Surprisingly, Apple didn't make any mention of a China Mobile deal at its event today. The Cupertino company had reportedly inked a deal with world's largest carrier earlier this month to carry its popular handset.
But that doesn't mean it can't still happen. In fact, some new evidence surfaced today that suggests a partnership is still in the cards. It's been discovered that both new iPhones support China Mobile's TD-LTE tech...
As we continue to uncover interesting tidbits following Apple's introduction of the flagship iPhone 5s and the plastic iPhone 5c this morning, a little-appreciated fact has now come to light. Both new iPhones are offered in four different hardware varieties each versus three different cellular versions of the iPhone 5.
The consolidated 5s/5c models offer more LTE bands than before, but the coolest thing is that in the United States a single version now supports AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Additionally, a different version of the handsets will provide compatibility with Sprint and Japan's KDDI and Softbank carriers.
Previously, there used to be two different US flavors of the iPhone 5, one for the AT&T and T-Mobile and the other for Verizon and Sprint networks...
As we count the remaining minutes until Apple's iPhone 5S/5C keynote (85 minutes left and counting), the blogosphere has spent the last 48 hours putting together some downright amusing parody videos (not mentioning a few in really bad taste).
While hardly meant to downplay Apple's inevitable domination in headlines today, we're not complaining - such parodies have long become part of the Apple keynote folklore. Now, some watchers may be expecting a revolution.
Realistically - this morning is about two phones, both based on the existing iPhone 5 design: a mid-range model redesigned around a much cheaper and sturdier plastic enclosure and an S-upgrade with a faster chip, better camera and Touch ID sensor.
Check out the videos after the break and hit us in comments...
As everyone waits to learn what iPhones Apple will announce later today, the urge to trade-in current smartphones will surge. Hoping to take advantage of that last-minute push is Walmart, adding the world's largest retailer to the list of firms offering deals on older iPhones and other used smartphones.
But is Walmart offering the best deal?
There are some differences which could make offers by smaller firms more attractive, starting with kick-off time...
French developer Ubisoft, one of the most prolific games makers out there, today announced a brand new game to accompany the upcoming Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag for consoles. They are calling it Assassin's Creed: Pirates and it's basically a standalone naval combat title scheduled to launch this Fall on smartphones and tablets.
Pirates will feature the characters from the upcoming Black Flag console game, including Blackbeard and Benjamin Hornigold. I've included a teaser trailer and additional tidbits right after the break...
Tony Fadell, the brains behind the popular Nest thermostat, used to work at Apple where he'd helped engineer the iPod music player, earning him a nickname of the iPod Godfather. He also led the development of the first eighteen iterations of the original iPhone. In a recent interview, the famous engineer revealed that Apple in the past had experimented with the idea of a virtual reality headset and has actually built a few prototypes of a Google Glass-style device.
"The craziest thing we talked about was something like Google glass," says former Senior VP of iPod division...
Even though India is home to 1.24 billion people and is part of the emerging BRIC markets, high import taxes and a number of other factors have contributed to often too high prices of consumer electronics products such as smartphones. The off-contract iPhone 4S which costs $450 in the United States, for example, used to be desperately out of the reach for most of that nation’s consumers.
Realizing its mistake, Apple has tweaked its pricing tactics in the country and started offering installment plans and other benefits. According to a new report, the iPhone maker also decided to eat into its high iPhone margin in order to preserve the current iPhone pricing in India whereas Samsung has chosen to raise prices due to Indian rupee’s unprecedented plunge...
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, tomorrow is a huge day for Apple. The company is expected to unveil not one, but two new smartphones: an iPhone 5S, which will replace the current flagship iPhone 5 handset, and an all-new low-cost 'iPhone 5C' model.
We're assuming there won’t be a live stream of tomorrow’s presser (although you never know), and a clip of the event won’t likely be available until hours after it’s over. But never fear, iDB will be here all day providing you with coverage and commentary…
A new report Monday by AdAge asserts Apple is doubling headcount across its internal marketing and advertising teams, ostensibly in a bid to tighten the message and produce even more marketing and advertising in-house. Saying the timing of the hiring spree is telling would be an understatement.
Apple's Fall was recently called "blockbuster" and we have every reason to believe 2014 will be a landmark year as the firm readies the rumored iWatch, iTV, iPhablet, 13-inch iPad Pro and other gizmos unbeknown to us yet.
With that in mind, Apple is going to need some of the world's top creatives to get its message across, retain the narrative and talk its non-gullible customers into purchasing new-category products...
Ahead of tomorrow's iPhone keynote, which starts at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern, colorful banners have now gone up the facade of Apple's Town Hall auditorium building in Cupertino, California. Watchful folks could point out that Apple typically holds its high-profile product unveilings at major venues like San Francisco's Moscone West or Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
This time around, they've opted for a more intimate (and more controllable) setting at its own campus. The last time Town Hall was used was for the iPhone 4S introduction in October 2011. As yo can see yourself, the media event livery pictures the same colorful dots we first saw on Apple's event invitation.
I've included more shots right after the break...
America is now a smartphone nation and the iPhone is increasingly becoming the favored device. Smartphones now account for 56 percent of cell phones in the United States. That's up nearly ten points from a year ago, according to a new Pew Research poll. Additionally, the iPhone is used by 25 percent of US smartphone owners - or one out of each four smartphone owners in the country.
That's a notable six-point increase from nineteen percent a year ago. The rise in US smartphones mirrors a drop in feature phones, which fell to 35 percent. Just nine percent of US adults do not own a cellphone...
The struggling Internet giant - once synonymous for anything remotely dealing with online content - on Monday issued a brand new app called Yahoo Screen.
The company is billing the app as a remote control for web video of sorts. More appropriately, Yahoo Screen is your one-stop shop for both Yahoo's original and licensed video content.
You can instantly stream news, sports, food, and entertainment videos from MLB, UFC, The Onion, Martha Stewart and lots more, free of charge (no strings attached). But that's just scratching the surface as Yahoo's licensed video library includes such TV shows as Saturday Night Live, along with Yahoo Originals featuring Jack Black, Ed Helms, Zachary Levi, Cheryl Hines, Rachael Harris and more...