Next Apple iPhone (Verizon model) hits “AP” field test stage, iPhone 5 hits “EVT” stage?
One of our solid Apple sources has just let us know some pretty interesting (and exciting) information surrounding Apple’s upcoming iPhone devices. For starters, we have been told that iPhone model 3,2 — what everyone is assuming to be the Verizon (or at least CDMA-compatible) phone — just hit the “AP” testing stage. This is the very last stage before retail release; final hardware, almost final software. Here is the odd thing, though… the iPhone 3,2 unit, we have been exclusively told, contains a SIM card slot. This is interesting for a multitude of reasons, and presents several different scenarios:
- The iPhone 3,2 could be the mythical CDMA + GSM/HSPA device that would support Verizon, AT&T, and the other current worldwide iPhone 4 carriers frequencies. The mid-cycle refresh would bring an updated antenna design for the current iPhone 4 and bring CDMA-compatibility; essentially, Verizon Wireless subscribers would have the same device as AT&T subscribers.
- The iPhone 3,2 could be a CDMA-capable iPhone that houses a SIM card for global roaming capabilities; though that certainly seems more complicated than just having one single glove that would fit both hands.
- One last possibility that the iPhone model 3,2 would simply be a slightly different design that doesn’t suffer from the same antenna attenuation as the current model; though that would be a little disappointing.
As far as the next generation iPhone 5, our source has also indicated to us that device has hit the “EVT” stage in the development cycle. The “EVT” stage is the engineering verification test phase, before the “DVT” phase.
White iPhone 4 spotted in New York
Tonight at an NYC tech event I spotted one of the rarest and most sought after handsets ever: the white iPhone 4. It was in use, not under glass or held by a high ranking Apple official.
The fabled device was in the hands of a person who wasn’t an Apple employee but was able to call in a favor from one. Apparently the white iPhone 4 was (or is) available on the Apple campus.
It was mentioned that the reason the phone never reached mass production was because two different manufacturers produced the plastic button and glass front/back plates. The problem reportedly had to do with keeping the color consistent when using different materials and suppliers. Matching the shade and translucency of the white must have been enough of a challenge that Apple’s quality control never approved the phone for a wide release.
Apple: Mac OS X 10.7 Lion coming 20 October?
Apple has been sending invites out for an event on 20 October.
So, what has the Cupertino contingent been cooking up over at Infinite Loop that it wants to show off to the world?
A 7-inch iPad? A Verizon iPhone? A touchscreen iMac?
The answer is probably “none of the above” at the invite hints at a Mac-event, and the lion looming at the side of the Apple logo could be a clue.
Chances are that the event could be in aid of the latest Mac OS X incumbent – 10.7. And chances are Apple is going to be continuing the big cat theme with something lion-related.
It’s only been just over a year since Snow Leopard hit the shops, but Apple often announces its new platforms a while before they go live.
So, expect Mac OS X 10.7 Lion to be announced on 20 October.
Microsoft announces Windows Phone 7 sync software for Macs due this year
Even though we kind of saw this coming, it’s still nice to hear. Microsoft has gone and done the (nearly) unthinkable, announcing this evening plans for a Mac compatible sync client for its soon-to-be-launched Windows Phone 7 devices. According to a statement from the company issued late in the day, beginning some time “later in 2010” Mac users will be able to live the dream along with their PC counterparts by downloading a beta OS X application which will allow you to sync “select content” from a Mac of their choosing to a Windows Phone. The company was short on details, but hopefully we can pry more info out the big M in the coming days. For now, we can all bask in the shocking open-mindedness of this news, and give the folks in Redmond a golf clap for finally acknowledging that yes, some Mac owners may actually want to get in on the Windows Phone party. As for Hell, there haven’t been any reports of recent temperature changes, but we’ll keep you posted as we get more information. For your perusal, the full statement:
Later in 2010 Microsoft will make a public beta available of a tool that allows Windows Phone 7 to sync select content with Mac computers.
iOS 4.2 beta 3 released
People familiar with the latest iOS beta said it is known as build 8C5115c.
The beta contains several significant changes, including an updated version of the modem firmware. Noticeably missing from the beta were AirPlay features from previous builds. The AirPlay button has disappeared from the Photos, Videos, and YouTube apps on the distribution for the iPad.
Developers have noticed a bug with the AirPrint functionality. When printing from an iPhone, the image sometimes prints as just the size of the iPhone’s screen, not the original image size.
The beta also packs a number of smaller additions. According to fscklog, the new beta adds “a larger number” of tones for receiving text messages on the iPhone 4. The 17 new SMS ringtones include tones such as “Calypso,” “Choo Choo,” “Sherwood Forest,” and “Tiptoes.”
In a minor change to the iPad, the Connect to iTunes recovery screen now uses the controversial new iTunes 10 icon.
The iTunes 10.1 beta released alongside the iOS 4.2 beta continues to support printing.
Limera1n released to Jailbreak iOS 4.1 on iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad, iPod touch 4G
Very good and exciting news!!Geohot has just released the Limera1n to jailbreak iOS 4.1 for all iDevices. Limra1n is an untethered jailbreaking tool for windows. Limera1n is very easy to use similar to Geohot’s blackra1n jailbreak. It can be used to jailbreak iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 4G / 3G , untethered running iOS 4.1 and Pad on iOS 3.2.2.
Download Limera1n for Windows
Apple iPad 2 new features
Taiwanese component suppliers have reportedly informed a Wall Street analyst that the upcoming product overhaul to Apple’s market leading iPad tablet device will add a high-resolution 7-inch Retina Display, at least one camera and a storage capacity increased to 128GB.
Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities has claimed that sources close to Apple have informed him that the revamped iPad, expected to follow Apple’s annual product cycles and launch during the first quarter of 2011, will be replacing the current 9.7-inch model adding a “micro of mini USB” port in the process.
White, who predicts the new iPad could sell in excess of 45 million units during 2011, made no reference to an updated large screen iPad unlike recent reports from Goldman Sachs who declared that Apple was preparing two variably sized iPads for launch next year. White, who made reference to the inclusion of a camera on the next-generation Apple tablet failed to mention if the iPad 2 will feature the fruity tech company’s FaceTime video calling technologies as suggested by a spate of recent rumours.
Whilst the addition of increased storage, camera, USB port and Apple’s stunning Retina display would appease many of the company’s tablet users, the potential loss of the device’s 9.7-inch screen would disappoint many and leave the iPad 2 lined up to compete directly against the likes of the recently announced Samsung GalaxyTab, due for launch on November 1st.
New iPhone coming early 2011
A new iPhone is coming at the start of 2011, if reports are to be believed, bringing some new tech on board.
But, to the disappointment of fanboys everywhere, this doesn’t mean an early arrival for the iPhone 5, but a CDMA enabled device to work on the Verizon network.
Ever since the first iPhone was released back in 2007, AT&T has held the exclusive rights to Apple’s phones with the US.
But, all that is set to change with Cupertino Computers’ exclusivity agreement with the network set to end.
Verizon is the biggest network in the States and, with analysts predicting that 40 million iPhones could be sold this year, the move will shore up Apple’s armoury and help in the ongoing battle with Google’s Android OS powered phones.
Verizon’s president Lowell McAdam said recently: “At some point our business interests are going to align,” referring to Apple. “I fully expect it.”
We fully expect it as well, and we fully expect there to be no death-grip issues with the updated device. Apple has already had its fingers badly burnt with that problem and will surely be taking extra precautions this time around.
Apple iMac i3 2010 review
Every year we run into the same problem: what do you call the update to Apple’s latest device? This is always going to be the case when you keep the name, but change the design and specs of a device. So here we have the Apple iMac 21.5-inch, announced in July 2010, and equipped with the Intel Core i3 3.06GHz processor.
This is currently the cheapest iMac that Apple makes: it’s the entry point for its all-in-one computer at £999. The all-in-one market is rather fragmented, with many manufacturers on the Windows side of things producing low-spec cheap AIOs, as well as a variety of touch and non-touch. The iMac is not touch, but it is powerful: with the Intel Core i3 3.06GHz processor, 4GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics card offering 256MB of dedicated graphics memory; it cuts through most daily tasks with ease. As it is, this iMac handles gaming as it is on the Mac, although it isn’t a powerhouse.
There are step-up options too, with a 3.2GHz Core i3 and 3.6GHz Core i5 processors offered for extra cash. The RAM can be boosted to 8GB at the point of ordering and although this model comes with 500GB hard drive, if you opt for the faster processor models, you’ll get the 1TB drive and 2TB drive options, but at the entry-point your options are limited. Read more 
Apple iPad breaks new record
CNBC reports that the iPad has become the most quickly adopted non-phone consumer electronics product in history, topping the DVD player, which shifted only 350,000 units in its first year on the market. Apple sold over 300,000 iPads in its first day, and took just 28 days to reach one million units sold.
iPad sold three million units in the first 80 days after its April release and its current sales rate is about 4.5 million units per quarter, according to Bernstein Research. This sales rate is blowing past the one million units the iPhone sold in its first quarter and the 350,000 units sold in the first year by the DVD player, the most quickly adopted non-phone electronic product.
While many products have quickly reached sales into the millions of units, Bernstein appears to be focusing on consumer electronics categories, where the iPad has seen unusual success as the launch product in a segment as it has been jumpstarted by its connection to the rest of Apple’s iOS ecosystem.
Perhaps more interesting is Bernstein’s observation that the iPad is set to become the fourth-largest consumer electronics category in 2011 with over $9 billion in sales.
At this current rate, the iPad will pass gaming hardware and the cellular phone to become the 4th biggest consumer electronics category with estimated sales of more than $9 billion in the U.S. next year, according to Bernstein. TVs, smart phones and notebook PCs are the current three largest categories.
Bernstein’s Colin McGranahan also suggests that the iPad is likely to be “cannibalizing” even TVs and digital cameras, noting that customers who make $600 iPad purchases are likely to delay purchases of other electronics due to financial considerations.
