AT&T confirmed Monday that the iPhone 5 is the most popular iPhone model in the company’s history, calling the “fastest-selling iPhone the company has ever offered.”
Customers ordered more iPhones from AT&T than any previous model both on its first day of preorders and over the weekend.
The device will be available starting this Friday, September 21, 2012. In the U.S., it’s also available with service from Verizon and Sprint.
Fileperms:
WhatsApp, the extremely popular instant messaging service for smartphones that delivers more than ~1billion messages per day has some serious security problems. I will try to give a detailed analysis on some of the issues.
I’m not smart enough to be able to tell if this article is correct so it’s passed along for your information.
Many thanks to SonicPics for sponsoring The Loop this week.
SonicPics is a fun and engaging digital storytelling app for iOS. Turn your photographs into narrated movies to share with your family and friends!
Check out SonicPics today on the app store.
Gizmodo:
Nothing screams more “forever alone” than an unboxing video. There are no more surprises. I’ll tell you what’s going to be inside the iPhone 5 box: an iPhone 5.
I rarely agree with Gizmodo but in this case, they’re right. Gadget unboxing pictures and videos are beyond lame. Now, a motorcycle unboxing – that’s cool!
I’ve always been fascinated glassblowers and love watching them work.
TIME:
The fact that yesterday’s bash wasn’t full of startling twists presumably helps explain why it prompted lots of stories declaring the event, and even the iPhone 5 itself, to be a disappointment. Product rollouts aren’t action movies. Surprises are nice, but they aren’t the ultimate goal — at least if the idea is to sell lots and lots of gadgets and make lots and lots of money. Surprise has no inherent relation to quality or popularity.
It will be interesting to see if this “lack of secrecy” regarding the details of the iPhone 5 are an anomaly or the new standard operating procedure for Apple.
Fans of computer role playing games had looked forward to Overhaul Games’ resurrection of the legendary classic Baldur’s Gate, which was expected to happen sometime this month. Word has emerged that Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition won’t ship until November.
Trent Oster, president of Overhaul, posted a message to the game’s Web site forum to note that the release date has been pushed back to November “to ensure that Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition is the best possible product on launch.”
Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition reprises the original game – developed by Bioware (Overhaul includes members of the original development team) along with new characters, areas to explore and story. It’ll be available on OS X, iPad and other platforms.
The original game was a landmark CRPG, following a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. It spawned sequels and propelled Bioware to become one of the top adventure game developers around. It was published in 1998 for Windows by Interplay, and MacPlay brought forth a Mac edition later.
My latest article on Techpinions talks about how the iPhone naysayers are just plain wrong.
Apple on Friday responded to customer demand for the new iPhone announced at an event earlier this week.
“Pre-orders for iPhone 5 have been incredible,” said Apple spokeswoman, Natalie Kerris. “We’ve been completely blown away by the customer response.”
The iPhone 5 goes on sale Friday, September 21, 2012 for $199 and $299 in 16GB and 32GB models respectively. A 64GB model is also available for $399. Preorders began today.
John Gruber on Dan Lyons’ latest article. The simple truth is, Lyons is not relevant so he posted stupid articles to get pageviews. Higher traffic doesn’t make you relevant, you still sound stupid.
There was some confusion about the which Lightning adapter is included with the iPhone 5. I contacted Apple today to get some clarification.
“The Lightning to 30-pin adapter does not come in the box with iPhone 5. It is sold separately,” Apple spokesperson, Natalie Harrison, told The Loop. “However, the Lightning to USB cable does come with iPhone 5 for connection to AC chargers and other devices.”
So, there it is. You do get the USB cable with the new iPhone.
Update: I changed USB adapter to USB cable to just clarify what’s included.
Wow, that’s impressive.
Jeremy C. Owens for Mercurynews.com:
Hewlett-Packard is working on a new smartphone as its core personal computers and printer businesses faces growing challenges, CEO Meg Whitman said in an interview Friday morning.
Of course, it wasn’t too long before Whitman stepped into the CEO role at HP that the company killed off its Palm division, which was making a smartphone.
Whitman stopped short of offering details; Owens opines that the “new Windows Mobile” is a possibility, or maybe Android. What, no webOS?
iLounge:
But we’d strongly suggest that you take this one step further. The right thing for Apple to do is to give every iPhone 5 customer a Lightning to 30-pin Adapter. Ditto for new iPod nano and touch customers.
Give me a fucking break.
Rainer Brockerhoff’s Solipsism Gradient blog:
People keep asking why Apple didn’t opt for the micro-USB connector. The answer is simple: that connector isn’t smart enough. It has only 5 pins: +5V, Ground, 2 digital data pins, and a sense pin, so most of the dock connector functions wouldn’t work – only charging and syncing would. Also, the pins are so small that no current plug/connector manufacturer allows the 2A needed for iPad charging.
Many people have also pointed out another advantage of Lightning – it’s reversible. Micro USB is tiny and easily damaged if you try to force it in the wrong way (I know from personal experience).
Brockerhoff also posits a plausible reason for why the Lightning to 30-pin dock connector is so expensive. Read on for details.
(Thanks to Nick Farina on Twitter for linking me to this.)
Brian X Chen for New York Times:
An Apple spokeswoman, Natalie Kerris, said: “iPhone 5 supports simultaneous voice and data on GSM-based 3G and LTE networks. It is not yet possible to do simultaneous voice and data on networks that use CDMA for voice and LTE for data in a single radio design.”
Much has been made today about reports that the iPhone 5 won’t support simultaneous voice and data transmissions over Verizon and Sprint LTE networks.
It is a competitive shortcoming of the phone compared to contenders like Samsung’s Galaxy S III, and it’s because the iPhone 5 doesn’t sport a separate antenna (and radio) to handle voice transmissions like the Samsung phone does. According to Chen’s report, carriers should fix the problem at some point in the future.
Technical sophisticates like bloggers and smartphone enthusiasts are making a big deal of the problem, but it remains to be seen if it’ll have any impact on actual iPhone 5 sales. Muggles are not always interested in the same things that tech weenies care about.
Alibaba said that Acer “was notified by Google that if the product runs Aliyun OS, Google will terminate its Android- related cooperation and other technology licensing with our partner….We regret Google’s action.”
Stay classy Google.
The Verge:
The Verge has confirmed with Verizon Wireless that the iPhone 5 won’t support the feature when it’s on the carrier’s cellular network, even if it is connected to LTE. Since Apple says that Sprint and Verizon will be offering the same version of the iPhone 5, it’s safe to say that simultaneous voice and data will not be available on Sprint’s network either.
Well, that sucks and might be a dealbreaker for some folks looking to switch from AT&T.
TIME:
On Wednesday, 18 workers were arrested for stealing the miniatures from LSG Sky Chefs, the company that provides food and beverages for American Airlines, CNN reports. The majority of those accused were LSG employees, but three were airport security guards. The arrests culminate a nine-month investigation known as “Operation Last Call” carried out by the Port Authority’s Office of Inspector General.Here’s how the whole scheme went down. At the end of every American Airlines flight, workers are supposed to return any unused bottles to a storage facility. Instead, workers began stashing the bottles to sell them to local liquor stores and bodegas.
I love those little tiny bottles of booze.
TechCrunch:
Apple took something ordinary, a phone, did some extraordinary things to it, and then made it re-appear in grandiose fashion. It’s a great trick. It’s so good, in fact, that I think it’s fair to call it true magic.The problem, if you want to call it that, is that Apple has now been doing this trick since 2007. Granted, they have other solid tricks too (they are far from the one-trick pony claims that several of their competitors face). But the iPhone is the best trick in their bag. And in the last few years, some people have gotten sick of seeing it.But it’s important to remember that just because you’ve seen a show before, it doesn’t make actually make it any less magical. It’s a perception issue.
Interesting way of looking at the discussion surrounding yesterday’s iPhone 5 launch.
Nintendo on Thursday announced plans to launch its long-awaited Wii U home video game console at a special event in New York City. The new console is coming to the U.S. on November 18, 2012 for $299, with a deluxe model also available for $349. European customers will have to wait until the end of the month before they can get their hands on one.
The $299 system comes with 8GB of storage, the GamePad controller, a sensor bar and HDMI cable. The extra $50 for the deluxe version changes the case color from white to black and also quadruples memory to 32GB.
The Wii U’s GamePad interface incorporates its own built-in screen that can augment what’s happening on a connected TV or even replace it all together (enabling harried parents to get back control of the remote from kids who want to play).
Nintendo has also taken the wraps off a new service launching with the console called “TVii” which lets Wii U users watch video streaming from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus and from a connected TiVo.
The console will launch with some games, though Nintendo is staying cagey on release dates for some of the ones previewed at the event today. Publishers developing for the Wii U include Capcom, Activision and others.
Wii U is the first “next-generation” console system from a major manufacturer. Sony and Microsoft are speculated to be working on new systems to replace their PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, respectively, but have yet to make any formal announcements.
Rob Fahey for Gamesindustry.biz:
Dear People On The Internet – you’re utterly irrelevant, out of touch, and seemingly possessed of absolutely terrible memories to complement your weakened powers of deduction. Remember when you passed precisely the same judgment on the iPhone 4S? Remember when it then went on to become the fastest-selling and most profitable phone handset of all time? Remember that? Tell me, oh wise Internet People, what is it about your logic that’s different this time around?
Fahey’s responding to early criticism from some tech pundits and bloggers that the iPhone 5 failed to live up to their unrealistic expectations.
There’s been so much douchebaggery posted about the iPhone 5 since yesterday, I barely know where to start. The old canard about opinions being like assholes is true: Everyone has them and they all stink.
Fahey makes a great point that depsite Android’s inroads and its massive success at moving large quantities of handsets from different manufacturers, iOS still rules for content, and content is king.
Regardless, though, we – meaning both consumers and content creators – live in an iOS dominated world. The oft-touted Android activation figures and handset sales are almost irrelevant, since they cover such a wide variety of devices – many of which are bargain basement handsets that are unlikely ever to be used to make purchases from any app store. All the Android devices in the world don’t matter to a game creator if few people are using them to buy stuff – whereas Apple’s effective cornering of most of the high end of the market, along with its deeply integrated App Store infrastructure, means its consumers tend to be big spenders.
Ina Fried for All Things D:
In an interview, Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller said that Passbook alone does what most customers want and works without existing merchant payment systems. It’s not clear that NFC is the solution to any current problem, Schiller said. “Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today.”
Near Field Communication, or NFC, has been promoted as The Next Big Thing in smartphones – technology that will make it easier to buy products and exchange data using smartphones and other devices.
Some pundits and tech bloggers had thought the iPhone 5 would have NFC built-in, but it doesn’t. Passbook, a new feature of iOS 6, enables users to keep track of boarding passes, movie tickets, loyalty reward programs and other services.
And by virtue of it being built into the operating system, not the device, Passbook will have a much larger potential installed base right off the bat, when iOS 6 is released next Wednesday.
You’ve read the liveblogs, seen photos and read plenty of analysis and news reports since Wednesday’s unveiling of the iPhone 5, refreshed iPod touches and iPod nanos, and Apple’s new version of iTunes. Now you can watch the event itself on Apple’s Web site.
Apple’s made available a video of Wednesday’s event on its Web site – you’ll just QuickTime installed in order to stream it.
Matthew Panzarino for The Next Web:
We reached out to a few active iOS developers to get their thoughts on whether the larger screen would mean delays or a more difficult development process. The general consensus was that it shouldn’t pose too many huge problems, but that it would be a lot easier to test their apps if they had a device in their hands.
Glad to hear it is a surmountable issue, but there’s no question that it’s going to take a while for iOS developers to get up to speed with the new hardware.
Here is the video of the panel discussion I did this afternoon at TechCrunch Disrupt with John Gruber, Tim Stevens, Jason Snell and MG Siegler.
After Apple’s event finished I got a few minutes with the new iPhone 5, so I thought I’d give you a few pictures and some first impressions.
What was important to me for an updated iPhone was the larger screen. However, making a larger screen does come with its drawbacks if it’s not done right. Specifically, if you can’t operate it with one hand, it might be a difficult sell for a lot of people.
I’m happy to report that I was able to operate the iPhone 5 with ease using one hand. That means I was able to reach the top of the screen with my thumb, change options and navigate through the screens without having to reach uncomfortably.
The other point with the size is being able to fit the iPhone in your pocket. I wasn’t able to give that a try, but judging from the pictures, I think it will be fine.
The screen is brilliant as you might expect being a Retina display. It will be nice watching a 16:9 movie on a screen that was designed to fit the picture.
Here are a few pictures of the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4s for comparison.
Thanks to MG Siegler for holding the iPhones for me.
Apple has taken the wraps off a new version of iTunes for OS X and Windows which it plans to release this October. The software will be a free download when it debuts, as with previous releases. iTunes 10.7 is the current version on Apple’s Web site as this article was posted, a minor update to support the new devices.
Like before, iTunes is used to help you organize and enjoy your music, iOS apps, TV shows and movies. But over the years it’s gotten encumbered as features have been added on, so Apple went back to the drawing board to come up with a dramatically simplified design. What’s more, support for iCloud is now seamlessly integrated.
iTunes is both an application and a service – a storefront for buying music, movies, TV shows and books, and Apple has redesigned iTunes Store, App Store and iBookstore to make it easier to find and buy content than before. Featured content is showcased at the top and shelves expose music, movies and TV shows. A “preview history” shows you all the content you’ve already looked at, and iCloud keeps track of your preview history across different devices. You’ll also be able to fire up 90-second music clips while browsing (right now, clicking away from the tracks you’re previewing causes them to stop playing).
iTunes now sports a full-window interface, a new library view to make it easier to see what’s in your library and click on content categories. The album view lets you see track listings for an individual album while continuing to browse your music library, searching has been reworked, and the MiniPlayer has been redesigned as well. A new feature called “Up Next” lets you queue up the next song or album you want to hear.
Better integration with iCloud makes it easier to access music you’ve purchased, regardless of what computer or device you’ve purchased it from. What’s more, iCloud remembers where you left off when watching movies or TV shows, so you can pick up again without missing a beat.
Apple has refreshed the iPod touch along with introducing the iPhone 5, and the new device gets some of the same enhancements as its phone cousin, especially the 4-inch Retina Display. The iPod touch costs $299 and $399 for a 32GB and 64GB model, respectively.
The new iPod touch includes a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p HD video, and underneath it gets Apple’s A5 microprocessor. Siri, Apple’s “intelligent assistant,” is now included on the iPod touch, which comes with iOS 6.
Previous iPod touch models have closely resembled the iPhone, right down to their case colors. No longer now – the newest iPod touch comes in five hues, including pink, yellow, blue, white and silver, and black and slate. (The latter two choices complement the new iPhone 5).
Like the iPhone 5, the iPod touch also sports the reversible “Lightning” connector which replaces the 30-pin dock connector found on older devices.
Also refreshed today is the iPod nano, billed by Apple as “the thinnest iPod ever.” It measures 5mm thick, and sports a 2.5-inch multi-touch enabled display. A home button, volume buttons, and buttons to play, pause and change songs are incorporated into the interface. An FM radio, pedometer gauge and support for Nike+ complete the features, along with the Lightning interface.
The iPod nano comes in seven colors – pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, silver and slate. It’ll debut in October for $149 for a 16GB model.
Apple also noted the iPod shuffle, available today in the same spectrum of colors as the new nano – pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, silver and slate, all for $49 for a 2GB model.
Apple made no mention in the press release announcing the new iPod models of its venerable iPod classic, the last click wheel-enabled iPod, but that device remains part of the product matrix on Apple’s Web site. The iPod classic sports the highest capacity of any iPod model – 160GB, thanks to its use of a hard drive instead of the flash memory found on other iPod devices – and it costs $249.
Apple’s long-awaited iPhone 5 made its debut on Wednesday at a special event in San Francisco. It goes on sale Friday, September 21, 2012 for $199 and $299 in 16GB and 32GB models respectively. A 64GB model is also available for $399. Preorders begin Friday, September 14th.
The iPhone 5, which can play games like 슬롯사이트, is constructed of anodized aluminum and glass inlays, and lighter and thinner than its predecessor. It measures 4.87 x 2.31 x 0.3 inches, and weighs 3.95 ounces. The iPhone 5 comes in either white/silver or black/slate finishes.
The most notable external difference is the screen size – 4 inches, versus the 3.5 inches of previous iPhone models. A Retina Display-equipped phone, it sports a native resolution of 1136 x 640 pixels at 326 pixels per inch. The additional size enables the iPhone to display six rows of icons instead of just five.
Another external change is a smaller connector. Gone is the 30-pin dock connector, a mainstay of the iPhone since its introducing in 2007 (and on the iPod for longer than that). Replacing it is a much smaller interface Apple calls “Lightning,” described by Apple as “an adaptive interface that uses only the signals that each accessory requires.” The interface is reversible, making it easier to connect to accessories. Apple will offer a Lightning to 30-pin adapter, to connect to legacy peripherals.
Under the hood many other improvements have been made. The device uses the new A6 processor, sporting twice the processing and graphics performance of the chip found in the iPhone 4S. It’s the first iPhone to support LTE technologies on GSM and CDMA networks, and it also features 802.11n Wi-Fi support. It’s compatible with Bluetooth 4.0, as well.
The built-in camera sports an 8 megapixel sensor, with a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera for FaceTime chats.
Apple also says the iPhone 5 sports improved microphone technology, and comes with a pair of new “Earpods,” Apple’s new earbuds that sport a natural fit and better durability than their forebears.
Installed on the new iPhone is iOS 6, a major update to the operating system which will be available for all iOS users on September 19th.