iPhone 5 rumour rollup for the week ending July 13
Chinese economic growth may be slowing, but its iPhone 5 rumour industry is soaring.
This week, opportunistic Chinese sellers start taking orders for iPhone 5. Wondrous metal engineering samples, direct from China, “confirm” long-rumored phone details. A patent grant sparks a new wave of iOSphere cud-chewing about NFC and mobile payments. And The Announcement is just 25 days away.
You read it here second.
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“And while Apple has yet to confirm the device’s features or the device itself, the rumors have painted a picture of what Apple might announce this fall.” – Shawn Ingram, GottaBeMobile.com, on the artistic essence of iPhone rumoring
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iPhone 5 already on sale in China
Reuters started this one, with a story about how “opportunistic sellers on China’s largest e-commerce platform, Taobao, are already accepting pre-orders [for iPhone 5] complete with mock-up pictures and purported technical specifications.”
LAST WEEK: iPhone 5 rumor rollup for week ending July 6
“Opportunistic” makes these guys sound like gritty, tough, hard-scrabble entrepreneurs. Calling them “exploitive grifters” or “predatory con men” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
Taobao is a division of Alibaba Group, a leading Web property in China. Taobao itself is not “offering” the iPhone, but the online sellers that use the site’s e-commerce services are.
Reuters says these sellers “are accepting orders for the iPhone 5, in some cases asking for a deposit of 1,000 yuan ($160) for the new phone. One seller, ‘Dahai99888,’ who started accepting pre-orders this week, is asking for full payment upfront, at a cool 6,999 yuan ($1,100).”
Several of the sellers talked to Reuters: “They planned to buy the iPhone 5 in Hong Kong or the United States and then bring it to mainland China. Apple products are often available in Hong Kong before they are released on the mainland.”
Rollup is pretty sure that for 6,999 yuan, a Chinese iPhanatic could travel to Hong Kong himself, stay at a quasi-luxurious hotel, stand in line for the phone to go on sale, buy it, return home, and still come out ahead.
And then Rollup’s second favorite line in the whole story: “The sellers could not promise a specific delivery time.”
And our No. 1 favorite line, a quote from one of these opportunistic sellers: “Demand is high. Yesterday someone just bought two phones. Altogether we have about two dozen orders,” said one seller on Taobao who went by the nickname Xiaoyu.
In this fantasyland, “someone just bought two phones” doesn’t mean what it means in normal life. In normal life, it means, “I paid for a product I found on Amazon and it arrived two days later via UPS.” For the TaobaoLand buyers, it means, “I paid some guy who doesn’t even use a real name more than double the expected price of a product that doesn’t yet exist but which he promised that he’d buy for me in a foreign country when it’s released and make sure I got it.”
Yet for countless members of the iOSphere, this “news” is another sign of the imminent release of the Next iPhone.
“Don’t get too excited but it looks like the Apple iPhone 5 (or is it iPhone 7*) release is closing in, as China’s thriving gray market importers have begun offering the new phone for pre-release sale,” writes a somewhat excited Jonny Evans at Computerworld’s Apple Holic blog.
“Gray market” refers to usually legal but unofficial distribution of controlled or scarce goods, for example bypassing the official importer of a product and that importer’s network of distributors. Which is a generous description of scams and frauds.
“Buying Apple devices unseen shows what kind of confidence consumers have in the products that Apple makes,” commented Seth Weintraub, at 9to5Mac, apparently without even a trace of irony.
This would be a better rumor if we substituted, say Middle Earth, for the Middle Kingdom.
“Apple Inc.’s next-generation iPalantir has not even been released yet, but opportunistic sellers on Middle Earth’s largest e-commerce platform, e-Silmarillion, are already accepting pre-orders, complete with mock-up pictures and purported technical specifications. Sellers are accepting orders for the iPalantir 5, in some cases asking for a deposit of 50 silver pennies for the new magical artifact. One seller, ‘Sauron99888,’ who started accepting pre-orders this week, is asking for full payment upfront, at a cool 500 gold coins. E-Silmarillioni sellers that Reuters spoke with said they planned to buy the iPalantir in Mordor or The Undying Lands and then bring it to the Shire. Apple declined to comment.”
iPhone 5 features revealed by photos of “engineering sample” direct from China
Shawn Ingram at GottaBeMobile has photos of a block of metal machined to resemble an iPhone — an “engineering sample.”
The site’s headline: “Exclusive: iPhone 5 Engineering Sample Photos Direct from China” (The best headline on this is at Product-Reviews.net, giving “biotech” new meaning: “iPhone 5 worker leaks metal block“).
“A trusted source inside the Apple supply chain sent images of the metal iPhone 5 design sample,” Ingram reveals. “The metal block shows the size of the iPhone 5, where the antenna and ports will be and other design aspects.”
Not just a source. A Trusted Source. But who? It reminds Rollup of the closing moments of the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” when the FBI assures Professor Indiana Jones that “top men” were working on the Lost-but-now-found Ark. “Who?” Jones demands. “Top. Men,” the agent replies stiffly.
GottaBeMobile’s Top Man in China provided “exclusive photos of an iPhone 5 engineering sample straight from a factory in China.” And what do these treasures reveal? They “show the new phone will be slightly taller, slightly thinner and about the same width,” Ingram writes. And there are grainy gray photos to prove it.
These revelations — that the next iPhone will be slightly taller and thinner and about the same width — sound numbingly familiar. Apparently you don’t need a Top Man in China to rumor about slightly taller and thinner and about the same width.
The rear-facing camera remains in the same place and apparently the same size; there’s a rear-facing microphone “for video recording and noise reduction to improve call quality.” There may be a back panel with two different materials, “possibly even Liquidmetal,” Ingram speculates, without a shred of evidence to support it and plenty that contradicts it (not least the clear statement by one of Liquidmetal’s inventors that it would be three to five years before the alloy could be used on a large scale).
Zach Epstein at Boy Genius Report is skeptical but not skeptical enough in his post on the meaning of the photos. “Images of what is claimed to be an ‘iPhone 5 engineering sample’ were published on Tuesday afternoon, adding support to earlier rumors that Apple is prepping a taller iPhone with a larger display for launch this fall,” he wrote.
It’s the second part of that sentence that makes it nonsensical — the idea that a rumor is “supported,” whatever that means, because a newer rumor says the same thing.
Two days after GottaBeMobile’s exclusive rumor, a site called KitGuru posted what it called “exclusive photos” of, well, something. The website calls it both an “early iPhone5″ and a “pre-release test sample.”
No mention of any source, trusted or otherwise.
iPhone 5 will have near field communications (NFC) and the iTravel app
The iOSphere is agog again over the recycling of the longstanding rumor that the Next iPhone, for several years now, will have a short-range near-field communications (NFC) radio and a passel of apps to let you wave your phone and pay for stuff.
The agogness is due to the fact that the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple a “major patent,” according to PatentlyApple.com, “that relates to transportation check-in and, more particularly, to employing near field communication (NFC) for identification and ticketing by transportation providers.”
Hallelujah. According to the iOSphere, this means that industries like airlines will soon be moving people as gently and swiftly and efficiently as Walt Disney World in Orlando.
“And if I’m reading this right, iOS devices could not only be used to check into flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, trains, buses and so forth, but also to pay for these services,” writes a bedazzled Christian Zibreg, at iDownloadBlog.
But Wired.com’s Christina Bonnington sees a more sinister implication.
After helpfully noting that the patent is not for an app per se but for a “System and method for transportation check-in,” and that iTravel itself simply “would perform a host of functions currently accomplished by multiple different apps,” she moves on to the Really Big Picture.
“Unfortunately, a patent like this seems like less of a safeguard for protecting Apple-bred innovation, and more like another tool in the company’s war against other smartphone makers — namely, Android smartphone makers, which Steve Jobs famously said he would go ‘thermonuclear war’ on,” she warns, darkly. “Apple’s got this win, and a variety of other patents, under its belt, and all these intellectual property weapons can be used to dismantle Android’s growing hold on the mobile space.”
If you can’t beat ‘em, go thermonuclear on ‘em.
And none of this, apart perhaps from the Bonnington Conspiracy Theory, is actually new. Patently Apple’s latest post links to its previous iTravel post … two years ago, which provided all the same details then when the patent application, originally filed in 2008, first came to light.
To their credit, several of these sites link to the recent story in The Wall Street Journal “Inside Apple’s Go-Slow Approach to Mobile Payments,” by Jessica Vascellaro, which shows Apple as quite content to hold back on mobile payments technology for now.
“Holding back in mobile payments was a deliberate strategy, the result of deep discussion last year,” according to Vascellaro. “Some Apple engineers argued for a more-aggressive approach that would integrate payments more directly. But Apple executives chose the go-slow approach for now.” She quotes Apple’s worldwide marketing chief, Phil Schiller, who said in a recent interview that digital-wallet/mobile-payment services are “all fighting over their piece of the pie, and we aren’t doing that.”
iPhone 5 will be announced Tuesday, Aug. 7
Know Your Mobile’s Paul Briden boldly and exclusively goes where no man has gone before, trusting in a “reliable industry source who wishes to remain anonymous.”
This faithful source revealed to Know Your Mobile that “Apple’s highly-anticipated and much-rumoured iPhone 5 will be launched via a keynote speech on August 7.”
“The new date correlates with reports from earlier in the month the iPhone 5′s release had been brought forward from October to August,” Briden confides, though one wonders whether he’s trying to reassure his readers or himself.
“At present there are no further details about specs, design or availability,” Briden says, though of course there are endless rumors about all of these, including the date of the announcement.
“Make sure to check back with us on August 7 when we’ll have live coverage of Apple’s announcement,” Briden concludes. Or when Know Your Mobile becomes the Harold Camping of the iOSphere.
John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World. Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnwcoxnwwEmail: john_cox@nww.comBlog RSS feed: http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/2989/feed
Read more about anti-malware in Network World’s Anti-malware section.
Article source: http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/430597/iphone_5_rumour_rollup_week_ending_july_13/?fp=4&fpid=56736
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News
iPhone 5 Release Date: Rumors Say Leaked Photos Are of the New Apple …
New iPhone 5 release date rumors say leaked photos are of the new Apple smartphone. Even though Apple hasn’t acknowledged the existence of a 6th generation handset, analysts and consumers continue to seek out new information about the already popular gadget.
It seems new leaked photos and information about the new iPhone 5 hit the internet every few minutes, but whether or not the info is legit is questionable. An article posted at Christian Global states, “If the source does in fact prove reliable then the iPhone 5 would have a larger screen similar to a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.”
All the talk about the iPhone 5 release date has revealed mixed feelings about whether the new handset should have a larger display, and since Apple is keeping everything under wraps, fans are left with nothing more than unconfirmed speculation at this point.
The leak, which reportedly comes from a “reliable source in a China factory,” shows what is said to be “engineering samples” of the upcoming iOS 6 Apple device. How “reliable” can the source be though if they are supposed to be keeping the Apple smartphone a secret?
Whether these photos are of the next Apple smartphone or not, fans will have to wait for the iPhone 5 release date to find out for sure what Apple has tinkered on behind closed doors all year.
For more iPhone rumors and news “Like” this Smartphones Tech Facebook Page.
Article source: http://technology.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981471412
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News
iPhone 5 to be released on August 7 – report
Gadget blog Know Your Mobile is reporting that a “reliable industry source” who wishes to remain anonymous has told them that the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 will be launched during a keynote speech on Aug. 7.
There are no other details regarding the product specs, the design or the availability. Rumors are floating around that it will feature a larger Retina display and a next-generation processor setup. There are also rumors that the aesthetics will differ significantly from the previous versions of the iPhone.
The new iPhone will also debut the next version of Apple’s iOS operating system, iOS 6, which is expected to be on par with Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 and Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Article source: http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2012/07/iphone-5-to-be-released-on-august-7---report.html
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News
iPhone 5 Available for Pre-Order From Chinese Website — Wait, What?
This purported rear casing of an iPhone 5 was on sale from a Chinese website. Image: ETrade Supply
The Chinese have a curious take on intellectual property and retail. For example, if you desperately need to be one of the first people to own Apple’s next-generation iPhone, you can actually pre-order the “iPhone 5″ from a Chinese website. Right now. Today.
You can place your bet — er, pre-order — on Taobao with a deposit of 1,000 yuan (about $160). Taobao is actually a clearing house for various retailers, and some of its retail partners will even let you buy the non-existent and completely unannounced phone outright. Just pay 6,999 yuan ($1,100) up front to reserve your Apple handset. Taobao is a division of Alibaba group.
The opportunity to pre-order highly anticipated Apple gear is undoubtedly more useful to folks in China or other countries than U.S. buyers. Schemes like this theoretically allow Apple fans to get their hands on devices way before they become available on native soil.
The Taobao sellers told Reuters that they plan to buy the handsets in the U.S. and Hong Kong whenever it goes on sale, and then bring them to China. And they aren’t promising any specific delivery date.
The Taobao pre-orders bear a certain unseemliness, especially when we consider that China tends to be a hotbed for Apple knock-offs. The Alibaba parent site also sells a number of iPhone 5 cases, despite the fact that the product doesn’t even exist.
In June, a video of the rear chassis of the iPhone 5 purportedly emerged — from a Chinese website called ETrade Supply that was also selling the iPhone 5 (it was “Out of Stock”). That, other iPhone 5 parts, and the entire iPhone 5 section of the site have since been removed.
The next iPhone will reportedly be slightly longer than the current iPhone 4/4S, with a larger 4-inch IGZO display. The device is expected to be 4G, and also feature a smaller 19-pin dock connector.
Apple expressly forbids the purchase of Apple products for reselling. Its sales policy states, “You may not purchase products at the Apple Store for resale, and we reserve the right to refuse or cancel your order if we suspect you are doing so. And we’re pretty good at figuring that out…”
Despite that threat, reselling continues to be rampant both in the U.S. and overseas. Apple is one of the most valuable and popular brands in the world. The massive anticipation for Apple’s next iPhone indicates that it will be no exception to this trend. Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney told Wired yesterday, “The iPhone 5 is going to be one of the biggest consumer events we’ve ever seen in our lifetime.”
Article source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/07/iphone-5-pre-order-from-china/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5
Telecom Notes: Sprint’s iPhone 5 Strategy, Verizon’s Cable Deals And AT&T’s …
The past week saw quite a few developments in the telecom sector. Rumors started floating in the industry that the FCC is prepared to approve Verizon’s (NYSE:VZ) spectrum purchase from the cable companies, but anti-competitive concerns over its side cross-marketing deals with the later still remain. ATT (NYSE:T) announced the addition of seven more markets to its growing LTE footprint that now covers a total of 80 million people in the U.S. Sprint (NYSE:S), meanwhile, is set to launch its first LTE markets on July 15. However, with the iPhone 5 launch drawing near, it will look to promote its unlimited plans more than LTE in much the same way as it did last year.
Verizon
It seems likely that Verizon will be able to cross regulatory roadblocks and get its hands on a huge swath of AWS spectrum it needs for LTE expansion. A Reuters report cites sources familiar with the developments that the FCC is prepared to give a go-ahead to Verizon’s plan of buying the airwaves from the cable companies. [1] However, anti-competitive concerns still remain on another aspect of the deal that involves cross-marketing agreements between Verizon and the cable companies, Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), Time Warner (NYSE:TWC) and Cox Networks.
We believe that the spectrum purchase is the more important aspect of the deal since it impacts Verizon’s LTE expansion plans and gives it the all-important spectrum that will help it fight the spectrum crunch that is plaguing the industry. With ATT clawing at its heels and Sprint entering the fray soon, Verizon will need to maintain its LTE advantage and stay ahead of the game. We are not, however, saying that the cross-marketing deals are not important since it will help Verizon’s services gain more prominence in some of the biggest cable company stores, but LTE and spectrum seem to be the priorities for now considering the current wireless dynamics. (see Verizon Likely To Receive FCC Approval For Cable Spectrum Purchase)
ATT
ATT on Monday announced the addition of seven more markets to its growing LTE footprint that now covers a total of 80 million people in the U.S. The nation’s second largest wireless carrier is lagging Verizon in terms of LTE coverage but has its more widespread HSPA+ network as an interim high-speed solution for its subscribers. Together, both of ATT’s high-speed networks cover more than 260 million Americans in all, which is well ahead of Verizon’s LTE coverage. However, with LTE being more efficient and faster than other ’4G’ technologies and the growing availability of LTE capable smartphones, ATT will be looking to increase its LTE coverage to catch up with Verizon soon. (see ATT Expanding Its LTE Network As Juicy Data Revenues Flow)
Sprint
With the iPhone 5 is likely to be launched this fall, wireless carriers are getting ready to market their services. One key factor that we believe will differentiate this generation of the iPhone from the previous ones, apart from a possible change in form-factor and better processor, is the availability of an LTE-compatible chipset.
While carriers such as Verizon and ATT getting ready to tout their respective LTE networks, late-entrant Sprint is just starting to roll out its first LTE markets on July 15. Its marketing strategy will therefore most likely remain unchanged from last year when it aggressively promoted its unlimited plans. But is that going to be a big deterrent for Sprint to move more iPhones out of the door in order to meet its huge commitment to Apple?
Going by the effectiveness of Sprint’s strategy last year and the higher long-term value that we see subscribers attaching to Sprint’s unlimited LTE plans this year, we do not think so. (see Sprint Woos iPhone 5 Buyers With Unlimited Plans Despite LTE Disadvantage for a detailed analysis)
Understand How a Company’s Products Impact its Stock Price at Trefis
Notes:
- Verizon’s cable deals make headway but regulatory doubts linger, Reuters, July 9th, 2012 [↩]
Article source: http://www.trefis.com/stock/vz/articles/132413/telecom-notes-sprints-iphone-5-strategy-verizons-cable-deals-and-atts-expansion/2012-07-13
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5
Sprint Runs To $3.75 Even As iPhone 5 Unlimited Plan To Tax LTE
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
With the iPhone 5 likely to be launched this fall, the carriers are getting ready to market their services. One key factor that we believe will differentiate this generation of the iPhone from the previous ones, apart from a possible change in form-factor and better processor, is the availability of an LTE-compatible chipset.
While carriers such as Verizon and ATT will be getting ready to tout their respective LTE networks, late-entrant Sprint is just starting to roll out its first LTE markets on July 15.
Its marketing strategy will most likely remain unchanged from the last year when it aggressively promoted its unlimited plans. But is it going to be a big deterrent for Sprint to move more iPhones out of the door in order to meet its huge commitment to Apple? We don’t think so and here’s why.
See our complete analysis of Sprint here
Unlimited plans remain highly valuable
One of the major reasons why we think Sprint’s strategy will work is because unlimited plans are as important today as they were a year ago. Possibly, even more when you consider that Verizon and ATT are distancing themselves from unlimited plans further. Both stopped offering unlimited plans to new subscribers a year back, and now Verizon has stopped its grandfathered unlimited users from availing handset subsidies if they choose to keep their plans. (see Verizon’s Share Everything Plans Could Kill The Last Unlimited Plans)
It is likely that ATT, having made its displeasure with unlimited plans clear on many occasions, will also come up with similar ways of discouraging usage of unlimited plans as it looks to follow in Verizon’s footsteps and promote tiered data plans that can be shared across devices soon. (see ATT Looks To Reduce Subsidy Pressures While Boosting Revenues Through Shared Data Plans)
Also, unlimited plans will be more valuable for LTE than they were for 3G since LTE is a higher-speed technology and will easily
cause subscribers to overshoot their monthly quota for tiered plans. In such a scenario, Sprint will remain the only national carrier to offer truly unlimited plans (T-Mobile throttles 3G speeds after a certain limit), which it can still use as a very effective ploy to lure subscribers away from the two larger carriers.
The effectiveness of this strategy is evidenced by the two consecutive quarters of strong postpaid net adds that the carrier has been able to post to its core Sprint network, thanks to its unlimited plans. Sprint added net 263,000 subscribers to the Sprint platform last quarter, below the previous quarter’s 539,000 but a tad more than the net adds posted a year ago. This came even as an increasingly saturated wireless market caused Verizon and ATT to add fewer postpaid subscribers this quarter. Further, it was also the least impacted by the seasonal slowdown in the U.S. iPhone sales last quarter as it activated about 1.5 million iPhones during the quarter, about 16% lower than the previous quarter. ATT and Verizon meanwhile saw sequential declines of 43% and 24%, respectively, in iPhone sales. (see Sprint’s iPhone Bet Is Starting To Pay Off, $3.75 Fair Value)
The iPhone has also brought in many new subscribers to Sprint. The iPhone’s debut quarter at Sprint saw 40% of its iPhone sales go to new subscribers. In the next quarter, the iPhone accounted for 660,000 new subscribers to Sprint, which is an improved 44% of its total sales. Sprint’s postpaid ARPU also jumped $3.70 as a result, or 6.6% versus the same period last year, as users of the iPhone are heavy data users as well.
LTE disadvantage is only near-term
Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/07/13/sprint-woos-iphone-5-buyers-with-unlimited-plans-despite-lte-disadvantage/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5
After iPhone 5 Rumors Confirmed, WOW Memories Announce Offer to Display …
WOW Memories has launched a new campaign that allows cell phone users to transform their mobile phone pictures into large, wall art displays, after rumors of the new iPhone 5 have been confirmed.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) July 13, 2012
After rumors of the much anticipated debut of the iPhone 5 were confirmed on Thursday following an iPhone photo leak,WOW Memories has launched a new offer to help cell phone users take their mobile phone pictures and transform them into works of art. Although the iPhone is already the most popular mobile device on the market, the anticipation for the gadget’s release has caused excitement among many consumers as the new iPhone debut is expected to top even the record-breaking sales of the iPhone 4S.
After the iPhone 5 photos were released, WOW Memories launched a new initiative to help cell phone users with cameras like the iPhone camera and transform those photos into large and stunning works of art. While many consumers believe that the camera power on the iPhone and on other phones isn’t strong enough to create stunning works of art, WOW Memories, which lists kids and pets photography among its specialties, has the technology to transform even small cell phone photos into large, professional looking photo displays. The photos can be enhanced to a 5” by 7” size, up to a 12” by 24” size or even larger when photos are expanded into panel form.
The new offer plans to help the many cell phone users who constantly utilize their mobile phones and take pictures on those phone to truly make use of these photos, which often stay on the cell phone device and easily transform them into works of art. The company’s new interface makes it easy for cell phone users to instantly download their photos from their phone onto the company’s easy to use photo design tool. The new design even allows users to see how their new cell phone photos will look displayed on a wall or in multiple panel form. The new offer is currently live on the company’s website and those looking to order custom pieces from their cell phone photos can do so online at wowmemories.com.
For additional information about WOW Memories visit the company website at http://www.wowmemories.com.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/7/prweb9697106.htm
Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/After-iPhone-5-Rumors-Confirmed-WOW-Memories-3704723.php
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5
iPhone 5 release date, Android’s US growth, and Amazon’s smartphone ambition
JULY 13, 2012, 10:37 P.M. New York Local Time – Smartphone weekend galore: Android is still the most popular smartphone platform in United States, while Amazon hires yet another Microsoft executive whom will help the company and its smartphone ambition. Meanwhile, more rumors appear online ahead of the (rumored) iPhone 5 release date in October including an NFC-based app patent filing of Apple.
Android is still the most popular mobile platform in United States according to the latest data provided by Nielsen. The steady rise of Android was confirmed amid launch of Google’s latest flagship tablet computer, the Nexus 7 running Android Jelly Bean which might give the search giant a new chunk of customers to enjoy whilst selling content like movies, TV shows, books and apps. Meanwhile, Amazon is seriously building a smartphone that will compete against the iPhone 5, the long rumored new smartphone of Apple, and the set of new smartphones that will ship with Jelly Bean.
Latest reports suggests that Amazon hired another Microsoft executive, in addition to its recent hire five months ago, a person from Microsoft too. Can Amazon compete with the iPhone 5? Recent reports about the unannounced Apple smartphone suggests that it will include NFC out of the box, and a larger 4 to 4.3-inch display, and Long Term Evolution. It looks like wireless carriers are ready for the iPhone 5 and its latest goodness. Apart from Verizon’s new LTE areas, Sprint reportedly opened its first LTE market — in Kansas — as part of the carrier’s ambition to lure customers by offering unlimited data for the new iPhone.
Amazon wants to compete with the iPhone 5, so it hired another Microsoft Smartphone executive
To improve its Android app store, Amazon hired Windows Phone business development executive Robert Williams, and he is now the new director of the Amazon App Store which offers premium mobile applications for the Android platform. Five months ago, the Seattle-based retail giant also hired a Microsoft executive who work for the company’s undisclosed smartphone project.
Rumor has it that Amazon’s new smartphone will ship with a 4 to 4.5-inch display, and analysts add that Amazon might use the same Kindle strategy to lure customers — using a cheap price tag. The retail giant is also expected to use the popularity of its online store as the portal where customers can order the device online, possibly unlocked, and compatible with either ATT or T-Mobile USA.
Android’s rise confirmed ahead of the Jelly Bean, Google Play Store invasion
While Android fans wait for their own Nexus 7 to arrive, a new report by Nielsen has confirmed that Android, slowly but surely, is growing in United States and now holds more than 50 per cent of the lucrative smartphone market.
Android Jelly Bean operating system runs on the Nexus 7 out of the box.
According to PC World which quotes the new data presented by Nielsen, at least 52 per cent of U.S. smartphone owners use Android as their operating system, thanks to the growing demand for high-end Android devices manufactured by Samsung, HTC, Motorola and others.
Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is arguably the most popular in United States, followed by Motorola’s Droid RAZR Maxx and HTC’s ONE X, based on numerous channel checks including the latest from ATT. Meanwhile, Apple’s iOS mobile operating system is still steady at number 2 with its 34.3 per cent smartphone share, more than 500 times larger than Microsoft’s Windows Phone. Microsoft’s new mobile OS was also placed under the category of “Others” due to its small countable size.
Before the end of this quarter, based on new reports, Google is expected to grab a large share in the tablet computer market share courtesy of the expected overwhelming demand for its new tablet computer, the Nexus 7, and also the upcoming devices that will run its latest version of Android, the Jelly Bean operating system, which will compete with Apple’s iOS 6 and the unannounced iPhone 5. Google is now selling the Nexus 7 online using its redesigned Google Play Store.
Google said it will launch the Nexus 7 and the bigger Google Play Store in more markets in the “next coming months” or safe to say — before the end of this year.
iPhone 5 release date, and its NFC future
A slew of iPhone 5 reports this week suggest that Apple’s next flagship phone will support NFC or Near Field Communication out of the box citing a patent filing of the company containing the “iTravel” app. According to Patently Apple, the new app might take advantage of the NFC technology to sell tickets for airplanes and other forms of transportation.
It is worth noting that Apple’s next mobile operating system update includes an NFC-friendly app called PassBook and it is more likely that the unannounced app will work with the Passbook app to gain users. Passbook app will allow third-party companies to use Apple’s next flagship device, and other iOS devices in tow, as the portal to sell products and services.
“Boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards” and others are supported by the Passbook app according to Apple — in short, iTravel’s NFC-based transportation check-in feature will allow restaurants or airlines to automatically push cards or receipts to a customer’s iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 directly with no wires. No word yet from Apple on iTravel and its release date, apparently.
The mill, including all channel checks of analysts and tech experts, still suggest that the iPhone will get an October release date similar to last year’s iPhone 4S.
Article source: http://www.popherald.com/2012-07-13-news-id-9-18797
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5
eyeCLICK To Offer iPhone 5 Compatibility
iPhone Photo Accessory Adds Case For iPhone 5
LOS ANGELES, C.A. (PRWEB) July 13, 2012
The highly anticipated and highly speculated iPhone 5 has been rumored to release this upcoming fall and for many iPhone 4 and 4s cases, it’s adjustment time.
The iPhone photography accessory, eyeCLICK has already accounted for this and will be offering cases for both iPhone 4 and 5 sizes.
“iOS6 hasn’t changed technically, meaning eyeCLICK will work for the new iPhone without us having to alter the technology used for the current eyeCLICK,” says David Wu, creator of the eyeCLICK. “We are pleased to offer the compatible case on Kickstarter so backers should receive it shortly after the iPhone 5 is released.”
Staying on the cutting edge of technology is important for entrepreneurs like Wu. With advancements in photography and mobile phones coming more rapidly, making products that coincide with game-changing advancements like an iPhone 5 release are vital to the success of the eyeCLICK.
“We have a very forward thinking team and offering the iPhone 5 compatibility to our Kickstarter backers opens up interest for those who plan to upgrade this fall,” says Wu.
The eyeCLICK uses a remote control to activate the iPhone’s camera from up to twenty-one feet away, making portrait photos easier to take with iPhones. The product market for both photography and mobile technology are continually progressing together and the eyeCLICK is showing it can keep up. Instagram and other mobile photography apps are easily integrated within the eyeCLICK, making it even more convenient.
The eyeCLICK Kickstarter campaign still has fifteen days remaining to reach its pledge goal of $20,000 and is currently just over $7,600. The new iPhone 5 compatible case will be offered alongside the iPhone 4/4s compatible case in a new reward starting at $95. Expected delivery of the new case is in December of 2012.
For more information on the eyeCLICK Kickstarter campaign visit http://bit.ly/eyeClickKS.
About eyeCLICK
The eyeCLICK is a simple camera remote accessory for iPhone 4/4S and future iPhone 5 that enables you to take photos and videos of friends and family without being confined to an “arms length” away. By making it wireless, it frees you from the usual limitations associated with taking photos and videos.
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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebeyeCLICK–To-Offer/iPhone-5-Compatibility/prweb9699558.htm
Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/eyeCLICK-To-Offer-iPhone-5-Compatibility-3705602.php
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News
iPhone 5 release date: Rumors say new iPhone release will be in August
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Article source: http://www.examiner.com/article/iphone-5-release-date-rumors-say-new-iphone-release-will-be-august
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Iphone 5 News