iOS Devices

9,871 'iOS Devices' stories May 2007 - April 2014

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The devices that run the world’s most advanced mobile operating system

Check out our top stories on iOS Devices:

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.

Samsung says Apple will be “dancing in the streets of Cupertino” if awarded even $100M

Ben Lovejoy Apr 30 2014 - 5:32 am PT

During closing arguments in the second Apple vs Samsung patent trial, Samsung’s lawyers repeated its claims that it doesn’t “owe Apple a nickel,” and suggested that “they’ll be dancing in the streets of Cupertino if you give them $100 million” of the $2.2B Apple is claiming.

Samsung is attempting a multi-pronged defence essentially amounting to ‘our phones didn’t infringe the patents, and even if they did, that’s down to Google, and even if we are responsible, the patents are not worth nearly as much as Apple says they are’ …
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iWatch reportedly entering production for fall 2014 release

Benjamin Mayo Apr 29 2014 - 10:42 am PT

One of many iWatch concepts.

The China Times is reporting that Apple has begun production of the iWatch. This is in preparation for a launch later in the year, widely rumoured to be sometime in the third quarter.

GforGames translated the report, noting that the iWatch will use a different kind of chip layout for miniaturization purposes.

According to supply chain sources cited by the Chinese media, Apple has already started producing the iWatch in small quantities. The smartwatch will allegedly be ready for launch in the second half of 2014, but more importantly, these fresh reports also claim that the iWatch will be built using SiPs (or system-in-package modules) as opposed to traditional PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards)

9to5Mac first reported the iWatch will use a new process for its chips, over three months ago, in January.

Sources also hint that Apple has developed technologies to be able to pack several different sensors into a single chipset for miniaturization purposes.

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Poll: If the iPhone 6 is indeed a larger iPod Touch design, has Apple got it right?

Ben Lovejoy Apr 29 2014 - 5:08 am PT

Case designs and claimed leaked sketches are a less than wholly reliable method of predicting what the new iPhone 6 might look like, but we do seem to be hearing a fairly consistent story of a significantly slimmer handset with a rounded back. Very much like a larger iPod Touch, in fact.

Slimmer is likely to be welcomed, though there are those among us who’d prefer to stick to the existing thickness in return for greater battery-life, but with the iPhone expected to be available in 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes, it’s likely that a larger battery will be possible even with a slimmer format …
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Analyst suggests iPhone 6 will favor thin design over optical image stabilization, camera will be flush in chassis

Benjamin Mayo Apr 29 2014 - 2:44 am PT

A post on Weibo from a Chinese analyst (via GforGames) suggests that the new iPhone design will not feature a protruding camera, which would have seemingly enabled optical image stablization, as Apple has instead opted to focus on a super-thin profile for the new device.

Apple’s current line of iPhones take advantage of the embedded SoC’s processing power to enable software-based image stabilization. Whilst optical image stabilization is generally considered to be superior, it also requires the camera components to be physically much larger. According to this report, Apple does not seem to have wanted to make this tradeoff.

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Strong iPhone 5s sales sees Apple gain market share in Japan, Australia, UK, France & Spain

Ben Lovejoy Apr 28 2014 - 4:00 am PT

Kantar data showed that Apple saw its smartphone market share rise in five out of nine countries surveyed “primarily due to the strong performance of the iPhone 5s.”

The iPhone gained market share in Japan, Australia, UK, France and Spain, with its strongest growth in Japan, where first quarter market share grew by 8.6 percent, from 49 percent in 2013 ro 57.6 percent in 2014. Apple’s success in the country followed a deal with Japan’s largest wireless carrier, DoCoMo.

Japan’s love affair with Apple shows no sign of fading. Even though the iPhone has now been available on Japan’s largest carrier, NTT DoCoMo, for a number of months Apple still accounts for more than 40% of sales on the network. The success of the iPhone is also filtering through to the iPad, with almost a quarter of Japanese iPhone owners also owning an iPad. With smartphone penetration in Japan lagging well behind Europe and the US, Japan will remain a key growth market for Apple …

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Apple launches new program to repair faulty iPhone 5 sleep buttons

Mike Beasley Apr 25 2014 - 2:27 pm PT

Apple today launched a new program that will allow iPhone 5 owners to have devices with fautly sleep buttons repaired at no cost. Apple says it has identified an issue with some devices that can cause the button to fail on a “small percentage” of these devices. iPhone owners can use a new page on Apple’s support site to determine if their phone is eligible for repair.

Unfortunately for these users, the phones won’t be replaced or repaired in-store. Instead, the phone has to be sent to an Apple Repair Center, which means the entire process can take up to a week to be completed.

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iPhone 6 renders supposedly meant for accessory manufacturers leak, claim 6mm thinness

Benjamin Mayo Apr 25 2014 - 9:33 am PT

UkranianiPhone.com has posted images of what it claims are iPhone 6 renders aimed at helping manufacturers produce accessories for the upcoming device.

The images appear to be better quality versions of the schematics leaked a few weeks ago. They depict the full-metal backplate with inlets at the top and bottom, assumedly related to the antenna structure. The cutouts for these lines match the image from the previous leaks. Interestingly, the renders also give specific measurements saying that the phone is 138mm in height, 67 mm in width, and 6 mm in depth.

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Apple’s fix for FaceTime woes in iOS 6? Upgrade to iOS 7

Dom Esposito Apr 24 2014 - 1:29 pm PT

Apple has released a new support document explaining some of the issues that iOS 6 users have experienced lately when trying to make FaceTime calls. Along with an explanation, there’s finally a fix in sight that’s also detailed on the support page. What’s the fix? Update to iOS 7.

First spotted by MacRumors, the support document informs users of a pretty obvious solution to the problem. If you’re using a device that supports iOS 7, you’ll need to update to the latest version of iOS 7. If the device in question isn’t compatible with iOS 7, update to iOS 6.1.6 to resolve the FaceTime bug.

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Cook says new products ‘closer than it’s ever been’, ponders mobile payments

Benjamin Mayo Apr 24 2014 - 6:58 am PT

In Cook’s latest interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Apple CEO largely reiterates his comments about the company’s values and the product creation process but also expanded on his opinion of mobile payments.

Cook said that their strong results should qualm some of the recent anti-Apple chatter. However, he added that it will likely take the addition of some new products to change people’s minds…
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Poll: If the rumors are true, will you buy the 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch iPhone 6?

Ben Lovejoy Apr 24 2014 - 6:36 am PT

With it seeming increasingly likely that Apple plans to launch two versions of the iPhone 6, one with a 4.7-inch screen, the other with a larger 5.5-inch display, which one will you buy?

Last time we ran a poll, we didn’t know what sizes were on the cards, so simply asked you to choose from a range of sizes. At that point, most of you opted for something in the 4.6-5 inch range, with only 7 percent wanting something larger than five inches.

Now that the likely sizes seem more certain, and you’ve had a chance to look at a whole bunch of concept images, we thought it would be interesting to see whether you’re still of the same view, or whether or are now tempted by the idea of a 5.5-inch screen …
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Opera’s Coast browser adds iPhone support, adds iCloud syncing of bookmark tiles

Benjamin Mayo Apr 24 2014 - 6:30 am PT

Opera first launched Coast back in September 2013, on the iPad. Although it didn’t make a huge impression on the App Store first time around, Opera is probably hoping its new version will be more popular.

The app has been fully reworked for the iPhone size. There are hardly any buttons onscreen; the app relies almost exclusively on gesture-based navigation.

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How would a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 stack up against today’s Android phones?

Ben Lovejoy Apr 24 2014 - 4:54 am PT

If the larger screen sizes offered by Android phones has played a significant role in the purchase decisions of those who’ve moved away from the iPhone, it’ll be very interesting to see how many return when the iPhone 6 is launched, with its rumored 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens.

MacRumors forum member deuxani decided to create a virtual line-up to see how the 4.7-inch model would stack up against the most popular of today’s Android handsets.

While it’s been strongly rumored that the iPhone 6 will have ultra-thin bezels left and right, Touch ID means that the iPhone 6 would be taller than its 4.7-inch Android competitors – especially as it seems unlikely Apple would abandon its vertical symmetry.

The height of the phone would likely be similar to the Nexus 5 and LG G2, with 5- and 5.2-inch screens respectively.

It would, however, still be smaller that its two main competitors, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One.

Other rumors regarding the iPhone 6 are that it will have a rounded profile, the power button moved from the top to the right (for easier use with a larger screen) and rectangular volume controls.

Even without the larger screen, the iPhone doesn’t appear to be doing too badly at attracting Android owners. Tim Cook revealed in yesterday’s earnings call that more than 60 percent of iPhone 4S and 5c buyers have switched from Android. Apple reported double-digit growth in iPhone sales year-on-year, selling 43.7M handsets in the previous quarter.

Sketchy new rumor point to possibility of rounded edges, curved-glass display in iPhone 6

Mike Beasley Apr 23 2014 - 5:42 pm PT

A new rumor from Mac Otakara (via AppleInsider) indicates that the next-generation iPhone could sport curved edges in place of the squared edges found on every model of the iPhone since the iPhone 4 debuted in 2010. To facilitate this, the display glass would also be slightly curved, although probably not to the degree of some of the first curved phones that have been revealed.

This is the first we’ve heard of any rounded edges on the iPhone 6. Given how prevalant other rumors regarding the phone’s design, such as two models, each with a larger screen, have become in recent months, it seems a bit a bit odd that this design note is just now coming out. We’re calling this one a bit sketchy until there’s more information to support it.

Apple announces 20 million Apple TVs sold through Q2 2014

Chance Miller Apr 23 2014 - 3:18 pm PT

During Apple’s earnings call this evening, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company has sold 20 million Apple TV boxes through the second quarter of 2014. Sharing this number is out of the ordinary for Apple, as it generally doesn’t break down specific sales for its set-top box like it does for other products.

Apple’s decision to give us specific sales information for the Apple TV, however, does corroborate with its move earlier this year to present the device as its own product line, as opposed to an accessory. Cook also said on the call that Apple TV is over a billion dollar market, which means that it is no longer just a “hobby” for the company.

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Tim Cook addresses iPad sales slowdown, says Microsoft should have released Office sooner

Benjamin Mayo Apr 23 2014 - 2:54 pm PT

On Apple’s earnings call, Tim Cook directly addresses concerns surrounding iPad. Notably, he calls out Office as helping iPad sales somewhat but ‘frankly’ admits that Microsoft should have released Office for iPad sooner. He says that in the time that Microsoft waited, other companies including Apple have released very-competitive productivity alternates to Office, likely referencing iWork.

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Apple to increase share buybacks to $90 billion, announces seven-to-one stock split, increase dividend to $3.29 per share

Benjamin Mayo Apr 23 2014 - 1:32 pm PT

As part of Apple’s earnings releases, Apple has announced an extension to its buyback plans. The company will now buyback an additional $30 billion of Apple stock, totalling $90 billion, significantly accelerating its original plans.

Apple® today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized another significant increase to the Company’s program to return capital to shareholders. The Company expects to utilize a total of over $130 billion of cash under the expanded program by the end of calendar 2015.

The board has also announced a seven-for-one stock split beginning June 2nd 2014. Apple last split its stock in 2005, nine years ago. Apple will also increase the dividend by about 8 percent to $3.29 per common share. This will begin on May 15th. Apple plans to increase its dividend every year. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Cook said that the buyback will “show you how much confidence we have in the future of the company”.

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iOS 7.1 code indicates Apple working on Siri for Apple TV

Benjamin Mayo Apr 23 2014 - 7:49 am PT

Code found within the iOS 7.1 SDK suggests that Siri is headed to the Apple TV in future. Pierre Blazquez first found the reference on Friday. 9to5Mac has since confirmed that the code does exist in both iOS 7.1 and iOS 7.1.1’s files. The reference does not exist in 7.0.6.

The file is a supporting property-list resource for Assistant (Apple’s internal name for Siri), containing information about the feature. The UIDeviceFamily array declares what platforms are compatible with the feature.

As shown by Apple’s documentation, ‘1’ and ‘2’ represent the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad families. The ‘3’ represents the Apple TV family.

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Latest iPhone 6 concepts incorporate the more persistent rumored features

Ben Lovejoy Apr 23 2014 - 5:00 am PT

Martin Hajek has been busy again, following his earlier iPod Nano-inspired and schematic-prompted concepts for the iPhone 6. Commissioned by French site NWE, his latest designs incorporate the more persistent rumors: a rounded profile, power button moved from the top to the right (for easier use with a larger, near edge-to-edge screen) and rectangular volume controls …

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Apple releases Heartbleed bug fix for 2013 AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule

Benjamin Mayo Apr 22 2014 - 2:22 pm PT

Apple has released a bug fix patch for its 2013 AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, fixing the OpenSSL ‘Heartbleed’ vulnerability. The update does not apply to the AirPort Express.

Firmware update 7.7.3 is recommended for all AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations with 802.11ac. It provides security improvements related to SSL/TLS. Other AirPort base stations do not require this firmware update.

Amusingly, when Heartbleed made headlines earlier this month, Apple said that no key software or services were affected. They conveniently forgot to mention that their latest router hardware was susceptible to the flaw.

iPhone sales could be threatened as subsidized costs become more visible, say analysts

Ben Lovejoy Apr 22 2014 - 5:24 am PT

How much did your iPhone cost? If you said $199, $299 or even $399 you’re somewhere near $350 off. As some consciously forget, the carriers often shield the owner from the real total cost of the iPhone. That may not last.

iPhone sales could be hurt as carriers switch from so-called subsidized contracts, where customers pay only a fraction of the cost a new iPhone up-front, to deals where the true cost of the phone is more visible, argues a piece in the WSJ.

Many U.S. iPhone customers are not aware that the full cost of an iPhone ranges from $549 for a 16GB 5c to $849 for a 64GB 5s. The reason is that carriers have traditionally asked for only $0 to $200 up-front, hiding the balance of the cost in the monthly tariff. With carriers now switching to separate instalment costs for the phone, and the cost of upgrading every year or two more visible to consumers, analysts believe some will choose to upgrade less often …

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Chinese iOS malware stealing Apple IDs and passwords from jailbroken devices

Ben Lovejoy Apr 22 2014 - 4:10 am PT

Security researcher Stefan Esser (via ArsTechnica) has discovered that an issue reported on Reddit as causing crashes on jailbroken iPhones and iPads is actually a piece of malware designed to capture Apple IDs and passwords from infected devices.

This malware appears to have Chinese origin and comes as a library called Unflod.dylib that hooks into all running processes of jailbroken iDevices and listens to outgoing SSL connections. From these connections it tries to steal the device’s Apple-ID and corresponding password and sends them in plaintext to servers with IP addresses in control of US hosting companies for apparently Chinese customers.

Early indications are that the source of the malware is likely to have been from a tweak downloaded from somewhere outside of Cydia. Esser has identified that the code only runs on 32-bit devices, meaning that the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display are safe, while other devices are vulnerable.

The blog post says that the malware is easy to check for, but may not be easy to remove. Using SSH/Terminal, check the path /Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries/ for the presence of either Unflod.dylib or framework.dylib.

Currently the jailbreak community believes that deleting the Unflod.dylib/framework.dylib binary and changing the apple-id’s password afterwards is enough to recover from this attack. However it is still unknown how the dynamic library ends up on the device in the first place and therefore it is also unknown if it comes with additional malware gifts.

We therefore believe that the only safe way of removal is a full restore, which means the removal and loss of the jailbreak.

Cydia developer Jay Freeman, aka Saurik, pointed out on Reddit that adding random download URLs to Cydia is as risky as opening attachments received in spam emails.

Taiwanese media claims 5.5inch iPhone 6 to be very thin, special battery components causing delays

Benjamin Mayo Apr 22 2014 - 4:04 am PT

Via GforGames, the Commercial Times is reporting that the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 (the larger brother of the expected ~4.7 inch model) is currently facing delays due to yield issues with special battery components.

According to the report, Apple wants the 5.5 inch device to be incredibly thin requiring battery cells that are only 2mm in depth. Normal battery components are usually closer to 3mm.

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Apple teases Samsung in new environmental print ad: ‘There are some things we want every company to copy’

Benjamin Mayo Apr 22 2014 - 2:53 am PT

As part of its recent environmental campaign, Apple has taken out some tongue-in-cheek full-page print advertising in newspapers around the world today. The ad reads ‘There are some things we want every company to copy’. The ad was first spotted by David McClelland on Twitter. (Hi-res version below:)

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Wall Street expecting AAPL earnings toward the high end of Apple’s guidance

Ben Lovejoy Apr 21 2014 - 4:09 am PT

Photo: Business Insider

With Apple due to report its quarterly earnings on Wednesday, Fortune has been doing its usual analyst temperature-taking. The 37 analysts who have responded so far expect an average of $43.5B, toward the high end of the $42-44B Apple told the market to expect.

So what are our analysts expecting this week? No surprises, that’s for sure. The average revenue estimate of the 37 analysts we’ve heard from so far — 14 amateurs and 23 pros — is 43.5 billion, just above the midpoint of Oppenheimer’s range.

The amateurs, as usual, are a bit more bullish. They’re calling for earnings of $10.53 per share on sales of $43.66 billion. The pros are not far behind: earnings of $10.18 on sales of $43.42 billion …

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