iPhone 5

Inexpensive third-party Lightning adapters surface on Amazon and eBay

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It is no secret that Apple enjoys quite a nice profit margin on its own accessories, cables and adapters for iOS devices. The new 80 percent smaller Lightning interface found on the iPhone 5, fifth-gen iPod touch and seventh-gen iPod nano is no exception.

If you have a bunch of legacy accessories sitting around, chances are you will need Apple's Lightning to 30-pin adapter, available in $29 direct-plug and $39 cable flavors. But if you're shopping on a tight budget or Apple's decision not to include a free adapter with the iPhone 5 has been ticking you off, do check out some nice unofficial, much cheaper alternatives that have cropped up on Amazon...

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The banned iPhone 5 promo video

Sébastien Page ∙ September 17, 2012

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFUz6vHEQCM&feature=player_embedded[/tube]

You knew it was coming, so here it is: the banned iPhone 5 promo video.

My favorite line? "The iPhone 5 is the thickest and heaviest iPhone we've ever made. Just fucking with you. Of course we made it thinner and lighter. 18% thinner, 20% lighter, blah blah blah. Are people still impressed by this?"

Funny, hey?

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Could the new iPod touch be the latest threat to point-and-shoot cameras?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

First the iPhone turned the concept of mobile phones on its head, offering consumers apps as well as a dialtone. Soon, handsets became the go-to devices for taking snapshots. Now the iPod touch -- a master at upending the market for music -- is set to become your favorite point-and-shoot camera.

The new iPod Touch gains a 5-megapixel camera that also includes high-def images and Panoramic views. Now experts say the Touch has all the makings of a rival of the grab-and-go digital point-and-shoot camera. "I think this new Touch will appeal to many people both young and old, who are looking for a point and shoot camera that does more than just take photos," writes Glyn Evans at the iPhoneography blog.

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Joy of Tech on the ‘disappointing’ iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 17, 2012

As expected, Apple's "boring" iPhone 5 has shattered previous sales record, selling two million pre-orders in just 24 hours. Cupertino's rivals were quick to point out how the updated hardware "only" boasts a slightly larger display (versus jumbo-sized Android phones), 4G LTE and a faster chip - ignoring numerous little hardware tweaks under the hood.

As Apple fans know, these include the handset's refined two-tone redesign, HD Audio for crisper phone calls, three mics, better battery life and seamless integration of hardware, software and services delivering the smoothest mobile experience there is, to name a few.

We love Joy of Tech comics and were expecting their take on the "boring iPhone 5". Here it is...

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Nokia fan (or Nokia?) creates Samsung style anti-iPhone ad

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 17, 2012

Following up on news of Samsung's upcoming anti-iPhone television commercial and sighting of an amusing print ad appearing in certain newspapers and focused on a laundry list of iPhone 5 and Galaxy SIII features, a fan of Nokia's newly introduced flagship handset, the Windows Phone 8-drive Lumia 920, has taken it upon himself  to re-work Samsung's advertisement with a little Nokia touch.

Replacing the Galaxy SIII with the Lumia 920, the new ad proclaims Nokia's device "the heawyweight champion" of smartphone wars, which have grown uglier with the iPhone 5 introduction (which shattered sales records), patent fights, Samsung's nasty ad attacks and March 2013 release of the Galaxy S4.

Now there’s a new “ad” ready to become viral, coming from Nokia fans (or maybe Windows Phone fans). The unofficial commercial is entitled “Flyweight contender, meet the heavyweight champion” and pits the Nokia Lumia 920 against the iPhone 5...

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Apple sold 2 million iPhone 5 in first 24 hours, ‘shattering’ iPhone 4S record

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Another confirmation this morning just how fast the new iPhone 5 is selling: Apple says it sold 2 million of the new handsets in just the first 24 hours of availability with demand outstripping supply. Preorders for the slimmer, faster iPhone "have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S," Apple's marketing head Philip Schiller announced.

Indeed, demand is so off the scale that the Cupertino, Calif. company said the "majority of preorders" will be delivered to buyers on Sept. 21 with new purchases set for delivery in October. Earlier today, AT&T said it set a "sales record with iPhone 5 over the weekend, making it the fastest-selling iPhone the company has ever offered".

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Samsung to take on the iPhone 5 with the Galaxy S4, due in February 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

Just as Apple announced two million iPhone 5 pre-orders and admitted to demand exceeding the initial supply, the latest word on the street has it that rival Samsung is readying its answer, a successor to its Galaxy SIII flagship handset which became the most serious challenger to the iPhone based on shipments of 20 million units in its first hundred days on market (they expect to ship 30 million by year's end).

The Galaxy S4 should launch in March 2013, a month following its public introduction at the annual Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona, Spain. Samsung officials reportedly are convinced that the device will be capable of curbing the iPhone 5, which has a bigger four-inch Retina display, twice as fast processor and fast 4G LTE and WiFi networking capabilities, plus a two-tone form factor and a host of other hardware tweaks...

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People are already in line for the iPhone 5 at New York Apple Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

If you weren't able to place your iPhone 5 pre-order last week, and still want to pick one up on launch day, I have some good news and some bad news for you.

The good news is, Apple and other retailers will start offering the handset this Friday at 8 AM. The bad news is, it looks like some folks are already lining up...

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iPhone 5 rules competitive landscape in first Geekbench tests

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 16, 2012

Following a detailed analysis by AnandTech which exposed the A6 chip inside the iPhone 5 as bein comprised of custom ARMv7 design rather than stock Cortex-A15 cores, someone has posted an iPhone 5 benchmark on Geekbench.

Now, the handset will hit store shelves on Friday so there's no way to verify the authenticity of this poster (and Geekbench scores could be easily faked). If you believe the results though, the iPhone 5,2 hardware has a Geekbench score of 1601.

The test also shows an ARMv7 processor design with two cores clocked at 1.02GHz each, with 32KB of L1 instruction/data cache, 1MB of L2 cache and 1GB of RAM (Samsung's print ad has helped reveal that tidbit)...

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This bejeweled iPhone 5 case can be yours for $100,000

Cody Lee ∙ September 16, 2012

Looking for a ridiculously extravagant case to go with your newly-ordered iPhone 5? You might be interested in this new jewel-encrusted iPhone 5 cover from the Natural Sapphire Company.

Made up of white gold, rubies and thousands of sapphires, the case is one of the most lavish we've ever seen for Apple's handset. And, at $100,000, it's probably one of the most expensive...

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