Category Archives: Apple Hardware

By Staff | Published: January 11, 2012

Next iPhone to support T-Mobile 3G band

T-Mobile Logo

It’s no secret that wireless carriers want the iPhone on their networks, and until last year if you wanted an iPhone in the U.S., AT&T was your only official choice.

However 2011 brought us the CDMA iPhone 4 for Verizon, and later on the iPhone 4S was released with full support for GSM along with CDMA, allowing carriers like Sprint to begin offering the device as well.

But T-Mobile USA has yet to bring the iPhone to their network in any official capacity, in part because their 3G network uses a different radio frequency band than AT&T and the rest of the world, one that current iPhone hardware does not support.

Unlocked iPhone owners will be quite familiar with this limitation, as unlocked devices built for AT&T’s network will fall back to 2G EDGE service when used with a T-Mobile USA sim card. Read more

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By Staff | Published: January 6, 2012

Quad core references found in iOS 5.1 beta

Quad core iOS reference

9to5Mac has discovered some interesting bits of information buried inside the latest iOS 5.1 beta.

As 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman explains, the numbering in this particular section of code in iOS 5.1 suggests that Apple will be shipping a quad core processor at some point in the near future:

Extremely reliable and knowledgeable people familiar with iOS’s inner workings explained to me that core references begin at “0.” For example: A single core device would be limited to ”/cores/core.0,” and a dual-core device would come in at ”/cores/core.1.” A “core.2″ (which is not referenced in iOS code) would be a triple-core processor according to this labeling method. iOS 5.1 beta 2 now includes core.3, a seemingly quad-core chip from Apple.

Apple’s A6 is rumored to be a quad core design slated for release in 2012, might we be seeing the initial support in iOS necessary for an A6-bearing iPad 3? Read more

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By Staff | Published: December 8, 2011

Apple TV update turns on TV show purchase & streaming for Canada, Australia and the U.K.

Apple TV

Australian, Canadian and U.K. Apple TV owners should now be able to stream and purchase TV shows from the device with a new update Apple just pushed out.

If you haven’t been prompted to update yet, just head over to the Settings area and trigger the update manually. Read more

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By Staff | Published: November 18, 2011

Apple is working with AMD on several prototype Macs, but will they see the light of day?

Reliable sources have reported on prototype Mac motherboards based on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) chipsets being tested in Cupertino for years, but so far none have seen the light of day. One recent rumor even suggests the current Macbook Air was planned around AMD’s “Llano” platform but switched to an Intel alternative at the last minute. Will the latest generation of prototypes be any different? Read more

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By Staff | Published: November 17, 2011

Reader Q&A: When will FaceTime, iMessage and iChat merge across Mac and iOS?

Several of our followers on Twitter and Facebook have recently expressed interest in the state of Apple’s efforts to merge its various forms of messaging/chat/videoconferencing/IM functionality across its two key platforms, iOS and Mac OS X. New code spotted in iOS by third party developers may shed some light on this. Read more

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By Staff | Published: November 3, 2011

Apple’s A5 will continue to power iDevices into 2012-2013, exist alongside A6

Apple’s next generation of mobile iDevices will be powered principally by A5-class System-on-a-Chip (SoC) hardware, according to Rumors’ sources. The A6 will indeed be introduced next year, as has been long rumored, but may be exclusive to the family of next-generation AppleTV devices at first.

According to sources, the iPhone 5, iPod Touch 5 and iPad 3 will all be powered by a series of chips that, regardless of how they will be marketed by Apple, will be essentially unchanged from the A5 except for clock speed differences and a possible switch of suppliers (thusly, also possibly a switch in manufacturing processes but with little functional effect). Unless the iPad is split into two or more tiers as has been considered for the entire iOS device family more than once in the past and is expected to happen with the AppleTV’s next generation, the A6 is expected to be exclusive in its initial production run to the new AppleTV family. Read more

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By Staff | Published: November 3, 2011

Next-gen iDevices to feature shatter-resistant OLED displays

The next-generation iPhone and iPod Touch will be based on a unique type of OLED display, according to sources, which is far more shatter-resistant than the current “gorilla glass” and LCD design used in the iPhone 4/4S and previous generations.

One of the chief problems with the iPhone and iPod Touch to date has been its easily damaged glass touch screen, and in the case of the iPhone 4/4S, the glass back panel. The iPhone 5 and its corresponding iPod Touch cousin will, according to a report just in from sources familiar with Apple’s 2012 Hardware Roadmap, replace the “square” design of the iPhone 4 and 4S with a solid frame — in some prototypes, this is metal (usually aluminum, though Titanium has been explored due to its superior strength in extremely thin configurations) and in others, a thermoplastic carbon fiber material — and a new type of capacitative touchscreen which incorporates a much tougher, nearly shatterproof outer surface material with an organic LED (OLED) display that is significantly larger than today’s “retina” TFT LCD. Read more

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By Staff | Published: October 24, 2011

Apple bumps Macbook Pro specs

Macbook Pros

Apple has quietly updated their Macbook Pro line with slightly faster processors, more hard drive space and improved discrete GPUs for the 15-inch and 17-inch models.

The entry level 13-inch MBP now ships with a dual-core 2.4ghz Core i5 processor, paired with integrated Intel HD graphics 3000, and a 500GB rotating hard drive. A dual-core 2.8ghz Core i5 processor is optional. Read more

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By Staff | Published: October 4, 2011

iPhone 4 now $99, iPhone 3GS free w/contract

iPhone Lineup

Credit: GDGT

Starting today, the very successful iPhone 4 is just $99 for the 8GB model, pushed out of the top spot by the new iPhone 4S.

As far as we know, the iPhone 4 will remain unchanged aside from the reduced memory and a new Apple model number for inventory purposes. Given the popularity of the iPhone 4 even when it started for $199, we expect these things to fly off the shelves in the next few months.

In addition, the nearly 3 year old iPhone 3GS is simply free if you sign a contract. Despite its age, the 3GS can run iOS 5 when it comes out October 12th, making it an excellent option for someone on a budget. Read more

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By Staff | Published: October 4, 2011

Apple iPhone 4S due out October 14th, now on Sprint too

iPhone 4S

Today during the press event at Apple’s Cupertino campus, CEO Tim Cook unveiled the next iteration of their popular iPhone platform: the iPhone 4S.

For those of you who were expecting an iPhone 5 today, you shouldn’t be disappointed. This is essentially what everyone was expecting the iPhone 5 to be: A5 processor, more ram, and a handful of new features, some exclusive to the new device. There’s no new design this time around, though.

Apple says the new iPhone 4S is 2x faster in the CPU department, with graphics performance 7x faster.

The new device also has a special antenna system designed to improve call quality by using one antenna for transmission and another for reception.

In addition the iPhone 4S is now a ‘worldphone’ and should work on pretty much any carrier* in any country, including Apple’s newest partner: Sprint. Read more

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By Staff | Published: October 4, 2011

New iPod Touch gains white model

Credit: GDGT

For the first time, the Touch is now available with a white face like the iPhone 4, previously it was only available in black.

The new model now has the same A5 chip found in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, along with an increase in ram memory (no word on how much, yet). ed: Apple for some reason chose not to include the A5 chip in the new Touch model, so it remains with the A4

Pricing on the white model is identical to the black version, 8GB/$199, 32GB/$299 and 64GB/$399. Read more

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By Staff | Published: October 4, 2011

Apple updates iPod Nano

iPod Nano

Though it is constantly overshadowed by its larger, iOS brothers, the iPod Nano still has a dedicated following due to it’s extremely small size.

Though the design of the device hasn’t changed much if at all, the interface is now supposed to be easier to navigate.

Apple has also added sensors built into the device for running and jogging, this essentially makes the device more usable out of the box, removing the need for users to buy a separate Nike sensor.

The multi-touch Nano has become something of a fashion item, with multiple companies now producing watch wrist bands specifically for the device, and Apple has now added new watch faces to the Nano for exactly that purpose.

The new model is available today in 7 different colors, 8GB/$129, 16GB/$149. Read more

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By Staff | Published: September 27, 2011

Apple invites press to iPhone event October 4th

This morning, Apple sent out press invites to an event scheduled for 10am Pacific time October 4th (next tuesday) on Apple’s campus in Cupertino.

As Steve Jobs is no longer the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook will lead the presentation while other Apple executives may take smaller roles on stage periodically.

For the past few years, Apple has used their annual WWDC event during the summer to announce a new iPhone model and to release the next version of iOS. Neither of those things happened this past WWDC, but iOS 5 is currently at the very end of beta testing so a release next tuesday would line up perfectly.

Apple is also rumored to be planning to release a new iPhone 5 model, containing the same A5 processor and improved graphics capabilities that debuted in the iPad 2 earlier this year, as well as a lower cost iPhone ’4s’ model. Read more

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By Staff | Published: March 28, 2011

WWDC 2011 Preview

WWDC 2011

Apple has announced the time and place for their World Wide Developers Conference this year. It will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco June 6th through June 10th.

Over 1,000 Apple engineers guide you through five exciting days of in-depth technical sessions and hands-on labs that demonstrate how to harness the incredible power of the world’s most advanced operating systems into your apps.

Apple currently lists 5 “technology tracks” that will be the theme of developer labs and sessions -

  • Application Frameworks
  • Graphics, Media, and Games
  • Developer Tools
  • Internet and Web
  • Core OS

In addition, Apple will once again be hosting the Apple Design Awards which “recognize technical excellence and outstanding achievement in iPhone, iPad, and Mac app design and development”. Read more

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By Staff | Published: March 2, 2011

Apple reveals the iPad 2

iPad 2. Credit: Engadget

iPad 2. Credit: Engadget

Today at the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco, Apple unveiled their 2nd generation tablet computer, the iPad 2.

Steve Jobs was present to demonstrate the new model, which features a much faster Apple A5 processor and a new, dramatically faster graphics coprocessor, up to “9x faster” according to Jobs.

Despite the faster processor and improved graphics performance, Apple says the battery life of the new model is the same as the old model, 10 hours.

While many hoped for a “Retina display” this time around, it was not to be. The iPad 2 has a 1024×768 IPS display, which is similar if not identical to the one in the old model.

The new iPad 2 also has dual cameras similar to the iPhone 4: one on the front face for video calling, and one on the back for taking pictures. Read more

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