iDownloadBlog.com

First iPhone 5s ad: ‘your finger is the password’

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

Since announcing a pair of new iPhones on September 10, Apple has not aired a single television commercial or published a newspaper ad to promote the flagship iPhone 5s.

Instead, all of Apple's advertising activities to date have centered around the colorful iPhone 5c, ostensibly because the company is having lots of issues fulfilling iPhone 5s demand.

But as Tim Cook & Co. expand the new iPhones into new markets - an additional 50+ countries will get the handsets by November 1 in addition to eleven launch countries - the first print ad for the iPhone 5s has just been spotted in The New Yorker magazine. It looks nice and I've included it for your viewing pleasure right after the jump...

Apple gets federal babysitter to watch over iBooks sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 17, 2013

Apple's federal e-book babysitter was named Wednesday. New York Judge Denise Cote assigned former Department of Just Inspector General Michael Bromwich to monitor Apple's compliance with antitrust laws concerning e-book sales. In July, Apple agreed to an independent monitor after being found guilt of conspiring with five publishers to fix prices.

Although Apple has called such a monitor unnecessary, DoJ prosecutors demanded the step as part of the final court remedy. Judge Cote, however, threw Apple a bone, reducing Bromwich's monitoring duty to just two years, less than half of the five years the Justice Department had originally wanted...

JD Power: Apple leads in satisfaction on AT&T/Verizon, Samsung on Sprint/T-Mobile

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

When it comes to smartphone satisfaction, carriers are key. That's the central finding of J.D. Power, which Thursday released its latest study indicating Apple and Samsung lead in satisfaction across all four major U.S. providers.

When it comes to the iPhone, customers of long-time Apple partners Verizon and AT&T love the Cupertino, Cupertino, company's smartphone lineup, more than any other smartphone brand.

As for South Korean Samsung, Sprint customers report are most satisfied by the Galaxy family of smartphones. Which U.S. carriers do the best job supporting smartphones? According to the study, AT&T and Sprint report the greatest satisfaction, followed by T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless...

Pandora: we do streaming radio better than anyone – including Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 17, 2013

When iTunes Radio was only a rumor, the idea of Apple offering streaming music was instantly dubbed a Pandora-killer. Now that iTunes Radio has launched alongside iOS 7 last month, Pandora's finance chief is speaking out, saying their service outperforms even a giant-killer, no matter how fat the bank account.

In an interview, Pandora CFO Mike Herring describes Apple's service as a "credible" threat, but the Internet radio startup continues to feel it still is "better than anybody else"...

AT&T offers more LTE in random places

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

U.S. wireless carrier AT&T today announced that its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network is rolling out to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, as part of its ongoing rollout across the market which began with 4G LTE launch in Jefferson City in April.

Customers located in parts of Camdenton, Eldon, Gravois Mills, Lake Ozark, Laurie, Linn Creek, Osage Beach, Sunrise Beach and Versailles should now start seeing LTE logos on their devices such as Apple's iPhones, after upgrading to AT&T's speedy service.

Last week, AT&T's LTE expanded in a bunch of new markets in the United States and I have a quick breakdown for you waiting just below the fold...

Verizon activates 3.9M iPhones, representing 51% of its Q3 smartphone activations

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

The leading wireless telco in the United States, Verizon Wireless, this morning released its third quarter results revealing 3.9 million iPhone activations (which is different than the actual unit sales).

It's the same as its previous quarter and 26 percent up from 3.1 million iPhone activations in Q3 of 2012.

Apple's share of total smartphone activations at the Big Red carrier, however, has jumped from 43 percent in the second quarter of 2013 to as much as 51 percent of the 7.6 million total smartphone activations in the third quarter.

Due to iPhone supply constraints, there will be some carryover in sales to the fourth quarter, Verizon cautioned. Year-over-year smartphone activations at the carrier were up by 26 percent and revenue improved 4.4 percent to $30.28 billion, CFO Fran Shammo said in an earnings call with investors. More tidbits after the break...

Square Video review: create Instagram videos without square cropping

Lory Gil ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Instagram is a joy for some and an irritation for others. One common complaint about the photography-based social networking site and third-party photo editing apps that support it is the 1:1 ratio. While it makes Instagram images and videos iconic, it makes some photography fans nuts.

Square Video makes it possible for you to upload videos to Instagram using wide screen and portrait ratios so you can share your clips the way they looked when you recorded them…

Anki Drive iPhone-controlled cars launching October 23 for $199

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

During Apple's WWDC keynote this summer, Tim Cook called a couple of guys from Anki up on stage to show off their new iOS accessory/game called 'Anki Drive.'

Anki Drive is essentially a set of self-controlled, iOS-connected vehicles that race around a vinyl race track. The company describes it as a "video game in the real world."

Although the demo failed initially, folks were impressed by the Anki Drive cars. And many will be happy to hear that they'll finally be available for purchase next week...

New iOS 7 GarageBand and iPhoto icons hint at impending redesign

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Redesigned icons for Apple's iPhoto and Garageband iOS apps popped up last night, suggesting that both are on the verge of receiving iOS 7-style makeovers. The icons are flatter, bringing them more in line with the update.

While Apple updated the look of its stock apps in iOS 7, most of its App Store applications have remained untouched. iBooks, iMovie, the two aforementioned apps, and several others are all still awaiting their UI overhauls...

Batman: Arkham Origins now available for iPhone and iPad as free to play download

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

The Batman Arkham series made its way to the iOS platform with the release of Batman Arkham City Lockdown in December 2011. For those who haven't played the game, you basically were challenged to battle against Arkham City’s most dangerous villains. With the console version of Batman: Arkham Origins now just around the corner, Warner Bros. Entertainment figured it should drum up the excitement by pushing a mobile version ahead of the October 25 console edition launch.

This free to play mobile game looks great and is available now worldwide on the App Store so do give it a whirl, especially if you're into action games and the Batman series...

Apple’s environment lady discusses greener iCloud and Apple Earth

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2013

In his efforts to help Apple's stalling green initiatives hit the ground running, CEO Tim Cook looked for some outside help and in May hired Lisa Jackson. Formerly the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Jackson is charged with overseeing iCloud data centers and Apple's other environmental projects and reports directly to Cook.

Speaking earlier today at the sustainability conference VERGE in San Francisco, she noted that “Tim Cook didn’t hire Lisa Jackson to be quiet and keep the status quo” and shared a few updates concerning Apple's clean energy strides.

Plus, she detailed what the company's been doing to upgrade its dirty iCloud data centers to cleaner and renewable energy sources. I have the full breakdown for you right after the break...