Posts Tagged ‘iPhone 5’

And now for Apple’s next trick – world peace. Well, that was all that was left to do, right?

Posted: September 23, 2012 in Political musings, Popular Culture et al
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Uotsuri Island


Uotsuri Island, one of disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea Photo credit: AP

(From AFP)

Apple’s new iPhone 5 may have been criticised for its glitch-ridden new maps program, but it may have inadvertently provided a diplomatic solution to China and Japan’s ongoing row over disputed islands.

The new smartphone, which has dumped Google Maps in favour of its own version, has been ridiculed for misplacing major landmarks, shifting towns and even creating a new airport.

But amid a row over an outcrop of islands claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing, Apple’s new iO6 software has provided a resolution of sorts.

Two sets of islands

“Islands for everybody! You want an island? Have an island.”

When a user searches for the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, claimed by Beijing under the name Diaoyu, two sets of the islands appear alongside each other.

“The map has one set of islands for each country. Is this a message from Apple that we civilians must not get engaged in a pointless dispute?” one Japanese blogger wrote.

The new mapping program was released this week as part of Apple’s updated mobile operating system software, which powers the new iPhone 5, released Friday, and can be installed as an upgrade on other Apple devices.

To the chagrin of many, the new operating system replaces Google Maps, which had been the default mapping system in Apple devices until now.

As of yet there is no stand-alone Google Maps app available for the iPhone, although some reports say this is coming.

iPhone 5

We come in peace to help you, earthlings …

The East China Sea islands, strategically coveted outcrops, have been the focus of a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing,with tensions escalating dramatically after the Japanese government bought three of them from their private owners.

Tens of thousands of anti-Japanese demonstrators rallied across China, with some vandalising Japanese shops and factories, forcing firms to shut or scale back production.

Next, Apple develop the interstellar warp drive, beta release, and make it available for $2.99 from the App Store.

iPhone 5 – everything you need to know

Posted: September 13, 2012 in Business Management, Popular Culture et al
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Apple iPhone 5

Faster, thinner, larger screen, but it’s not all good news?

Hot off the press, given the launch today of the new phone. Having trawled around, I think this is everything you could want to know, at least the basics. Thanks to Yahoo, Fairfax and others.

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 5, saying it is thinner and lighter than the previous model, even though it has a bigger screen. Australians will be able to buy one next Friday.

The iPhone 5 comes in either white and silver or black and slate and will be sold in Australia for $799 for the 16GB model, $899 for the 32GB model and $999 for the 64GB model. Apple said customers could pre-order from this Friday.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 have been reduced in Australia to $679 and $449, respectively. The iPhone 5’s new operating system, iOS 6, will be available to download on older models on September 19.

Apple confirmed the new phone will work on 4G networks in Australia including those of Telstra, Optus and Virgin Mobile. Given the very expensive hoohah over the iPhone 4S, we presume that’s true.

Most annoyingly for some, with the new model, Apple is ditching the connection port it has used for iPods, iPhones and iPads for nearly a decade in favour of a smaller, narrower one. That means Apple is still the holdout in an industry in which other manufacturers have settled on a standard connector for charging and computer backups.

A separate $35 adapter will be available so that the new phone will be able to connect to sound docks and other accessories designed for the old phones.

The front-facing camera is getting an upgrade to high-definition, letting users take advantage of the faster data networks for videoconferencing.

Apple is also updating its iTunes software for the Mac and PC, with what is says is a “dramatically simpler and cleaner interface”. It will be available as a free download in October.

SNAPSHOT OF FEATURES

– Made of glass and aluminium
– 18% thinner and 20% lighter
– 4 inch display- screen is now longer, width is the same
– 44% more colour saturation
– Touch screen sensor integrated into new display
– LTE compatability allowing downloads of 100 megabits per second
– higher performing WiFi
– Two times faster processing speed
– Two times faster graphics
– New camera – 8 megapixel sensor, backside illumination, f/24 aperture
– Camera is 25% smaller
– 1080p HD video capability
– New mode for taking photos in low light
– Sapphire crystal lens cover to better protect the lens
– New panorama photo feature
– three microphones instead of two
– 20% smaller speakers
– New iPhone cord connector – called ‘Lightning’ – more durable
– Siri enhancements
– Available in black, silver and white
– Battery life is 8 hours via LTE or 3G, 10 hours over WiFi
– Redesigned headphones called EarPods

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Latest news on the next iPhone

Posted: July 18, 2012 in Popular Culture et al
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iPhone cufflinks

Where can we get these, WHERE? We has to have them, precioussss. Bagginsses has them, we bet. We hate Bagginsses …

Regular readers will know that wellthisiswhatithink is just a teensie-weensie bit obsessed with iPhones. I am neither technically geegy-in-love nor tech-terrified, but I do enjoy the iPhone’s ever-expanding usefulness, its neatness, and the way everything pretty much just works, provided, of course, you’re prepared to work the way Apple want you to. The endless security requirements of iTunes get up my nose a bit, but when a friend reports that he lost thousands of dollars thru fake purchases of music he never made on his iPhone, well, I guess the cyber-security people know what’s best.

And I love the way it takes photos. I am currently enduring a one week self-imposed ban on posting iPhone-taken wallpaper to this blog.

So anyhow, reliable news of forthcoming developments always gets a run in here. These reports are circulating the web right now, and on Yahoo in particular.

Looks like more of a re-design than a re-functionality. Then again, a young fellow in my local Apple store told me I should literally be salivating about the upcoming release of a new operating system, so who knows?

Of course, everyone is waiting for the ultimate iPhone app. The one that perceives when you’re going to text or phone your ex/current/possible future lover while stonkingly drunk, and locks you out of the system until  you’re sober.

There’s an interesting discussion on what Apple might add to the device here http://au.news.yahoo.com/technology/galleries/g/-/9694325/3/iphone-5-most-wanted-features/

What function would you like on your iPhone that isn’t on it yet, eh?

Apple’s next iPhone to feature ‘slimmer screen’

HONG KONG (AFP) – Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone later this year with a slimmer screen thanks to updated touch-screen technology, a report said Tuesday.

The next generation iPhone, referred to by fans as the “iPhone 5”, is being manufactured by Asian component makers, Dow Jones Newswires quoted unnamed sources as saying.

Its panels will use “in-cell technology” integrating touch sensors into the LCD, it said.

That makes a separate touch-screen layer unnecessary and reduces the screen thickness by about half a millimetre, Dow Jones quoted DisplaySearch analyst Hiroshi Hayase as saying.

(I quite like the slightly thicker iPhone 4 over my iPhone 3 – all about personal taste, I guess. Ed.)

The new technology will also boost displayed image quality, and help Apple cut costs as it would no longer have to buy touch panels and LCDs from separate suppliers, the report added.

It said Japanese liquid crystal display makers Sharp and Japan Display Inc as well as South Korea’s LG Display Co were currently mass producing panels for the next iPhone.

Apple is widely expected to launch the device in the third quarter of this year, around 12 months after the release of its hugely popular iPhone 4S — the firm’s first new product following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the report or the next iPhone’s release date when contacted by AFP.

The report came amid heated competition from rivals such as Samsung, whose flagship smartphone the Galaxy S III uses a 4.8-inch (12.2 centimetre) screen that is thinner than the current iPhone.

Apple posted a $11.6 billion profit in the first three months this year, led by record sales of iPad tablet computers and iPhones — the latter surging 88 percent year-on-year.