October 30, 2009: Two years after launching in the United States, the iPhone finally goes on sale in China, giving Apple a chance to reach the world’s largest market.
A number of regulatory hurdles previously blocked Apple’s access to China, including restrictions on Wi-Fi functionality. With those problems solved, Apple offers the iPhone 3GS to the country’s 1.3 billion people, most of whom do not yet own smartphones.
Apple stopped selling the iPhone 3GS, its third ever iPhone model, in 2012. The last version of iOS it supported was iOS 6.1.6, released February 21, 2014. But — wouldn’t you know it — this old phone still works with Apple’s cutting edge AirPods Pro.
For anyone who remembers the struggle with finding and installing drivers to try and get new tech to work with old tech, it’s pretty awesome. And proof positive of why Apple talks about making devices that “just work.”
The new iPhone XS and XS Max are generating rave reviews. Having marked the iPhone’s 10th anniversary with last year’s awe-inducing iPhone X, Apple has now set the stage for a second decade of smartphone innovation.
But what about all the awesome iPhones that led us to this point? Which models are the classics that will occupy museum shelves long after they’ve stopped working? I decided to dive in at the deep end and rank every phone Apple ever made. Wish me luck!
In June 2009, Apple introduced the world to the iPhone 3GS. It was “the fastest, smartest phone yet,” with improved cameras, video recording, and voice control.
Nine years on, smartphones are a lot different — and the iPhone 3GS looks like a relic in comparison. But that hasn’t stopped one carrier from restarting sales at just $40 apiece.
The iOS and macOS vulnerabilities revealed by the latest WikiLeaks data dump of CIA hacking tools have already been fixed.
Apple says that an early evaluation of the info released by WikiLeaks hasn’t found any new bugs or attacks that can be used on iPhone or Mac users. Some of the exploits contained in the leaks were able to grant access to an iPhone’s call logs and SMS conversations, but only if the CIA had physical access to the device.
WhatsApp is dropping support for older smartphones that aren’t compatible with its latest features. At least one generation of iPhone, alongside older versions of Android and Windows Phone, will no longer be able to use the service at the end of the year.
At this point, there have been eight iPhones, and with the exception of this year’s iPhone 5c, each has a faster chip and more all around chutzpah than the model that precedes it. You’d naturally think, then, that if you lined them all up in a row and ran a speed test on them, each successive model would accomplish tasks faster than the model that precedes it. But as this video proves, the reality is more complicated than that.
Shazam, Shazam Encore, and Shazam RED for iOS have today been updated with a number of new features and improvements. In addition to faster recognition on older iOS devices, and improved recognition in “difficult” environments, the release also brings Twitter previews and new TV experiences for those in the United States.
Apple has confirmed to CNBC that a new iPhone trade-in program will be available in Apple Stores across the United States today — less than two weeks before the Cupertino company is set to announce the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.
Customers will be able to exchange their old Apple smartphone for a gift card, which can then be redeemed against a new device with a new two-year contract.
The low-cost “iPhone 5C” hasn’t been announced yet, but it already feels like we’re pretty familiar with it — mostly because we’ve seen so many pictures of its plastic rear shell. But most of those — the high quality ones, at least — have included the white model.
A new hands-on video that has surfaced today shows off the yellow model in all its glory.
