Apple iPhone 5 Arrives at Last

Posted by Jeff in Apple, Technology

Apple iPhone 5 arrives at last, Apple claims its the thinnest, lightest iPhone ever featuring an all new aluminum design.

Apple press release copied below to give you all of the juicy details.

Apple® today announced iPhone® 5, the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina™ display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology*—all while delivering even better battery life.**

iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features including: the all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography and turn-by-turn navigation; Facebook integration; Passbook® organization; and even more Siri® features and languages.

“iPhone 5 is the most beautiful consumer device that we’ve ever created,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We’ve packed an amazing amount of innovation and advanced technology into a thin and light, jewel-like device with a stunning 4-inch Retina display, blazing fast A6 chip, ultrafast wireless, even longer battery life; and we think customers are going to love it.”

iPhone 5 is the thinnest smartphone in the world, with an all-new 7.6 mm anodized aluminum body that is 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than iPhone 4S. Designed with an unprecedented level of precision, iPhone 5 combines an anodized aluminum body with diamond cut chamfered edges and glass inlays for a truly incredible fit and finish.

The new 4-inch Retina display on iPhone 5 delivers even more pixels than iPhone 4S, making the already incredible Retina display even better. By making the screen taller, not wider, iPhone 5 is just as easy to use with one hand so you can tap, type and scroll the same way you always have, while enjoying even more of your content including amazing apps optimized for the larger Retina display, widescreen HD video, a full five days of your Calendar and more of every web page.

iPhone 5 supports ultrafast wireless standards including LTE and DC-HSDPA, so you can browse, download and stream content even faster. To support the latest LTE technology, Apple has pioneered a unique single-radio LTE solution that provides blazing fast speeds while fitting perfectly into the new remarkably thin design. iPhone 5 features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for a wireless experience up to 150 Mbps.***

The all-new A6 chip was designed by Apple to maximize performance and power efficiency to support all the incredible new features in iPhone 5, including the stunning new 4-inch Retina display—all while delivering even better battery life. With up to twice the CPU and graphics performance, almost everything you do on iPhone 5 is blazing fast for launching apps, loading web pages and downloading email attachments.

The 8 megapixel iSight® camera is the most popular camera in the world and with iPhone 5, it’s even better. The new camera is completely redesigned with incredible optical performance, yet amazingly it’s 25 percent smaller than the camera in iPhone 4S.

The new iSight camera in iPhone 5 features a sapphire crystal lens cover that is thinner and more durable than standard glass with the ability to provide crystal clear images. The new panorama feature lets you capture jaw-dropping panorama images of up to 28 megapixels by simply moving the camera across a scene in one smooth motion.

New video features include improved stabilization, video face detection for up to 10 faces and the ability to take still photos as you record. A new FaceTime® HD front facing camera makes FaceTime calls incredibly clear and can also be used for self portraits and recording 720p HD video. iPhone 5 also allows you to share photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.

iPhone 5 features the new Lightning™ connector that is smaller, smarter and more durable than the previous connector. The all-digital Lightning connector features an adaptive interface that uses only the signals that each accessory requires, and it’s reversible so you can instantly connect to your accessories. The Lightning-to-30-pin Adapter is also available to connect iPhone 5 to legacy 30-pin accessories.****

iPhone 5 introduces new enhanced audio features including a new beam-forming, directional microphone system for higher quality sound, while background noise fades away with new noise canceling technology. iPhone 5 now includes support for cellular wideband audio for crisper word clarity and more natural sounding speech. Wideband audio will be supported by over 20 carriers worldwide at launch.

iPhone 5 comes with the new Apple EarPods™ featuring a breakthrough design for a more natural fit and increased durability, and an incredible acoustic quality typically reserved for higher-end earphones.

iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new user features including: an all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and an amazing new Flyover™ view; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center; Passbook, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place; new Siri features, including support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings;*****

Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari® and Maps; and Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®. Pricing & Availability iPhone 5 comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

iPhone 5 will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK on Friday, September 21, and customers can pre-order their iPhone 5 beginning Friday, September 14.

iPhone 4S will also be available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 4 will be available for free with a two-year contract.******

iOS 6 software will be available on Wednesday, September 19 as a free software update. iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on September 28, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

*LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details. ** Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary. *** Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary. **** Sold separately. ***** Not all features are supported in all countries. ****** Availability varies by carrier.

iBooks 2 Launched by Apple to ‘Reinvent’ the Textbook

Posted by James in Apple, Education

iBooks 2 launched by Apple in order to ‘reinvent’ the textbook.

Ahh yes the bane of every young students life, a bag full of text books each 500 pages thick and weighing more than they do.

I almost killed myself when I was 12 as the bag of books I was carrying swung from one side of my body, where it had been nicely balanced, over to the other side… where it was not.

The sudden shift in weight caused the bike I was riding to veer across the road in front of oncoming traffic. It all happened so fast I had no choice but to hang on and pray.

Thankfully, all I bruised was my ego and I got away with a few honks from shaken motorists. I had to pick up a cycling proficiency award later that day too, life’s funny that way sometimes isn’t it?

Anyway, I digress. Back to Apple.

iBooks 2

I can certainly see where Apple are coming from with the launch of iBooks 2. They want todo away with such cumbersome things as a good old fashioned textbook and bring education into the 21st century.

With iBooks 2 they see a world where textbooks are interactive and fun (presumably with every student using an iPad). They demonstrated how iBooks 2 utilized the portrait position of an iPad to show a text led book and landscape mode to enter into a far more interactive experience.

iBooks Author

Apple also launched a free app to make it easier for anyone to create an interactive textbook. It is called iBooks Author and it is described as being to ebooks creation as garageband is to music creation.

You can download iBooks Author for free at the app store here and it includes templates already made by Apple that you can use as a starting point.

The big educational publishers such as McGraw Hill and Pearson Education are already publishing their books for the iBook 2 app and more publishers are producing content as I write this.

Apple promised that iBooks 2 will offer books for every subject, grade level and student.

How schools will react to Apple’s plan for educational domination is not known.

A classroom full of kids playing with very expensive hardware worth many hundreds of copies of a textbook may be some teachers idea of hell.

Thats if they could raise the funds in the first place, add to that the cost of the ebooks themselves and you have a very large investment.

If parents are going to pay for such devices then their kid might suddenly become the most popular kid in the school, perhaps not for the right reasons.

Photo: Apple

iPhone App Development – Could You Do It?

Posted by James in Apple, Technology

iPhone app development seems like a difficult thing todo, but is it really? With $millions being made in mobile applications development we thought we should find out how to make an app.

We reported the other day that the game that made it’s name on the iPhone, Angry Birds, has now hit 1/2 billion downloads.

Now the game is cheap, being an iPhone app, at less than a $1 (and could be considered an absolute bargain when you think how much console & PC games of a similar standard are), but at 1/2 billion downloads it’s easy to do the maths & come up with a figure of $kerching$.

Yes, there is a free version but there are also upgrade options & cross selling going on so which ever way you slice it it’s good business. The market agrees too, valuing the parent company at about $1 billion.

So, is it possible for mere mortals to enter this lucrative market? Can someone without ninja programming skills learn how to do it?

iPhone App Development without Programming?

We looked around locally for a course that might be able to do just that but the answer was always the same. All the courses we have checked out, including classroom led courses and books, all state that you have to have programming experience before you even start thinking about iPhone app development.

“iPhone app development? You need to know programming mate.” as one helpful instructor put it.

Then we came across Mike on the rather less local internet, he told us that it is possible and he teaches people just how todo iPhone app development the easy way. We were curious to find out more.

How to Make an App

Mike is a developer and in his presentation video he shows his developer account paid out $63,896 in September 2010 as well as $80 a day in earnings from ads within his apps.

Mike says that iPhone app development and mobile app development in general doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. He started with no programming experience,

” [iPhone app development courses] assume you are at least expert in C++ before you start learning XCode and other iphone development stuff. I decided to change this approach completely.

You know I had no programming skills at all when I started out so I don’t expect you to know anything about programming. You don’t have to have any technical knowledge. If you can operate your iPhone and basic computer software – that’s all we need to start.”

Mike says that his iPhone app development course starts off with the basics and general app development. This moves on to specific iPhone app development tools and the ‘cheating’ tips and tricks that cut down development time and cuts out the need for any serious programming skills. There are even details for iphone development on windows.

In the final part of the course there are specifics about marketing your newly created app, probably the most important area that usually gets overlooked by most traditional courses. After all, if no one knows your app exists, how are you supposed to make your money?

There is also a useful case study of a space invaders game that Mike created. You may want to check the copyright on that one though Mike!

One of Mike’s customers said of his training course,

“Hey mike! You know I had no programming skills but I have been dreaming about creating my game since childhood! Your course was an eye opener for me! i not only created my first game but sold over 2500 copies last month!! thanks a lot man!

Hans, Germany”

A $1 trial of his training course is available here.

The truth is that if you wanted to create something as polished as Angry Birds you will need some serious skills and a decent sized developer team.

But other iphone apps are not so complicated & could be the result of following a course such as Mikes. And at the end of the day, even Angry Birds is a very simple concept wrapped in some pretty packaging.

Overall it is an intriguing prospect, iPhone app development without being a programmer or graphics designer. Now where did I put that game design that I did when I was 13?

Steve Jobs Biography

Posted by James in Apple, Biographies

Steve Jobs biography: The man in the black turtle neck who made technology cool.

Steve Jobs was an inspiration person who sadly passed away this week. In tribute to him and his legacy we have compiled this biography that only scratches the surface of Steve Jobs life.

If you would like to know more then we recommend a forthcoming book by Walter Isaacson Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Steve Jobs Biography: The Early Years

Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco in February 1955 to unwed parents who put him up for adoption. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs and was brought up in what would become the centre of the computing world, Silicon Valley.

Perhaps naturally growing up in that environment, Steve Jobs was fascinated by the fledgling electronics industry and spent time at companies such as HP and Atari. It was during this period that he met Steve Wozniak who would later join him in founding Apple Computers.

Steve Jobs is well known for dropping out of college and he only attended in Oregon for a short period. He did however, allude to the fact that his time there contained some great insights for him. For instance, he attributes the inspiration for Apples famously clear font styles and user interface (UI) designs to events such as attending calligraphy and typeface printing classes.

After dropping out Steve Jobs spent time on a spiritual journey, learning about Eastern mysticism and taking a journey to India to learn meditation and find out what he wanted out of life.

Steve Jobs Biography: Apple Computers

When he returned to Silicon Valley it seemed as though he had gained a clear perspective on what he wanted todo and a determination to achieve it. He teamed up with his friend and electronics wiz Steve Wozniak who had just designed and built his own computer board.

Steve Jobs saw the potential of an idea and formed Apple Computers in 1976 with Wozniak, selling the computer boards to local computer stores.

Meanwhile Wozniak had been working on what would become the most advanced personal computer of the time, the Apple II. It had color graphics and the worlds first commercial spreadsheet program.

After getting funding from an ex-Intel executive, the Apple II was a sensation and Apple Computers went public soon after in 1980. Steve Jobs assets were now valued at $200 million.

Increased competition, including IBM entering the market, meant that the early 80′s were tough on Steve Jobs and the Apple company.

They were still innovators though, they brought the first graphical user interface (GUI) to market and we saw the first Macintosh computer in 1984.

It was also a time of internal strife, Steve Jobs was considered by some in Apple as arrogant and temperamental. Poor sales meant that internal pressures could not be swept under the carpet as Apple began to look like a company in trouble.

Apple CEO John Sculley, whom Steve Jobs had brought in to help him run the company, fell out with Jobs and the resulting shakeup meant that Steve Jobs was sidelined at Apple and absolved of his responsibilities.

Steve Jobs Biography: Pixar & NeXT

Apple may have been his life up to that point, but the phrase “when one door closes another one opens” could have been written for Steve Jobs.

George Lucas had been working with a team of computer animators and for some reason (I can never find a satisfactory answer to this one), decided that he didn’t have the means to take them forward.

He introduced them to Steve Jobs who decided that he could. He turned them into another company you might know called Pixar, although it would be many years before they would become the company we know today.

Steve Jobs had also been working on another idea, he wanted to build high end computers for research projects and universities. He also wanted some of Apples best people to join his team.  Another argument ensued prompting Steve Jobs to finally resign and sell most of his Apple stock in protest.

NeXT computers was finally born in 1986 with Steve Jobs at the helm after Apple dropped its threats of legal action. It wasn’t a great success and although they tried to expand into the business market the company was losing money.

With Pixar also struggling  the early 90′s were a bleak and humbling time for Steve Jobs and his ambitions.

In his personal life things were better. He married Laurene in 1991 and had a young son, the up side of his current business circumstances meant that he could spend time at home with his young family.

Wiser men than me have suggested that mans greatest triumphs often come on the heals of their greatest defeats and so it proved with Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs Biography: Zero to Hero

Pixar had initially been commissioned by Disney to produce the worlds first full computer animation movie back in 1991, but it was 4 years before the phenomenon that was Toy Story was released.

Never one to overlook perfect timing Steve Jobs took Pixar public a week after the Toy Story release in 1995, instantly seeing his net worth rocket to $1.5 billion.

His other major venture, NeXT, would also take a dramatic turn.

With the release of Windows 95 Microsoft had really turned up the heat on Apple computers. Since Steve Jobs had left they had failed to produce anything new or innovative and their market share was in freefall. Their once elegant operating system had become bloated and was no match for Microsofts new Windows 95 software.

As with Apple, Steve Jobs had always stayed true to his original vision of simple design and powerful features in whatever NeXT produced. This was true of their operating system called NeXTSTEP and it was this software that persuaded Gil Amelio, then CEO of Apple Computers, to buy NeXT and bring Steve Jobs back into the Apple fold.

Gil Amelio may have brought Steve Jobs back to Apple but he wouldn’t be shown any mercy by Jobs when he announced huge Apple losses in 1997. Steve Jobs showed his ruthless side and promptly took his job.

Steve Jobs undertook a complete review of the company from top to bottom and streamlined every area of operations.

He also started to undertake what would perhaps become the biggest achievement of his career, the branding of Apple, headed by the slogan ‘Think Different’.

He was telling people what he always believed, that you don’t have to be like everyone else, you can change the world and Apple are there to help you.

Within the year Apple were back in profit with products such as the Apple Powerbook (I used to support these by the way, their reliability was shall we say… debatable).

Steve Jobs Biography: The Modern Era

The modern era of Apple can really be traced back to one event, the launch of the iMac in 1998.

Something that Apple would do again and again over the coming years happened for the first time since the launch of the original Apple II, the challenging of conventional wisdom and assumptions through great design.

In the case of the iMac, a riot of colorful plastic, it was the assumption that computers had to be boring grey boxes. It was a massive success with the public and changed the personal computer industry almost overnight.

Steve Jobs began to formulate the plan that would sow the seeds of success for Apple over the next decade, he saw the future of the personal computer as a digital hub for the new digital age. Seamlessly linking to other digital devices and he wanted Apple to be at the heart of it all.

The first creations to come out of this strategy were the so called iApps such as iMovie and iTunes. It was the hardware though that would really change the game.

In the early 2000′s there was a music site called Napster that allowed the downloading of music from the internet in MP3 format and the attention it was getting didn’t pass Steve Jobs by.

He wasn’t going to restrict Apple to just building computers and with some outside help, he turned their attention to building their own MP3 player and launched the iPod in 2001.

Steve Jobs Biography: The iPod

They weren’t the first but with Apples trademark good design and simple interface, the iPod became the de-facto MP3 player in what would become a massive market. The iPod and iTunes combination changed the music industry almost overnight.

Steve Jobs also decided to sell the iPod and other Apple hardware through their own retail stores. With very low key selling going against the retail grain, original fittings and inhouse product classes and training, they were a continuation of the Apple branding and their massive success is still influencing how other retailers operate.

In 2003 Steve Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent surgery in 2004. After the surgery people thought that he had beaten the disease but as we now know that was not going to be the case.

Revenues from the iPod range, which by now included several versions including the nano and shuffle, actually surpassed those of it’s computers in 2006 and they pretty much had the MP3 market sown up. Even today, iTunes is still the largest retailer of music in the world.

Also announced in 2006 was the merger of Pixar and Disney. The move made Steve Jobs the largest single shareholder of Disney stock, a fact that was still true when Steve Jobs passed away this week.

Steve Jobs Biography: iPhone

Still pursuing his digital hub strategy laid out at the start of the decade, Apple would go on to launch Apple TV and the next real step change in technology in 2007. The iPhone. It changed the mobile phone industry overnight.

When he launched it Steve Jobs said that the iPhone was light years ahead of the competition and I don’t think anyone at that time would have disagreed. Nothing else came close, only with the launch of Googles android software years later did that change.

What is interesting is that Steve Jobs was effectively sealing the fate of his iPod range with the launch of the iPhone. How many other CEO’s would sacrifice a product range that produced around half their revenue?

I think that fact and the iPhone itself sums up more than anything else why many are calling Steve Jobs a visionary, he always looked beyond the short term.

In 2009 Steve Jobs shocked the Apple community by finally admitting the rumoured health problems and taking 6 months off for another operation that would see him undergo a liver transplant.

Steve Jobs Biography: iPad

With Steve Jobs back as CEO in 2010 he announced another ground breaking product that would enhance his ‘visionary’ status and once again change the computer industry almost overnight. He launched the iPad.

Again, other manufacturers had tried tablet computers and failed miserably, so Apple were not the first. They were however, the first to get it right.

The same skilled design that made the iPhone so brilliant did the same for the iPad. A whole new market of the personal computer industry was created with the iPads launch.

In 2011 it was obvious when Steve Jobs resigned as Apple CEO that his health was deteriorating, but the news that he had died this week still came as a shock to many. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.

Steve Jobs Biography: Summary

Count how many times I have said “changed the ……  industry almost overnight” and you will instantly gauge what Steve Jobs has brought to the technology industry that now rules every area of our lives in practically every country in the world.

He changed the computer industry with the Apple II, iMac and iPad.

He changed the music industry with iTunes and iPod.

He changed the phone industry with iPhone. He changed the movie industry with Pixar.

How many people can say they built a billion $ company? How many people can say that they did it on 3 different occasions in 2 different industries?

Of course he didn’t do it all on his own, he worked with other great people such as British design genius Jony Ive. But he set the tone, strategy and branding. He had the drive, the vision and the management skills to inspire his colleagues and his many customers.

The fact that the passing of Steve Jobs this week made front line news around the world, that people set up shrines for him as they might a pop star or movie actor, that Presidents paid tribute tells you alot about the man.

How many other business people around the world can say that they will get the same treatment when they pass away? It is difficult to name even one.

Photos: Robert Scoble, Ed Bierman, Tom Newby Photography, Marcin Wichary, Yutaka Tsutano, Apple

Steve Jobs Passes Away

Posted by James in Apple, Celebrity

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and a visionary to many people has passed away at the age of 56.

Steve Jobs announced that had been suffering from cancer in 2004 and had to undergo a liver transplant in 2009.

In January 2011 Steve Jobs took medical leave and finally resigned as Apple CEO in August of this year. He handed the reigns over to Tim Cook who led the announcement of the new iPhone 4S this week.

In a statement on their website Apple said that

“Apple had lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor.”

Many in the world would agree.

We have compiled a Steve Jobs biography that tracks the some major events in his life. Why not leave your thoughts about Steve Jobs in the comments below.

iPhone 4S, Siri, iMessaging, iOS 5 & iCloud Launched by Apple

Posted by James in Apple, Technology

iPhone 4S, Siri, iMessaging, iOS 5 & iCloud launched by Apple with Tim Cook taking centre stage for the first time.

No iPhone 5 but instead an upgraded version of the iPhone 4, logically called the iPhone 4s (super? sensational? sanitised? sucks? make your own mind up).

iPhone 4S or iPhone 4, what is the difference?

Well the iPhone 4S comes with a some upgraded features including the dual-core A5 chip seen in other recent Apple products, a new camera which allows for full 1080p HD recording and a so-called intelligent assistant called Siri.

The iPhone 4S includes an 8 megapixel camera with a custom built lens allowing for a larger f/2.4 aperture opening. Both these features will mean much sharper images and should provide a noticeable improvement in quality over the iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4S is also able to record in full 1080p high definition and with built in image stabilization, your videos should also be watchable.

The new A5 dual core chip will mean apps and software will perform much faster, no more missing that photo moment while waiting for the camera software to start up.

Graphics will also be massively improved as we saw when the chip was introduced on the iPad 2. Apple say graphics run 7 times faster than on the standard iPhone 4.

It is also worth noting that the hiccup of the original iPhone 4 launch, the antenna, has once again been looked at. Apple claim that the dual antenna design now allows much faster download speeds as it uses intelligent switching for sending and receiving voice and data.

Siri Voice Control

Siri allows you to speak into the iPhone 4S and either get an answer back or an action accomplished. It also allows effective dictation ala ‘dragon speaking’ which is a welcome addition to the feature set for many people.

Siri will also, cleverly, understand context. So if you ask “Will I need an umbrella this weekend?”, it understands that you want to know the weather forecast for the weekend.

It’s a pretty clever addition for the iPhone 4S and not limited to any particular function. You can for example, tell Siri to remind you to call Dad when you get home. Siri will then look up Dad’s number in your address book, schedule a reminder and monitor your location for the right time to remind you.

You can use Siri for all iPhone 4S functions, making calls, getting directions, making appointments or meetings, email, internet browsing, calculations etc.

In my eyes, Siri appears to be a giant leap forward for how we interact with our devices. Although sadly it appears that the processing power needed for Siri means it is available on the iPhone 4S only.

iOS 5 with iMessage

Launched at the same time as the iPhone 4S is the latest version of the iPhone operating system called iOS 5. Claiming over 200 new features including the new iMessaging service and notification centre.

iOS 5 now has better integration with services such as twitter so you can share instantly a message or photo.

The new iMessage function allows for grouping of contacts, so sending items such as photos to certain people and not others becomes easy.

iCloud

iCloud was touted a while back but with the launch of the iPhone 4S it really comes to the fore and should be considered it’s official unveiling.

It’s a free service for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac users that allows the storage and synchronisation of all your content across all your devices. This could be any content such as music or documents.

You can for instance, set up photo streaming. This means that you take a picture on you iPhone 4S and it instantly gets sent to the iCloud and then synchronised to your home computer.

iPhone 4S Summary

There has been alot of criticism in the media about the iPhone 4S launch and it appears that the main reason is that everyone was expecting a whole new redesigned iPhone 5.

While it is true that it is a little disappointing that the iPhone 4S is not the iPhone 5, if you are in the market for a new phone the it is still one of the very best. Perhaps if the iPhone 4S just had a new screen and new case, they could have called it the iPhone 5.

The speed improvements, full HD recording, image stabilization, Siri and all the other software updates really do make a difference and are just enough to keep the iPhone 4S ahead of the pack.

Personally I think it is easy to underestimate the importance of Siri.

For me it is the future of how we interact with our devices. We see in science fiction movies all the time the idea of devices that understand any voice command in the same way as a human. No more pre-programmed, rigid commands and voice training your device. Instead just a natural use of language.

If you already have an iPhone 4 there is more incentive to wait for the iPhone 5, it is debatable whether an upgrade to the iPhone 4S is worth it. If you can get a great trade in price for your old model then I would go for it, otherwise I would wait.

Introducing the iPhone 4S (Video by Apple)

Waiting for the iPhone 5?

p.s. Developing apps for the iphone is getting more popular, see here if you would like to find out how to make an app.

iPhone 5 News: What’s the Latest?

Posted by James in Apple, Technology

iPhone 5 news & rumor is busting out from the internet gossip channels. So lets join in & see whats what with the iPhone 5.

Well it seems like we have been here before in our round-up of the iPad 2 rumors. I don’t think that we did too badly there so lets take a shot at the iPhone 5 news and see what’s what on the rumor mill.

iPhone 5 News: Release Date

Well for a start it looks like the iPhone 5 is imminently erm.. imminent.

A specific date of September 7th 2011 for the iPhone 5 news event is being banded about on Mashable (amongst others).

We are now close to that date so perhaps that is a bit of a false lead. Although in truth, the news media would be there even if Apple only gave them 10 minutes notice for the iPhone 5 launch.

Other undisclosed sources have said that October will be the launch month. Whatever the iPhone 5 launch date, it appears that we won’t have long to wait.

This is very good news for iPhone 4 users who happen to have broken their screen i.e. me (it took off like a rocket from my jacket pocket when running too fast & stopping too quickly!). Check it out on the right.

 

iPhone 5 News: Design

My best guess is that the iPhone 5 will have a cleaner design. The trendsetters within Apple have stated for a while that they would like to have no buttons on the iPhone or iPad.

I see no reason why the big front button can’t go and the extra space will be perfect for another strong rumor doing the rounds. A bigger, edge to edge iPhone 5 screen.

Many people prefer the rounded design of the iPhone 3GS and the iPad 2 to the square edges of the iPhone 4.

I would have to agree, it’s much better to hold in your hand but all the rumors on the internet about the iPhone 5 suggest that the square iPhone 4 design is here to stay, perhaps just with a different back plate. I personally hope they are wrong, I want a curvy iPhone 5.

There is also a growing trend of being able to use your phone as a credit card to pay for goods. Expect one of those clever little chips to be housed somewhere inside an iPhone 5, the tech is already there so why wait to put it in the iPhone 6?.

iPhone 5 News: Features

Bigger and better is generally true when it comes to a new cell phone launch.

Expect to have a better camera with higher resolution and perhaps full 1080p HD recording. More internal memory is likely too although the iCloud could muddy that particular water in the iPhone 6 future.

We have already mentioned a bigger screen but it you are going to the trouble of designing and producing a larger screen, then it only makes sense to take advantage of the jump in manufacturing know how and bump up the resolution too.

Ever since Steve Jobs learnt about typesetting and fonts in his younger days, he has been passionate about giving Apple users screen clarity and it has been one of Apple’s trump cards since they started all those years ago.

A 3D display has been mentioned in some quarters but I will eat my hat if that one is appears on the iPhone 5. Seems pointless at this moment in time, not to mention expensive & difficult to give people that great all round user experience. One for the future.

iPhone 5 News: Software

It is interesting as to what Apple have planned for the iCloud project. In theory, you could use the iCloud for all your data storage meaning that onboard storage could be reduced.

I would expect Apple to take it slower though and just include integrated iCloud/iTunes software for your media.

An overhaul of the operating system is certain with IOS 5 to be launched at the same time with all it’s enhanced features and fixes.

iPhone 4GS?

Shock, horror… two iPhone launches at the same time!? Yes, that is one of the rumors doing the rounds. A cut back, cheaper version called the iPhone 4GS, launching at the same time as the iPhone 5.

Your guess is as good as mine on this one.

iPhone 5 News: Will Steve Jobs Make an Appearance?

Perhaps Steve Jobs, if he is well enough, will make an appearance at a iPhone 5 event although it seems unlikely that he would make the presentation.

Steve Jobs has now handed over the reigns of Apple to Tim Cook and to come back to steal his thunder at an iPhone 5 launch would not sit quite right, even if people would love it if he did.

He may even feel that his presence would overshadow any iPhone 5 product launch so could stay away completely and just issue a statement/photo of him looking happy with his new iPhone 5.

Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO

Posted by Jeff in Apple, Business

Steve Jobs has resigned his position as the Apple CEO with immediate affect leaving Tim Cook to take over his CEO duties.

The 56 year old Steve Jobs has been suffering serious health problems over the past year and has been on medical leave since January.

We have seen Steve Jobs return to the spotlight occasionally to help launch new Apple products and make company announcements.

Tim Cook will now officially take over the reigns at Apple just as the latest iphone 5 news suggests it is on it’s way soon. Although in practice this has been the case for some time as Steve Jobs has been away for health reasons. What those health problems are have, understandably, been kept private by his family and Apple themselves.

In a letter to the Apple board, and the world at large, Steve Jobs writes that he no longer feels that he can carry out his duties as Apple CEO in the way he would like. He is therefore handing in his resignation.

You can read Steve Jobs letter below.

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

It is hoped that Steve Jobs will take on an advisory role in the company but Apple shares still dived on the surprise, although not unexpected, announcement.

Such is the force of Steve Jobs that shares in other competing mobile companies rose higher on the news.

Steve Jobs & Apple’s Achievements (Post 1997)

It is not surprising when you consider how much of an influence Steve Jobs has been, not only on the Apple company, but on the technology and music industries themselves.

In recent years it has been the Steve Jobs vision that has guided Apple, and where Apple has led everyone else has had to follow.

When computers were just bland grey boxes, Jobs redefined what they looked like with the launch of the colorful, all-in-one iMac.

Steve Jobs then redefined the portable music world with the iPod. There were certainly other MP3 players before hand, but none that looked this… well… sexy. It has challenged the Sony Walkman as the most influential music device in history.

iTunes then redefined a whole music industry, offering legal, downloadable tracks made up of just computer bits and bytes. It’s now the largest music retailer in the world.

Not satisfied with shaking up the music industry, the cosy world of the mobile phone manufacturers was about to get a wake up call.

The launch of the iPhone instantly changed what a mobile phone could be and do. Not to mention being incredibly desirable, merely as an object of design.

The app store created a whole new industry that other companies have struggled to match. It is not just Apple that have made a large fortune from that particular idea. Successful app makers are now worth $100′s millions in their own right.

Steve Jobs was not finished yet though. Other people had tried and given up making tablet computers. No one had been able to make it work.

Steve Jobs and Apple have never been just another manufacturer though. The launch of the iPad created another new industry virtually overnight. Tablet computing was back in a big way.

Steve Jobs and Apple

Steve Jobs co-founded the Apple company in the 1970′s with Steve Wozniak and it became one of the most successful technology companies of the fledgling computer industry in the 1980′s.

After leaving Apple in 1985, Steve Jobs returned to a company on it’s last legs in 1997 (after starting that little animation company called Pixar by the way!) and turned it into arguably, the biggest brand in the world today.

Many people are saying that Apple will be the first $trillion company ($1,000,000,000,000). Without Steve Jobs they may not now be so certain but still, who would bet against it ?

Photo: Apple Inc.

Apple Reports Record Earnings

Posted by Clive in Apple, Business

Apple have announced record earnings of $28 billion and a net profit of over $15 billion for the last quarter.

The profits are on the back of surging demand for the Apple iPhone and iPad products, sales of which have more than doubled.

It is interesting that this massive demand has occurred when competitors to both the iPhone and the iPad has become alot stronger. HTC, for instance, have started to match the iPhone for functionality and design with their Google Android based phones.

The results do mask however, a real downturn in the fortunes of the iPod product range which has slipped by 20%. It seams more and more of us now store our music collections on our phones.

Analysts had been concerned that the devastation caused by the Tsunami in Japan would have an negative impact of Apple‘s supply chain, but it seems that there were no adverse supply problems.

Shares in the company rose by over 5% on the financial news and the Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer said that he expected revenue of about $25 billion in the 4th quarter of 2011. Predictions from Apple tend to be conservative so it will be interesting to see if they can improve on this performance.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO said,

“We’re thrilled to deliver our best quarter ever, with revenue up 82 percent and profits up 125 percent. Right now, we’re very focused and excited about bringing iOS 5 and iCloud to our users this fall.”

They also have a new version of their operating system out this week, a new thunderbolt 27″ monitor and a rumoured launch of the iPad 3 and the iPhone 5 to come.

As you can see in our iPad 2 reader poll below, over 60% of you are waiting for the next generation iPad 3. Rumour has it that it will feature a display resolution that will make the Apple fans drool.

Are you waiting for the Apple Ipad 3?

Are you someone who is planning on getting / has bought the iPad 2 or are you willing to wait for the iPad 3 ? Cast your vote below.