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Tag: iphone-5s

  • China Mobile Boosts Subsidies While Waiting For Conclusion of iPhone Deal


    China Mobile, the world’s leading phone company, is set to use a lot of money on subsidies in the coming year as it endeavors to lure its customers to the new speedy service and boost the sale of smartphones by as much as 42%.

    The company is planning to sell 220 million smart devices in 2014 as compared to 155 million that was sold this year. Xi Guohua, the Chairman of China mobile indicated this in remarks made on the carrier’s micro blog account. The official China Daily newspaper reported that China mobile is yet to conclude a legal agreement with the Apple Company to sell the iPhone.

    Guohua Xi indicated that subsidies for handsets are set to expand from the 27 billion CNY or $4.4 billion that was spent in 2013. The carrier also hopes to get much more of the 759 million customers to the faster network with more expensive voice & data plans.

    According to the official Xinhua News Agency, China mobile has entered into agreements with handset manufactures Xiaomi Corp and Lenovo Group Ltd. (992) to provide smartphones running on the fourth-generation network.

    At a developer’s conference in Guangzhou, CEO Li Yue told developers that the 4G service provides a new future and will popularize different types of applications innovations. On December 4th, China mobile got regulatory approval to start commercial services on the 4G network.

    The China Daily wrote that Xi indicated that China mobile hopes to conclude the agreement with Apple as soon as possible. Apple, which currently does not make handsets that are compatible with the China mobile’s 3G networks, has agreed to make an iPhone that will run on the 4G network.

  • iPhone 5s – the world’s bestselling smartphone for two months in a row


    According to market researcher Counterpoint, both the Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 outsold Samsung’s Galaxy S4’s worldwide in the month of October.

    In the latest report Counterpoint indicated that the iPhone 5S retained its premier spot in the global smartphone market. This is despite the supply shortage that forced customers to wait for it. The research firm expects Apple to meet even greater demand for the 5S in November and December as supply has ramped up.

    According to Counterpoint’s rankings, the iPhone 5 took second p[lace while the Galaxy S4 was left in the third position. The number 4 slot was taken by the iPhone 5C, followed by the Galaxy note 3, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 mini in that order.

    Apple fared well across different parts of the world but most notably China, where its market share surged from 3% in September to 12% in October. It has now been transformed into China’s third largest smartphone vendor. Apple’s share among the Chinese market is set to be driven further following reports of a deal with China mobile.

    In a statement from Counterpoint analyst Tom Kang, with the expected China mobile deal, price wars are in the offing between Apple’s iPhone S5 at all the three Chinese carriers that are likely to boost the overall iPhone 5S sales in the country. This might just see Apple reach the number 1 position in Smartphone sales in China in December or January.

  • Will the Newly Released iPhone 5c Appeal to Emerging Markets?


    According to a report published by USA TODAY, many analysts are skeptical that the iPhone 5c will have huge sales in the emerging markets. Just a day after the release of the high-end iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c (the cheaper one of the two), analysts are still concerned with the iPhone 5c retail prices. Without a contract, the phone is set to sell at $549 and $99 with a two-year contract.

    This Wednesday, Apple shares finished at $467.71, $26.93 down, amidst fears that the tech company might have placed a  very high cost on iPhone 5c, hence failing to capture the emerging markets. Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord says that while the specifications of the 5c and 5s did not fall far from expectations, the price of the 5c was too far from what he expected.

    In recent years, Apple has lost ground to Samsung, Huawel and other android supported handsets that sell at cheaper prices and still offer ideal smartphone features. This concept is ideally true in emerging markets , especially in developing countries where use of smartphones is quickly becoming the norm. It is without a doubt that the iPhone 5c was specifically designed and manufactured to appeal to people in the emerging markets. However, with such a high price, we can only wait and see what fate has in store for the beautiful, features ladened phone.

  • Everything Apple Announced at Yesterday's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c Event


    During yesterday's event that took place in Cuperino, Apple has finally unveiled the long-awaited new iPhones: iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. 

    Apple's CEO Tim Cook kick-started the event, of course in his trademark uniform of a black button-up shirt and dark jeans. Most of the announcements he made seem directed at beating Google's Android platform at having the market share in new markets. The Android platform has been having a fast growth in emerging markets, especially Asia, and Apple now appears to have rededicated its efforts to penetrate these markets and expand its customer base.

    The highlights of the event were:

    • Launch of two new iPhones: iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S
    • iOS 7 release date announcement
    • iWork updates
    • Siri upgrade

    Apple Introduces 2 New iPhones

    Apple reached a new level of its iPhone business with the iPhone 5, and we have been expecting even better ever since. In the past, the release of a new iPhone has been accompanied by lowering of the price of the previous device. However, this year prices for iPhone 5 remain the same as it is replaced with two new designs.

    The two iPhones, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, will be available for pre-order on September 20. It is expected that they will be available in China too.

    iPhone 5S: Apple's New Flagship Phone

    The iPhone 5S has been labeled "the most forward-thinking phone ever made” even before it hits the stores. It is similar to the iPhone 5 in size and thickness, and it's available in three colors: gold, gray, and silver. It is made of high-grade aluminum, which Apple’s marketing chief Philip Schiller called "the gold standards in smartphones."

    The most outstanding thing about the iPhone 5S is its speed. With a 64-bit A7 chip – the first phone ever to use this kind of chip – the new iPhone has speeds that are 40 times greater than those of the first iPhone. The graphics power is also impressive; looking at the phone feels like looking on a PC gaming device.

    Battery life has been improved from iPhone 5. With the iPhone 5S, the battery can last 10 hours 3G talk time and its standby life is 250 hours. Monitoring motion will also be possible thanks to the new Apple M7 chip. It bears similarity to the X8 computing system used by Motorola for its Moto X. With this chip, app makers will be able to detect movement of the users throughout the day, like the total number of steps they take. It also saves on battery.

    The camera system has also been improved. It features an f.2.2 aperture for better night photos. It also features a dual-LED rear-camera flash for better photos in low light. This type of flash – dual-LED flash – extends the distance of the camera flash. Other new features are a 10 frames-per-second burst mode and a slow-motion video for 120 frames-per-second recording.

    As rumored, the home button for the screen is a fingerprint scanner Apple calls Touch ID. The security of the iPhone has just become better with Touch ID because you no longer have to worry about forgetting the passcode for the phone or go through the hassle of typing in a series of numbers just to get a weather update. You use Touch ID by clicking on the home button and holding down the finger for a couple seconds. It can read a finger at any angle and you can even teach it to recognize multiple fingers to allow other people access to the phone. In case you are concerned about security, Touch ID can be turned off.

    The iPhone 5S will be available for a two-year contract at a cost of $199 for 16 gigabytes, $299 for 32 gigabytes, and $399 for 64 gigabytes.

    iPhone 5C: Candy-Colored and Cheaper

    The iPhone 5C comes as was predicted, with a plastic body and 5 new bright colors: red, white, green, blue, and yellow. The face of the phone is black and no seams, joints or flat lines are visible even with close inspection. The inside also features a new construction. There is a 4-inch retina display, 8 megapixel camera, and a new FaceTime camera.

    Regarding cell service, Schiller said “It supports more LTE bands than any smartphone in the world.”

    The phone comes with a two-year contract at a cost of $99 for the 16 gigabytes version and $199 for the 32 gigabytes version. The predicted full price by analysts is $55o
    .
    Being the less expensive iPhone, it is expected that the iPhone 5C will be Apple's flag bearer in a number of emerging markets where the majority of customers cannot afford the current Apple products. These markets have hundreds of millions of people buying smartphones every year. They include China, India, and Russia.

    iOS 7 Coming Sept. 18

    The iOS 7, showcased earlier in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference, was unveiled today. It brings over 200 new features among them a design that makes the iPhone screen seem totally new. This design sports stark open white space that will be a welcome sight for users who want a the calming effect of white. With the thin iconography and the flat new design, iOS 7 is a far cry from its 1980s-era skeuomorphic.

    One of the features of iOS 7 is a live streaming music service Apple calls the iTunes Radio. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president for software engineering, said that there are also several apps being developed around the new interface. A demo of the new Camera app showed that its speed beats that of the app in iOS 6. A slick user interface allows zooming out to a year view, with the user's photos showing in tiny icons. There is also built-in access to live photo filters and new organization capabilities for images by time and location.

    The new operating system is laden with processor-intense features and it offers full multitasking capabilities. This could adversely affect the battery life of iPhone 4S and other older iPhones, but we wait to see. Apple has maintained that this will be the most popular mobile OS.

    According to Federighi, “iOS 7 will be available — unbelievably, for free — on Sept. 18.”

    Shipping of the operating system will begin next month to iOS device users, making 700 million devices new for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users.

    At Last Siri Receives an Upgrade

    Apple has made this year Siri's year in the spotlight. The company released an upgrade for the popular voice-activated digital assistant so that iPhone users can get an improved Siri experience. The upgrade features a new male voice. There are also a number of new voice commands that include searching on a number of sites on the Web like Wikipedia.

    Over the last couple of years, Apple has been hard at work to improve Siri following negative feedback and reviews after he (Siri) could not understand some of the things customers were saying. The upgrade has also been influenced by the competition between Apple and giant rival Google Android operating system's voice command features.

    Apps on iWork Platform Now Free

    Cook also announced a few welcome updates for iWork. iWork is the productivity software for Apple responsible for the apps on iPhones and iPads. Some of these apps include the Keynote, Numbers, and Pages apps.

    Cook said that iPhoto, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers, and Pages were now available for free. Anyone with a new iPhone or iPad will be able to download these apps free of charge.

    He also said of iWork, “No other platform has any apps like these.”

    The London iTunes Festival

    One of the biggest announcements Mr. Cook made was of the iTunes Festival that is taking place in London from 1-30 September. The festival is an annual event that involves 30 nights of free live music performances. This year it unfolds at the Roundhouse art centre and some of the names Cook threw that will be performing were Lady Gaga, the curtain raiser, and Justin Timberlake. Among the other singers making appearances are Katy Perry, Queens of the Stone, and Kings of Leon.

    According to Cook, the concerts will be streamed live in over 100 countries across the world. After the performances, they will also be available on iTunes for free. Users of Apple TV, iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, and laptops will therefore not miss out on anything even if they don't make it to London. The number that has already applied for tickets to the event is so far 20 million.

    Cook also pointed out to Apple's retail growth by announcing a new Apple store that boasts a museum-like appearance with glass on three sides. Stanford, California is home to the store, which opened last weekend.

  • iPhone 5S’s Latest Fingerprint Reader Coming Soon

    The iPhone 5S’s latest fingerprint reader has been mentioned in the news a lot these day. It is the latest addition to the parade of features offered by Apple although Samsung and others competitors may have their say about this. Though it has been been given much hype and has already been publicized, fans and spectators must wait until fall before the fingerprint reader will be unveiled.

    For panicky watchers, they will have to wait until the final release is official. Perhaps, there could be changes in the latest software feature that the giant smartphone innovator will reveal during the WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) in June. Some say that the new iPhone might take longer than usual to be released since there could be more updates to be made. The idea of the fingerprint reader innovation was acquired from AuthenTec which is Apple’s security supplier.

    Adding fuel to the fire, some sources say that soon the “I” on iPhone would mean identity. Since many users know about Apple’s inclination for solving problems, the company is trying to venture into solving digital identity. Experts say that this might be part of a grand strategy. Undoubtedly, phones are great part of many people’s lives and some individuals cannot function well without them. Apple is up for the challenge and will soon launch the fingerprint technology on their phones.

    Experts added that this idea will become at a trillion-dollar valuation by 2020. On the other hand, there is one thing that intrigues sources. It is how Apple will approach this digital identity feature because they cannot figure out if it will work like the FB +2.68% and GOOG -0.96% identity systems.

    Apple says that it will allow the user to be in full control of security and how they will handle it. This could work like the slide to unlock feature in many iPhones. It is said that the latest security feature will allow people to choose the level of security they want as well as what situations or maybe even locations in which they would allow identity using their Smartphone. If this idea works, it might be worth the wait for users. Everyone will have to wait and see what Apple is up to this time.