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Tag: apple

  • 3 New iPhones to be Released During 2013?

    Rumors about the new iPhone have already started circulating around and this time we're hearing about the possible release of 3 new iPhones during 2013.

    Just a few months after the release of iPhone 5, Apple seems to be designing the next model, with an earlier rumor claiming that it will be presented in June. The new rumor comes from China Times and mentions of a brand new 4.8-inch iPhone that will arrive in June and two other models that are expected during the year. China Times claims that their news come from Apple's supply chain and that except for the traditional iPhone, we should expect one that will be a phablet, something between a phone and a tablet, and one that will have a 12MP camera. In addition, the 4.8-inch phone will have an 8MP camera and it might be the answer to Samsung Galaxy S III.

    It seems that the article is emphasizing on the 4.8-inch iPhone, since it might be the next bet for Apple. After noticing that the market is requesting bigger smartphones, but smaller than tablets, it could be possible indeed to be trying a bigger version of the iPhone we all know.

    However, can they really release 3 iPhones during a year? Will it be a wise move, or should we just wait for one or two models?

    Is there a real gap between iPad mini and iPhone or are they just thinking of ways to decrease Samsung's sales? Should we trust those rumors above or are they just speculations on Apple's future plans? So many questions are waiting to be answered the following months.

  • Samsung Galaxy S Range Sells Over 100 Million Copies

    Samsung has announced in a post on the official blog the number of over 100 million Galaxy S terminals sold.

    It all started two and a half years ago with the Samsung Galaxy S, top of the range at that time and a quite controversial terminal. It was cited often in the Apple-Samsung trial in the United States. From then until now, the No. 1 mobile phone manufacturer in the world sold over 100 million units of Galaxy S, Galaxy S II and Galaxy S III. The latter two models were able to sell each in an impressive number of 40 million units. It is possible that in the total figure to be included the supplies of Galaxy S Plus and Galaxy S III Mini, but the percentage is small.

    The most successful Galaxy smartphone is Galaxy S III, which, according to Samsung officials, at this moment sells about 190,000 units per day.

    Samsung Galaxy S III combines advanced technology developed by Google with high-end components. Thus, users of this top smartphone benefit from the experience offered by the 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, with 720p HD resolution, supported by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor.

    With such popularity, the next Samsung Galaxy S is already in the top of terminals expected this year. We’d dare to say that the interest in the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 is significantly lower. Apple has already provided a significant upgrade to the iPhone 5 and the next model could be a sort of facelift. As for the Samsung Galaxy S IV, it is expected even in this spring, with a 5-inch full HD screen. It seems that the “phablets” are on a roll and Samsung cannot get out of the trend.

    South Korean company will announce at the end of this month the quarterly earnings recorded in Q4 2012.

  • CES 2013: Sony Launches Xperia Z and Xperia ZL

    Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL are the new flagships of the Japanese manufacturer, who have managed to make waves with their official announcement at CES 2013.

    No matter how new and powerful would be the two Xperia models, they have long been debated in the press and expected in the latter part of 2012. Thus, most of us suspected some of the most advanced specs and features of the new Sony smartphones.

    However, their official announcement has managed to arouse enough curiosity and awe among fans and beyond. Specifically, we are talking about two top smartphones that should help Sony in the fight against other major phone manufacturers, such as Samsung and Apple.

    Sony Xperia Z is based on next-generation hardware, SoC Snapdragon S4 Pro with quad-core processor Krait at 1.5 GHz, graphics processor Adreno 320 and 2GB RAM. Multimedia capabilities promise to be one of the strengths, especially with the 5-inch LED 1080p display which benefits from the latest technology Sony Mobile Bravia 2 Engine. In terms of photo/video, Sony Xperia Z boasts a 13-megapixel Exmor RS sensor capable to shoot Full HD 1080p and take HDR shots.

    Xperia Z is also respecting the IP57 standard, which provides resistance to dust and contact with water and comes in a unibody casing that “hides” a 2330 mAh battery.

    On the other hand, the second phone, the Xperia ZL, resembles the first in big lines, the differences being more in design and size. Xperia ZL will not benefit from water resistance, the rest of hardware specifications being almost identical.

    Both smartphones benefit from the latest communication options: LTE, HSPA +, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and come equipped with FM radio and supports internal memory expansion with microSD card. Both Xperia Z and Xperia ZL will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

    For now Sony has not provided too many pricing details, but unofficial sources speak for amounts that exceed $650.

  • Unlocked iPhone 5 available in USA

    Apple has finally decided to provide an unlocked version of the iPhone 5 in USA, targeting the clients that want to avoid the commitment of a contract.

    Just before the Christmas period, when shopping craze is more intense than ever, Apple has updated the online store, allowing the clients to purchase a contract-free version of the iPhone 5, which will be shipped in one week of the purchase, in any capacity and color. The starting price is $649 for the 16GB, with the 32GB costing $749 and the 64GB model being priced $849. Even though some customers find the price relatively high and prefer the safety of a contract, there are also contract haters among us that prefer to buy a single handset, without any constraints of the carrier.

    No matter which side you are, Apple made sure that you understand how an unlocked phone works:

    If you don’t want a multiyear service contract, or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It does not come with a micro-SIM card for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, or a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5, so you’ll need to get one from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.

    Thus, Apple clarifies that the unlocked version of the iPhone 5 is great if you are a frequent traveler and want to combine different networks on your handset. However, there is a price to pay for this, as it was on the previous iPhones. If you are thinking of buying the unlocked version then, you still have time before the holidays with the shipment in a week!

  • Samsung not willing to agree with Apple over patents

    The patent war between Apple and Samsung is not over yet and as it seems, it is not expected to end anytime soon. Although Apple has reached an agreement with HTC, Samsung is not willing to do so.

    It was only a few days ago when we were informed that Apple and HTC have agreed to end their patent war, at least for the next 10 years. This agreement created further speculations, whether it was the beginning of a new era, where patent wars would not exist. And although the collaboration between Apple and HTC might have been a step towards that era, the big deal would be a possible agreement on patent cases between Apple and Samsung, the two big rivals on the smartphone market.

    However, Shin Jong-kyun, the head of Samsung's mobile and IT division in South Korea made sure with his words that there won't be any further questions regarding a possible settlement:

    “We have no such intention. … HTC may have agreed to pay 300 billion won (US$276 million) to Apple, but we don’t intend to [negotiate] at all.”

    And just like that, we are informed that the battle cases between Apple and Samsung will keep going in the future. We don't know whether Samsung is extremely confident over their current and future products, but they surely have paid the price quite expensive on the patent war. Just a few months ago the US court have ordered them to pay 1 billion dollars for copying parts of the iPhone and iPad. And even though they have every right to be confident with their current share in the smartphone market, are they certain about the future? Will they manage to survive the following years or should we still expect a possible settlement between the two companies?

  • Apple and HTC agree on patents for the next 10 years

    No more patent cases between Apple and HTC in the near future, since the two companies have reached on a 10-year license "global settlement" for the current, but also their future patent cases. This settlement is related to any possible case between the two companies that has to do with intellectual property.

    The announcement came with a joint press release, proving that the patent wars between Apple and HTC are now over. Although the agreement is confidential and we do not know any details of it, we do know that it came as a surprise, since there were no reports on the two companies discussing a settlement. Delaware court might have suggested they consider reaching an agreement back in May, but they did not seem reluctant back then for such a move. On the contrary, HTC was claiming that they are not planning any settlement with Apple.
    As it seems, things have changed in the last months and we are now discussing their settlement.
    Peter Chou, chief executive of HTC stated:

    "HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation."

    What's more, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, said:

    "We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC. We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation."

    There were many battles between them and it must be a relief for Apple to get a patent opponent out of their way. 2012 has been the year of the patent wars and although the battle between Apple and HTC was not the biggest one, it is still important that they have reached on an agreement. Who knows, maybe we will see Apple reaching an agreement with Samsung in the future. Or maybe not!

  • iPhone 5 reaches 5 million sales in just 2 days

    iPhone 5 was destined to be a successful release, even before reaching in our hands. Apple knows very well that every new iPhone handset will attract significant popularity, which means that it will eventually boost their annual sales.

    It is a circle that goes on the last few years and is justified one more time with the sales of iPhone 5. Apple's brand new release, the iPhone 5, has already reached 5 million sales in just the first weekend of its release. Although it is not yet sold throughout the whole world, not even in half of it, it managed to surpass the sales of iPhone 4S, which reached 4 million sales in its first two days.

    These first stats remind us of the estimates that analysts made even before the release of iPhone 5 claiming that it will be the best selling iPhone of all time. More specifically, they estimated that Apple will sell 58 million iPhone 5 units until the end of this year, which means that it can bring to Apple a revenue of $36.2 billion! And if they sound like they are exaggerating, just consider their prediction of the 10 million sales during the first month. Considering the 5 million sales of the first weekend, not only is a feasible goal, but it can also reach even higher numbers.

    In addition, there are still many countries that anticipate for the release of the iPhone 5, with all the queuing that comes along with this anticipation. Thus, Apple should feel really confident about the sales of the next quarter and even the one following it. Their fans keep buying their products and even Samsung's disregard of the iPhone 5 didn't seem to work that well. Galaxy S III might be a very successful product, but Samsung still has a long way until reaching the level of loyalty that Apple has with iPhones. Till then, we are just waiting for the next stats that are related to the iPhone 5.

  • iPhone 5 jailbroken from day 1, while breaking a pre-order record

    iPhone 5 kept busy the homepage of every smartphone website the last week and it is not surprising that there were so many things to write about it. Since the announcement of it, every Apple fan anticipated for the big news. Since its sale, every Apple fan pre-ordered it and by the time it was finally on stores, a skillful hacker managed to jailbreak it, in just a single day!

    The fact that iPhone 5 has been pre-ordered in 3 days 96% as the purchases of iPhone 4S for the whole first month, proves how big the anticipation was from every Apple fan. And this is not just an estimated number, but the stats that were released from Comscore. As it seems, Apple's fans have been greatly increased, with the promotion of iPhone 5 being successful. The difference between the sales of iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 is significant, which raises the expectations of its general sales even more.  As for the carriers, the majority of the pre-orders was recorded at AT&T, holding 68% of them, with Verizon following with 24%.

    And just when we were all impressed by the pre-orders of iPhone 5, a hacker managed to jailbreak it, even from the first day! Grant Paul posted a picture on Twitter showing an iPhone 5 that was running Cydia Store, which is for jailbroken phones. Although many were suspicious about the validity of his claim, he eventually posted additional pictures, in order to prove his claim. As it seems, he did manage to jailbreak iPhone 5 from day one, which gave him a lot of buzz the last few days.

    iPhone 5 is here to stay and it seems, we are all part of this mania. At least until the release of the next generation of iPhone.

  • iOS 6 already adopted 25-35% after 48 hours

    After the iPhone 5 mania the previous week, we now have the iOS 6 mania. Every iPhone user was expecting for this update, hoping that it will boost the performance of their phones.

    The update from iOS 5 to iOS 6 was rather smooth for most iPhone holders, since its adoption was fast, comparing to the previous updates.

    It is estimated that iOS 6 has been adopted by the 25%-35% of the iPhone holders in just 48 hours. David Smith, a developer of popular apps, measures the adoption of iOS and his data show an adoption of 35.4% for iOS 6, with iOS 5 being still at the top with 71.5%. Apart from Smith, Chitika, which is an iOS ad network, measured the adoption of iOS 6 at 25%, while iOS 5 reached the 21% adoption rate in 21 days.

    iOS 6 was a highly anticipated update. It was the time when Apple decided to get rid of Google Maps, Siri has also improved, but what's even more important, iOS 6 is the first update for iPhone that does not require the use of a computer. All you have to do is plug your iPhone in the charge, click on update and leave it do its magic for the next 30 minutes. Your pc is no longer needed when updating your iPhone, which means it is getting easier.

    According to the first reviews, the iOS 6 was a positive step for iPhone updates. It might need some improvements, but we didn't expect from a single update to fix everything. As always, there are lovers and haters and iOS 6 was not an exception. We just have to wait and see then how the iPhones perform now, in order to judge after using them extensively.

  • Samsung proudly compares Galaxy S III with iPhone 5

    The battle has just started between iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III, or else, between Apple and Samsung. Apple might have won the patent case over Samsung, but Samsung proudly advertises Galaxy S III as the phone that has what iPhone 5 presents as novelties.

    It was when Samsung launched the Galaxy series of smartphones that Apple realised that there was a serious opponent there. When Samsung Galaxy S III was released, many tech fans were so excited about it that they even considered replacing the much hyped iPhone. Now that the iPhone 5 has finally been presented by Apple, it is even more obvious that Galaxy S III has nothing to be jealous of the first one. What's more, it might even have more features. That's what Samsung took advantage at their latest ad, in which they compare the features of iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III, using the caption: "The next big thing is already here."

    More specifically, the features listed for Galaxy S III in the ad are more than these of the iPhone 5. Galaxy S III seems to win iPhone 5 in terms of RAM, talk time, HD resolution, while it also has NFC technology, which replaces your wallet with your smartphone. They even make fun of Apple's decision to create a new plug for the iPhone 5, by mentioning for Galaxy S III that it has a standard micro USB plug, which gets more convenient when having an older handset. In addition, Samsung mentions Smart Stay, S-Beam, Shareshot, Group Cast, Direct Call, Palm Touch Mute Pause and so many other features.

    Even though Apple is still far more popular than Samsung in the mobile market, the future might be more uncertain, now that the monopoly is broken. At least Samsung found a way to question iPhone's superiority. Is Apple finally threatened then? Time will tell.