iOS Devices

Gizmodo got their hands on some internal Microsoft docs which have put the launch of the Tegra-powered, OLED-screen having, iPod touch-competing ZuneHD at September 8th.  It will come in the very iPod touch and now iPhone-like 16GB and 32GB varieties

A tipster just dropped off a few internal Microsoft docs that point to a September 8 launch of the Zune HD. In addition to that, the tipster says it’s coming in 16GB and 32GB versions. All pretty logical.

We already knew that the HD has Nvidia’s Tegra inside, which makes it a high powered, high performance device that can handle HD output and possibly some nice gaming. What we don’t know is what the cost of the OLED screen and the cost of Tegra will make the final price. No word on that yet from the tipster.

Coincidentally, early September is about the time that Apple unleashes its new iPods and this year should be no different.  Among other improvements, many expect this year’s iPod touches to have a camera with video feature.  GPS and compass might also make the cut.

When we saw the 17+ ratings system in the App Store, we knew this day would come.  Dr. Macenstein (who else?) spotted the first iPhone App with nudity, Hottest Girls ($1.99 iTunes Link).  The developer told Macenstein:

“We uploaded nude topless pics today. This is the first app to have nudity,” writes Hottest Girls’ developer Allen Leung, in what can only be described as an announcement rivaling the first transmissions from the moon landing.

Macenstein warns: along with nudity comes a “stiff” 17+ rating…all you innocent young teens will have to get your porn the old fashioned way. Free, from millions of sites all over the web.

Something iSuppli might have missed in the take-apart…

http://www.liveleak.com/e/adf_1245828170

Tres bon Grenouille

Tired of hearing how fast the iPhone 3GS is? Too bad…here’s yet another study of the browsing speed of the new iPhone 3GS and the new iPhone 3 OS.  Medialets ran the SunSpider Javascript tests on three recent iPhones as well as the Palm Pre and the Android G1.  The results are below (shorter bars are better).

This is a pretty clear indication that not only is Apple’s new hardware fast, but the new 3.0 OS is also pretty helpful in speeding up Javascript.

The iPhone Dev team today officially released ultrasn0w which allows you to SIM-unlock any iPhone3G (not 3GS) running iPhone OS 3.0.  iClarified has a nice tutorial on the installation which we’ve shamelessly pasted below.

These are instructions on how to unlock the iPhone 3G for use with any GSM cellphone carrier using UltraSn0w.

Watch the Video!
For your convenience this unlock tutorial is available in video format also. Click the Watch It button to view the tutorial!

***THANKS: A big thank you to all the members of the iPhone Dev-Team for all their hard work! It is much appreciated by all.

Update: That’s iSuppli tore down the new iPhone today and found that it had 512Mb of some sort of RAM.  That is equivalent to 64MB of RAM.  Anyone know what this is?  Is it VRAM for the PowerVR Graphics chip?  We were under the impression that the iPhone used shared memory.

Thanks Commenter

iSupply worked its magic on the new iPhone 3G? and found it only costs a few bucks more to manufacture than last year’s 8GB iPhone 3G that it replaces.  Interestingly, the iPhone they tore apart contained Flash memory from Toshiba where Apple generally gets its Flash from Samsung (and had a multi-Billion dollar up front deal with the vendor).  The other three biggest changes were the new Arm Cortex Samsung processor, new autofocus 3-Megapixel camera and the Broadcom Corp. single-chip Bluetooth/FM/WLAN module.  The latter replaces two chips.

"The entry-level, 16Gbyte version of Apple Inc.’s new iPhone 3G S carries a Bill of Materials (BOM) cost of $172.46 and a manufacturing expense of $6.50, for a total of $178.96," said Andrew Rassweiler, director and principal analyst, teardown services, for iSuppli. "This is slightly higher than iSuppli’s estimate of $174.33 for the original 8Gbyte iPhone 3G based on pricing in July 2008. Although the retail price of the 16Gbyte iPhone 3G S is $199, the same as for the 8Gbyte version of the original iPhone 3G, the actual price of the phone paid by the service provider is considerably higher, reflecting the common wireless industry practice of subsidizing the upfront cost of a mobile phone and then making a profit on subscriptions."

Breakdown chart below:

Today, Adobe is demonstrating a version of Flash running on the HTC Hero, the recently released Android device on Tmobile.  The demo seems to work fairly well which may be an important benchmark to Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch owners.

As far as capability to run Flash (as opposed to desire), it would appear that the iPhone 3GS has more than the necessary hardware to do so.  The HTC Hero uses an 528MHz ARM 11 based Qualcomm MSM7200A.  This is roughly the same level of processor as the 2nd generation iPod Touch.  As we know, the iPhone 3GS blows the iPod Touch out of the water in terms of performance.  The iPhone 3GS uses the latest ARM Cortex A8 Processor running at 600MHz with a PowerVR graphics core that is also superior to other chipsets.

At a shareholder meeting last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that the iPhone doesn’t support Flash because it runs too slowly on the device to be useful.

Poor iPhone data coverage in big cities has been one of the major gripes against the iPhone and specifically against its sole US carrier, AT&T.  According to AT&T spokesman, Mark Siegel (via Gearlog), they’re doing three major things to improve their coverage and speeds, some of which will have a huge positive effect on coverage in cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

"3G on 850 Mhz."

AT&T is rolling out the 3G on 850 MHz over the next few months and, according to Siegel,  "The 850, when it’s turned on in individual markets, people notice a big difference." 

850Mhz connections are better at penetrating buildings but can’t travel as far as 1900MHz.

AT&T already announced its other two initiatives which are improving the line speed to the cell towers by installing fiber and also upgrading the networks to the double speed 7.2 Mbs HSDPA+ equipment.  AT&T has a private 7.2Mbs network running in Chicago that isn’t yet visible by their customers.

Confirming the earlier WSJ report, Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital today said that Steve Jobs did, in fact, recieve a liver transplant.  They went on to confirm that he was the sickest patient of his blood type at the time the donor organ became available and that he was recovering well and has an excellent prognosis.

It appears that Jobs OK’ed the press release.

James. D Eason, head of transplants at the hospital is pictured at the right.

The full press release is below:

Steve Jobs Receives Liver Transplant

One admittedly cool thing about the Palm Pre is its ability to charge without plugging the device into a power adapter.  With the Pre’s Touchstone technology (sold separately for around $50) you simply put the device down on the block and it begins charging.  The magic is in the back plate which  allows for wireless inductive current to charge the phone.

iPhone owners now have the option to "wirelessly" charge their Apple products.  WildCharge sent us a press release (below) on their new product for iPhone which allows you to do basically the same thing as the Pre’s Touchstone…perhaps even better.   The conductive back is provided through a iPhone protective cover and it charges via a mouse-pad sized (8"x6") mat.  WildCharge’s mat is big enough  to share with other devices as well.  

The NYTimes reviewed their previous products and found them very likable.  The iPhone version will be available in two weeks.   The iPod touch version you can buy now.

"iPhone 3G S" is an uncharacteristically awkward name for an Apple product.  Do you pause between the G and the S?  How do you make it plural?  Is it iPhones 3G S iPhone 3Gs S or.. you get the picture.   In the logo, there is also the question of whether or not the "S" is capitalized (it is certainly smaller), or is it lower case like the iPod touch.

In today’s Apple press release, Apple switched up the language and is now calling the hit device the "iPhone 3GS".

While these types of small changes may seem trivial, companies with strong brands spend countless hours mulling over every minute detail of naming, fonts, sizes and such.  Switching the iPhone 3G S to iPhone 3GS is a big deal, perhaps one that Mr. Jobs, who made his first comments on the release in 6 months, spearheaded.

We’ll start using iPhone 3GS from now on unless something changes.

Apple posted a new KB article on Friday outlining the features that each version of the iPhone supports.  We’d add that jailbreaking an iPhone/3G gives you perfectly acceptable, though unsupported, video options.

Notes:

1. Peer-to-peer connectivity requires compatible applications, which can be downloaded from the App Store when available.
2. The original iPhone does not support using Bluetooth for peer-to-peer connectivity. It can use Wi-Fi and cellular data networks for peer-to-peer connectivity.
3. MMS is not available in all areas; fees may apply. See your carrier for availability.
4. Internet tethering is not currently offered in the United States and some other countries. See your carrier for availability.

A familiar name graced today’s Apple press release.  A one Mr. Steve Jobs was quoted as saying “Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” … “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

We’re not oblivious to the fact that people quoted in press releases rarely write what they are quoted as saying, but it is still significant that Apple has put Mr. Jobs on the tag line, rather than Phil Schiller or Tim Cook.

Oh, and Apple sold a million iPhones this weekend (same as 3G last year but in 8 countries compared to last year’s 22) and had 6 million 3.0 software downloads and now has 50,000 apps in the App Store.  Full press release below:

BTW – anyone else notice that Apple is calling the iPhone the "3GS" not the "3G S"?

Apple Sells Over One Million iPhone 3GS Models

iPhone 3.0 Software Downloads Reach Six Million

CUPERTINO, California—June 22, 2009—Apple® today announced that it has sold over one million iPhone™ 3GS models through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release.

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

The new iPhone 3GS is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance—up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G—with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS*, Spotlight™ Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3GS customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps. iPhone 3GS offers twice the capacity for the same price with a 16GB model for just $199 and a new 32GB model for just $299.** And iPhone 3G is available at the breakthrough price of just $99 for the 8GB model—a huge milestone for the high end smartphone market.

*MMS messaging is available only on iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS; fees may apply. MMS may not be available in all areas. MMS support from AT&T will be available in late summer.

**Qualified customers only. Requires a new two year AT&T rate plan, sold separately.

The iPhone 3G S had a solid start this week by anyone’s standards.  Gene Munster and his crew were out trying to put demographic numbers on the long lines of people waiting for iPhones.  According to Apple 2.0, this is what he came up with:

• 750,000 iPhones. Munster estimates that Apple sold about 750,000 iPhones over the three-day weekend, 50% more than his initial prediction (500,000) but 25% less than the 1 million iPhone 3Gs Apple sold on launch last July. It took Apple 74 days to sell 1 million first-generation iPhone and three days to sell 1 million units of the iPhone 3G.
• Shrinking windfall. Among the 256 customers surveyed, 28% were switching carriers to AT&T, down from 38% last year and 52% in 2007. AT&T’s iPhone windfall is shrinking.
• Brand loyalty. 56% were upgrading from an old iPhone, up from 38% last year. “We believe this shows Apple is developing brand loyalty not enjoyed by other mobile phone makers,” Munster writes.
• 16GB sweet spot. 43% bought the high-end 32GB iPhone 3G S, down from the 66% who bought the high-capacity model (16GB) last year and the 95% who chose 8GB over the 4GB when the first iPhone went on sale.
• Business users. Among customers buying their first iPhone, 12% were switching from a Research in Motion BlackBerry, up from 6% last year. This, says Munster, “may indicate the company is making headway among business users slowly adopting the iPhone platform for corporate use.”

Update: Apple, this morning said in a PR Release that it had, in fact, sold over 1 million iPhones over the three day period.

iPhone 3G S customers who’ve had serious issues activating their new iPhones appear to be getting an email from Apple apologizing.  The apology comes in the way of a $30 iTunes gift certificate.

Dear Apple Customer,
Thank you for your recent Apple Store order. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in your iPhone activation.
We are still resolving the issue that was encountered while activating your iPhone with AT&T. Unfortunately, due to system issues and continued high activation volumes, this could take us up to an additional 48 hours to complete.
On Monday, you’ll receive an email from Apple with an iTunes Store credit in the amount of $30. We hope you will enjoy this gift and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this delay has caused.
Thank you for choosing Apple.
Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Team

Classy.  But since this appears to be AT&T’s fault, why aren’t they giving out free minutes or long distance or free texting or something?

Thinking about hitting the 5th Avenue store for an iPhone 3G S?  You might want to wait a bit.  Engadget has the video…it looks like the line might be a little more than you can handle.  We have to admit we’re kind of surprised how long the lines are … for a compass, a better camera and additional speed.

http://www.viddler.com/simple_on_site/aa4473af

If there is anything more interesting than waiting in a line, it is watching a liveblog of people waiting in a line.  CNET’s got you covered if that is your thing today as they cover people waiting in like for the third generation iPhone 3G S. 

We’re not going to hear any new specs or features but maybe, just maybe, the activation servers will get overloaded and cause people to have to wait longer.  We’re betting that Best Buys run out while the Apple Store line keeps up for most of the day.

from CNET

Rapid Repair tore the new iPhone 3G S apart.  Inside they found a bunch of chips with numbers.  The brains are again a Samsung chip, but one unheard of before (or with a new label).

iPhone 3G S system board is shown on the left, right board is iPhone 3G.

CPU – Samsung
339S0073ARM
K2132C2P0-50-F
0N1480911
APL0298
N1TVY0Q 0919

NAND Flash Memory – Toshiba TH58NVG702ELA89
IA8816
TAIWAN
09209AE

System Memory – 337S3754
CMA
G0919
5Y9307885E4

Infineon – 36MY1EE
A9177314
Z171033B

Battery

APN: 616-0434
VPN: APPLE-08-003-01(GG)
Li-ion Polymer Battery: 3.7V 4.51Whr

 Lots more pictures over at Rapid repair.  Via Giz.

According to EverythingCafe, a Best Buy employee downloaded the entire iPhone 3G S inventory broken out by store and model, popped it on his USB stick and took it home.  He/she then uploaded it to Google docs for all to see.  If you are planning on hitting a Best Buy, you might want to see which store has the most iPhones in the model that you want before camping out on line.   

It is also interesting to see that the Black is in much greater supply (demand?) than the white.  16GB models also look to be in more demand than 32 GB as well.