Category Archives: iOS 5

Next Generation Apple TV References Found in iOS 5, But When?

Posted by on October 9, 2011 No comments | 16 views

One of the most common Buyer's Guide related question we get asked is "Is it a good time to buy an Apple TV?"

We've never tracked the Apple TV in our buyers guide because it's a product that seems to have no regular release cycle. Apple maintains that the Apple TV is a "hobby" project, and that attitude shows in its infrequent update cycle. The Apple TV is unique in that it is more of a living room appliance whose primary purpose is to play iTunes content on your television. As a result, as long as the Apple TV can play all present iTunes content, there's no compelling reason for Apple to offer a major hardware upgrade.

The Apple TV has only seen two major hardware revisions during its lifetime. First was the original launch back in 2007 and the second was September 2010 when Apple released a smaller iOS-based version. We noted in June that iOS 5 opened the door to a true 1080p-capable Apple TV, but no evidence of such a device had been seen.

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Everything Worth Knowing From Apple’s ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’ Event

Posted by on October 5, 2011 No comments | 24 views

Apple’s ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’

It was Apple’s day.  What follows is for those who desire nothing more than a list of what we feel are the most important items to come out of today’s ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’ event.

iOS

  • “We have passed the quarter of a billion sales mark” for iOS devices. 250 million iPhones, iPods, iPads, etc.
  • iOS is now the number one mobile operating system, 43 percent compared to Android’s 33 percent as of the July ComScore number Apple is quoting.
  • More than 500,000 apps in the App Store, 140,000 are specifically for the iPad. “That gives anyone who owns an iPad a better experience.”
  • Customers have download 18 billion apps — more than a billion per month.

Top Features of iOS 5

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Eyes Wide Open! iPhone 4S Has Lovely Features…

Posted by on October 5, 2011 No comments | 14 views

Tring tring, this is a wake-up call. Yes, you guessed right. We are here to talk about the all new refreshing features of the recently launched Apple iPhone 4S. Phil Schiller started “talking iPhone” calling it a breakthrough device. Ranked as #1 Smartphone, the device was faced with the biggest question today. How to follow-up a hit-maker like iPhone 4? Has to be iPhone 4S. The Worldwide Product Marketing head mentioned how 4S starts with a retina display unfailingly but he promised it was all new on the inside.

Bang-on Features

A5 Processor- Finally the dual core made its way into iPhone as was expected. The processor is twice as fast at the tasks and features dual-core graphics. 4S will work 7x faster and you’ll love it most when you are gaming. Phil claimed that the CPU rate doesn’t affect phone’s battery life giving 8 hours of talk time.
Wireless Approach- The phone can switch between two antennas smoothly imparting better call quality.

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Live Apple iPhone’s special event coverage

Posted by on October 4, 2011 No comments | 275 views

Apple iPhone 4S event live is back! Did you miss us? Well, we missed you. So, down to business: we’re just little away from (what I can only assume) is Apple’s last event of 2011, and they’ve made it pretty clear they want to talk phones. Well, let’s talk phones, then! I’ll be live from Apple HQ in Cupertino posting the announcements right here.

iPhone 5 event

Live coverage begins in your local timezone at:

11:40AM – Thanks for tuning in everyone!

11:39AM – As always, we’d like to thank the always-awesome team at Rackspace for powering today’s live coverage!

Of course, if you haven’t already registered as gdgt user, head on over and add the iPhone 4S to your list.

11:39AM – Looks like we’re gonna clear out now!

11:39AM – So I guess for Tim’s first, um, Timnote, there’s no One More Thing. Or as I’ve heard it called preemptively, the “Cook-tease.”

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Apple Working on International iCloud Music Rights for October 4th?

Posted by on October 3, 2011 No comments | 63 views

CNet reports that Apple is actively trying to lock down worldwide cloud-music rights for a possible October 4th launch.

Sources familiar with the discussions between Apple, record companies, and music publishers, say Apple is seeking international music licenses for its iCloud service. The licenses would be similar to those the company has already obtained for U.S. operations, the sources said.

CNet believes if the negotiations wrap up in time, they could be part of Apple's October 4th media event where the company is expected to launch the next generation iPhone. Deals are reportedly close but "nothing is signed".

Apple's iCloud service offers a number of different backup and syncing services over the air. In particular, they allow users to re-download previously purchased music. And with the addition of iTunes Match, allow users to match and store all their music in the cloud. Amongst the countries that could see iCloud agreements are Germany, France and the UK.

Previous estimates had pegged UK support to be delayed until 2012.

Apple iPhone 5 Release Date: Larger Screen Size Expected

Posted by on October 2, 2011 2 comments | 456 views

The Apple iPhone 5 release date is almost here — with an unveiling expected at a company event Oct. 4 — and it's expected that among the biggest changes consumers will find in the highly-anticipated product will be a larger screen size.

Some qualified reports dating back to February of this year have suggested the larger screen size will be a reality for the iPhone 5. The idea is that the fifth-generation smartphone from Apple will have an expanded screen to better compete with Android devices which often have larger screens.

Apple's iPhone, first released in 2007, is the world's most popular smartphone. But Google's Android is the world's most popular operating system, used by multiple manufacturer's. Among all the rumors and qualified reports that have surfaced in the past nine months speculating about what new features Apple's iPhone 5 will have, the larger screen have been among the most persistent.

Back in February of this year, iDealsChina posted what it claimed to be a photo of the front "digitizer panel" for the iPhone 5. Here was the caption that was posted with the photo, according to 9to5Mac: "China's 1st iPhone 5 photo has surfaced! From this photo it seems that the screen size will be larger than iPhone 4. There has been a lot of speculation about a larger screen and maybe this will be one of the upgrades we will see when iPhone 5 is released this summer."

There was also an early report from China's DigiTimes that Apple was looking at bigger screen sizes to better compete with popular Android phones — hailed in large part because of their larger screen sizes. That report was in early February, when the tech publication said the new iPhone 5 will feature a 4-inch screen — bigger than the iPhone 4's 3.5-inch touchscreen display.

Popular Android smarthpones including the Motorola Droid Bionic and the HTC Thunderbolt sport screen sizes of 4.3 inches.

But it doesn't take qualified rumors and competitive comparisons to understand that Apple's new iPhone will likely have a larger screen size. Among resounding reviews for Apple's iPhone 4 and unprecedented global customer popularity, one consistent wish list item is a larger screen size.

It's easily among the most-wanted iPhone 5 features. And Apple is about meeting customer demand, after all.

Currently, however, Apple's iPhone 4 is notorious for yielding multiple text messages, emails and Facebook postings that are filled with errors because the small touchscreen keyboard is hard for many to hit just right. Many consumers know, for instance, if they get a bungled text message — it came from an iPhone.

Apple wants that to stop.

Also, many top, credible product reviewers have called for Apple to expand the screen size for a couple of iPhone generations now.

It's just a natural progression.

Add to that fact the obvious migration that's starting to take place in the consumer tech industry where smartphones and tablets will merge more closely together. Just last year, Apple was rocking along with its new iPad tablet, the iPhone 4 smartphone, and its iPod and iTouch.

But with each and every passing day, these products merge more closely together. Already, Apple is said to be ready to drop its iPod music device because with more memory, new iPhones like the iPhone 5 and iPad 2 tablet readily serve the same purpose. The Iphone is an iPod, and much more.

Similarly, many industry observers expect Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablet, with a 7-inch touchscreen, to unleash new demand for smaller, lighter weight tablets easier to carry around. So as tablets shrink and smartphones increase in screen size, they will move closer to the all-in-one product that will soon emerge.

Apple, of course, is not just a trendsetter, but many consider the company to the "the" consumer tech trendsetter — so making a larger screen size for Apple's new iPhone 5 is a natural and completely expected at the unveiling early next week.

iPhone 5 appears temporarily on Cincinnati Bell website (Updated)

Posted by on October 2, 2011 No comments | 93 views

TUAW reader Cory L. sent us an image today that he had captured from his web browser while perusing the i-Wireless prepaid cell phone section of the Cincinnati Bell website. The screenshot shows a placeholder for an iPhone 5 with no image and no "Add to basket" purchase button.

A quick look at the site now shows that the placeholder has been removed. There are some fascinating things about this — first, Cincinnati Bell is a regional carrier in the US, not a major carrier like AT&T or Verizon. Second, the website is for a pay-as-you-go program. Finally, the specs that are listed for the phone show an 8MP camera, 4G speeds (Cory notes that Cincinnati Bell's network uses HSPA+), and a 4" screen. Those specifications align with most of the previous rumors that we've heard about the device.

Whether or not this all means something will be determined on Tuesday, when Apple will hold its iPhone event in Cupertino. Be sure to join us on Tuesday beginning at 1 PM EDT / 10 AM PDT for our liveblog of the event.

Update: Another reader, Randy K., sent in another screenshot from the same site. This one shows a low-cost iPhone 4S device with different specifications than the rather expensive iPhone 5 shown above.

Update 2: A different website is claiming that only the iPhone 4s will be announced, based on strings that were allegedly found in a pre-release beta of iTunes. A source close to TUAW revealed that no such text strings were found in any of the recent beta releases of iTunes.

While we're excited about the screenshots shown here, it should be noted that as with all information that appears ahead of a new product announcement, they should be not be considered as reality until such announcements are actually made … or not.

What We are Expecting from the iPhone 5

Posted by on September 30, 2011 No comments | 95 views

After Apple announced a media event with the slogan “Let’s talk iPhone”, it is certain that the iPhone 5 launch is coming. There is a huge buzz surrounding the new iPhone and what will be included. Here are some things you should expect with the iPhone 5:

A New Design

At first, many people thought that Apple was going to keep the design of the iPhone 5 identical or extremely close to the iPhone 4. However, numerous pictures of new iPhone cases have been released, which in no way could hold the previous versions of the iPhone. Therefore, it is safe to say the iPhone 5 has been redesigned.

Faster Performance

To keep up with competitors, Apple most likely will be upgrading the RAM on the iPhone 5. We rely on smartphones extensively so it only makes sense that Apple would have upgraded the speed and performance of the new iPhone.

Better Camera

While Apple did improve the camera with the iPhone 4, it is expected that the camera on the iPhone 5 will be upgraded further. Many experts believe the screen will be larger, the camera will be 8 megapixels instead of 5, and the iPhone 5 will allow for full 1080p recording.

4G?

It is still unknown whether or not Apple will include 4G capabilities on the iPhone 5. However, if 4G is included, expect the iPhone to be larger. 4G requires a large amount of battery power and Apple has always been careful about battery life. While many people do want 4G on the iPhone, we will have to wait until the meeting to see whether or not Apple has included it.

Addition of New Carriers

Apple has slowly been extending its’ reach to new carriers. There is some speculation that Apple will include new carriers for the iPhone 5. Some rumors have indicated T-Mobile will be included, especially with AT&T trying to buy them. Sprint will likely be offering the iPhone 5 with an unlimited data plan, which AT&T / Verizon no longer offer.

iOS 5

Apple will definitely be launching the iPhone 5 with it’s new operating system giving us over 200 new features. You can see exactly what’s included on the Official Apple iOS5 page.

Voice Recognition

Apple acquired a voiced-based personal assistant service Siri last year and has not used it much at all, at least that we know of. Apple may be integrating this service on the new iPhone to allow for voice recognition.

If anything is certain, the new iPhone 5 should be much improved and better then previous models. Apple always seems to one-up themselves with each version and hopefully the iPhone 5 is no different.

iPhone 5 Timeline: iOS 5 Next Week, Announcement the Week After

Posted by on September 25, 2011 No comments | 170 views

This should be a reassuring image for you: it stands to reason that millions of iPhone 5 units stand ready at the assemblers’ plants, their butts turned upward waiting to be loaded with iOS 5, capping the final production hurdle before the device is launched in early October. We now have a timeline that finally makes some reasonable logistical sense: iOS 5 golden master next week, and the iPhone 5 announcement for the first week of October.

While some tech websites argued that September 23rd would be the day that iOS 5′s golden master was released, Apple Insider pegged its release for sometime between the 23rd and 30th: “Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed to AppleInsider on Monday that the new iPhone and iPod touch went into mass production in late August, and assemblers are currently scheduled to receive the golden master of iOS 5 the week of September 30. Typically, a golden master version of software is identical to the code that eventually becomes the final release to the public.”

The prevailing sense is that the final cut of iOS 5 is also the final piece of the puzzle for finishing the iPhone 5: “Upon receiving the software, Apple’s overseas assemblers will be able to install it on the finalized hardware and prepare it for shipping. The latest version of iOS will come pre-installed on both the fifth-generation models of the iPhone and iPod touch, set to be released in the coming weeks.” It would also make some sense that Apple would stagger the final version of iOS 5 to be released a week or so before the iPhone 5‘s product launch, in the event that there were any last-minute issues with installing the software into the new units.

It also explains why Apple will remain mum about its media event until they are 100% sure that all is well with the iPhone 5 and iOS 5: if they were to announce the media event before confirming that production and post-production was running smoothly, any problem would require them to postpone the media event, which would be anti-climactic to say the least.

In 20/20 hindsight, it begins to make sense why the iPhone 5 hasn’t been released until now: the new iPhone would have undoubtedly come with iOS 5 out of the box, which means that it would never be ready for release until iOS 5 was ready. While many iPhone enthusiasts have preached this logic throughout the iPhone 5′s rumor cycle, it didn’t stop the tech community from predicting dozens of false release date predictions.

iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S?

With the reported October 4th release date making its way through the entire mainstream media, the conversation about the next iPhone has shifted to what it will turn out to be: an overhauled iPhone 5 or refreshed iPhone 4S. If you recall, the iPhone 4S rumor that permeates the discussion today is very different from where it began: the first discussions of it date back to pre-WWDC, when there was a rumor that Apple developers had been given an iPhone 4 equipped with the A5 chip and early version of iOS 5, dubbed the “iPhone 4S.” Charles Moore wrote an article about it as far back as April 23rd.

In that article, this what Charles wrote: “one avenue Apple could take on its iPhone evolution roadmap would be to come out with an actual iPhone 4S sometime between now and the fall with the A5 chip plus perhaps an 8 megapixel camera and some of the other upgrades that have been rumored for the iPhone 5 that would work with the iPhone 4 form factor, leaving the iPhone 5 designation for a much more radical change to be introduced during the first half of 2012.” Charles is on the verge of being officially dubbed “the iPhone 4S oracle,” since his early speculation has fast become the prevailing belief about the next iPhone.

In addition, our own sources here at the iPhone 5 News Blog have confirmed that the next iPhone will retain the general form factor of the iPhone 4. And since Apple typically likes to pick symbolic dates for media events, perhaps October 4th is significant in promoting the name of the next iPhone as “iPhone 4S?”

Still, there are a bevy of stories and rumors that appeared throughout the Summer that also suggest an overhauled iPhone 5, complete with larger screen, teardrop form factor, and elongated home button. The evidence that supports these rumors generally involve leaked photos, pre-fabricated Chinese-made iPhone 5 cases, and other paraphernalia. It remains up to the iPhone enthusiast to decide for him or herself which set of evidence is more compelling,…

Apple to Wipe iTunes Match iCloud Data on Sept 26th, GM to Follow?

Posted by on September 24, 2011 No comments | 96 views


Apple has sent an email to developers notifying them that their iCloud libraries housing iTunes Match data will be wiped on Monday, September 26th at 9AM PDT. The reason for the wipe is to "improve the overall quality and reliability" of the service. The news comes after Apple wiped all the iCloud backup data on Thursday, September 22nd.

We believe these are preparations for Apple to launch the final Golden Master (GM) version of iOS 5. Apple had been planning to declare iOS 5 as GM on Friday, September 23rd, though we haven't heard confirmation yet if that had actually taken place. Also on schedule was to start installing iOS 5 GM onto new devices in their factories on Monday, September 26th. Assuming all this has remained on schedule, we expect the final GM version of iOS 5 to be release to developers as early as next week.

iCloud and iTunes Match services have been running in developer beta for the last couple of months. The public release is scheduled for "Fall", and it seems likely Apple will announce the ship date at their rumored October 4th media event.