Apple Inc. - page 82

As of next week, when Apple starts shipping the iPhone 5, the standard earbuds supplied with its portable devices will be superseded by the new EarPods. From the outside, these look a lot like the iconic white buds they replace. But yank them out of your ear and you’ll see that the design is quite unlike any earbuds you’ve ever seen.

The product blurb tells us that they’re resistant to sweat, and that they sound as good as headphones many times the price. It also says that they tenaciously hold on to your earholes, even when doing sports, and that they do this while remaining comfortable. So how do these claims hold up?

Upset that after almost a decade, Apple is finally changing the Dock Connector with the new, smaller Lightning Standard? Redditor Ima13X puts it in perspective.

The image makes a great point: Samsung’s had a million proprietary connectors for its devices over the last decade, while Apple’s only had two. However, it’s worth noting that it’s this very consistency in proprietary connectors that allowed Apple to build up a massive third-party “Made for iPhone”, “Made for iPad” and “Made for iPod” licensing business… a business that Samsung’s never managed at all.

So changing the 30-Pin Dock Connector to Lightning is a big deal. The ramnifications on Apple’s accessory ecosystem are huge. As long as Apple doesn’t get in the habit of changing this connector frivolously, though, and has built Lightning to be as future proof (or more so) than the 30-Pin Dock Connector, this changes means fresh billions earned, not just for Apple, but its accessory partners.

Source: Reddit

With the new Lightning Dock, Apple has ruthlessly ditched a lot of the cruft of the 30-pin past, leaving a lot of existing accessories less functional than they were. Although you’ll still be able to use audio-out and charging functionality in your iPhone 5 using older iPhone accessories using the Lightning to 30-Pin Adapter, Apple’s ditched video out and iPod out this generation.

But the new Lightning Adapter, while closing some doors, also opens some new possibilities. A new report says that Lightning gives USB host abilities to the iPhone 5.

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish I was making this up, but unfortunately I’m not. Apple’s patent crusade has taken a new low. They’ve actually filed a lawsuit against an online Polish grocery site, claiming they are trying to confuse customers with their trademarked A.pl. The companies full name is A.PL CompanyInternet SA and the .pl is actually Poland’s country-wide domain. However, Apple believes this site-to-door grocery delivery site is simply trying to profit off of their almighty reputation.

Although Apple hasn’t directly confirmed the exact time yet, iPhone 5 preorders look set to begin tomorrow morning at 12:01AM PST, exactly… the same time iPhone 4S preorders started last year.

The iPhone 5 is slated to be Apple’s most wildly in-demand phone yet, and while Apple is attempting to balance the crush on their website by starting preorders in the middle of the night, it will, in all likelihood, still be a madhouse when Apple starts selling iPhones later tonight.

Hence this guide. We’re going to walk you through the best ways to make absolutely sure you get your iPhone 5 preordered right at the stroke of midnight and in your hands next Friday when it officially launches in the minimum amount of time, so you can go right back to sleep.

Wondering which iPhone 5 to buy? Check out our guide to finding the iPhone 5 that is right for you here.

Apple’s victory in the courtroom over Samsung last month was met with cheers from Apple fans across the world, but one of the biggest Apple fans ever absolutely hated the ruling. In an interview with Bloomberg today, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak discussed Apple’s $1 billion legal victory and said that he doesn’t agree with it.

What did the fine folk on Google+ have to say about Apple’s iPhone 5 announcement? Well, you can see for yourselves by clicking HERE. Unfortunately our thumbnails don’t go beyond 640X400 on the site so I had to host it over on Google+ of course. As can be expected, initial impressions were not flattering, but then again, neither was Apple’s keynote *rimshot*. What about the rest of you, what are your impressions of Apple’s latest “innovation”?

Apple released the iPhone 5 today, and while it put the majority of us to sleep, we can’t help but think there HAS to be at least one feature of the iPhone 5 that you wish you had. Yes, I realize we already have over 90% of them already, but what about its PPI? There has to be something? I’ve put together a poll with a few of the possibilities, so put in your vote, and if there’s something else you can think of, throw it in the comments.

Man, oh man. At least now we know why Apple has been on such a legal crusade. They’ve got nothin’. I just finished watching the iPhone 5 unveiling and boy was it a bore fest. It’s as if Apple awoke from a cryogenic sleep and is finally embracing the year 2012. Almost nothing was innovating and the majority of new iPhone 5 features have been implemented in other mobile phones for years. Seriously Apple, is that it?

Today, Apple made official the eagerly-awaited latest version of the world’s most popular smartphone, the iPhone 5. Apple has historically been a trendsetter when it comes to building smartphones, using cutting-edge technology and top-of-the-line materials, but over the past few months, the competition — Samsung, Motorola, Nokia and HTC — have started catching up.

So, spec-by-spec, how does the iPhone 5 stack up? We have compared the specs of the iPhone 5 with the iPhone 4S, Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 920, Motorola DROID RAZR HD, Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD, Motorola DROID RAZR M, Samsung Galaxy SIII and the HTC One X. To see how the iPhone 5 fares, check out the comprehensive table below.

Apple just announced when iOS 6 is coming out, and it’s sooner than the iPhone 5: it’ll show up on September 19th.

It will support the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch.

If September 19th’s launch day, the GM has to be coming out today. Stay tuned to Cult of Mac: when it’s here, we’ll let you know.

Image: The Verge

The iPhone 5 doesn’t just have a lighter, thinner construction, though. As rumored, it also has “ultrafast wireless.” Yep, that means LTE.

It’s finally here. The event everyone’s waiting for. Tim Cook has just walked on stage at the Yerba Buena Center For The Arts in San Francisco, California to announce the iPhone 5.

What will the iPhone 5 be? Rumors peg it as wide screen, thinner, better battery, and LTE capable, along with a new Dock Connector called Lightning which is much smaller than previously.

What else is coming? The iPod Touch, new iPod nanos, new iPod shuffles, a new version of iTunes and the possibility of new iMacs and a 13-inch MacBook Pro.

We’ll know shortly. Now Tim Cook’s opening his mouth: “It’s an exciting time for Apple. An amazing time. An extarodinary time…”

It sure is.

Image: The Verge

In case there was any doubt, Apple has just accidentally confirmed the next iPhone will indeed be called the iPhone 5, as a search inputted into the official Apple.com website looking for “iPhone 5” calls up (non-functioning) results for an upcoming “Apple Introduces iPhone 5” press release.

Via: MacRumors

Google was blindsided when Apple won its lawsuit against Samsung, which was really a proxy war between Apple and Google, because if Apple can defeat Google’s Android OEMs, they’ll win the battle against Google.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, David Lawee, VP for corporate development, says that Google hopes that they are over the hump in the thermonuclear war, and he also admits that Apple winning the lawsuit was a big wakeup call. Watch the clip below for the full details.

Samsung has begun shooting its next commercial, and like previous ads, this one will poke fun at Apple and its users — namely those who will be purchasing the new iPhone 5 this week. Unfazed by its recent court loss, the Korean company has erected a fake Apple store, complete with Macs and iOS devices, just so that it can mock every consumer using a rival device in a 30-second video.

Photos of the set, which is currently being constructed in Los Angeles, have begun making their way around the web, and they show the store in all its glory, with fake banners, and even fake Geniuses.

It’s pretty clear that the iPhone is going to boost Apple’s bottom line this coming Wednesday, September 12, when it’s expected to release along with an invite-only event at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. Michael Feroli, chief economist for investment firm, J.P. Morgan, thinks it might actually raise the overall U.S. economy.

Yeah, that’s kind of a big deal.

The always sketechy Digitimes has a new report out, and as usual, douse your taste buds with brine, because they say that a Retina Display iMac was supposed to debut this month, but has been delayed because of production problems. They also say the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro wil be out by October.

Have you ever had to say that you’re terrible at something just so you can get some preferential treatment, even though you’re really not as bad as you claim? It’s silly, but sometimes it works.

That’s what happened to Samsung today. In order to not get their products banned from the Netherlands, Samsung had to tell the court today that their multitouch software is really terrible in comparison to Apple’s.

Ouch. Not that it’s much of a surprise, but a little over twelve hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was going to create its own Pandora rival, prices of Pandora shares have tanked by over 18%.

It seems like the market is taking this as a very real threat, and no wonder: Apple has more to gain by entering the streaming music service space than you might think.

Over the course of the last few months, we’ve heard a lot of rumors that Apple intends on releasing an updated version of the third-generation iPad later in this year to improve the device in a number of ways: namely, to fit it with better efficiency Sharp IGZO panels and give it a new, smaller 9-pin Dock Connector.

Now a new report from research firm DisplaySearch claims that a new iPad is indeed scheduled to arrive alongside the iPad mini, which will be lighter and cooler. We’re starting to think this makes sense.

The big story of yesterday evening was a somewhat cryptic report by The Wall Street Journal that Apple wants to build its own streaming music service, a la Pandora. Once you step back from the “hey, wouldn’t that be cool”-edness of it all, it’s a weird report. But it may not be totally bonkers. In fact, it probably makes a lot of sense.

Apple cut its order for memory chips slated to go into the upcoming iPhone 5, according to a report at Reuters this evening. Citing a “source with direct knowledge of the matter,” the report says that while the South Korean chip manufacturer is still on the list as an initial supplier of memory chips for the new iPhone model, but that Apple continues to decrease its reliance on Samsung as a chip supplier.

At today’s Amazon event, Jeff Bezos dropped some whoppers on the industry: not only an upgraded Kindle Fire, but the Kindle Fire HD, a mother of a tablet that has a Retina-caliber display, serious horsepower, and a super low price starting at just $199 for the 7-inch model, $299 for the 8.9-inch model and $499 for a 32GB 8.9-inch model with LTE. Without a doubt, it’s clear Amazon is gunning for the iPad and the upcoming iPad mini, but how do the new Kindle Fires really stack up?

Below, you’ll find a chart comparing the third-gen iPad, rumored iPad mini, Kindle Fires and (just for comparison’s sake) the Galaxy Nexus 7, spec-by-spec. Please be aware that this chart is still in flux, and is based in the case of the iPad mini on rumors, and in the case of the new Kindle Fires on incomplete information which we have supplemented with reasonable speculation. We will be updating the chart as we get new information about the exact specs of Amazon’s new Kindle Fires, but for right now, we think this is a good resource in how all of these tablets compare against one another.

Here’s the scenario: You invite a date over to impress them with your cooking skills. The house is tidy and you look sharp. You’re slaving away in the kitchen when your date innocently asks to check their email and you absentmindedly oblige. Then it hits you… You left your download folder open! Yeah, that dreadfully unorganized file that looks more like your trash bin. You run to try and save your dignity, but it’s too late; you have been exposed and the date is a solid block away in a dead sprint.

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there before. Lucky for you we have a download manager that is here to put your worries at rest so you can move on with your life once and for all. Folx Pro packs a ton of nifty features to get you on the fast track literally and figuratively. Here is what you can get for 3 bucks: