Sprint revealed today in its Q3 2013 results that it had sold 1.4 million iPhones in the last quarter, with 40% of those iPhones being sold to new customers. The company announced a 5% year-over-year growth, posting a record postpaid service revenue of $5.8 billion. This is about consistent compared to the 1.5 million iPhones the carrier sold in the year-ago quarter. Sprint also announced LTE networks in 45 new markets, bringing its total number of LTE locations to 230 markets.
Sprint sold nearly 5 million smartphones in the third quarter with postpaid smartphone sales mix reaching record levels. Sprint sold nearly 1.4 million iPhones® during the quarter of which 40 percent were to new customers.
In 2011, Sprint committed to buying $20 billion worth of iPhones from Apple, and launched the iPhone on its prepaid Virgin Mobile USA brand in June 2012. Sprint will also launch the iPhone on its prepaid subsidary Boost Mobile on November 8.
A day after Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that it is unclear as to whether Apple will have enough supply of the Retina iPad mini to meet market demand, Digitimes is reporting that Japanese manufacturer Sharp is tied to the shortage, citing low yield rates of displays from the company.
Multiple sources have suggested that the Retina iPad mini will be in limited supply throughout 2013, which has been all but confirmed by Apple's nebulous November release date. According to a report from last week, following its November debut, Retina iPad mini supplies could be "ridiculously tight" until 2014.
However, while supplies of the Retina iPad mini will be constrained, supplies of the iPad Air are expected to be more plentiful, as the company will offer same day in-store pickup for orders of the new full-sized tablet. As noted by Apple during the introduction of the second-generation iPad mini, a Retina display has been one of the most requested features for the smaller iPad since its release last year.
John Poole of Primate Labs has revealed Geekbench 3 benchmarks for the new iPad Air, revealing that the device's 64-bit A7 chip is running at 1.4 GHz, scoring a 1465 on the single-core test and a 2643 on the multi-core test. True to Apple's claims, the iPad Air benchmarks about twice as fast as the 4th generation iPad, with the A7 processor found in the new iPad coming in at 100MHz faster than the 1.3 GHz A7 chip found on the iPhone 5s. Poole claims that this is likely due to a number of factors such as a larger battery in the iPad Air that provides more power and a larger chassis that provides better cooling. Poole also notes that he expects the upcoming iPad mini with Retina Display to use the same A7 chip running at 1.4 GHz.
The iPad Air will be available beginning on Friday, November 1, with initial online orders beginning at 12:01 AM Pacific Time in the United States and at varying times in other countries. Apple retail locations will open at 8 AM local time on Friday to begin in-store sales.
After Apple's first magazine advertisement for the iPhone 5s appeared two weeks ago, another spot for the phone showcasing the company's faster 64-bit A7 processor has surfaced, reports 9to5Mac. The ad depicts the iPhone 5s from a profile view, and includes a paragraph that describes the advantages of the processor in the context of all-around performance.
Desktop power. Pocket size.
We do everything on our phones. That's why the new A7 chip was designed to handle, well, anything. It puts 64-bit desktop architecture in your palm, a first for any smartphone. You get stunning, true-to-life graphics and up to 2x faster performance without sacrificing all-day battery life.
The A7 chip. Only on iPhone 5s.
The advertisement depicted includes Verizon Wireless branding, but Apple's iPhone ads have traditionally rotated branding between all the carriers that carry the iPhone, likely as part of a co-marketing agreement.
Apple has been running many television ads for the iPhone 5c in recent weeks, but we have seen relatively little about the 5s, likely because of tight supplies. Print ads for the device so far have mentioned 'limited avaliability' of the iPhone 5s in fine print.
At its October 22 iPad-centric event, Apple provided multiple publications with iPad Air review units. The embargo on reviews has just been lifted, which means several sites are now posting their thoughts on the thinner, lighter iPad Air. We've gathered some relevant excerpts from each site in order to highlight the general release reaction to Apple's newest iPad.
It's very hard to describe how good the iPad Air feels in your hand without actually picking one up. It’s kind of like the first time you saw a Retina display for the first time—shock.
This smaller size is great. If you have decent sized hands you can type with two thumbs on the iPad in portrait, something I wasn’t really able to do with the last generation iPad without a lot of stretching. Clearly a full-size iPad is not something you will be thumb typing with all the time, but it does give you an idea of how much smaller the iPad Air is.
In a feat of design and engineering, Apple has slashed the iPad’s weight by 28%, made it 20% thinner and 9% narrower, while increasing its speed and retaining the brilliant, 9.7-inch Retina display.
The new iPad weighs just 1 pound, down from 1.4 pounds for the previous top-of-the-line model, the iPad 4, which is being discontinued.
And it has done all this while maintaining the iPad's industry-leading battery life. In my tests, the iPad Air far exceeded Apple's claim of 10 hours of battery life. For over 12 hours, it played high-definition videos, nonstop, with the screen at 75% brightness, with Wi-Fi on and emails pouring in. That’s the best battery life I’ve ever recorded for any tablet.
Yes, as strange as it may sound, the latest iPad is actually just a larger version of the 7.9-inch mini. It's as if the smaller device -- which launched at the same time as the fourth-gen iPad -- was a pilot test for Jony Ive's new design language. Calling it the "Air" was fitting indeed, since it's ridiculously small and light compared to previous models.
It measures 7.5mm thick and weighs only one pound (1.03 pounds, to be exact), making it 1.9mm thinner and 0.43 pound lighter than the iPad 4. Apple's also trimmed the left and right bezel by roughly 8mm on each side. If that doesn't sound significant, just hold the Air for a minute and then pick up an older iPad; the difference is immediately noticeable. Simply put, the iPad Air is the most comfortable 10-inch tablet we've ever used.
Its light weight and thin form mean it gets out of the way – you don’t notice it, but you notice what you're doing on it. That, potentially, unleashes a new generation of tablet-based productivity. The fact that Apple is now giving away even more software means that perhaps the rebranding is, therefore, more than simply a marketing exercise. Air may yet be the oxygen for a new wave of uses for the iPad.
As it happens, though, this latest full-size Apple tablet is the most tempting iPad yet, better than its already best of breed predecessors, superior still to each and every rival big screen slate that I've tested. Apple dominates the tablet apps ecosystem. Its tablet remains the easiest to use.
In a side-by-side comparison against its immediate predecessor, the new iPad indeed opened apps more quickly and booted up and shut down slightly faster, though not to such a degree that I expect most people to notice.
What you may not know is this: Those 6.4 ounces make all the difference when, as you recline while reading or watching a movie, you conk out and the iPad falls forward to bonk you on the nose. The Air won't hurt you the way the old iPad did.
The weight reduction and a 20 percent slimmer profile provide other benefits, too. My messenger bag strap didn’t dig into my shoulder as deeply when my iPad was in it. My hand didn’t cramp up while grasping the iPad Air for an hour while watching movies or playing games.
Apple's iPad Air will be available to the public beginning on Friday, November 1, with initial online orders beginning at 12:01 AM Pacific Time in the United States and at varying times in other countries. Apple retail locations will open at 8 AM local time on Friday to begin in-store sales.
A manufacturing defect has affected a small number of Apple's iPhone 5s devices causing shortened battery life and longer charging times, according to an Apple representative who spoke to The New York Times. The iPhone 5s, which was introduced in September, is rated for up to 10 hours of battery life on 3G and 250 hours of standby time.
"We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," said Teresa Brewer, an Apple spokeswoman. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone."
Apple has not specified how many iPhones are affected by the issue, but according to The New York Times, Apple's statement suggests that only a few thousand users may be experiencing battery life issues out of several million. After the launch of the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, Apple reported that it had sold a total of nine million devices, but did not break the sales number down further.
While Apple did not give specific details on the manufacturing issue or how it plans to contact affected users, the company will replace defective iPhone 5s units with functional devices.
Apple today posted two new job listings on its website, seeking to fill engineering positions related to public transit. The company is looking for a Maps Public Transit Engineering Manager and a Public Transit Software Engineer, who will join the Maps team to work on building and improving a Transit Routing platform "at a massive scale."
As a member of the Transit Routing team, you will work on one of the most anticipated features of Apple Maps. You will design and implement functionality that will be used by millions of users worldwide.
In addition to these job listings, Apple has posted other transit positions on its website over the past few months and has also acquired multiple mapping companies focused on transit, including HopStop and Embark, two companies with apps and tools developed to provide subway, bus, train, taxi, walking and biking directions.
As noted in the job listings, Apple is working to build these services into its own mapping service, incorporating accurate, real-time information on public transportation routes into the Maps apps for iOS and Mac.
Apple's lack of public transit information was one of the major criticisms the company faced after its in-house mapping service debuted in 2012. Discontent with the lack of features and the inaccuracy of the Maps app prompted both a reorganization of the company and an apology letter from Tim Cook.
Alongside its work to introduce transit options to Maps, Apple has also aimed to improve the accuracy of the service. Over the past several months, Apple has hired a multitude of Ground Truth experts to fix location-based issues such as the error that caused Australian drivers to become stranded after receiving faulty directions.
Despite Apple's efforts, problems with Maps are ongoing. Recently another location-based error caused Maps to direct drivers in Alaska onto an airport taxiway.
An Idaho man is suing Apple under California's consumer protection laws because the display on his 27-inch iMac failed 18 months after he bought it -- notably outside the twelve-month standard warranty period, reports GigaOm.
The suit, which refers to a 321-page thread on the Apple Support Community as well as a post on TechCrunch from 2009, asks for more than $5 million in class-action damages and seeks to represent every Apple customer that purchased a 27-inch iMac with an LG display before December 2012.
In a complaint filed last week in San Jose, aspiring music teacher Corbin Rasmussen says he thought the iMac was expensive but, relying on Apple’s claims that is was ”designed for a long productive life,” saved up to buy one to use as a home computer and media center,
Rasmussen claims that, after 50 percent of the screen went dim, the iMac became nearly useless for watching movies and made basic web browsing difficult. He complained to Apple, which told him a repair would cost more than $500 since the defect arose after the product’s one year warranty expired.
Award winning image editing app Snapseed has received little attention since being acquired by Google in late 2012, but today the app was updated to version 1.6.0, adding a new HDR-style filter and a new Shadows slider in the Tune Image options menu that is designed to brighten dark areas of an image without washing out the lighter areas.
Before HDR filter on left, after filter on right
What's new
- The new HDR SCAPE filter brings a stunning look to your images - A new Shadows slider in Tune Image brightens dark areas naturally - Plus bug fixes and other small improvements
According to the release notes, Snapseed users who are running the app on iOS 5 or iOS 6 should avoid the new update, as it causes issues with saving or sharing images. The problem will be fixed in a second update, which is coming soon.
Today's Snapseed update comes alongside multiple Google+ photo enhancements that will be introduced in the near future, including full-resolution uploads and automatic photo and video editing.
Snapseed is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Twitter for iOS has been updated to version 5.12, adding in-stream previews of Twitter photos and Vine videos that are displayed directly in a user's main timeline. Full screen media content can be accessed via a tap, which is an improvement over the app's previous functionality, which required users to tap a link to view video and image content.
In addition to adding in-line media viewing, the update also brings new quick action buttons allowing users to reply, retweet, or favorite a tweet directly within the timeline.
This update includes enhancements to Tweets in the home timeline.
Be a part of the moment. - Tweets with Twitter photos, Vine videos, and other select content now show a preview in your home timeline. Tap the image to reveal the full screen version. Tweet a picture without text, and let the image say it all.
Joining the conversation just got easier. - You can reply, retweet, favorite, or follow someone straight from a Tweet in your home timeline.
Note: You can switch off Tweet previews in "Settings"
Twitter is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Apple recently opened up another AppleCare repair warehouse in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, reports 9to5Mac. The 182,000 square-foot facility is the second in the United States, joining Apple's existing warehouse in Elk Grove, California.
Apple's California-based AppleCare warehouse is used as a repair hub, with Apple retail locations across the country shipping damaged products to the facility, where they are repaired or replaced and shipped back out across the United States.
Apple's Pennsylvania warehouse
This second warehouse will serve a similar purpose, expanding Apple's repair capabilities and turnaround time. Damaged items once shipped to California will now be able to be fixed at either location, which will likely result in faster repair and shipping times for consumers located in the Midwest and on the East Coast.
Along with opening a new repair facility, Apple has also been working to cut down on costs and decrease repair times by performing more iPhone repairs in-house, electing to replace displays and other parts in Apple Stores and at Apple Authorized Service Providers rather than offering replacements.
In August, Apple launched a redesigned AppleCare website that includes a simpler interface and 24/7 live chat support. The company is also said to be working on significant changes to its AppleCare services, aiming to switch to per-user AppleCare subscription plans rather than offering per-device coverage.
Oculus VR is developing a mobile version of its Oculus Rift headset that will be compatible with iOS devices, according to CEO Brendan Iribe who announced the news during VentureBeat's GamesBeat 2013 conference. News of a potential mobile-compatible Oculus Rift originally surfaced earlier this year, when Iribe suggested the company was excited about the rapid development of cellphone technology.
While current prototypes are designed to work with PCs and Macs, the company plans to launch a mobile version at the same time the PC version hits the market. According to Iribe, the initial mobile version of the Oculus Rift will work solely with iOS devices as Android is not designed to work with virtual reality. The iOS-compatible Oculus Rift will be lighter than the standard version and will utilize the mobile device's processor.
"We have some exciting plans on the mobile VR side as the PC VR side," Iribe said. "We're really looking at hitting the consumer market. We're very excited about what we're seeing. Skeptical about how good mobile VR could be on such a small platform. It's pretty incredible what [John Carmack has] been able to do."
At the current point in time, the Oculus Rift remains in development. Oculus VR has sent out a number of dev kits to Mac and PC developers, but a specific release date has not yet been announced. According to a July interview with Brandon Iribe, the company is aiming for a 2014 launch.
Update: Oculus VR has contactedVentureBeat to clarify that the mobile version of Oculus Rift is being developed for Android, not iOS.
CalDigit today announced that its $199 Thunderbolt Station will begin shipping on November 4, with pre-orders available now through the company's online store. Announced back in April, CalDigit's addition to the range of Thunderbolt docking station from manufacturers such as Belkin and Matrox offers three USB 3.0 ports, audio in and out jacks, Ethernet, and HDMI, as well as pass-through capabilities to allow users to include the device in a daisy-chained configuration off of a single Thunderbolt port.
The HDMI port on the CalDigit Thunderbolt™ Station supports resolutions of 2560x1600. Other devices on the market only support lower resolutions such as 1080i and 1080p. The HDMI port is ideal for situations when you need to expand your monitor set-up. It also supports HDCP playback that enables you to play content such as iTunes movies on a HDMI display. If you also daisy-chain a Thunderbolt monitor alongside a HDMI monitor you can have up to a maximum of three displays including a laptop’s built in display.
Unlike other devices in its class the CalDigit Thunderbolt™ Station features USB 3.0 ports that support full transfer speeds. Other similar devices on the market are limited to 2.5Gbs. The CalDigit Thunderbolt™ Station’s USB 3.0 ports are 5Gbs. Having the ability to add USB 3.0 connectivity to your computer is incredibly useful for users who have a Thunderbolt equipped Mac without USB 3.0 ports, as it opens the door to connecting a whole host of USB 3.0 peripheral devices. The USB 3.0 ports also bus-power external storage devices, and can charge mobile devices.
CalDigit's Thunderbolt dock offering comes just as Apple begins introducing Mac hardware supporting the new Thunderbolt 2 standard, which offers twice the throughput of the original Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt 2 is available on the just-released Retina MacBook Pro models, and will be included on the redesigned Mac Pro launching in December.
The home where Steve Jobs first began building computers with Steve Wozniak has been designated a "historic resource" by the Los Altos Historical Commission reports the San Jose Mercury News.
The home, located at 2066 Crist Drive in Los Altos, California, is still owned by Jobs' sister Patricia Jobs and the designation will add an additional layer of reviews should the owners of the home ever try to renovate it.
The vote is the culmination of a two-year effort by the commission to preserve the one-story, ranch-style home as it stands. Chairman Frank Bishop praised the work of his colleagues and city staff, which included extensive research and a property evaluation.
"The documentation looks very complete -- better than some of the books as far as accuracy goes," Bishop said.
The designation will add another layer of review if renovations to the home are ever sought. The commission would be able to make a recommendation to the city council about any proposed changes.
Jobs and Wozniak assembled the first Apple I computers at the home, with the first 50 sold to the Byte Shop in Mountain View for $500 each and the rest sold to friends at the Homebrew Computer Club.
Research firm IDC today released its estimates on worldwide mobile phone sales for the third quarter of 2013, once again showing Apple's iPhone growth trailing that of the overall smartphone market. Apple's 33.8 million iPhone shipments were up 25.7% year-over-year, compared to 38.8% growth for the entire market. Market leader Samsung grew at slightly higher than the industry average, and Apple with its 13.1% share was able to hold onto the second-place ranking ahead of Huawei, Lenovo, and LG, all of which showed strong growth but remained at under 5% market share.
Worldwide Smartphone Shipments in 3Q13 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)
Apple's total volumes speak to the early success of the iPhones 5S and 5C, and the softening demand of older devices prior to the new models launching. The iPhone 5S lived up to the hype of the gold case and the fingerprint sensor, and the iPhone 5C with an array of colors. At the same time, limited usability on the fingerprint sensor and higher-than-expected pricing on the iPhone 5C drew mixed reactions. Still, this did not prevent Apple from enjoying a record 9 million units shipped in their debut.
As in previous quarters, Apple's performance in the overall mobile market benefited from the decline of the featurephone, with the company's 25.7% year-over-year growth easily topping the market's overall 5.7% growth and allowing Apple to remain firmly in third place behind Samsung and Nokia. According to IDC, smartphones accounted for 55% of total mobile phone shipments during the quarter, up from 42% in the third quarter of 2012.
Worldwide Mobile Phone Shipments in 3Q13 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)
Apple released its financial results for the third calendar quarter (fourth fiscal quarter) yesterday, revealing that the iPhone continues to account for majority of the company's revenue at 52 percent.
Back in 2011, Amazon launched its Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services, with Cloud Drive offering cloud-based file storage and Cloud Player serving as the interface for playing music stored in Cloud Drive. Amazon has upgraded its service over time, offering unlimited music storage with any paid plan, free storage of Amazon MP3 Store purchases, and iTunes Match-like Scan and Match functionality to help users make their existing music libraries available in the cloud. The company also released native Cloud Player apps for iPhone in 2012 and iPad earlier this year.
The new app provides Mac users with a seamless way to manage their entire music library – whether saved on their computer or in the cloud – and shop from the Amazon MP3 Store with a catalog of more than 25 million songs.
Amazon Cloud Player for Mac features include:
- One-place for all your music: Play your Amazon and iTunes music all from one place, even when offline. - A music library that is always up-to-date: Cloud Player automatically detects and adds new music to your library even if you bought it from iTunes or ripped a CD. The app does all the work for you. - An integrated MP3 Store: You can shop from the Amazon MP3 catalog of more than 25 million songs and discover new music with personalized recommendations, all without having to leave the app. - AutoRip: Buy an AutoRip CD or vinyl record from Amazon and a free MP3 version of the album will be added to your Cloud Player for Mac library. - Built for speed: Forget bloated players with extra features you don’t need or use. Cloud Player for Mac is lean, mean and made for your music. It’ll get you from launch to play in seconds. - Music management made simple: Download your MP3 purchases automatically or with one click. Export your music to other music players. Create and manage playlists using simple drag-and-drop. - Instant search & play: Find music easily and quickly. Type anywhere to search for an artist, album or song and play directly from the search results. - Rich artist content: See artist photos, bios, tweets, and gorgeous, large album art. - Anywhere access: Music purchased using Amazon Cloud Player for Mac is securely backed up in the cloud for free and made instantly available on any Kindle Fire, Android phone or tablet, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Samsung TV, Roku, Sonos, PC or web browser.
Amazon Cloud Player for Mac is a 45 MB download and requires a minimum of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Nike has released a new Nike SB app for iOS devices, which includes various features that attempt to integrate skaters from different locations. The app includes the ability to learn and share tricks with a "Trick Tree" section that contains videos and directions, daily challenges issued by the Nike SB team that allows users to gain exposure by filming and uploading videos of themselves, and badges for accomplishing tasks throughout the app.
The app also includes the ability to play a game of S.K.A.T.E. which involves two users connecting with each other in a round of sudden death trick performances. To prove that they have done the trick, each user records 15 seconds of video performing a trick for their opponent to match, as each failure by a user accmulates a letter. The first user to accumulate the word "SKATE" loses, and a user may not pause an active recording once it has started. A full record of wins and losses within the game are also attached to user profiles and can be viewed throughout the app.
Learn tricks, play games of S.K.A.T.E., take part in challenges with skaters around the planet, and chart your personal skate progress with the Nike SB App.
-Game of S.K.A.T.E.: Connect with skaters anywhere around the globe to play a game of S.K.A.T.E. through the app. -Challenges: Step up to new challenges issued by Nike SB and our pro team to help you keep progressing. Share your footage and have the chance to get noticed by a worldwide audience. -Trick Tree: Lose yourself in skateboarding’s endless creative process with our extensive Trick Tree, further inspiring you to learn and expand your skills. Learn straight from the pros with never-been-done filming and playback techniques before helping expand the Trick Tree with your own footage. -Badges: Earn special and limited badges for skating hard, meeting challenges, progressing and taking part in special events. -My Progress: Use the Nike SB App to track your own evolution as you build your personal profile. -Need help? Get support at nikesbapp.com/support
Nike SB is a free app for iOS devices, and can be downloaded through the App Store. [Direct Link]
LG Display is reportedly close to a deal with Apple to provide OLED displays for the upcoming iWatch, according to The Korea Herald (via Unwired View). The report also states that RITEK subsidary RiTdisplay will be the other primary display supplier in addition to LG for the smartwatch. Samsung was also said to have met with Apple over becoming a potential supplier for the iWatch, but discussions between the two companies were reportedly "not productive". A report from May stated that Apple had begun sampling 1.5-inch OLED displays from RiTdisplay for the iWatch, as Apple had also hired a senior OLED expert from LG Display this past February.
“Instead of relying on one supplier for its iWatch, which will be unveiled next year, Apple will have two vendors to be safe. The key provider will be RiTDisplay and LG Display will be the second,” Seoul-based HMC Investment Securities’ analyst Kim Young-woo said. “Japan Display might also be a candidate, but so far its capacity seems lacking.”
Apple has been long rumored to be working on the iWatch, which is expected to serve as an accessory to the iPhone and other iOS devices, giving users easy at-a-glance access to common functions along with additional biometric integration. Apple CEO Tim Cook stated in Apple's fourth quarter earnings call yesterday that the company still plans on introducing new product categories within 2014, which is a likely timeframe for the release of the iWatch as previously indicated by sources of the Financial Times as well as supply chain insiders familiar with the matter.
Sprint revealed today in its Q3 2013 results that it had sold 1.4 million iPhones in the last quarter, with 40% of those iPhones being sold to new customers. The company announced a 5% year-over-year growth, posting a record postpaid service revenue of $5.8 billion. This is about consistent compared to the 1.5 million iPhones the carrier sold in the year-ago quarter. Sprint also announced LTE networks in 45 new markets, bringing its total number of LTE locations to 230 markets. 
A day after Apple CEO Tim Cook 
Apple today posted two new 
Twitter for iOS has been updated to version 5.12, adding in-stream previews of Twitter photos and Vine videos that are displayed directly in a user's main timeline. Full screen media content can be accessed via a tap, which is an improvement over the app's previous functionality, which required users to tap a link to view video and image content. 
LG Display is reportedly close to a deal with Apple to provide OLED displays for the upcoming iWatch, according to 
