Although we have seen snippets of what is purported to be the next iPhone, history forces us not to take anything as a given. In times past, the blogs and various tech affiliated sites have been almost certain of what Apple was preparing, only to be completely thrown off by the eventual product. Still, that hasn't stopped TaoBao, a Chinese site similar to Amazon, from taking pre-orders of the device, and as you would expect, the images on their landing page are based purely on the rumors we've been seeing and hearing for quite a while now.
Apple and Google follow very different principles with their mobile platforms. Apple maintains a tightly closed system where they put their software on their own hardware whereas Google has a much more open policy. Google licenses Android to companies like Samsung, HTC and Motorola which manufacture their own hardware and run it on customized versions of Android. While Apple’s way has plenty of advantages there is one area where it lags behind Google: sheer units sold and total market share. Android smartphones as a whole have been dominating the iPhone in USA for quite some time now. In a latest report, its dominance has been reaffirmed. Check out the details after the jump.
Although Apple may still be going through the district and county courts in an ongoing battle with Samsung over alleged patent infringements, it certainly hasn't stopped the creative minds at the Cupertino company from coming up with and submitting applications for a wide variety of patents. We all know the technology giants are no strangers to the patent system, something that has been emphasized today with the United States Patent and Trademark Office publishing a total of twenty three patents awarded to Apple.
If you're not a keen follower of Apple rumors, you may want to look away now, for in breaking the continual flow of iPad Mini rumors comes an update on the state of play regarding the next iPhone. The device, which, unlike the iPad talk, is actually backed up by hardware "leaks", looks set to become a little longer, and the display, which has sat at 3.5-inches since the very first day it hit the market back in 2007, is expected to increase rather significantly, measuring in at nearer the 4-inch mark.
Not so long ago, the iPod range was the focal point of Apple's product roster, but with the increase in popularity of both the iPhone and more recently, the iPad, has seen the once-popular music player slip into near obscurity.
If it turns out there is no "iPad Mini" featuring a 7.85-inch display, it will surely go down as one of the most out-of-hand rumors in recent tech history. When the likes of Bloomberg and the WSJ corroborate stories circulating in the rumor mill, that usually means said murmur has some substance, but with conflicting reports and no real solid evidence, the jury remains out with regards to whether Apple is actually plotting such a tablet.
In terms of concept designs, Apple has pretty much been covered in every aspect. Any hint of a new product is designed by enthusiasts for the masses to drool over, and even if it's not likely to ever hit the market, a fan of the Cupertino company will likely be sitting at their Mac, dreaming it up.
New code dumps of apps inside iOS 6 suggest that Apple may be bringing its new-style mapping software to the Mac, with Google's own maps set to lose out. With iOS 6, Apple will complete the transition away from Google's own mapping service and towards a new, in-house solution. By removing Google from the equation, Apple hopes to be able to iterate more quickly whilst remaining in complete control of the application which sits at the core of so many iOS apps.
I wrote an editorial on Redmond Pie some time ago now, outlining my thoughts on the iPod touch and the fact that I believed Apple was missing a trick. With iPhone sales continuing to increase and iPad sales as strong as ever, I believed that the iPod touch could be used as something of a 'gateway drug' to help Apple snare the younger generation long before they can walk into a mobile phone shop and sign a two-year contract.
The rumors of a smaller iPad retailing to compete with the cheaper, down-sized tablets now surfacing such as the Google Nexus 7 are incessant, and the latest reports regarding the purported 7.85-inch "iPad Mini" suggest the device will be manufactured in Brazil.
