Apple announce iPhone 4S

Apple’s new CEO Tim Cook announced the launch of its new iPhone 4S, at this evening’s ‘let’s talk iPhone’ conference at Apple’sCupertino campus. Whilst the new version looks much the same as the iPhone 4, Apple insist it is “all new” inside.

There will be 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, in both black and white.

Features on the device include a dual core processor, an 8-megapixel camera and HD video capture. The battery has also been improved to offer 8 hours of talk time on 3G or 14 hours of 2G talk time.

The camera also includes an A5 chip which provides additional features such as face detection. The device will also include Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 5, which can also be downloaded to previous models, the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS.

Details on tariffs and price are expected in the next few days.

Apple wins European sales ban on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

The ruling by a district court in the Hague upheld Apple’s claim concerning one specific patent – EP 2059868 – which outlines an interface for viewing and navigating photographs on a touchscreen phone.  It does not cover the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which faces similar patent litigation from Apple in a German court.

Samsung now has seven weeks until mid-October to cease sales of the phones after the court decided the devices may have violated Apple touch screen patents. However, the time lapse gives Samsung time to modify its software before the ban is enforced. It is not yet clear whether this will impact the UK market.

Apple iPhone 5 set for September release?

Apple’s iPhone 5 will launch this September with a faster processor and an improved camera, according to recent reports.

The latest version of Apple’s flagship product will upgrade to the A5 processor used by the iPad 2, while the five-megapixel camera will be replaced with an eight-megapixel version.

The new reports follow Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco earlier this month, which has traditionally been the backdrop for the unveiling of the latest iPhone since the first iteration was introduced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 2007.However, the WWDC proved to be software-focused, with iCloud and iOS 5 taking centre stage.

Industry speculation now suggests that the iPhone 5 will launch in Q4 of 2011.

Apple announce iOS 5

Apple has officially announced iOS 5, which will be compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch 3rd Gen, iPod Touch 4th Gen, iPad, and iPad 2. Here is a full list of features that have been announced:

• Notification Center: With Notification Center, you can keep track of new email, texts, friend requests, and more – all in one convenient location.
• iMessage: Apple have created a new messaging service for all iOS 5 users. You can send unlimited text messages via Wi-Fi or 3G from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to anyone with one of those devices.
• Newsstand:  iOS 5 organizes your magazine and newspaper app subscriptions in Newsstand: a folder that lets you access your favorite publications quickly and easily.
  Reminders:Reminders lets you organize your life in to-do lists — complete with due dates and locations.
• Twitter: Integrated right into iOS 5. iOS 5 makes it even easier to tweet from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
• Camera: Enhanced features include grid lines, pinch-to-zoom gestures, and single-tap focus and exposure locks to compose a picture on the fly.
• Photos: Enhanced photo enhancements. Turn your snapshots into frame-worthy photos in just a few taps. Crop, rotate, enhance, and remove red-eye without leaving the Photos app.
• Safari: iOS 5 brings even more web-browsing features to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Safari Reader displays web articles sans ads or clutter so you can read without distractions.
• PC Free: Independence for all iOS devices. With iOS 5, you no longer need a computer to own an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Activate and set up your device wirelessly, right out of the box.
• Mail: You can now format text using bold, italic, or underlined fonts. Searching and Organising emails has also been improved.
• Calendar: Tap to create an event and drag to adjust the time and duration. Add, rename, and delete calendars directly from your device. And view event attachments without leaving the Calendar app.
• Game Center: Gaming experience has been improved.
• Wi-Fi Sync Wirelessly sync your iOS device to your Mac or PC over a shared Wi-Fi connection.
• Multitasking Gestures for iPad: iOS 5 includes a few new moves and shortcuts to help you get around even quicker on your iPad.
• AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2: You can wirelessly — and securely — stream whatever’s on your iPad 2 to your HDTV via Apple TV.
• Accessibility: iOS 5 comes with innovative new features that make it easier for people with mobility, hearing, vision, and cognitive disabilities to get the most from their iOS devices.

 

A new iPhone?

The Wall Street Journal has published a report that Apple is working on the first of a new line of less-expensive iPhones and an overhaul of software services for the devices.

Sources told the WSJ that Apple is preparing to roll out a series of lower-priced iPhones to compete with other smartphones on the market. The new models will apparently be about half the cost and size of existing iPhones.

WSJ was unable to find out when the new handset might be introduced but it is usual for Apple to release any new devices to the US market first.

Apple is also reported to be exploring a major revamp of its MobileMe online storage service. The service, which lets users store data in a central location and synchronize their calendars and contacts among computers and other devices, currently has an individual annual subscription fee.

Apple is apparently considering making MobileMe a free service that would serve as a “locker” for personal memorabilia such as photos, music and videos, eliminating the need for devices to carry a lot of memory.

Apple drops offer of free iPhone cases

Apple is discontinuing its offer for free cases for iPhone 4 owners from the end of this month.  Apple started offering the free cases shortly after the phone’s launch in July, following reports that holding the phone a certain way led to a reduced network signal.  The company said the antenna problem with the phone was “smaller than we originally thought”.  A small number of customers still experiencing reception problems will be offered free cases.  Customers buying the iPhone 4 after 30 September will no longer receive a free case.

iPhone 4 signal issue results from incorrect formula

A large number of iPhone 4 customers have been complaining about bad reception, an issue that Steve Jobs explained resulted from way users were holding their iPhones.

Now Apple is saying that the fault lies in the way Apple displays signal strength. In an offical statement, the company said: ‘Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong.

Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays two more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display four bars when we should be displaying as few as two bars.

Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying four or five bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.’

Apple also said that it will issue a free software update in the next few weeks to correct the way reception is displayed.

For more information see the Apple press release.