Do you travel abroad often? Maybe it’s for business, or pleasure, or both. And if so, do you use the same unlocked iPhone everywhere you go? If you answered yes, to either question, you might want to check out the SIMPLcase.
The SIMPLcase is an ultra-slim iPhone 5 case—3mm in the center, 1mm at the edges—with a couple of cool features. In addition to protecting your phone, it can also store extra SIM cards, has a SIM tray eject tool, and more… Read More
When Apple introduced the iPhone 5 last fall, it turned the iOS accessory market upside down. In addition to the new handset, the company unveiled its new Lightning dock connector—a 9 pin port that instantly made millions of add-ons obsolete.
But Apple didn’t just change the connector, it also tightened up the requirements for its third-party MFi accessory program. And today, Mophie, who just announced the Helium battery case for the iPhone 5, offers some insight on the changes… Read More
According to one analyst, Apple’s suppliers are getting ready for iPhone 5S manufacturing, which should commence in March with a likely summer introduction in mind.
With the next-gen iPhone just a few months away, Apple is apparently winding down some iPhone 5 manufacturing as sales of the handset are “decelerating faster than expected”.
Per the rumor-mill, the iPhone 5S will be a mid-cycle specs upgrade sporting a faster CPU/GPU (likely a new A7 chip). Rumors are also suggesting a higher-resolution camera (possibly a 13-megapixel sensor). Some think Apple will for the first time offer the iPhone in a range of colors, though the handset is expected to retain the current two-tone industrial design… Read More
The battle between Apple and Samsung for smartphone supremacy rages on. While the two rivals accounted for more than half of smartphones sold during 2012, demand for the South Korean firm’s phones rose nearly 86 percent while iPhone sales rose by around 22 percent last year. According to Gartner, the two companies took No. 1 and No. 3 spots in overall while ranking first and second in the growing market for smartphones, respectively.
This as the cell phone industry saw its first dip in sales since 2009. Other vendors, of course, were left fighting each other for scraps… Read More
A new patent granted to Apple today could signal a huge advance in a trimmer, slimmer iPhone perhaps made from a single block of aluminum. The U.S. patent describes “microslot antennas” cut into the smartphone body, eliminating the need for exposing hardware required for communications.
While it could make fans of minimalism – such as Apple’s chief designer Jonathan Ive – jump for joy, could the patented technology cause another production slowdown? Read More
Results of a new smartphone user satisfaction survey have some observers scratching their heads. Apple’s iPhone 5 ranked fifth in the U.S., behind a number of Android devices from Motorola, HTC and Samsung. Due to Apple’s past high ratings in customer satisfaction, the survey’s findings prompted questions so far left unanswered.
According to a poll by OnDevice Research, Motorola’s Atrix HD took first place in the U.S. user satisfaction scores, with the Motorola Droid Razr M, HTC’s Rezound 4G, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 and the iPhone 5 filling out the top five devices.
While Apple was named the top brand in overall mobile device satisfaction by U.S. consumers, Google ranked number two – even though it does not directly produce mobile devices… Read More
Do you need another metric to follow in the race between Apple and Android? How about language?
That’s the focus of a new report suggesting Apple’s iPhone is predominantly focused on English-speaking nations while Android-powered Samsung smartphones are popular in Asia, Africa and South America, where English-speaking consumers are a minority.
After sifting through the Twitter accounts of both Apple and Samsung, a Saudi Arabian researcher at King Saud University (KSU) found 75 percent of Apple’s followers spoke English, while about 35 percent of Samsung’s online fans were non-English speakers… Read More
Want apps that are already compatible with the iOS 6 and the iPhone 5? Want to update your music library without using iTunes, reply instantly to text messages, and organize your photo albums?
SpiritOfLogic had their three flagship apps PwnTunes, iRealSMS, and PhotoAlbums+ ready for iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 well in advance of the evasi0n jailbreak… Read More
Even though Apple isn’t one to “blindly pursue market share”, China has risen to become its second biggest market in terms of revenue, right behind the United States. In fact, CEO Tim Cook is convinced that in the near future “China will become Apple’s largest market”. But despite recently introducing a new interest-free payment option and two million sales during the opening weekend, that wasn’t enough to curb China’s explosive growth of Android cheapos. And as price-sensitive shoppers continue to favor attractively-priced Android handsets over the pricey Apple smartphone, the iPhone 5 has done little in terms of moving the needle… Read More
When it comes to Apple’s push to enter emerging markets like China, India’s huge pool of consumers has largely been overlooked. Indeed, one of that country’s leading newspapers charged Apple has “ignored” India, until recently.
From adopting the Indian rupee in the App Store to including local musicians in iTunes, the company has increased sales by up to 400 percent in four months. However, Apple still faces a large gap: only ten percent of India’s residents own a smartphone and rival Samsung is the clear leader, researchers say… Read More
If the rumors pan out, the fifth-generation iPad should have an all-new design that borrows heavily from the iPad mini, down to the skinnier side bezels, a thin-film touchscreen tech and a much thinner profile. Based on a purportedly leaked iPad 5 backplate, MacRumors has commissioned graphics artists over at CiccareseDesign to create a nice batch of renders depicting how the device should stack up against the iPad 4, iPad mini and the iPhone 5 in terms of the size and industrial design… Read More
U.S. carrier Sprint, the latest wireless provider to offer the Apple iPhone, announced Thursday it sold a record 2.2 million during the holiday fourth-quarter. A total of 6.6 million iPhones were sold for all of 2012, according to the company. Despite complaints of losses due to high subsidies, the iPhone has improved Sprint’s ability to attract new customers.
The company said 38 percent of iPhone buyers during the fourth quarter were new subscribers. That’s just slightly below the 40 percent of iPhones purchased by new customers throughout the entire year, according to the firm… Read More
We have often written how the handset market is essentially a duopoly of operating systems – iOS and Android – as well as brands: Apple and Samsung. Yesterday came even another way the two are dominating the mobile world – profits. Apple and Samsung accounted for 103 percent of handset profits in 2013, a figure made possible by the zero or negative growth by six of the eight leading handset makers. Apple held 69 percent of handset profits earned in all of 2012, more than double that of the South Korean Samsung, which hauled in 34 percent of phone profits last year, according to Canaccord Genuity… Read More
We recently published a post about ScreenExtender, a free tweak available in Cydia that forces legacy apps to stretch to the iPhone 5’s taller screen. As we published the post, Ryan Petrich came up with his own solution to stretch older apps to take advantage of the taller iPhone 5 screen.
Similar to his iPad tweak called FullForce, FullForce for iPhone forces applications to show in full screen mode on the taller device… Read More
We’ve seen tweaks in the past like FullForce which essentially transform iPhone apps into full screen iPad apps. Since Apple reassured developers that adding official support for the iPhone 5′s screen would be a snap for most apps through Xcode, we didn’t think full screen support for the left behind apps would be much of a stretch for jailbreak developers.
Turns out it wasn’t a stretch. Just two days after the evasi0n jailbreak is released, a new app on Cydia called Screen Extender brings full screen support to users of the iPhone 5 or 5th generation iPod touch… Read More
Phew, today is an accessories day. Logitech owned the morning with its iPad mini Bluetooth keyboard, then Cody blogged about Mophie’s 1500mAh Juice Pack Helium for the iPhone 5.
Shortly after came word of Griffin’s artsy Designer Series cases which add a little bit of flair and wit to your iPhone 5.
Not to be outdone by its rivals, OtterBox has launched a case customization program for owners of the iPhone 4/4S/5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S III. What’s this for, you ask. How about 35 different combinations of polycarbonate and silicone cases for your iPhone 4 or 4S and a remarkable 72 combinations of different designs for the iPhone 5? Read More
If a cell phone is an extension of your personality, shouldn’t you at least try adorn your iPhone with some unique designs and memorable artwork? That’s what Griffin’s Designer Series is all about. And starting today, these cases are finally available for your iPhone 5.
Now, I don’t use iPhone cases for they hide Jony Ive’s beautiful industrial design. But if I did, I’d definitely consider the Designer Series. They look great, are printed locally in small batches and present new looks that go beyond the boring designs which are too often forced upon us by so many uninspired case makers out there… Read More
This must be ‘unveil your latest product’ week for accessory makers. Logitech took the wraps off its new Ultrathin Keyboard for the iPad mini yesterday, Griffin just announced new designer iPhone 5 cases, and now Mophie has come forward.
The California-based designer and manufacturer introduced the iPhone 5 version of its popular battery case line today, the Juice Pack Helium. The case is 13% thinner than any previous Juice Pack, and features a built-in 1500mAh battery… Read More
If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, consumer electronics retailer Best Buy has just sweetened the deal by throwing in a $50 gift card. The company advertised the promotion on Super Bowl so it’s kinda a big deal. First, you must sign up by Saturday, February 9 in order to reserve your $50 gift card. OF course, you won’t get it unless you purchase a smartphone with a new two-year Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint contract between February 10 and December 31, 2013… Read More
Apple’s 10-Q filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission shows purchase commitments for the March quarter dropping from $4.5 billion two quarters ago to just $904 million. Of course, two quarters ago Apple was ramping up iPhone 5 production and investing heavily in then new in-cell touch displays. Still, that’s a huge drop.
One clever interprets this data point as a sign of the iPhone 5S not needing new manufacturing processes, in turn proving it’s gonna look just the same as the current-generation iPhone 5. Notable changes will be from the inside, like the speedier CPU/GPU, better cameras and what not. Man, I should have been an analyst… Read More
