info gadget: Apple

Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts

Apple releases iOS 4.3.5, inches towards iOS 5

Less than ten days after iOS 4.3.4 parachuted in to fix that nasty PDF exploit, Apple's gone and dropped another. So what'll Cupertino's latest fix today? Build 8L1 -- or 8E600 on 4.2.10 if you're rocking CDMA -- apparently nixes a vulnerability with "certificate validation," or you know, Apple's just really fond of keeping all you hackers on your toes. Either way, time to fire up iTunes, unless of course, you're already living in the future.

Update: Turns out you can still (tethered) jailbreak with Redsn0w. Peep the more coverage link below.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/25/apple-releases-ios-4-3-5-gets-us-ever-so-closer-to-ios-5/

Apple’s Siri-based iOS voice controls dubbed ‘Assistant’

It has been about 15 months since Apple acquired Siri for a reported $200 million, and it looks as though we won’t have to wait much longer to see the deal bear fruit. In line with earlier reports, 9to5 Mac has been sent evidence that Apple will introduce voice controls in iOS 5. At present, the voice control features within iOS are lumped together in a service called “Assistant,” though this is not confirmed to be the launch name. A screenshot said to have come from an iPhone test unit shows a toggle to activate the Assistant service — and old style toggle rather than the slider from the new iOS 5 UI, interestingly — and 9to5 Mac claims to have verified the service by analyzing Apple’s latest iOS 5 SDK. “‘Assistant’ does not work only based on a user's voice inputs, but Apple will take information – securely – from user's devices like location, contact's information, and music metadata to formulate the best information to serve a user's request,” 9to5 Mac’s Mark Gurman writes. “Since Apple will be taking information such as phone contacts and location, we truly think that ‘Assistant’ will work just like the Siri iPhone application does; but fully integrated into the operating system.” The source of the screenshot says that the feature just went into testing, however, and it may not be ready in time for the initial release of iOS 5 this fall.

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/25/apples-siri-based-ios-voice-controls-dubbed-assistant/

PSA: Apple using slower SSDs in some MacBook Air models (video)

When you head to Apple's online store to configure your MacBook Air, you'll find options to increase processor speed or SSD capacity -- depending on the model you select, of course. There's no mention of flash drive speed, however, though it's now clear that not all SSDs are created equal at Apple -- not only when it comes to capacity, but also performance. Jonathan over at TLD discovered a fairly significant discrepancy when benchmarking both MacBook Air models over the weekend. The 128GB Samsung SSD in his 11-inch Air was able to achieve 246 MB/s write and 264 MB/s read speeds. When he switched to the 13-inch model, however, speeds dropped to 156 MB/s and 208 MB/s, respectively, using that notebook's 128GB Toshiba SSD. We compared speeds on two generations of 13-inch models, and confirmed Jonathan's findings. During our tests, the 256GB Samsung drive in our older model achieved 214 MB/s write and 251 MB/s read speeds, while the 128GB Toshiba drive in the new MacBook Air scored 184 MB/s and 203 MB/s during write and read tests, respectively. Overall, you're not likely to notice a significant difference during normal usage, though it's certainly an interesting find, nonetheless.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/25/psa-apple-using-slower-ssds-in-some-macbook-air-models-video/

Apple releases iOS 4.3.5 for iPhone, iPad, more

Apple on Monday released iOS 4.3.5 for iOS devices to address a security vulnerability. The update comes just 10 days after Apple issued iOS 4.3.4 to address a security hole related to PDF support. The new update was released with the following notes:

iOS 4.3.5 Software Update

Fixes a security vulnerability with certificate validation.

IOS 4.3.5 is available immediately through iTunes for the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad and the last two iPod touch models. Apple has also released iOS 4.2.10 at the same time for Verizon Wireless’ CDMA iPhone 4.

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/25/apple-releases-ios-4-3-5-for-iphone-ipad-more/

MacBook Air review (mid 2011)

There comes a time when that giant, corporate-issued laptop stops fitting into your lifestyle. When dragging around a Kensington roller case just won't do. When you start to hear the siren lilt of something thinner, lighter, and maybe a bit more alluring. For years the MacBook Air has been that svelte temptress hollering your name, but it's always been a bit too slow -- all show and no go. It didn't have the power and the longevity to make it a serious contender for your serious affections.

No more. With its latest refresh, Apple has taken what was once a manilla-clad curiosity and turned it into a legitimate machine, not just a sultry looker. Good thing, too, because the death of the plastic-clad MacBook means the Air is now Apple's entry-level portable. Weary traveler looking for a laptop that will lighten your load and, it must be said, your wallet too? This might just be it.

Gallery: MacBook Air Review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/25/macbook-air-review-mid-2011/

Apple recruiting additional staff for fall iPhone 5 launch

Apple is recruiting additional staff at U.S. Apple Store locations ahead of the launch of its highly anticipated fifth-generation iPhone. MacRumors reports that Apple is contacting former employees and asking them to come back as part time workers from August 15th through September 15th. In emails reportedly sent from Apple to the former retail staff, Apple says it is looking for part time employees to assist with the “holidays, new product launches and back to school time.” Apple is all but confirmed to be launching the iPhone 5 some time between late August and mid-September. The fifth-generation Apple smartphone is expected to include a faster dual-core processor, more storage space and an 8-megapixel camera, and it might feature a redesigned case as well. Apple may also launch new iPod touch models and a new iPad with a Retina Display at the same time, though it will likely be a complimentary “iPad Pro” model as opposed to a new iPad 3 if it does in fact launch this fall.

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/25/apple-recruiting-additional-staff-for-fall-iphone-5-launch/

Apple Releases New iPad 2 Ad Titled “We’ll Always”; Pays Homage To Recently Released OS X Lion [VIDEO]

Apple Inc. has released an all-new TV advertisement for their iPad 2 device.

Untitled

The new ad is titled We'll Always and it showcases plenty of iPad's excellent features that make it the best and most popular tablet on the market.

The ad starts with a user opening up Photos.app to see photos of what appears to be the user's children and spouse. The next scene shows another user reading a book on their iPad with the iBooks.app. Moving on, we see a person cooking while consulting their iPad for recipes with The Photo Cookbook, a person enjoying a Sox vs. Tigers game with the MLB app, having a meeting online with Fuze HD, editing a movie with iMovie and lastly – our favorite part – Apple cleverly, well, promoting OS X Lion with Alphabet Fun.

One can certainly not deny how the iPad has changed things. While tablets existed before 2010, there were never as easy to use, yet, at the same, as powerful as the iPad is. Sure, you still cannot play Crysis on it, but it pulls off all everyday activities like browsing, video chatting, viewing documents, sending and receiving emails etc. with finesse.

The original iPad, when it was announced in 2010, spurred a revolution in the consumer electronics industry. While critics sidelined it as "just a big iPod touch", that "big iPod touch" label is exactly what made it so popular.

Have you ever played Angry Birds on the iPad? I have and it's a far better experience than on the iPod touch. A larger screen makes all the difference in the world!

With its economical price, abundance of apps and outstandingly simple user-experience, the iPad simply owns the tablet market: 8 out of 10 tablets sold in 2011 are iPads.

Here's the ad's transcript:

We’ll never stop sharing our memories. Or getting lost in a good book. We’ll always cook dinner and cheer for our favorite team. We’ll still go to meetings, make home movies, and learn new things. But how we do all this will never be the same.

And lastly, here is the ad itself:

Gotta love that soothing music the ad has playing in the background!

Apple Store at Grand Central Terminal a done deal

Apple has reached a deal with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to open a massive Apple Store in the main terminal at Grand Central. Several publications including the New York Post reported the deal over the weekend, which Apple has been negotiating since early this year. The 23,000-square-foot retail shop will be the largest Apple Store location to date, and it will occupy the space currently inhabited by renowned chef Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur restaurant. According to the terms of the deal as reported by the Post, Apple will pay $800,000 annually for the retail space during the length of the 10-year contract. Should Apple re-sign the lease in 2021, the rent will increase to more than $1 million each year. Charlie Palmer’s restaurant group paid just over $300,000 each year for the space, the report claims. The MTA’s financial committee is expected to green-light the deal on Monday, and then it will be reviewed Wednesday by the body’s board of directors. “[The deal with Apple] has the potential to bring a great new shopping destination to iconic Grand Central Terminal and significantly increase revenues for the MTA’s transportation system,” the MTA said in a statement. The MTA expects the deal to bring in at least $5 million in profit for the agency.

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/25/apple-store-at-grand-central-terminal-a-done-deal-reports-claim/

Here’s what a developer’s iPhone 4S prototype looks like (or not) [UPDATED]

We came across some photos of a device which devilishly looks akin to the current iPhone 4 but runs on a test software and is said to be a prototype of the next, much anticipated iPhone 4S, 4GS, 5 or whatever Apple will call it. According to the person, who leaked this, the device features a 5 MP camera instead of an 8 MP one and runs iOS 4.0, but inside there’s the latest A5 dual-core processor as seen on the iPad 2.

gsmarena 001 Heres what a developers iPhone 4S prototype looks like (or not) [UPDATED]

A picture is usually worth a thousand words but in this case we see nothing truly new or interesting. The device has no visible changes to the exterior whilst the software is made for testing purposes and is also old news. Still rumors suggest this could be the N94 – a prototype iPhone 5 with the dual-core A5 processor, 5 MP camera and support for the T-Mobile USA network.

Update: Now that we’ve looked more carefully into the facts, it seems the most likely scenario is that this phone is a prototype or rather a test unit for the last year’s iPhone 4, similar to the one being sold on Ebay not long ago. The original source doesn’t suggest in any way there’s an A5 chip inside plus there’s this thing it runs on the original iOS 4.0. Obviously the fellows over at 9to5mac.com (our intermediary source) have been a little bit overexcited and have reported mainly their own speculations on the matter.

gsmarena 002 Heres what a developers iPhone 4S prototype looks like (or not) [UPDATED]

When connected to the Apple iTunes software the mystery device is labeled as an iPhone but shows a picture of an older iPod touch. Sadly, no other info has been given at this time but please take this device with a pinch of salt as many rumors strongly suggest the next iPhone will be lighter and thinner with a revamped antenna and a better camera. Oh, and there’s the little detail of the bigger display (as unlikely as it may be).

I remind you we’ve already heard rumors such dev devices are circling around, but that’s the first time we see one. And also a recent rumor suggested that Apple may not meet the challenges of making a the slimmer iPhone 5 and will release an intermediate product with A5 chip inside but with the shell of the iPhone 4 on the outside.

Via • Source:http://blog.gsmarena.com/heres-what-a-developers-iphone-4s-prototype-looks-like/

Apple releases iOS 4.3.4 update, gets jailbroken instantly

Apple released the iOS 4.3.4 update yesterday for all the supported devices. This update claims to solve the PDF exploit in iOS. However, as is usual with iOS updates, it also breaks your jailbreak should you choose to upgrade.

However, even though it has been just a day since Apple released the update and it seems there is already a jailbreak available for it. Thanks to PwnageTool, you will be able to perform a tethered jailbreak on your iPhone, iPod touch and the first generation iPad (no iPad 2 support for now). You can find the full tutorial on performing the jailbreak in the second source link below.

Source 1 • Source 2

Get Free Apple iPhone 3GS Handset

According to RBC Capital Markets General Manager Mike Abramsky, people will be offered by Apple for free iPhone 3GS. This great offer will be launched once iPhone 5 comes to market. The free offer expected to compete with the growth of Android phone such as Samsung, HTC also LG.
Apple will offer iPhone 3GS for free of cost with a two year service contract once the 5th generation iPhone is launched.In the previous year, the price of iPhone 3GS was dropped to $99 and iPhone 3G was discontinued when iPhone 4 launched. The price of the iPhone 3GS was reduced to $49 in January.
Let see in nearly future this plan will be implemented or just a rumor, but it’s not impossible if we look at the history.

Amazon's upcoming tablets might face component supply shortages due to the iPad 2

It's already public knowledge that Amazon is working on subsidized Android tablets with its own branding, and was about to launch them in August or September. We got a tip last month that these might be a quad-core endeavor, under the codename Hollywood, and an entry level Coyote, with a dual-core chipset.

What remains hidden, however, is that Apple has prepaid for and occupied the lion's share of tablet component supplies, especially touchscreen components. Our shaky source for all things Taiwanese and component related DigiTimes reports that Amazon's plans to build 4 million units this year might be in jeopardy due to the contracts suppliers have with Apple, which don't leave them much spare capacity for other projects. The same thing happened with the BlackBerry PlayBook, which was possibly delayed with a month because Apple had corralled most component suppliers capacity for its own gizmos.

The initial batch of Amazon's tablets is pegged at 1.5-2 million, and that might be all there is to it for this year, if alternative capacity isn't secured in the second half. Early rumors suggested that the dual-core tablet will be with a chipset of the NVIDIA variety, but now Texas Instruments is also being mentioned in connection with Amazon's upcoming slates.

via AppleInsider

Apple iPhone picks up U.S. smartphone share while Android still is on top of latest survey

The latest survey from Nielsen, a snapshot of the U.S. smartphone industry as of May 11th, shows a renaissance of sorts for the Apple iPhone. Android powered smartphones hold a commanding lead in U.S. market share with 38% of the total, up from the 36% reading seen in the three months ending in April. The Apple iPhone gained 1% over the same time period to grab a 27% share of the U.S. smartphone market, but more importantly, the latter device was the only phone to gain share in the last three months among recently purchased smartphones.

Android and Apple both gained share in the U.S. in the last 3 months at the expense of RIM

Of those phones recently purchased in the last three months, the Apple iPhone had a 17% share, up sharply from the 10% reading from the three months ended in mid-April. During that period, Android's share was flat at 27% meaning that the iPhone is currently driving the market in the U.S. RIM's share of newly acquired devices was just 6%, off sharply from the previous survey's reading of 11%. Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 accounted for just 1% of new purchases. In an interesting breakdown, 55% of all new handsets bought in the three months to May 11th were smartphones while the 45% balance belonged, obviously, to featurephones. 15 months ago, featurephones accounted for a whopping 68% of newly acquired phones.

Returning to current market share, after Android and Apple, RIM comes in third with a 21% slice of the U.S. smartphone pie. This is a 2% drop from the prior report and is obviously affecting the Canadian based company. As we recently reported, there is speculation that the BlackBerry manufacturer has scrapped plans to build a 10 inch PlayBook tablet and will focus instead on a Superphone using the QNX OS. Among other operating systems. Windows Phone 7 has 19% of the market while defunct Windows Mobile still controls 9%. HP's webOS and Symbian each account for 2% of the market.

source: Nielsen via BGR

5 features the iPhone 5 needs to compete with Android

Apple_vs_android

Yesterday, we took a look at some of the things Android needs to improve to stay competitive. Now, it is time to turn the tables and take a look at some things the iPhone needs to have to put up a fight against Android. As I said last time, this is not a dig at Apple. Let's keep flaming to a minimum as we look at what I think the next iPhone needs for it to remain successful.

5. Customizable homescreens and widgets: The classic iPhone grid of icons is nice. It works, it's simple, and it looks good. However, beyond changing your wallpaper it offers practically no customization options at all. Even if it makes things a little more complex, I think having widgets or "live tiles" would be a big improvement over the static grid.

4. User replaceable battery: The iPhone has good battery life. In fact, it probably has the best battery life of any smartphone on the market now. Yet there is still a flaw with the iPhone's battery: it is not user replaceable. Although some people might think user replaceable batteries are only for Android users that have to swap batteries at lunchtime, there are many other uses for an easily accessible battery. For example, I was recently on a long flight in an airplane without charging ports. I used my Android phone constantly and simply swapped batteries when I started running out. If I had an iPhone, after my battery died I would have had what amounts to a pretty-looking brick.

3. Near Field Communication technology: Google recently announced a service that allows an NFC-enabled smartphone be used as a virtual wallet. Even though the service will likely be buggy at first, I think that the trend of the "smartphone wallet" will continue to gain momentum. If NFC payment does take off, the iPhone will need to have an NFC chip to get in on the action. Even if it is not used for mobile payments right away, we can always let the developers find something to do with it in the meantime.

2. Better hardware specs: Obviously,the next generation of a product should have better specs than the last generation. Still, there are a few specific upgrades that I think the next iPhone should have in order to keep up with the crazy specs of some Android devices out there. Top on the list is a dual-core processor, more RAM, and a higher resolution camera. The 960 x 640 display already looks great, although it could stand to be a little bigger.

1. 4G networking: Apple has always been slow to adopt new cellular technology with the iPhone. Even though 3G was out, they kept the original iPhone on EDGE because they knew it worked. They may be tempted to do the same with 4G technology, but now that they are not such a clear leader I don't think they can afford to wait. With the plethora of 4G Android devices on and about to be on the market, the next iPhone will probably look somewhat wimpy if it only has 3G speed.

Just like last time, this is only my personal wishlist for the new iPhone. There are many more things that could be on this list, and also things you may think should be left off. So, if you want to add a point or disagree with one of mine, go ahead and leave a comment.

LulzSec says good bye with leaks on AT&T's plans for 4G LTE enabled Apple iPad 3 and iPhone 5

The 6 anonymous hackers known as LulzSec said farewell to the public by revealing that among the information gleaned from their last day hacking was a leak of AT&T's internal documents. Going through the information, Jonathan at iFans found what appears to be information outing the LTE 4G enabled versions of the Apple iPad 3 and Apple iPhone 5.

A calendar that was part of the info release shows that next month, AT&T will have a production launch of its LTE service followed by a rollout of the service in 10 markets in September. A power point presentation discusses an Apple iPad 3 launching in the fall or next March. And since this is written under the heading "LTE status", it would probably not be straying too far to say that the iPad 3 being discussed features LTE 4G connectivity. Speculation from the tablet's supply chain indicates that the Apple iPad 3 might include Retina Display and a faster processor, besides the 4G connectivity.

A concept rendering of the Apple iPad 3, which could be out this fall with LTE connectivity

As far as the Apple iPhone is concerned, the hacked AT&T information shows three phases to the carrier's LTE deployment with the Apple iPhone 5 expected to launch during the second phase in September. It would also appear that AT&T will have its own LTE enabled handsets launching in September as well.

What is interesting is that AT&T appears to be rolling out its LTE platform in the same manner that Verizon did, with dongles and 4G Netbooks testing the system first before allowing 4G phones to use the pipelines. Because Verizon has had a head start over AT&T, the latter is moving faster than Big Red did in making this come to fruition. But you also must remember that all of this conjecture and speculation has come from hacked data and information that was never meant to see the light of day.

source: iFans via RedmondPie

Morgan Stanley analyst says that the Apple iPhone 5 will be assembled in mid to late August

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty told clients on Sunday that the new Apple iPhone 5 will start to be assembled in mid to late August with production "ramping aggressively" in the calendar fourth quarter. Last week, Huberty was in Taiwan, meeting with the vendors that comprise the supply chain for the Apple iPhone. After meeting the companies. she expects a late Q3 release for the next generation Apple touchscreen phone, although she does not mention if it will be LTE enabled.

Because the next iPhone will be released later than usual, Huberty shifted 2 million units of production from the third quarter to the fourth quarter but has left the total amount of 72 million iPhones produced for the year unchanged. The analyst noted that she would raise her production forecasts for the year if Apple releases the iPhone 5 in early September. A September release for the phone dovetails with earlier reports from an anonymous source, and from information picked up by hackers LulzSec.

Huberty says that Apple might be toying with the idea of releasing a lower priced Apple iPhone and an Apple-branded television set. She said that Apple is expecting an increase in iPhone production in 2012 because of, "... new products and potentially lower price points." She said that an Apple T.V. could bring in an amazing $19 billion in earnings and raise earnings per share by $4.50 for a 12 month period, in the long term. Reports earlier this week from an unnamed Apple executive said that the company is working on a smart iOS powered television prototype, something the analyst discovered from her supply checks back in March.

source: AppleInsider

'Apple is in big trouble,' tech expert holding an iPhone says

Apple might be the second-largest company in the world with a market cap of over $300 billion, but if you take the words of NBC's Today Show Gear and Technology editor, Paul Hochman, it's in serious trouble.

Hochman, holding an iPhone, spoke at the Forward with Ford Futuring and Trends Conference:

"Apple’s in big trouble. They’re sitting on piles of cash, but they are sitting on a closed system. In biology, in history, a closed system never survives."

At the same time, he lavished praise on Ford for picking an open system, one which allows an external device like both an iOS or Android one for communication and even apps. Conversely, General Motors which opted for a closed system doesn't allow upgrade of the hardware locking you down into using the same device even when it fades out of relevance after a couple of years. This argument certainly holds ground as the lifespan of a car is usually much longer than the one of a phone, but do you agree with Hochman's comments on Apple? Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments below.

source: Pocket-lint

Apple's retail stores can release AT&T iPhones if the unlocked pile runs low

It seems that Apple is advising staff at its retail locations to just grab an iPhone 4 from the AT&T pile, and release it from the carrier shackles, if it runs low on stock with unlocked iPhones.

Of course, this will still run you $649 for the 16GB version, and the healthy $749 for a 32GB version, but it's nice to have options. These prices are fairly indicative of how much carriers are paying to subsidize an iPhone so you can grab it at $199 with a two-year contract, resulting in Apple's fat operating margins, but that's a whole different topic.

The note in Apple's Retail Project Manager actually says to sell any of the AT&T iPhone 4's SKUs, and mark it as "Device Only" upon checkout, which it seems automagically unlocks the device for use with any SIM card you throw at it.

source:via 9to5Mac

Apple blocks Gevey SIM unlock in iOS 5 beta 2

Apple's second beta of iOS 5 has been available to developers for a couple of days now, but along with the host of bugs it fixes, it has also blocked one of the most popular unlock methods out there – Gevey SIM. This leaves you with only two options as you can either downgrade to the first beta or to iOS 4.x if you need to have your device unlocked. Jailbreaking the beta, however, is still possible with Redsn0w 0.9.8b1.

Interestingly, the new beta has introduced the option to create and modify existing albums and while the feature still looks raw, that would be a welcome addition to the platform. Also, we could well have OTA updates to iDevices in future version of iOS as a developer got a “No updates were found” notification when trying to refresh the Software Update field on his iPad. Along with those, other novelties include videos enabled for AirPlay by default in apps and websites, automatic wireless syncing with a paired computer, while other issues like storing content iCloud have been fixed.

source: AppleInsider and Engadget

Analyst sees a no contract, pre-paid $350 Apple iPhone coming in September

It seems that if you put 100 Wall Street analysts in a room, each one would have a different idea of what Apple is going to do next with the iPhone. Although most see a September launch of whatever the tech giant has under its sleeve, the form that the phone takes is different with each analyst's report. Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank expects Apple to produce a low-end, contract free version of the Apple iPhone, priced at $350-$500. This model would be aimed at those who do not want to be locked into a 2 year contract and would rather pre-pay for service. The device, which he calls the Apple iPhone 4S, would be released alongside the next gen iPhone 5 and would be perfect for the two-thirds of the 1.5 billion customer cellular market that uses pre-paid service.

According to Whitmore, Apple has shipped 87 million units of the iPhone over the last two years which is only a 6% penetration of the market. The analyst sees Apple aiming to increase that percentage and feels that a $349 low-end variant of Apple's touchscreen phone would allow the company to keep a high level of profitability. He figures that an unlocked Apple iPhone 4 at $649 gives Apple a 70% profit margin. A low-end iPhone, he figures, is similar to the $229 iPod Touch which has a 38% profit margin. By adding an RF module to the iPod so it can make and receive phone calls, and pricing the device at around $350, Apple could score a respectable 53% profit margin.

With pre-paid users dominating in some countries, a pre-paid Apple iPhone could be a good way for Apple to increase it's share of the cellular market. In China, a market that Apple would like to increase its presence, a whopping 85% of cellular customers use a pre-paid account.

source: AppleInsider

info gadget