iPhone 4S

In Motorola’s Moto G phone, Apple’s iPhone 4S has more than met its match

Apple has a problem. It's not a problem that pertains to its high-end iPhone 5s, and it's not even a problem with the mid-range, somewhat superfluous iPhone 5c. It's actually the iPhone 4S that is an issue for Apple. Sitting at the bottom of the company's smartphone range and being offered for peanuts if not free, the iPhone 4S was previously thought of as a rather capable budget handset. And it still is.

The problem that Apple now faces is that all those cheap Android phones that we've all laughed at over the years are starting to get a bit big for their shoes. In fact, some are downright great handsets, with one in particular doing its best to shake up the way we think about smartphones and what we should be paying for them.

I am, of course, talking about the Motorola Moto G...

Seoul court rules that iPhone 4s and iPad 2 don’t infringe on Samsung’s patents

Back in 2011, the legal spat between Apple and its frenemy and key supplier Samsung started to really escalate as the parties began filing a bunch of lawsuits around the world against each other. The Galaxy maker was hoping to gain the upper hand by filing a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple in its home turf over claimed short message display methods and messaging grouping features.

However, a Korean judge has now tossed Samsung's claim out of the window, with the Seoul Central District Court ruling that Apple's iPhone 4s and iPad 2 do not infringe on Samsung Electronics’ commercial patents...

Thai man allegedly electrocuted by charging iPhone

Another iPhone electrocution has been reported in Asia—this time in Thailand. A 28 year-old man was reportedly killed while using an iPhone 4s, which was believed to be charging using an unauthorized third-party charger.

According to a report from Thai language news outlet Daily News Thailand, on Monday, police in the Rayong province found an unnamed man lying dead on the floor of his home holding a burnt iPhone 4S in his left hand...

Apple’s aggressive iPhone trade-ins in India could include try-and-buy

India Today on Monday said Apple has partnered with India's local distributors (Apple Stores don't operate in the country) on a smartphone trade-in program against new iPhone 5c and iPhone 4s purchases in an attempt to boost sales of the colorful new iPhone that has largely failed to attract buyers compared to the flagship iPhone 5s.

The Times of India today shared some additional tidbits about the initiative and it seems the country's would-be iPhone buyers can now bring in their old iPhone or one of non-Apple handsets to claim lower prices against new iPhone 4s/5c purchases, and other benefits. More on that right below...

Sprint’s MVNO Ting starts quietly supporting iPhone

Sprint's mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Ting has recently started quietly supporting Apple's iPhone, a new report has discovered. According to a help document posted on the carrier's website, Ting customers can now activate the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S on its network. Previously, the Tucows-owned telco would not allow users to bring their unlocked iPhone and use it with one of its no-contract wireless plans.

Ting still isn't selling the Apple handset directly, despite a bunch of regional U.S. wireless carriers now offering the latest iPhone 5s/5c as well as previous iPhones...

iPhone 5s/5c already comprise 5.5% of all active iPhones globally

When the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were released in September, their first weekend of availability sparked a record nine million units sold. Now comes word Apple's two newest smartphones together represent 5.5 percent of active iPhones worldwide.

And despite Apple's attempts to repackage last year's iPhone 5 as this year's iPhone 5c, new research shows the year-old Apple handsets accounts for one out of every four new iPhone activations...

Old iPads are hot: 81 percent of North American tablet traffic

On Tuesday, just a few hours ahead of Apple's iPad keynote, new evidence surfaced about how entrenched Apple's device is in the minds of tablet users. Although Apple's tablet has undergone a number of updates, the old iPad 2 remarkably still accounts for the vast majority of U.S. and Canadian web traffic.

That's the word from ad network Chitika, showing iPads are 81 percent of North American tablet-based online traffic. The next closest competitor is the Kindle Fire from Amazon, nipping at Apple's heels with 6.1 percent. This is the second report in as many days showing even the oldest iPads dominate all contenders...

iPhone 4 becomes China’s budget iPhone

Remember the concern over the higher-than-expected price of the newly-introduced iPhone 5c?

It was predicted to be Apple's entry into inexpensive smartphones for China and other emerging nations. Now comes news Apple may indeed have a low-cost iPhone for China: the iPhone 4.

The device - largely unavailable virtually everywhere after Tuesday's double iPhone 5s/5c launch - remains for sale in China at $423. The price tag happens to fall just where analyst originally expected for Apple's inexpensive iPhone...

Apple patent shines new light on potential iDevices made of sapphire

A newly-published patent suggests Apple is serious about bling. Not for diamond-encrusted gadgets, but iDevices made of sapphire, the second-hardest material on earth. The iPhone maker envisions smartphone screens able to resist scratches and breakage with bodies tough enough to withstand drops and spills.

Although up till now sapphire has been used for smaller items, such as the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5s, the patent application outlines much wider application, according to a Thursday report...

Some Apple Stores discount iPhone 5 stock

Yesterday's iPhone 5s/5c announcement has brought a few changes to the iPhone lineup. The 16/32/64GB iPhone 5s is now Apple's new top-of-the-line offering, respectively priced at $199/$299/$399 with a two-year contract. Apple has also discounted the iPhone 5 and reshuffled the iPhone 4s offering by introducing the 8GB iPhone 4s as the bargain option costing zero bucks after a two-year contract.

According to a new report, some of the California firm's retail stores in Canada have discounted existing stock of the unlocked iPhone 5 models with sixteen and thirty-two gigabytes by $100. The off-contract 16GB iPhone 5 has also been slashed by $100 to $599, down from $699 previously...

Why it’s an iPhone 5s and not an iPhone 5S

Apple has again changed the way the iPhone's name is spelled out on paper. If you can remember, back when the first incremental upgrade to the iPhone line was released, Apple typed it out like this on paper: iPhone 3G S. Yes, there was a space between the "3G" and the "S" — Thankfully, Apple eventually caved in, or just didn't care enough to make a big deal out of it when we refused to spell it that way. The iPhone 4S lacked the space between the number and letter, and all was well with the world.

Now, on the day of the unveiling of two new Apple devices which both sport a suffixed alphabetical character, debate ensues once again. This time, though, the argument isn't about spaces, it's about cases. And I'm not talking about the hideous swiss cheese cases it's trying to push on unsuspecting iPhone 5c adopters, I'm talking about textual case — the upper and lower variety.

Apple has ditched the upper case call letters in favor of a lower case letter. That means that the iPhone 5C isn't the iPhone 5C at all, it's the iPhone 5c. That also means that the iPhone 5S is now the iPhone 5s. Apple's even gone retroactive on us and replaced the iPhone 4S with the iPhone 4s (same device, different name on paper).

The question is, why? Why would Apple go through the process of confusing us bloggers, (because let's face it, we're probably the only ones who care about this type of stuff) and go and change it again? The answer to that question is probably a lot more straightforward than it first appears.