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.
Alibaba has some new screen protectors for Apple’s next round of iPods, expected to be released on Wednesday. In this particular rendering, the Nano has Wifi, though these manufacturers may only know about the screen size, if that.
They are also advertising a case for the new iPod Nano 6, below, which bears a striking resemblance to the older Shuffles. They also have room for a 30-pin connector.
Close ups, below, with room for clips on the back.:
Apple Australia’s chief will make a rare public appearance at a local conference while the company’s ‘down under’ wing confirms it hasn’t yet managed to create a software fix for problems with the iPhone 4’s proximity sensor. Expand Expanding Close
Computerworld: The BBC confirms iPhone users watch TV on their devices, while Android users don’t. Is Google’s decision to support the Apple-rejected Adobe Flash video standard on Android phones going to limit the evolution of that company’s mobile OS? Is the implementation anti-‘choice’?
The Financial Timesis reporting that Google is in deep talks with them’ popular movie studios to bring à la carte movie rentals to YouTube. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, it is well known that Apple is also in very deep negotiations with the major content hubs to bring morelower-priced movie rentals to iTunes.
iLounge speculates that a 2.8-inch iPod touch with the same resolution as current iPod touch devices would be a smart play for Apple at this week’s event. They mention that the current Nano’s screen is only marginally smaller (2.4 vs. 2.8 inches) and it uses the same class of Processor (albeit with less RAM).
I like the idea for a few reasons:
It would bridge the gap left between the Shuffle-sized Nano (which gets smaller) and regular iPod touch Retina Display with cameras (and lasers?)
It would add a very inexpensive way to get onto the App Store and other media stores, which helps Apple in the numbers game vs. Android. Apple starts to make more after purchase which warrants subsidizing the initial price.
At lower storage points (4GB/8GB?) and no camera, It wouldn’t compete with the higher price point iPod touch with cameras, faster processors and Retina
At $99, Apple would risk being considered cheap. Maybe $129 or $149 are more realistic, but less awesome.
The speed of the older/cheaper chip architecture has taken a significant hit with iOS 4 (see iPhone 3G). It would be unfortunate for Apple to release a slow device out of the gate. Maybe Apple has a speedy/efficient A2 processor waiting in the wings.
Still though, it is an interesting concept. Imagine a Wifi, full web browser, email client, 250,000 app App Store, Maps, videos, photos etc on a sub-$100 device for the masses. If you consider the implications, would this be a better OLPC device for kids with small fingers?
We are just days away from the possible unveiling of Apple’s radically new AppleTV, rumored to be re-named as its former codename, iTV. Since this device is speculated to be running Apple’s iOS, there are countless rumors and debates as to how the planet’s folks will control the thing. Apple’s current remote definitely won’t do the job with its 5 physics buttons. There’s the Magic Trackpad but that might not be convenient with it’s desktop design. Then there’s using an iPhone/iPod/iPad app which would double or triple the $99starting price for some. Maybe something cheaper?
The concept you see above, put together by Dan Wineman, is the perfect concept of an iTV remote. The remote is a pure fusion of the Magic Trackpad and an iPhone. The remote takes the physical appearance and multi-touch technology from the Magic Trackpad and scales it to the size of an iPhone. The controller will adapt some iPhone-hardware features like the gyroscope, compass, and accelometer. Essentially, an iPhone without a screen. Or it could be just like this Wii-like “Magic Wand” patent we covered last New Years Eve (pictured below).
According to a new report from Digitimes, Samsung’s 7-inch Galaxy Tab is being aimed to take on Apple’s rumored 7-inch iPad. Samsung’s Tablet is set to debut in Berlin, Germany on September 2nd, one day after Apple’s annual Fall music event (coincidence?).
A smaller iPad is rumored to be in Apple’s pipeline and Digitimes’ sources indicate Apple could be planning to show off their latest tablet at this event. Their sources also claim that Samsung skipped the current iPad’s 10-inch form factor to go right against its upcoming smaller iteration.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is powered by their own processor and runs Android’s Froyo 2.2 operating system. Samsung unleashed a promotional teaser for the device just days ago and it admittedly looks like an interesting concept, packing in iPad-esque features in a smaller package, bundled with camera and calling features.
For some other (shocking….shocking!) duplication check Samsung’s accessories below:
A few weeks back we reviewed Speck’s PixelSkin for the iPhone 4, and much of that review still stands strong for the PixelSkin HD. Right of the bat, the PixelSkin HD is my go-to case as it offers great protection, usability, portability and design. The PixelSkin HD is thinner then the standard PixelSkin yet the protection it offers is very similar. Your iPhone 4 is protected at all corners with this touch-silicon case.
The volume rocker is protected by the case, yet is still fully functional. The silent/ringer switch is accessible and won’t be affected by drops and knocks. The same goes for the top noise-suppressing microphone and the earphone jack. The sleep/wake button is fully protected like the volume rocker and the 30 pin dock connector is fully usable with any cable. The iPhone ear-piece and front facing camera are fully open so you won’t run into any communication issues.
The back camera and LED flash are also open and you should not experience any of those LED flash issues that some other cases create. In terms of camera/LED flash and screen protection, this case does a great job without covering those functions. The case extends higher than the screen, camera, and LED flash to when hit, dropped, or knocked into, it won’t be affected. This ensures that screen shattering and camera breakage are less likely to occur.
Speck’s PixelSkin HD is a fantastic case and is surely one of the best on the market. It has a great design and offers fantastic protection for your iPhone 4. It also does this at a great price and the lowest we found for you is just around $22 and you can get that here.
We would also like to thank Speck for sponsoring our iPad case of your choice giveaway on Twitter. The contest ends at 10 PM EST. tonight and all you need to do is follow @9to5mac and RT this tweet. We also would like to congratulate reader, Noah D. on winning yesterday and we can’t wait to find out who wins tonight and tomorrow night!
Here’s an intriguing one; according to first hand reports in China, the iPhone 4’s carrier China Unicom is advertising a jailbreak service with purchase. With online services such as Jailbreakme.com, jailbreaking has never been easier and it seems the Chinese cell carrier has realized this and has turned it into a clever marketing scheme. This jailbreak service is not unique to the iPhone 4 as iPad 3G sales from China Unicom will get the same treatment.
According to M.I.C. Gadget, the promotional poster above reads “Support Service: Free SIM-trimming, jailbreak, installation of more than 10 hot apps.” These posters are not showing up in all of China Unicom’s stores but enough for this report to take place. One major thing to note is that iOS 4.0.2 breaks Jailbreakme.com so it is yet to be determined how these phones will be jailbroken. Maybe the service will only exist for phones which shipped with earlier versions of iOS 4.
Another point of interest is that China Unicom will reportedly provide free iPhone 4 cases with purchase, furthermore removing the need for customers to use Apple’s case program. There is no word on what cases will be provided and maybe this is Apple’s “better solution,” providing cases at purchase instead of through the app (Probably not)? Let us know what you think about this service in the comments.
Since the iPad’s initial launch on April 3rd and the 3G iPad’s launch on April 30th, customer demand for the product was exceptional and even beat Apple’s expectations. Up until a couple weeks ago the shipping times for all iPad models stood at 7-10 business days until recently changing to 3-5 business days. Up until yesterday the iPads shipping time read 1-3 business days and finally today iPads are said to ship “within 24 hours.”
This begs the question, are Apple’s initial production issues due to very high demand finally over?, Or is customer demand just down overall? So far Apple has sold well over 3.2 million units and announced the 3 million mark back on June 22nd. Let us know what you think in the comments.
So the reports of a 1.8 inch screen Nano continue this week. If you can imagine how small a 1.8 inch screen, measured diagonally, device is, you’ll note that it is pretty much the same size as a modern wristwatch. Apple, known for its ultra thin and light products, isn’t going to have a lot of weight around the outside of this product. It is pretty much going to be screen, battery, System on Chip and some way to charge it. Dick Tracey time!
I’m not saying Apple is or isn’t going to release an iWatch. I’m just saying that if Apple does release a 1.8-inch iPod nano touch screen device, all of the kids are going to be ‘harnessing’ them on their wrists. It is the natural way to use a device like this. Think about it. Why do people wear watches on their wrists? It makes sense. Don’t fight it. Apple’s founders haven’t.
In fact, people are already wearing their heavier iPod touch and current iPod nanos on their arms, Is it that hard to imagine the device sliding down another foot?
People at the gym or jogging around town schweaty are going to be rocking these too with its Nike+ skills and pedometer. The kids mentioned before are going to be wearing them like kids of my generation wore Swatch watches. They’ll carry pictures, video, movies, a calendar, a contact database and a bunch of other stuff.
After being outed by the FCC early, Griffin officially announced their “Party Dock.” This dock essentially is the ultimate iOS device accessory for those into real-personal social interaction and casual gaming. The Party Dock adds four remote controls to your iOS devices, comes with interactive group-style games, and hooks up to your TV. Griffin claims new games for the accessory can be downloaded through iTunes (we’ll see how that works out with the upcoming iTV… “No iTV competition allowed on the App Store”). Griffin even promises to throw in 3 demos and 1 full game with purchase.
The Party Dock will even charge your iOS device (neato!), let you watch YouTube videos, and view your wonderful photographs and movies. The price for this magical accessory for your magical iOS device is yet to be announced and we can’t wait to get our hands on one to review it for you fine folks. Also, this dock totally sounds like that rumored TV thingamabob Apple’s announcing on Wednesday.
Check out the happy Party Dock users after the break:
The rumors of an upcoming iTunes TV show rental service from Apple are in full swing, and we’re hearing more and more juicy details each day. First we heard that TV show rentals would be $1 per show and good for a 24 hour watching period. This is the same as Apple’s current movie rental service but for television programs at a cheaper price instead. Just the other day we heard that Apple’s in deep negotiations with News Corp., NBC, and ABC in regards to the rumored service.
Today, Cult of Mac’s taking a swing into the action reporting on a tip they believe has merit. The report agrees with the 1$ per show service, but takes the concept even further. This rumored 1$ per show concept supposedly means $1 per show per month. To simplify this, imagine your favorite show. Lets say your show has had 50 episodes so far in its life time. For $1 a month you will have access to the entire 50 show library as well as all new additional shows airing during that month.
Furthermore, to gain access to the entire show library for an entire year it would cost you $12. Looking down the line if you signed up for 10 individual shows, it would cost you $120 to access the complete show libraries for an entire year. This seems sort of sketchy and we are definitely taking this lightly. Let us know what you think in the comments.
One more tale from the Farewell Flash Dept.: online video service Vevo last night announced its iPhone app has been downloaded over one million times since its release on August 18.
Google’s attempt to create its own royalty-free video standard took a blow last night on news that MPEG LA has declared the popular H.264 codec will be made available royalty-free forever.
In the deep hours of the night around 4:20 AM two robbers dressed in jeans and hoodies smashed down the store’s iconic glass doors and made out with 12 display iPhones. There is no word on the depth of the investigation and if the criminals have been apprehended as of yet.
One thing that seems odd is that the Apple Store is located at a mall yet the criminals were able to get through. Maybe there isn’t 24 hour security at that location. More pictures of the aftermath are on the other side of the break:
Earlier today, purported 4th-gen iPod touch cases emerged with a slot for a back camera as well as cases for the rumored touch-screen iPod nano without a click wheel. Tonight, iLounge is reporting on more details they have garnered from their well-informed sources.
Supposedly the upcoming iPod touch is confirmed to be carrying a back-camera and this is something we are all pretty certain about. The brand-new details unearthed tonight are a completely new back coming to the iPod touch. This back will lose the contour curvature from recent generations and revert back to something similar to first generation iPod touch design. (Remember: This follows what our sources told us back in early July)
Think of the lid of a MacBook Pro; the direct top/center of the lid is completely flat but the sides are slightly curved. The change will be fairly different from the 2nd/3rd generation touch but similar to the first generation with some unspecified changes (Or as a commenter pointed out, think of the first-gen iPhone’s back). Another point is the hole directly beside the back-camera slot. It is unclear if this is for an LED flash like on the iPhone 4 or for a microphone.
Many signs point to the hole as a spot for a noise-suppressing microphone similar to those on the back of the 5th generation iPod nano, top of the iPhone 4, and the back of prototype 3rd generation iPod touches with cameras. Following the iPod touch design from the beginning, the 30 pin dock port and earphone jack will stay at the device’s bottom.
Going back to cases, a few more designs emerged tonight and you can catch them after the break:
A fake iTunes review company in the US got a big slap on the wrist today for accepting payments for writing fake iTunes store reviews.
Under the settlement, the California firm, Reverb Communications, and one of its executives, Tracie Snitker, agreed to remove all of the iTunes reviews that appeared to be written by ordinary people. The settlement also bars Reverb and Ms. Snitker from making similar endorsements of any product or service without disclosing any relevant connections. The settlement did not involve any monetary penalties.
Yeah, I’m sure that won’t happen again. Even if companies were scared to do this sort of thing, what’s to stop companies from outsorcing this type of behavior overseas where this isn’t illegal? The big fines? That’s why Apple makes you buy a product before reviewing it (image above).
The charges stem from a new law passed last year..
Mixing fast luxury sedans with Apple iPads and Macintoshes? What else could you ask for?
(Click for larger)
In addition to the cushy leather seats and Alcantara headliner, the rear compartment is stocked with two Apple iPads, two seat-mounted multimedia screens, a 64GB iPod Touch and a 15.2-inch headliner-mounted Mac display. Not only can these products be used for personal use, but the two iPads also control the car’s Command system, encompassing the radio, navigation and telephone systems. The whole Apple setup is powered by an ultra-small Mac Mini in the trunk that is housed in an electronically deployed drawer.
This is one of those Chicken or the Egg riddles. Is Plex 9 (the best Macintosh Media Center) coming out on the same day as Apple’s media event because it is taking part, related to what Apple is unveiling, or being bought? Or is Plex just jumping on the bandwagon for the sake of publicity? Either way, we’re pumped!
iLounge reports that a Chinese website has the future iPod touch and iPod Shuffle cases. We’ve seen the iPod touch retina cases with camera holes before, but the new iPod Shuffle/Nano cases seem to indicate that those small 1.8-inch Apple screen (below) might turn out to have a home.
iLounge had previously concluded that the 1.8-inch screen will be the touch screen, and/or it may have some controls on the side or back.
Netflix has launched its free app for iPhone and iPod touch, allowing members (on plans starting from $8.99/month) to instantly watch TV episodes and movies streamed to their devices. Notice on the screen shot above it is working beautifully over AT&T’s 3G without any pixel-izing. That might be good for those grandfathered into real unlimited plans.
