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.
J.D. Power and Associates has just announced the results of their annual 2011 U.S. Wireless Handset Customer Satisfaction Study. Apple has earned the top-spot on the list for the sixth consecutive time. Apple scored a 838 on a 1,000-point scale with the iPhone, while the runner-up HTC scored a relatively close score of 801. 6,898 smartphone owners took part in the study. As if we already didn’t know, customers are pretty satisfied with Apple’s iPhone, and its 5-star rating for “Ease of Operation”. (via BGR)
Blogger, a blog-publishing service, has been around since 1999 and it has gotten pretty popular since Google acquired them in 2003. Strange enough, the search firm neglected the iOS app until today, when Blogger for iPhone debuted as a free download on the App Store. Google says in a post over at the official Blogger blog that the app lets you write a new blog post and publish it immediately or save it as a draft right from your iOS device. Also,
You can also open a blog post you’ve been working on from your computer and continue editing it while you’re on-the-go. Your blog posts are automatically synced across devices, so you’ll always have access to the latest version.
The app also allows for adding pictures to your blog posts by choosing from your camera roll or taking a new photo. Yes, you can label posts, too, and add location. Plus, the app allows for more than one Blogger account or blog and you can easily browse the list of saved and published posts. Unfortunately, looks like we’re gonna have to wait a little for a universal binary because the inaugural release isn’t optimized for blogging on the iPad’s gorgeous 9.7-inch display, which is a shame.
TmoNewsthinks it scooped a possible evidence that Apple will be announcing its next iPhone in about two weeks time. The site cites “a huge number of emails” they received, which apparently mention “that T-Mobile has called an “All Hands Day” meeting for September 24th for unknown reasons”. September 24 is a Saturday, ruling out the possibility of an Apple media event that day. It could be also just T-Mobile prepping for another product arrival, such as the Galaxy S II, or some non-Apple related marketing and sales initiative. Also, Boy Genius Report offers that the memo actually refers to a high-volume day, which does not compute since iPhone 5 is not expected to hit stores before October.
On the other hand, 9to5Macheard that Apple could begin accepting pre-orders for the next iPhone as early as Friday, September 30. If T-Mobile USA gets the handset, as rumored, they would want to brief employees at least a week before pre-orders start. And T-Mobile holding a meeting on Saturday, September 24, could mean an Apple media event earlier that week, in which case invites should be sent out sometime in the next week or so. Expand Expanding Close
We heard back in March that Apple might have been considering giving its chip making contract to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Reuters and Taiwan Economic News later followed-up, claiming TSMC had already begun test runs of Apple’s A6 processor. Per both stories, the A6 chip will be manufactured on TSMC’s 28-nanometer process and is coming in the second quarter of 2012, conveniently matching the expected iPad 3 arrival.
DigiTimesthis morning quoted TSMC’s head or research and development Shang-yi Chiang who confirms his company is gearing up for mass manufacturing of 28-nanometer chips:
Chiang claimed that TSMC has received enough orders to fully utilize its 28nm production capacity. Its 28nm process technology will be available for mass production in early 2012, Chiang said.
He also said TSMC will begin research on the 14-nanometer process next year and expects to begin volume production on the node in 2015. They’ll be using 18-inch wafers to process 14-nanometer chips because it helps bring production costs down, which should be music to Apple’s ears. The report doesn’t mention Apple directly, mind you, but it is no secret that the Samsung-Apple relationship is deteriorating at record rates. Consider this…
Apple’s patent infringement claims against Samsung now include twelve courts in nine countries on four continents. Reutersreported this morning that Apple is now formally suing Samsung in Japan and seeking to block sales of Samsung phones and tablets in the country:
Apple has filed a suit with the Tokyo District Court seeking the suspension of sales of Galaxy S and its sequel S II smartphones and the Galaxy Tab 7 in Japan, according to sources close to the matter. The first hearing was held on Wednesday, the source said.
The iPhone maker is seeking 100 million yen, or approximately $1.3 million, in damages. Apple previously had filed four complaints before the Tokyo District Court, according to patent expert Florian Müller. Coincidentally, Japan is also another high-revenue market for Apple. Other countries where Apple took Samsung to court include Germany, U.K., U.S., Australia and more. Expand Expanding Close
Somewhere in China there are stacks of millions of completed iPhone 5s.
Digitimes is reporting that iPhone 5 production is at full swing with 150,000 of the devices being produced per day. That isn’t quite the “volume” production level that Apple expects as it gets ready to release its phone for the holiday shopping season, however.
Lens maker Largan Precision, touch panel maker TPK Holding, reinforced glass supplier G-Tech Optoelectronics and battery vendors Simplo and Dynapack are all operating at full swing currently, the sources indicated.
We’ve also heard recently that these iPhones aren’t being boxed up just yet as Apple is finalizing the iOS 5 build that will eventually go on these iPhones.
Shipments of iPhone 5 from the supply chain are expected to reach 5-6 million in September but will then ramp up to over 22 million units in the fourth quarter as suppliers will ship fewer iPhone 4 and CDMA-version iPhones during the final quarter of the year, noted the sources.
Apple’s other manufacturing partner, Pegatron, is said to be holding off on production until 2012 and is expected to only build 15% of the devices overall. Expand Expanding Close
Adobe is definitely on a roll these days. Just in the past thirty days the company unveiled an iWeb-like tool for building web sites and a PDF-creation app for iPhone and iPad. Earlier today, Adobe announced its Digital Publishing Suite will get the much-needed iOS 5 Newsstand support and now we learn about Adobe Carousel, a missing link aimed at fans of the company’s integrated photography solutions. The program lets you access your entire photo library on your computer from any iOS device and vice versa. It all happens wirelessly and automatically, without you having to sync or transfer photos manually. From Adobe:
Adobe Carousel gives you a new way to enjoy your photos, making all of them available across your Mac and iOS devices, so you can browse, enhance, and share them easily. No manual syncing, no storage limits, no differences in what photos are available to you. Your photography is everywhere you are.
It’s built on the Photoshop Lightroom technology so you’ll get “consistent, high-quality results across devices”, the blurb has it. You can fix exposure, white balance and saturation, adjust contrast, brightness and vibrance, among other features. Similar to the famous Camera+ app, editing in Adobe Carousel is non-destructive, always preserving your original photo. You can also assign other people privileges to browse your library, favorite photos and more.
The app will be released on both the App Store and Mac App Store soon as a free download. You should know that a paid cloud account will be required, starting at six bucks a month until January 31, 2012 (twice as much after that). Versions for Windows and Android are in the works so you’ll eventually be able to manage photos across all major platforms. Funny thing, remember when Steve Jobs had to beg Adobe to build Mac versions? It’s also nice how Adobe’s John Nack described Carousel using Apple-like words in a post on the official Adobe blog, quoted below the fold…
Let’s be honest, the iOS task switcher that springs into action when you double-click the home button isn’t the most user-friendly implementation of task switching on mobile devices. Truth be told, many people who played with webOS devices came away impressed with the card metaphor efficiency, allowing you to quickly flip running tasks in and out of the screen. It feels right and quickly becomes second nature. You can now have that same card switching multitasking interface, on your jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch (iPad version is coming soon) by downloading the CardSwitcher tweak in the Cydia Store. It feels a lot like task switching in webOS and you can assign your own action to invoke it using the Activator tweak in the Settings app, as demonstrated in the above video.
Just days after Apple Store employees started their internal training of Apple’s upcoming iCloud and iOS 5, Apple’s global carrier partners have begun their own version of the process. According to participants, the training largely mirrors the training that occurred soon before last year’s iOS 4 launch alongside the iPhone 4. Interestingly, these major carrier partners’ support divisions are also being trained on iCloud.
This iCloud training demonstrates Apple’s push of both iCloud and iOS 5 as integrated products. After all, many of iCloud’s unique features are iOS-device based and many of iOS 5’s cornerstone features rely on iCloud connectivity. The training materials are said to have been developed with Apple’s assistance and include both detailed video and PDF-based explanations. With these carriers already training, we’re thinking that official news from Apple on the subject is imminent.
Separately, Apple’s most prominent carrier partners have been seeded near-final builds of iOS 5 for final testing. This build is newer than the betas seeded to developers and includes some unique features. According to a source testing this build, FaceTime over 3G is active. According to this source, testers are being instructed that 3G FaceTime testing is a high priority. What is still up for discussion, though, is whether or not this feature will reach end users in iOS 5.
In addition, this near-final iOS 5 build in late carrier testing includes the Nuance Dictation speech-to-text feature we first revealed screenshots of and detailed. According to a source testing the feature, it works almost identically (video above) to the Android operating system’s speech-to-text feature. It’s also very polished, quick, and accurate said the source – which is obvious for being an Apple product but also is indicative of the product being nearly complete.
One last thing… that iOS 5 system-wide Assistant feature we revealed and discussed on several occasions? It’s apparently not in this near-final build. Since the feature is confirmed to be in development, our only assumption is that iOS Assistant is an iPhone 5 exclusive. Or, Apple is keeping it from even their most important carrier partners until it’s officially announced.
iFixyouri iPhone repair shops have just received a limited order of color iPad 2 front glass customized replacements in blue, green, yellow and pink. We’re told that if you use code “9to5mac” at checkout you’ll get 10% off the $200 iPad customization (yes, that’s pretty steep but we have a feeling there is a pretty big market for these). Expand Expanding Close
The latest in the ongoing legal dispute between Apple and its key components supplier, Samsung, comes via Bloomberg which reported this morning that Apple may be pushed into revealing iPad 2 sales numbers in the UK and the US if the company is to increase chances of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 blockage in Australia:
Apple Inc. may have to reveal iPad and iPad 2 sales figures in the U.K. and U.S. to improve its chances of barring Samsung Electronics Co. from selling the Galaxy 10.1 tablet computer in Australia, a judge said. Apple’s claim that the Samsung tablet’s release in Australia will hurt iPad sales may carry little weight if it doesn’t provide the numbers, Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett said in Sydney Federal Court today. ‘Unless Apple puts on evidence showing the impact in the U.S. or U.K., I can’t draw any positive assumptions,’ Bennett said.
Apple sought an injunction on Samsung’s tablet in Australia until the patent spat is resolved. Apple is claiming that the obvious similarities between Samsung’s family of Galaxy smartphones and tablets are hurting their sales. Apple in prior court documents referred to Samsung as the “copyist”. Recently, Samsung in America asserted Apple ripped off the iPad design from the Stanley Kubrick 1969 film “2001: A Space Odyssey” to argue Apple’s patents should be invalidated under prior art. Judge Bennett would leave it up to Apple to determine whether or not it would be willing to provide court with sales figures. Whichever way you look at it, that’s an interesting twist in this litigation…
We knew in July that Apple had passed the imploding Nokia for the global smartphone unit lead by manufacturer. However, today Digitimesforecasts that by year end Apple will have sold 86.4 million iPhones by year which will easily best Nokia’s once insurmountable lead (Nokia had over double Apple’s share just last year).
Apple’s smartphone shipments are projected to top 86.4 million units in 2011, up 82% from 47.5 million units in 2010. In contrast, Nokia’s smartphone shipments in 2011 will decline to 74.4 million units from over 100 million in 2010, said Luke Lin, analyst for Digitimes Research.
Just because it almost doubled its unit shipment, doesn’t mean it is game over for Apple, however. Android makers Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei and ZTE all showed better percentage gains though they shipped relatively few smartphones in 2010. Expand Expanding Close
@Duardo. 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.
It is a 30 pin dock connector, not Bluetooth. It runs on the iPads battery and gets 8-10 hours of battery life (pretty efficient!). The downside to that: Portrait playing only.
The Atari Arcade is scheduled to drop on October 2 at Target and then in November at Toys “R” Us and Walmart for $60.
Hello Atari fans! We’ve been paying close attention to your feedback and have made a ton of improvements:
• New and improved control schemes • OpenFeint integration • Optimized iPad layouts with larger playfields • Better multiplayer connectivity • Compatibility with the Discovery Bay Games Duo Controller • Play with the official Atari® Arcade – Duo™ Powered joystick. http://bit.ly/atariarcade
Apple’s China sales are up sixfold and topped $3.8 billion in June quarter revenues. Per conventional wisdom, Apple could boost iPhone revenues by adding more carriers to its Chinese distribution matrix. But for all the cozying up to China Mobile, the country’s largest wireless operator, the second-largest China Unicom remains Apple’s sole carrier in the country. While Apple has left the 1.33 billion people market largely untapped, its iconic smartphone is now facing competition from both carriers, reportsDigiTimes:
China Unicom and China Mobile both have launched own-brand 3.5G handsets using chipset solutions from MediaTek, with prices set below CNY1,000 (US$156), or one-quarter the price of iPhone, according to industry sources. The launches of own-brand 3.5G handsets will help China Unicom and China Mobile save a large of amount in subsidies the two companies have been spending for the promotion of iPhone, the sources indicated.
Granted, the report fails to mention the exact types of phones and wouldn’t event hint at whether they’re high-end smartphones or cheapos. Regardless, this is business as usual as no carrier can depend on iPhone alone. On the other hand, the report notes how both carriers are additionally pushing their own app stores. Looks like Apple will need that inexpensive iPhone sooner than later.
Reuters indicated that China Mobile was holding secret meetings with Steve Jobs regarding an iPhone version for the carrier’s 3G cellular network, which is based on TD-SCDMA radio technology (not related to CDMA technology used by Verizon). China Mobile is serving about 7.5 million iPhone users on its network, even if they can only tap EDGE speeds. Furthermore, Samsung is already shipping a TD-SCDMA version of its Galaxy S II smartphone to China Mobile subscribers. Despite the fact that China Mobile is the world’s largest carrier by both subscribers and revenue, Apple may want to wait out and instead take an alternative route, here’s why…
We’ve received a word from several sources that GameStop will soon begin offering the entire lineup of Apple’s popular iOS mobile devices such as iPhones, iPods and iPads at their stores. The announcement was made to dealers at an annual trade show in Las Vegas this past week. Also, as of this week, GameStop began accepting iOS device trade-ins for in-store credits. From the sound of it, our take is GameStop is first doing trade-ins/used products before phasing in new ones, perhaps as Apple launches iPhone 5 in October (Deutsche Telekom in Germany is now quietly accepting pre-orders).
German-language Focus.de is reporting (Google translation) that T-Mobile customers in the country are now allowed to reserve Apple’s unreleased handset, the iPhone 5, since this morning. The iPhoneblog.defirst broke the story and 9to5Mac has also received several tips from our readers confirming that the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless operators has in fact begun issuing so-called Premieren Ticket. These are basically support tickets – one per customer – for early adopters and informed buyers who couldn’t be otherwise convinced into buying the existing iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS.
Those coupons will eventually let folks claim their handset, when it arrives, on a first-come-first-served basis. Only the carrier’s customers are eligible and only upon contacting sales representatives in one of the carrier-owned brick-and-mortar stores or by calling customer support. As you could imagine, Deutsche Telekom is pretty low-key about the initiative and thus shuns from advertising it apart from a rather cryptic hint on their website. Shortly after the report was published, Bloomberg was able to verify it with a company spokesperson, who said:
Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) will allow customers to reserve the next generation of Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone as of today in anticipation of supply bottlenecks for the device, spokesman Alexander von Schmettow said by phone. The operator will hand out coupons to people who expressly request the successor model to the iPhone 4, without providing the name or release details of the device, he said.
Hints have been multiplying since last week that Apple could be close to unveiling a fifth-generation iPhone. Apple store employees have received their iOS 5 and iCloud training material and internal Best Buy documents have pointed to a Sprint iPhone 5 launch in the first week of October. Both nuggets confirm 9to5Mac’s discovery from July that Sprint would get iPhone 5, based on an April job posting seeking cellular engineers in the Kansas City region, right in the neighborhood of Sprint’s headquarters. 9to5Mac also originally broke the news that Apple would begin accepting iPhone 5 pre-orders in early September, gearing up for an early October launch. Also…
As Apple’s yet-to-be-made-official fall festivities approach, we’ve heard that Apple has begun iOS 5 and iCloud training with retail store employees. According to these sources, training is done through a new section inside of the company’s recently released internal RetailMe application.
Apple typically rolls out their major iOS releases in the days surrounding new iPhone launches. Apple Stores usually only begin their training of new software in the couple of weeks leading up to a respective product launch (obviously this time around could be different, though). Apple beginning their iOS 5 training within the last few days could mean a launch sooner than the recently rumored dates of mid-to-late October.
In addition to iOS 5, Apple Store employees have also begun receiving detailed information on Apple’s upcoming iCloud service. Apple originally said iCloud would be launching alongside iOS 5, which is necessary because of iCloud’s full integration into the next-generation iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV operating system.
If anything, this iOS 5 and iCloud training news helps support our original report of late September iPhone 5 pre-orders and an early October launch. Evidence that Apple is nearing completion of their iCloud service is a pickup of iCloud for Mac and Mac OS 10.7.2 betas to developers. In addition, Apple’s recent betas of iOS 5 have certainly focused on performance, speed, and the removal of bugs. Thanks, iDannyOcean!
BGRreports that Best Buy’s internal sales forecast is expecting an iPhone 5 on Sprint with pre-sales beginning the first week in October. That lines up with our earlier report, though as both we and the Best Buy statement mentioned, launch dates are subject to changes.
Google Latitude explanation video – seemingly similar to the planned Find my Friends service
You may remember a finding in the iOS 4.3 SDK that pointed to Apple’s work on a new iOS-device based social network called “Find my Friends.” Many have speculated that this means Apple is working on a location-based social network – similar to Google Latitude or Loopt – that would essentially put all your friends on a map. At that time, a source told us that Apple has been working on the Find my Friends project for some time – but also said that company has shelved the project a few times prior this SDK finding.
Now, we have discovered several references to this Find my Friends service inside of HTML code from the MobileMe/iCloud website. Because these findings reference aspects of MobileMe, we have to urge that this social network from Apple may have been eternally shelved. On the other hand, Photo Stream, when we first revealed it, referenced MobileMe. Now we know that it is actually an iOS 5 iCloud feature.
Drawing from Apple patent application from 2010
From what we can glean from this HTML code, Apple’s Find my Friends service was definitely in development, and it takes some terminology cues from Twitter, which happens to also be fully integrated into the upcoming iOS 5 release. The service may even be similar to a recent patent filing by Apple that is shown above. According to the code, users will be able to select other users to “follow.” Once a user “follows” another user, they will gain access to information about the user besides their location. Apple would presumably create profiles – maybe similar to Game Center – based on Apple IDs. Because the terminology is so similar to Twitter’s, perhaps Apple’s Find my Friends integrates with a Twitter login.
Users, just like in the patent drawings above, will have a user interface that displays a list of everyone they are following and another list that shows everyone who is following them. For a location based service, it is critical for Apple to show the list of followers. To maintain user privacy, all follower requests will be placed into a “pending” process and each need to be individually approved. In addition, Apple is working on putting a clear “blocking” system into place. Users could block individual users of the Find my Friends service or even block follow requests altogether.
Besides having your friends or family member on a map for interaction, perhaps the most interesting part about Apple’s once planned – or upcoming – Find my Friends social network is that it ties right into Apple’s new iCloud and iOS 5 Photo Stream service; like we told you months ago. In iOS 5, a user can take a picture with their iPhone and it will automatically upload to the cloud then download from the cloud onto the user’s other devices: iPhoto on the Mac and Photos on the iPad and iPod touch, for example. According to the HTML code, it appears that a user’s Photo Streams may show up on their profiles on the Find my Friends map.
It also looks like Apple is going to go one step further with Find my Friends: Video Streams. Photo Stream is obviously currently limited to photo streaming in iOS 5, but it looks like Apple is thinking about or planning a new Video Stream service. This would likely be identical to Photo Stream but would be videos instead of photos.
Again, all this HTML code certainly points to Apple once planning a Find my Friends social network. We have no idea if Apple will or will not launch it, and Apple has stopped and re-started work on the project many times, but will think the launch is possible. In any case, Apple’s continued work in the social network realm is interesting. Thanks, Twe112!
MacRumors has posted renderings of the iPhone 5 based off information sent to third-party case developers. The measurements are 4.33″ x 2.36, which compares to the iPhone 4’s dimensions of 4.5″ x 2.31″. Along with the mock-up above, MacRumors also got their hands on a purported iPhone 5 case.
If these cases are correct (seen after the break), they point to the iPhone 5 packing a larger 4-inch screen, compared to the iPhone 4’s 3.5-inch. But, earlier reports contradictMacRumors, saying the iPhone 5 will feature a screen closer to 3.5″.
You may remember our case reports from July which showed the iPhone 5 having a longer and wider design. Macitynet.it also posted their case findings yesterday, which match up closely to MacRumors’ and 9to5mac’s findings. But again, there are those who claim the iPhone 5 will have a 3.5″ screen.
At any rate, why would case manufacturers begin spending millions of dollars to build these cases without any definite knowledge? Could the 3.5-inch design be the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 be slightly larger than 4-inches? Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5 later this month, and the phone is planned to go on sale either October 7th or October 14th, with pre-orders starting around a week before.
Earlier this week, a report surfaced with claims that Apple is preparing to roll out a new remote and URL-based iOS Diagnostics service. Since then, we’ve learned that Apple Stores across the globe are already using a similar tool. However, we’ve now confirmed that Apple is in fact rolling out a new online tool that enables retrieval of diagnostic information from iOS devices. This tool is fairly different than the one being currently used at Apple Retail Stores and is geared towards all of Apple’s support operations worldwide, according to sources.
The concept is quite simple. Here’s how Apple describes the tool internally:
iOS Diagnostics sends an email to the iOS device or provides a manual URL that prompts the user to allow a diagnostic report to be transmitted to Apple. iOS Diagnostics will display that report within GSX in near real-time. It’s that simple.
Although Apple’s internal documentation describes the service happening via e-mail, technicians will also be able to send the link via text message to iPhones. E-mail, of course, will be required for iPad and iPod touch repairs, unless Apple brings iMessaging into the mix. Technicians will also be able to provide a manual URL on the spot.
For those unfamiliar, GSX is a tool used by Apple, internally, to organize and fulfill AppleCare repairs. With iOS Diagnostics, Apple or a third-party repair shops could provide a customer a URL, and all the critical information from their iOS device will automatically import into the company’s support system. Apple summarizes the benefits for both the customer and the technician:
There has never been an easier way for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users to give service providers the information they need to troubleshoot and diagnose iOS devices effectively. Users benefit from a faster and more accurate diagnosis. The in-depth information that iOS Diagnostics retrieves can be invaluable to technician’s troubleshooting efforts.
Apple also summarizes what information the service can remotely send from a user’s device to a technician’s system for evaluation:
Insight into usage patterns, battery functions, temperature warnings, memory usage, application issues, and more.
The service is rolling out gradually over the next few months. As also obtained by PiratX from Greek-iPhone, we have gotten our hands on screenshots that show exactly how the yet-to-be officially announced iOS Diagnostic service functions. You can find the screenshots after the break.
We already knew that iOS 5 would mimic some Google Android features. There’s the Android-like notification system and system-wide Nuance speech-to-text functionality, but now we’ve discovered that Apple’s yet to be announced voice Assistant will be activated in Google fashion. Above is Google’s promotional video for their voice-powered Google search App Store application for the iPhone.
As you can see in the video, all a user has to do is put the iPhone up to their face, start speaking, and Google search results will appear on screen within a few seconds. Apple is going to be providing the same convenience to their iOS 5 users for their system-wide Assistant feature. According to code strings we have found in the iOS 5 SDK, all a user will need to do is move their iPhone to their ear, speak, and the requested action will occur.
This is much quicker than Apple’s current Voice Control activation method. With Voice Control, users need to hold down their home button for a few seconds in order to activate. Assistant activation will not simply be activated via the iPhone’s proximity sensor sensing your ear, but will rely on the phone’s motion sensors as well for accuracy.
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