Aluminum backing said to be the blame for iPhone 5 supply constraints

 

It's been almost three weeks since the iPhone 5 went on sale here in the US, and it's practically impossible to find the handset. Apple's website still shows shipping time estimates of 3-4 weeks, and both Verizon and AT&T show the phone won't be available until November.

On the surface, it seems that Apple is once again a victim of its own success: it simply can't make iPhones fast enough to meet demand. But apparently there's more to it than that. Word is that the phone's aluminum backing has been a major factor in the supply constraints...

Hide the Newsstand app using StifleStand for Windows

Yesterday we showed you how to hide the maligned Newsstand app using StifleStand — a new Mac app from developer, Filippo Bigarella.

What makes StifleStand special is that it doesn't require a jailbreak in order to use it, which means that it even works with the new iPhone 5. No doubt, hundreds of users who despise Newsstand flocked to the app, but Windows users were sadly left in the cold...that is, until now.

As promised by Bigarella, and as noted by iOS blog ModMyi, a Windows version of StifleStand has been created, and it is now available for download. Check inside for a brief video demonstration of StifleStand for Windows, along with the download link.

How to stop Verizon and AT&T from sharing your user data with advertisers

New iPhone owners on the nation's largest LTE network might be interested to know that the carrier gives its customers 30 days to opt-out of participating in a user data sharing program with advertisers.

The program tracks smartphone users, recording things like location data (though it's anonymized), age, dining habits and other demographics, and shares them with advertisers for targeted marketing...

New study shows 40% of US teens own an iPhone

Despite Samsung's efforts to portray the iPhone as a device for older consumers, the iPhone is still extremely popular among teenagers. Piper Jaffray says that 40% of US teens now own the handset.

Gene Munster, an analyst with the firm, released a report today on his survey of US teenagers regarding what gadgets they're using. And judging from the results, Apple's iPhone and iPad are still on top...

Apple’s next big thing is an intelligent remote? I should have been an analyst.

With the successful iPhone 5 launch now behind us and the rumored iPad mini introduction allegedly upon us later this month, the rumor-mill is no doubt busy thinking about Apple's next big thing. The mythical Apple television set instantly springs to mind, dubbed by the media as the iTV. Not so fast. According to one analyst, an intelligent remote rather than a standalone HD TV set is up next for the Cupertino, California designer of shiny gadgets...

Watch how the iPad helps spread hope

Project HOPE, a United States-based health care organization, explains in this heartwarming video how Apple's iPad helps Project HOPE volunteer and pediatric physician Dr. Dana Braner treat sick children around the world. Watch how the iPad "lights up their faces" as Dr. Dana discusses how the device  helps him treat young patients who now find regular medical check ups far less intimidating...

Brazil approves iPhone 5 for sale, may see Portuguese support for Siri

In addition to this morning's story that the iPhone 5 will launch in India at the end of the month, another report has surfaced regarding international availability of Apple's latest handset.

The report claims that Brazil's telecommunications regulatory authority has just approved the iPhone 5 for sale in the country. And word is, Siri has learned how to speak Portuguese...

Report: iPad mini is WiFi-only, Apple to update iPad 3 with UK’s 4G LTE and Lightning

We may have been exposed to a surprising amount of leaks pertaining to the looks and hardware features of a smaller iPad Apple is thought to be introducing later this month. One important feature has remained a mystery thus far: the device's price point.

With both Amazon and Google selling their seven inchers for just $199, Apple's mini iPad cannot and shouldn't cost substantially more in order not to ruin its chances in the marketplace.

Among the possible tricks Apple could employ in order to keep the costs down: re-using some of the iPad 2 components and yes - skimping on some features, including cellular networking...

How to install Siri on iOS devices running iOS 6

Would you like to use Siri on your old iPod touch 4th generation or iPhone 4 running iOS 6? The first thing you need to do is jailbreak your device, and then install Cydia.

Once you've jailbroken your device and installed Cydia, you can then add the necessary Cydia repo to install the package needed to configure Siri on these devices.

Check inside for our full tutorial.

Google appears to be tiring of the patent wars

Following up on a revealing Sunday piece by The New York Times that looks at patent wars from both sides to conclude that Apple (like other tech giants) patents anything and everything just to prevent rivals from patenting the same inventions, Google's chief legal counsel David Drummond has now called for an all-encompassing software patent reform.

Criticizing broken patent system in the United States, Drummond advocates for a change to make the system more akin to Europe and some other countries, which make it much harder to get a software patent of any kind, let alone something as basic as Apple's slide-to-unlock gesture...

Rumor: Apple’s been working with mysterious carbon fiber supplier for 3 years

A report by the Japanese blog Macotakara recently asserted that Apple ordered parts made of carbon fiber, presumably for an entirely new product (no iBike jokes, please), though for all we know the company could  be simply looking to replace aluminum in products with lighter and stronger carbon fiber parts.

The report would name neither the supplier nor the product in question and today the same blog ran another story shedding more light on the matter.

Apple apparently has been working with the mysterious supplier for at least three years, suggesting that the shipments of carbon fiber parts (said to be too large to simply be a sample) stem from Apple's multi-year partnership with the vendor...

Apple may have changed the iPad mini’s round shape design

Apple tomorrow is allegedly expected to invite select members of the press to an iPad mini-focused media event, likely to be held at some point next week. With part leaks, dummies, schematics, mockups, gorgeous renders and news of manufacturing ramp up all leaking on a daily basis, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the iPad mini design has been set in stone weeks ago.

A new report by a reliable Japanese blog now claims Apple's changed the iPad mini design and one "large OEM mobile accessory maker" had to throw cases it already made, likely based on same leaks and rumors we've been hearing about...