Tag Archives: iPhone

Rumor: iPhone 5 For Fall 2012 Launch

Posted on February 20, 2012 by AppleBitch


The next version of the iPhone, the iPhone 5 if following historical nomenclature, will be released by Apple in the Fall of this year, according to Japanese site Macotakara. The site reports that they have some reliable Asian sources that suggest that the company is establishing a new release schedule for the iPhone and will be maintaining a Fall release date for the next generation iPhone, as they did with the iPhone 4S.

Initially, new iPhone models were released in the summer time frame, around June or July. However, when the summer of 2011 passed by without so much as a glimpse of the iPhone 4S, there was much tearing of hair as consumers tried to work out how this would affect their upgrade cycle. The launch of the iPhone 4S in October was, therefore, a relief.
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Lawsuit Settlement Means iPhone 4 Buyers In Line For Free Bumper Or $15

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Lily


When the iPhone 4 was first released, there was a lot of furor over the fact that if you held the iPhone handset in such a way i.e. by grasping your hand over the device and bridging the two antennas, there was a noticeable drop in signal strength. Despite the fact that the phenomenon occured in almost every smartphone, a significant amount of media coverage meant that Apple was forced to hold a press conference and address the issue. Unsatisfied with the response, a number of consolidated lawsuits against Apple were launched.

The lawsuits claim that Apple was “misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4–particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software”. However, as of Friday, CNET reports that a preliminary settlement for these lawsuits has now been reached with Apple now having to offer US residents who have already purchased an iPhone 4 either a free bumper or $15 in cash as compensation.
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Keep Clear: When An App Goes Viral

Posted on February 15, 2012 by AppleBitch


There is a thin line between success and failure on the iOS App Store, particularly given the fact that there is now in excess of half a million apps on the Store and there can be only so many at the top. What makes an app hit the heady heights of apps like Angry Birds, Reeder, Path or Instapaper? Some rely on functionality, some rely on heavy marketing and some rely on a sexy UI. That’s where the Clear app comes in.

Clear is a to-do list app that was released today onto the iOS App Store for $0.99. The app, it’s pre-release popularity bolstered by heavy marketing and a resultant high amount of anticipation will likely hit the top seller list very, very quickly. The app itself looks very simple, allowing the user to utilize a wide range of multi-touch gestures to control the app and compile to-do lists in an easy and fun manner.
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A Crazy Experience: Buying An iPhone 4S In Hong Kong

Posted on February 13, 2012 by AppleBitch


The iPhone 4S recently launched in China to massive crowds and overwhelming demand. Eager punters looking to get hold of the device have caused such problems, and sometimes, riots at Apple retail stores, that Apple has had to implement a lottery system in Hong Kong. The incredible demand for the device, helped in no small part by a huge number of scalpers looking to get hold of multiple iPhone 4S units for sale on the grey market.

The lottery system implemented by Apple means that Hong Kong residents have to enter a lottery between 9am and 12pm each morning in order to secure an appointment at the Apple Store to potentially purchase an iPhone 4S. The lottery requires that entrants supply the number printed on their government-issued ID, as well as being limited to two units per person. Having had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong in the past few days, I decided to look at what the iPhone 4S market in Hong Kong is actually like, as well as conducting a small experiment. The results were weird.
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No Siri On iPhone 4; What About iPad?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by AppleBitch


A new report is citing the A4 processor that is found in every iPhone 4 as the reason why Apple will never bring Siri to the iPhone 4 or the first generation iPad (via CNET). The report suggests that Apple’s system-on-a-chip A5 processor, as found in the iPhone 4S, contains some highly complex noise reduction hardware which is apparently essential for the optimal performance of Siri in noisy environments. The noise-reduction abilities, apparently based on technology called ‘EarSmart’ developed by a small company called Audience

As such, the A4 processor found in the iPhone 4 and iPad 1 does not contain the same noise reduction circuitry and is the reason why owners of these devices hoping for a Siri-upgrade in future versions of iOS will be disappointed. But, there is one more Apple device other than the iPhone 4S that is powered by an A5 processor; the iPad 2. So how is Siri looking for iPad 2 users?
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Another Tethering App Hits iOS App Store

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Dave


Following on from the recently released, and quickly pulled, Quasidisk app, which brought tethering of iOS devices to the Mac, another app which allows tethering has slipped into the iOS App Store. The app, called iRandomizer Numbers enables users to generate random numbers (via InformationWeek, TNW). However, if a user decides to enter ’1984′ as the minimum number and ’31337′ as the maximum number, then tethering is enabled.

Last week it emerged that another app called Quasidisk hit the App Store which also allowed users to enable tethering, circumventing the regulations of their carrier. As apps with hidden tethering features are against the App Store T & C, the app was rapidly pulled from the App Store, but not before the app had hit the top seller list in the App Store as a result of high demand.
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Editorial: In Love With A Vision Of An iPhone

Posted on February 3, 2012 by AppleBitch


Steve Jobs wanted people to fall in love with the iPhone. So much so, that they’d never leave the house without it. An illuminating lecture by former iPhone product marketing engineer in California has provided some insights on what Jobs wanted when the iPhone was launched (via AppleInsider). He apparently envisioned a device that people would fall in love with, and used this ideal to motivate the team that worked on the first iPhone.

Perhaps a prudent question to ask is whether the iPhone is now at the point that was initially envisioned by Jobs i.e. is it finally where he wanted it to be or is there more to come? There are obviously limitations with every smartphone device, such as battery life, processing power, storage, design, weight and functionality. But as the iPhone continues to evolve, are we going to see more of Jobs vision coming through in amazing new ways or
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Apple Stops Online Sales Of iPad 2 3G And iPhone 4 In Germany (Updated)

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Lucy


Legal action by Motorola and directed towards Apple has forced the company to remove some models of the iPhone and iPad from the Apple Online Store in Germany (via Businessweek). The problems stem from an injunction secured by Motorola which states that Apple allegedly infringed upon patents related to 3G devices. As a result, sales of 3G Apple devices through the online store which infringed the patent were stopped.

Not all 3G devices were affected by the ruling and, as a result, the iPhone 4S remains available to purchase through the online store. However, the iPad 2 3G version, the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS have all been pulled from the Apple online store in Germany. It should be noted, however, that the withdrawal does not affect physical retail stores in Germany and, as such, consumers looking to purchase the pulled devices are still free to walk in and purchase them at Apple Stores throughout the country.
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Awesome Wunderkit App Launches On App Store

Posted on February 1, 2012 by AppleBitch



6Wunderkinder, developers of the highly acclaimed Wunderlist application for OS X and iOS devices, have launched a new app on the iOS App Store that is tied to their new Wunderkit service. Essentially Wunderkit is a project and task managing platform that can either be used individually or collaboratively by groups.

I’ve been playing about with the Wunderkit beta site for a while now and, now that the beta has just gone into public release, everybody will get to enjoy it as well. It’s actually a really excellent productivity tool and social workspace, particularly for groups of people who work in teams on various projects. You can also tie in with Twitter or Facebook to invite your friends to work collaboratively on a project.
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iPhone 4S To Be Launched On China Telecom Soon

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Dave


China Telecom, the third largest carrier in China has announced through it’s subsidiary company Beijing Telecom via a press release, that they have begun preparations for the launch of the iPhone 4S in China. The device would be a CDMA-based iPhone and could launch in late February or early March according to a report by China Daily.

The report did not offer any details on either the price of the iPhone or the plans that would be offered with it. China Telecom has reportedly secured the operating licenses that would be required to launch the iPhone 4S on their network and it was simply a matter of getting retail systems in place for the launch, which will likely see the iPhone 4S be overwhelmingly in demand.
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