Year: 2012

New iPhone accessories may miss holidays due to supply shortages

The massive third-party accessory ecosystem that surrounds the iPhone and other iOS products is arguably the largest of its kind. A Google Search for the term "iPhone accessory" returns some 46 million results.

But this ecosystem, which has flourished for several years, is expected to get turned upside down this fall. For the first time since the original iPhone's inception, Apple is changing the handset's charging port...

Report: Apple to release 8 products by end of 2012

Sometimes delays are good. Apple is expected to release eight new products during September and October, delayed from an earlier introduction due to production problems, an analyst wrote Friday. Although most consumers know Apple will unleash the iPhone 5 in September, followed by a 7-inch iPad in October, the Cupertino, Calif. firm reportedly may also unveil a new iPod, MacBook Pro and iMac.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities said along with the iPhone 5, September will see a redesigned 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display with an entry price between $1,100 and $1,300. Next month will also see a new iPod touch...

Video demo shows rumored 4-inch iPhone display in action

The 4-inch display rumored to debut in Apple's next smartphone has received mixed reactions from the tech community. It has a resolution of 1136 x 640, meaning it's the same width as before, just a bit taller. And some folks don't like that.

Why would Apple make the display in the new iPhone taller but not wider? We're sure it has its technical reasons, but the elongated screen, to us, seems like it would improve things like movie-watching and games. Here, watch this video...

DisplayCandy adds new open, close, and switching animations to iOS

DisplayCandy is a brand new tweak that significantly spruces up the animation transitions on your iPhone or iPad. There are three areas where animations can be customized — opening, closing, and when switching between applications.

Each of the areas can be customized using a wide variety of animations, along with a slider to increase or decrease the duration of the animation you choose. As you'll come to appreciate from the video inside, DisplayCandy is an excellent way to customize the look and feel of an iOS device...

Report: Apple using MacBook supplier AU Optronics and LG Display for iPad mini display

As we get closer to the expected October launch of Apple's "iPad mini," details are emerging about how the Cupertino, Calif. company is reshaping its supplier base in the face of growing demand for handheld devices. AU Optronics, which made MacBook displays, is now building parts for the smaller iPad, Bloomberg reports Friday.

LG Display is also among the suppliers for the smaller tablet, according to Bloomberg.

Apple and several publishers offer concessions to avoid e-book suit

A new report is out this morning claiming that Apple and several major publishers have agreed to offer pricing concessions in an effort to end an antitrust investigation by the European Union (EU).

Last December, the EU started looking into claims that Apple was conspiring with publishers to raise e-book prices, saying its "agency model" was hampering digital publishing competition in Europe...

FaceMail opens Facebook emails in its native app

FaceMail is a recently released jailbreak tweak that forces Facebook links appearing in the stock Mail app to open in the Facebook app instead of Safari.

At first glance, this might seem like the perfect tweak for avid users of the Facebook app, but upon further inspection it has a few shortcomings. Check inside for the full rundown...

The new iPhone looks really thin compared to the 4S and 3GS

Thanks to new in-cell display panels, a smaller dock connector and other modifications, the new iPhone is going to be thinner than ever before. How thin? The casing for the handset has been measured at 7.6mm.

While that doesn't sound like a very big difference — just 1.7mm thinner than the 9.3mm 4S — it's certainly noticeable. Just look at these two comparison photos showing the new iPhone, the 4S and the 3GS...

Sharp slows production of Apple’s new iPhone screen

Apple may need to give a cash infusion to one of its iPhone display suppliers, whose production has slowed due to high costs, Reuters reports Friday. Screens for the new iPhone expected on Sept. 12 have embedded touch sensors, eliminating the need for an additional touch-screen layer.

Sharp is "struggling with high costs that have cut into its margins on the screens," the news service reports this morning, citing an unidentified production source...

Developer finds tracks of the iPad mini in server logs

As the rumored October launch date of the iPad mini inches closer, evidence of the tablet's existence is starting to pick up. We've seen rear shells, dock connectors and even cases that reportedly belong to the device.

And today, it looks like even more proof has surfaced. An iOS developer is reporting that he has spotted two new iPad devices in his app logs, which he believes could be variations of Apple's highly-anticpated new tablet...

Tokyo court rules Samsung devices don’t violate Apple patent

You have to feel for Samsung, it's had a pretty rough week. First, it lost a high-profile patent suit to Apple which will cost it in upwards of $1 billion. And now it's facing a US sales ban on 8 devices.

But this should help ease the pain: a Tokyo judge has just handed Samsung a court victory, ruling that its phones and tablets do not violate Apple's patent related to music and video syncing...