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iPhone 5
Apple and Samsung have both issued alerts about faults on iPhone5 and Galaxy S5 handsets.
Apple has begun a replacement program for some of its iPhone 5 handsets that have a faulty sleep/wake button.
Separately, Samsung has revealed that some of its flagship Galaxy S5 handsets have been shipped with a non-functioning camera.
It said anyone who bought an S5 with a faulty camera should contact Samsung’s customer service or their mobile operator to get the phone replaced.
Samsung has revealed that some of its flagship Galaxy S5 handsets have been shipped with a non-functioning camera
Samsung said it had found a “very limited” number of handsets had been shipped with the fault. It said it had traced the cause of the problem and had taken steps to ensure it did not re-occur in future production runs.
“We have discovered that the issue has been seen in a very limited portion of early production Galaxy S5 units, and was caused by complications in the Read Only Memory component which stores the information necessary to operate the camera,” Samsung said in a statement.
Samsung declined to say how many handsets were affected but did say that the faulty handsets had been reported in the US and several other countries.
Apple said a “small percentage” of iPhone 5 handsets were affected by manufacturing problems that meant its sleep/wake button stopped working or only worked intermittently.
It said it would replace the sleep/wake mechanism in affected phones free of charge. To help customers it has set up a webpage on which they can enter the serial number of their phone to see if it is in the affected batch.
The faulty button is believed to affect iPhone 5 handsets manufactured before May 2013.
Apple’s replacement program begins in the US on April 28 and rolls out worldwide on May 2. Customers with affected handsets can either post their device to an Apple repair centre or drop it off in person.
September 10 has been announced as the date Apple launches its much anticipated new iPhone 5S.
iPhone 5S will take place at 10 AM Pacific time at the Apple Campus in Cupertino and according to rumors will see the unveiling not only of new and improved smartphone but also for the low-cost iPhone, dubbed the 5C.
The 5S will reportedly come with a new and improved camera and in different colored options, while the iPhone 5C will feature a plastic backing but remain essentially the same technology-wise as the iPhone 5.
Apple sent out invites to the press featuring the phrase: “This should brighten everyone’s day” along with a graphic depiction of multi-colored dots, which has led some to suggest indicates the new iPhone 5 will come in a variety of colors.
Indeed, the September 10 is due to be a bumper day for the Cupertino firm, with the announcement of iOS7, the first major overhaul of its mobile OS.
And the other highlights of the show will most likely include more details about iTunes Radio, which should launch for U.S. users on September 20th, along with iOS7.
As next week’s Apple iPhone event draws nearer, new images of what is rumored to be the iPhone 5C – boxed up and ready to be shipped – have been leaked online.
Apple is rumored to be releasing the iPhone 5C as a cheaper alternative to its upcoming iPhone 5S model at an event on September 10
The photos, released by Chinese site iapps.im, show rows of the phones, with what is thought to be plastic casing, in pastel blue, pale yellow and powder pink.
Apple is rumored to be releasing the iPhone 5C as a cheaper alternative to its upcoming iPhone 5S model at an event on September 10.
The photos have since been removed by the Chinese site on the request of a “relevant party”, according to reports from Engadget.
In the images, each of the phones are also shown with a wallpaper in a corresponding color.
Rumors around Apple potentially launching two new handsets at an Autumn event surfaced in June.
They claimed that the California-based company wanted to launch a low-cost version of its iPhone 5 handset to compete with rivals Samsung.
It will be the first time in Apple’s iPhone history that the company has unveiled two handsets in the same month.
It was originally dubbed iPhone Mini, then iPhone Lite, and then leaked pictures from WeiPhone showing plastic cases suggest it could be called the iPhone 5C – with the C standing for colour.
The cheaper handset is expected to be made of plastic to keep costs down and may be sold in a range of colors including white, black, pink and blue.
According to analyst Brian White from Topeka Capital Markets, the iPhone Mini could be made of plastic and could cost as little as $99.
Other prices put it much higher at $400 and it is likely to be closer in price to Apple’s iPhone 4.
Apple does not comment on future products before its launch events.
Mark Gurman, a journalist for Apple fan site 9to5Mac wrote: “Because of the uncertain track record of the source of the image and the image’s overall low quality, it is difficult to judge if the images are legitimate.”
He continues that they do, however, mirror the technique of matching a wallpaper to the outer casing as seen in 2012 during Apple’s release of the iPod nano.
Other leaked images of the phone have shown the case in dark red, blue and green.
If the iPhone 5C follows suit with the iPod nano design, it may be released in red, pink, yellow, blue, green, black and grey as well as white.
The cheaper iPhone will be an entry-level device to go with the high-end iPhone 5S, which is expected to come in gold, black and white, have a fingerprint scanner, dual-flash camera to improve the quality of photos, and a faster processor.
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Walmart has announced that it has slashed the price of the 16 gigabyte iPhone 5 to $98, down from its previous offer of $129.
The offer means it is selling it can less than half the usual $200 price tag of the iPhone 5. To get the discount, customers will however need to sign a new two-year contract with AT&T, Verizon or Sprint.
Walmart also has fresh offers on 10-inch iPads with $50 off its previous price. The latest iPad with Retina Display now costs $449 and the price of the iPad 2 is $349.
However, the iPad mini did not get a discount and costs $330.
Walmart has announced that it has slashed the price of the 16 gigabyte iPhone 5 to $98, down from its previous offer of $129
Apple typically announces new products during the second week of September and is widely expected to unveil new versions of the iPhone and iPad on Sept. 10
Walmart isn’t the only retailers slash prices to clear out inventory ahead of the anticipated new product launches.
RadioShack is currently offering a $50 discount on all iPhones, including the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, and customers don’t need to sign a new contract to get the price-cut.
T-Mobile is offering the iPhone 5 for $149 with a new two-year payment plan.
Best Buy is offering $100 off the iPhone 5, but customers need to trade in their old iPhone to get the deal.
Walmart’s deal undercuts all of them. The retailer has also cut the price of the iPhone 4S to $39, down from $89. Typically the iPhone 4S sells for $100 with a new contract.
Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old woman from northwest China, died after being electrocuted while using her iPhone 5, her family has claimed.
Ma Ailun, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her handset to answer a call last Thursday when she received an electric shock, police said Sunday, in reports carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
“(I) hope that Apple Inc can give us an explanation. I also hope that all of you will refrain from using your mobile devices while charging,” the older sister of victim said on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
Ma Ailun, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her iPhone 5 to answer a call when she received an electric shock
The post has gone viral online, with many forwarding the message and warning others of the dangers of using mobile devices while they are being charged.
Ailun’s father, Ma Guanghui, confirmed that his daughter was electrocuted, adding that her body showed signs of electrocution.
Ma Ailun’s sister said she hopes to seek justice from Apple.
Apple said Sunday the company felt “deeply sorry for the unfortunate accident” and expressed condolence to the victim and her family.
The company said it would have a thorough probe into the case.
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According to a new research, Apple’s iPhone 5 received the biggest customer backlash following its launch in 2012.
One in five posts on social networks were critical of Apple’s most recent handset, with the majority of people complaining about the introduction of a new power socket, the inaccuracy of Apple Maps and how similar the phone was to previous models.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 received the least complaints – just 11% – according to figures from analysts We Are Social.
We Are Social scanned Twitter, blogs and forums following the launch of four major handsets – Apple’s iPhone 5 in September 2012, Samsung Galaxy S4 in March 2013, the BlackBerry Z10 launch event in January 2013 and Nokia’s launch of the Lumia 920, first announced in September 2012.
The iPhone 5 came in for a barrage of complaints for everything from its lack of innovation to its new power connector socket and its mapping application.
Apple added a Lightning to 30-pin power socket to the iPhone 5, which meant previous Apple users couldn’t use their older chargers to charge the new device.
Apple then charged extra for an adapter.
Previous iPhones used a Google mapping application but this was replaced with Apple Maps in the iPhone 5.
This led to complaints about misplacement of landmarks, poor satellite images and wrong directions.
Less than two weeks after the launch, Apple issued a statement apologizing for the frustration Apple Maps had caused customers and recommended they try alternative mapping apps.
There were also complaints about picture quality of photos taken on select iPhone 5s, with some customers saying there was a purple discoloration on images.
Other iPhone 5 owners were left angry when the coating on their handset chipped off, exposing bright aluminium underneath.
This became known as “scuffgate” when Apple refused to acknowledge the problem.
Other iPhone 5 users reported that white handsets leaked light behind the screen.
A study finds that Apple’s iPhone 5 is the most hated handset, while the majority of people love the Samsung Galaxy S4
Ed Kitchingman, senior analyst at We Are Social, said: “Brands were often on the receiving end of criticism for their handsets offering nothing new to the previous model.
“The most successful launches were those that captured the consumer’s imagination by talking about the handset’s new and innovative features.
“And while leaks can be an important tool in building success, give away too much and the handset loses its ‘wow’ factor upon launch.”
He said Samsung had the most “wow factor” with 56% of discussions being about new or different features with a particular emphasis on its eye tracking.
In contrast, only 29% of conversations about the iPhone 5 launch were focused on different features as dissent grows about the lack of innovation at Apple.
However, the iPhone 5 was by far the most talked-about launch on social media, with around 1.7 million conversations, compared to 300,000 mentions of the Z10, 140,000 references to the Galaxy S4 and 45,000 comments about the Lumia 920.
The research claims Apple still has the strongest brand loyalty, though, due to 42 per cent of conversations about the iPhone 5 launch based around the Apple brand itself.
Men dominate smartphone launch day conversations with 83% of all mentions coming from men and just 17% generated by women.
On a non-launch day, however, anywhere between 28% and 41% of conversations about mobile phones come from women.
Apple’s next iPhone could be announced on September 10 and go on sale ten days later, according to recent reports.
The phone – dubbed iPhone 5S – is rumored to have internet speeds around ten times as fast as 3G.
Analysts also expect a second, cheaper handset – dubbed iPhone 6 – to be announced as early as September 27.
It will be the first time in Apple’s iPhone history that the company has unveiled two handsets in the same month.
We Are Social’s figures contradict a recent study from Quality Insight in Korea.
The marketing firm surveyed 44,168 people about their handset and the iPhone was rated the best smartphone.
The participants said that the iPhone rarely failed, with only 17% complaining about technical issues with their Apple phone.
This is compared to 31% who reported issues with Samsung phones ranging from battery charging problems to screen quality issues.
Apple’s faults were related to touch or button errors.
How did the four major phone launches comapre?
Number of launch day conversations
iPhone 5 – 1.7 million
BlackBerry Z10 – 300,000
Galaxy S4 – 140,000
Lumia 920 – 45,000
Brand appeal: conversation based around the brand itself
iPhone 5 – 42%
BlackBerry Z10 – 41%
Lumia 920 – 41%
Galaxy S4 – 20%
Brand criticism: comments about the brands with a negative connotation
iPhone 5 – 20%
BlackBerry Z10 – 18%
Lumia 920 – 15%
Galaxy S4 – 11 %
Features: discussions about any new and different features of the handset
Galaxy S4 – 56%
Lumia 920 – 37%
iPhone 5 – 29%
BlackBerry Z10 – 27%
Huawei has unveiled Ascend P6, the world’s thinnest smartphone.
The Android-based Ascend P6 is 6.18 mm (0.24 in) thick and is also unusual in that it has a 5 megapixel front camera for “high quality” self-portraits.
The Chinese-based firm has said it expects the handset to do “miracles” for its brand.
One analyst praised its design, comparing it to a “steamrollered iPhone”, but said its lack of support for 4G networks might limit sales.
“It’s undoubtedly the most impressive phone that Huawei have launched to date in terms of the design, the materials used and its quality,” said Ben Wood, director of research at consultancy CCS Insight, who was at the London launch.
“We’ve seen mainland Chinese manufacturers rapidly improve their ability to make competitive devices over the last 18 months and this is possibly the best so far. But its 3G status means there has undoubtedly been a trade-off to get it as thin and cheap as possible.”
Huawei says it designed one of the slimmest and narrowest circuit boards in the industry to squeeze the electronics into the new handset.
The device has a 4.7 in screen making it comparable to the HTC One but is more than 3 mm (0.1 in) thinner.
It is also slightly slimmer than both the iPhone 5 and the Alcatel One Idol Ultra – which previously claimed to be the world’s thinnest – but at 120 g (0.26 lb) weighs a little more than both.
The phone features Huawei’s own tile-based user interface called Emotion and proprietary software, including an “auto-facial enhancement” tool designed to make self-portraits look better.
Huawei has unveiled Ascend P6, the world’s thinnest smartphone
Other specifications include:
- An 8 megapixel rear camera
- Use of the latest Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 operating system
- 8 gigabytes of internal storage – a relatively low amount – but support for 32GB microSD cards
- A 1.5GHz quad core processor developed by Huawei
- Various power saving technologies based on the firm’s experience as one of the biggest telecoms equipment makers. As a result, it says the device’s battery lasts 30% longer than it would do otherwise.
Huawei is already a well known brand in China where it grew to become the country’s biggest maker of telecoms equipment after being founded in 1987.
Its more recent shift into Android phones has also found success. According to data research firm IDC, it shipped 9.9 million smartphones in the first three months of the year making it fourth biggest vendor after Samsung, Apple and LG.
However, Huawei acknowledges it still needs to do more to make western consumers familiar with its name and has committed 2% of its revenues to try to ensure it is widely recognized as a leading smart device brand within five years.
“Seven years ago nobody would have believed Apple could be so successful, and maybe five years ago that Samsung could be so successful,” said Shao Yang, chief marketing officer for Huawei Device.
According to a recent study by at Strategy Analytics, Samsung accounts for about 95% of all profits in the Android smartphone market, thanks to “an efficient supply chain, sleek products and crisp marketing”.
That has led some analysts to question the wisdom of competing directly against the South Korean firm. But Ben Wood suggested Huawei might be able to make headway thanks to the economies of scale offered by its rapid rise in its homeland.
“This year Huawei is expected to sell 60 million units – double what it did last year – with the lion’s share of that coming from China,” he said.
“So, when competing with companies like Sony or Nokia it has an inherent advantage which will help with cost.
“It has to make the most of that as it has to pay a kind of tax in the west: since its name is less well known, for big operators or retailers to take its products they expect to get them at a lower price feature-for-feature, spec-for-spec than from a recognized brand.”
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Apple has announced a software update for its latest mobile operating system iOS 6.1 after hackers published a video showing how to unlock any iPhone running it.
The YouTube video and an accompanying explanation details a relatively simple combination of button presses which can quickly bypass the phone’s password screen.
Once entered, it opens the main phone screen where any thief or snoop would be able to make calls, read and send messages, edit contacts, and go through stored data like photos and apps.
In a response to tech site AllThingsD, Apple spokesman Trudy Miller aknowledged the vulnerability and said the company was working on a quick fix.
“Apple takes user security very seriously. We are aware of this issue, and will deliver a fix in a future software update,” she said.
It is the latest embarrassment for the Silicon Valley tech company after another recent bug in the same operating system, iOS 6.1, was found to overload corporate email servers.
Business users trying to sync their contacts, mail and other content found themselves kicked off their company’s Microsoft Exchange servers, and Apple is yet to publish a fix for the problem.
Prior to that, a third bug in the .1 update to iOS 6 was found to cause problems with 3G network performance on the iPhone 4S. That was quickly fixed with a 6.1.1 update released exclusively to users of the 4S.
Apple has announced a software update for its latest mobile operating system iOS 6.1 after hackers published a video showing how to unlock any iPhone running it
The video detailing the iPhone 5 passcode hack was published onto YouTube by videosdebarraquito at the end of January and has already been viewed nearly 350,000 times.
It tells how a rapid combination of emergency call, keypad, power button and cancel button taps will bypass the phone’s security, leaving it accessible to anyone.
In text accompanying the video, the user describes it as an “[e]asy trick that allows bypass an iPhone’s passcode and get full access (see and edit) to contacts list, list of recent calls, favorite contacts, and even make a call to any phone number on the hacked device and erase the log”.
The text details the precise combination of actions to carry out to exploit the vulnerability.
The user adds that you can use it “[f]or prank your friends. For a magic show… Use it as you want, at your own risk, but… please… do not use this trick to do evil !!!”.
It is not the first time Apple’s devices have been found to be vulnerable to such a trick. A similar bug allowed the same kind of access in gadgets running iOS 4.1, Gizmodo reported.
It took a month for Apple to release the .2 update to that operating system which removed the vulnerability.
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Samsung Electronics has announced its profits surged 76% in the last quarter of 2012, helped by sales of its Galaxy smartphones.
Net income rose to a record 7.04 trillion won ($6.6 billion), up from 4.01 trillion won in the same period a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations.
The Korean firm said its mobile profits more than doubled over the same period.
Last year, Samsung became the world’s biggest smartphone maker, overtaking Apple, its main rival in the sector.
“Overall its earnings momentum remains intact,” said Lee Se-chul, from Meritz Securities in Seoul.
“Smartphone shipments will continue to grow, even in the traditionally weak first quarter, as Samsung’s got a broader product line-up and Apple appears to be struggling in pushing iPhone volumes aggressively.”
Samsung did not provide data on the number of smartphones it had shipped, but analysts estimate it sold 63 million smartphones in the quarter.
Samsung Electronics has announced its profits surged 76 percent in the last quarter of 2012, helped by sales of its Galaxy smartphones
The strong sales numbers come after Apple shares tumbled 12% in the US on Thursday, over fears the company was losing its edge in key smartphone markets.
Apple had reported record quarterly revenues of $55 billion, but there was disappointment over sales of the company’s new iPhone 5.
Samsung said its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets has been its top seller, driving profits.
The handsets division, which sells about a quarter of all mobile phones in the world according to analysts, saw an operating profit of 5.44tn won, up from 2.56tn won a year earlier.
Earnings were also helped by Samsung’s displays unit, which made a profit, after losses a year earlier.
The unit enjoyed a sales boost from its organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) screen, used in the Galaxy smartphones.
The firm said its capital spending this year will be similar to 2012 levels, despite analyst expectations that it would be cut.
However, it did caution that increased competition in the smartphone sector could lead to a softening of demand in some regions.
“The furious growth spurt seen in the global smartphone market last year is expected to be pacified by intensifying price competition, compounded by a slew of new products,” the company said in its earnings statement.
“In the first quarter, demand for smartphones in developed countries is expected to decelerate, while their emerging counterparts will see their markets escalate with the introduction of more affordable smartphones and a bigger appetite for tablet PCs throughout the year.”
Both Apple and Samsung are facing tough competition in markets such as China from smartphone-makers with more competitive prices.
Apple shares have tumbled 10% as investors fret over whether the company could lose its dominance in the smartphone market.
About $50 billion was wiped off Apple’s value after the biggest daily drop in the firm’s stock in four years.
Flat profits and record quarterly revenue of $55 billion were not enough to overcome disappointment over sales of the company’s new iPhone 5.
Analysts said the firm was in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.
Earlier, shares in some of Apple’s key Asian suppliers also fell.
LG, which provides displays for Apple products, fell 3.1%, and Hon Hai, which assembles iPhones and iPads, dropped 3.2%.
Apple was unable to repeat its usual growth in profits, which were unchanged from a year earlier at $13.1 billion.
The firm said late on Wednesday it had sold more iPhones (47.8 million) and iPads (22.9 million) in the final three months of last year than in any previous quarter, but investors had expected more.
Apple shares have tumbled 10 percent as investors fret over whether the company could lose its dominance in the smartphone market
Shares in the firm have fallen by a third since September over concerns the company may be losing its edge over increasingly confident competitors.
Shares currently stand at $460, down from over $700 four months ago. Apple still remains the world’s most valuable company, however, just ahead of Exxon Mobil.
On Thursday, a number of brokers cut sharply their price target for the shares, with Deutsche Bank slashing its forecast from $800 to $575.
The iPhone’s once dominant position is being challenged by Samsung and other makers of Android-based devices, which now make up a far greater percentage of overall smartphone sales than the iPhone.
Nokia, once itself the leading mobile phone manufacturer, reported on Thursday a return to profit in the final quarter of last year, with strong sales of its new Lumia smartphone, its first major product launch since the company teamed up with Microsoft.
Samsung is due to announce its results on Friday, and investors will be keen to find out how its successful Galaxy smartphones sold in the final quarter.
With Apple no longer seen as the market leader in innovation, some analysts believe it may now have to rethink its core strategy, which is based on focusing on a handful of premium products.
“Apple’s modus operandi to date has been to cream the high-end off each market, but as the company’s grown it may now need to target more of the mainstream,” analysts at Evercore Partners said.
Normura’s Stuart Jeffrey agreed: “To re-accelerate growth, Apple likely needs to launch new products, yet few seem likely before June.”
Others, however, argue that investors’ expectations are wholly unrealistic, and the company remains hugely successful.
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Pictures leaked online claim to show the case for the forthcoming iPhone 5S, Apple’s next update of its market leading smartphone.
Surfacing on French website Nowhereelse.fr, the images reveal an exterior virtual identical to the current iPhone 5, which was only released in September.
But a closer look at the inside of the part shows the fixing points of some of the internal components – which differ from the latest model – seems to suggest that it could be a new part for an updated phone.
Nowhereelse.fr hedge its bets, admitting that while it could be a case from a new iPhone prototype, it could equally be part of a well-made Chinese iPhone clone.
It says it first found the images published on the website forum iPhone5Parts and makes no attempt to confirm their authenticity.
Nevertheless, the apparent leak comes as the rumors have begun to circulate online that Apple is already about to begin making the successor to its latest smartphone.
Pictures leaked online claim to show the case for the forthcoming iPhone 5S
A Chinese site in November claimed the firm was set to begin trial production of the new model this month, although has no details of what new features it may contain.
The Commercial Times estimated that full commercial production of the rumored iPhone 5S will begin as early as Q1 2013, with the December run only expected to return between 50,000 and 100,000 units.
Facing low yield rates in the production of iPhone 5, Apple has accelerated the certification processes for related parts and components for the iPhone 5S, the paper revealed, according to DigiTimes.
“While the speculated iPhone 5S is expected to enter volume production in the first quarter of 2013, Apple is also likely to release a new version of iPad a quarter later than the iPhone 5S, since the display resolution of its latest version of iPad has come out lower than expected,” the paper said.
However, while the firm may begin trial production, some believe it may not go on sale until later next year.
“The industry was surprised at how quickly the iPad 4 replaced the 3, however that was to make all of its top line products have the same connector,” said Luke Peters, editor of T3 magazine.
“Trial production might see we see snippets on the web, but its usually 6-7 months until we see a launch, and so I would expect to see a new version, be it an iPhone 5S or a 6, late next year.”
It comes as Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has become the world’s best-selling smartphone model for the last quarter, pushing aside Apple’s iPhone.
Apple has dominated the chart for more than two years, research firm Strategy Analytics said.
It claims Samsung sold 18 million S3 models in the third quarter, compared with iPhone 4S sales of 16.2 million.
Strong sales of the flagship Galaxy S3- which comes with a large 4.8 inch touchscreen – helped Samsung post a record $7.3 billion operating profit in the July-September quarter.
Apple customers were also believed to be waiting for the release of the iPhone 5, which is expected to propel Apple back to the top spot.
The US presidential election became the most-searched item and Kim Kardashian was the most-searched person on Yahoo in 2012, a year when online searches were dominated by big news stories and pop culture obsessions, the search engine company said on Monday.
The search term “election” topped the list of searches, led not only by extensive media coverage but also widening conversation on online social media platforms.
The term “political polls” was No. 8 of the top 10 searches of the year.
“The 2012 elections dominated the online searches, which is amazing because if something is in the news, it’s already accessible … people were really saturated by it, but even so, that was a key word that people typed throughout the year,” Vera Chan, Yahoo’s web trend analyst, said in a conference call.
Vera Chan said only two other news stories have topped the list in the past decade, those being the death of Michael Jackson in 2009 and the BP oil spill in 2010.
“iPhone 5” came in at No. 2, which Vera Chan said was interesting “in a post-Steve Jobs era” because while Apple Inc’s iPhone has featured regularly in the top searches since the first generation emerged in 2007, this was the first time a specific model had appeared high on the list.
Kim Kardashian was the most-searched person on the website, coming in at No. 3 and leading six famous women in the top 10.
Vera Chan said Kim Kardashian’s “notoriety has kept her at the top”, citing her ongoing divorce saga with ex-husband Kris Humphries, her high-profile relationship with rapper Kanye West and her E! channel reality shows.
Sports Illustrated cover model Kate Upton, British royal Kate Middleton, late singer Whitney Houston, troubled former child star Lindsay Lohan and pop star and former American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez all featured in the top 10 after being in the news prominently throughout the year.
The US presidential election became the most-searched item on Yahoo in 2012
Kate Middleton, who was followed eagerly by fans and critics in her first year as a royal married to Britain’s Prince William and being a staple at the London Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, also garnered the most-searched scandal of the year when a French magazine published photos of her topless.
“Olympics” came in at No. 7 on the list, as many turned to online media to watch and keep tabs on the global sporting event held in London during the summer.
On Yahoo’s separate list of top-searched obsessions, pop culture dominated this year, with The Hunger Games, reality star Honey Boo Boo, erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, British boy band One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit song Call Me Maybe and Korean rapper Psy’s Gangnam Style featuring in the top 10.
Yahoo compiles its annual search lists based on aggregated visitor activity on the network and billions of consumer searches.
Top searches on Yahoo in 2012
- Election
- iPhone 5
- Kim Kardashian
- Kate Upton
- Kate Middleton
- Whitney Houston
- Olympics
- Political polls
- Lindsay Lohan
- Jennifer Lopez
Source: Yahoo
Top memes of 2012
- Kony 2012
- Binders full of women
- Hurricane sandy fake storm photos
- Ridiculously photogenic guy
- Big bird
- Dogshaming
- Stingray photobomb
- Eastwooding
- Eetch a sketch
- Mckayla maroney is not impressed
Samsung has added iPhone 5 to a US patent lawsuit claiming the latest Apple’s handset infringes eight of its technologies.
The disputed innovations include a way to synchronize photos, music and video files across several devices, and a method to capture and send video over the internet.
Samsung had already filed claims against earlier iPhones and iPads.
It coincides with calls from a judge for “major reforms” to US patent law.
Judge Richard Posner, who previously oversaw a legal dispute involving Apple and Google’s Motorola unit, said that protection available to software patents was “excessive”.
Samsung’s legal move is the latest in a long running battle with Apple.
Apple has claimed that the Galaxy device maker copied the look and iOS system software found on its tablets and handsets.
Although several of Apple’s claims have been rejected, it recently scored a major victory when a California-based jury ruled Samsung should pay it over $1 billion in damages.
Samsung has had its own courtroom successes, including a ruling in August that Apple had infringed two of its wireless communication patents in South Korea. It resulted in an order for the iPhone maker to pay 40 million won ($35,000) in damages.
The US lawsuit involving the iPhone 5 dates back to April when a complaint about other devices was filed in the Northern District of California. The case is due to go to trial in March 2014.
It involves two so-called Frand patents – technologies Samsung has an obligation to licence on “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” terms because they are recognized as being essential to data transmission standards. In other words, if Apple agrees to pay what is deemed to be a fair rate then Samsung will be obliged to let it use the technologies.
The other six disputed innovations are feature patents, and in theory Samsung could force Apple’s products off the shelves if it does not remove the functions from the devices.
Patent consultant Florian Mueller listed details of the disputed patents on his blog earlier this year, noting that Samsung owned about 30,000 US patents in total. Several of these include 4G LTE technologies which the Seoul-based company has hinted could be the basis of further lawsuits.
HTC, Motorola, Microsoft, RIM and other tech firms are also involved in ongoing US lawsuits.
Legal experts have expressed concern at some of the tactics being used, including Judge Richard Posner who threw out a case involving Motorola and Apple in June, rebuking both firms.
He has now followed this up with a blog post in which he calls for an overhaul of the law regarding software patents.
“Nowadays most software innovation is incremental, created by teams of software engineers at modest cost, and also ephemeral – most software innovations are quickly superseded,” he wrote.
“Software innovation tends to be piecemeal – not entire devices, but components, so that a software device (a cellphone, a tablet, a laptop, etc) may have tens of thousands of separate components (bits of software code or bits of hardware), each one arguably patentable.
“The result is huge patent thickets, creating rich opportunities for trying to hamstring competitors by suing for infringement – and also for infringing, and then challenging the validity of the patent when the patentee sues you.”
The judge said that 20-year-long patent protection made sense for pharmaceutical drugs which require development costs running to hundreds of millions of dollars, need extensive testing and subsequently remain on the market for decades.
He said such factors did not apply to software, adding that a firm that invented a new technology would benefit from being the first to use it and would also gain a reputation for innovation.
“My general sense… bolstered by an extensive academic literature, is that patent protection is on the whole excessive and that major reforms are necessary,” he wrote.
The tech news site Ars Technica, which was first to report the blog, noted that Judge Posner did not have the power to shape US patent policy, but added that his views were likely to be discussed by policymakers.
Grant Paul, a San Francisco hacker, says he has cracked the new iPhone 5, less than eight hours after its release to the public.
Grant Paul, who develops software for Apple’s iOS operating system, posted photos on his Twitter page of a “jailbroken” iPhone 5.
Apple ships its iPhones and other mobile devices with restrictions that only allow Apple-approved software to be installed.
However, hackers have worked to “jailbreak” all previous versions of the operating system by exploiting security flaws.
Grant Paul, who develops software for Apple's iOS operating system, posted photos on his Twitter page of a jailbroken iPhone 5
Instructions for stable “jailbreaks” are posted online, which allow normal users to free their phones of Apple’s restrictions.
Tech news site The Next Web reports that Grant Paul’s hack of the new phone is remarkably fast.
The iPhone 5 runs on Apple’s new iOS 6 operating system, which does not have the same security flaws as previous versions of the software.
Other hackers have also found cracks to jailbreak older devices running the new operating system.
The development doesn’t mean a hack is available for lay-users – though it does mean one will likely be online much sooner.
Apple fans lined up around the world to have the first chance at buying the iPhone 5 at 8:00 a.m. on Friday.
At 3:49 p.m. on Friday, Grant Paul tweeted a photo of an iPhone 5 screenshot that included Cydia, the app used to download non-Apple-approved software on jailbroken iPhones.
The implication of the photo was that Grant Paul had been able to download Cydia to his iPhone 5 only because he was successfully able to hack it.
He celebrated the remarkable achievement with an understated tweet: “Taller screens like Cydia too. :)”
As skeptics weighed in, Grant Paul posted a screenshot of the Cydia home page and then a photo of his phone with Cydia on it.
The tech community has largely accepted the pictures as proof that the iPhone 5 has successfully been cracked.
Many Apple customers stood in line for hours Friday to get their hands on the shiny new iPhone 5, only to discover nicks and scratches on the smartphones straight out of the box.
Dissatisfied buyers took to message boards dedicated to Apple products, complaining about slight yet pesky scuffs and scrapes near the antenna markers on the side of the device or close to the screen.
According to posts on sites like MacRumors, it appears that most of the problems are limited to the black version of iPhone 5.
“Mine arrived today with small scratches on the right out of the box. Looks like they chipped the anodized coating putting the screen in, and there is a small mark on the lower back too, by the glass section,” wrote MacRumors commenter spr97ajm.
Many iPhone 5 owners discovered nicks and scratches on the smartphones straight out of the box
“I’m not going to worry about it, but it shows the coating is soft, and will chip over time,” he added.
Another forum user Sick z33 said that his black iPhone also came with a “couple of the nicks”.
“Will use the phone til Apple decides to release something regarding the issue,” the smartphone owner concluded.
Longtime Apple fan who goes by the user name msett on MacRumors chimed in: “Super excited that my new iPhone 5 was just delivered about 15 minutes ago. It looks and feels amazing, except however while doing my typical inspection when I get a new product I found a small chip in the back bottom left corner of it.”
Some unhappy iPhone users took to Twitter to air their discontent with the apparent susceptibility of the anodized aluminum case to abrasions.
“Just unboxed my #iPhone5 and found a knick on the top left corner. How dare someone in China accidentally damage my phone before I do!” Peter G. @iheijoushin wrote.
Erica Schoonmaker @_erica also put in her two cents, twitting: “Gasp! There is a teeeeeny tiny scratch on the band of my iPhone 5. And you know what? I don’t even care.”
The popular Apple forum MacRumors also posted an article accompanied by a photo of the black iPhone’s cover covered in scratches.
According to the story, the damage was done intentionally by a user who wanted to test the durability of the anodized aluminum case by rubbing keys and a SIM card trey on the back of a display model at an Apple store.
However, the purported susceptibility of the new iPhone to abrasions was just one cause for complaints among customers.
Many users blasted Apple for swapping out the usually reliable Google Maps software with its own version of mapping technology called IOS 6, which has been plagued by embarrassing glitches, from misnamed cities to missed landmarks
The IOS-gate left the tech giant red in the face, with some critics accusing Apple of prematurely introducing a flawed product to the market.
The site Joy of Tech memorialized the flop by posting a cartoon mocking Apple CEO Tim Cook and the team behind the mapping software.
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From London to New York and to Sydney, fans have camped outside Apple stores as the iPhone 5 went on sale around the world today.
As Apple opened the doors of its stores around the world, staff greeted the first customers with high fives and cheers.
The dozens of die-hard Apple fans had swollen into huge queues of hundreds by the early hours of Friday morning, as excitement reached fever pitch hours before the release of the updated handset.
From London to New York and to Sydney, fans have camped outside Apple stores as the iPhone 5 went on sale around the world
The latest Apple gadget became available from 8:00 a.m., as hundreds were cheered into the brand’s store in Covent Garden, central London.
Apple store workers dressed in blue T-shirts formed a passageway and high-fived customers who had been waiting outside the shop for up to a week.
The phone is already guaranteed to be a best-seller, with the company reporting pre-orders around the world of two million in just 24 hours and many customers not expected to receive theirs until October.
IT businessman Ryan Williams was the first person in the queue and said the atmosphere as he picked up the phone was “crazy”.
Ryan Williams, 22, from Swanley in Kent, had been camping out in Covent Garden for a week with his friend Peter King.
The frontrunners for the gadget had been queuing for days and despite a cold snap last night, said the enjoyed sitting with their mates knowing they are going to make “more than a weeks wages” for their troubles.
In the UK the iPhone 5 went on sale at 8:00 a.m. for between £529 ($830) and £699 ($1,100).
Richard Wheatcroft, 30, owner of crowdfuelledcauses.com, said when they get the phones, they will probably sell them on eBay if they cannot get an offer on their spaces.
While industry experts have suggested that android phones like the Samsung S3 now match the iPhone, Apple fans in the queue at 1:00 a.m. on Friday morning still had faith in the iconic product.
Apple has now unveiled the iPhone 5 in San Francisco.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, talking on the stage in San Francisco and beamed live to London, announced: “We’ve got some really cool stuff to show you, it’s an extraordinary time at Apple.”
The latest version of the iconic smartphone comes with a four-inch screen, an eight-megapixel camera which can take 28-megapixel panoramic shots, and is the thinnest iPhone yet, at just 7.6 mm.
All of which comes, for the first time, in a package made entirely in glass and aluminium.
Apple confirmed iPhone 5, available in black and white, has a four-inch display, – 1136×640 – which is the same width as previous models but taller.
It uses a new display which is 30 per cent thinner that previous handsets.
Phil Schiller, vice president of marketing, said: “It is designed to fit in the hand, and all of our software is being updated to take advantage of this display.”
The handset also has a new chip, the Apple A6, which is twice as fast as previous versions but 22% smaller.
iPhone 5 is expected to be the biggest selling in Apple’s history, with an estimated 8 million set to be sold according to some estimates.
The battle for domination of the mobile market has become increasingly heated recently with Apple’s competitors taking it on with a series of new products.
iPhone 5 will cost the same price as the iPhone 4S, $199 to $399 depending on size
The firm boasted the new handset has eight hours of 3G talk time, and a 225 hour standby time.
It also has an eight megapixel camera with a 3264×2448 sensor, and has improved its performance in low light, and a lens made from sapphire crystal.
The handset also now has a panorama mode to create wide shots.
“The ocean looks bluer, kids look happier,” joked Phil Schiller.
Phil Schiller also confirmed the handset has a controversial new connector.
“The iPhone from its start used the 30 pin connector, and it has served us well. A lot has changed and it is time for the connector to evolve – and out new connector is called Lightning.”
Apple also showed off a connector allowing people to use their existing chargers and accessories.
The handset will use iOS 6, and dumps Google’s maps for Apple’s own.
“We’ve built in free turn by turn directions,” said Scott Forstall of Apple as he demonstrated the new Apple Maps app.
“We use a cinematic camera angle to fly you around corners.”
Apple also showed off a 3D flyover feature allowing people to virtually fly over an area, and showed off the software “flying” over Big Ben in London.
A new app called Passbook also allows people to collect store cards, tickets and other information in a single app.
It can be used to show boarding passes on planes and for entry to concerts and sports games that support the codes.
Users can also share photo albums easily, and Apple’s speech recognition software Siri has been updated to give people sports scores, and even book restaurants.
Facebook has also been integrated into the service, allowing people to update their status via speech.
The handset will cost the same price as the iPhone 4S, $199 to $399 depending on size.
It will begin shipping on September 21st in US, Canada and several other countries, and customers can pre-order from this Friday.
Apple is in the final stages of purchasing a fingerprint security firm – meaning future iPhones are likely to have an extra layer of built-in security.
There are even suggestions that iPhone 5- due to be unveiled on Wednesday – will already have a fingerprint scanner built in, stopping anyone from reading your messages and data without your fingerprint authorization.
If AuthenTec agrees to the $365 million purchase by Apple on October 4, it will be one of the largest sums paid in a takeover by the tech giant.
Other than the purchase of a “flash memory” supplier last year, this is believed to be Apple’s biggest acquisition since the pre-iPod days of 1997, showing how serious Apple is about the technology.
Apple is also unveiling a new service called PassBook, which allows users to store shop coupons, loyalty cards and other items such as airport boarding passes, with the release of iOS6 – the sixth-generation of its iPhone software – this autumn.
Airlines in the U.S., such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Australia will all allow Apple users to store their documents on their phone, meaning a quick swipe will get you to the boarding gates.
Apple is in the final stages of purchasing a fingerprint security firm meaning future iPhones are likely to have an extra layer of built-in security
AuthentTec creates mobile phone security and, according to the merger documents, has already been developing 2D fingerprint sensors for Apple.
The technology could see a fingerprint scanner built behind the screen, requiring your thumbprint to unlock the phone, or it could be a sensor on the back of the device, across which you roll your thumb to allow access.
Technology writer Matt Brian, for the site My Next Web, said: “Will we see fingerprint technology in the new iPhone, or iPad? It seems almost certain.
“Details are scarce but [Apple’s] desire to use the technology and see it developed quickly leads us to speculate that we could see it in just a matter of weeks.”
If Apple comes with NFC, which allows contactless authorization or payments, it could make the iPhone a wallet-replacements, allowing secure payments for small orders.
The technology is similar to that seen on some bank cards.
However, not everyone agreed that the iPhone 5 will come with either finger-print scanners or NFC technology built-in.
Blogger Sonny Dickson, inspecting images of the insides of the iPhone 5, said the internals do not match the rumors.
Previous looks at the internals revealed a mysterious square that seemed an appropriate candidate for an NFC chip.
But Sonny Dickson said the square may simply hold the front-facing FaceTime camera, proximity sensor and a speaker.
He said: “The latest leaked pictures appear to show that there is indeed no NFC chip or fingerprint scanner included in what appears to be the complete front assembly.
“Apple may well be keeping these features under lock and key until their announcement on September 12th.”
He added that an NFC chip and a fingerprint scanner would make “perfect sense”, but added: “Looking at Apple and their incremental iPhone updates it may be too big an update in too short an amount of time.”
Either way, if NFC does not come to the iPhone this time round, it cannot be far away.
AuthenTec executive Art Stewart said recently: “The real sweet spot for today’s smart sensor is the NFC-enabled smartphone, where the smart sensor not only strengthens security but greatly increases the speed and convenience of mobile payment transactions.
“It accomplishes this by reducing multiple steps into one simple user action.”
If the technology does not appear on the iPhone 5, it is likely to appear on the mooted iPad 4 next spring, or in Apple’s annual refresh of the iPhone next autumn.
Apple fans are looking forwards with keen anticipation to the expected launch of the iPhone 5 tonight.
But it is possible Apple might surprise us “one last thing” by the end of tonight’s presentation – an iPad Mini, a shrunken-down, pocket-friendly of the iconic tablet which ushered in the post-PC era.
Now, a leak from Chinese website shows us the potential size of Apple’s new range and – even if all we are looking at is cases – is the first image to show us how an enthusiast’s collection will stack up.
If the Apple Mini does not arrive tonight, a number of leaks and images of prototypes imply the device will be on shelves before Christmas.
Leaked images claim to show how the new iPhone, iPad Mini, and iPad stack up against each other
These images appeared on a Chinese supplier’s website, before being spotted by French website nowhereelse.fr.
Nowhereelse said the images conform to previous leaks about the iPad Mini, and their own mocked-up iPad Mini, based on specifications revealed over the last few months, matched these covers “perfectly”.
The blog website added: “In addition, the location of the holes cut into multiple accessory supposedly designed to protect the iPad Mini correspond perfectly with the positioning of components.”
The Apple Mini is believed to sport an eight-inch screen, making it a shrunken version of the iPad’s ten-inches.
This will allow a higher degree of portability over previous models, and also give Apple the ammunition to compete with Google, which recently brought out a seven-inch range of Nexus tablets.
It is also believed to be a 3G-capable model, meaning you can use data on the go.
While Steve Jobs was famously against smaller iPads, the success of the Nexus and Amazon’s Fire of budget tablets appears to have convinced Apple there is a market for the slim-line device.
Rumors from Apple suppliers suggest the innards of the Mini will be equivalent to an iPad 2, which analysts suggest will be more than enough to power the shrunken device.
The third iPad had a specification increase but also increased slightly in weight due to the demands of the high-definition Retina display.
Tech giant Apple is expected to unveil the latest version of its best-selling iPhone tonight.
The secretive company is hosting a “special event” which typically involves Apple executives unveiling new products to a specially invited audience.
The message included the line “it’s almost here” and also featured a figure 12 with a shadow that appears to be the number 5 – seemingly confirming the company will announce the arrival of the iPhone 5.
It comes a day after the UK’s largest mobile network operator unveiled plans to launch the country’s first superfast 4G products and services in time for Christmas.
Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San Francisco, where later today Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 5
Orange and T-Mobile owner Everything Everywhere, which was renamed today as EE, will make the state-of-the-art technology available to some 20 million people in 16 cities across the UK.
The 4G network – which offers speeds up to five times faster than 3G – will be available on HTC, Samsung, Nokia and Huawei devices, as well as “one more to come”, widely expected to be the Apple product.
The 4G services will allow uninterrupted access to the web on the go, high definition movies to be downloaded in minutes and TV to be streamed without buffering.
The battle for domination of the mobile market has become increasingly heated recently with Apple’s competitors taking it on with a series of new products.
Nokia and Microsoft recently joined forces to launch two new phones which will run on the Windows operating system.
The Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820 are the Finnish company’s attempt to claw back lost ground since it lost its position as the world’s biggest phonemaker to Samsung.
Online retailer Amazon recently unveiled new models of its Kindle Fire tablets, and are seen as rivals to Apple’s best-selling iPad.
It is around a year since Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S complete with voice recognition software and an A5 chip allowing it to use much faster graphics for gameplay and to download data twice as fast.
Apple is ready to unveil the new iPhone 5 to the world in San Francisco today.
Meanwhile a video, which was purportedly filmed in an Apple factory, with the user taking great care to hide any serial numbers which might identify where the phone comes from, emerged to the public.
The video shows off the iPhone’s larger display, and the dock port which has caused much consternation for Apple fans who own accessories and cables which will not fit the new model.
The latest video has already had four million views on YouTube since it appeared on Asian website vgooo.com.
The video shows off the iPhone's larger display, and the dock port which has caused much consternation for Apple fans who own accessories and cables which will not fit the new model
While these leaks should always be taken with a pinch of salt, it follows the design pattern for the iPhone 5 which has been rumored for months.
In the video, the new handset’s controversial connector can be clearly seen, along with the larger 4 inch screen.
The user went no further than the “connect to iTunes” messages on the screen, perhaps in fear of being tracked and discovered with an unauthorized model.
The video follows a leak last week which also claimed to show an iPhone 5 next to an iPhone 4S, which was posted by an anonymous user to YouTube.
Meanwhile, a Taiwanese pop star casually shared photographs of his brand new “iPhone 5” with his 13.5 million followers on Weibo, the Chinese micro-blogging equivalent of Twitter.
“Today I confirmed that the iPhone 5 will be longer and have an aluminum back like the iPad,” Jimmy Lin wrote, sharing that the new Apple phone will indeed have a smaller USB connector, much to many’s chagrin.
Though information has been known to leak about Apple’s secretive phone updates, many have dismissed Jimmy Lin’s new toy as just another knock off.
After Jimmy Lin shared several photographs of his new device, it was shared more than 80,000 times across the web, according to The Next Web.
“While it has a four-inch screen, it’s thinner, though it feels about the same in the hand,” he said.
“The headphone jack has also been moved to the bottom.”
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Apple fans aren’t the only people chomping at the bit for the new iPhone to be released but now American economists are excited about the expected unveiling of the latest version because they think it will boost the US economy.
The next generation iPhone 5, which Apple plans to release on Wednesday, could not only boost the tech giant’s bottom line but could give a significant boost to the overall US economy.
Sales of the iPhone 5 could add between a quarter and a half percentage point to fourth quarter annualized growth in the US, according to J.P. Morgan’s chief economist, Michael Feroli in a note to clients on Monday.
Such an impact would be significant.
The next generation iPhone 5 could not only boost Apple's bottom line but could give a significant boost to the overall US economy
“Calculated using the so-called retail control method, sales of iPhone 5 could boost annualized GDP growth by $3.2 billion, or $12.8 billion at an annual rate,” Michael Feroli wrote.
That 0.33 percentage-point boost, he added, “would limit the downside risk to our Q4 GDP growth protection, which remains 2.0 percent”.
Michael Feroli laid out his math. J.P. Morgan’s analysts expect Apple to sell around 8 million iPhone 5s in the fourth quarter. They expect the sales price to be about $600.
With about $200 in discounted import component costs, the government can factor in $400 per phone into its measure of gross domestic product for the fourth quarter.
Michael Feroli said the estimate of between a quarter to a half point of annualized GDP “seems fairly large, and for that reason should be treated skeptically”.
But, he added, “we think the recent evidence is consistent with this projection”.
Michael Feroli said that when the last iPhone was launched in October 2011, sales significantly outperformed expectations.
“Given the iPhone 5 launch is expected to be much larger, we think the estimate mentioned … is reasonable,” Michael Feroli wrote.
According to a recent Reuters poll of Wall Street dealers and economists, US GDP was seen at 2.0% on average in 2013, down slightly from estimates this summer.
The first pictures of the flex cable components for Apple’s iPad Mini and iPhone 5 incorporating the new smaller dock connector have emerged.
The photograph, shared by French tech website nowhereelse.fr, shows two components, one of which is said to be similar to another apparently leaked picture of a part of the new iPhone.
As well as the new dock connector, the part also seems to take in the headphone jack and the home button connector for the hotly awaited devices.
In an attempt to ascertain the credibility of the leak, the French website asked Kyle Wiens of iFixit to give his opinion on the picture’s authenticity.
He confirmed that the component is indeed consistent with other Apple parts, but added that he wasn’t 100% certain that it was authentic.
The first pictures of the flex cable components for Apple's iPad Mini and iPhone 5 incorporating the new smaller dock connector have emerged
One detail that has troubled Apple observers is that the headphone jack on the pictured component is located directly next to the dock connector.
Macrumours.com points out that so far case leaks, design drawings and physical mockups of Apple’s forthcoming devices have all so far suggested the headphone jack on the iPad Mini will by found along the top edge – as it is on the full-size iPad.
There was a public outcry when it was revealed that the next iPhone would get a new docking port connector.
The newer, slimline port means that thousands of current Apple accessories will need a potentially clunky adapter to work with the “iPhone 5” – or their devices will become unusable.
Leaks from the website iMore, which has strong sources “close to Apple”, earlier this month suggested the entire next generation of iDevices, including the iPod Nano, iPod Touch, iPad Mini and future versions of the iPad, will use the new port.
The site believes a special connector will be released to connect older accessories – such as docking stations and speakers – to newer versions of the range.
Many fans were left angry after images allegedly showing the iPhone 5’s new design leaked out, showing the traditional 30-pin dock connector – used for charging, syncing files and pumping audio to hi-fis – had been re-designed into a smaller shape.
The new port looks similar to micro USB, the standard supported by all other phone manufacturers – however it is very unlikely that Apple will support this standard, despite moves by the EU to get all phone companies to rally around one type of cable.
Apple’s version has a triangle-shaped wedge at one end, which should stop users plugging in the cable the wrong way round.
Mac fans may spot a superficial similarity to a Firewire port, which is used to transfer raw video footage and larger files at high speed.
The new port means older accessories will be rendered redundant unless adapters are released to make them compatible again – which is likely to be an ungainly solution, and may be impossible for some docks.
The “nano-SIM” slot, containing the SIM card which connects a phone to the carrier network, has also been redesigned to be thinner, although this will be unlikely to cause much disruption to users as networks will provide replacements SIMs if necessary.
There are also rumors, reported on iMore, that the iPad 3, which was released in the Spring, will get a slight tweak this Autumn to brink the dock connector in-line with the rest of the range.
Established Apple site 9to5Mac revealed a leaked image of what is claimed to be the iPhone 5, and the site, which has a good record for reporting accurate leaks from Apple, has a plethora of details about the new model.
For the first time, the iPhone shakes off the 3.5inch screen-size, bowing to the latest generation of Android smartphones, which over the course of the last two years have shifted the typical screen from three-to up to four or even five inches.
With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference due in San Fransisco on Monday, June 11, iPhone fans are hoping to get either a glimpse or a confirmed release date in just a few weeks.
9to5Mac estimates the new screen size at a very specific 3.999inches, with a resolution of 1136×640, giving the screen the “Retina”-like feel of the new iPad.
There appears to be a choice of colors – a black model and a white model – as has been the case with the last few models of iPhone.
Other hints given away by the photo – and more are available at 9to5Mac – are that Apple has redesigned the dock connector to be smaller.
Established Apple site 9to5Mac revealed a leaked image of what is claimed to be the iPhone 5
This may end up making older accessories – from charger cables to speaker docks – incompatible, but there will likely be adapters released to ensure older accessories still work.
Speaking of compatibility, developers may need to update their apps to take advantage of the larger size, or there may be a situation similar to when the first iPad was launched, when iPhone apps would appear with a big black border around the age.
The iPhone 4S was released in October last year, and Apple is expected to follow suit with an Autumn launch this year – although, as ever, the company is staying notoriously tight-lipped.
Following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs last year, new CEO Tim Cook will lead the WDC conference this year, to the gathered developers about the future of Apple, upcoming products and changes to both Mac software software and iOS, the mobile version of Apple’s operating system.
Two weeks ago Apple registered the iPhone5.com domain name, amid rumors that the next model is the final model approved by Steve Jobs.
Bloomberg cited a source “with knowledge of the plans” surrounding the new iPhone who claimed that Steve Jobs played a key role in the development of the device, even while on medical leave from his company.
A shakeup in the design of a larger-screen iPhone could go a long way in boosting its “wow” factor, convincing fans to trade in their old iPhones for new ones, said Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee.
“Not only do users pay for features, but they also pay for aesthetics and design.
“That’s as important, or more important, than features,” Shaw Wu said.
“People love the current design – but it’s 18 months old.”
With the release of Android devices such as the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S3, packing quad-core processors and almost five-inch screens, the impetus lies with Apple to innovate and revolutionize the market once more.
According to reliable sources in Korea, iPhone 5 will have a much bigger 4.6-inch screen and will launch this summer.
The leak, reported in the Maeil Business Newspaper in Korea, would make the new iPhone the same size as its cult Android rival the Galaxy S2.
Korean sources are often reliable indicators of the likely form – and date – for upcoming devices, as Korean plants supply screens and processors for many hi-tech companies, including Apple.
Apple has decided on the bigger 4.6-inch display for its next iPhone and started placing orders to its suppliers, the Maeil Business Newspaper said, quoting an unnamed industry source.
iPhone 5 will have a much bigger screen than iPhone 4S
Its major display suppliers LG Display and Samsung Electronics Co. declined to comment.
Sales of the iPhone, first introduced in 2007 with the touch screen template now adopted by its rivals, account for around half Apple’s total sales.
Samsung, which is also the biggest challenger to Apple in smartphones, uses 4.6-inch OLED display for its flagship Galaxy S II smartphone, introduced in April last year.
The high-definition “Retina” display – containing several times as many pixels within the same area – is used in the latest iPad released earlier this month.
The latest iPhone 4S was introduced in October 2011.
While iPhone 4S is basically a remodel of 2010 iPhone 4, it is claimed that next year’s iPhone 5 will be radically redrawn and will have a bigger screen (4 in), against Steve Jobs wishes.
According to website iLounge, sources within Apple who say that the late CEO’s Steve Jobs refusal to upgrade to a bigger screen is going to be the first thing to go – the new iPhone 5 will have a four-inch screen, putting it on a par with many Android rivals.
“Our most reliable source has spoken: expect body changes for the next iPhone,” said iLounge.
“Our source says that the next-generation iPhone will not look like the teardrop-shaped version that was widely rumored for release in 2011.
“We’ve been told that the device will have a 4-inch display and will be 8mm longer than before, with a metal casing (probably aluminum).
“It is on track to be introduced in summer of 2012, and is still in the engineering phase, not early production. We suspect that poor battery life doomed the prior prototype version.”
iLounge says thet the new version is being built to cope with the increased battery drain of an LTE aerial – ie 4G.
Sources within Apple who say that the Steve Jobs refusal to upgrade to a bigger screen is going to be the first thing to go - the new iPhone 5 will have a four-inch screen, putting it on a par with many Android rivals
According to an industry source, speaking to businessinsider.com, the iPhone 5 was real and was only scrapped months before the iPhone 4S was announced.
Apple engineers known to the source believed just three months before the iPhone 4S was released that a new fully re-designed iPhone would be Apple’s next big announcement.
It is also believed that Steve Jobs – who was known for having a temper – was unhappy with the phone’s bigger screen because it “fragmented” iPhones.
There were also problems with its battery life – possibly due to the high drain of the 4G LTE aerial.
The source claims to have spent about two weeks with one prototype version of the new phone, which was much flatter than the current version.
Prototype’ screen was four inches diagonal, making it bigger than the current iPhone.
It is also believed that it was supposed to have a 10 megapixel lens and, like the iPad2, the new phones were supposed to have aluminum backs.
The source claims that the iPhone 5 was going to have a nicer screen with better colours and told the magazine that the home button of the prototype was not a physical press button.
“You could touch it and hold it and physically reboot the device,” the source said.
And the new phone did have a personal assistant, but unlike being called Siri – as it is on the iPhone 4S – it was simply called “Assistant”.
Despite the disappointment felt by some fans, they may not have long to wait for the iPhone 5, because it is widely believed that it will be released in 2012.
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