iPhone news

iPhone 5c Pre-Orders time

Posted on September 12, 2013 by sales

While Apple announced at yesterday’s media event that pre-orders for the iPhone 5c will begin on Friday, September 13, the company has not yet specified at what time it will begin taking orders. Information from U.S. carrier partners Verizon and Sprint indicates, however, that the pre-orders should go live at roughly midnight Pacific Time on Friday morning.

Given that Apple and its U.S. carrier partners typically begin pre-orders at the same time and the timing published by Verizon and Sprint is in line with that seen for the past several iPhone releases, it seems likely that the coordinated launch will once again take place at that time.

Verizon’s pre-order information, available on the “Why Verizon?” tab of the carrier’siPhone 5s/5c feature page, allows potential customers to sign up for email updates on availability of the two new iPhones and states that pre-orders will be going live at 3:01 AM Eastern Time (12:01 AM Pacific Time) on September 13, but does not mention that those pre-orders are limited to the iPhone 5c models. Apple will not be offering pre-orders for the iPhone 5s ahead of its September 20 launch, and the company’s carrier partners will undoubtedly be following Apple’s lead.

Sprint has posted similar information on its website, announcing a 2:00 AM Central Time launch for iPhone 5c pre-orders, which corresponds to midnight Pacific Time.

Outside the United States, pre-orders for the iPhone 5c will also be going live on Friday for customers in the following countries: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK. Apple’s pre-order timing is likely to be the same for all countries, so customers should check their time zone conversions from Pacific Time. Local carriers may also have different pre-order start times in those countries.

New Otterbox Cases for iPhone 5s Will Work With Touch ID

Posted on September 11, 2013 by sales

Otterbox today sent out a press release announcing cases designed for the new iPhone 5s and 5c models, and specifically addressed the new Touch ID fingerprint sensor that will be built into the iPhone 5s.

Because the company’s bulky Defender Series of cases are designed to offer full device protection, it would seem that Otterbox might encounter some difficulties accounting for the home button and the fingerprint sensor.

However, Otterbox says all the its cases are “designed specifically to accommodate the new Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor technology, and all device functionality remains uninhibited by the case.”

New ‘Space Gray’ Colors for iPod Touch, Nano, and Shuffle

Posted on September 11, 2013 by sales

Apple today debuted a new “Space Gray” color for the iPhone 5s and has made the color available for the iPod touch, nano, and shuffle as well. In addition to their standard colors, each of these devices can be purchased in Space Gray, which replaces the existing black color.

No pricing changes have been implemented, which means the 32GB iPod touch is $299, the 16GB iPod nano is $149, and the 2GB iPod shuffle is $49.

The small color update for existing iPod products indicates that Apple does not plan to further upgrade the devices with a spec bump in the near future. All of the newly-colored devices can be found on Apple’s Online Store and will be available at brick and mortar locations beginning on September 20.

New Video Clip Allegedly Shows Powered-On Blue iPhone 5C

Posted on September 10, 2013 by sales

C Technology has posted a new video (direct link to video) showing what appears to be a powered-on blue iPhone 5C. The brief video does not show much of the handset’s physical design, revealing only the blue edges of the device, but if legitimate would be further evidence that the assembled devices are making their way out of Apple’s suppliers.

A similar video of what appeared to be a red iPhone 5C leaked one week ago, and a number of photos of packaged iPhone 5C units have also been surfacing. MacRumorsalso heard that new iPhone hardware was already being shipped into the United Stateslast week, with a separate source claiming that the iPhone 5C was included in those shipments.

Apple’s media event is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, with the company expected to introduce both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, as well as give a final look at iOS 7 before its public launch in the very near future.

Photos of Alleged iPhone 5C Logic Board Surface

Posted on September 9, 2013 by sales

With Apple set to introduce its iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C at next Tuesday’s media event, part leaks are continuing to appear revealing information about the devices. The latest part to appear is alleged to be the logic board for the iPhone 5C, completely assembled but unfortunately with shielding in place that keeps most of the chips and other components hidden.

One set of photos was shared by C Technology, showing front and rear views of the part as well as a shot of nearly a dozen of the parts laid out on a table.

A second set was posted (registration required) to Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo (via Nowhereelse.fr), again showing the front and rear of the board.

Perhaps most interestingly, the features that can be seen on this iPhone 5C logic board reveal it to be extremely similar to the iPhone 5S logic board seen months ago in bare form and in a prototype device.

Leaked shells for the iPhone 5S and 5C have shown identical layouts for screw holes used to mount the respective logic boards, but today’s photos show that even the physical connectors and components on the board itself are laid out in the same positions and orientations, at least as far as can be discerned with the shielding in place.

The iPhone 5S is expected to carry more advanced hardware than the iPhone 5C, with the iPhone 5C having been said to essentially be an iPhone 5 wrapped in a new plastic shell. But if these images are indeed accurate, it appears that Apple has reworked those iPhone 5 components to fit onto a new basic logic board design that is shared between the two new iPhone models.

iMovie, iPhoto and GarageBand Receive Small Updates Ahead of iOS 7

Posted on September 4, 2013 by sales

Apple has released small updates to iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand, addressing compatibility issues within iPhoto and iMovie and minor performance issues in GarageBand.
While it is unclear what the compatibility update fixes, it is likely related to Apple’s upcoming iOS 7 operating system, which has been available for developers since June 10.

iOS 7 introduces a number of design changes along with features like a revamped Notification Center and a new Control Panel. Apple’s apps will likely get larger iOS 7 updates after the OS is released later this month.

While Apple is expected to feature iOS 7 during its September 10 iPhone event, the operating system will likely be provided to the public shortly before Apple’s new iPhones are released on September 20.

All three of the apps can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99.

Multiple Colors iPhone 5C Surfaces

Posted on September 3, 2013 by sales

Following recent photos of Apple’s alleged iPhone 5C shown in its packaging, as well as the quick-start guide, SIM eject tool and other paperwork to be included in the packaging, several more photos and a video have surfaced showing similar devices and packages.

First, Chinese site iApps.im has shared two new photos, one showing a blue iPhone 5C partially unpackaged and a second showing yellow, blue and white iPhone 5C units in their packages.

The first video of an alleged fully assembled, powered on iPhone 5C has also surfaced on Chinese technology blog C Technology [Google Translate] (via Sim Only Radar). The 50-second video shows a red, plastic device running what appears to be Safari on iOS 7, with pinch-to-zoom capabilities as well as responsive scrolling. The shape and two-tone color of the phone are consistent with previous leaks, although the low-resolution video and lack of any views other than from the front make it difficult to assess whether it is indeed a legitimate iPhone 5C or another device wrapped in a colored bumper or shell.

Finally, C Technology has also posted a solo photo showing a green iPhone 5C in its packaging, in line with other photos from the past few days although without a sticker illustrating the iOS 7 home screen on a color-matched background.

Apple’s iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S are both expected to be revealed at a media event on September 10, with the two new devices expected to be released in the first wave of markets on September 20.

New Photos of Alleged iPhone 5C

Posted on September 2, 2013 by sales

New photos of Apple’s alleged low-cost iPhone 5C have surfaced this weekend, with one photo coming from website iApps.im showing many devices in a red plastic shell, with the other two photos coming from Chinese site Weibo depicting a phone diagram, instruction manuals, legal information and SIM card ejection tools. The three photos were noted by 9to5Mac.

The packaging in question appears to be consistent with an image that surfaced in July that first displayed the “iPhone 5C” name, with the paper included in the packaging also appearing to match the shape of the plastic shell. The shape of the device also pictured appears to match a photo last month of various iPhone 5C devices being tested at a Pegatron factory, a notable supplier to Apple.

As stated in our iPhone 5C roundup, the low-cost phone is expected to arrive with a plastic rear shell available in multiple colors such as yellow, blue, red, green, and white to be offered. The phone’s internals are expected to be similar to that of the iPhone 5, with the device expected to carry an A6 chip, 4-inch Retina display, 8-megapixel rear camera, and 1.2-megapixel front camera. The device is also estimated to be $400-$500 without a service contract based on analysis over the past few months.

Apple’s iPhone 5C and flagship iPhone 5S are both expected to be unveiled at a September 10th media event, and will likely launch in the first wave of markets on September 20th.

New Videos about iPhone 5S Casings

Posted on August 30, 2013 by sales

Two new videos published today give a detailed look at the casings of the “champagne” colored iPhone 5S and the “graphite” 5S, which first showed up in photos earlier this week.

While there has been a non-stop stream of images and videos depicting the gold iPhone 5S, a video from TLD offers a good overview of both the casing and the structural differences between the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5.

As has been previously noted, the iPhone 5S features repositioned logic board screws and a larger flash cutout to accommodate a dual-LED flash. Placing the iPhone 5’s battery into the iPhone 5S casing, TLD notes that the amount of space available for the logic board has been decreased to increase the available battery space.

A second video from BestTechInfo offers a view of the purported black and “graphite” version of the iPhone 5S compared to the existing black and slate iPhone 5.

When side-by-side, the graphite iPhone 5S is noticeably lighter in color than the existing black and slate iPhone 5, but as 9to5Mac points out, initial versions of the slate iPhone 5 were lighter in color as well. This suggests that the graphite iPhone 5S color variation may just be an early prototype rather than a new color that Apple plans to introduce.

The iPhone 5S will retain the same form factor as the iPhone 5, but it will include a number of upgrades including the aforementioned dual-LED flash, an improved processor, and a fingerprint sensor. It is also rumored to offer a better camera and new picture taking modes.

Apple is expected to debut the iPhone 5S and the low-cost iPhone 5C at an iPhone event that will take place on September 10, with the phones shipping on September 20.