Year: 2012

Revamped iMacs, 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro due alongside iPad mini next week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

As October 23 approaches, the word on the street is that Apple alongside the iPad mini will unveil a redesigned iMac with a curved shell "like a water droplet", updated Mac minis a new 13-inch MacBook Pro notebook featuring the Retina display. Hot on the heels of last month's introduction of the iPhone 5, fifth-generation iPod touch and the new iPod nano, Apple apparently isn't done updating its existing lineup, per one analyst who recently called for eight Apple product releases by end of 2012...

New Apple Store opening in Beijing on Saturday

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's retail web page was updated last week with an announcement of Beijing's third Apple Store, scheduled for grand opening this coming Saturday, October 20. Apple already operates Sanlitun and Xidan Joy City retail outlets in the Beijing region so the upcoming store poses a welcome addition as the company preps to launch the iPhone 5 in China and looks to expand its retail operation in the 1.33 billion people market...

Geekbench: the new iPod touch cannot hold a candle to the iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 15, 2012

Apple's fifth-generation iPod touch has arrived to some raving reviews, representing a major upgrade over the previous model with the same four-inch display as the iPhone 5 (sans a cheaper assembly), the thinner chassis (only 6.1mm), the new Lightning interconnect, a five-megapixel iSight camera with custom optics and the A5 chip, also found inside the third-generation iPad and iPhone 4S. First Geekbench benchmarks show that the new iPod touch is nearly as fast as the iPhone 4S, but not even half as fast as the iPhone 5, Apple's first iOS device to utilize the brand new A6 processor...

Alleged iPad mini prices leak

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 15, 2012

According to a purported screenshot claiming to be from an internal system of a German retailer, the iPad mini could cost anywhere between €249 for the entry-level model to €649 for the top of the line model. This translates to $320 for the base model and $840 for the flagship one, although U.S. prices are likely to be lower because gadgets in Europe typically cost more due to a higher cost of doing business on the continent. In total, eight different models are said to be on offer...

Microsoft to launch new Xbox Music service, iOS app in the works

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Microsoft announced Sunday evening that it was going to be launching its new streaming music service, Xbox Music, in the coming weeks. The move will pit Microsoft directly against Spotify, RDIO, and even iTunes.

Xbox Music will debut on — what else — the Xbox, and then roll out to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices as they become available later this month. Microsoft says it's also working on iOS and Android clients...

How to jailbreak iOS 6 with RedSn0w 0.9.15b1

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 14, 2012

As we reported a couple of days ago, RedSn0w 0.9.15b1 is now available to jailbreak A4 devices and below running iOS 6. This latest version is a pretty massive update with a lengthy change log, but the most important aspect about the update is the ability to jailbreak iOS 6 and install Cydia.

Previous iOS 6 jailbreaks required users to install Cydia manually, but the latest public version of RedSn0w works just as you might expect it would. Take a look inside for our full tutorial.

Japanese carrier Softbank buys 70% stake in Sprint for $20 billion

Cody Lee ∙ October 14, 2012

There were reports last week that Softbank was interested in making a major investment in Sprint. Well those rumors materialized today, as the Japanese carrier is said to have purchased a 70% stake in the company.

The deal isn't exactly official yet, but the two parties are expected to make an announcement tomorrow morning. The purchase will give Softbank the controlling interest in the third largest carrier in the US...

Apple said to start accepting Apple Store gift cards via Passbook soon

Cody Lee ∙ October 14, 2012

A new report is out this morning, claiming that Apple is preparing to push out an update for its internal POS (point of sale) system software later this month that will allow Apple Store shoppers to pay with Passbook.

More specifically, the update will allow Apple's retail employees to accept Apple Store payment cards via Passbook, the new digital wallet app in iOS 6 that stores boarding passes, event tickets and gift cards...

Saturday Night Live talks iPhone 5 complaints

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

For the most part, the iPhone 5 has been well-received by customers. Reviews of the handset have been very positive, with most folks saying it's well worth the upgrade for previous iPhone owners.

But in addition to all of the praise, we've also heard a lot of complaints regarding the smartphone. There's the iOS 6 Maps debacle and the scratching, and don't forget the camera's purple haze issue.

So last night, the folks over at Saturday Night Live decided to address these complaints as only it knows how. You have to watch this hilarious clip from SNL's new episode called "Tech Talk: iPhone 5..."

Reuters reaffirms reports of October 23 Apple event

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Friday morning, a report surfaced claiming that Apple was planning to hold a media event on October 23 to announce the long-rumored iPad mini. But given that we heard a similar story for the 17th, we remained skeptical.

Then later that day, the well-connected Jim Dalrymple gave his "yep" of approval on the date, further confirming it. But if that's not enough proof for you, a major news outlet has just added its weight by backing the story...

The iDownloadBlog top 10 news stories of the week

Sébastien Page ∙ October 14, 2012

A new week is coming, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out on what happened last week. If you think you may have missed a few of the top stories from last week, don't sweat it, we've got you covered.

We've gathered the top 10+ most popular stories from iDB last week for you to check out. As always, make sure that you're friends with us on Facebook, Google+, and that you are following us on Twitter...

Claimed photos of iPad mini battery surface

Cody Lee ∙ October 14, 2012

It seems like the long-rumored iPad mini might actually become a real thing this month. Multiple well-sourced reports are claiming that Apple is planning to unveil the tablet at an event on October 23.

With that in mind, we expect to see speculation and part leaks really ramp up over the next few weeks as we await Apple's announcement. In fact, today we've got photos of a purported iPad mini battery...