Tag: apple

Apple Starts Rolling Out Fixes For Maps On iOS 6

Credit : AppleInsider

Apple is trying to fix the problems that are dogging the new Apple Maps app by rolling out fixes. Apple launched its iPhone 5 on Sept. 12, which packed the latest iOS 6. Google Maps have been a standard feature on the iPhone since it debuted in 2007. However, Apple decided to discontinue Google Maps and introduce its own mapping service in the iOS 6.

Since the launch of iOS 6, users have reported problems with the new maps app, which lacks detailing and omits public transit directions. Moreover, Apple’s highly-touted 3D flyover feature has also received criticism as the feature displayed comically distorted images that look like major landmarks, and some structures even appeared to have been destroyed.

Several reports suggest that Apple’s quickly correcting some of its botched 3D Flyover views including the now-famous invisible Statue of Liberty. MacRumors says that imagery improvements have been reported in Honolulu, Hawaii; San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles; New York City and London. Additional 3D buildings in vector mode are also popping up. The Apple rumors website also states that users who don’t see the immediate changes will see them in the near future as “aggressive caching” is holding the roll out from hitting everyone.

Apple is reportedly prepping a program that will train retail staff employees to help report errors in cities where Apple Stores are located.

October 7, 2012
Steve Jobs’ High School Girlfriend To Pen New Memoir

Chrisann Brennan was one of Steve Jobs’s first serious loves, his high school girlfriend and the mother of his daughter Lisa. Now Ms. Brennan will tell the story of her relationship with Mr. Jobs, the Apple co-founder who died in 2011, in a new memoir to be published next year. St. Martin’s Press, part of Macmillan, said on Thursday it had acquired the rights to an untitled memoir by Ms. Brennan, who is now a painter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[quote]After meeting him at Homestead High School in Cupertino, Calif., Ms. Brennan later lived with Mr. Jobs in a cabin, meditated with him and attended lectures. “At 17, Steve had more than a touch of the cool sophistication of a Beat poet,” Ms. Brennan wrote in an article in Rolling Stone after his death. While in her early 20s, she became pregnant and gave birth to their daughter, who is known as Lisa Brennan-Jobs. Mr. Jobs initially denied paternity of his daughter but later developed a closer relationship with her.[/quote]

St. Martin’s said Ms. Brennan’s memoir would cover a range of subjects, including her relationship with Jobs, the founding of Apple and “Jobs’s enormous appeal, energy and drive as well as his developing ambition and ruthlessness in business and personal dealings.”

[NYTimes]

October 7, 2012
$12,405 Steve Jobs Tribute MacBook Pros To Be Auctioned

Uncover has announced that it will auction off three Steve Jobs tribute MacBook Pro Laptops. The laptops feature the design originally created by a Hong Kong artist that features the silhouette of Steve Jobs superimposed onto the bitten Apple logo.

“A year ago the world lost a force of nature in technology. Steve Jobs’ willpower, creative vision and business instincts disrupted no less than 9 different industries and inspired us all to try and achieve insanely great things,” said Uncover in a written statement. “In his honour we have crafted three MacBook Pro Retina’s, based on the design by Hong Kong-based artist Jonathan Mak. We’ve meticulously cut the silhouette of Jobs from the edges of the Apple logo and filled it up again with the highest quality epoxy. And each has the beautiful but lesser known ‘You can change things’ quote by Steve Jobs laser-tattooed on the bottom, as a covert mantra for inspiration.”

What will these three limited edition laptops be used for? Well, they will actually go to auction with a minimum bid of €9500 (that’s $12,405 USD) each, and the bidding will be going on until Monday night at Midnight ET (Monday at 9 p.m. PT). Although the price is outrageous and not justifiable by most, at least the proceeds from the sale will go to two different charities.

Each of the Retina-equipped tribute MacBook Pro laptops contains the best specifications currently available, including a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and a 750GB SSD.

October 6, 2012
Samsung expects a operating profit of US $ 7.28 Billion this Quarter

Samsung has let the details out ahead of its earnings call for Q3 results. It’s expecting a fourth straight record quarter with overall operating profits of 8.1 trillion won ($7.28 billion), Almost double of what the company made at the same time last year.

Earnings at the mobile-phone business surged 93 percent in the quarter with the May debut of the Galaxy S III and the Note, according to a Bloomberg News survey of six analysts, helping mask a slump in profit from selling computer-memory chips. TV sales also helped Asia’s biggest consumer-electronicscompany, which lost a California patent trial in August to rival and key customer Apple.

[quote]“Smartphone sales were very solid,” Kim Young Chan, a Seoul-based analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp., said by phone today. “Smartphone shipments have increased significantly, easing concerns about marketing spending eating into profit.”[/quote]

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Samsung Electronics Announces Earnings Guidance for Third Quarter 2012
Consolidated revenues estimated at 52 trillion Korean won
Operating profit at 8.1 trillion won

SEOUL, Korea – October 5, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced its earnings guidance for the third quarter, 2012.

Consolidated Sales : Approximately 52 trillion Korean won
(Range: 51 – 53 trillion Korean won)

Consolidated Operating Profit : Approximately 8.1 trillion Won
(Range: 7.9 – 8.3 trillion Korean won)

The above figures are consolidated earnings estimates based on K-IFRS

? ’12 2Q and ’11 3Q consolidated figures based on K-IFRS are as follows

(in trillion won)
’12 .2Q
‘11.3Q
Sales
47.60
41.27
Operating profit
6.72
4.25

Disclosure regulations in South Korea do not allow earnings guidance to be provided as a range, therefore the official disclosure was made based on the median value as stated above.

The guidance is provided ahead of the full announcement of quarterly earnings results for the convenience of investors and media, before our external audit on the financial results of our headquarters, subsidiaries and affiliates is completed. Therefore, the above estimate may differ from the actual results.

The full earnings for the third quarter will be disclosed following the Board of Directors’ approval of the financial statements and quarterly reports.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2011 consolidated sales of US$143.1 billion. Employing approximately 206,000 people in 197 offices across 72 countries, the company operates two separate organizations to coordinate its nine independent business units: Digital Media & Communications, comprising Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, and Digital Imaging; and Device Solutions, consisting of Memory, System LSI and LED. Recognized for its industry-leading performance across a range of economic, environmental and social criteria, Samsung Electronics was named the world’s most sustainable technology company in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

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October 5, 2012
The iPad Mini might be the most gorgeous 7 inch form tablet to date

The iPad mini leaks are starting to bomb the circuit. The new anodized Aluminum design is certainly eye-catching. Gizmodo reader Martin Hajek has produced some high-quality renders of the device that show off what its black anodized aluminum casing will look like. The pictures sent to Gizmodo not only show off the tablet’s casing but also showcase the device’s rumored 7.85-inch display that features thinner side bezels when compared to the iPad.

The color options make us drool check them out.

October 5, 2012
Google Maps Street View Web App Launching Tomorrow, Will Work On iPhone, iPad

Google will add its popular Street View feature to the Google Maps web app, accessible on iOS devices, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper said the feature will be rolled out on Thursday, and tech correspondent Walt Mossberg has already tested the new version of the browser-based service.

Google has been apparently working on adding this integration to the HTML5-based app since the launch of iOS 6, and the feature will be compatible on the iPhone and iPad through Mobile Safari. The addition is a precursor to what most pundits believe is a push to add a dedicated Google Maps app to iOS, like Google just did with YouTube.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said in September that no standalone mapping app has been submitted to Apple’s App Store, and declined to elaborate on the company’s future plans regarding and iOS version of Google Maps. Such an app is believed to be in the works, however, as Google wants to keep a strong presence on Apple’s mobile platform, evidenced in the recent introduction of a standalone YouTube app.

October 4, 2012
60% Of iPhone Users Running iOS 6

A new study says most iPhone users have updated to iOS 6, Apple’s latest operating system, despite a number of flaws that have plagued its launch.

After only two weeks on the market, iOS 6 is running on over 60% of iPhones, 15% more than on iPads. Chitika, an ad network and analytics firm, put together the study.

Apple is known for having fast adoption rates for its operating systems, but it wouldn’t have been surprising if iOS 6 bucked that trend after suffering from a plethora of problems that have embarrassed the Cupertino tech company since its launched.

iPhone users are adopting iOS 6 faster than iPad or iPod Touch users, likely because most iPhones support the upgrade, whereas the iPad 1 and iPod Touches before the 4th generation won’t be updated past iOS 4 or iOS 5.

In particular, the iPad 1, due to its limited 256MB of RAM, was not able to update past iOS 5.1, leaving many owners angry that their first-generation product is now obsolete. While most apps will still run fine for another generation or so on iOS 5, many developers will begin enforcing iOS 6 in the coming months.

October 4, 2012
Apple Slashes iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 Prices

Apple has announced a cut in prices of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models. According to an Apple spokesperson, the iPhone 4S 16GB model is now available for Rs 41,400, a reduction of Rs 3,100 from its earlier price of Rs 44,500.

The big news for Apple enthusiasts is that the company has slashed the price of the iPhone 4 (8GB) by Rs 9,600. The phone, which was earlier available for Rs 37,900 is now available for Rs 28,300. Further, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 3GS.

No exact date given, although word on the street is that the iPhone 5 will be launched just ahead of diwali, with the 16GB version costing around INR 45,000. Previously there were reports that Airtel, Vodafone and Aircel have placed orders for Nano-SIM cards which are used in the iPhone 5.

October 3, 2012
WSJ : Apple Begins Production of iPad Mini

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has started mass producing “a new tablet computer smaller than the current iPad.” It’s heavily rumoured for months now that Apple will be launching the “iPad mini” and have it come with a display sized 7.85-inches – this is to compete agains all the other smaller tablets on the market, such as the Nexus 7, BlackBerry PlayBook, Samsung Tab, and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

It’s been rumored for weeks that Apple is planning to unveil an iPad Mini in October. In August, schematics of the new device were bouncing around the tech blogs. The new smaller iPad will be priced at around $250-$300 (£156-£187 respectively), T3.com reported, citing Chinese sources.

During an Apple’s earnings call in October 2010, the company’s late co-founder Steve Jobs once famously dissed mid-sized slates.

[quote]“The 10in screen size is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps. 7in tablets are tweeners: too big to compete with a smartphone, and too small to compete with an iPad,” Jobs said. These are among the reasons that the current crop of 7-inch tablets are going to be DOA — dead on arrival,” [/quote]

October 3, 2012
iPhone 5 Launch in India confirmed for End October, Prices add shock value!

Apple India is working hard to bring the iPhone 5 to India end October 2012. The iPhone 5 will be announced in India around the 28th/29th of October and will be available soon after. In the meanwhile carriers including Vodafone, Reliance, Aircel and Airtel have all ordered nano SIMs (the iPhone 5 uses nano SIM which is smaller and thinner than a micro SIM).

The pricing on the iPhone 5 seems off, where the iPhone 4s came into market for a price of Rs 44,500, the iPhone 5 is expected to launch for a price upwards of Rs. 46500 for the 16Gb variant. The price difference between capacity variants is also massive, where the iPhone 4s had an increment of Rs 5500 for the 32GB version, the iPhone 5 32GB will be approximately Rs 8000 more.

iPhone 5 will truly be the most expensive consumer smartphone in India. Those travelling abroad will prefer buying an importing the iPhone 5 since the price difference will be almost Rs 10,000 less compared to the Indian version.

October 3, 2012
Report: iPad Mini Oct 10th invites will go out next week!

According to a major Apple investor known to Fortune magazine, the invites for the iPad Mini event will go out next week. It has long been rumored that Apple will launch a smaller 7 inch version of the iPad, possibly in 16:9 aspect ratio.

Several mockups and case designs have leaked over time and it seem that the iPad is indeed coming. The most probable reason for the time of launch could be the upcoming Holiday season which will truly drive numbers through the roof.

October 2, 2012
Foxconn Plant Closed After Riot

Image Courtesy : Engadget

About 2,000 Chinese employees of an iPhone assembly company fought a pitched battle into the early hours of Monday, forcing the huge electronics plant where they work to be shut down. Authorities in the northern city of Taiyuan sent 5,000 police to restore order after what the plant’s Taiwanese owners Foxconn Technology Group said was a personal dispute in a dormitory that erupted into a mass brawl.

The company said the incident was confined to an employee dormitory and “no production facilities or equipment have been affected.” It said the cause of the disturbance was still under investigation.

One Foxconn employee reached by telephone Monday afternoon, however, said the incident began when workers started brawling with security guards. Unconfirmed photographs and video circulated on social networking sites, purporting to be from the factory, showed smashed windows, riot police officers and large groups of workers milling around. The Foxconn plant, in the Chinese city of Taiyuan, employs about 79,000 workers.

The Chinese state-run news media said 5,000 police officers had been called in to quell the riot. The disturbance is the latest problem to hit Foxconn, which also is a key supplier to Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft. It is part of Hon Hai Group of Taiwan and has been struggling to improve labor conditions at its China factories after reports about labor abuse and work safety violations.

Apple and Foxconn have worked together in the last year to improve conditions, raise pay and improve labor standards.

September 24, 2012
Apple sells 5m iPhone 5’s in first three days

Apple has said that it’s sold more than 5 million new iPhone 5s in the three days since the latest smartphone was launched.

It said orders for the phone exceeded the initial supply it had available, something confirmed by several carriers and stores, which reported selling out over the weekend. The iPhone 5 went on sale Friday in the U.S., Australia and elsewhere.

[quote]“Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date.”[/quote]

That device was seen as a smaller technological step forward compared to the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 also had a bigger launch, going on sale in two more countries than its predecessor.

The company has aggressive rollout plans for the newest iPhone. Nine countries are now selling the iPhone 5, and that will grow to more than 100 by the end of the year.

Apple says it has shipped most of the phones that were ordered in advance. But it plans to ship many of them in October.

Check out the Press Release below :

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Apple today announced it has sold over five million of its new iPhone 5, just three days after its launch on September 21, and more than 100 million iOS devices have been updated with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. iPhone 5 is available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK, and will be available in 22 more countries on September 28 and more than 100 countries by the end of the year. Demand for iPhone 5 exceeded the initial supply and while the majority of pre-orders have been shipped to customers, many are scheduled to be shipped in October.

“Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.”

iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology*—all while delivering even better battery life.**

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 5 comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and is available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 is available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, select Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Walmart stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 4S is also available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 4 is available for free with a two-year contract.***

iPhone 5 will be available on September 28 in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

* LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.
** Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
*** Qualified customers only. Requires a new two year rate plan, sold separately.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices

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September 24, 2012
iPhone 5 Teardown : Apple Impresses With Higher Repairability, Bigger Battery

It’s barely hours since the iPhone 5went on sale and iFixit has already completed its now-traditional teardown to reveal the handset’s juicy innards.

The site awarded the new iPhone a repairability score of 7 out of 10, reporting that the easily smashable glass screen is also easily replaceable (it takes just one step to get the iPhone 5’s screen off, compared to 38 repair steps on the iPhone 4S).

Aside from the space saving aspect of the new in-cell technology, Apple will cut down on phone replacements this way, potentially saving millions of dollars.

iFixit have also uncovered a new higher capacity battery, made with a new manufacturing process. The 1440mAh cell is rated for 3.8V, making for 5.45Wh of total uptime. As most reviews have already found the battery life is significantly better, even over LTE.

Also something to note, Apple has notably lessened its reliance on Samsung DDR2 RAM; many of the new models come with parts from Elpida, which is expected to send nearly half its output to Apple this year.

September 21, 2012
New Samsung Ad Makes Fun of iPhone 5

Samsung is poking fun at Apple fans and the upcoming Iphone 5 in an advert designed to make us realise that its Galaxy S3 is the best handset around.

The advert shows a bunch of young trendies queueing outside an Apple store and talking excitedly about the incoming phone.

“All I’m saying is they should have a priority line for people who’ve waited five times,” one guy says at the start of the 90-second ad.

While the iPhone is never referred to by name, many of its specs are mentioned. “You have to have an adapter to use the dock on the new one,” one guy in the line says rather forlornly. “Yeah, but they make the coolest adapters,” says another.

Then a group of Galaxy S3 owners enter the area and talk about the features of the phone, causing curiosity among those standing in line.

The advertisement comes at a time when Samsung is still recovering from the major legal blow it suffered in its patent war with Apple last month.

Check out the advertisement below!

September 20, 2012