Michael Jones
Articles by Michael Jones
Apple TV software update adds gesture support via Remote
Apple has quietly pushed out software updates for both the Apple TV and the Remote application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The update, identified as version 2.4 for the Apple TV, and version 1.3 (24) for the Remote app, adds gesture support for controlling Apple TV from your iPhone or iPod. Our in-house Apple TV geeks, Megan Lavey and Christina Warren, both installed the updates and gave them a try. Megan indicated the gestures were quick and responsive, and coupled with the ability to use the iPhone/iPod keyboard to search for shows, the new versions made it much less tedious to navigate through your shows. Boxee users may wish to hold off on updating, however, as it seems that you may not be able to reinstall Boxee after completing the update. Also worth noting is that the new Remote app requires the 3.0 software update to be installed on your iPhone or iPod touch. Thanks to everyone who sent this in! %Gallery-66720%
5 things you need to know about the iPhone 3G S
With only two more days to go until the launch of the iPhone 3G S, we have been getting a lot of questions from readers about things like cases, new features, and of course, upgrading from another iPhone.Can I use my 3G case with the 3G S?Yes! While there are a few manufacturers that are now advertising cases for the 3G S, there are no physical differences from the 3G. So any existing cases or accessories you may have should work with the 3G S just fine.Well then, what exactly is different about the 3G S?Although the physical appearance didn't change, there are a few significant changes to the hardware in the 3G S. Most notably, the CPU, video chipset, and memory have all been upgraded, as well as the addition of a digital compass, faster 3G radio, and improved camera lens. There are also some software enhancements to allow voice control, video editing, and more.Can't I just install 3.0 and get the same features?Not quite. Installing the 3.0 update will get you several of the new features, such as copy and paste, voice notes, MMS, and tethering (if your carrier supports it, anyways), but some of the features will only be available on the 3G S. Things like voice control, video editing and sharing, compass navigation and accessibility improvements take advantage of the new hardware found in the 3G S to provide a better user experience, so Apple doesn't offer those features to users of older iPhones.Can I upgrade from my iPhone or iPhone 3G?Yes! From the hardware side of things, upgrading is as easy as plugging in your new iPhone to iTunes, then selecting that you want to restore your backup to the new phone. Alternatively, you can set it up as a new phone, and just sync the apps, music and other items that you want without restoring the full backup.From the cell phone carrier side of things, upgrading is a bit more complicated, depending on when you purchased your phone, and the terms of your individual contract. Luckily, some providers are offering special terms to encourage customers to upgrade.Where can I find out more about the iPhone 3G S?If you're starving for details, our friends over at Engadget have a full review of the new iPhone, including an unboxing gallery and sample videos. If you're looking for a side-by-side comparison to the 3G, Walt Mossberg chimes in with his take on the All Things DIgital blog. And, as always, you can check out our iPhone 3G S articles here on TUAW.
iPhone 3G S In Depth: Why the 'S' means more than 'Speed'
What makes up a rumor? The common recipe starts with some truth or factual information, adds a healthy dose of hearsay, and then gets topped off with a 'pinch of this and a dash of that.' Then someone else starts with that entire rumor as their 'factual information', and adds to it from there. Pretty soon, you've got 100 different flavors in the wild, and some of them don't even taste remotely like the original dish.The recent storm of rumors surrounding the iPhone 3G S turned out exactly the same way. Several of them shared some common elements, such as a better camera, video editing, and a compass. But beyond that, the features were anyone's guess, especially when it came to the physical appearance of the device. When Apple broke the news that the appearance was identical to the existing 3G, I really had to wonder: how many times have we seen someone using the new iPhone, and not even noticed? And then there was the name: iPhone Video, or iPhone 3GS? Just plain 'iPhone'? Whatever the case, it is a given that the name would reflect one of the most important aspects of the device. After all, the iPhone 3G takes its name from its 3G radio, and the 4th-generationsorry, 5th or 5.5 gen iPod were oft referred to as the "iPod Video" due to their video capabilities. So it stood to reason that if the most obvious feature of the new phone would be video recording (and possibly editing) capabilities, it could easily be called the 'iPhone Video'.What is interesting, though, is that Apple instead chose to name it 'iPhone 3G S', stating that the 'S' stands for faster speed. But even a quick perusal of the specs on Apple's website will tell you that speed is far from the only improvement over the original 3G. Of course, there are the obvious features that Apple pointed out: video recording & editing, an auto-focus camera, voice control and dialing, and a digital compass, just to name a few. But what about all the other features listed on the website. How do they compare to the iPhone 3G?Read on for a head-to-head comparison of the new features...
iPhone 3G owners and AT&T upgrade woes
With the introduction of the new iPhone 3G S at WWDC, existing AT&T customers who wish to upgrade to the new model are quickly finding out that they are not eligible for the pricing announced today.If you were among the first 10 million customers to pick up the original iPhone, and you have not upgraded to the 3G, chances are your AT&T account lists your iPhone as eligible for an upgrade. But for many users, this is sadly not the case. Several readers have written in, letting us know that AT&T is not offering upgrade pricing for existing iPhone 3G owners, and is asking $599 for the new 16GB 3G S, or $699 for the 32GB model. Others have things a little easier, with AT&T offering $399 or $499 upgrade pricing. Now that's definitely not the rosy picture that was painted on the slide at WWDC this morning, is it?So what can you do if you want to upgrade? Well, you might have a few options. For starters, the typical contract cancellation fee is $175. So, depending on your plan, you may be able to save some money by just canceling the contract, then purchasing the iPhone as a new contract. Keep in mind, by doing this, you'll probably need to wait 90 days or so to sign-up with AT&T (in your name anyway) and you'll lose your existing phone number.You might also want to consider adding a new iPhone as an additional line to your account. If you don't have a spouse or family member to share your existing iPhone 3G with, the additional monthly fees for the new iPhone 3G S probably won't end up saving you any money (in fact, you can pretty much guarantee it won't), but if you want a new iPhone and have a person you can share your existing iPhone 3G with, this might be an option.Upgrade screen for an AT&T customer just a couple of months shy of the 18-month threshold.Finally, you can always resort to the old standby method: subsidize the cost by selling your existing phone. Since the hardware changes are fairly minimal with the new model, it's a safe bet that the 3G will still be in good demand, at least for a little while. Chances are pretty good that you can recoup some, if not all, of the cost of the new phone by selling your old 3G after you have upgraded. This is particularly true for 3G phones that have been jailbroken or unlocked. Even though the 8GB iPhone 3G will be selling for $99, users who want to use a phone without a contract or potentially with another carrier are foaming at the mouth for the iPhone.Keep in mind that these are just suggestions, and may or may not work for everyone in all cases. If all else fails, talk to someone at AT&T. You might just get lucky and find someone who is able to help you out. If you want to wait out your existing contract, it appears that AT&T will approve you for upgrade pricing 18 months into your contract. So if you got an iPhone 3G last June, you can look at upgrading to the iPhone 3G S at the end of December.Will you be upgrading your iPhone 3G to a 3G S, despite the steep price, or will you wait until you are eligible to upgrade? Let us know in the comments!Update: As many of you have pointed out in the comments, much of the reasoning behind this is due to the fact that the 3G iPhone's cost was subsidized, meaning that AT&T could sell you the phone for a lower price, while locking you into a two year contract and recouping the remainder of the phone's cost over the length of that contract. In contrast, the original iPhone's cost was not subsidized, which allowed more flexibliity to those wanting to upgrade their phones early.In all fairness to AT&T, this is the same practice that is followed by most other carriers around the world. However, much of the confusion comes with the fact that many customers were allowed to upgrade to the 3G last year if they owned the original iPhone.
iPhone 3G demo units are going, going....
Clayton Morris noted on his blog Sunday that iPhone 3G demo units have been removed from display at his local Apple store. While it is not uncommon to see one or two displays missing for various reasons, Clayton noted that there were at least nine units missing from the main iPhone display tables. Couple this with reports from some Apple stores that they have additional staff scheduled for the next couple of weeks (starting today), and you have some pretty good signs that the new iPhone model might just be available today.[via AppleInsider]
Rumor: New iPhone to be called "iPhone Video?"
Further fueling the iPhone fire (try saying that one five times fast), TUAW has received an anonymous tip stating that AT&T's support website will be updated with "iPhone Video" as one of the model choices when choosing Apple as the phone manufacturer. While I only see the original iPhone and 3G choices on the support site now, it stands to reason that this photo may have been taken from a screen showing unpublished support content. Click the image for the full-res photo.This adds to some already interesting news, reported earlier by AppleInsider, that new model placeholders have begun appearing in inventory for Carphone Warehouse, a retailer that resells the iPhone. These models were labeled with a "V3", which could simply mean Version 3, or the V may also stand for "Video" or "Video 3G". Other retailers have also recently reported additional entries or placeholders showing up in their inventories, and many carriers have also received end of life notices for the current 3G models. So even if a new model isn't announced at WWDC, it's a pretty safe bet that Apple has something in the pipeline.
Rumor: New iPhone pictures leaked?
With the increasing evidence that a new iPhone may be just around the corner, we've seen our share of screenshots, speculations, and mock-ups. Now, the Italian iPhone blog iSpazio has posted pictures of what could possibly be the next iPhone (English Translations: here and here). These images were provided by an anonymous source, who states that the featured photo is a picture of a screen showing an as-of-yet unpublished update to the iPhone page on Apple's website. Reportedly, the website also features the text "Ebony, curious, advanced. The new iPhone is for everyone. Available today." along with references to the phone's "sleek all black build, including the slip-resistant backing and bezel." As can be seen from the images, the new model appears to feature some interesting changes near the earpiece. In addition to the slot already present on the existing models, both of these images clearly show a wider slot at the top of the face, just below the bezel. Also of note is the small, green LED present near the earpiece on the screenshot. Our tipster suggests this could be part of a front-facing camera. It also looks like the mute/sleep switch has been moved to the top-left of the phone. However, the supposed website image still shows the switch on the top right. While I personally am skeptical about the LED in the screenshot, these pictures do look promising. What's your verdict? Could this in fact be a first look at the next iPhone? Let us know in the comments.Update: As eagle-eyed reader John points out below, the headphone jack appears to have been moved to the bottom right of the device (if you're looking at the front of the phone). Good catch!Update 2: After looking closer at these images, I noticed that there is a small button near the bottom of the right side of the phone. It looks to be in the right position for a shutter control when you are using the camera horizontally.Source #1, Source #2