Apple

Stronger battery inside iPhone 5s/5c detailed

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2016

Apple's marketing honcho Phil Schiller noted during Tuesday's iPhone 5s/5c keynote that both new iPhones feature a slightly bigger battery though he stopped short of giving us specifics. Now, Apple's specs page would have us believe that both new iPhones feature essentially the same battery, though that's not true.

Per Apple's stats, both devices provide ten hours of talk time on 3G, 250 hours standby time, 8 hours of Internet use on 3G (10 hours on LTE or Wi-Fi), 10 hours of video playback and 40 hours of audio playback.

What Apple didn't tell us is how it's managed to boost the iPhone 5s battery capacity by as much as ten percent. The iPhone 5c battery life gains are more modest at a respectable five percent compared to the iPhone 5...

Apple patent shines new light on potential iDevices made of sapphire

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 12, 2013

A newly-published patent suggests Apple is serious about bling. Not for diamond-encrusted gadgets, but iDevices made of sapphire, the second-hardest material on earth. The iPhone maker envisions smartphone screens able to resist scratches and breakage with bodies tough enough to withstand drops and spills.

Although up till now sapphire has been used for smaller items, such as the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5s, the patent application outlines much wider application, according to a Thursday report...

Jumbo-sized ‘iPhad’ would be huge in China, but…

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 12, 2013

In astronomy, it is known as the 'Goldilocks Principle,' where Earth is located not too close to the Sun but not too far away. The 'just right' thinking needs to be applied to calls for a larger-screen iPhone, according to one analyst. While an iPhone with a larger screen is needed to increase demand in China, anything larger than a five-inch display risks creating an 'iPhad' that's part iPhone and part iPad...

Walmart to sell new iPhones with a discount, take iPhone 5c pre-orders tomorrow

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Just as Apple's U.S. carrier partners Verizon and Sprint announced iPhone 5c pre-orders beginning Friday at 12:01am Pacific, the U.S. retail chain Walmart said Thursday it too will start taking pre-orders for the device tomorrow.

The retailer typically carries iPhones at prices lower than other stores and new iPhones are no different: an iPhone 5s with sixteen gigabytes of storage will cost you $189 after a two-year contract, which is $10 cheaper from standard $199 downpayment...

Apple’s Find My iPhone helps recover 5-year-old in stolen SUV

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 12, 2013

Here's a use for the iPhone Apple may not have considered: do-it-yourself lojack. Thanks to the company's Find My iPhone app for iOS devices, Houston, Texas police Monday night recovered a five-year-old boy. Police say the father used his iPad to track the Apple smartphone that was in a stolen SUV which held the child. According to ABC 13, Houston police then used the information to track the family vehicle, stolen while the father went into a Houston liquor store Monday...

Apple stock takes a hit after Wall Street hammers iPhone 5c ‘iPhlop’

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Wall Street is a curious bunch. Apple shares dropped by five percent Wednesday morning after analysts piled on with disappointment over the iPhone 5c.

Expecting an inexpensive smartphone costing $400 without a contract, Apple instead unveiled a device priced at $549 unsubsidized.

The departure from the expected script caused some industry observers to downgrade Apple's shares, citing worries the iPhone maker may have shot itself in the foot when it comes to inexpensive Android alternatives selling in places like China...

iPhone 5c pre-orders to begin Friday at 12:01 am Pacific Time

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Looking to grab Apple's new iPhone 5c? Then you better keep your credit card handy. It appears that pre-orders for the new handset are set to begin Friday, September 13—that's tomorrow—at 12:01 am Pacific Time.

The information comes from U.S. carrier partners Verizon and Sprint, who have both posted pre-order info on their websites. Apple hasn't confirmed the time yet, but it has in year's past coordinated with the providers...

Apple details Touch ID: no on-device fingerprints, 48-hour wipe, doesn’t like moisture

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 29, 2016

Apple left a few important questions unanswered regarding its all-new fingerprint sensor implemented on the iPhone 5s, called Touch ID. The useful feature stems from Apple's 2012 purchase of Israeli-based biometric security experts AuthenTec. In a nutshell, Apple strives to easily and securely authenticate users into their device and approve purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store or iBookstore - simply by scanning their finger on the Home button.

What happens next is anyone's guess. Neither Apple's website nor available promotional material reveals much in way of detail. Perhaps sensing a privacy scare in the making, Apple dispatched its spokesperson to dispel any notion that the new iPhone might expose users to security risks...

New Apple TV hardware due next month, says Apple pundit

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 11, 2013

MG Siegler, a TechCrunch columnist, blogger, Google Ventures partner and self-proclaimed Apple fanboy, has some solid sources at Apple. Though he rarely comments on what Apple will or will not do, when he does you can bet your shirt he won't make off-the-cuff remarks.

Today, Siegler felt compelled to take to Twitter and share with the world that a new Apple TV hardware could be arriving as soon as next month. The claim seemingly corroborates a sketchy GigaOM report that suggested the possibility of some kind of television-related product from Apple, based on leaked shipping records "from a top supplier," labeled labeled 'Set Top Boxes'...

Some Apple Stores discount iPhone 5 stock

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 29, 2016

Yesterday's iPhone 5s/5c announcement has brought a few changes to the iPhone lineup. The 16/32/64GB iPhone 5s is now Apple's new top-of-the-line offering, respectively priced at $199/$299/$399 with a two-year contract. Apple has also discounted the iPhone 5 and reshuffled the iPhone 4s offering by introducing the 8GB iPhone 4s as the bargain option costing zero bucks after a two-year contract.

According to a new report, some of the California firm's retail stores in Canada have discounted existing stock of the unlocked iPhone 5 models with sixteen and thirty-two gigabytes by $100. The off-contract 16GB iPhone 5 has also been slashed by $100 to $599, down from $699 previously...

Apple removes iCloud Keychain from iOS 7 GM, here’s why

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Yesterday, Apple seeded its registered iOS developers with a so-called Gold Master version of iOS 7, which is essentially the same version owners of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices will be getting come September 18.

Unfortunately, it seems the company has quietly pulled the useful iCloud Keychain feature from the GM build. The company did not provide an explanation as to why exactly the feature got yanked.

For what it's worth, it's entirely possible the company leadership didn't feel confident enough to declare iCloud Keychain ready for prime time. We have another theory...

Realmac announces Clear for iOS 7 will be a separate new app

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 11, 2013

Realmac Software, the guys who brought you the popular to-do iOS app Clear, the iOS camera app called Analog Camera and the gorgeous scrapbook app for the Mac, Ember, today shared their roadmap for Clear. As iOS 7 gets its official release date - September 18 - developers are busy updating their warez with the matching flattened look and support for new technologies Apple added to it mobile operating system.

As Apple still doesn't allows developers to introduce paid upgrades to existing App Store apps, some developers - Realmac Software included - have opted to re-release their apps as a separate, iOS 7-specific download...