iPhone 4

Sprint’s MVNO Ting starts quietly supporting iPhone

Sprint’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Ting has recently started quietly supporting Apple’s iPhone, a new report has discovered. According to a help document posted on the carrier’s website, Ting customers can now activate the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S on its network. Previously, the Tucows-owned telco would not allow users to bring their unlocked iPhone and use it with one of its no-contract wireless plans.

Ting still isn’t selling the Apple handset directly, despite a bunch of regional U.S. wireless carriers now offering the latest iPhone 5s/5c as well as previous iPhones…

iPhone 5s/5c already comprise 5.5% of all active iPhones globally

When the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were released in September, their first weekend of availability sparked a record nine million units sold. Now comes word Apple’s two newest smartphones together represent 5.5 percent of active iPhones worldwide.

And despite Apple’s attempts to repackage last year’s iPhone 5 as this year’s iPhone 5c, new research shows the year-old Apple handsets accounts for one out of every four new iPhone activations…

Old iPads are hot: 81 percent of North American tablet traffic

On Tuesday, just a few hours ahead of Apple’s iPad keynote, new evidence surfaced about how entrenched Apple’s device is in the minds of tablet users. Although Apple’s tablet has undergone a number of updates, the old iPad 2 remarkably still accounts for the vast majority of U.S. and Canadian web traffic.

That’s the word from ad network Chitika, showing iPads are 81 percent of North American tablet-based online traffic. The next closest competitor is the Kindle Fire from Amazon, nipping at Apple’s heels with 6.1 percent. This is the second report in as many days showing even the oldest iPads dominate all contenders…

Leaked schematics suggest iPad 5 is thinner than iPhone 5s, lighter than iPad 4

Earlier this week, high-quality photos surfaced picturing an alleged fifth-generation iPad shell in ‘Space Grey’, the very same finish Apple debuted with the iPhone 5s. Matching up with tons of previously leaked images and rumors, these piccies reinforce suggestions that the iPad 5 adopts the iPad mini’s skinnier side bezels and overall design.

An Apple-focused blog today posted what appears to be legitimate iPad 5 schematics, providing a glimpse into the iPad 5’s design. In months past, rumors have pointed to Apple shedding the fat by using a thinner display assembly and a smaller LED backlighting module.

Now, the most interesting aspect of today’s leaked documentation deals with the iPad 5’s thickness: the device appears significantly thinner and lighter than its predecessor, the iPad 4…

Missing iPhone 5c presale announcement causing Wall Street worries

It doesn’t take much to spook investors. For instance, concern over Apple’s silence on iPhone 5c presale numbers prompted a 2.5 percent dip in the Cupertino, Calif. company’s stock Monday. At issue is whether a lack of a preorder announcement signals less demand for the inexpensive iPhone or supply problems for the flagship iPhone 5s.

Although Apple didn’t announce presale figures for the first iPhone, the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS, starting with the iPhone 4 the company has issued a press release touting a newly-broken presale number. Is Apple just waiting until sales of the iPhone 5s (which isn’t available for preorder) launches to make an announcement for both iPhones?

One answer could come from China, where a carrier yesterday announced how many of the new iPhones have already been reserved…

iPhone 4 becomes China’s budget iPhone

Remember the concern over the higher-than-expected price of the newly-introduced iPhone 5c?

It was predicted to be Apple’s entry into inexpensive smartphones for China and other emerging nations. Now comes news Apple may indeed have a low-cost iPhone for China: the iPhone 4.

The device – largely unavailable virtually everywhere after Tuesday’s double iPhone 5s/5c launch – remains for sale in China at $423. The price tag happens to fall just where analyst originally expected for Apple’s inexpensive iPhone…

Court rejects faulty iPhone power button suit

A California U.S. District judge derailed a potential class-action lawsuit against Apple and AT&T earlier this week, rejecting a complaint that the two companies conspired against fixing a defect in the popular iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S handsets. Two California consumers had alleged a “wiggly” power button presented a safety hazard which both the tech giant and the carrier kept hidden in order to sell more of the handsets.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess dismissed the argument for a racketeering charge, ruling the safety hazards were “speculative” and occurred beyond the product’s warranty period. The court’s rejection could influence a second similar federal lawsuit still making its way through the legal system…

Gazelle locks iPhone trade-in prices through October 15

Are you thinking of upgrading to Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5S or iPhone 5C, expected to be announced in early September? One handset trade-in firm is offering customers a guaranteed price on their current iPhones despite the usual drop in value following new product releases.

Gazelle said Monday it will lock-in pricing for iPhone trade-ins through Oct. 15, giving consumers time to wait until the iPhone 5S is announced before sending in their current smartphone…

Best Buy offering $200 iPhone trade-in through Sunday

The United States consumer electronics retailer Best Buy has launched another noteworthy iPhone trade-in promotion (all over again) which offers a minimum $200 credit in exchange for your iPhone 4S in working condition. Own an iPhone 4 instead? No problem, Best Buy will treat you to a $100 credit.

In both instances your Best Buy Gift Card credit is only good toward the purchase of an iPhone 5 with a two-year carrier agreement with Verizon Wireless, AT&T or Sprint. Now you can get rid off your iPhone 4/4S and get a brand spanking new entry-level 16GB iPhone 5 for zero bucks, normally a $199 value with a two-year contract…

Gartner makes it official: smartphones are outselling dumb phones

Smartphones – once the preserve for geeky first adopters – are now the norm. You notice the change on the street, on television and now with such traditional research firms as Gartner. Sales of smartphones in the second quarter reached 51.8 percent, compared to an astounding 21 percent decline in feature phones, or dumb phones as they’re also called, according to the researcher. At the same time, the Asia/Pacific region marked the highest smartphone growth, reaching to 74 percent…

Analyst: iPhone 5C may exclude Siri, but will boost margins and attract new sales

For some time, Wall Street investors and Apple watchers have stressed the iPhone maker must adjust to more modest profit margins, as well as a worldwide reality where cheap Android smartphones enable competitors to attract price-conscious consumers. Now comes a voice saying Apple could have it all: a cheap handset, fatter margins and a larger international audience.

By attracting the prepaid market, Apple’s much-expected iPhone 5C will do all that by going after a huge pool of prepaid wireless customers that’s four times larger than the current U.S. subscribers. Meanwhile, another analysts believes he knows the cheaper iPhone will exclude some features, such as Siri…

Your iPhone 4 is actually gaining value, study finds

Unlike the auto which loses much of its value the moment you drive off the dealer’s lot, iPhones tend to remain valuable to owners. According to new research, Apple’s handset does better at retaining its value, compared to Android phones. In a related study, trade-in programs are increasingly important to smartphone owners deciding on carriers.

Although the value of Android phones fell by as much as a third in three months, iPhone prices actually go up. The price of an iPhone 4 asked on eBay was 10.3 percent higher than at the start of the three-month period, one Wall Street analyst found…