Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
Back in April 1999, Wired predicted that Apple [AAPL] would release an Apple iPad wireless handheld device. Although it was another 11 years before it launched, it’s still interesting to see that the name iPad was used and predicted as a device all them years ago.
The full sized image is after the break. [Read more…]
Apple [AAPL] held a press conference today to explain the problems of the iPhone 4 specifically relating to the antenna. The company has been running tests and comparisons for the last 22 days to get to the bottom of what’s actually happening. A few numbers were shown which included that the iPhone 4 drops slightly more calls than the iPhone 3GS (ie, less than 1 more call per 100) and that all smartphones have problems when holding them. When speaking about those who have called AppleCare the numbers were just 0.55% of iPhone 4 owners with AppleCare service. Returns wise the company has seen just 1.7% of iPhone 4’s returned which is lower than the 6% of the 3GS.
So what is Apple going to do about it? As the title suggests, Apple will be giving a free case to anybody who buys an iPhone 4 right up to September 30 where they will re-evaluate where they are at.
The problem here is that Apple can’t make enough bumper cases, so instead they will be offering the bumper case for free or another case if the bumper is not available. Starting late next week you’ll be able to visit the Apple store, choose which case you want and have it shipped to you. [Read more…]
As well as pushing out the iOS 4.0.1 update to iPhone users yesterday, Apple [AAPL] also pushed out an update to iPad owners which fixes a few things and makes a few changes to the iPad. The update is minor but does promise to improve Wi-Fi connectivity for those who struggle with wireless issues.
The full iOS 3.2.1 update includes the following…
* Improved Wi-Fi connectivity
* Fixed an issue that could prevent copy and paste of single-page PDF attachments in Mail
* Addressed an issue that could cause video playback to freeze
* Improved reliability of video-out when using iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter
* Added Bing as an option for Safari’s search field [Read more…]
Bloomberg is reporting that a top engineer at Apple [AAPL] warned of potential antenna problems early on in the iPhone 4 development phase.
The top engineer called Ruben Caballero is an antenna expert who informed management at Apple about the design’s potential to cause issues.
As well as Ruben raising the voice of warning to Apple management it is also believe at least one carrier partner also raised concerns about the new design before the June 24 release date.
Although we’ll never know for sure if Ruben mentioned this or not, it’s certainly difficult to imagine that Apple didn’t spot the problem whilst testing the device. It is also surprising that their press release about a few weeks back also didn’t accept there was an issue. [Read more…]
Apple [AAPL] has pushed out iOS 4.1 to developers. The new update includes the fix for the signal reporting problems that the iPhone 4 has. Something to note here is that it doesn’t fix the antenna problems, but instead just fixes the signal bars so that they represent the actual signal better.
We are not part of the developer program, so do not have the download yet to install, but Mobile Crunch does and has made a video showing that the signal still drops when touching the bottom left of the iPhone 4’s antennae as seen below.
Gizmodo has put together a quick image showing the old vs new bar size as Apple has increased the size of the smaller of the 5 signal bars to make them easier to see. Image also below. Again, this is just a cosmetic type fix to help you see how good or bad your signal is and doesn’t actually fix the signal issues (that is assuming you get problems with the antenna which not all people do). [Read more…]
Apple [AAPL] has invited press to a press conference tomorrow to discuss the iPhone 4. The reason for the press conference isn’t known officially but our best guess is that they want to talk about antenna problems.
Other things that could crop up at the iPhone 4 press conference tomorrow have been speculated to include a price drop for the iPhone 4 although we doubt it would be a good move for Apple to announce that in light of all the antenna issues they have been getting recently… that of course is unless they plan to give all iPhone 4 buyers some cash back for example. [Read more…]
Apple [AAPL] has purchased a company called Poly9 who deal generally with web-based mapping software for companies such as Microsoft and Yahoo! to name a couple.
It isn’t clear when the deal went through although it appears to have all been sorted now. It also isn’t clear what Apple intend to do with Poly9. Perhaps we might seen some mapping integration on the iPhone which might get rid of Apple’s reliance on Google for that part of the service. [Read more…]
Earlier today we wrote about a concept iPod shuffle that showed an iPhone 4 inspired glass front and back with a metal band around the edges. A small screen has been spotted that shows that the concept might be not that far off the mark.
The Apple [AAPL] touchscreen measures just 3cm by 3cm making it quite small. The information apparently comes from someone who deals with manufacturing Apple products and could indicate a small screen device is going to be launched soon.
‘Imagine, the author writes, ‘The black frame outside the screen plus a aluminum or add a Home button (or may not increase the Home key).
Apple [AAPL] has put an article in it’s knowledge base regarding faults with Time Capsules sold between February 2008 to June 2008 where the device will not power on, or will shut down shortly after powering up.
The Time Capsules effected by this fall between the XX807XXXXXX – XX814XXXXXX serial number range although it doesn’t appear to be all models.
If your Time Capsule falls within serial number range above and it does not power on or shuts down unexpectedly after starting up, it may be eligible for repair or replacement.
Apple [AAPL] is rumoured to be moving a few key people around to work on Apple TV. It seems like the project is getting a big push from the company to make it more main-stream than previous attempts.
We have heard previously that iOS might be running on the Apple TV which could indicate an app store could be involved as well as an easy to use iTunes service. Mix that in with iTunes Cloud and potentially the Apple TV will be able to receive streaming content for the TV.
A rumour is also saying that Apple are in talks with bringing TV show rentals to Apple TV which could see a 99 cents cost for a 24 hour rental with a 30 day expiry date. [Read more…]
The Apple iPad screen doesn’t support pressure-sensitivity. It merely just knows when your finger touches the screen and acts accordingly.
Thanks to the smart people at Ten One Design this could soon change. The company has managed to build a private function call that allows a special pen to be used with varying degrees of pressure. When pressing down harder the line you draw gets darker and when pressing lightly the line is more faded.
The problem here though is that the company had to use a private function call which basically means it won’t be approved by Apple [AAPL] unless Apple decide to allow it in to iOS as standard. [Read more…]
Apple [AAPL] has put out a formal letter regarding the signal problems on the iPhone 4 although it tackles the issue from a slightly different angle from what you might expect and Apple won’t actually fix anything with the signal other than how signal strength is reported.
What the problem seems to be (according to Apple) is the signal meter that sits at the top left of the screen. Apple admitted that they have used the wrong formula to calculate signal strength that reports the signal being a lot higher than it actually is. The meter actually reports a lot more signal than it should and when there is a slight drop in signal, it can look a lot more dramatic than it actually is. This reporting method and formula was used on all generations of the iPhone and a fix is being sent out in a few weeks to report the signal correctly. [Read more…]
