Apple doesn’t like OLED displays. Across the board, Apple uses LCD IPS displays in its devices, which have better color accuracy than OLED. Theoretically, though, OLED is better than LCD when it comes to power consumption, though… which is why a new report is floating the possibility that Apple might switch to OLED for the [...]
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In Apple’s latest earnings call, CEO Tim Cook was suddenly equivocal about whether or not Apple would do an iPhone with a larger display.
“Our competitors have made some significant tradeoffs in many of these areas to ship a larger display,” Cook said on the earnings call. “We would not ship a larger display iPhone while these tradeoffs exist.”
What that hints is Apple doesn’t have a larger screen iPhone in its pipeline yet, but they’re working on one, without any of the tradeoffs of the competition. (What these tradeoffs actually are in Apple’s mind are anyone’s guess.)
A new analyst report suggests that this larger screen iPhone will be the iPhone 6, and it will land in summer of 2014. This year, we’ll just have to deal with an iPhone 5S in a bevy of peacock fan of different color options.
Peter Misek of Piper-Jefferies sent out a research note to clients today, saying that the iPhone 6 would launch with a larger screen making it more directly competitive with broader, beefier devices like the newly released Samsung Galaxy S4. According to Misek, it’s coming in June 2014.
As for what we can expect this year, Misek’s staying uncharacteristically safe in his predictions. He says we’ll see the iPhone 5S come in multiple colors, which is pretty much the consensus analyst opinion at this point and backed by reputable analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo (although Kuo believes the color iPhone will actually be the iPhone 5, which makes sense to me: it’s a good way to cheapen the production of the iPhone 5 to reach a mass audience while also giving it a new dose of sex appeal).
Misek also says that the iPhone 5S will have a fingerprint sensor under the home button, another rumor backed by Kuo. Naturally, there will also be an upgraded processor and better camera.
It’s true that Peter Misek is a complete bozo when it comes to predicting upcoming moves by Apple, but all of his analyst predictions grok this time with other things we’ve heard. Only time will tell, though.
Source: Financial Post
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Apple could make this look not so archaic.
iOS is the most popular gaming platform in existence, and Apple has managed to create an incredible ecosystem of titles with only iOS devices. The company sells no actual controllers or joypads; everything is touch-based.
So does it make sense for Apple to make a physical game controller that somehow connects to your iPhone and iPad? According to a new report, the answer is yes.
PocketGamer has learned that Apple allegedly met with developers at the annual Game Developers Conference this past week to give a heads up about some kind of joypad. Apple reportedly booked a room at the trade show under a fake name to avoid the press.
Of course, there’s no official word yet, but Apple has been active during the conference talking to developers about its plans and ensuring plenty of games will support the joypad at launch.
Apple has consulted high-profile game makers like EA and Gameloft before the release of upcoming products before. Several new games are usually shown from the stage at a given event to demonstrate the power of new Apple hardware. According to the report, Apple hasn’t shown any developers what its joypad actually looks like.
PocketGamer doesn’t have much of a track record to speak of when it comes to Apple stuff, but the site obviously has connections with the gaming industry. The site says it expects Apple to announce the controller around April. PocketGamer previously reported that Apple was working on a special section of the App Store that would sell premium games for $20.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of an Apple joypad, however. Anandtech said that there’s “an internal Apple project to bring a physical controller to market” last year. Apple has probably prototyped such a device, but that doesn’t mean it will be sold in the Apple Store one day.
Releasing something like this alongside an updated Apple TV makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to play their favorite iOS games on the big screen with a real controller?
Update: Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has given one of his legendary “nopes” on this rumor. Dalrymple has a pretty infallible track record when it comes to predicting Apple’s plans, so it looks as though a game controller is sadly not happening.
Source: PocketGamer
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Apple could make this look not so archaic.
iOS is the most popular gaming platform in existence, and Apple has managed to create an incredible ecosystem of titles with only iOS devices. The company sells no actual controllers or joypads; everything is touch-based.
So does it make sense for Apple to make a physical game controller that somehow connects to your iPhone and iPad? According to a new report, the answer is yes.
PocketGamer has learned that Apple allegedly met with developers at the annual Game Developers Conference this past week to give a heads up about some kind of joypad. Apple reportedly booked a room at the trade show under a fake name to avoid the press.
Of course, there’s no official word yet, but Apple has been active during the conference talking to developers about its plans and ensuring plenty of games will support the joypad at launch.
Apple has consulted high-profile game makers like EA and Gameloft before the release of upcoming products before. Several new games are usually shown from the stage at a given event to demonstrate the power of new Apple hardware. According to the report, Apple hasn’t shown any developers what its joypad actually looks like.
PocketGamer doesn’t have much of a track record to speak of when it comes to Apple stuff, but the site obviously has connections with the gaming industry. The site says it expects Apple to announce the controller around April. PocketGamer previously reported that Apple was working on a special section of the App Store that would sell premium games for $20.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of an Apple joypad, however. Anandtech said that there’s “an internal Apple project to bring a physical controller to market” last year. Apple has probably prototyped such a device, but that doesn’t mean it will be sold in the Apple Store one day.
Releasing something like this alongside an updated Apple TV makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to play their favorite iOS games on the big screen with a real controller?
Update: Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has given one of his legendary “nopes” on this rumor. Dalrymple has a pretty infallible track record when it comes to predicting Apple’s plans, so it looks as though a game controller is sadly not happening.
Source: PocketGamer
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There are a lot of crazy rumors floating around out there about the iPhone 6. It might boast a huge screen, come in different colors, have a polycarbonate body, and maybe even a fingerprint sensor. If you believe even half of those rumors, then this might be Apple’s craziest iPhone yet.
Most of the rumors will probably be proven false, but what if Apple decided to go down a crazy path and actually rip off Samsung’s smartphones? Well, one concept artist decided to dream it up.
NowhereElse created mockups of a what the 4.6-inch iPhone Plus might look like. With an edge to edge display, it’s not too bulky, but we still think it’s a little bit too big.
Source: Nowhereelse
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Will Apple release an iPhone that looks more like this and less like the iPhone 5?
Apple is working on a 4.5-inch iPhone with a polycarbonate body, according to a new report from Japanese publication Macotakara. The device has reportedly been “postponed” for a 2014 release.
It’s unclear as to whether this report refers to the next iteration of the iPhone 5 or the entirely new iPhone lineup that has been previously rumored. Macotakara does note that the upcoming version of the iPhone 5 will likely feature a dual-LED flash for taking better pictures in low-light situations.
The report compares the polycarbonate build of the 4.5 iPhone to the material used in the 13-inch MacBook that was replaced a couple years ago by the entry-level MacBook Air.
Macotakara mentions a $330 price point for the device, which is coincidentally the price of the iPad mini. Rumors have been saying that Apple wants to introduce an iPhone that costs less to customers. $330 doesn’t seem cheaper, but such a device would assumedly be sold unsubsidized by the carriers. The unsubsidized price of the iPhone 5 is more than $600.
Other publications, like The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, have said that Apple is planning to release a cheaper iPhone in late 2013 by the earliest. Apple has made it clear that it doesn’t care about hitting a certain price point to gain market share. Tim Cook recently said the following:
“For years, people asked, ‘Why don’t you have a Mac that’s less than $500 or $1000?’ And we worked on this, but we concluded we couldn’t do a great product at that price. But what did we do? We created iPad, which starts at $329.”
Source: Macotakara
Image: Flickr
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No, this isn’t Apple’s iTV.
You probably haven’t heard of a German company called Loewe. The high-end TV maker hasn’t done so well at selling ultra-expensive HDTVs as of late, and its peripheral business isn’t doing so hot either.
It’s amazing to see how Apple can affect the stock value of another company. After a debunked report from last year claimed that Apple was planning to buy Loewe, yet another acquisition rumor has sent Loewe’s stock soaring to new heights. And just like the first time, the situation is all smoke and no fire.
Apple buying out any company is a big deal, but it’s especially a big deal if that company happens to specialize in making TVs. The rumor mill has been predicting an Apple HDTV for years, so anything that could connect Apple to that drumbeat is worth examining. But in the case of Loewe, all we’ve gotten is some insane stock manipulation.
The first Loewe acquisition rumor was incorrectly reported by AppleInsider in May of last year. Loewe flat-out denied the rumored bid of $113 million (a 48% premium). Apple declined to comment, like normal. The debunking failed to keep Loewe’s stock value from quickly hitting a 10-month high.
This time around, Loewe’s shares have jumped over 40% today due to a rumor that says Apple will make a bid to buy the company again. “Apple supposedly wants to bid 4 euros a share for Loewe,” according to an anonymous “trader.” The rumor has caused Loewe’s legitimate share value to hit nearly 4 euros, which is ridiculous when you consider how the rumor is completely baseless.
Loewe reported 29 million euros in losses last year, and its market cap was around 37 million euros before this latest Apple rumor hit the wire. Even at Loewe’s post-Apple-rumor valuation of 53 million euros, buying it out would be a drop in the bucket for Apple’s $100+ billion cash hoard. But an acquisition still doesn’t make sense. Apple has no reason to buy a luxury TV maker from Germany that’s bleeding money.
The stock swing is ironic when you consider how Apple has taken such a pounding on Wall Street in the last several months. Apple itself is disappointing investors, but anything the company is rumored to touch turns to gold. Makes perfect sense.
Source: Reuters
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An iWatch concept
Rumors have started to pick up regarding Apple’s foray into wearable technology. Over the weekend, both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is working on an ‘iWatch’ product.
Now a third report on the mysterious device has surfaced, and it speaks to the level of focus Apple is giving the top secret project.
According to Bloomberg:
Apple Inc. has a team of about 100 product designers working on a wristwatch-like device that may perform some of the computing tasks now handled by the iPhone and iPad, two people familiar with the company’s plans said.
The team, which has grown in the past year, includes managers, members of the marketing group and software and hardware engineers who previously worked on the iPhone and iPad, said the people, who asked not to be named because the plans are private. The team’s size suggests Apple is beyond the experimentation phase in its development, said the people.
100+ people is a lot of manpower to put on one project at Apple, and the growing size of the group indicates that the company is concentrating its efforts.
The New York Times previously reported that said device has a curved glass display that is designed to wrap around the human wrist. An iWatch would connect to an iPhone and serve as a mediator for incoming calls, notifications, etc. Siri would also make an excellent addition to an Apple wristwatch, but little is known about the device’s specific features at this time.
Apple has been working on wearable technology for years, and Google is working on its Google Glasses for a slated release of 2014. Apple has been particularly interested in “fitness tracking” in the past, according to today’s report. Tim Cook is currently a member of Nike’s board of directors.
James Foster, an Apple senior director of engineering, and another manager named Achim Pantfoerder are currently heading the development of a “wristwatch-style computer,” according to Bloomberg.
Pebble, a leading innovator in the smartwatch space right now, has said that it’s not scared about Apple entering the market with a product of its own. A recent column in The New York Times practically explained why Apple will make its “first push into this world of wearables” through an iWatch. The wrist is the least intimidating point of entry for consumers to be introduced to wearable technology. It’s at least a lot more subtle than wearing a big pair of goggles on your face.
Source: Bloomberg
Image: Fuse Chicken
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Following up on their earlier reports about the cheaper iPhone, iLounge’s Jeremy Horowitz has followed up with details about what the rumored “budget” iPhone would look like: basically, just like an iPhone 5, but with a largely plastic casing and the rounded corners of an iPod classic.
While previous theories have suggested that if Apple were to break into the low-end, they would do it with a Lightning-updated version of the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, Horowitz says his sources have told him that the budget iPhone would look very similar to the iPhone 5 from the front, with all the big changes in appearance in the trunk.
Says iLounge:
From the front, the new iPhone looks almost identical to the iPhone 5—the same exact shape, with the same sensor, camera, and button arrangement. The 1136 x 640 screen isn’t a surprise, but will be a nice step up in specs for the lowest-cost iPhone. Rather than making the display flush with the enclosure, as it was in the plastic iPhone 3G/3GS, the front glass sticks out a little, just as it does with the iPhone 5 and iPod touch. Despite the shift to plastic for the rest of the enclosure, our sources believe that Apple will continue to use Gorilla Glass for this model’s screen.
Differences become more obvious when the new iPhone is turned on the side. The circular volume buttons of the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 will shift to elongated, pill-shaped designs closer to the iPod touch and iPhone 3G/3GS.
In addition, the iPhone 5 will apparently have rounded corners, similar to the iPod classic’s, although not the brushed metal backing that media player is known for. All together, iLounge says it will look like “an iPhone 5 from the front, an iPod classic from the side, and an iPod touch 5G on the bottom.”
This is an intriguing report if true. Most of the growth in the smartphone market at this point is in emerging markets.
Source: iLounge
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Cult of Mac lays it all out: what you can expect for the new iPad mini.
Apple is expected to unveil a new, smaller iPad on October 23rd, 2012, and invites to the event have already been sent out. This could be the most anticipated iPad release yet, bringing the apples-and-oranges competition between Amazon’s Kindle Fire and the newly-releaced Google Nexus 7 to a boil just in time for the holiday gift-giving season of 2012. We’re all extremely excited to see what this heavily rumored new form factor will bring to the table, and how Apple will position the device in its already spectacularly successful line of iOS devices.
The iPad 2 was announced in March of 2011, with the new iPad (not the iPad 3, as we all assumed) was revealed in March of 2012. The iPad 2 broke the thinness barrier of the iPad one, and brought faster CPU and graphics enhancements, while the iPad 3 upped the ante to Retina-quality resolution and a faster, warmer CPU.
What will the iPad mini do to convince us all we need yet one more of Cupertino’s magical devices in our households? In this Cult of Mac rumor roundup, we’ll examine everything we think we know about the iPad Mini.
The iPad mini is expected to be scaled down, to a 7.85 inch diagonal size.
While we keep calling this a 7-inch iPad, to note the similarity with competing tablets like the Fire and the Nexus 7, it will actually be more of an 8-inch tablet. But, you know, size isn’t everything.
“It will be exactly like the 9.7-inch iPad, except scaled down to 7.85-inches.”
In addition, the iPad Mini may have a smaller dock port (to match the smaller iPhone 5 port) and a repositioned headphone jack. iResQ repair lab has posted photos of what it claims to be the new dock connector and headphone jack for the iPad mini. If these parts are to be believed, the iPad mini’s headphone jack will be repositioned next to the dock connector, just like the iPhone 5.
In addition to the almost 8-inch diagonal screen size, the mini iPad will probably have the same ratio of height to width as the current iPad, in a move to support developers to not have to change their graphic production workflow to accomodate yet another iOS device size. It will also probably have the high resolution graphics of an iPad 2, rather than the Retina-quality ones of the new iPad.
Other rumors point to a indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) display, made by Sharp, who recently teamed up with Foxconn to ramp up its supply chain speed. Sharp’s IGZO technology essentially makes it easier and more power efficient for light to shine through an LCD display, which limits power requirements on a smaller device.
Page 2: Lower price, thinner device, and more
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