Editorial: Apple’s iOS 7 needs exclusive, distinctive features, not just a flat UI
There’s intense interest blooming around reports that Apple plans to revamp the look of iOS 7 with a flatter appearance. But there’s more reason to believe that Apple is – or should be – focusing on features, not a radical new appearance.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
Verizon Cloud iPhone backup software launches on Apple’s App Store
Verizon this week launched a new iPhone application for its subscribers that gives access to the carrier’s cloud-based syncing and backup service.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
Rains once more cause damage at Apple’s Fifth Avenue NY store
Weather woes continue at Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City, as rain is once again seeping into the retail location, and now Apple’s SoHo location is said to have been suffering from the same problem.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
Haswell chips could bring 50% more battery life to Apple’s next-gen MacBooks
The next generation in Apple’s MacBook line could see 50 percent greater battery life thanks to the processors expected to go into them, according to Intel.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
New service delivers passes for Apple’s Passbook via text message
Users of Apple’s Passbook feature for iOS have a new option for getting tickets, coupons, and more delivered to their devices, as Skycore has launched support for cross-carrier delivery of Passbook passes by MMS.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
AT&T to reportedly add Apple’s iPhone to GoPhone prepaid lineup
The nation’s second-largest carrier AT&T will reportedly add Apple’s iPhone to the list of devices customers can buy through its GoPhone prepaid brand on Friday, with the handset coming alongside the activation of 4G LTE and HSPA+ support for the service.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
Apple’s Tight Control Over Components Keeping iPhone 5 Repair Costs High
MarketWatch takes a look at the state of the repair industry for the iPhone 5, noting that costs for display replacements remain very high eight months after the device’s launch in the United States. The report points to Apple’s tight control over components as being the major contributor to high costs, even as the device’s new design makes it simpler to replace the display than on previous models.
There is a tight control on iPhone 5 components in the market, [repair firm iCracked founder AJ] Forsythe says. “Market forces determine the price,” he says. “Apple sells about 300,000 iPhones a day and, as the repair market grows, prices will get lower.”
“Apple controls everything from the manufacturing to the gear for the iPhone 5,” says Jeff Haynes, editor at deal site TechBargains.com. As the iPhone 5 is larger than the 4, the cost for replacement parts rises, he says.
The display is the most frequently cited repair item on the iPhone, given the frequency with which users break the glass front of the device, and it is also the most costly component.
For the iPhone 4S, repair firm iFixit currently sells the display assembly for $95, with users needing to follow a difficult 37-step guide to perform the repair. On the iPhone 5, iFixit is charging $200 for the corresponding part, with the white version not even available at this time. But for those who can get their hands on the part, the replacement process requires only a 23-step guide judged “moderate” in difficulty.
The report notes that many repair firms have even not yet begun offering iPhone 5 display replacements, due to both the shortage of parts in the market and the high costs. Apple itself frequently performs repairs by swapping out the user’s device, then putting the damaged device through a refurbishment process and reselling it at a discounted price.
Recognizing the prevalence of accidental damage issues with its mobile devices, Apple rolled out an AppleCare+ extended warranty plan alongside the iPhone 4S in October 2011. The $99 plan extends warranty coverage to two years and includes coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage with $49 deductibles. The plan is not, however, universally available throughout Apple’s global sales footprint yet.
Apple is said to be planning to revamp its AppleCare offerings later this year, with Apple reportedly moving to perform more repairs on iPhones rather than simply swapping them out. The company is also said to be transitioning AppleCare into a subscription agreement that would cover multiple devices owned by a customer, rather than having to purchase coverage separately for each device.
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Apple’s iAd first major mobile ad-networks to get Media Ratings Council accreditation
Apple’s iAd for iPhone and iPad gained a bit more legitimacy this month as it received accreditation from a major advertising body, making it the first mobile platform to achieve the distinction.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
Half of Apple’s MacBook Air lineup now sold out at Amazon ahead of WWDC
MacBook Air models, including Apple’s popular 11.6-inch, sub-$ 1,000 offering, continue to go out of stock at Amazon ahead of an anticipated product refresh that’s expected to add Intel’s latest-generation Haswell processors.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
Apple’s Smart Watch May Not Launch Until Late 2014, Use Biometrics and iPod Nano Technology
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has on a number of occasions offered accurate information about Apple’s product plans, issued a new research report this week outlining his expectations for Apple’s rumored smart watch device, informally dubbed “iWatch”. Despite some expectations that the device could launch later this year, Kuo believes that both hardware and software issues will result in the iWatch making its debut in the second half of 2014.
Apple may not have adequate resources to develop an iWatch version of iOS because it may require big changes to iPhone and iPad iOS this year. In addition, wearable device components aren’t mature. For these reasons, we think mass production of the iWatch is more likely to begin in 2H14, not 2H13 as the market speculates.
On the hardware front, Kuo projects that the iWatch will use a 1.5-2.0 inch display and unsurprisingly believes that Apple will draw on the iPod nano when it comes to components, particularly with respect to the main processor and the touch technology.
Currently, the iPod nano uses the same GF2 touch technology as used by the iPad mini. Since the size and computing ability requirements of the iWatch are similar to those of the iPod nano, we think iWatch will use iPod nano’s GF2 touch technology and AP [application processor].
Further, Kuo believes that biometrics will be a key feature for the iWatch, allowing for increased security and opening the door to broader health-related applications. The biometric support should also aid in building out the cross-device integration many expect to see from the iWatch.
Rumors regarding Apple’s smart watch project have been relatively quiet over the past few months, although a report from earlier this week claimed that Apple is testing 1.5-inch OLED displays for the device, with Foxconn said to be gearing up for a trial run of 1,000 devices.
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