Individuals who classify themselves as registered developers on the iOS development program will already be well aware that the second beta of iOS 6.1 has been available for past two weeks, but as always, the Apple engineers responsible for the development of iOS have been working hard behind the scenes making changes and improvements to the mobile operating system. The work put in over the last fortnight and the changes and improvements made have now manifested themselves in the form of an iOS 6.1 beta 3 seed to registered developers, available to download from the developers portal.
In an official press statement released today, Apple has announced that the sixth-generation iPhone - known around the by its official name, the iPhone 5 - will be released to the South Korean market this coming Friday along with 50 additional markets going forward. Apple originally released the elongated smartphone on September 21st to the first batch of territories with subsequent releases hitting a number of other countries on September 28th and November 2nd. With the handset shifting over two million units in the first twenty-four hours of pre-orders going live, and five million units during the opening weekend, it's likely that the device will be positively received in new territories.
Now that Apple has finally released the revamped iTunes 11 app, it looks like the majority of people are happy with the changes which Apple have deemed it necessary to make. Not everything is always going to be in line with everyone's tastes, and the new software definitely has excluded a few features that will be missed by a lot, but on the whole; it seemed to have scratched the majority itch. Those living in Russia can also expect to gain access to the iTunes service imminently, with all details looking likely to be announced at a small dedicated iTunes event being held in the Red Square tomorrow evening.
The global smartphone industry is an extremely competitive and tough industry to be a part of, and is one that takes constant innovation in order to stay ahead of the pack. Out of all the smaller segments that make up the global industry, the United States based market is probably one of the most lucrative for companies, and therefore one of the most important to be successful in. For the first time in their smartphone selling history, Apple has breezed passed Korean based LG Electronics to become the second largest mobile device supplier in the US according to recent figures from comScore.
After being unveiled last September, and subsequently delayed, the long-awaited overhaul of iTunes was finally released to the general public on Thursday. Over 10 years ago, Apple unveiled its jukebox software to the world: innovative at the time, it has become more bloated and complicated over the years.
Such has been the coverage of the iPhone 5 and subsequently, the iPad mini, that the small matter of the radically-redesigned iMac has slipped into the back of our minds. When Apple launched the smaller tablet last month, it also gave us a look at the all-new iMac, and although there was - to the disappointment of many - no Retina display, the new slender look seemed to go down with the on-looking tech world.
If you happened to catch the last Apple media event that was held at the California Theatre last month, then it shouldn't come as any great surprise that Apple had been working hard on producing a new iMac range that features a thinner form factor. Retail contacts have been suggesting that physical Apple Stores were preparing their outlets yesterday for sales to go live today, with a number of stores in the United States initially receiving low stock levels to begin with. Regardless of the available stock, the time has come with the new 21.5-inch iMac being available for worldwide sales.
The iPhone 5 has been available to the general public for just over seventy days, and although we have already seen some rough estimates of sales and user adoption, we should accept the fact that it has taken Apple over two months to get stock levels into a position to keep up with demand. In the United Kingdom, and in other several parts of Europe, we sometimes take it for granted that we can just walk into an Apple Store or visit the website and purchase an entirely SIM-free iPhone with no minimum contract, which is a luxury now afforded to American consumers across the pond directly from an Apple Store.
Today is a big day in Apple's software calendar, and as well as the small matter of a new-look iTunes 11, update 5.1.1 has just been released for the Apple TV. The little black box doesn't quite get the attention of some other iOS devices, but with continual rumors of a connected Apple TV on the horizon, it's hardly surprising so few have picked up the $99 set-top. Unlike iTunes, which looks vastly different from the old versions, update 5.1.1 isn't too much of a bump, offering mainly bug fixes, couples with support for iTunes Up Next with iTunes 11 or iTunes Match.
Apple just pushed out an improved version of its desktop media player / content hub, bringing the version number up to 11. It was originally presumed that iTunes 11 would drop alongside the iPhone 5, iPad mini or the 4th-gen iPad, but instead, it has been released after many delays which we’ve documented quite well here at Redmond Pie. As well as feeling a lot lighter than it has ever done, some work has gone into reshaping the look of the App Store, as well as iTunes itself.
