Post Tagged with: "apple news"

Still waiting for a desktop version of iTunes for Windows 8? Keep waiting, because it appears that although Microsoft wants a version of the app, Apple is reluctant to create one. Speaking in an interview with CNN Money, Microsoft CFO Tami Reller revealed that Microsoft had approached Apple to request that they create an iTunes app, and that “the welcome mat has been laid out. It’s not for lack of trying.” No telling how this one will end…so stay tuned.

Sometimes its fun to pay attention to patents–even if they never see the light of day; and this new patent from Apple looks rather attractive and worth a mention. Through both a graphical user interface and automatically, Apple intends on notifying people trying to contact you of the best way to reach you: If you’re in a meeting, send an email or text; driving, do the same. The patent means that devices will be able to dynamically know and learn the best methods to contact you in the appropriate circumstances. Very cool tech that I’d love to see appear sooner than later.

In an interview following Apple’s unveiling of the iPhone 5, SVP Phil Schiller  explained why the company chose not to include NFC and wireless charging in the new handset, and goes in to detail on the new (and faster) Lightning port. Schiller told All Things D that the decision not to include NFC actually stemmed from Passbook, which he said “does the kinds of things customer need today.” On inductive charging, Schiller pointed out that the convenience still requires you to be plugged into an outlet, and is therefore not as convenient as people believe. “Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated,” Schiller said. As for the Lightning connector: “This is the new connector for many years to come,” Schiller said.

[UPDATE: By Mitchell Whitfield] Sorry Marc…couldn’t resist. While Mr. Schiller is correct in stating that wireless charging still requires a charger base to be plugged into an outlet, the advantage to consumers is only having to plug in that base one time, rather than constantly connecting and disconnecting their phones to charge them on a daily basis. Perhaps the more honest answer would have been, “NFC and inductive charging are great–but we’d rather hold off on these features so we can give iPhone 5 users a more compelling reason to buy the iPhone 5s next year!”

Apple has introduced a new set of ear buds for its mobile devices - EarPods. The new buds feature both inline control and microphone for use with your iDevices, while its direct speaker port points forward into your ear canal for higher quality sound resonance. The new EarPods will be a stand alone accessory available today. However, they will also be included with the new iPhone 5 and iPod lineup.

The iPhone wasn’t the only new piece of hardware that took the stage in San Francisco today – Apple was proud to also unveil its new collection of iPod’s – ranging from the new iPod Touch with Retina Display (4-inch display that is), to the newly redesigned and re-accessorized iPod Nanos.

7th Generation iPod Nano
The new iPod nano has been completely reinvented. Its thinner, yet has a larger touch screen. Big buttons for volume as well as play/pause and track advancing are on the side, while the multi-touch display gives fingertip controls for everything. Available in seven colors (aluminum, black, purple, green, blue, yellow and red), it has an FM tuner with Live Pause to go back and listen to something again (think of it as Tivo for your music). There’s a pedometer built-in as well as Bluetooth, photos, video, and wireless streaming. The new Nano features the lightning connector and works in both widescreen and landscape more. Available in 7 colors and arriving in October as a 16GB model, the new Nano will retail for $149.

5th Generation iPod Touch
Weighing in at just 88 grams and measuring a mere 6.1mm thick, the new iPod touch features the lightning connector, a 4-inch retina-display, embedded speaker, and a near 16:9 aspect ratio like the iPhone 5. It features Apple’s A5 processor (making it a dual core device) with up to 2x faster performance all around (while graphics performance increases 7x). Battery life gets a bump as well on the iPod Touch to 40 hours of music playback, 8 hours of video, and there’s also a new iSight camera with a 5mp sensor, LED flash, sapphire crystal lens cover, f/2.4 aperture, backside illumination, five-element lens, and Hybrid IR filter. It features the panorama mode from the iPhone 5 and a new wrist strap accessory that lets you strap it on for security (called the Loop). The front-facing camera is a 720p HD camera, while the new rear-facing camera records 1080p HD video. Finally the new Touch gets AirPlay mirroring and enhanced Wifi, making it ideal for controlling on-screen gaming; and Siri now works on the iPod touch as well. Available in five colors (aluminum, black, blue, yellow and red) and available this October, the 32GB Touch will sell for $299, while the 64GB model will retail for $399.

Alongside the iPhone 5 announcement comes changes to not only the iPod lineup, but iTunes itself and the AppStore. An AppStore redesign brings new features, all courtesty of a new version of iTunes–featuring an edge-to-edge design, clicking on albums or items to expand the workspace, and a new feature called “in the store” which lets you see top songs and albums while you browse your library by artist or title. Artists can also now share photos with users, while the new split-screen display lets you view your full library while managing songs and playlists. See upcoming songs with a  convenient “coming soon” drop down; click “Play Next” from anywhere and it will automatically queue that item. Artist pages in the store now include concert tour information and other socially linked data, plus more.

Mini-player

The mini-player gives you complete iTunes control from a tiny little toolbar. Manage playlists, control upcoming songs and interact directly with iCloud.

iCloud Integration
iCloud plays a big role in the new iTunes; it now stores recently watched movies and TV shows in the cloud so that you can see what you were watching and continue viewing from any iCloud-enabled device.

The New iTunes  will be available in late October.

Pre-orders for the new iPhone 5 begin this coming Friday (September 14th), with shipments scheduled to head out the door on September 21st. If you are wondering about pricing:

16G: $199
32GB: $299
64G: $399

Meanwhile the iPhone 4 will now be free on contract for an 8GB version, and the 4S drops to just $99 for the 16GB.

Although a lot of information about iOS 6has already been revealed, Apple has officially announced a September 19th release for its latest operation system, bringing a wealth of new features to the table–including turn by turn directions, newly designed maps with 3D flyover, Siri compatibility for sports, restaurants, movies and more, Facebook integration, shared Photo Streams,  Passbook, and FaceTime over Cellular.

Enhancements also come to the Phone with quick reply options, Mail gets cleaner and lets you pick VIP’s, Safari now includes iCloud Tabs to pick up browsing where you left off on your other devices, full screen landscape mode, and an offline reading list.

Much akin to the rumors, Apple has introduced a new dock connector for the iPhone 5. The new 8 signal design is reversible, easier to use, and is 80% smaller. Dubbed the “Lightning Connector,” an adapter will be available leaving most accessories still viable – although you may want to hold off on those charging cases and clock radios

The new iPhone 5 comes with some major hardware upgrades – and the camera is a focal point (pardon the pun). Featuring an 8 megapixel 3264×2448 resolution, backside illumination, five element lens, there’s now also a dynamic low light mode, sapphire crystal lens cover, new filters, faster photo capture and a new Panorama mode which lets you take 28-megapixel images. 1080p HD video recording come standard with improved video stabalization, face detection, and the ability to capture stills while recording video.

Front-side FaceTime Camera

The frontside camera gets upgrades too. 720p video, backside illumination, face detection, and of course, Facetime over cellular (though we’re not quite sure about availability with all carriers).