Apple's unannounced but much rumored 'mini' iPhone is something that has been the subject of much guess work and conjecture for quite a while now, and with the rumored June release date closing in the talk is only going to intensify. The latest round of claims and counterclaims comes courtesy of Topeka Capital analyst Brian White, and he reckons he knows what the phone will be called as well as how much we'll have to pay in order to own one.
After months of waiting, iOS 6.1 was released to consumers late last month. However, several issues that went unnoticed during the testing phase are now cropping up on upgraded devices, particularly involving connectivity, sending emails, texts and entering a network. The advice from carriers so far has been to hold off upgrading if possible, until Apple figures out a fix.
Everyone who takes active interest in the developments within the smartphone and consumer technology industries seem to love a good Apple related rumor. It's probably a good thing as well, considering speculation regarding the next-generation of any Apple product seems to occur almost immediately after the release of the current model. Now that the 128GB fourth-generation iPad has come to fruition and is off the conjecture radar, attention is being turned back to the iPhone and the potential for Apple to release two new models before the end of the current year.
As of this writing, the iPad has been, and will probably remain, the undisputed champion of the tablet arena. Initially perceived as and mocked at being a blown up version of the already-successful iPhone, Appe’s tablet introduced the world to a product that existed for quite a while, but was never able to gain popularity with the mainstream user. Of course, the fact that Apple already had a pretty good software ecosystem going on in the form of the iTunes App Store didn’t hurt, but the iPad has a certain degree of comfort that you only wish for with other similar products.
Apple's range of iPhone, iPad and Mac hardware generates significant interest and revenue for the company, but there is also an extremely healthy interest in the software that leaves through the company's Cupertino doors and ends up on our digital shelves. The company's iOS firmware has been top of the discussion agenda over the last few weeks for various reasons, but we mustn't forget the recent speculation and interest surrounding the next-generation of Mac OS X. We are under no illusion that Apple will manage to blindside us with certain aspects of OS X 10.9, but it seems that the current recruitment drive for interface engineers is suggesting that Apple's next desktop OS could come bundled with the Siri digital assistant, as mentioned before as well.
The need for a 128GB iPad has divided opinions, especially considering it has been introduced mid-schedule, but the latest Apple slate is now officially for sale through the Apple Online Store and physical retail outlets.
Concept designs of future iterations of our favorite products keep us dreaming of what one day may be, and given their reputation among the design elite, it's fair to say Apple gadgets get a lot of attention from designers and concept-makers. Ricardo Afonso envisions the iPad eventually taking on a transparent look at some point in the future -- a simple pane of glass which, as he puts it, "blends perfectly with the surrounding environment". Check out the images and video below for more.
The smartphone and tablet sales and shipment figures churned out by our resident numbers firms make for particularly intriguing reading, since different companies tend to draw differing, oft conflicting conclusions regarding which vendor enjoys a stronghold on the market. One such company unafraid to wade into the Apple-Samsung debate is Strategy Analytics, and according to its latest research, Apple has overtaken Samsung to stake its claim number one phone vendor in the United States. While the Korean consumer electronics giant managed to shift an almighty 16.8 million units in the last quarter, Apple appears to have piped its bitter rival, managing an impressive 17.7 million iPhone sales. Meanwhile, LG took third spot with a comparatively meager 4.7 million.
The power of voice recognition technology is being utilized by many companies across the globe, as it has been for quite some time. Siri (along with similar implementations of other platforms) has helped bring such technology to the forefront, and although the initial hype surrounding Apple's voice assistant has petered out somewhat, Honda has just announced its intention to bring Siri support to a fleet of its automobiles in the coming months.
The iPad mini may have proven somewhat divisive thanks to its lack of Retina display and high price, but once thing most seem to agree upon, is that its design is a cut above. So pleased is Apple with the shape and materials used with its smaller tablet, that it would appear the next major iPad release - dubbed the iPad 5 - will adopt some of the design traits of its smaller counterpart. A purported leak of the back cover of the next-gen iPad borrows most of its design from the iPad mini, and, having been unearthed by the guys over at 9to5Mac, looks to include a thinner side bezel.
