News from category ‘Hardware’
iPad Mini will probably cost $299
Piper Jaffray, analyst Gene Munster, believes iPad Mini will cost $299 and Apple could sell somewhere between 4-6 million iPad minis this year.
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Apple's next iPhone to feature quad-core processor
This week DigiTimes’s industry sources from the Far East provided more information about the next-generation iPhone’ processor. As reported, the new iPhone would feature a quad-core ARM processor based on Samsung's Exynos 4 architecture. The sources did not presented any further details.
Last year’s iPhone 4S feature a custom dual-core processor clocked at 800 megahertz, dubbed by Apple the “A5”. The chip was first introduced in the iPad 2. This year’s iPad couldn’t boast of the updated processor model, dubbed the "A5X," but it is sooner a slightly revised version of the A5.
Apple rumored to revise backlight for iPad update
Apple is rumored to prepare a minor iPad update to meet the holiday season. An unverified report claims that the company plans to return to a one-LED backlight module solution instead of the two-LED design used in the current iPad to reduce the heat output. Switching back to the one LED module would not affect "luminosity and clarity" of the iPad display.
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Apple telling suppliers to prep for mass production of smaller iPad - WSJ
Echoing Bloomber’s report about a new, smaller iPad model, the Wall Street Journal claims that Apple told its component suppliers this week to prepare for mass production of such a device.
Citing anonymous sources, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Apple's Asian component suppliers are preparing for mass production of the smaller iPad in September. The sources expect that the rumored device would indeed feature the 8-inch screen.
Apple working to improve iPhone autocorrect
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published three patent applications filled by Apple and confirming that the company continues to research technologies that would contribute to improved accuracy of the autocorrect feature on the iPhone.
Application No. 12/976834, titled "Combining timing and geometry information for typing correction," describes a process for using keystroke geometry and timing to better detect a user's intended input. Any typed string could be analyzed for use in either autocorrection or autocompletion.
Google admits Chrome bug responsible for crashing MacBook Airs
Shortly after release of the updated MacBook Airs, a number of users reported that their machines were frequently crashing. Gizmodo noted this week that the issue was caused by the Chrome browser. One Genius technician said that the problem was "the specific combination of Intel HD 4000 chip + flash + Chrome." Moreover, Google has recently accepted responsibility for a kernel panic issue on Apple's new MacBook Airs. Apple is aware of the issue and planning to release a patch soon.
iPhone Turning Five Years Old
Yesterday Apple’s iPhone celebrated its 5th anniversary. Since its launch in 2007, the smartphone generated the company $150 billion of cumulative revenues worldwide. Recognizing the milestone, Strategy Analytics offered its latest statistics, noting that Apple has shipped 250 million iPhones in the first five years since launch.
Apple looking into 3D iOS UI elements based on ambient light
Buzzfeed reports that an unnamed Apple employee said that a future version of Apple's iOS could employ unique graphical user interface features that use input from a mobile device's ambient light sensor to cast shadows on app icons thus creating the illusion of a three-dimensional workspace and bringing more realism to the mobile operating system.
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Retina display image retention reported by new MacBook Pro owners
Some early users of the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display have reported that their new laptops are experiencing image persistence issues with the high-resolution screens, though the problem is not believed to be widespread. Apple is aware of the issue, as the company has ordered replacement units for the malfunctioning screens.
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Apple's 2012 iMac refresh won't have Retina display
Instapaper developer Marco Arment heard from multiply sources that Apple doesn’t plan to release a Retina display-equipped iMac model in 2012, instead the company prefers to wait until 2013. Later this year, possibly in the fall, Apple will launch the refreshed iMac models. Sources suggest that the company won’t introduce the high-resolution all-in-ones, until it brings the Retina Display to more of Apple’s computers.
Next-Generation iPhone Prototypes Reportedly Support NFC for Mobile Payments
9to5Mac has reanalyzed the previously-obtained code for the next-generation iPhone prototypes and found references indicating that the new smartphone would support NFC technology for mobile payments.
We’ve previously been able to pull data from PreEVT iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2 prototypes codenamed N41AP (5,1) and N42AP (5,2), which leads us to believe that the new iPhone will have a bigger 1136×640 display. We also detailed a lot of the hardware here but forgot one very important little bit. Further investigation into this hardware code dump leads us to believe that these iPhones also have Near Field Communication (NFC) controllers directly connected to the power management unit (PMU).
Apple's new iPad estimated to cost $1.36 per year to charge
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent non-profit organization focusing on electricity research and development, carried out the study of the Apple's new iPad, having found that devices like it could help lower the high power consumption. The institute discovered that charging a device once every other day from full discharge costs mere pennies per day, a dramatic reduction from large electronics like HDTVs and PCs.
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iPhone 5 will put Samsung's Galaxy S III to shame, says Foxconn CEO
Chief Executive Officer Terry Gou of Foxconn told its stockholders during the annual meeting on Monday to disregard Samsung's recently-released Galaxy S III smartphone and wait for the upcoming iPhone 5 instead, mentioning a number of strategies that will allow the company to "beat" Samsung within the next three to five years.
Apple reportedly adopting 19-pin dock connector for 2012 iPhone
Various manufacturers claim that Apple is planning to reduce its 30-pin dock connector, first introduced in 2003 in the third-generation iPod, to a 19-pin port. The new connector could be reportedly implemented in the next-generation iPhone set for launch this fall, according to multiply rumors.
MacBook Pro Retina display teardown
The repair company iFixit carefully took apart the new MacBook Pro's Retina display. The company called the high-resolution screen an "engineering marvel." Moreover, the design of the screen doesn’t include front glass that allows the screen to be thinner than its predecessor.











