News tagged ‘Car’

This Wednesday Boy Genius Report revealed that the launch of the Verizon iPhone 4 did not meet the expectations of Verizon and Apple. Their unknown Apple source even provided figures of sales in five Apple stores, two of which are "very, very prominent" locations. Here are the provided numbers for sales of iPhones with contracts of different carriers.

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Today The U.K.'s Daily Mail also confirmed rumors on iPhone Nano, which is set to be released this summer separately from the iPhone 5. Anonymous sources were cited in the publication to reveal both already known and unknown details on the new device:

• iPhone Nano will cost $200 without a carrier subsidy or contract;
• The device will be a third smaller than the iPhone 4;
• No "Home" button;
• The handset may be delayed or scrapped.

It was also explained why the new device may be popular.

"Phone users on tighter budgets have been shunning the pricey iPhones in favour of less expernsive models which have Google's popular Android software. Apple will now hope to lure away customers from the likes of Nokia".

Besides that, the publication reported that Apple has been working on new iPhone hardware and software that would allow customers to bypass the carriers and choose a network by themselves directly from the handset.

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Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has tweeted that customers of Three in Ireland and the UK and China Unicom in China woke up today and found that that Cydia on their devices was blocked by the carrier. So, now the jailbroken devices don’t have access to certain content from Cydia when on the Three and China Unicom networks. Though, only main page is unavailable. Moreover, Cydia is blocked over 3G networks that means that the popular store still available via Wi-Fi.

As you may remember, this week Bloomberg reported about the fact that Apple is working on a new iPhone with a 2.3" screen. Today this information was also confirmed by the Wall Street Journal.

"One of the people, who saw a prototype of the phone late last year, said the device is intended for sale alongside Apple's existing line. The new device would be about half the size of the iPhone 4, which is the current model. The new phone would be available to carriers at about half the price of the main iPhone repertoire. "

The latter allows to suggest that this summer we'll see iPhone 5 at usual price of $199/$299, discounted iPhone 4 at $99, and iPhone Nano at $49.

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This week Mike Abramsky from RBC Capital Markets released another note to investors, where he said that partnership between Microsoft and Nokia can "inadvertently help" Google Android, Apple and possibly RIM.

This Friday, at conference in London Stephen Elop, who was a Microsoft's Business Division head and now is a CEO at Nokia, along with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the strategic alliance.

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Cult of Mac reports that Apple is working on a new notification system for iOS.

Apple’s pop-up notification system for new text messages, voicemails and the like has often been criticized as one of the weakest parts of the iOS. Notifications are intrusive, modal and often cryptic. It’s a mess.

And to build new technology into the operating system, the company is going to acquire a small iOS development firm that currently offers a notification system in the App Store. Cult of Mac suggests that it might be Boxcar, which offers an iOS application providing push notifications for a variety of services.

Table 1
Worldwide Mobile Device Sales to End Users in 2010 (Thousands of Units)

Source: Gartner (February 2011)

Today Gartner revealed the results of another research, where it was found that Apple's achievements in 2010 had led to the situation when the company's competitors experienced reduced sales and eventually lost significant market shares.

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iFixit tore down the Verizon iPhone 4 and fond out inside a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip that supports HSPA+ data rates of up to 14.4 Mbps, as well as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A/Rev. B. The same chipset has the Droid Pro that supports both GSM and CDMA - which means that Apple could support GSM! Apple of course has not included a SIM-card slot in the Verizon iPhone, and thus the device can not actually be used on GSM networks. The use of this particular chip signifies that the iPhone 5 will surely be dual-mode, allowing Apple to ship one handset for both Verizon and AT&T, as well as every other carrier in every other country.

Apple reportedly is going to open two new retail stores. First, a fourth retail store in Paris, which will locate in the Carré Sénart shopping and entertainment complex, about 30 miles south of Paris. That store is scheduled to open by November. Second, the existing store in Palo Alto, California (in the picture above), which the company plans to completely demolish and re-build due to some structural problems with the building. The new store will have an arched, all-glass roof set on stone walls. The store will probably be up in 2012.

iLounge claims that got some details about what may be in store for the second-generation iPad. So the new device’s shell will be made from a carbon fiber that would allow reducing the weight of the second-generation iPad.  Moreover Apple has not yet abandoned the idea of a smaller iPad carrying a 7-inch display, contrary to Steve Jobs saying that 7-inch tablets were dead on arrival, and Apple's suppliers has been asked to manufacture a component that would be used in a 7-inch iPad. About NFC, iLounge mostly quotes the previous Bloomberg report:

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Just after a couple of hours a the launch of the new version of iPhone 4 on the Verizon's web-page the first reviews of the new CDMA iPhone 4 hit the web. We have decided to make a short summary. So, the Verizon iPhone looks, feels, and works just like the AT&T iPhone 4. AT&T can be faster for data and handles simultaneous voice and data, but Verizon sounds better, calls are more crisp and clear, and has more reception in more places. This version of the iPhone 4 seems to have none of the same antenna issues as the AT&T model and provides 4 hour of hotspot connection. The phone connects reliably and consistently. Unfortunately, the Verizon iPhone drops the Internet connection if you're using the Internet and your phone rings.

Despite of all advantages and disadvantage of the new version of the well-known iPhone 4, it is the first time than the iPhone users in the U.S. have a choice of carrier.

Apple released on Tuesday, two weeks after previous update, a third beta version of iOS 4.3 for the iPad, iPhone 4 and 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch, to developers. The build carries the number of 8F5166b. The iOS 4.3 beta 3 now allow users to cancel downloading apps and delete them mid-download. The feature would be useful for users who accidentally begin downloading a large application and wish to cancel the process. Remind you that the iOS 4.3 is expected to introduce a rather small set of new features:  AirPlay video streaming for third-party apps, HTTP live streaming statistics and full-screen iAds. In the developer betas Apple also enabled support for multitasking gestures on the iPad, although the feature won’t be part of the public release of iOS 4.3.

A new job listing appeared on Apple’s website. Now the company is looking for LTE 4G connectivity expert. This is the first time LTE is mentioned among the “specific duties” for an applicant.

Specific Duties

- Implementation, Integration, customization, enhancement and maintenance of L1-3 Protocols for one or more of the following air interface: GSM/UMTS, CDMA (1x/EVDO), LTE etc.

Job listings often provide good indications that Apple is working on a new feature, which might be implemented in Apple’s devices in the feature. Moreover, US carriers are updating their networks to provide support for 4G network and some European carriers confirms that they start working with LTE during 2012 and 2013.

Apple today has posted iOS 4.2.6 for Verizon iPhone on its servers for public download, where it listed as for iPhone 3,3, the identifier for the CDMA version of iPhone 4. The version checks in as Build 8E200. Possibly the firmware was launched for journalists who have reportedly received the devices to write reviews. The Verizon iPhone carried iOS 4.2.5 when it was demoed at the media event introducing the device earlier this month, so it appears that Apple has made some additional tweaks since that time. Those who hoping that iPhone 4 for Verizon would be released with the iOS 4.3 will no doubt be disappointed. Though, it is pretty likely that 4.3 is going to be ready quickly after launch of the device.

Direct link to iOS 4.2.6 for Verizon iPhone

Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has recently released another report, where he states that the next-gen iPad won't get new resolution this year.

"The most important reason why iPad 2 won’t have retinal display is yield rate of panel making. At this point, making high resolution and bright IPS/FFS panel is not easy and the production volume and cost couldn’t meet Apple’s requirements."

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