iPhone 5 coming soon to regional carrier Strata Networks

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 6, 2013

With the release of iPhone 5, Apple has tweaked its sales tactics, making the handset available across more than a dozen regional carriers in the United States, in addition to major wireless operators like AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint that have traditionally served as the most important iPhone distributors in the country. You can now add Strata Networks to your list of iPhone-friendly regional carriers because the company started advertising it will be offering the iPhone 5 soon… Read More

 

US prepaid carrier Solavei now selling iPhone 5-friendly nano SIMs

By Cody Lee on Mar 6, 2013

Hot on the heals of this morning’s news that the iPhone 5 would be landing on Strata Networks soon, comes word that the popular handset can also now be used with Solavei, a US-based prepaid provider.

The carrier sent out a press release this afternoon announcing that it has begun offering nano Sim cards, meaning  you can now hook up Apple’s latest handset to its $49/month unlimited everything plan… Read More

 

This year, smartphones should outship feature phones for the first time

By Ed Sutherland on Mar 4, 2013

It has already happened in the United States and now comes word 2013 will mark the date when smartphones outsell simpler so-called feature phones globally. More than 918 million smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone will ship this year, for the first time outnumbering feature phones.

According to research firm IDC, a nice 50.1 percent of mobile phones shipped this year will be smartphones, most destined for China. However, that small lead should widen greatly by 2017 as more emerging nations increase adoption of the powerful mobile devices… Read More

 

iPad mini sales overtaking full-size iPad faster than Apple envisioned

By Ed Sutherland on Mar 1, 2013

Yesterday came more evidence that the 7.9-inch iPad mini is outselling Apple’s larger tablet. The findings show increasing sales of the iPad mini amid declining demand for the 9.7-inch iPad. Between December and January, shipments of 9.7-inch panels (such as the iPad) fell from 7.4 million to 1.3 million units. In contrast, shipments of 7.9-inch display panels rose to more than five million units, according to the findings by hardware research firm NPD DisplaySearch that echo recent supply chain chatter.

The changing levels of demand suggests consumers prefer the smaller footprint of smaller tablets. However, this faster adoption of the iPad mini over its big brother is causing analysts to revise expectations for 2013 tablet sales… Read More

 

Galaxy S III named Best Smartphone of 2012 at Mobile World Congress

By Cody Lee on Feb 28, 2013

The world of smartphones can essentially be divided into two camps: iPhone and Android. Sure there are some BlackBerry and Windows Phone users out there, but Apple and Google handsets make up most of the market.

And as in any situation where there are two dominant players, each platform has their own army of loyal fans. And I’m sure both sides have plenty to say about Samsung’s Galaxy S III being named the Best Smartphone of 2012… Read More

 

Analyst warns Apple could be headed for rough two years

By Ed Sutherland on Feb 28, 2013

If you thought Apple had already been through a rough period, just wait. That’s the message from one Wall Street analyst who predicts the iPhone maker is “facing a very rough two-year period.”

Although Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook spent Wednesday defending his company’s horde of cash, those concerns could evaporate as Apple spends billions to prop up slowing iPhone sales and works to improve demand in emerging markets.

Apple could see capital expenditures double, according to Jeffries’ analyst Peter Misek, forecasting billions in payments for supplier upgrades, emerging-market payment plans and expensive technology updates all while iPhone sales plunge… Read More

 

As the next iPhone looms, Apple slashes iPhone 5 panel and semiconductor orders

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 28, 2013

With about four months left until Apple’s worldwide developers conference, chatter intensifies that Apple is re-aligning its suppliers. With both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 allegedly spotted in the wild and leaked parts cropping up on Chinese forums, new reports indicate that Apple has substantially cut iPhone 5 screen and chip orders.

And because Apple is the world’s top chip buyer second only to Samsung, any material change in its orders immediately reflects on the entire industry. Little wonder that researches are now calling for a slow down in semiconductor equipment manufacturer orders… Read More

 

3 out of 4 phones in enterprise bear the Apple logo

By Ed Sutherland on Feb 27, 2013

Remember the days when corporate IT departments looked at the iPhone as some kookie West Coast toy bound to mess up their networks? You know, when RIM – that is, BlackBerry – had a lock on big biz. Those days are definitely gone. Today, more than three out of four mobile phones in enterprises bear the Apple logo.

What’s more, Android’s presence in business has fallen to the point where Microsoft is nibbling at its heels. During the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple’s corporate presence rose to 77 percent of mobile device, up from 71 percent during the same period in 2011, according to Good Technology. Even better for Apple executives, the iPhone and iPad took five of the top five mobile devices in businesses… Read More

 

This is what an $11,000 iPhone 5 case looks like

By Cody Lee on Feb 26, 2013

In case you were wondering, this is what an $11,000 iPhone 5 case looks like. Well, it’s actually more of a bumper than a case since it doesn’t wrap around to cover the back of the phone. But that’s beside the point.

What you are looking at is the new Haven iPhone 5 case from Brikk, a designer and manufacturer of couture products and accessories. The line starts out at $11,610, and goes to $14,235 and beyond, depending on the model… Read More

 

Apple’s iPhone push in India: wider distribution, new marketing and installment plans

By Ed Sutherland on Feb 25, 2013

After describing India as having less potential than China, Apple is increasing efforts to compete in the world’s second-largest cellphone market. The iPhone maker is now hoping installment payments, coupled with increased marketing can turn single-digit market penetration into a weapon against low-cost Androids.

In full-page ads in the Times of India, Apple calls its unsubsidized $840 iPhone 5 “your dream phone” available for a $93 first payment. Why the big push? The nation’s smartphone market is expected to grow five-fold by 2016, setting the stage for the next battle between Apple and Google’s free mobile software… Read More

 

Kantar: discounts help Android pass iOS in US smartphone sales

By Ed Sutherland on Feb 25, 2013

Oh, what a difference a month makes. That could be the message from new research giving Android the lead in U.S. smartphone sales during the three-month period ending in January 2012.

Apple’s iOS had held the U.S. smartphones sales lead up through December. The new data gives Android 49.9 percent of domestic smartphone sales, with iOS taking second place with 45.9 percent.

The new standings means Google’s mobile software added 6.4 percent of U.S. sales, compared to a year ago. Meanwhile, the lock on U.S. smartphone sales fell 4.7 percent from the same period in 2011. The flip-flop on the No. 1 and No. 2 spots was linked to a Sprint price cut for Samsung’s Galaxy S3 during the final three months of 2012… Read More

 

Mophie announces new, thinner Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5

By Cody Lee on Feb 25, 2013

Fans of Mophie’s popular Juice Pack Air line will be happy to hear that the company has just announced a new, thinner model for Apple’s latest handset. This is the first significant update to the line in two years.

Aside from the prestige of its highly-regarded creators, the major selling point for the new Air is its size—it’s both thinner and lighter than its predecessor, measuring in at just 0.63-inches thick… Read More

 

IDC: 2012 a race between Samsung ‘juggernaut’ and ‘resurgent’ Apple

By Ed Sutherland on Feb 24, 2013

Reports quite rightly label 2012 ‘The Year of Samsung.’ The South Korean smartphone and tablet maker is described as a ‘juggernaut’ with triple-digit growth last year, making it the top producer of smart devices, according to a Friday report. But if you thought Apple was ready to retire, you’d be wrong – thanks largely to monster holiday sales and that dynamic duo: the iPhone 5 and iPad mini.

Samsung saw its market share for all of 2012 jump nearly 120 percent, to 20.8 percent from 12.3 percent in 2011, according to research firm IDC. Meanwhile, Apple used the traditionally busy fourth quarter to move within about 1 percent of its South Korean rival… Read More

 

Qualcomm’s new wireless chip makes a truly global iPhone possible

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 22, 2013

Doesn’t it bother you that Apple sells its LTE devices like the iPhone 5 and latest iPads in a bunch of variants, depending on your carrier and geographical location? For example, the iPhone comes in two GSM models and one CDMA version. Blame it on the limitations with existing wireless chipsets, not Apple. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a fantastic technology, but it’s also highly fragmented.

And with nearly fifty different cellular bands in use globally worldwide, no wonder LTE is a bag of hurt, one that has introduced fragmentation unlike any other cellular radio technology before it.

Fortunately, chip maker Qualcomm has announced a new cellular solution which supports as much as 40 different bands on a single chip. It could finally allow Apple to build a truly global iPhone model that could support all implementations of the major cellular technologies used by carriers the world over… Read More

 

Strategy Analytics: iPhone 5/4S are world’s two most popular smartphones

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 20, 2013

Just as investors are (again) punishing the Apple stock on talk of Foxconn freezing recruitment in China amid weakening iPhone 5 demand (or perhaps because the iPhone 5S is entering production in March?) comes a new survey of the smartphone market by research firm Strategy Analytics. And the numbers look good: the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S each outsold Samsung’s Galaxy S III during the all-important 2012 holiday quarter.

This makes the iPhone 5 the world’s bestselling smartphone, but what’s really eyebrow-raising is that the 16-month old (and now discounted) iPhone 4S also overtook Samsung’s flagship device… Read More

 

How to jailbreak iOS 6.1.2 with evasi0n 1.4

By Jeff Benjamin on Feb 19, 2013

Evasion 1.4 was just released with support for the recently released iOS 6.1.2, and we’ve got the details on how to use it to jailbreak your iDevice of choice. Although iOS 6.1.2 doesn’t bring any new features to the table, there is a bug fix that makes the upgrade worth it.

Take a look inside as we show you how to jailbreak iOS 6.1.2 with evasi0n 1.4. This tutorial is for the Mac, but the same principal applies across all computing platforms. Read More

 

This SIM card-friendly iPhone case is perfect for travelers

By Cody Lee on Feb 18, 2013

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

 

Mophie offers insight on Apple’s strict Lightning accessory program

By Cody Lee on Feb 14, 2013

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

 

Analyst: iPhone 5 sales decelerating, iPhone 5S enters manufacturing in March

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 13, 2013

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

 

Gartner: more than half of all handsets sold in 2012 were Apple, Samsung

By Ed Sutherland on Feb 13, 2013

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

 
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