iPhone News

That’s one hell of a multitouch radio for your ride

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

As you may have heard, Apple's iPad mini finally went on sale earlier today. Some of you no doubt picked it up directly at your local Apple store (hope you didn't have to stand in line outside the Fifth Avenue store). Others might still be biting their nails anxiously awaiting that USP truck. If you're busy playing with or imagining handling Apple's shiny new toy, why not make some room in your car's dashboard so you can easily slide the iPad mini in and out? Look no further than Soundwaves of Tampa, which custom-built a dash in a 2012 Toyota Corolla. Video is right below...

Apple’s Lightning to Micro USB Adapter hits US online store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's been an avid supported of USB for years. With USB 3.0, not so much - at least not until first Mac notebooks with USB 3.0 support began rolling out of assembly lines last year. The company, however, never adopted the industry-standard Micro USB connector. Instead, and much to the horror of the multi-billion dollar accessory biz, it chose to replace its own bulky, decade-old proprietary 30-pin dock connector with Lightning, another proprietary connector similar in size to micro USB (there's a reasonable explanation for that).

So, if you fancy connecting your Lightning-enabled mobile devices to micro USB cables and chargers to sync and charge, Apple comes to the rescue with its official Lightning to Micro USB Adapter. Originally released in Europe in September due to regulations mandating that all mobile phones be charged via commonplace micro USB adapters, it's now finally available to U.S. customers. How much? Just $20. I know, don't start...

Google talks Nexus gadgets

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2012

Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Nexus Q... Who would have thought just a year ago that Google would ever be able to build its own family of branded consumer electronics products so rapidly and much in the way Apple has built its iPhone, iPod and iPad lineups. Now, I opined in May that Google becoming a handset maker could spell trouble for Apple, not just concerning the iPhone maker's thermonuclear war on Android but also realizing the vertical integration advantage this acquisition makes possible - even if we have yet to see Motorola-made Nexus phones born out of that partnership.

But Google becoming a hardware company changes market dynamics drastically, especially with much of the innovations in the Android camp happening in software right now. John Lagerling, Google's director of business development for Android, sat down with Brian Chen of The New York Times to talk Nexus devices and how Google goes about designing them, here's what came out of him...

4th gen iPad’s A6X chip runs quad-core PowerVR SGX 554MP4 graphics

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

Apple introduced the new A6X with the fourth-generation iPad on October 23. It's an improved version of the A6 silicon powering the iPhone 5 by increasing clock frequency for the CPU (1.5GHz) and GPU (500MHz) part in order to achieve Apple's claim of twice the CPU and GPU performance.

Though the A6X still runs two ARM Cortex-A15 cores with a heavily customized, Apple's own ARMv7 based processor design (called Swift), the company has improved graphics performance compared to the A6's three PowerVR-based GPU cores by moving to a newer GPU core: the PowerVR SGX 554 from UK's fabless semiconductor maker Imagination Technologies, where Apple has an ownership stake...

iPad 4th generation unboxing

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 2, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TteaMDNQbdQ

It's a little weird that I'm unboxing what is basically the same product that I unboxed back in March, but that's the way the product cycle rolls these days.

True, the new iPad 4 features a CPU that is twice as fast, and graphics that are twice as fast. It also features an updated FaceTime HD camera for high def video calling, along with the new Lightning connector. With all that said, practically everything else is exactly the same as the iPad 3, and it comes in at the exact same form factor.

As you can see, for the first time I opted to get an iPad in White. This will help me to quickly tell the difference between this and the previous generation iPad.

What about you? Did you decide to get an iPad 4, or are you holding out for a more drastic upgrade?

iPad mini unboxing

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 2, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeR0n0r00pk

I went to several Walmart's last night at midnight in search of the elusive iPad mini, but alas, no dice. Fortunately I already had one ordered from the Apple Store as a backup plan.

I literally just received my mini in the mail via FedEx about 30 minutes ago. As always, I could hardly contain myself, but I made myself wait before tearing open the box so I could showcase this unboxing on video for you guys.

Have you received your iPad mini yet? What do you think about it thus far? Stay tuned, as we'll have tons of comparison articles and videos in the coming hours and days.

iPad mini sells out in 2 hours at 5th Avenue store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

The iPad mini went on sale this morning in 34 countries and it looks to be off to a pretty solid start. Now, much ado is being made about lines not being as long as during past product launches. This is understandable: after all, the iPad mini launch is somewhat subdued because of the fallout from Hurricane Sandy. Still, eager fans reportedly visit flagship Apple stores in considerable numbers to pick up the new device which most reviewers deemed an attractive buy.

In New york, in about two hours the iPad mini sold out at Apple's flagship Manhattan store on the Fifth Avenue. In case you'be been wondering about the headcount, Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports of more than 800 customers standing in the line by the time the 10am countdown began. So much about "disappointing crowds"...

Microsoft said to be building its own smartphone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Once Microsoft unveiled its Surface tablet, its first foray into designing its own mobile hardware, this summer, you had to imagine that a Redmond-built smartphone wouldn't be far behind.

And sure enough, according to a new report from a highly regarded news outlet, the Windows company is currently working with suppliers in Asia to test its own smartphone design...

Apple seen removing emoji apps from the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ November 2, 2012

This is kind of interesting. With iOS 6 bringing expanded emoji support, it looks like Apple has decided to do something about the large number of emoji apps in the App Store.

According to a new report, several developers have received letters from the company, stating that their emoji apps are being removed now that the feature is built-in to iOS...

Phil Schiller to take the stand again in Samsung suit

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 2, 2012

The South Korean conglomerate Samsung will get another crack at questioning Phil Schiller, Apple's SVP of Worldwide Marketing, as part of the appeal proceedings concerning the Apple v. Samsung monster suit, a California court ordered yesterday following a request from Samsung lawyers. Apple must make Schiller available for another deposition this coming Monday. The massive lawsuit culminated when the jury handed the verdict, awarding Apple more than $1 billion in damages (the company wants more) while also ruling it did not infringe upon any of the patents held by its South Korean rival...

Apple loses rights to iPhone name in Mexico

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 30, 2017

Apple has lost a fairly significant court case in Mexico this week. A Mexico City Judge has denied the company's injunction request that would have allowed it to continue selling iPhone-branded products in the country.

Apparently, the "iPhone" moniker sounds too phonetically similar to iFone, a brand belonging to a Mexican telecommunications company. And the similarity is enough that Apple could be banned from using the name in the region...

Ive and Forstall were ‘rarely in the same room’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

That SVP and iOS chief Scott Forstall fell out of favor with Apple CEO Tim Cook and other vice presidents because of his abrasive and divisive style is no secret. Forstall, 44, was Apple's youngest vice president. He was also the brains behind OS X since 2006 and the architect of your iPhone's software. The executive was especially at odds with Apple's famed industrial design guru Jony Ive over software design. According to a new report by Bloomberg, bad blood ran so deep that Forstall wouldn't even participate in Ive's meetings where crucial software and hardware design aspects had been discussed...