 4S settings menu. Now, a real iOS security flaw has emerged, and anyone with a Smart Cover can break into your “password-protected” iPad 2. This issue occurs in iOS 5, but we’re hearing uncorroborated reports of it also working in earlier versions of iOS 4.3.
What the flaw allows:
As you can see in our video above, a Smart Cover can essentially unlock an iPad 2. The person who unlocks your iPad 2 will not have complete access to your iPad, but will be able to gain entry to whatever you locked your iPad 2 on. If your iPad 2 went to sleep in Mail, Safari, Messages, Contacts, or Maps, you can imagine the sorts of personal information that can be viewed on your iPad. If you left your iPad 2 on its home screen, the person can view which applications you have on your device, control media from the multitasking bar, but not much else.
How to re-create it:
1) Lock a password protected iPad 2
2) Hold down power button until iPad 2 reaches turn off slider
In past years, Apple has held “Tech Talk World Tours” for developers, covering their latest version of iOS. Now that iOS 5 has been released into the wild, Apple has announced that the iOS 5 Tech Talk World Tour will kick off on November 2nd in Germany and end in Austin, Texas on January 23rd. The conference described by Apple:
We want to help iOS developers take their apps to the next level using the exciting new technologies in iOS 5. Our team of experts will visit nine cities around the world, covering advanced coding and design techniques that you can take advantage of in your apps. Since Tech Talks are highly technical, it’s important that you have experience programming with the iOS SDK and have an app actively in development or on the App Store.
This year’s tour will take place in Seattle, New York, Austin, Texas, Berlin, London, Rome, Beijing, Seoul, and São Paulo. The tech talks are free to attend and the full schedule and agenda are after the break:
