Year: 2012

HP will do the smartphone thing again, CEO says

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

You gotta feel for poor ol' computer maker Hewlett-Packard. The troubled computer maker is struggling due to slow sales growth, razor thin margins and a serious management crisis that saw the company fire a few CEOs before settling with former eBay exec Meg Whitman. That's only the tip of the iceberg.

HP's $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm in 2010 was to breathe new life into the company and provide a lucrative new revenue stream.

It instead turned into an expensive fiasco that cost HP ton of credibility and contributed greatly to a loss of direction. So, what's HP gonna do? Try the smartphone thing again...

Unlisted iPhone 5 specs hint at AT&T network overhaul

Cody Lee ∙ September 14, 2012

Earlier in the week we reported that, due to LTE fragmentation, Apple was forced to make three different versions of the iPhone 5. A CDMA handset, and two GSM models, one specifically for AT&T.

As it turns out, there's something weird about the AT&T model. It's been recently discovered, via leaked FCC documentation, that it supports LTE on two unlisted bands, cellular and PCS..

Engineer explains why Apple went with Lightning instead of Micro USB

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 29, 2017

Among the many changes found in the iPhone 5 is the new Lightning dock connector. For months we've been expecting Apple to replace the aging 30-pin port in its new handset, and it did.

The change has caused a bit of controversy, because folks don't understand why it was necessary, and they don't know why Apple didn't go with the more popular Micro USB connector.

As it turns out, Micro USB isn't smart enough...

Confirmed: no free Lightning to 30-pin adapter with your iPhone 5 purchase

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's new and 80 percent thinner Lightning connector found on the iPhone 5 and the new iPod touch has been met with criticism. As you know, existing accessories designed for the legacy 30-pin dock connector cannot connect directly to the Lightning-equipped devices without Apple's Lightning to 30-pin Adapter, provided in $29 direct-plug and $39 cable varieties.

Confusion arose around whether or not the adapter is including inside the iPhone 5 box. The iPhone 5 entry on the online Apple store under the "What's in the box" section originally listed the adapter as included. However, sales reps claim the opposite and Apple has consequentially removed the item from the iPhone 5 package...

Lightning dock connector thought to support USB hosting

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 29, 2017

Apple's new Lightning dock connector which debuted on the iPhone 5 and the new colorful iPod touch isn't just 80 percent smaller (and nearly identical in size to the micro-USB), reversible and all digital, it is also designed with USB I/O technology in mind.

According to a report from Macotakara, the Japanese blog with a fairly accurate track record, Lightning I/O has built-in support to host USB devices, which could lead to more fully-featured accessories than previously possible. Think keyboards, digital cameras, MIDI interfaces, mics and other USB-based gear...

Samsung kidnaps buyer to copy iPhone 5 tech in new Conan vid

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 14, 2012

Conan O’Brien regularly pokes fun at Apple and we here at iDB love his funny takes on Cupertino's products and moves. He mocked the Apple v. Samsung monster trial, the new iPad Retina Display, Siri commercials and the lost iPhone prototype meme, to name a few. Now he's back at it again.

Riding high on the iPhone 5 tidal wave, the 49-year-old host of the TBS late night show sent out an intern to buy an iPhone 5 from Apple. The poor kid got kidnapped by Samsung's men in black to presumably held him hostage in order to gain access to the Phone 5 technology.

If you didn't laugh at Conan's video, laughing at yourself is always a nice alternative (here, here and here)...

iPhone 5 to cost carriers $10B in subsidies

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 14, 2012

If there was a frenemy to carrier profits, it could be Apple's iPhone. While iPhone users were rejoicing over the iPhone 5, U.S. wireless providers could pay $10 billion in subsidies to sell the new smartphone, according to one analyst. Indeed, AT&T and Verizon were downgraded just days after the new iPhone was announced.

The iPhone's success is a double-edged sword for US carriers. Although a new Apple phone can draw new subscribers like a magnet, the Cupertino, Calif. company is aware of its power, costing carriers $425 per handset in subsidies. Couple that high cost with the early sale of the device and carrier margins for the last half of 2012 will be slimmer than the iPhone 5, writes Stifel Nicolaus analyst Christopher King. King told investors AT&T and Verizon could be over-valued and downgraded both companies to 'hold.'

Cost of parts for the 16GB iPhone 5 pegged at $168

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 30, 2017

Bill of materials for the entry-level 16GB iPhone 5 has been estimated at just $167.50, according to an analysis published Friday by UBM TechInsights. In comparison, UBM TechInsights estimated that the 16GB iPhone 4S has a bill of materials of $132 ($112 for the iPhone 4).

The $36 difference between the iPhone 5 and its predecessor covers new technologies Apple built in, including the larger four-inch Retina screen that leverages the in-cell assembly process, the speedier A6 chip, some new sensors and mics and 4G LTE modem from Qualcomm, to name a few...

So I went ahead and purchased an off-contract iPhone 5

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 14, 2012

As we told you earlier, AT&T wasn't budging on their upgrades this time around. If you are in the middle of a current contract, AT&T wants to charge a $250 early upgrade fee, a $36 activation fee, and the price of the actual subsidized iPhone — in my case the $199 16GB version.

After doing the math, that totals over $500 for a new iPhone 5 with a two year contract, which is ridiculous. Why pay that much only to be locked into a contract for an additional two years? Instead, I decided to take this approach, and purchased an off contract iPhone 5...

The iPhone 5 is the Rolex of smartphones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Despite lack of NFC (here's why) and wireless charging (you still need to plug a wireless charging device somewhere), the manufacturing precision with which the iPhone 5 is made is seen as one of its biggest selling points. Piper Jaffray analst Gene Munster previously predicted "the biggest consumer launch in history", calling the iPhone 5 arrival "the mother of all upgrades". He's back at it again, likening the iPhone 5 in today's note to clients to "a Rolex among a sea of Timexes"...

How to pre-order an off contract iPhone 5 from Verizon or AT&T

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 14, 2012

For those wishing to avoid signing up for a lengthy two year contract, Verizon or AT&T's website will let you easily order an off-contract iPhone 5 that you can configure with a month to month plan.

Signing up for a carrier's month to month plan will provide you with an unsubsidized phone for $649, $749, and $849, for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions of the iPhone 5 respectively. Here's how to do it...

Apple confirms Lightning to HDMI and VGA cables coming

Cody Lee ∙ September 14, 2012

More details have come to light today regarding Apple's new Lightning connector and its capabilities. It seems it will be capable of wired video output after all.

Previously, folks were worried that it wouldn't support video out, due to the fact that the Lightning to 30-pin adapter doesn't. But Apple just confirmed it will...