Walmart and Straight Talk Wireless are now offering iPhone 5 with $ 45 rate plan with unlimited calls and data without contract. It was reported earlier from That's It Guys. Straight Talk is a subsidiary company of TracFone, and buyers of the iPhone will use network of the AT&T. There is no evidence that the phones will support LTE network.
Before the official announcement of earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012 to be held this month, AT&T reported that it has sold more than 10 million smartphones during the quarter, including "best-ever" sales of iPhone and Android devices.
Today Kensington introduced an app-enabled system called “Proximo” that allows iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 users to keep track of their devices 24 hours a day. The press release said:
One technology that has become common in iOS accessories, currently known as Bluetooth Smart. Low-power devices technology lets pursue long-term link between iOS devices and accessories. E-paper Pebble watch, which developed with support from Kickstarter generated enormous interest. Sales revenue by arrangement amounted to more than 10 million dollars.
Apple announced on Wednesday that it will reveal results for the first fiscal quarter of 2013 on January 23 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific/5:00 p.m. Eastern. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple saw a 25 percent boost in profits thanks to strong sales of 44 million iDevices, including 26.9 million iPhones, for the three month period. Revenue for fiscal 2012 reached over $156 billion on sales of more than 200 million iOS devices, 18 million Macs, and 35 million iPods.
Chinese sources claim that Apple is testing a new display technology, dubbed "touch-on," for use in its next iPhone model to address issues with the current "in-cell" display found in the iPhone 5.
Apple has reportedly contracted with Chimei Innolux, Taiwan's largest LCD maker, for the next-generation panels, according to The China Times (via AppAdvice). Apple's interest has reportedly been prompted by alleged "interference problems" with the recently released iPhone 5.
Analyst Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets said in a note to investors Wednesday that his checks within the industry have indicated the so-called "iPhone 5S" will come in a variety of colors beyond the current black and white. He expects that the next iPhone will be available in a total of eight colors: the pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, silver and slate shades currently found on the iPod nano, and a (Product)Red model with proceeds benefiting AIDS research.
Today comScore published the results of its survey of mobile phone subscribers in U.S. for the September-November period, noting that 18.5% of mobile phone subscribers are using an iPhone, up 1.4% from the data for June-August timeframe. Samsung continues to lead the pack with 26.9% of the market share, up from 25,7% in the previous period, while LG, HTC and Motorola lost their shares.
TheNextWeb reports that some iOS developers have already spotted references to the next-generation iPhone and iOS 7.
One developer showed us that Apple has been testing hardware relating to a new ‘iPhone6,1′ identifier, powered by a device running iOS 7, which is expected to be released by Apple in the middle part of this year.
The recently released update of IOS 6.0.2 for the iPhone 5 and IPad mini, could solve some of the issues associated with Wi-Fi, but some users say that the software reduced battery life.
Apple has given little attention to updating the app switcher in its iOS since its introduction in iOS 4, so interface designer @Sentry_NC has tried his hand at developing a new concept for fast app switching in iOS.
In October, he introduced a mockup of iOS app switcher on The Verge forum, which takes advantage of the elongated screen on the iPhone 5 and provides easy access to app management tools and settings.
In late November, research company Kantar Worldpanel reported that strong debut of the iPhone 5 allowed Apple to retake the lead in the U.S. sales from Android. Over the August-October timeframe, Apple's share of the market was assessed at 48.1% compared to Android's share of 46.7%.
At the time, the company predicted that IOS share would continue to increase and Apple would hit a record high for market share on the strength of iPhone 5 sales over the following two 12-week periods.
Manufacturers of components for the second-generation iPad mini are preparing to introduce on the market sooner than expected. It is evidenced by one analyst, although the exact dates are uncertain, since Apple is planning to complete the global deployment of the first-generation model.According to research of Doug Freedman analyst from RBC Capital Markets, chip manufacturers are already preparing for the development of the second generation iPad mini, reports Brooke Crothers from CNET.
The run-up to the holidays shopping season is in full swing, so there are more successful deals on buying the iPhone 5 and consequently Walmart offers new discounts on the iPhone and iPad which may be of interest to some readers.