The new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c have proved to be a huge success for Apple with more 9 million devices sold during the launch weekend. This is the highest sales for the opening weekend the company has ever recorded. Apple launched new two new iPhones this year with iPhone 5s boasting faster processor, new Touch ID and camera improvements while on the other hand iPhone 5c had the same internals as iPhone 5 but with an all-new look.

According to a new report published by Canaccord, iPhone 5s sales figures topped at all the major U.S. carriers. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 had taken the top spot on Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile for a while however, in September Apple took over as the top smartphone company in terms of sales.

When Apple unveiled the sales figures it did not breakdown the figures for different models. However, this new report sheds some light on the performance of iPhone 5c. The new $100 cheaper iPhone with plastic body performed well on AT&T and Sprint at second position and came third on Verizon and T-Mobile.

Some analysts believe that out of the 9 million iPhone sales in the launch countries iPhone 5s figures could be around 7 million and the remaining could be of the iPhone 5c. With such impressive figures Apple’s strategy to grab more market share could certainly be seen as huge win.

In a market where cheap Android phones outsell the iPhone, Apple has become aggressive by selling two new iPhones this year. Instead of selling iPhone 5 for $100 cheaper the company created an all-new design which would appeal to the young and ‘colorful’. Those who were hoping to buy iPhone 5 at a cheaper price would now have to shell out more money to buy the flagship iPhone.

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}

With Apple’s iPhone 5S expected later this year, carriers are beginning to shift around their plans and smartphone upgrade structure to match the upcoming refresh. On Friday, Verizon reported that they will now be extending the wait time for an upgrade to 24 months, up from the current 20 months that was required. The company released details about the extension in a report from The Verge, saying, “In alignment with the terms of the contract, customers on a two-year agreement will be eligible for an upgrade at 24 months vs. today’s early upgrade eligibility at 20 months.”

It is unclear why Verizon has decided to make this change as they did not give a reason for doing so. With this extension,the company will now require all customers with expiring contracts to wait the full 24 months. Customers with contracts expiring in January 2014 will reportedly be the first to get affected by the change. The new 24 month rule will also change a number of other things, including credits through the company’s New Every Two program, which will no longer be honored.

Customers will still be allowed to share upgrades but will be restricted by device category meaning that smartphone upgrades can be used on updating to a new smartphone. The same is also applicable to tablets, stopping the upgrades from being interchangeable. Verizon appears to be the only carrier that is adopting this new 24 month waiting period, with Sprint and AT&T keeping the same 20 month structure as before. Verizon had briefly mentioned in the past several weeks that it could easily transition to contract free plans if it wanted to, similar to T-Mobile’s new “Uncarrier” plans.

{Via AppleInsider}

Verizon has reported its earnings for the 4th quarter of 2012, becoming the first of the four major U.S carriers to report its earnings. According to GigaOm, the carrier activated over 9.8 million total smartphones, with 6.4 million or two-thirds of them being iPhones.

Verizon’s earnings are strange, however, particularly because half of the total iPhone activations consisted of the iPhone 5. This means that Verizon customers continue to purchase the older iPhone 4 and 4S, despite the newer generation enjoying majority of sales at other carriers such as AT&T and Sprint.

It sold 7.3 million LTE devices the last three months of 2012, and it activated 9.8 million smartphones in total. It activated 6.2 million iPhones, about half of which were the LTE-enabled iPhone 5.

Verizon was also one of the first carriers to start widely implementing 4G LTE in most of its new smartphone offerings. According to AllThingsD, Verizon is slowing the expansion of its 3G network in order to build its 4G LTE network and add more devices. About 23% of all devices on Verizon operate on the carrier’s 4G network, justifying its dedication to expanding its LTE network and adding more subscribers.

With Verizon reporting strong sales of not only the iPhone 5 but older generations of the iPhone, it is no surprise that Apple is also reporting its best financial quarter. Last quarter, Verizon activated 3.1 million iPhones, nearly 46% of its smartphone sales. With the carrier adding more devices to its LTE network, it will be interesting to see how its sales shift once Apple releases a new generation of the iPhone.

{Via MacRumors}

AT&T is making changes to its data plan offerings, opening up FaceTime over Cellular to all customers who currently have a tiered data plan. AT&T has been carrying the iPhone since the original model, after it acquired Cingular in 2007. Initially, AT&T restricted FaceTime over Cellular to devices with 4G LTE, including the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and the third and fourth generation iPad as well as those who have Mobile Share plans.

Those who have grandfathered unlimited data plans do not have access to the feature, as they are sticking with older devices. All devices currently activated with AT&T require one of the tiered plans.

When FaceTime over Cellular launched in September 2012, we explained that we wanted to roll it out gradually to ensure the service had minimal impact on the mobile experience for all of our customers.

As a result of ongoing testing, we’re announcing AT&T will enable FaceTime over Cellular at no extra charge for customers with any tiered data plan using a compatible iOS device.

This means iPhone 4S customers with tiered plans will be able to make FaceTime calls over the AT&T cellular network. AT&T previously made FaceTime over Cellular available to customers with a Mobile Share plan and those with an LTE device on tiered plans.

AT&T is not enabling this feature right away, and instead is gradually rolling out the feature to users. As AT&T mentioned in its announcement, users with an iPhone 4S or a newer device will be able to use this feature over the next several months.

Both Sprint and Verizon currently allows its customers to use FaceTime over Cellular, as long as they are using an iPhone 4S or newerd device. AT&T appears to the only carrier that held off but is now slowly rolling it out to users who are on tiered data plans.

{Via MacRumors}

T-Mobile USA already has over 1.9 million iPhones on its HSPA+ network, despite not officially offering the smartphone. The company, however, is planning to officially bring the iPhone to its network later this year, and is looking to make major changes on how other carriers have offered it in the past. According to Reuters, the Bellevue, Washington based carrier plans to remove smartphone subsidies, and officially offer the iPhone in 3-4 months.

They’re all, I would call them, in three to four months as opposed to six to nine months, [T-Mobile USA CEO John] Legere told Reuters in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The company will charge customers pay full price for the iPhone and will lower prices on voice and data plans every month. As a result, customers will be able to save money on the iPhone over several months, instead of paying the subsidized cost upfront. This in turn, also benefits T-Mobile as the company makes back the initial cost of the iPhones from Apple, and then offers customers cheaper plans, which may cause them to stick with the carrier longer.

According to The Wall Street Journal, other carriers such as AT&T and Verizon may also be looking to remove subsidies for their smartphones if T-Mobile’s plan works well. However, both AT&T and Verizon CEO’s have noted that the plan may not work well because customers are accustomed to paying subsidized prices for smartphones and may look at the change as an increase in price.

T-Mobile believes that removing subsidies will work for the iPhone, with the company also making moves to improve its network. T-Mobile USA is reportedly in talks to acquire regional carrier MetroPCS later this year, and is also negotiating deals with Dish Network and Leap Wireless.

{Via MacRumors}

Japanese mobile carrier Softbank is reportedly in talks to buy Sprint Nextel Corp. On Thursday, a report from Bloomberg noted that Softbank was looking to purchase two-thirds of the Sprint Nextel company which would give them control of the company. The transaction will cost Softbank a hefty $19 billion, or 1.5 trillion yen and will allow them to enter the U.S market and pick up more customers.

With Sprint under the wing of Softbank, the Japanese carrier will be able to enter the US as the third major carrier and compete with the other big carriers such as Verizon and AT&T. Both Sprint and Softbank use Ericsson AB equipment from Sweden for their wireless, allowing for easy compatibility for the two companies. Under the new ownership, Sprint will gain some breathing room, after investing nearly $20 billion in iPhones from Apple.

The company also launched the first 4G smartphone but on WiMax technology, as opposed to 4G LTE which is the new standard now. Sprint has since begun to build its 4G LTE network and under Softbank would be able to sucessfully transition and free up some of the pressue of betting on Apple’s iPhone to essentially carry the company. Softbank has yet to comment on when they are planning to take over Sprint and how they will make the transition.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple’s new iPhone 5 was unveiled on Wednesday at the annual music event. The iPhone 5 sporting a thinner form factor, taller 4-inch inch screen and LTE connectivity is available on all of the major carriers in the United States such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint as well as some regional carriers such as C-Spire.

With Apple’s shipping estimates around 2 weeks on the first day of Pre-order, it appears that the company is keeping the iPhone 5 in stock for a September 21st delivery. However, carriers such as Verizon are experiencing a longer wait time for delivery, with some customers expecting their pre-orders to arrive as late as September 26th. AT&T is also reportedly showing delivery in 14-21 days after first reporting the same September 21st delivery.

It appears that Sprint is currently the only remaining carrier to still be displaying the September 21st delivery date, however, that is bound to change if other major carriers are slipping in delivery early on. During the initial weeks of Apple’s product releases, shipping times are normally longer but within 2-3 weeks, drop to a week or less. This can be expected with the iPhone 5 as well.

Have you pre-ordered an iPhone 5 and with which carrier? Are you experiencing a long wait for delivery? Sound off in the comments below.

{Via MacRumors}

Following months of speculation and rumors, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller took the stage on Wednesday to introduce the long awaited iPhone 5. The media event, which was scheduled a week ago pointed to such a release and now the device has finally been revealed.

The iPhone 5, as expected has a larger 4 inch screen, and runs all pre-installed apps with a larger vertical area, and runs non-optimized third party apps letterboxed. The home screen has been stretched out a bit to hold 5 rows of apps, as opposed to 4 and the display is still the Retina Display with a 1136 x 640 resolution. The iPhone 5 now has an aspect ratio close to 16:9 now, making it great for watching widescreen movies.

The iPhone 5 now also carries faster LTE networking which will be supported by Sprint, AT&T and Verizon in the United States, Rogers, Telus, Bell, Fido, Virgin in Canada and numerous other carriers overseas. The iPhone also includes WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, and is dual-channel, up to 150Mbps, making it much faster than the iPhone 4S. All of the networking and the larger Retina Display is powered by an all new A6 chip produced by Apple.

The A6 chip is 22% smaller than its predecessor, the A5 and has a 2X faster CPU and 2x graphics compared to the A5. During the keynote, Apple invited up EA games to demo Real Racing 3, showing off new improvements in graphics performance. Other major changes include the larger, all metal and glass design leaked prior to the event, along with a relocated FaceTime camera above the earpiece. Other features include:

Battery

The larger battery in the iPhone 5 shell now allows 8 hours of 3G or LTE talk time or 10 hours on WiFi while browsing

Camera

The iPhone 5 will carry the same specs as the iPhone 4S camera but will do so in a much thinner package. It has the same 8-megapixels and a 5-element lens as the 4S but will have a Sapphire crystal lens cover for more clarity and durability. The new A6 will provide for less noise during image captures along with a “smart filter” for better color matching. Apple, as expected prior to the event will also be including Panorama imaging, capturing images at 28 megapixels in one clean sweep.

The company also updated the front facing FaceTime camera to 720P HD and backside illuminated. FaceTime is now also possible over Cellular announced during WWDC.

Audio

The iPhone now has 3 microphones, one on the front, one in front for noise cancellation, and one on the back.

Dock Connector

The dock connector, called Lightning, will be an all digital 8 pin design and is 80% thinner than the previous design. The Lightning charger can now be plugged in any way and does not have a designated side. There is also a converter for the new dock connector that has the ability to work with the current 30 pin connectors.

Apple’s iPhone 5, with all of its new improvements alongside iOS 6 will make this Apple’s most powerful iPhone to date. iOS 6 will be released to the public on September 19th and will ship on the new iPhone 5, and will run on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch.

The iPhone 5 will be available on contract for $199 for 16GB. $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB respectively. The iPhone 5 will be available for Pre-Order starting Friday the 14th and will be shipping on September 21st in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It will be arriving to 20 more countries later this month.

{Image Credit: Engadget}

Apple is expected to announce iPhone 5 release date early next month, with sources pointing to the 12th September as a possible date for a media event. Earlier this week, a report from TechCrunch noted that Verizon is blacking out vacation days starting from Friday, September 21st. This is likely in preparation for the release of the new iPhone 5 and the wave of new activations that would take place that day. Rumors over the past several months pegged September 12th as a date of announcement and the 21st for release in stores. In the report, Jordan Crook of TechCrunch mentioned the following:

A trusted Verizon employee has just confirmed to TechCrunch that the carrier is having an all-staff vacation blackout from the dates of Friday, September 21 to September 30. You know what that means, right? The next iPhone, whether it’s called the iPhone 5 or simply the new iPhone, will almost certainly be available in stores (with lines wrapping around the back of them) starting Friday, September 21.

Apple’s next generation iPhone 5 is expected to include a larger 4 inch screen, a redesigned 9 pin dock connector, and relocated headphone jack as well as the latest 4G LTE networking, which has already made an appearance on the current generation iPad. This would give Verizon one of the biggest iPhone launches to date, utilizing the carrier’s newly set up LTE network and providing customers with significantly faster upload and download speeds. The next generation iPhone 5 is expected to be released alongside a new iPad Mini and the final version of iOS 6.

{Image Credit: Wired}

Sprint has already confirmed that they will not charge extra and will continue unlimited data and Verizon is stilll unsure what to charge. However, AT&T announced on Friday that customers will need a new Mobile Share plan in order to enjoy FaceTime over cellular. Although the company did not initially mention anything about the change, they are now publicly addressing the new plans:

AT&T will offer FaceTime over Cellular as an added benefit of our new Mobile Share data plans, which were created to meet customers’ growing data needs at a great value. With Mobile Share, the more data you use, the more you save. FaceTime will continue to be available over Wi-Fi for all our customers.

With almost every carrier except Sprint introducing tiered data plans, there is no doubt that FaceTime would use up incredible amounts of data, more than some networks can handle. Some iOS developers have noted that when trying to use the service in the beta, they were urged to call and activate it.

AT&T is forcing its customers to purchase the new Mobile Share in order to use the new feature, while Sprint is already laid out. Verizon is now the only carrier yet to introduce any pricing, although it may be waiting to see a response from both Sprint and AT&T customers before introducing anything.

{via iMore}

Just a year ago, the only carriers in the United States offering the iPhone were AT&T and Verizon. Since then, three major carriers have picked up the iPhone including Sprint, as well as a number of smaller regional carriers, such as C-Spire and Alaska Communications. On Thursday, Virgin Mobile announced that they will be offering the iPhone 4S, starting on June 29. Virgin Mobile is a prepaid brand operated under Sprint and offers a number of plans for a range of mobile phones. With the iPhone, Virgin Mobile is offering no contract service plans under $30 for customers that opt in for automatic payments.

Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans for iPhone start at $35 per month for access to Sprint’s Nationwide Network, and customers can receive a $5 per-month plan discount when they register for automatic monthly payments with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account, making iPhone available for as low as $30 per month. Customers can also use their iPhone as a mobile hotspot through Virgin Mobile for an additional $15 per month.

Although Virgin Mobile is offering cheap plans and is not forcing a contract on customers, it is not subsidizing the iPhone and is offering it full price, at $549 for the 8GB model of the iPhone 4 and the 16GB iPhone 4S at $649.

Early last week, San Diego based carrier, Cricket announced its own prepaid plans for the iPhone and offered the hardware under subsidy, a $150 cheaper than Virgin Mobile’s current price. With Cricket charging less for hardware and more for service ($55 unlimited talk, text, web), the two carriers balance out in terms of price, when considering Virgin Mobile is charging far less for the service. Virgin Mobile is currently offering customers a variety of choices, $30 (300 minutes), $40 (1200 minutes), and $50 (unlimited minutes) and a data cap of 2.5GB.

Virgin Mobile will be selling the iPhone at Best Buy, Radio Shack, and other retailers around the country. Virgin Mobile’s adoption of the iPhone shows the popularity of the device, especially when considering that its parent company, Sprint also offers the iPhone with a contract. The iPhone is now offered on a range of different carriers, national, regional, and prepaid networks, Virgin being the latest to carry it.

{via MacRumors}

On Friday, a report from 9to5Mac noted that Apple is bringing the iPhone 4S to 5 new regional carriers Alaska Communications, CellCom, MTA Solutions, GCI, and Appalachian Wireless. Regional Carriers such as these allow rural users the option to use the iPhone on a network that is most reliable in their area and is perfect for users who don’t normally travel outside of their cities and towns.

Regional carriers also allow users to get a major discount on their bill, over $50 less than some of the major carriers, such as AT&T and Verizon who can charge anywhere from $70 to $80. The new 5 carriers will also sell the iPhone 4 for $99, and will round out availability of the iPhone on 9 networks, including C-Spire and the 3 majors. Some of the plans on the new networks are available below:

Alaska Communications:

GCL:

Apple’s iPhone 4S has experienced massive success over the last several months, with demand for the popular smartphone staying consistent and with 4S sales pushing Apple up to the number three spot in global phone sales.

Apple added Verizon to its list of new carriers in 2010 with the iPhone 4. Verizon, the second carrier to carry the iPhone in the United States reported during their 4th quarter earnings results that the iPhone represented half of the total smartphone activations, with 4.2 million activations.

On Thursday, Verizon reported their 1st quarter earnings results, and mentioned once again, that the iPhone 4S represented one half of the carrier’s total smartphone sales. The number of sales for Verizon are slightly down from 4.2 million, with Apple selling over 37 million 4S’ worldwide. Analysts expect 4S sales to be slightly down for the next quarter, which is understandable considering the decrease in demand for a product on the market for several months.

However, the Cupertino company also launched the iPhone 4S in China this past January and factoring in Apple’s major presence in Asia, 4S sales may hold strong. Verizon is only one of the three major carriers competing to sell iPhones with Sprint and AT&T competing for increased sales this quarter.

{via MacRumors}

Apple is not known for use of celebrities to endorse their products. Of course, there were a few promotions a number years back, with The Black Eyed Peas and popular band U2 promoting iTunes and the iPod. However, Apple has never done a celebrity advertisement that showed faces and instead focused mostly on silhouettes.

Apple recently released two advertisements with actor Samuel L. Jackson and actress Zooey Deschanel. Samuel L. Jackson, known for his roles in movies such as Pulp Fiction and Snakes on A Plane and Zooey Deschanel, known for her role in the movie, 500 Days of Summer are both depicted as users of Siri.

Date Night iPhone 4S TV Ad

Rainy Day iPhone 4S TV Ad

Jackson and Deschanel ask Siri for a number of different things, including scheduling appointments, searching recipes, and playing music. The ad focuses on the celebrities using Siri in everyday situations, something that Apple has started to do recently, particularly with the introduction of Siri. This allows Apple to take a more personal approach to drawing in customers for the iPhone 4S and make it attractive to potential users. Siri launched last October with the iPhone 4S, and is still in beta stage, according to Apple’s website.

The ads were made by TBWA\Chiat\Day, who worked closely with Steve Jobs and other Apple executives on hundreds of Apple ads over the year. The ads feature branding for AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon at the end, as there are no brands mentioned in the ad itself. It’s interesting to see Apple begin to use celebrity endorsements for their products and reach even more customers, who are represented brilliantly by Apple’s choice of Jackson and Deschanel.

It has been officially confirmed that Sprint would be able to offer 4G LTE iPhone 5, that is, if Apple releases one during the expected Fall timeframe. Sprint’s ability to operate Apple’s 4G LTE iPad 3 came into question when the Cupertino company only released a 4G LTE iPad on Verizon and AT&T. Currently, Sprint does not have a widespread 4G LTE network and is working to release the new technology in six cities by mid-year. The network may be limited to major areas such as Chicago and New York City, which are prime testing locations for major carriers.

In a report released Tuesday by NASDAQ, it was confirmed by Sprint Chief Financial Officer Joe Euteneuer that Sprint is indeed planning a 4G LTE network, although he did not specify whether Apple would be releasing a 4G LTE iPhone on the network, if at all this year. Currently, AT&T and Verizon have rolled out their 4G LTE networks to major parts of the United States, with reports also confirming that Verizon will be making 4G LTE phones on their network a “hard requirement”.

According to the NASDAQ report, Sprint is currently in a contract with Apple for $15.5 billion worth of iPhones, which won’t make the carrier any profit until 2015. Initially, this is what worried many who wondered if Sprint would be getting not only the new iPad, but a possible 4G LTE iPhone down the road. With Sprint’s CFO confirming that 4G LTE is on the horizon, it is now clear that Sprint is able to and will pursue LTE technology, compete with both AT&T and Verizon, and offer an LTE iPhone down the road.

{via NASDAQ – Image Credit: LA Times}

UPDATE: Apple has announced “The new iPad” with retina display, A5X chip with quad-core graphics, 5 MP iSight camera and more.

Apple is all set to unveil iPad 3 at today’s launch event but, new details about the upcoming product announcement continue to be revealed. iPad 3 specs have been widely reported as the third gen tablet is expected to feature retina display with a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, a dual core A5X chip and now details about RAM have been published too.

A new report by The Verge reveals that in addition to “powerful GPU” iPad 3 specs will also include “more RAM”. 9to5 Mac was quick to point out that their sources claim Apple’s next generation tablet will include 1GB RAM. The new A5X chip is being now referred to as “A5 on steroids”. With a high resolution display on the new iPad it would require a powerful graphics processing unit and more RAM for fast and responsive applications.

Apple usually doesn’t reveal technical specification such as RAM in its keynote event or product descriptions. In the past RAM has only been confirmed when the device goes on sale and iPhone / iPad repair sites teardown the device and reveal specifications that are not published by Apple.

The rumor mill also seem to suggest that iPad 3 will finally bring LTE connectivity to Apple’s iOS device. The third generation iPad is expected to be available on Verizon and AT&T networks.

To be clear, that would mean two distinct, separate versions of the LTE tablet (one for each network). In addition, there’s a third international model which does double duty on 3G; a CDMA / GSM model using a similar radio chipset to the iPhone 4S (a Qualcomm Gobi chip).

Other specifications leaked so far point to a thicker iPad, better battery life, “Smart Case”, and improved cameras. Even though Apple has always aimed for its next iOS device to be thinner than the previous one it would be interesting to see if iPad 3 actually turns out to be thicker when compared with iPad 2.

Have you been waiting for LTE iPad? What are your expectations from the event? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

UPDATE: Apple has announced “The new iPad” with retina display, A5X chip with quad-core graphics, 5 MP iSight camera and more.

Rumors of the iPad 3 release date have been floating around for quite some time now, and later today the world will see Apple’s next 9.7 inch tablet. Apple issued invitations for the iPad 3 keynote event last week that is scheduled to be held today at 10 AM PT in San Francisco.

On Tuesday, a report from The Verge suggested that Apple’s iPad 3 will be unveiled with a new A5X SoC which was seen in a leaked photo a few weeks earlier. The A5X may contain the same dual-core application processor found in the A5 but may support increased graphics performance and RAM.

Both the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S currently provide 512 MB of RAM, which may increase as a result of the inclusion of the new chip. The report also suggests that Apple will be releasing multiple versions of their 3G enabled devices with separate LTE models for AT&T and Verizon and other models for 3G GSM and CDMA networks such as Sprint.

There have been rumors flying that the iPad 3 would be LTE capable, and we’re told that it will definitely be announced for both the Verizon and AT&T networks tomorrow. To be clear, that would mean two distinct, separate versions of the LTE tablet (one for each network). In addition, there’s a third international model which does double duty on 3G; a CDMA / GSM model using a similar radio chipset to the iPhone 4S (a Qualcomm Gobi chip). That’s a little odd considering LTE chipsets from Qualcomm can be utilized on those same bands, but there may be reasons (cost for instance) that Apple would want to separate the hardware.

As with a number of other rumors confirmed by sources, it was reported that Apple will be using tomorrow’s media event to release an upgraded Apple TV with full 1080p video capabilities and will enable connectivity with Apple’s AirPlay technology and mirroring abilities, which will be available in the iPad and OS X Mountain Lion.

{via Mac Rumors}

In early January, Verizon CFO noted that Verizon had activated over 4.2 million Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones during the fourth quarter of 2011, doubling the amount activated during the 3rd quarter of 2011. AAPL experienced heavy sales of the Verizon iPhone upon release and both companies were seeing an increase in revenue.

On Tuesday, Verizon officially announced its earnings for the 4th quarter of 2011, noting that they activated 4.3 million iPhones during the 4Q. With total smartphone sales of 7.7 million units, the iPhone comprised of 55% of Verizon’s the total amount of sales.

Smartphones now count as 44% of Verizon’s postpaid customer phone base, moving up from 39% in the third quarter. However, with this increase in iPhone sales, Verizon’s margins were affected slightly because of the upfront costs that Verizon paid to the manufacturers for their phones. This decrease in margin will later be regained from the 2 and 4 year contracts that many customers signed with the carrier.

This allows carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T to buy large shipments of iPhones with a major upfront cost, and profit on the back end. Ultimately, the carriers make more money off contracts as they activate more and more iPhones. Verizon is rumored to release a 4G LTE iPhone 5 later this year, which could potentially increase the current 55% of total smartphone sales.

{via MacRumors}

Customers are using more data than ever before,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Our new plans are driven by this increasing demand in a highly competitive environment, and continue to deliver a great value to customers, especially as we continue our 4G LTE deployment.

AT&T is making its data services even better, and is competing with data plans offered by Sprint and Verizon by offering unlimited access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots alongside the new data offerings, which will be replacing the current $15 and $25 plans. Smartphone data plans will be offered with the following plans:

AT&T DataPlus 300MB: $20 for 300MB, additional 300MB for $20.
AT&T DataPro 3GB: $30 for 3GB, additional 1GB for $10/each
AT&T DataPro 5GB: $50 for 5GB, with mobile hotspot/tethering, additional 1GB for $10/each

iPad users with the 3G model will be given an option of choosing from 3 plans, as follows:

The current 250MB for $15 plan
AT&T DataConnect 3GB: $30 for 3GB
AT&T DataConnect 5GB: $50 for 5GB

The new smartphone and data plans will go into effect this Sunday, January 22, however, current users of AT&T’s data network will be able to keep their existing plans, but have the option of switching to a newer one.

{via MacRumors}

CNET on Wednesday reported that Verizon is looking to make 4G LTE compatibility a requirement on all smartphones released in the future. Verizon’s 4G LTE provides faster data speeds and would be a major step up from 2G and 3G speeds currently operating on many smartphones.

This report has led to speculations about Apple releasing a 4G LTE compatible iPhone 5 in order to comply with Verizon’s network standards. Verizon’s proposal of “a hard requirement” to make all phones 4G LTE does have some exceptions, with the company noting that their Push to Talk network will remain operating on 3G speeds until further notice.

From now on, nearly every smartphone, wireless hot spot, tablet, and Netbook that Verizon offers will come with LTE guns a-blazing. Yes, Virginia, that includes Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices, too.

There will be the occasional exception, however. For instance, phones on Verizon’s push-to-talk network are 3G-only for now, and will remain that way until further notice.

Verizon’s clear, unyielding stance on 4G–“a hard requirement,” according to Verizon–may partially explain why it has picked up only one Windows Phone so far.

The report also goes on to mention that Verizon is leading the market with deployment of 4G LTE, with over 200 million people in 190 markets. Verizon plans to complete its LTE roll out by late next year, and is now pushing its slow roll-out by forcing users to 4G LTE enabled smartphones. AT&T has also announced plans for a 4G LTE network but has not set any specific goals for smartphone plans and accessibility’s with the network.

By late 2013, 4G LTE may become the standard on many US carriers including Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, making 3G the current 2G. As smartphones demand more speed and reliability, 4G LTE is definitely the next big step in cellular data.

{via MacRumors}

For those that want to abuse it, we can knock them off,” [Sprint CEO Dan] Hesse said at an investor conference Thursday. He said Sprint pares back data use for about 1% of users, a practice known as throttling.

[…]

“You’d be shocked how much data you use in a month,” Sprint asks in a recent television advertisement. “What happens if you go over? With Sprint, you don’t have to worry; only Sprint offers truly unlimited data.

In a Sprint ad, with AT&T and T-Mobile, Sprint points out that T-Mobile throttles its users, not carrying out what they promised. It seems now that Sprint has come to the realization that they must cut back in order to prevent a meltdown of their networks.

Hesse later clarified his statement, pointing out that users who roam on partner networks, such as Verizon with their Sprint iPhone and use more than 300 MB will be throttled.

However, it is interesting to note that most buildings and offices in major cities such as New York City and Los Angeles, often prevent the Sprint network from operating on the iPhone properly. In that case, many users are limited to partner networks and will have used well over 300MB on their iPhone over the course of a billing period.

While a number of previous reports have dismissed any speculation that iPhone 5 / 4S will support 4G (or LTE) networks, an Apple partner in the United Arab Emirates believes it will – claiming the company is in talks with Apple over 4G chipsets to support the high-speed wireless network.

According to GulfNews, the head of corporate communication for a wireless operator in Dubai called etisalat, has confirmed that the iPhone 5 / 4S will launch later this year, and that it will support 4G networks:

Yes, we are in talks with most smartphone manufacturers including Apple on the rollout of the 4G handset, iPhone 5 later this year. As the first telecom organisation to roll out the 4G network, LTE, in the Middle East, we have already started talking to them for the handsets and chipsets in them.

Despite claims that his company has been working with Apple directly, we’re skeptical the iPhone will go 4G this year – or with its fifth-generation. It’s highly unlikely Apple would go through all of the work that it will take to implement 4G into the next iPhone, when its two biggest carriers in the U.S. don’t completely support 4G networks.

It’s likely that by the time AT&T and Verizon roll out their LTE networks, we’ll be closer to the launch of the sixth-generation iPhone and the feature would be largely wasted on the fifth.

{via 9to5 Mac}

Yes yes, it is indeed true. We didn’t believe it at first either, but apparently AT&T have actually managed to get worse according to the Customer Satisfaction Index from the Associated Press.

With AT&T now falling below fellow strugglers Sprint, the company joins T-Mobile at the bottom of the rankings. Not great news for those hoping the impending AT&T purchase of T-Mobile will improve the situation for either outfit.

As TUAW reports, Sprint and Verizon are both ranked above the two would-be partners.

Sprint and Verizon both get a score of 72 in the survey, which was done by polling 8,000 households in the first quarter of the year. AT&T is at the bottom with a score of 66, down 3 points from last year. T-Mobile scores a 70, also down 3 from a year ago.

What will concern AT&T the most here is that their spending millions of Dollars on upgrading and expanding its network appears to have been for nothing – what do they have to do to arrest the situation? Many had hoped the iPhone finding its way to a second carrier would help alleviate many AT&T service problems that were believed to be caused by network congestion. That appears to have not been the case.

Poor old AT&T, they really can’t catch a break can they?

Older generation Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) devices, such as the iPhone 3GS and the first-generation iPad, still outsell their latest Android competition according to analyst Michael Walkley with Canaccord Genuity. In a note to investors today, Walkley noted that while Apple’s iPhone 4 is the top-selling smartphone for both AT&T and Verizon in the U.S., the iPhone 3GS still outsells new Android smartphone offerings from AT&T, and the first-generation iPad still outsells non-iOS tablets offered by Verizon.

Interestingly, our April checks indicated continued strong demand for the iPhone 3GS at AT&T and iPad 1 at Verizon, as these older generation products with reduced prices often outsold new Android products. We believe this highlights Apple’s significant competitive advantage, and these older products help Apple offer a tiered pricing strategy at key channels.

Since the release of the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2, predecessors to the two devices have continued to sell at discounted prices. The iPhone 3GS currently sells at $49 at AT&T stores and outsells newer Android smartphones such as the HTC Inspire and the Motorola Atrix.

Walkley found that the iPad is by far the best selling tablet, with competition such as the BlackBerry PlayBook and Motorola Xoom only achieving “modest sales.” 16GB and 32GB models of the iPad 1 sold out in less than two weeks after the debut of the iPad 2 thanks to the price reduction.

The fact that older generation Apple devices continue to sell better than new Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry releases is a clear sign of the success of the iOS platform. It used to be the case that people would buy second-hand Macs to get their hands on the Mac OS operating system, and now it seems people will settle for older Apple devices just to get their hands on iOS.