The next-gen iPhone will retain 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch screen sizes with no flagship model being offered in 4 inch screen size. While the new bigger screen sizes have clearly been a grand success for Apple there is certainly still a large customer base who prefer 4 inch screen size for their smartphones. It is highly likely that the company will continue to sell iPhone 5S and 5C to fill such demands.

iPhone 6S could include Force Touch, Apple first introduced this new method of interacting with touch-screens with the Apple Watch. Force Touch could open new user interface possibilities on the iPhone such as better support for handwritten signatures.

The company is expected to offer iPhone 6S in rose gold colour to match the Apple Watch Edition. Currently the iPhone is available in space grey, white and gold.

Apple will stay committed to improve the camera in the new iPhone 6S with a new 12 MP sensor. It’s possible that iOS 9 could include some software enhancements specific to the new new sensor.

Just as with all previous “S” versions Apple will upgrade the processor in iPhone 6S. It is said to include new A9 processor with 2GB LPDDR4.

Other features likely to be included in iPhone 6S are: improved recognition rate of Touch ID, gesture control support and one microphone near the speaker to enhance voice quality.

Kuo predicts 80-90 million iPhone sales in 2015. Apple could be looking at a September timeframe for iPhone 6S launch date.

What do you think about the predicted features of iPhone 6S? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Apple’s plan to replace Gorilla Glass with sapphire glass in iPhone 6 didn’t go so well as their partnership with GT Advanced resulted in dissolution due to production issues.

Apple and Corning’s Gorilla Glass share a long history. When Steve Jobs was working on the original iPhone he didn’t want to use a plastic screen, instead wanted it to be made of glass. Since glass screen would have been too easy to break someone recommended that Jobs should see what Corning was doing. At that time Corning was developing the Gorilla Glass technology however, it wasn’t ready for mass production. Jobs ordered a ton of Gorilla Glass and kept telling Corning CEO Wendell Weeks, “Don’t be afraid. You can do this.” In 2007 Apple introduced the iPhone with Gorilla Glass.

Corning’s Gorilla Glass has seen tremendous improvements since it began its first mass production in 2006. Gorilla Glass 2 was 30% thinner than the former, Gorilla Glass 3 used an entirely new composition. Gorilla Glass 4 which is expected to be featured on smartphones, tablets and other devices this year is twice as shatter-resistant in drop tests when compared to previous version.

It’s obvious that Apple makes for a large part of Corning’s revenue and they would’ve seen Apple’s move to consider sapphire for iPhone 6 as a possible threat. The company seems to have taken that as a challenge and started work on offering the same scratch-resistance as sapphire with ‘Project Phire’.

Competition in most cases can lead to innovation and if ‘Project Phire’ turns out to offer what Corning is promising then it is possible that Apple will continue to use Corning’s technology in upcoming iOS devices. Coring didn’t immediately provide any demo video or live demonstration of its new technology however, we can expect the company to share an update soon.

Glass used on smartphones and tablets is increasingly becoming another core technology. Apple has consistently shown interest in owning core technologies as it did try to “own” glass technology by partnering with GT Advanced for sapphire production.

It will be interesting to see if Apple continues to rely on Corning for its screen technology or develop something new.

Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Video

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus launch was no different, it set all time high record for the company and until recently the company had been struggling to catch up with the demand. Due to differences in pricing, currency and contract terms iPhones are sometimes cheaper in certain countries when compared with others.

The black market is known to import phones from countries where it is available earlier or cheaper and make profit by selling at higher price. One Chinese man thought about doing the same, however the import technique he used was rather unique.

According to the report published by Huffington Post, the man strapped 94 iPhones to his body as he was allegedly smuggling the phones from HongKong to mainland China. The report mentions that the custom officials noticed his “weird walking posture, joint stiffness, muscle tension” and pulled him aside for questioning.

When I first saw the photo of the man with all those phones strapped to his body I was reminded about the iPhone 6 bendgate. I wonder if any of those 94 iPhone were bent during the course of his journey. While we may never find out if those iPhones did bend or not but, considering the fact that those were meant to be sold it seems that the man was fairly confident about his technique.

Apple is committed to increase the number of Apple Stores in China from 15 to 40 within two years. Making the devices available easily and on the same launch date as the U.S. may help discourage such activities in future.

The holiday season has been dominated by Apple in the recent past and 2013 Christmas wasn’t any different. Apple’s gold iPhone 5s turned out to be the most popular smartphone during Christmas.

According to data published by uSwitch.com for December 2013 iPhone 5s won over Samsung Galaxy S4 for the third consecutive month. The data analysed was based on live searches, pre-orders and sales.

Samsung’s Galaxy S3 also saw some gains in popularity as it rose five places to become the third most popular phone in the UK during the holidays. Apple’s iPhone has been consistently popular with customers as it has topped the charts since March 2013 with iPhone 5 being the most popular phone for seven consecutive months which was later dethroned with the release of iPhone 5s.

In 2013 for the first time Apple released two new iPhone designs in the same year. iPhone 5c the colourful plastic version of iPhone 5c came in fifth in the popular smartphones list for December. Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com said:

The iPhone 5S deserved to be the Christmas number one. As well as giving gleeful members of the cult of Apple hours of fun with its Touch ID feature, which can read more than just fingerprints, it also made gold the new black,

Doku further added that the battle for the top spot wasn’t an easy one. Galaxy S3 rise to the third spot was a surprise with the lower pricing acting as a key factor. Pricing of smartphones certainly act as an important factor since the technology leaps between two generations of products is becoming narrower.

The tech advancement from iPhone 4s to iPhone 5 is not the same as from iPhone 5 to iPhone 5s. Apple is expected to release iPhone 6 in 2014 which could have a new design and even feature larger screen according to many rumours in the recent past.

The price of iPhone 5c could also see reduction later this year as the device has not been as well received with customers as the company would have hoped for.

Did you buy iPhone 5s this holiday season? Which gadgets made it to your shopping bag this year? Let us know in the comments section below.

{via The Telegraph}

At an event earlier today Motorola, a Google company unveiled its latest ‘budget’ smartphone called “Moto G”. The theme of the entire event and the ideology behind the product was to make premium features available at a non-premium price.

While announcing the new Moto G product Motorola executives mentioned Apple’s iPhone 5s, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and HTC a few times. Moto G features 4.5 inch high resolution screen with 329 ppi and 720p. The executives were quick to point out that the screen has better quality than Apple’s flagship iPhone 5s. Moto G runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 clocked at 1.2 GHz, 1GB RAM, and offers “all-day” battery life with around 14 hours of talk time on 3G networks. In comparison, iPhone 5s according to Apple offers 10 hours of battery life on 3G.

After unveiling the hardware features and sharing the idea behind creating a budget phone Punit Soni who is responsible for software product management for Moto G took the stage to talk about software. Soni mentioned the three main tenets of their software strategy for Moto G. The first being build on pure foundation of Android, second build experiences that compliment Google services and not compete with them and lastly ensure that the software can give value back to the users.

If you’ve ever seen any Android device in the market manufactured by Samsung, HTC or Sony among many others you will immediately realise that all these companies have two things in common. They add a layer of their own software to the stock OS and bundle services that compete with Google’s software services.

Soni began to elaborate on the three main tenets by saying:

In today’s ecosystem mobile manufactures have a very confused relationship with Android they build on top of it but then they add all of these custom skins which detract from the user experience and hogs resources then they go ahead and put duplicative software on top of it which basically compete with Google services.

He goes on to mention that devices bundled with multiple mail apps, app stores, video players and music players results in “non-intuitive” and “cluttered” user interface.

At the time of purchase of Motorola by Google for a record  $12.5 billion the search giant claimed that they bought the company to secure Android’s position in future by acquiring key patents. Even though Google claims to treat all Android partners equally, at today’s event Soni was sending an indirect yet strong message to ‘other’ Android device manufacturers.

While referencing to the custom skins the slide Soni used had TouchWiz, Sense UI and Xperia UI. Clearly, targeting the top three Android manufacturers to convey that Moto G’s software strategy is superior to other Android partners. So, in essence Motorola a company owned by Google called Samsung, Sony and HTC “confused”.

Soni then goes on to advocate the use of “pure Android” in mobile devices and says:

A device that’s built on pure Android with minor optimisations is gonna have an incredible high performance

Here again Soni is sending out a clear message that any device with custom UI layers may be missing out on high performance as other non-stock apps and skins may hog more resources than required.

This could have a long term effect on customer mindset when they buy Android devices. Users could soon start associating “real” Android experience with Motorola (since Google owns Motorola) and “spinoff” experience with other smartphone manufacturers.

When it comes to smartphones most devices are beginning to look quite similar in terms of hardware so ultimately manufacturers try to differentiate their products with custom skins and other software services. However, at today’s event it appears that Google might have used the announcement of Moto G as an opportunity to convey Google’s stand on device manufacturers trying to add custom layers.

If this wasn’t enough, Motorola went on to compare performance of Moto G in terms of answering calls, making calls, launching browser, returning home and booting to Samsung Galaxy S4 to show how stock Android OS was clearly the winner.

This is the best validation of a strategy which involves disciplined software which focuses on optimisation that creates value for the user

In his attempt to bring attention to stock Android experience Soni suggests that software strategy being followed by other Android device manufacturers is rather indisciplined.

So, in conclusion on one hand Google’s Motorola tried to highlight the features of its new low-priced smartphone but on the other it clearly didn’t fall short of ridiculing Google’s Android partners.

It will be interesting to see how Samsung, HTC and Sony respond to Motorola claiming that their devices are non-intuitive, have cluttered interface and custom skins that hog resources.

Today Apple issued a press release announcing two new phases of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launch. It was revealed that the company will launch the new iPhones in 35 new countries on October 25 and in additional 16 countries on November 1 which will include India.

During the iPhone keynote event Apple CEO, Tim Cook, announced that the company will bring its new iPhone lineup to all major markets by the end of 2013. In the next two months the Cupertino, Calif., based company will add a total of 51 countries that will sell the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

iPhone 5s and 5c will be available on Friday, October 25 in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, French West Indies, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand. iPhone 5s and 5c will also be available on Friday, November 1 in Albania, Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, India, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE.

In recent years India has started to emerge as a focus area for Apple. New product launches now typically become available within two months of official launch in the U.S. Sales of iPhone in India since the introduction of iPhone 5 have increased significantly and the company has been making efforts to partner with new distribution partners.

Apple distribution partner Redington in India has partnered with local banks to provide 0% interest EMI payments to buy any product offered at the retail stores. Various schemes such as reduction on price on exchange of any smartphone has also helped to fuel sales.

iPhone 5s is worlds first smartphone to feature 64-bit A7 chip. The new iPhone has improved camera sensor and dual-tone flash that helps capturing better photos in low light conditions. Apple also introduced Touch ID, a fingerprint sensor that allows users to effortlessly unlock their devices.

Many expected iPhone 5c to be low cost iPhone to taget the price sensitive Indian market, however as it turned out iPhone 5c features a new plastic design with the same internals as the iPhone 5. The new colorful iPhone is expected to retail at the same price as iPhone 4s in India. While iPhone 5s will replace the pricing of iPhone 5.

iPhone 5s is expected to be available in limited supply and the gold iPhone could possibly see huge demand. If you are looking to buy the new iPhone on November 1 be sure to book your phone in advance at the nearest retail store or visit the store early.

The latest iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c from Apple went on sale in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on September 20th. Apple recently announced opening weekend sales figures of 9 million iPhones sold. However, the company did not give a breakdown for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c separately.

Judging by the availability of iPhone 5s models at Apple stores and the slipping of shipping dates to October, it was easy to believe that iPhone 5s is clearly more popular. Now, a new report by Localytics gives us some more insight into how popular is the iPhone 5s vs. iPhone 5c. The analytics company examined 20 million unique iPhones and then analysed the breakdown by country.

The report reveals that China leads in terms of users’ preference for iPhone 5s over iPhone 5c. One of the results for the popularity could be the new gold color. Many analysts believe that in the Asian market gold color phone would be extremely popular.

One possible explanation: there was a lot of hoopla around the addition of the gold-colored iPhone 5s as a very attractive addition in particular for Asian markets so this hypothesis may hold true.

Except the UK all other major markets were reported to have a very high ratio of the 5s vs. the 5c. The reason behind this could be due to subsidies not playing a major role in buyers decision and the fact that the economy is still recovering.

Further, the report highlights that the United States accounts for 68% of all active iPhone 5s and 5c devices. In simple terms, these numbers clearly suggest that more users are opting to buy the all-new iPhone 5s than the iPhone 5c.

Apple’s iPhone 5s comes with improved camera, dual-tone LED flash, 64-bit chip A7 processor and Touch ID fingerprint sensor. This year the company added two new colors to the lineup, introducing space gray and gold. Even though iPhone 5c is available at $100 cheaper the launch weekend certainly suggests more interest in the faster flagship model than the more colorful 5c.

iOS 7 was released worldwide on September 18th and according to a new report 36% of iPhone users have already upgraded to the new mobile operating system.

Mobile analytics firm, Mixpanel, provides an SDK tool for developers to integrate custom event analytics platform in the apps. The graph of iOS 7 adoption when viewed by hours shows how dramatically the launch suddenly resulted in the fall of iOS 6 share and thus increasing iOS 7 share.

Apple’s iOS 7 is a complete redesign of the mobile OS and features over 100 new user features. With iOS 7 now users have access to control center, new notification center, HD voice for Siri, AirDrop, dynamic wallpapers, FaceTime audio and much more.

Another repot was made public by ad network Chitika that estimates first 24 hours iOS 7 adoption at 18%. The variances in both reports is very high as each relies on the number of apps displaying their tracking code. It’s interesting to note that Chitika released figures of iOS 6 adoption which was 15% and on the other hand iOS 5 took five days to reach 20%.

Since the introduction of over-the-air updates in iOS 5 Apple has helped in accelerating the adoption rate of iOS. It’s very easy and quick to update the entire OS without requiring any cables or PC.

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO, Tim Cook commented on Android market share and highlighted the issue of fragmentation. Even as Android continues to launch new versions it takes several months before users get the updated version as it has to go through several different network operators and hardware manufacturers.

Apple’s integration of hardware and software services enables the company to make new versions of the software available to all its users near instantly. During the special iPhone media event Cook shared that Apple is on track to sell 700 millionth iOS device in September.

The iPhone 5S event didn’t pack any surprises this time. Everything Apple announced had already been leaked through various leaks published online. Even the name of the fingerprint scanner was leaked just minutes before Apple event went live.

So, what is the all-new iPhone 5S all about you ask? Apple hasn’t changed its strategy since the original iPhone. It continues to introduce an all-new design every two-years so it wasn’t a surprise that iPhone 5S design remained the same as its predecessor. However, there are three notable differences: Metal ring, Camera and Performance.

The home button in iPhone 5S has a metal ring around it. This ring has been put in place to support the new Touch ID (fingerprint) scanner. Now unlocking your iPhone will be as easy as placing your finger or thumb on the home button and gaining access to your device. During the keynote presentation Phil Schiller mentioned that half of the iPhone users do not set pass codes. As smartphones increasingly carry more and more sensitive data securing the access to our device is of huge importance.

Apple believes that by introducing Touch ID customers will appreciate how easily they can protect their device with seamless integration of a fingerprint scanner under the home button. You can even use your Touch ID to authenticate iTunes, App Store and iBooks purchases. It’s worth noting that Apple is not allowing developers to take advantage of this new feature and is keeping it closed atleast for now.

There has been a lot of talk about customers privacy and how companies handles all the sensitive data. Apple clearly mentioned that Touch ID data is not stored on iCloud and is never shared with Apple. It is locally encrypted on the all new A7 chip.

The iPhone 5S takes another huge leap in terms of its CPU and graphics performance if we go by the numbers Apple provides. The company claims that iPhone 5S is twice as fast CPU and graphics performance when compared with iPhone 5. Mobile technology is evolving at an unprecedented rate. Just 6 years after the introduction of the original iPhone, the new iPhone 5S promises to provide 40 times faster CPU and 56 times faster graphics performance.

A7 chip is a 64 bit which is the first ever on any smartphone. But, the chip is not the only “firsts” for Apple’s smartphone. The camera system has been overhauled and now the new iPhone features dual-led flash which the company calls True Tone flash. Where traditionally companies place two white LED’s Apple has integrated white and amber color LED flashlight. The company claims that the dual-tone flash enables the iPhone to take more natural photographs in which the skin tones appear true to life.

Apple has also introduced new slow-mo mode where you can record video in 120fps to capture that perfect action in a video and create a dramatic effect. There’s an all-new burst mode as well, now the iPhone can take unto 10 shots in 1 second and even selects the best shot for you and deleting the rest is as easy as tapping one button.

iPhone 5S will be available in three metal finishes. Last years slate has been discontinued and now theres gold, silver and space gray finish available. Battery performance hasn’t seen any significant gains except for a better standby time.

iOS 7 and all Apple apps have been optimised to take advantage of the new 64bit A7 chip. Apple has also introduced new M7 coprocessor that collects data from motion sensors like gyroscope and accelerometer and feed the info to A7 without causing much battery drain.

Overall iPhone 5S features the beautiful design of the iPhone 5, is twice as fast, has enhanced camera system and now it will recognise your fingerprint. iPhone 5S is certainly “forward thinking” in every sense.

Apple just announced iOS 7 release date and it is scheduled to be available for download on September 18th. The latest operating system from Apple will support iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later and iPod touch fifth gen.

iOS 7 is a complete overhaul of the OS for Apple’s smartphones and tablet. This is the first major update under the leadership of Jony Ive who took over as the head of human interface design. iOS 7 was first unveiled at WWDC in June. It feature more than 200 new-user features.

The update brings many user requested features such as control center, new notification centre, all-new multitasking and much more. Significant improvements have been made to Safari, Photos app, Camera app and Siri. Apple’s intelligent voice assistant now feature new HD voices and even a male voice for the US language.

With iOS 7 Apple will also enter the radio market with iTunes Radio. The new service lets users stream live music for free. The new feature is ad supported however, if you use iTunes Match.

During the keynote Apple also showcased a number of “remastered” ringtones along-with brand new tones. Another big news is that Apple is making its iLife and iWork suite of apps for the iPhone free for every new phone.

The new iPhone 5S is expected to be unveiled in less than two hours at Apple’s media event being hosted at the Cupertino, Calif. Town Hall auditorium. Banners resembling the media invite have been put up at the gate entrance. It shows colorful circles with Apple logo in the middle.

iPhone 5S keynote event will go live at 10:00 AM PT. This years media event theme is, “This should brighten everyone’s day.” It is widely believed that Apple will announce iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C at today’s keynote event.

According to various rumors we’ve published in the past iPhone 5S will retain the same design as the iPhone 5. The highlight features in the hardware could be new fingerprint sensor, dual-led flashlight and new A7 processor. The camera sensor is rumored to have new slow motion recording feature. A patent filing we reported on yesterday also suggested that the home button fingerprint sensor could also feature NFC for contactless financial transactions.

Apple is also expected to announce the all-new low-cost iPhone 5C model which will have a polycarbonate body with the same design and tech specs as the iPhone 5. A special media event scheduled for September 11 for Chinese media could suggest deal with China Mobile to carry iPhone 5C on its network. With over 700 million subscribers, a deal with China Mobile could prove to be a huge win for Apple.

In addition to iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, Apple will share updates on iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks release date. Are you excited about today’s event? Will you be upgrading your iPhone based on the rumors about the iPhone 5S? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5S is widely rumored to feature a fingerprint sensor. New photos leaked by C Technology show packaging of the alleged iPhone 5S with the home button supporting a silver ring around it.

The photo of iPhone 5S box shows the front face of the new iPhone with iOS 7 home screen. The authenticity of the picture is hard to prove however, leaks and reports published in the past suggests that these may be real. We recently posted the news about  the photo of iPhone 5S home button flex cable appearing on the web. The cable had a new square  extension which points towards the inclusion of a new fingerprint sensor.

It’s interesting to note that during an episode of TWiT (This week in tech), Clayton Morris of Fox News shared that the new iPhone 5S home button will have a silver ring around it according to his sources. AppleInsider has published a detailed analysis of the possible use a silver ring around the home button of the next-gen iPhone.

According to the report, Apple could be using a smart sensor capable of inserting a low frequency RF signal as the finger touches the silver ring. The technology then recognises your fingerprint even as you touch the home button eliminating the need for any new swiping gestures. The whole experience could be seamless where the user would touch the home button and the iPhone will authenticate the user and unlock the phone.

Apple Inc. acquired Authentec for $356 million in 2012 which fuelled rumors about the possibility of the new fingerprint sensor. The company is known to acquire smaller companies for its talent for innovation in specific fields.

The inclusion of a silver ring around the home button as a mere design change would be against Apple’s design principles so it is certainly possible for the silver ring to be an integral part of the new hardware.

Apple will be unveiling the new iPhone 5S on September 10th as it hosts a media event to announce the release date.

iPhone 5S release date will be announced on September 10th during the special media event. However, a few customers are already excited about the launch and have been spotted camping outside Apple’s Fifth Avenue Store.

Major Apple product launches have received great first day response and customers often camp days in advance in anticipation of the release. This year campers have again set out their chairs on the streets waiting to be the first ones to buy the new iPhone 5S.

Apple’s new iPhone is expected to be released on September 20th in the US. The company is widely rumored to unveil two models this year. iPhone 5S will be the flagship model while iPhone 5C will be a more affordable option for the mass market.

According to reports and leaks in the past it is believed that iPhone 5S will feature A7 processor, dual-led flash, fingerprint sensor and advanced camera software. iPhone 5C is expected to support a plastic body with 4-inch retina display running the same hardware specification as the iPhone 5.

In addition to the media event in the US, Apple is also holding an event for the Chinese media in Beijing on September 11th. This move is being seen as a breakthrough deal with China Mobile, worlds largest telecom operator with over 700 million subscribers. Asian market is of strategic importance for Apple and the company is making more and more efforts to capture market share.

Are you excited about iPhone 5S launch? Will you visit the Apple Store on the first day to buy one? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{via 9to5 Mac}

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) on Wednesday issued invites for a media event in Beijing scheduled to be held on September 11. AAPL is holding another event in Cupertino, Calif. on September 10 where Apple Inc. could announce the new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.

This is the first time Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is holding the special iPhone event in China [Google Translate] in addition to the main event in the United States. It is being speculated that the media event in Beijing could suggest a possible deal with China Mobile, world’s largest telecom operator in terms of subscribers.

China is an important market for Apple to further its growth in revenue and market share. Apple executives have been in talks with China Mobile since many years however, the terms could not be agreed upon. China Mobile on record had stated many times that they were interested in bringing the revolutionary iPhone to their network.

As Apple is about to introduce the low-cost iPhone 5C and new iPhone 5S in gold and graphite color, it’s possible that these new launches could be closely tied to the China Mobile launch. The tag line on Apple’s invites states, “This should brighten everyone’s day” and the availability in multiple colors on the worlds largest telecom operator and at lower cost certainly reflect the theme of the event.

Analysts in the past have noted that Apple could see huge boost in China with the introduction of a low-cost phone. If Apple’s iPhone becomes available on China Mobile it could be considered a huge win for Tim Cook.

Apple has sent out media invites for iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C release date event. The iPhone keynote event as rumored in the past will be held on September 10th at 10 AM PST.

The media invite design has the Apple logo surrounded by colourful dots and carries the tagline, “This should brighten everyone’s day.” Apple is widely rumored to unveil the new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C during the keynote presentation. Colorful dots could suggest the rumored iPhone 5C to be available in different colors. A number of leaks in the past seem to true about the new cheaper plastic iPhone.

New cheaper iPhone 5C is expected to be a major hit in the Asian market and could potentially grab significant market share from Samsung’s low-end Android phones. WIth 4-inch retina display, A6 Chip, 1GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera and a smartphone running iOS 7 at lower price point could be huge win for the Cupertino, Calif. based company.

On the other hand, Apple will also announce the all-new iPhone 5S. While the design of the new iPhone will remain the same as the iPhone 5, Apple is expected to announce significant hardware improvements. The new iPhone 5S is rumored to feature fingerprint sensor, dual led flash for low light pictures and improved A7 processor.

During the media event Apple could release iOS 7 golden master seed to the developers and the new mobile OS could be made available to users in a weeks time. We could also get an update on new OS X Mavericks.

The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C could go on sale as early as September 20th with pre-booking starting about two-three days earlier.

{via The Loop}

The official packaging of the new cheaper iPhone 5C has leaked according to new photos published on the web. Apple is widely rumoured to unveil the next-gen iPhone sometime this month.

New photos have appeared on multiple online publications, the first set of photos appeared on Chinese site iApps.im and then on C Technology. The photos show an iPhone that appears to be enclosed in coloured plastic bodies. Judging by the looks of the iPhone 5C, the overall design resembles iPhone 5 with a plastic case around it.

The photos show blue, yellow and green colour iPhone 5C models. Apple’s next-gen products have often been subjected to leaks ahead of release date. The company’s supply chain is huge and its hard to monitor such leaks given the large scale production of the components.

Apple has gone one record to share their intent to double-down on secrecy however, year-after-year the number of leaks have only risen. Even though the company tries hard to retain the status of a secretive company that doesn’t believe in announcing plans about upcoming products, the rumour sites and their sources manage to get insider information.

iPhone 5C is Apple’s answer to the low-cost Android smartphones that are swarming the Asian market and grabbing significant market share. The new phone is expected to be priced at $399 without a two-year contract. The plastic body with hardware specifications same as iPhone 5 would significantly reduce the production cost for Apple.

With an entry price of less than $400 to the iOS ecosystem with a retina display smartphone could certainly create a stir in the market and create new demand for Apple. The new plastic model is expected to feature 8 megapixel camera and A6 chip with 1GB RAM.

If Apple releases plastic iPhone 5C would you buy it? Do you think this is a good move for Apple Inc.? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{MacRumors, Sim Only Radar}

Apple has begun training its AppleCare support staff to tackle user questions regarding iOS 7. According to a 9to5Mac, the training is expected to be completed by the second week of September, in time for the release date of iOS 7.

iOS 7 is the biggest change to the iPhone OS since the introduction of the original iPhone. Every screen, button and color palette has been redesigned to give it a more clean and fresh look. Apple is anticipating customer “shock” when they see iPhone running iOS 7 and the support staff is being trained accordingly. The support employees are expected to explain potential customers that even though the operating system looks different the core functionality remains the same.

Training its support staff is extremely important for Apple since the changes in iOS 7 are quite drastic and could lead to a lot of questions. AppleCare support employees are reportedly going to focus on explaining customers the Find my iPhone Activation Lock feature, show how Photo Stream works, sharing files using AirDrop, new settings in Control Center, new Safari enhancements and more.

After ousting Scott Forstall, Apple CEO made Jony Ive the head of human interface design at Apple and iOS 7 will be the first mobile OS released under his leadership. iOS 7 is a complete departure from the design language used in previous versions of iOS. The new operating system has been given a more simplistic look without any heavy ornamentation.

Apple is rumored to release the GM version of iOS 7 on September 10th and also unveil the new iPhone 5S alongwith the cheap iPhone 5C.

Apple’s App Store will turn 5 year old on Wednesday, July 10 and to celebrate the success of the digital store the company has partnered with app and game developers to give 5 games and 5 apps for free.

The iPhone was introduced in 2007 and a year later Apple unveiled the SDK for developers to build native apps for the iPhone. The launch of the App Store saw 500 apps with notable apps from EA, Facebook, MLB.com and more.

It was both, the iPhone and the App Store that fuelled the growth of Apple’s mobile platform and mobile apps gained a new level of popularity that never existed before. 5 years since the introduction of the App Store, it has surpassed 50 billion downloads. 850,000 apps are available on the App Store for users to download and 350,000 of those are exclusively build for the iPad.

Apple takes pride is announcing the revenue paid out to developers which is now more that $10 billion. App Store has created a whole new industry for app developers and has also lead to the growth and emergence of individual developers who have made it big on the App Store.

We launched Touch Reviews in February 2009  just 7 months after the introduction of the App Store to review and share the best apps available in the App Store. Since 2009 the App Store has not just grown in numbers but has successfully lead to revolutionising the way we use our smartphones and tablets.

Some of the notable games and apps that have gone free include BADLAND, Infinity Blade II, Over and Day One (Journal / Diary). Download these great apps and games here.

Late Thursday night, Apple aired a new iPhone TV advertisement, called “Photos Every Day” focused entirely on the device’s camera. This ad is very different than other iPhone commercials that have been aired in the past with words flashing across the screen, followed by a shot of an app that describes that word.

This ad is a full minute long and focuses entirely on people using the iPhone’s camera in everyday situations to take photos and videos on a hike, a run, at the beach, on a walk as well as to to take random photos of plants, art, family, friends, and shots of landscapes.

The ad also shows other Photos features in use, such as photo editing, Panorama, and flash. Apple has improved its camera on the iPhone greatly over the past few generations, adding flash in the iPhone 4 and as well as an 8 megapixel camera in iPhone 4S. As a result, they ended the ad with the following line:

Every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera.

It is unclear if Apple also plans to do this with other features of the iPhone such as Siri or perhaps even iOS itself. However, this type of ad campaign, with shots of the device in use in real life has worked for Apple’s competitor, Samsung which has advanced quickly in the smartphone market with its line of Galaxy S smartphones.

So far, from comments across the web, it appears that customers are responding positively to this new ad direction. It will take some time to see if that does help push up iPhone sales in the near future.

{Via 9to5Mac}

Verizon was first of the four major carriers in the United States to have reported their first quarter of 2013 earnings results. Last week, Verizon announced that they activated a total of 7.2 million smartphones during the quarter with 4 million of those being iPhones. This comes out to be about 55% of total smartphone activations in the United States. In their earnings report,

Verizon also noted that 50% of the iPhones activated this quarter were the iPhone 5, meaning that the iPhone 4S and the 4 made up the other 50% of activations. Verizon performed below last year’s results in terms of iPhone activations when considering that the company activated 2.2 million less iPhones than last year. However, it is crucial to note that last year’s fourth quarter was when Apple introduced the iPhone 5 which may shift some of the numbers around for the carrier.

Apple shipped a total of 35.1 million iPhones across the world and Verizon activated 4 million of them this quarter and 3.2 million during the year ago quarter. This means that Verizon has had a 25% rise in iPhone activations.

{Via MacRumors}

According to a report from Reuters, Walmart is expanding its ‘Scan & Go’ Self-checkout system to over 200 of its retail stores. The system, which is similar to Apple’s own EasyPay system is modeled around iOS devices and allows customers of Walmart stores to pay for their shopping items at a checkout station while exiting the store.

For now, “Scan & Go” only works on Apple Inc devices. An Android version should be out soon, Walmart said.

With more than half of its shoppers using smartphones, Walmart is trying to make shopping more convenient for shoppers who embrace mobile technology. More than half of the customers who have tried the “Scan & Go” feature have used it more than once, [Walmart senior vice president Gibu] Thomas said.

The system is currently in a testing phase in only 70 of Walmart’s retail locations, but will be in over 200 stores. Walmart already has the system running in stores in a number of areas, including Georgia, Arkansas, Vancouver, Washington and California. With this expansion, Walmart plans to move west to the following areas:

Walmart is bringing “Scan & Go” into a dozen more markets: Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona; Omaha, Nebraska; Dallas and Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wyoming; Bozeman, Montana; Seattle, Washington; San Jose, California; and Portland, Oregon.

This likely means that the new self-checkout system has proved to be efficient and user-friendly in the company’s pilot testing locations. Walmart is one of the world’s largest corporations that operates discount department stores and warehouse stores, and with widespread adoption of Apple’s iOS devices, this new system could prove to be successful in a number of Walmart’s stores. As a result, Walmart could save money on employees, especially during off-peak hours of shopping when stores are mostly empty. The ‘Scan & Go’ feature is available through Walmart’s free iOS app {Direct Link}, much like Apple’s EasyPay app.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) launched a new online campaign, adding “Why You’ll Love iPhone” section to their website. The promotion which highlights a number of reasons why customers love the iPhone, is seen on the front splash page of the company’s website, as well as an email newsletter and a dedicated “Why iPhone” page.

There’s iPhone.
Then there’s everything else.

What makes an iPhone unlike anything else? Maybe it’s that it lets you do so many things. Or that it lets you do so many things so easily. Those are two reasons iPhone owners say they love their iPhone. But there are many others as well.

On the “Why iPhone” page, Apple highlights a number of key features that make the iPhone attractive to its customers including the detail in the iPhone’s design, the Retina display, battery life, powerful and efficient A6 chip, as well as the company’s eight consecutive J.D. Power customer satisfaction awards.

By introducing this new campaign only a day after Samsung released its Galaxy S4 smartphone, it appears that Apple is reminding consumers why the iPhone is deemed one of the best smartphones. Samsung has gotten a leg up in the market against Apple, airing people based ads as opposed to Apple’s ads focused on the product.

With this campaign, alongside its new iPhone 5 ad campaign which centers on apps, Apple appears to be focusing entirely on user experience and is hoping to attract customers through usability as opposed to focusing on technical specifications.

{Via MacRumors}

Rumors about a low cost iPhone have been on the web for the past several months, with some reports suggesting that the device would offer a plastic chassis. KGI Securities analyst MIng-Chi Kuo also reported that the low cost iPhone would have a 4-inch screen, a plastic casing, and would even be available in a range of colors similar to the iPod lineup.

On Friday, Kuo released new details about some of the previously reported materials in the iPhone to AppleInsider, adding that it would have a ‘super-thin’ plastic and fiberglass shell, which would likely reduce costs, weight, and increase strength. He again reiterated the possibility that it would be available in 4-6 colors, likely the same as the iPod lineup. Currently, Apple only offers the iPhone in Black/Slate and White/Silver combinations.

The new, less expensive iPhone model is said to have a “super-thin plastic casing mixed with glass fiber.” The material will make it stronger, thinner and lighter than typical smartphone plastic casings, Kuo said.

He expects the thickness to be between 0.4 and 0.6 millimeters, which is thinner than the average plastic casing at between 0.7 and 1 millimeter.

The phone will also reportedly come in a range of colors, much like Apple’s iPod lineup. According to Kuo, there will be between four and six options, expanding from the black and white choices currently available on existing iPhone models.

Apple is also reportedly working with Foxconn as well as Green Point of the Jabil group in order to manufacture the shells for the low cost iPhone. Hon Hai, which trades as Foxconn will manufacture the casings and assemble the phones, while Green Point will provide casings to Pegatron. Pegatron will then finish the remaining iPhones left for manufacturing.

Apple is beginning to develop iPhones with a range of different screen sizes and materials, particularly because its competitors such as Samsung have gotten a leg up in the market using this method. Samsung offers a range of low cost smartphones running Android software which has also been serious competition for Apple’s iOS.

China Mobile is looking to make its mark in the LTE market, with an announcement from the company noting that it is planning a major LTE push to improve its network and implement it more broadly.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the company is looking to spend $7 billion in order to improve its LTE network, setting up a structure to support the iPhone 5. Currently, China Mobile’s data speeds aren’t known to be the fastest and despite the company not offering the iPhone, there are a number of devices in use on the network.

This is similar to T-Mobile USA which does not officially offer the iPhone but allows users to unlock them and operate them on its network. Although recent reports have been suggesting that China Mobile will, in fact, offer the iPhone 5, the company did come out and say that there has been “no progress” on negotiations with Apple.

While China Mobile has been in talks with Apple for years over a potential deal to offer the iPhone, Chief Executive Li Yue said that there had been “no progress” to report. In January, Mr. Xi met Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook in Beijing and discussed cooperation, raising expectations that China Mobile would soon begin offering the iPhone.

China Mobile would be a key partner for Apple, which faces fierce competition from Samsung Electronics and other rivals offering smartphones powered by Google Inc.’s Android operating system.

It is unlikely that the iPhone 5 will remain off of China Mobile’s network for long, as it is common that Apple will eventually strike deals with major carriers that could potentially benefit them. China has been a major source of revenue for Apple, with the company experiencing heavy sales of its products in the region. Just last month, an analytics report suggested that iOS and Android devices were expected to hit 246 million units in the one month alone.

{Via MacRumors}

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning the release of two new iPhones this summer. Kuo claims that Apple will release iOS 7 in June, followed by the iPhone 5S and a cheaper iPhone in July, both of which are expected to have fingerprint sensors, likely something similar to the fingerprint login feature on HP computers. This means that all of Apple’s iPhone related refreshes will be done by the end of the summer and the company will have introduced new features not seen in other smartphones.

This will leave time for Apple to release an updated iPad and iPod lineup in the fall. China Mobile and Apple are also reportedly working together to hash out a deal, which would add a TDD (time-division duplexing) version of the iPhone. TDD is the current standard used by China Mobile although there are several other versions out there as well.

We expect Apple will introduce its new iPhones and iOS7 in June, and start shipping the new iPhones (5S and low-cost model) in the FDD version in July. Both dates are earlier than last year’s roadmap. We attribute this to: (1) an effort to avoid repeating the fatal mistake of last year of the delayed iPhone 5 launch, which gave competitors room to grab market share; and (2) the new iPhones this year are mainly designed on the basis of the current iPhone 5, which suggests development time could be reduced.

Kuo also notes in his research report that both the cheaper iPhone and the iPhone 5S will have the ability to run LTE. This is not surprising when considering that Apple is looking to move away from 3G, moving its iPad lineup into LTE territory in recent months.

[W]e expect the product differentiation between iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 will be: (1) computing power, with iPhone 5S to run on the faster A7 application processor; (2) the camera, with iPhone 5S being equipped with Smart Flash, ensuring photo quality using white or yellow flash according to lighting conditions; (3) iPhone 5S will have a fingerprint chip under the Home button, improving security and usability; and (4) the low-cost iPhone 5 hybrid casing of fiberglass and plastic will make it lighter and slimmer than general plastic casing and easier to make in various colors. However, we still think it will be heavier than iPhone 5S, which will have an aluminum casing. Thus, even form factor will be an area of differentiation.

Kuo has a solid track record, having accurately reported on a number of Apple product releases and refreshes. His claims about a TDD iPhone and China Mobile are likely based on previous reports, considering that major sources such as WSJ and Bloomberg have also reported that this is likely.

{Via MacRumors}