John Brownlee - page 83

Source: Joy Of Tech

It can be easy to forget in the crush of the launch of an entirely new product like the iPhone 5, but Apple’s quality control process is one of the most stringent in the world. While we gnash our teeth at pre-scratched units, yellow screens and purplish lens flares, it’s worth keeping everything in perspective: minor aberrations in a pursuit of perfection wrought upon such a collossal scale of mass-production that the mind literally reels to think of it.

Apple doesn’t often lift the curtain, so we haven’t really known what quality control processes it actually uses to get iPhones to our door in as perfect condition as possible. As it turns out, though, the process Apple uses is incredibly thorough and elegant, just what you’d expect.

With the iPhone 5, Apple abandoned the existing aspect ratio of the iPhone (3:2) and embraced a true widescreen aspect display (16:9) instead. Now an analyst is saying that multiple people “close to Apple” have told him the iPad is going widescreen as well.

In a single magnified image, photographer and Retinal neuroscience Bryan Jones perfectly captures the incredible increase in display quality from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 5.

Jones put the iPhone 5 display under a stereomicroscope and photographed the pixels of the display with a Canon 1D MKIII, then compared the photo one made under the same conditions of the iPhone 4’s display.

The difference is incredibly obvious even to an untrained eye. Yeah, sure, they’re both Retina displays… but the pixels of one of them look murky and blurred, while the pixels on the other look like bright, colorful Christmas lights photographed in a vacuum. Incredible.

Source: Jonesblog
Via: iSmashphone

The iPhone 5 is a cutting-edge device with a lot of impressive new technology, from Apple’s incredibly fast new A6 chip to impressive new in-cell touch display technology and a brand new Lightning dock connector. It’s a certainty that Apple will use some of this technology in the fourth-generation iPad, which is likely due in March of next year. Here’s what the iPhone 5 tells us about what the iPad 4 will be.

Given the recent tragedies that have gripped Apple’s manufacturing arm with the Foxconn riots that have left at least ten individuals dead the week after the iPhone 5 launch, this parody commercial for an “18% rustier, 20% thinner” iShiv designed to “revolutuonize factory riots” by Conan O’Brien is undeniably in bad taste. Whether it’s offensively bad taste or hilariously bad taste is ultimately a matter of opinion.

Personally, I hate to admit it, but I laughed, then felt really terrible about having laughed. What’s happening at Foxconn is no joke, but at the same time, it’s the job of a comedian to push the standards of taste and to riff upon tragedy for a laugh, thus putting that tragedy into deeper relief. What do you think?

Via: iDownloadBlog

A new report suggests that Apple is making deals in the carbon fiber business, possibly ahead of next year’s iPad launch.

Japanese site Macotakara can be a hit or miss source. They were one of the first sites to leak images of what would prove to be the iPhone 5’s new display, but they habe also said that the new iPod nanos would have WiFi and that Apple’s making a Galaxy Note like phablet. So their rumors need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Now Macotakara is reporting that an anonymous source is telling them that Apple is buying huge amounts of carbon fiber. This makes sense, as Apple has shown a lot of interest in carbon fiber in the past, patenting an iPad design made out of the stuff and making key hires with the expertise necessary to mass produce carbon fiber gadgets.

By using carbon fiber for future devices, Apple could create products that weigh significantly less than the aluminum and stainless steel devices they produce today, but be just as sturdy. So it’s obvious Apple’s got a lot to gain by making this switch. The question is when it will happen? In time for next year’s iPad debut, or is carbon fiber still far off in the future?

Source: Macotakara

The satisfaction rates of iPhone users are notorious, an industry best. That’s not surprising, considering Apple makes some of the best devices on Earth and that, for the most part, the competition can’t really measure up.

But while people are satisfied with their iPhones, iOS 6 and, in particular, its buggy, half-formed implementation of Maps has caused a dip in customer satisfaction. It’s not a massive drop, but it’s enough to show that the Maps debacle is tarnishing what is otherwise Apple’s best operating system.

After months of rumors and speculation, the iPhone 5 is finally here, featuring a thinner, lighter design, a taller 4-inch display, LTE, the new Lightning connector, redesigned EarPods, and more. It’s the first major iPhone redesign in twenty-seven months, and the first iPhone ever to change the aspect ratio of the device, to have LTE, to use a new connector or to have new headphones, but despite this, many have criticized the iPhone 5 for being boring.

What’s the truth? Is the iPhone 5 dull, or is it a major leap forward for Apple’s most iconic device? We’ve spent the weekend reviewing a 64GB white-and-silver iPhone 5 on Verizon’s LTE network, and put it through its paces. Here’s what we thought.

Did you want to get an iPhone 5 on Friday, only to find out that they’d been sold out? Word is that Apple will start taking personal pickup orders starting at 10pm tonight. You’ll have another chance soon.

Ever since Google gobbled up the developers of Sparrow to put them to work on a Gmail app, the future of my favorite iOS email client has been in question, but the lack of iPhone 5 support was a particularly hard pill for me to swallow as I reviewed Apple’s latest handset.

Luckily, it appears that while Sparrow may not see many updates going forward, it will get iPhone 5 support, taking full advantage of the 1136 x 640 display.

Every review of the iPhone 5 makes great efforts to talk about how light it is. I’ve read those reviews over and over again since Tuesday. Even so, when taking my iPhone 5 out of the box for the first time, I so misjudged the weight that it went flying from my fingers and onto the floor. This is lightness to the point of ephemerability. It’s so hard to believe, and yet it’s testament to the iPhone 5’s construction that such a thin slate of glass and aluminum doesn’t break apart between your fingers like a communion wafer when you touch it, let alone when you — as I did — accidentally fling it across a room. But my iPhone 5 wasn’t even scratched.

This isn’t our review of the iPhone 5. Far from it: we’ll be posting an in-depth review first thing on Monday morning, once we’ve had a chance to put it through its paces in full. These are our first impressions, and let’s say it right off the bat: from the second it comes out of the box, the iPhone 5 seems like such a leap over the iPhone 4S that it’s like picking up your first MacBook Air after lugging around a lunky 2008 MacBook Pro for years. In a couple of years, Apple has improved the design of the iPhone 4/4S so much that the latter now seems absolutely antediluvian.

There are many who will tell you that you don’t need a case for your iPhone 5. Heck, even Apple thinks that between the new aluminum back and the strengthened Gorilla Glass 2, there’s no point in a case.

But as this picture shows — taken by a store owner with access to some iPhone 5 display units — the new aluminum back scratches just as easily as it ever did if you attack it with a hard enough object. In this case, it’s the iPhone 5’s liquid metal SIM card tray pin, which to be fair, is one of the hardest metals out there. The edge, though, was scratched up using simple keys.

In other words, depending what kind of pocket you’ll be shoving your iPhone 5 into, you may well want to invest in a case after all, no matter what people say.

Source: Overclockers.org
Via: MacRumors

Verizon has been a bit of a dick about unlimited data and the iPhone 5. First, they told customers that they’d need to pay full price for the iPhone 5 if they wanted to keep their unlimited data plans; now, they are telling customers that they shouldn’t care about unlimited data anyway, because unlimited “is just a word.”

Good morning! If you got in on the preorder crush last Friday within the first hour, you’re probably not even reading these words, but tucked into your warm bed, dreaming of iPhone 5s and dancing Wozzes. If you didn’t, though, we know where you are: camped outside of your local Apple Store in the cold, going absolutely bonkers with anticipation for Apple’s best phone yet.

So line-waiters, this post is for you. Tell us a few things. Where are you? What time is it there? How big’s the line you’re in? And, most importantly, which iPhone 5 are you getting?

Me, I’m getting too rickety in the bones for lines, so I’m waiting for my 64GB white iPhone 5 on Verizon to leave the Fed Ex sorting facility in South Boston. How about you? Let’s talk about it!

Click here to discuss the iPhone 5 in our forums

If you’re planning on waiting in line for an iPhone 5 tomorrow, be warned: judging by the numbers of people already waiting outside some of the big Apple Stores, the iPhone 5 launch is looking like it’s going to be an absolute zoo. There have never been this many people in line this far ahead of an official Apple product launch, ever. And Apple themselves anticipate long lines outside of their stores “all day long, into the evening.”

One of the best new additions of iOS 6 for iPad owners is the fact that not only do we finally get the iOS 6 clock app, but it’s absolutely gorgeous… easily Apple’s most attractive app, in my opinion.

The app’s good looks aren’t going unnoticed… and that might spell bad news for Apple. Apparently, the Swiss Federal Railway Service is livid over the clock used in the new app, says they own the trademark on the design.

In case you don’t get the reference. More (real) iOS 6 Maps disasters can be found in our gallery here.

Via: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

iPhone-Garage.de has the first teardown pictures of the iPhone 5, if you want to see Apple’s latest engineering and design miracle at work. Their site is being absolutely hammered now, and it keeps on going down, so we’ve put some of the best images in a gallery below the fold so you can see for yourself. iFixIt will doubtlessly have a more nuanced take, but for right now, all I can say is…man, what a tightly packed phone.

iOS 6’s Maps is the biggest criticism of Apple’s new mobile operating system. In short, it’s clearly years behind Google Maps, which previously powered Maps in past versions of iOS. Most of the time, complaints about Apple’s new Maps accuse the latter of being under-developed and unreliable compared to Google Maps, but the Irish government has a different concern: they are worried that iOS 6 Maps will result in pilots crashing their airplanes directly into a park.

I usually hate these fake Apple parody ads for being both smug and witless, but I laughed pretty hard at this one by Satire. Featuring a number of earnestly hipstered faux-Apple employees with names like “Joe Bloggs” and “Alan Smithee,” the video takes the Obi-Wan iPhone 20 joke that’s been going around and actually runs with it, showing exactly how Cupertino would pitch a phone the length of a yardstick.

The touted features Satire comes up with are great. Panorama photos without moving the iPhone! Scrolling without using mulitouch! Amazing reception due to having your iPhone in physical closer proximity to orbiting satellites! And so much more. The app ideas are great too. And I love the tag line: “The longest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone.”

Source: YouTube

Editor’s Note: This review has been stickied to the top of the front page. There are likely new posts below it.

After months of testing, iOS 6 — the most recent major update to Apple’s mobile operating system — is now here. Featuring an entirely new Maps, a new Passbook app, some impressive new updates to Siri (who also comes to the iPad with this release), a great Do Not Disturb feature and a lot more, iOS 6 is a great refurbishment of the world’s best mobile OS. But all is not perfect, and in at least one way, iOS 6 might prove disappointing to people upgrading from iOS 5.

Over the last few months, we’ve been putting iOS 6 to the test on our iPhones and iPads. Here’s what we thought.

Along with iOS 6’s release, Apple has just pushed out OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2, adding Facebook integration to Mountain Lion as well as reportedly finally solving the battery issues people have been experiencing since OS X 10.8.0.

You can download it now through Software Update; the change list should be found here in good time, though the link is not functioning as of writing.

Main changes look to include:

• Facebook integration with Contacts, Photos, Sharing and Notification Center
• Power Nap support for late 2010 MacBook Air
• iMessages sent to your phone number now appear in Messages on your Mac
• Passbook support for Safari and Mail
• Shared Reminders lists
• FaceTime now receives calls sent to your phone number.
• Dictation now supports new languages.

Here’s the complete change list:

Jeff Benjamin at the iDownload Blog thinks it is. Comparing it to the tiny box shot on the official Apple iPhone 5 ordering page, it looks legit, and also looks as if white iPhone 5s and black iPhone 5s will be shipping in vastly different boxes: all black for the black model, mostly white and light-toned for the white model:

Looks gorgeous. Can’t wait to rip open mine.

Source: iDownload Blog

When the new iPhone 5 is officially released on Friday, it will be powered by Apple’s custom-designed A6 chip, a 1.2GHz, dual-core chip that is the first Cortex-A15 class CPU to market.

How did Apple get to this point? Just four years ago, they made their first step into custom chip design: now they are releasing cutting edge chips that are months ahead of the competition.

Over the weekend, Linley Gwennap, who heads the Linley Group chip consultacy, posted up a brief history of Apple’s chip development. It’s not just illuminating because of how we got here — from Apple buying up P.A. Semi in 2008 to signing secret deals with ARM — but in that it predicts when and what the next-gen A7 chip will look like.