The price seems to have been dropped this weekend and is the lowest price we've seen for an iPad direct from Apple. All Apple's refurbished products come with the same warranty as new ones and include a new battery and aluminum outer shell.
This weekend HP slashed the price of its now-cancelled TouchPad tablet to $99 in order to clear stock in the wake of its corporate reorganization. By all accounts the TouchPad has been selling extremely well at that heavily reduced price point. Apple continues to sell every iPad it can make.
Update: For the moment, it seems the $299 iPad is sold out.
Update 2: It seems Apple has, for the moment, restocked the $299 16GB Wi-Fi iPad.
One of the most popular long-standing rumors regarding Apple's future product plans has centered around television sets. Several analysts have been strong proponents of the idea that Apple is working such a product, and unreliable Australian site Smarthouse reported last month that Apple had been rumored to be in discussions with LG about producing a panel for a 55-inch TV based on organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology.
“It’s true that Apple has keen interest in TV, allowing users to stream music, videos and TV shows via iTunes, though that needs some iPhone and iPad integration, however, Apple is still pessimistic about using OLED displays,” said one source.
“Because Apple is worried over higher costs and technology-related issues linking to large-sized OLED displays, it is groundless that Apple has asked LG Display to supply its OLED screens for its upcoming televisions,” added the source.
Sources for the report have indicated that Apple is likely to stick with more proven LCD technologies for any such television products, and has continued to shun OLED technology even for its smaller devices. In fact, Apple has shown no signs of moving toward OLED technology even looking out several years into the future.
“Apple has no interest in using OLED screens on its popular devices. The upcoming iPad 3 will also adopt picture quality-enhanced LCD screens, while the next iPhone will follow suit. Three or four more years will be needed to see OLED-embedded digital devices from Apple,” said a top-level executive from one of Apple’s suppliers.
Apple has long dabbled in the television market with the Apple TV, but continues to refer to the set-top box as a "hobby" even as it has tweaked the device to focus on streaming content from both the iTunes Store and users' computers and iOS devices. The company has reportedly been interested in offering more television content, perhaps in the form of "best of TV" subscription packages through the iTunes Store, but has expressed frustration with fragmentation in the industry and the stranglehold cable companies have over the user experience with their own set-top boxes.
The Square app has been updated to improve transaction speed, add support for $0.00 price points (so merchants can keep track of notes on orders like 'no cheese') and stopped requiring signatures for purchases under $25.
As for the new Square Card Case, it's designed to enable quick and easy repeat purchases at businesses that support Square. It allows users to browse menus, see specials, store receipts and pay without needing a credit card. Users can open a "tab" with a business and allow their saved credit card information to be charged without ever needing to physically hand the card to the merchant.
For users who frequent businesses that support Square, the Card Case can save a bit of time checking out. For businesses, the standard Square app is an extremely popular tool to enable quick and easy credit card purchases.
Square is now processing more than 1 million transactions and $100 million in mobile payments per month, and the company expects to double this volume by October.
The iPhone 3GS is still holding strong in the U.S. smartphone market, ranking as the second most popular handset during the second quarter. The device's success is clearly due to the low $49 price tag, even if the cost of the service contract greatly exceeds that of the iPhone itself over the two-year term.
Last week, we noted that we had received a tip that Best Buy would be offering an even better deal on the iPhone 3GS for today only, dropping the price to free with a two-year contract. That deal has indeed gone live today, with the free iPhone 3GS being selected as Best Buy's "Deal of the Day".
Research firm NPD today announced the release of its new Mobile Phone Track report for the second quarter of 2011, showing Android continuing to lead the U.S. smartphone market with 52% of new sales during the quarter. Apple's iPhone checked in with 29% of the market while Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices continued their free fall and garnered only 11% of the market.
SplatFpulls out one key detail from the full report, noting that not only is Apple's 14-month-old iPhone 4 continuing to lead the market in sales, but that the 8 GB iPhone 3GS takes the second spot in the rankings. The iPhone 3GS was introduced 26 months ago, and Apple kept the device around following last year's iPhone 4 introduction by dropping the capacity to 8 GB and offering it at a $99 price point for entry-level users. Pricing has since dropped to $49, with occasional deals bringing the price as low as free.
Here are the top five best-selling phones during Q2, via NPD’s Mobile Phone Track service:
1. Apple iPhone 4 2. Apple iPhone 3GS 3. HTC EVO 4G 4. HTC Inspire 4G 5. Samsung INTENSITYII
Apple has attempted to keep sales momentum for the iPhone 4 moving forward with the introduction of a CDMA version on Verizon and the much-delayed launch of a white version of the device earlier this year. But even as Apple has diverged from its usual annual cycle of iPhone releases by pushing the iPhone 5 out to September or October this year, the iPhone 4 and even the iPhone 3GS continue to top the charts in U.S. sales.
Japanese site Mac Otakarabriefly reports that Apple is planning to introduce an entirely new Mac product to its lineup. According to a rough translation provided with the original Japanese version, the product is said to be "absolutely different from current products" and potentially set for introduction by the end of the year.
According to anonymous source in Asian supplier company, Apple seems to be preparing project to release new Mac line-up which is absolutely different from current products until end of this year.
Though this source does not told in detail, this new Mac line seems to be clearly different products from current ones, so new product name could be given.
Mac Otakara has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple rumors. The site made news last December with its rendering of the iPad 2 case showing off a new, larger speaker that did in fact appear in the shipping version a few months later. The site also correctly reported on the iPad 2 media event and launch timeframe and introduction of Final Cut Pro X and third-party Thunderbolt devices. The site was incorrect, however, in its claim of Toggle DDR 2.0 memory for the MacBook Air.
Early iPhone 5 parts seem to be making their way into the supply chain. Earlier this evening, we reported that some more iPhone 5 parts had shown up at one particular retailer, including the iPhone 5 battery. While we felt the parts were likely legit, we had no specific confirmation.
In the meanwhile, however, UK repair shop iPatchiPods has passed along a few photos of an iPhone 5 battery part they had received from their contacts. The photos show the same battery as previously posted. This battery, however, is labeled "DVT_B3", marking it as a late development prototype.
The progression of Apple's product development goes through several distinct phases. Following the development phases, products go into EVT (Engineering Verification Testing) and then DVT (Device Verification Testing) stages before they reach the production stage. Of course, we're not sure how old the battery shown in the photo is, so the iPhone 5 very well could be in the final production stage.
The part images come from someone who has supplied iPatchiPods with legitimate Apple parts ahead of previous launches.
The specs of the part are identical to the previously described part with approximately the same power delivery as the iPhone 4 battery. We are working to get more images and accurate comparison dimensions of the parts.
As we approach the anticipated launch of the iPhone 5, we are seeing an increasing number of small leaks related to the production of the device in China. As the design is finalized, and production begins to ramp up, it's common to see early parts leak into the supply chain.
We were tipped that iPhone parts supplier TVC Mall has posted a few new claimed iPhone 5 parts this evening, including the Battery, Back Camera Lens, and Headphone/Earphone Audio Jack Flex Cable. The new parts are definitely different from the existing iPhone 4 parts, though the superficial changes seem unrevealing. We've shown them side-by-side in comparison, using images of iPhone 4 parts courtesy of iFixit.
The claimed iPhone 5 battery is of roughly the same shape of the existing iPhone 4 battery. The labeled specifications on the iPhone 5 part shows 3.7V and 5.3Whr while the iPhone 4 part shows 3.7V and 5.25Whr, showing roughly the same power.
The new part also has a plausible part number of 616-0580 as compared to the iPhone 4's 616-0513 and 616-0521 part numbers. The connector on the new battery is rotated in comparison to the iPhone 4 part.
The back camera module shown here seems to reveal a closely embedded camera flash much like the iPhone 4's design. There had been some early rumors that the iPhone 5's camera may be separated from the camera module, or that the iPhone 5 may even get dual LED flash. The iPhone 5's camera has been rumored to be an 8 mega pixel camera, upgraded from the 5 mega pixel camera found in the iPhone 4.
As with all these early iPhone 5 parts, the supplier website has scant details on the specifications. In fact, we doubt that they even know the specifications at this stage. Some dimensions do seem to be given for the parts, but when compared the dimensions for known parts (such as the iPhone 4 battery) on the same site, there seemed to be a wide discrepancy against other published specs we'd found on the internet. So, we can't put much faith in the listed dimensions.
The final new part listed on the site is the Audio Jack Flex cable. There isn't much we can say about it, though it does look very different from the existing GSM and CDMA parts. We asked iFixit's Kyle Wiens and just based on the images shown, Wiens said that the part numbers were reasonable, and the markings consistent with the currently shipping cable.
The iPhone 5 is widely expected to launch in September or October.
Update: iFixit has gotten its hands on what appears to be the exact same camera module being advertised by TVC Mall as being for the iPhone 5. According to iFixit's Kyle Wiens, the sensor is essentially identical to the iPhone 4's camera, checking in at the same 5-megapixel resolution with other specs also appearing to be identical. Consequently, it is unclear if this is indeed an iPhone 5 camera module, an existing iPhone 4 module, or perhaps an "iPhone 4S" camera module should Apple be looking to introduce a new low-end model based on the existing iPhone 4 design.
Back in iOS 5 Beta 2, we had seen references to a "Quake Alert" notification embedded in iOS 5, as shown here:
We weren't able to entirely explain or even activate the system, but despite the presence of english localization, it's reportedly intended for Japanese users according to 9to5Mac.
Japan has the most advanced earthquake early-warning system in the world. A nationwide online system launched in 2007, it detects tremors, calculates an earthquake's epicenter and sends out brief warnings from its 1,000-plus seismographs scattered throughout the country, one of the most earthquake-prone nations on the planet.
The need for such a warning system was underscored by the devastating 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis Japan experienced earlier this year. iOS 5 users reportedly have the option to receive these early warnings in iOS 5 at the very bottom of the iOS 5 Notification Center settings pane. We were unable to activate the system from a U.S. based iPhone. The system is reported to be a common feature on Japanese mobile phones.
Early last week, Boy Genius Report claimed that Apple has been testing a 4G LTE-enabled iPhone with carriers, and pointed to an "internal iOS test build" of one of Apple's major mobile partners. In that build was a property list file (.plist) for LTE. BGR believed that this meant that Apple was already testing LTE hardware in the field.
LTE is the term the next generation wireless broadband network that is currently being deployed by both Verizon and AT&T. Data speeds for LTE should be significantly faster than the iPhone's existing 3G network.
We've since discovered the same LTE plist file in at least the last couple of developer builds of iOS 5. This LTE.plist file was found only in some of the builds (GSM iPhone 4, CDMA iPad 2, but not their counterparts) and it was related to Apple's internal "Fieldtest" application. It raises the question whether or not the "internal iOS test build" was anything special or if it just mirrored the general developer release.
Despite this not being the only LTE-related Apple news we heard last week, it's still unlikely that Apple will make the jump to LTE so early with the iPhone 5.
Engadget also posted a photo from a source who claimed that AT&T had installed 4G LTE equipment in a major Apple retail store. AT&T provides Apple with equipment to enhance phone coverage in their stores, so the suggestion is that AT&T is boosting LTE signals in anticipation of some Apple-related hardware.
And late last week, Forbes pointed out that Apple had put out a job listing for field test engineers with expertise in LTE.
Field testing in the wireless industry typically means going outside (“into the field”) with a new cellphone and measuring its signal strength. It is an integral step that phone makers must take before releasing products to the public.
While Apple often lists LTE amongst other testing protocols in any iPhone-relate job application, this job title was written to emphasize LTE technology specifically.
The reason LTE is unlikely to arrive, however, in the 2012 iPhone is based on comments by Apple's Tim Cook about the state of LTE chipsets earlier this year. Cook said that the first generation of LTE chipsets forced a lot of design compromises, and Apple was unwilling to make those compromises. Those compromises likely referred to the high power requirements of current generation LTE chipsets that can result in very short battery life for mobile phones.
The LTE chipset that is believed to be the one that Apple plans on using for the iPhone is the upcoming Qualcomm MDM9615. That chipset was announced in February and is said to start "sampling" in late 2011. A leak of Qualcomm's 2011-2012 roadmap in July pinpointed the release of the MDM9615 to Q2 2012, putting it in line for the iPhone 6.
So yes, Apple is likely field testing early LTE devices (under iOS 5 even), but they probably won't come out until 2012.
TechCrunch reports that Apple is making an interesting change in iOS 5, phasing out the ability for developers to access a device's Unique Device Identifier (UDID). Apple is instead asking developers to create unique identifiers specific to their apps in order to tie installations to specific users.
This is a big deal, especially for any mobile ad networks, game networks or any app which relies on the UDID to identify users. Many apps and mobile ad networks, for instance, uses the UDID or a hashed version to keep track of who their users are and what actions they have taken. App publishers are now supposed to crete their own unique identifiers to keep track of users going forward, which means they may have to throw all of their historical user data out the window and start from scratch.
Apple and a number of app developers have been sued over their handling of UDIDs. While UDIDs can't directly be linked with a specific users, information tied to a device can be passed along to advertisers to help them in targeting their advertisements, with some privacy advocates objecting to the practice.
With the UDID, ad networks can track what apps are being used on a given device, enabling them to piece together a valuable picture of activity conducted on a specific device. Apple's move seems to specifically address that concern, breaking down identifiers to the app level to limit the ability to put together such a complete picture.
In what appears to be another sign of iPad competitors having difficulty gaining customer acceptance, Best Buy yesterday announced a new promotion that sees the leading electronics retailer giving away Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets with the purchase of select new Samsung 3D high-definition televisions. The package deals also include free 3D starter kits containing two pairs of 3D glasses and a handful of 3D movie titles.
This week's Samsung special is the latest offer in Best Buy's Perfect Match Promise, a series of deals to help customers go big and go home happy. This week only, Best Buy's Perfect Match Promise offers customers a 16 GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with the purchase a Samsung 46" Class LED 1080p Smart 3D HDTV all for the low price of $1499.99 after savings. Customers can also step up to a 55" Samsung TV (measured diagonally) with a 3D Starter Kit for only $1999.99 after savings.
The promotion begins on August 21st and runs through August 27th.
Samsung has been the leading competitor to Apple in the tablet market as a number of other companies have faltered in their attempts at launching competing products. But while Samsung has reported strong shipment numbers for its Galaxy Tab offerings relative to other non-Apple tablet companies, it is still unclear just how many of those units are making it into customers' hands. Samsung is also facing strong legal challenges from Apple in a number of countries, challenges which have hampered Samsung's ability to roll out the Galaxy Tab in several markets and threaten many of its other Android-based products.
Best Buy made headlines in the tablet market earlier this week after a source reported that the retailer had sold less than 10% of its stock of HP TouchPad tablets and was seeking to return much of the remainder to HP. That disclosure came just a day before HP announced that it would be ending its tablet and smartphone hardware businesses amid weak launch demand.
The iPad lets crew quickly identify where each customer is seated, who they are travelling with, their Executive Club status and any special meal requests. It gives cabin crew a whole library of information at their fingertips including timetables, safety manuals and customer service updates. It also means any issues can be logged with ground-based colleagues around the network prior to departure so solutions can be delivered while the flight is airborne.
When all the passengers have boarded and just before the doors are shut, cabin crew are currently handed a long scroll of paper, listing up to 337 customers. With the new iPads cabin crew will simply refresh their screen when the doors have closed through wireless 3G networks and they will have a complete list of passengers on board.
BA is testing the iPad with 100 cabin crew and aims to roll out the program to all senior crew members in the next few months.
Apple Australia managing director Tony King has agreed to speak with Australian Member of Parliament (MP) Ed Husic about technology prices that are significantly higher in Australia than the rest of the world.
Technology prices in general are much higher in Australia, even when accounting for exchange rates. The Australian Dollar is much stronger than it was two years ago, and now is trading higher than parity with the US Dollar. The new MacBook Air is 15% more expensive in Australia, and some software, like Adobe's CS5.5 Design Premium, is nearly 75% more expensive when accounting for currency exchange.
According to Australian newspaper The Age, King agreed in March to speak with Parliament by July 16. That date came and went without a meeting between the MP and Apple. Angered by this snub, Husic spoke strongly against Apple on the floor of Parliament:
Apple refused to respond and I am staggered by their behaviour: they've snubbed consumer, media and parliamentary interest in this matter.
He continued, saying that price discrimination occurs even when products are downloaded electronically -- such as from the Mac or iOS App Stores. Apple reduced app store pricing last month for a number of international countries to account for changes in exchange rates
Apple has gotten in touch with MP Husic and are reportedly trying to set up a meeting between him and Tony King. Husic said that if companies refuse to be transparent with their pricing, he would ask Australia's pricing watchdog, the ACCC, to "take up the case for long-suffering consumers and carry out a formal inquiry into why these prices differ so wildly."
However, Apple's Australian prices include a 10% Goods and Services tax. In the US, sales tax varies state-to-state and is calculated later in the process than Australia. As a result, the prices aren't as far apart, at least on hardware, as MP Husic claims. Additionally, exchange rates are constantly fluctuating and rapidly changing retail prices as currency rates change simply isn't feasible.
The problem is real, but it seems Husic may be singling out Apple because they are a big, successful company.
Apple today pushed out the sixth beta version of iOS 5 to developers, marking yet another step in the development process leading up to the public release of iOS 5 later this year. The release, which is labeled as Build 9A5302b, comes nearly two weeks after the surprise Saturday release of the fifth beta version earlier this month.
The over-the-air version of iOS 5 beta 6 for the iPhone checks in at 144 MB. (Thanks, Parker!)
In addition to iOS 5 beta 6, Apple has also released a new beta version of iTunes 10.5 and a new preview version of Xcode 4.2 to support the release.
Apple is expected to release iOS 5 for existing hardware around the time of the iPhone 5 launch, with rumors for the debut now coalescing around early October.
Update: Apple has also pushed out iWork for iOS beta 2 and a new "beta 5" of the Apple TV software.
Update 2: As noted by It's All Tech, Apple on the Mac side has pushed out a new developer seed of OS X 10.7.2 (Build 11C40), iCloud for OS X Lion beta 8, and a new build of Safari 5.1.1, all to be used for testing out iCloud.
Update 3: iLounge notes that Apple appears to have disabled Nike+ syncing through iTunes for iOS 5 users with the new beta, forcing them to use the wireless syncing option that debuted in iOS 4.1.
"Apple Story" in Flushing, Queens (Source: Greg Autry via BirdAbroad)
Reuters reports on a lawsuit filed by Apple against a pair of stores in New York City for their sale of unauthorized counterfeit Apple products. The trademark infringement suit was filed last month but has remained sealed until now in order to facilitate seizure of the counterfeit items from the two stores in the Chinatown section of Flushing in Queens.
According to a court filing from Apple, the company sent representatives to Apple Story and Fun Zone in Flushing on "multiple occasions over several weeks," where they bought an assortment of iPod, iPhone and iPad cases, as well as stereo headsets designed for use with iPhones.
All of the purchased goods carried an Apple trademark, according to the amended complaint. They were also marked with the phrase "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China," and included markings similar to those found on genuine Apple goods.
The headsets came with packaging that was "nearly an exact duplicate" of that for genuine Apple goods, the lawsuit said.
Apple was granted a warrant to seize the counterfeit products on July 27th, and the courts have granted a preliminary injunction barring the two stores from selling the knockoff products. Apple has also requested that one of the stores, Apple Story, change its name in order to prevent confusion with Apple's own stores and branding, but the court has yet to rule on that issue. A settlement between Apple and the stores' owners is said to be under negotiation.
Apple's case appears to extend beyond the two stores, however, as the lawsuit seeks to include people and businesses engaged in the production, sale, and distribution of the products, although those defendants have yet to be identified.
Last week, Apple was granted a preliminary injunction (since partially suspended) preventing Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in all countries of the European Union except the Netherlands following a complaint of intellectual property infringement. The Netherlands was specifically excluded from the case because Apple had a separate lawsuit underway in that country.
Computerworld now reports on the content of that Dutch lawsuit, which reportedly seeks a ban on the sale of all Galaxy smartphones and tablets by Samsung throughout the European Union.
Apple's complaint, seen by Webwereld, a Dutch IDG publication, seeks an injunction for the entire Galaxy series. This includes smartphones -- the Galaxy Ace, Galaxy S and Galaxy SII -- and tablets: the Galaxy Tab 7 and Galaxy Tab 10.1. Other Galaxy devices, like the Gio, Nexus, 551, Europa, Apollo and Mini are also involved, albeit only in a footnote in which Apple states, "It is expected that these devices are also covered by one or more of the patent rights invoked."
Apple demands an extensive ban on these devices, covering manufacturing, stocking, importing, distributing, trading or selling by Samsung Korea and its Dutch subsidiaries, which include Samsung Logistics BV and Samsung Overseas BV.
Apple has demanded that Samsung request recalls of all stock within 14 days and provide compensation to vendors in its distribution channels while also putting the vendors on notice that refusal to return stocks would put them in violation of Apple's intellectual property rights.
The court in The Hague is scheduled to rule on the case on September 15th, with any potential injunctions not to take effect before October 13th.
BGR briefly reports that an AT&T vice president has confirmed to some employees that the iPhone 5 is indeed slated to launch in early October as has recently been rumored by several sources.
Additionally, the VP communicated the following to a group of managers: “Expect things to get really, really busy in the next 35-50 days, so prepare your teams accordingly.”
Apple's carrier partners are frequently kept in the dark about Apple's exact launch plans, although AT&T has proven to be one of Apple's closer partners and hints from the carrier such as employee vacation blackouts have in the past narrowed down iPhone launch dates.
Update: The Loop's well-connected Jim Dalrymple just quoted the BGR report and added a single word response of his own: "Yep."
Dalrymple is known to have solid sources within Apple and has at times almost appeared to be an unofficial outlet for the company as when he quickly debunked last week's claim of a September 7th media event.
