News tagged ‘Verizon’

This week Apple retail employees were asked to refuse from taking vacation days in late May, which allows to suggest that Apple is going somehow celebrate the 10th anniversary of its first retail stores.

Retail employees got e-mails where it is said that they may not request days off between May 20 and May 22. The first Apple retail store was opened exactly on May 19, 2001. It is situated in McLean, Virginia's Tyson's Corner Mall at the Galleria in Glendale, California. Due to its store number designation 001 it has even achieved cult status.

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Last week Apple confirmed that it is going to finally launch the white iPhone 4 very soon this spring. Apple did not mention any specific date. Multiple sources pegged the release by the end of April. Italian iPhone site iPhoneItalia is stating that, according to a "reliable source," the white iPhone 4 will launch in Italy on Tuesday April 26th. Earlier  Bloomberg confirmed that the white iPhone 4 would be shipping by the end of April. Recently white iPhone 4 part numbers began appearing in Verizon's inventory. If iPhoneItalia's sources are correct, the US launch of the white iPhone 4 will also occur on April 26th.

Apple has released iOS 4.3.2 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

This update contains improvements and other bug fixes including:

• Fixes an issue that occasionally caused blank or frozen video during a FaceTime call
• Fixes an issue that prvented some international users from connecting to 3G networks on iPad W-Fi + 3G
• Contains the latest security updates

Products compatible with this software update:

• iPhone 4 (GSM model)
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad 2
• iPad
• iPod touch (4th generation)
• iPod touch (3rd generation)

For information on the security content of this update, please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Apple has also updated the firmware for the Verizon iPhone to 4.2.7 although this wasn't listed in the release notes.

Current jailbreak tools work with iOS 4.3.2 in tethered mode only. Please save your SHSH keys for iOS 4.3.1 asap.

Here are direct download links for the latest firmwares:

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Bloomberg reports that Apple will finally deliver the long-awaited white iPhone 4 by the end of April. The publication mentions “three people familiar with the plans”, and claims the device will be available both on AT&T and Verizon in the United States.

The new version will be available from AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless by the end of April, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren't public. The release was stalled as Apple resolved manufacturing challenges, including paint that peeled under heat, one person said.

The exact reason why Apple delayed the initial June 2010 release date hasn’t been revealed by the company, but previous speculation suggested problems with the white paint caused the device to take bad photos due to light leaks. The new model obviously may help boost sales of the iPhone 4.

CutYourSim, company that specialized in SIM cutters and adapters for the iPhone, offers a new service to provide permanent iPhone unlock. The company claims their method will carry on forever through any iOS or baseband update, so users don’t have to worry about updating to the latest version of iOS. Previously every iOS release and baseband update forced iPhone users to stay on an older iOS version until a new unlocking tool is released. CutYourSim also claims that it won’t influence warranty “because this is an official iPhone unlock.” The company seems to find way to add IMEI numbers of iPhones with permanent unlock to Apple’s database. So Apple will obviously find а way to block the service. It may involve accessing the IMEI database from a carrier’s online backend because the service doesn’t support the Verizon iPhone.  Moreover such “forever” unlock will cost you $169.

As usual BGR Source has the most recent unreleased iOS. They have recently took a look at 4.3.2 update and it looks like the 3G connections freezing issues on Verizon iPad 2 are fixed:

will fix the issues we’ve been hearing about with some Verizon iPad 2 models. Additionally, the new update is said to contain a fix for FaceTime in addition to security fixes for things like WebKit vulnerabilities and other minor changes.

ih8sn0w released Sn0wBreeze 2.5 - utility to untether jailbreak iOS 4.3 for Windows. It uses the same method as Redsn0w 0.9.6 rc9 and Pwnagetool 4.3.

Sn0wbreeze also preserves your baseband, which is very useful for unlockers. That is why it is so-called Pwnagetool for Windows. With Sn0wbreeze you can update to firmware iOS 4.3.1, while preserve old unlockable baseband. It also works with iPhone 3GS with 06.15 baseband.

Sn0wBreeze 2.5 does not support iPhone 4 Verizon and iPad 2.

You can download Sn0wBreeze 2.5 for Windows here.

Market research firm comScore released details of the smartphone market share for the November 2010 – February 2011 period. The company surveyed more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers and found out that Samsung the top cellphone manufacturer with a 24.8% market share.  Apple ranked 5th place with a 7.5% share in February, up 0.9% from November 2010. As comScore notes Apple saw the “strongest gain” thanks to the release of the Verizon iPhone 4, which was the “most acquired handset in the month of February” in the United States. Though, among the mobile operating platforms Google’s Android system demonstrates the strongest growth.

69.5 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in February 2011, up 13 percent from the preceding three-month period. Google Android grew 7.0 percentage points since November, strengthening its #1 position with 33.0 percent market share.

This week another lawsuit had been filed against Apple. This time H-W Technology LC accused the company of violating its patent No. 7,525,955, entitled "Internet Protocol (IP) Phone with Search and Advertising Capability".

The latter was filed in 2004, and granted in April of 2009 by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The invention describes a handset with the unique ability to "converge voice and data within a single terminal", which would allow users to "receive information and offers from merchants and to complete a transaction with one of said merchants without having to generate a voice call".

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Yesterday Apple posted on its website an announcement saying that it will reveal its earning for the second fiscal quarter of 2011 and host a conference on April 20th. The company is expected to provide sales numbers for the iPad 2 and the Verizon iPhone, which was initially rumored to have sales “below Apple’s expectations”.  During the conference the company plans to discuss financial results of its second fiscal quarter. The conference call starts at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific after release of financial results which typically comes around 4:30 PM Eastern.

Recently Apple released the iOS 4.3.1. The iOS 4.3.1 is available for the GSM iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, and the third- and fourth-generation iPod touch. The update doesn’t available for the CDMA iPhone for Verizon. The build has number 8G4 and contains the following improvements and bugs fixes:

• Fixes an occasional graphics glitch on iPod touch (4th generation);
• Resolves bugs related to activating and connecting to some cellular networks;
• Fixes image flicker when using Apple Digital AV Adapter with some TVs;
• Resolves an issue authenticating with some enterprise web services.

You can download iOS 4.3.1 here.

BGR have got their hands on the next iOS release - iOS 4.3.1. This new firmware will contain mostly minor bug fixes. Here are the changes from iOS 4.3:

• Baseband updates for the 3GS and iPad (original)
• Fixed memory hang that results in memory corruption when reading large files from USIM filesystem
• Fixed problem with NTLM authentication in apps and on websites
• Fixed issue with the Springboard and 3rd party apps not recognizing the gyroscope on the iPad 2
• Fixed iPad 2 jailbreak vulnerability

This is not the final changelog, but still quite interesting. No information on whether or not it will be available for Verizon iPhone 4.

The new iOS 4.3.1 firmware is expected to be released in 1-2 weeks.

Apple opened its virtual doors around 1AM this morning and now the iPad 2 is available for order on the US Apple Online Store. There is a choice out of 18 models - WiFi, GSM or CDMA; Black or White; 16, 32 or 64GB. All 18 models are available for order and they all ship in 3-5 business days. UPDATE: most of the models are now ships within 2-3 weeks.

Apple’s iPad 2 Smart Cover is available as well, shipping in 1-2 business days. Smart Cover is available either leather ($69) or Polyurethane ($39) option with 5 colors per material. As we were told during iPad 2 presentation - Apple is also selling an HDMI cable ($39) for the iPad 2.

Those who do not want to order their iPad 2 online can purchase one at an Apple retail, AT&T, Target, Verizon, Best Buy, Walmart, or Sam’s Club store starting March 11th at 5 PM local time.

Yesterday ChangeWave revealed the results of another survey, which shows that 82% of future tablet owners would prefer to buy an iPad instead of its competitors, namely Motorola Xoom and RIM Playbook.

3,091 consumers were asked in February what tablet would they like to buy and only 4% and 3% would choose Xoom and PlayBook respectively. Another 3% would stick with Samsung Galaxy Tab.

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Apple just released new iOS 4.3 firmware. Jailbreakers and unlockers should wait for new tools. Everybody else will benefit. iOS 4.3 has Safari speed improvements, AirPlay features, hotspot, Home sharing, a new option for customizing the iPad's side switch to serve as a mute toggle or screen orientation lock and much more:

This update contains new features and improvements, including the following:

* Personal Hotspot
- Share iPhone 4 cellular data with up to 5 devices (combination of up to 3 Wi-Fi, 3 Bluetooth, and 1 USB)

* iTunes Home Sharing
- Play music, movies, and TV shows from a shared iTunes library on a Mac or PC (requires iTunes 10.2)

* New AirPlay features
- Play videos from the Photos app including the Camera Roll album, iTunes previews, enabled third-party apps and websites on Apple TV
- Play slideshows from Photos on Apple TV using transitions available on Apple TV

* Faster Safari performance with Apple Nitro JavaScript engine

* HD video out using the Apple Digital AV Adapter
- View 720p HD videos from Videos app, iPod app, Photos, YouTube, Safari, Keynote, and enabled third-party apps on an HDMI display

* Ping features
- Push notifications for comments and follow requests
- Post and Like songs directly from the Now Playing screen
- Parental controls

* New Settings
- Messages setting for number of times to repeat an alert
- iPad side switch setting to lock screen rotation or mute audio notifications and sound effects

* Single tap conference call dialing with a pause to send a passcode

* Bug fixes

Products compatible with the software update:

• iPhone 4 (GSM model)
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad
• iPod touch (4th generation)
• iPod touch (3rd generation)
• Apple TV 2G

iPhone 3G, iPod Touch 2G and iPhone 4 Verizon do not have iOS 4.3 update.

Here are the direct links to download iOS 4.3:

device
version
release date


AppleTV(2G) (AppleTV2,1)
4.3 (8F191m)
03/09/2011 13:07:02


iPad (iPad1,1)
4.3 (8F190)
03/09/2011 13:07:02


iPad2,1 (iPad2,1)
4.3 (8F191)
03/09/2011 13:07:02


iPad2,2 (iPad2,2)
4.3 (8F191)
03/09/2011 13:07:02


iPad2,3 (iPad2,3)
4.3 (8F191)
03/09/2011 13:07:02


iPhone3GS (iPhone2,1)
4.3 (8F190)
03/09/2011 13:07:02


iPhone4 (iPhone3,1)
4.3 (8F190)
03/09/2011 13:07:02


iPodTouch(3G) (iPod3,1)
4.3 (8F190)
03/09/2011 13:07:02


iPodTouch(4G) (iPod4,1)
4.3 (8F190)
03/09/2011 13:07:02