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iPhone and iPod News
iPod Deals
These price trackers are updated every month.
iPhone and iPod News
The iPhone 5 has been anticipated for months, and it's great that
it's finally arrived - complete with a new dock connector and a new
CPU, the A6.
But first some introductory comments from Tim Cook:
- Apple now has retail stores in 13 countries.
- OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is the fastest selling Mac OS ever.
- Macs are experiencing 15% year-over-year growth vs. 2% for the PC
industry - and have been outpacing PCs for six years running.
- Macs pale in comparison to the iPad. 5 million Macs per quarter vs.
17 million iPads - and 84 million sold to date.
- Apple sells more iPads per quarter than any PC maker sells
PCs.
- iPad accounts for 68% of the tablet market, up from 62% a year ago
when it had less competition.
- Apple has sold over 400 million iOS devices since launching the
iPhone in mid-2007.
The iPhone 5
The iPhone 5 is the thinnest
(7.68mm), lightest (112g) iPhone yet - and also the first with a 4"
display. The new Retina Display has the same 640 pixel width as the
iPhone 4S, but it's 1136 pixels high instead of 960, giving it the same
16:9 aspect ratio as HD TV, iMacs, and most current laptops.
Apps
designed specifically for the old iPhone display will be centered on
the screen, while updated apps will be able to use the full screen. The
HD display provides room for one more row of app icons, more content in
the Web, and a better way to view movies and HD TV shows. The screen
also has better color saturation, making it the best in the
industry.
The iPhone 5 supports 4G with LTE, which is supported by AT&T,
Verizon, and Sprint here in the US. Apple claims LTE can be faster than
WiFi - time will tell. And for the first time, an iPhone supports
802.11n WiFi using the 5 GHz spectrum, which is less crowded and
less susceptible to interference than the 2.4 GHz spectrum used by
802.11b, g, and also part of the n specification.
Phil
Schiller says the A6 CPU is twice as fast as the A5 found in the iPhone
4S. The iPhone 5 has a 5 MB (megapixel) rear-facing camera with
3264 x 2448 resolution and incorporates a dynamic low light mode for
better available light photography. The A6 also has an improved Image
Signal Processor to improve photos and video.
iOS 6 and iCloud support shared photo streams, so you can share your
pictures easily with your friends. And there's a new panorama mode,
which will replace any number of panorama apps for the iPhone.
The front-facing camera now supports 720p high-definition video, and
there's now a third microphone - one on the top, one on the bottom, and
one on the back for video.
Schiller also claims a noise-cancelling earpiece for the iPhone
5.
The iPhone 5 has an aluminum back, which is anodized black on the
black version.
Unanswered question: Does the iPhone 5 support USB 3? (Apparently not.)
Update: Due to the variety of LTE frequency bands used by mobile
carriers around the world, there are three different versions of the
iPhone 5, and only one version offers CDMA support. If you are with a
CDMA carrier or may end up using your iPhone with one, be sure that's
the model you get.
Lightning
On Macs, we have Thunderbolt. On new iOS devices, Lightning. The new
all-digital connection replaces the bulky old 30-pin dock connector.
Adapters will be available to new iOS devices can be used with older
docks. But without analog sound output, it's going to spell trouble for
a lot of boom boxes, clock radios, etc.
A real plus: The Lightning connector is reversible, so you don't
have to worry about plugging it in backwards - a real drawback for the
old pock connector.
iOS 6
Scott Forstall introduced the new Maps app, which is no longer based
on Google Maps. New features include turn-by-turn directions, flyovers,
100 million points of interest.
Safari gains fullscreen mode. Mail adds the ability to flag a
message for follow-up, something email apps should have added years
ago!
Passbook covers coupons and movie tickets, among other things. Siri
now supports Open Table - find a restaurant, make a reservation.
And, of course, iOS 6 is fully integrated with Facebook.
FaceTime is supported over "cellular networks" - but no details yet.
Will it work with 3G?
iOS 6 will be available for download on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
iPhone Pricing & Availability
As expected, the 16 GB iPhone 5 sells for $199 with a two-year
contract, 32 GB is $299, and 64 GB is $399. The 16 GB iPhone 4S remains
in the line as a $99 model, and the 8 GB iPhone 4 is now the "free
with contract" device. The iPhone 3GS is history.
Apple will start taking iPhone 5 orders on Friday, Sept. 14, and
shipping beings on Friday, Sept. 21.
iTunes
A new version of iOS always means an iTunes update for Macs (and
Windows), and this is no exception. Version 11 will be available in
October. The iTunes store integrates Facebook likes on every page.
Nice touch: Tour info is posted on the artist page.
iPods
Apple has sold 350 million iPods to date.
iPod nano
Apple has reinvented the iPod nano yet again. The 7G
Nano has the biggest screen ever - thin and tall like the iPhone.
Screen measures 2.5", so like a tiny iPhone 5, complete with a Home
button. The photo viewer even allows pinch-to-zoom, just like a real
iOS device. And there's video support, but do you really want to watch
a video on such a small display? And there's Bluetooth, too.
Available in 7 colors, the 16 GB iPod nano retails for $149.
iPod touch
Neglected for
too long, the iPod touch gets an update. Apple claims it is the world's
most popular music player - and video game platform as well.
The 5G iPod touch is thinner
and lighter, a big theme today. Like the iPhone 5, the Touch has a
brushed aluminum back and 4" widescreen display, the same Retina
Display as the iPhone 5.
The 5G iPod touch moves to an A5 processor with 7x faster graphics
than the A4 CPU found in the previous model. The rear-facing
camera is 5 MP 
this time and
support panorama mode. Video is 1080p with image stabilization, the
FaceTime camera is 720p, and face detection is supported.
New is a button on the back of the iPod touch called "the loop"
- it lets you attach a wrist strap so you're less likely to drop
the device.
The iTouch
remains WiFi only; there is no 3G or 4G version available. Like the
iPhone 5, the 5G iPod touch has dual-band WiFi support.
For the first time, Apple's offering colors: white, black, red,
blue, and green. $199 for the 16 GB 4G iPod touch, $249 for 32 GB. The
32 GB 5G iPod touch retails at $299, and it's $399 for 64 GB.
EarPods
One more thing: Apple has been working on new iPod headphones for
three years, and the fruit of those labors is EarPods. Apple scanned
hundreds of ear to find a better geometry, and the EarPods don't seal
your ear the way most in-ear buds do.
Available separately starting today, EarPods will ship with the
iPhone 5, 7G iPod nano, and 5G iPod touch.
iPad mini
We'll just have to wait for October to learn about the smaller
iPad.
