Apple's iPhone 5 was predicted to be the biggest smartphone release of the year, and so has proven to be the case. The first weekend sales eclipsed that of any other handset released in 2012, but despite high demand, yield issues have prevented the Cupertino company from producing the numbers to adequately meet demand. Initially, those looking to order the iPhone 5 from Apple's online Store were met with a wait of up to four weeks, but with that wait having recently been slashed to one week, the latest and greatest Apple smartphone is now listing as "in stock" in a handful of countries.
Best Buy is well known as an establishment through which you can usually strike a pretty good deal, and while the prices of Apple gadgets do not tend to fluctuate - no matter who is retailing them - unless a newer edition of said device is on the horizon, you can now nab yourself a cool $25 Best Buy gift card by purchasing an iPhone 5 from the retailer's online store.
Apple's iOS 6 may have enjoyed record levels of adoption in its first couple of months in existence, but one area of the new mobile software sticks in everybody's mind - that dreadful Maps app. Tim Cook apologized for it, iOS SVP Scott Forstall was ousted due (in part) to its shortcomings, and other mapping apps have benefitted greatly as a result. But whilst Cook assures us that his company is doing everything they can to rectify the issue, we perhaps underestimated just how dedicated the Cupertino are to have the best mapping app around. Rather than fix the inaccurate street names and landmark locations within the app, staff have been spotted attempting to change the world's geographical traits to fall in line with iOS Maps!
As a company, Apple is extremely well-known for creating the fantastic OS X powered Mac, the iPhone, iPad and a number of other extremely popular mobile devices. Although those products have been, and will continue to be, extremely successful around the globe, there has been intense speculation over the last twelve months that Apple will breach their comfort zone and extend their portfolio by manufacturing an actual physical television set. Although there hasn't been any concrete evidence or nods of approval from Apple itself, a recent NBC News interview with Tim Cook could be the source of the biggest hint to date.
With every new revision of iOS, the firmware modding folk are always waiting to pounce, sourcing ways we can potentially jailbreak, unlock and downgrade our devices. With the release of iOS 6.0.1, the mindset is no different, and while there's real big news on the jailbreaking front, those of you wishing to revert from the latest iOS 6.0.1 back to iOS 5.1.1 can do so with relative ease.
Apple and Samsung are two great rivals in the world of modern technology, and it's only natural that when one of them brings a shiny new smartphone to the table, the other won't want you to have it. Samsung made its feelings known on the release of the iPhone 5 back in September by compiling the ‘iSheep’ (The Next Best Thing is Already Here) ad, a reference to those Apple evangelists that queue for hours to grab the next Cupertino iDevice. As well as poking fun at some of the iPhone's features, on-looking spectators were left fascinated instead by the S III, as its perceived superiority was showcased amid an awestruck ensemble of would-be iPhone buyers. Today, that ad has been named as the top tech ad of 2012.
The iPhone 5 may have only been with us for close to eleven weeks, but it seems like it is already turning into old news, with the speculators choosing to discuss what Apple is planning on bringing us with the seventh-generation iPhone, or the iPhone 5S as some are already choosing to call it. We have already heard some initial conjecture focusing on the possibility of Apple putting the next iPhone into early testing to overcome some engineering obstacles that they are facing with the current iPhone 5, and now we are seeing images of what are claimed to be the rear shell of Apple's next smartphone.
Apple has, save a few well-documented howlers along the way, steadily improved iOS through generations. With that said, there's certainly scope for much improvement, and TheVerge user brentcas has had a pop at suggesting some amendments to one key area in particular need of updating and improving - the lock screen.
Apple Patents ‘Wireless Charging’, Can Charge A Device As Far As One Meter Away From Charging Source
Apple is looking to arrive - fashionably late as usual - to the wireless charging circles, and unsurprisingly, the company has patented a method of wireless charging which it believes works differently to / better than anybody else's. It was only a matter of time before the patent filings began rolling through on a technology which is already out there, and as we should now be used to, Apple has "invented" its very own way of going about things.
Apple Granted Patents For Smart Cover And MagSafe, Trademarks For Word ‘Retina’ And Game Center Icon
As is becoming more and more apparent with the wave of intellectual property disputes between some of the largest names in tech - notably Apple and Samsung, designing a product and creating an innovation is only significant if the patents are then put into place. We've already seen Samsung ordered to pay an eye-watering $1.05 billion to its biggest rival over highly-publicized dispute in San Jose, and although it's way behind other names in the mobile field when it comes to its total number of patents stockpiled, the Cupertino has garnered a rep for its dogmatic approach to the patent game.
