iPhone

Sonny Dickson this evening posted posted a log and video of a never before seen in public version of pre-iPhone era software that was built as an alternative OS to what eventually became iOS.

The OS, which was devised in the iPod’s heyday, was based on a virtual click-wheel that was put on the touch display. A set of menus is navigated with the touch much like one would using an iPod of the time. In the era of multi-touch the idea seems quaint but when everyone is using iPods, the UI makes a lot of sense as a small step rather than the giant leap to iPhone OS, what eventually became iOS.

Check out the video below:

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CES 2017 has officially kicked into full gear ahead of the show opening to the public this weekend, and today we get a look at the latest aftermarket in-dash entertainment systems that support Apple’s CarPlay platform. Announcements at the show include new products from JVC, Clarion, Kenwood, Pioneer, and one of the first aftermarket units to support wireless CarPlay connectivity from Alpine. Head below for all the details.

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Apple has long been rumored to be setting up a manufacturing presence in India, with a report most recently outlining some of the concessions Apple was seeking from the Indian government. Now, a new report from the Times of India claims that Apple will start manufacturing the iPhone in India in April of 2017, while the company has also posted a handful of job listings in the country.

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Following a report in October claiming Samsung and LG were both attempting to win orders for OLED displays to be used in future iPhones, a new report today says Apple has partnered with LG Display for a foldable OLED panel of sorts.

According to the report from etnews, LG Display is partnering with Apple, Google, and Microsoft on what it describes as ‘out-foldable’ OLED displays.

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A series of new patents spotted by Patently Apple refer to the Apple Pencil working with an iPhone, as well as illustrating it being used with additional stock iOS apps like iMovie.

A comment by Tim Cook back in September seemed to suggest that Apple is already testing the Apple Pencil with an iPhone …

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Apple has released a new iPhone 7 ad called “Race” made exclusively for Japan. The new 30-second spot features the Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus and a very fast-paced run between two men through a busy part of town. The ad concludes with the iPhone-equipped man winning the so-called race by using Apple Pay to quickly board a train…

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Following eight reports of iPhone 6 fires in China, Apple has responded saying that tests showed that the fires were caused by ‘external factors’ rather than any issue with the phones themselves.

The BBC reports that Apple had carried out an investigation into each fire.

Eight users have complained to Shanghai’s consumer watchdog that their iPhone 6 series handsets spontaneously combusted or exploded. The US tech giant said it had conducted tests on the devices and had found “no cause for concern with these products” […]

Apple said the iPhones had external physical damage “which led to the thermal event” … 

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It’s no secret that the iPhone has become one of the most used cameras on the market purely due to the fact that the device is in the pockets of millions of users. Not to mention the quality of images taken with the device. Every year, Flickr releases its annual report breaking down the cameras used most often by its users. And every year, the iPhone is at the top and this year is no different…

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[UPDATE: Apple has responded to the news: “The question before the Supreme Court was how to calculate the amount Samsung should pay for their copying. Our case has always been about Samsung’s blatant copying of our ideas, and that was never in dispute. We will continue to protect the years of hard work that has made iPhone the world’s most innovative and beloved product. We remain optimistic that the lower courts will again send a powerful signal that stealing isn’t right.”]

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Samsung over Apple in the latest chapter of the years-long dispute over iPhone design patents. The decision isn’t totally surprising given some tell-tale signs ahead of today’s announcement, but it does mean that the case will once again continue in a lower court where a new sum for damages owed will be decided.

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According to their online store, some of Apple’s newest products including the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and certain models of the iPhone 7 Plus may not arrive — or will cut it close to arriving — in time for Christmas…
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A worker on Foxconn’s iPhone production line (not involved in the theft)

A former senior manager at Foxconn has been charged with stealing and selling 5,700 iPhones for a total of around $1.5M, reports AsiaOne.

The Taiwanese manager, identified by his family name Tsai, worked in the testing department and instructed eight employees at Foxconn’s factory in the southern mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen to smuggle out about thousands of iPhone5 and iPhone5s, prosecutors said. 

While you have to wonder what kind of security would allow thefts on such a massive scale to go initially undetected, the piece does contain one clue …

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A large-scale test of 400 fake Apple chargers bought online from eight different countries – including the USA – found that a staggering 99% failed safety tests.

The BBC reports that the tests were commissioned by UK consumer protection body Chartered Trading Standards Institute, which found that of the 400 chargers purchased online, just three had sufficient insulation to protect against electric shocks in the most basic safety test performed. The CTSI urged consumers to buy only from reputable suppliers …

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Strategy Analytics is today out with a new report dissecting the profits of the mobile industry during the third quarter of 2016. The report estimates that the mobile industry took in operating profits $9.4 billion during the quarter, with Apple capturing a “record” 91 percent share of those profits…

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Apple has a special message for the world going into the holiday season: “Open your heart to everyone.” That’s the tagline at the end of its new holiday commercial called “Frankie’s Holiday” which sees an iPhone-toting Frankenstein feeling a bit left out.

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Apple today has launched a new repair program for iPhone 6 Plus users affected by the widely reported on “Touch Disease” hardware flaw. This flaw centers around an iPhone’s display becoming unresponsive and displaying a thin gray flickering line along the top.

As part of the new repair program, Apple will repair affected devices for a flat service price of $149.

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While there had been speculation that Apple might pick up sales from Samsung after its disastrous Note 7 launch, with KGI estimating that Apple could pick up an additional 5-7M orders, this doesn’t appear to be the case. The latest numbers from Gartner suggest that it is Chinese brands that saw the benefit.

The September 2 recall of the Note 7 saw Samsung’s Q3 market share fall year-on-year from 23.6% to 19.2%, its worst performance ever, creating an opportunity for other brands to pick up the slack – but the iPhone didn’t manage to do so …

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Update: Apple has not yet commented on the specific claims made, but tells us:

We offer call history syncing as a convenience to our customers so that they can return calls from any of their devices. Apple is deeply committed to safeguarding our customers’ data. That’s why we give our customers the ability to keep their data private. Device data is encrypted with a user’s passcode, and access to iCloud data including backups requires the user’s Apple ID and password. Apple recommends all customers select strong passwords and use two-factor authentication.

Elcomsoft – the Russian company which sells iPhone cracking tools to governments and corporations – says that iPhones send near real-time call logs to Apple servers even when iCloud backup is switched off, and that these logs are stored for up to four months.

Elcomsoft CEO Vladimir Katalov told Forbes that it also isn’t just traditional phone calls that are logged, and that iOS 10 has expanded the scope of the logging …

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