News tagged ‘iPhone’

More news on new devices found in iOS 5.1 beta. This time it's Apple TV 3rd generation.

Usually every product has a codename identifier. For example iPhone3,1 is iPhone 4 and AppleTV2,1 is Apple TV 2G. We have seen AppleTV3,1 codename in iOS 5 a while ago. 9to5mac reports that as a product in development moves closer to the release, it is assigned another codename. For example N94 (iPhone 4S) or K48 (original iPad). The 3rd generation Apple TV has reached that stage. New name J33 was found in iOS 5.1, that corresponds to new Apple TV 3,1.

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In the just released iOS 5.1 beta, developers have found references to two new iPad devices. They have codenames iPad 2,4 and iPad 3,3.

Just to remind you, iPad 2 has 3 different codenames - iPad 2 Wifi version is iPad 2,1, iPad 2 GSM is iPad 2,2 and iPad 2 CDMA is iPad 2,3. So what could be the new iPad 2,4? There are rumors that this new gadget might be a Sprint version of iPad 2. However 3G Sprint iPad would be the same hardware as the Verizon iPad, so new name might be iPad 2 WiMAX. Other rumors say this is iPad for China's TD-LTE or a dual-mode device like the current iPhone 4S.

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We have recently been able to test NoiseHush NX80 headphones from WirelessGround.com and compare them with Apple headphones.

Just by looking at NoiseHush NX80 headphones one can say they are very well made. In the package you will find headphones with tangle-free red cables, a small pouch and a selection of ear gels (small, medium and large). NoiseHush NX80 headphones have a microphone and a switch button, so users can easily answer calls or switch between the tracks just like when using Apple earphones.

We have found that NoiseHush NX80 3.9 feet cable is more suitable for everyday use, since they indeed tangle less than original Apple Earphones that come with every iPhone and iPod. The red color also looks nice and attractive. The selection of ear gels is very important. They not just make headphones stay in ears, we have also found that the sound quality is much better when appropriate ear gels are used.

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Last week The New York Times reported on Apple's retail store software that helps employees timely respond to customer assistance requests. This internal app shows the in-store location of customers who requested assistance to employees on their iPod touches. Customers can inform employees that they need their assistance by touching a button on iPads which are mounted on the sales floor next to products and display information and purchases option. Employees’ iPods receive requests and show customer location in red. Apple Store’s employee Diego Aguirre said:

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Apple has released iOS 5.1 beta and a preview of Xcode 4.3 to developers.

The build of iOS 5.1 is 9B5117b and the build of Xcode 4.3 is 4D1002. There is no official changelog and no information on what was added or changed.

Developers can download the iOS 5.1 ipsw from here.

The well-known market research firm comScore today released data on U.S. sales for Black Friday. The report shows that customers spent $816 million, up 26% over last year's numbers. Apple’s online store became the fifth most-visited online retailer in the country on Black Friday behind Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.

Fifty million Americans visited online retail sites on Black Friday, representing an increase of 35 percent versus year ago. Each of the top five retail sites achieved double-digit gains in visitors vs. last year, led by Amazon. Walmart ranked second, followed by Best Buy, Target and Apple.

“Each of the top online retailers generated significantly greater Black Friday activity compared to last year,” added [comScore chairman Gian] Fulgoni. “Amazon.com once again led the pack, with 50 percent more visitors than any other retailer, while also showing the highest growth rate versus last year. However, it is telling that the top multi-channel retailers also showed strong growth in visitors, demonstrating the importance of the online channel to the retail industry as a whole.”

Regional Express (REX), Australian largest independent regional airline, had to extinguish a glowing iPhone 4, emitting “dense smoke” while a flight from Lismore to Sydney. A flight attendant extinguished the smoking smartphone and no one was injured during the incident. The situation, obviously, has sparked concerns over the handset's battery. The defected device was the GSM version of the iPhone 4, according to the model number of the device.

This issue, probably, caused by battery overheating wasn’t a unique one for Apple's devices. As far as we know, the company recently initiated a replacement program for the first-generation iPod nano due to potential battery overheating issues earlier this month, although Apple notes that the problem is very rare, but the likelihood of overheating does increase over time.

One of the biggest consumer electronic battery scares in recent years occurred in 2006. Microscopic metal particles were found in 9.6 million lithium-ion Sony batteries that the company had to recall. Such batteries were also used in Apple’s iBook and PowerBook G4 and Apple recalled 1.8 million batteries.

According to research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, demand for Apple’s iPhone 4S helped the company to push it market share in the UK to nearly 43% in October. Apple's U.K. market share increased 2.8 percent to 27.8 percent year-to-year and it is the first time since late 2010 when Apple’s sales beat Android-based handset sales in the region.

"Apple took a whopping 42.8 percent share of all smartphone sales, giving it a significant lead over Android - a feat many thought was impossible," said Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at the firm.

About 75 percent of British customers who purchased an iPhone 4S in October already own a previous version of the device, with 14 percent upgrading from last year's iPhone 4. Sunnebo claims that the main driver for the sales of the iPhone 4S in the U.K. was the existing iPhone users. The second driver is rather long period between the launches of the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Analyst Chris Whitmore with Deutsche Bank and his team of analysts checked more than 200 stores on Black Friday to assess demand for Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad and Mac lineup and found out that Apple's Black Friday sales were more than successful.

75 percent of Apple’s retail stores sold out of the iPhone 4S on Black Friday while on Saturday just 30 percent of Apple's stores remained sold out of the iPhone 4S. At AT&T stores, Whitmore found that about 50 percent were sold out over the weekend.

Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray also polled Apple's retail stores on Black Friday, and discovered that iPad sales per hour were 68 percent higher than they were a year ago that means an average of 14.8 iPads per hour, comparing with the 8.8 iPads sold per hour year-over-year. Mac sales were 10.1 units per hour, up 23 percent from Black Friday 2010.

Whitmore also found strong iPad and Mac sales, noting that the 11.6-inch MacBook Air was the most popular option in the MacBook Air lineup on Black Friday. As for the iPad, he revealed that the most popular version was the 32GB model.

Digitimes reports that Apple plans to update its MacBook Air line in the first quarter of 2012. The company is expected to launch a new 15-inch model alongside refreshed 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch models with Intel's Ivy Bridge processors that will bring significant graphics improvements and new OpenCL support.

Apple reportedly is set to launch its new MacBook Air series notebooks with panel sizes of 11.6-inch, 13.3-inch and 15-inch in the first quarter of 2012 and will directly compete against ultrabooks from PC brand vendors, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

The sources noted that related upstream players have already started pilot production of the MacBook Air models and will add a 15-inch model into the product line to expand its reach in the ultra-thin notebook market.

Apple is likely to provide discounts on the current MacBook Air models ahead of the debut of the new models.

First rumors about new ultra-thin 15-inch notebook from Apple appeared in July. Digitimes also reported that component production for the notebook had begun with an eye toward a second quarter 2012 launch.

According to the Bloomber’s report, Sothby’s is going to auction off the original four-page founding contract among Steve Jobs, Ron Wayne and Steve Wozniak that established Apple Computer Company on April 1st, 1976. The document is expected to fetch from $100,000 to $150,000 on the auction that is planned for December 13th. Richard Austin, the director of books and manuscripts at Sotheby’s in New York, said:

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The Chronic Dev-Team has released CDevReporter, their new tool that lets you help find jailbreak vulnerabilities, for Windows.

You can download the Mac and Windows versions of CDevReporter here:

• cdev_reporter-mac-1.0_beta.zip
• cdev_reporter-win-1.0_beta.zip

More information is available in our recent post "Want untethered iOS 5 jailbreak? Help hackers to find new exploits!".

Local residents view Apple's massive data center in Maiden, N.C. as “disappointing development” because it seems not to answer their expectations, bringing just 50 full-time jobs to the area with double-digit unemployment rates. Residents are rather skeptical about Apple’s positive influence on the city, and thinking that the company has done nothing to improve the situation.

But, at the least, two residents, Donnie and Kathy Fulbrigh, have benefitted significantly from Apple's venture. Apple paid $1.7 million for their one-acre property. At first they didn’t want to sell their property, but Apple offered them to set their own price, and they finally gave up. As for others, the situation hasn’t changed for them. It still very hard to run a business here.

The North Carolina legislature amended its corporate income tax law in order to offer Apple tax breaks of up to $46 million over the next 10 years to build its data center in the state. According to the report, local authorities have discounted property taxes by 50 percent and personal taxes by 85 percent. In exchange, Apple has created 50 full-time jobs and is also expected to create 250 "indirect contracting jobs."

Bloomberg reports that Australian appeals court is hearing testimony related to the injunction issued to prevent Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia.  As you remember, the injunction was result of complaints from Apple of design infringement. Judges in the appeals case are skeptical of the fairness of the injunction.

“The result looks terribly fair to Apple and not terribly fair to Samsung,” Federal Court Justice Lindsay Foster said today at a hearing in Sydney on Samsung’s appeal for the ban to be overturned.

The injunction was issued by Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett on October 13. According to the injunction, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 was banned from selling in Australia until Samsung and Apple resolve the patent dispute. Neil Young, Samsung’s lawyer, said that the Justice did not take into account the “dire consequences” of the ban on Samsung. Judges may allow Samsung to sell the device during two-three months before the full trial can take place in March, believing that it won’t severely harm Apple.

MuscleNerd recently posted on twitter that iPhone 4S unlock is in the works. He also mentioned that this is 4S only, not iPhone 4:

Crazy Thanksgiving weekend! Very promising 4S unlock (http://twitpic.com/7kku4t) is in the works (Not i4, just 4S..that's crazy part)

This is excellent news for iPhone 4S users, but will leave many iPhone 4 owners disappointed.

MuscleNerd has also published the following photo:

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