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Verizon announces 9.8 million smartphone activations, more iPhones
Earlier this week. AT&T announced it had activated 10 million smartphones in the holiday quarter. Not to be outdone, Verizon chimed in with own figures in an SEC filing that suggests it activated 9.8 million smartphones during the last three months of the year. Though Verizon has an Android-dominated lineup of smartphones, the carrier did say it activated a "higher mix of Apple smartphones" this time around. This boost is likely due to the iPhone 5 which hit retail shelves in the second half of 2012 and a price-reduced iPhone 4S. [Via The Verge and ZDnet]
iPhone 5 comes to Walmart's prepaid Straight Talk plans Jan. 11
Giga-retailer Walmart made waves this holiday season by offering the iPhone 5 for well below its suggested retail price. Now it's going to start offering Apple's top-of-the-line smartphone unlocked and on prepaid Straight Talk plans beginning January 11. The iPhone 5 will cost US$649 in a 16 GB configuration -- or the same price of the phone from Apple, unlocked. Walmart will also sell an unlocked iPhone 4 8 GB for $449. Customers will be able to use either phone on a Straight Talk unlimited voice, text and data plan for $45 per month, with unlimited international calling added in a $60 per month plan. To coincide with the deal's rollout, Walmart will offer customers an option to pay for their handset on a promotional $25 per month financing plan. All prices will be good online and in retail stores. [Via Engadget]
iPhone 5 coming to Walmart's Straight Talk prepaid plans January 11th
Customers have been able to enjoy the iPhone experience on Walmart's Straight Talk "BYOD" phone plans for quite some time now, but the prepaid provider will begin directly selling the iPhone 5 -- as well as the iPhone 4 -- on January 11th. The iPhone 5 will be offered in 16GB and will be sold for $649, while the iPhone 4 will come with 8GB storage and go for $449. If you don't want to pay the entire cost up front, you can take advantage of Walmart's monthly installment-financing plans for $25. For more specifics, head below the break to get the full press release.
iBattz beats Mophie to iPhone 5 charging case, ups the ante using interchangeable i9300 batteries
It's usually a no-brainer -- Mophie exits quickly out of the gate with a battery-equipped case soon after a new iDevice gets announced. This year, however, it appears iBattz is poised to hit it out of the park faster with two of its own iPhone 5 cases. Notably, each case comes packed with two swappable i9300 Li-ion battery packs (the same kind for Samsung's rival Galaxy S III, seriously). The cells are rated at 2,200mAh each, which is notably larger in capacity than the iPhone's roughly 1,400mAh batts. The streamlined Mojo Fuel (pictured) will set you back $90 come February, while argonauts can sang the ruggedized Mojo Armor for $100 in March. The cases charge via microUSB, and an external battery charger will also be included with each. The company has also detailed its waterproof AquaSeal Hi5, featuring a detachable 2,500mAh aluminium battery back -- no further details just yet. We'll be sure to report back if we catch 'em on the show floor here at CES. Find the full press release after the break.
Pioneer announces iPhone 5 connectivity kits for AppRadio 2 and friends
As part of its CES 2013 announcements, Pioneer will launch iPhone 5 connectivity kits for 13 of its in-dash products some time this spring. This is bound to be a bit of entertainment relief for the many of you who've upgraded to iPhone 5 and found your Pioneer set's AppMode was unable to follow your chosen path. There will be three different connectivity kits available for purchase: the CD-IH202 (HDMI), CD-IV202AV (VGA) and CD-IV202NAVI (VGA) for the various devices types -- coupled with mandatory firmware updates for any head unit using digital connectivity. The HDMI solution will set you back $50 at the register and includes a 2-meter HDMI cable, a 1.5-meter 17-pin to USB charging cable for the iPhone 5, and the unfortunate need to purchase both the $19 Lightning to USB and $49 Lightning digital AV adapters. Compatible VGA sets will require a $100 kit which includes a proprietary interface cable and control module for all your audio and video needs, a 1.5-meter USB charging cable and the same two Apple Lightning cables as above. No mention of pack-in cable options going forward, though we'd assume a transition to iPhone 5 connectivity is where we'll eventually end up. We dig that Pioneer was able to get this to market, though, we're starting to think that a used iPhone 4 might ultimately be cheaper than the kit and extra cables required.
Consumer Reports ranks iPhone 5 below several Android phones
Consumer Reports hasn't been kind to the iPhone in previous years and 2013 seems to be no different. BusinessInsider has clipped a graphic that shows Consumer Report's smartphone rankings that are to be published in its February issue. As you can see from the clipping, the iPhone 5 has come in dead last among smartphones. The magazine rates phones like the LG Optimus G, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Motorola Droid RAZR above Apple's latest phone. As of now there's no reasoning behind these results. When the February issue of CR hits newsstands later this month, we assume we'll get a breakdown of why Consumer Reports feels the iPhone 5 is losing out to Android phones.
Best Buy not happy with Walmart's holiday iPhone 5 deal
The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Best Buy and several other retailers are quite unhappy with a Walmart advertising campaign that claims that the discount store chain has lower prices than the stores targeted in their ads. This came to a head over the holidays, when Walmart ran ads on Facebook showing an advertised price for an iPhone 5 of just US$127. At the time, Best Buy was selling the same iPhone 5 configuration with a two-year contract for $149.99. The result? Best Buy had to drop prices to meet its price-match guarantee, and lost about $65,000 in profits on the first day the Walmart promotion ran. Best Buy also alleges that Walmart didn't have sufficient iPhones on hand for customers. Walmart replied to the allegations, saying that they were "98 percent in stock at stores that carried the devices." The company declined to tell the WSJ how many iPhone 5s it had in stores during the promotion. Another complaint by Best Buy notes that a holiday Walmart ad claimed a Dell laptop was $251 more at Best Buy, when the two laptops compared were actually different models. Best Buy general counsel Keith Nelsen, writing to the Florida attorney general's office, said, "That would be like comparing a Toyota to a Lexus." Whether attorneys general in a number of states decide to follow up on the allegations is unknown. [via MacRumors]
A New Year, a new iPhone 5 ad -- 'Dream'
A new iPhone 5 ad has just shown up on YouTube. "Dream," oddly enough, highlights the one feature of the iPhone 5 that wasn't working properly this morning -- Do Not Disturb. In this case, Do Not Disturb is being used to keep a nice dream going ... a dream in which the narrator is playing table tennis against the Williams sisters, and winning. Thanks to Andrew for the tip!
TUAW's Best of 2012 Personal Picks: Michael Grothaus, and the year that wasn't
In my opinion, 2012 was a lackluster year for the Apple ecosystem and the tech sector as a whole. Smartphones are now ubiquitous and this is the year the tablet hit mainstream adoption. While those are both good things, the whole touch computing world is now five years old and innovation and excitement seems to be taking a back seat to more of the same old-same old. 2012 brought us more Instagram clones, more Angry Birds knock-offs, and an endless array of people asking me to review their Kickstarter projects. I remember a world pre-2012 when developers and accessory makers would ask me to review real, finished products. Even the self-righteous outrage in the tech media about Twitter's third-party client TOS changes that brought about the (horribly named) App.net attracted only the geekiest of the tech world. After all, how is a Twitter knockoff that charges annual subscription fees going to gain mass adoption among users in the non-techie world? Before I depress people more about the state of tech in 2012, let's talk about a few bright spots. Yes, most of these were because I need to pick something that says "this was good" -- that's why my category choices are a bit generic. Hopefully 2013 will be a more exciting year for tech. Best iOS device: iPhone 5 This year we saw the iPad 3, the iPad 4, the iPad mini, and the new iPod touch in addition to the iPhone 5. That's a lot of new iOS devices in one year. And while the iPad mini deserves praise for its design and lightness, the best iOS device of the year is the iPhone 5. Its thin profile, look and feel, and that extra bit of screen space turned an aging design into something sleek and sexy again. I never thought adding just a half-inch (diagonally) of space to the screen would change the user experience that much, but it did. Matter of fact, that half-inch is just enough that I do most of my web browsing on my iPhone now instead of my iPad. Best Mac: MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple had two major Mac product launches this year: MacBook Pros with Retina displays and the new optical drive-less iMacs. While the new iMacs are sleek and beautiful, the best Mac award goes to the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. Why the 15-inch and not the 13-inch? Because the 15-inch is actually a little thinner than the 13-inch. Also, as my office is mobile, I prefer to carry the largest screen around with me that I can. For me, working in Word or Pages on a 15-inch screen is leaps and bounds better than working on a 13-inch screen. And, as with the iPhone and iPad before it, once you use a Retina display, it's hard to work on anything non-Retina. Best iOS game: The Walking Dead This is the one thing on my list that is truly a bright and shining example of a standout product in 2012. Yeah, there were tens of thousands of new iOS games this year, so why pick The Walking Dead? Because it brought back my faith that video games could be used to convey emotional, gripping stories. And that's where this game succeeds wildly. The entire team at Telltale Games deserves props for game play, art direction, and everything else that goes into making a game. However, it's the writers that deserve a standing ovation. The best video games on any platform (almost like a good book) are the ones that can get the reader emotionally attached to the characters. More than that, the best games (again, like the best books) are the ones that let us peek into the human condition and tell us something about the world around us -- and ourselves. And yes, the game is set in a world where zombies walk the earth, but that in no way implies that the story is not compelling or relevant. The world of iOS gaming is primarily dominated by "casual" games. They're games like Doodle Jump and Angry Birds (both fun games, mind you) that we play when we have five minutes to kill while on the train or waiting for an appointment. Games with complex, gripping stories are a rarity outside of the console world. That's why The Walking Dead is such an outstanding game. If you haven't played it, grab it this week while the first episode is free. The game is normally $4.99 for the first episode and $4.99 for each additional episode (or $14.99 if you buy the remaining episodes at once). There are five episodes in total and, once completed, they form a compelling story. Also keep in mind that The Walking Dead game is based on the comic book universe and not the TV series; however, players can enjoy the game without familiarity with either series. Best iOS app: Google Maps Enough has been said about Apple Maps this year. It was a huge mess that led to the firing of at least two senior executives at Apple and was a rare major failing on the company's part. Sure, Apple will keep building on its maps, and sometime in the future the company's back-end database may be adequate for most users. In the meantime, users are flocking to Google Maps via the new dedicated iOS app. In less than 48 hours there were over 10 million downloads of the app; while it wasn't out in time to be included in Apple's "Most downloaded apps" lists this year, something tells me that in its three short weeks of 2012 downloads, it may end up as the most downloaded app of the year. Besides being a wonderfully designed app with vector maps and turn-by-turn directions -- and an incredible POI database and search features -- I love the Google Maps app so much because it let me come back to the iPhone. I was finally able to buy that iPhone 5 I wanted so much, rather than bailing out to a Samsung phone. Best reader: The paperback I read a lot. My pace is about one book a week. This year I gave iBooks a real shot, having bought ten books through the iBookstore. And while the iPad's Retina display made ebooks much more pleasurable to read, the iPad is still too heavy and distracting to use as a dedicated e-reader. I also gave the new Kindle a shot. Again, nice, but for me it doesn't compare to a printed book. The only e-reader I found that I liked (primarily due to its size) was the Txtr Beagle, which I reviewed for The Guardian. However, that e-reader won't be out anywhere until next year, and in the US even later than in Europe, so I can't recommend it yet (not to mention I played with a prototype). 2012 saw e-readers move in the right direction, but for now the old-fashioned paperback book still rules. I wish picking the winners of tech in 2012 had been more work, with a larger pool of contenders to sort through. There just weren't. While I feel my choices (particularly The Walking Dead) are all bright spots, here's hoping 2013 brings much more than 2012 did.
iPhone 5 launches in Africa, Caribbean and Southeast Asia
Apple CEO Tim Cook promised during the last earnings conference call that the iPhone 5 would be available in 100 countries worldwide by the end of year and the recent December 21 launch of the phone in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caribbean helped the company reach that milestone. According to Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Apple 2.0, Apple's latest handset quietly debuted in St. Kitts, Barbados, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Egypt, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, St. Lucia, St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Uganda. Apple didn't announce this end-of-the-year roll out, but one local report suggests the launch of the phone was greeted with a small line of eager customers.
Cycloramic spins your iPhone 5 by itself
Reader Jonathan H. just sent us word of a new app in the store called Cycloramic, and I just had to post about it right away because it's kind of blowing my mind. The app is available for US$0.99 right now, and it's meant only for the iPhone 5, because here's what it does: When the app is run and your iPhone is placed vertically on a flat, smooth surface (like glass or granite), the app will make your phone vibrate in such a way that it "spins" around slowly. You can see it working in the video below, although the video's soundtrack of course doesn't reveal the phone's vibration element grinding itself away. I had to see this in action, so I downloaded the app for my iPhone 5, and sure enough, it works. The app will take a video, and you can set it to spin 360 degrees, or 720 or 1080 if you want a longer shot. I don't know exactly what the app would be used for, but it's a cool party trick, and what a crazy way of using the vibration function. If the iPhone 5 was built any differently, this would not work the way it does. But somebody out there discovered that when the iPhone 5 vibrates while standing up, it spins around at a steady rate, and thus you have Cycloramic. More power to whoever that was -- I happily gave them my 99 cents, and it was worth it. I'm not sure if this is one of the most brilliant things I've ever seen or one of the most stupid, but as far as I can tell, it's going to work out well for them.
Engadget Giveaway: win an unlocked iPhone 5, courtesy of CloudOn!
We've given away a few iPhone 5s in the past, but this is the first opportunity we've had to hand out a GSM-unlocked version. Also known as the A1428 model, this particular iPhone will get you HSPA+ on any GSM network around the globe as well as dual-band LTE (for use on AT&T in the US and Rogers, Telus and Bell in Canada), and it's thanks to our friends at CloudOn for offering the chance. CloudOn is a free iOS and Android tablet app that lets you create, view and edit Microsoft Office files and link them to Dropbox, Box and Google Drive, so head on over to the App Store or Play Store to check it out. Before you do, however, leave a comment below to enter! If you're looking for ideas on what to say, CloudOn wants to know what would help you become more productive on your iPhone -- perhaps you can toss them a few of your ideas. Good luck! Update: CloudOn just announced version 3.0 of its service, which will offer iPhone compatibility and optimization with Android smartphones and 7-inch tablets. Winner: Congratulations to Tera A. of Ludowici, GA for winning the unlocked iPhone 5!
Google updates Blogger for iOS with iPhone 5 support
It's been a number of weeks since the iPhone 5 hit pockets, desks, and nightstands around the world, but Google's Blogger app for iOS has been content to live in the past. Until today, that is. As Engadget reports, Blogger for iPhone and iPad has just received its first update for the post-iPhone 5 world, and it brings with it support for the new handset's larger screen, as well as a few other tweaks. Along with support for the new iPhone, the Blogger app now support the iPad natively as well. The refresh also updates the save options to include "Save as Draft" and "Publish" and "Cancel." Oh, and if you're obsessed with seeing how often your posts are being read, the app now includes Google Analytics for all your stat tracking desires.
Apple releases iOS 6.0.2 update for iPhone 5 and iPad mini, promises fix for WiFi bug
It doesn't look to bring with it any major changes, but Apple has just released its latest iOS update, which takes things up to version 6.0.2. According to the company, this one primarily addresses a bug that "could impact WiFi." An issue that, incidentally, has been at the center of a number of previous iOS updates. You should be able to find the update now or in the near future in either iTunes or Software Update on your iOS device. Update: As MacStories notes, this particular update appears to only be for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini.
Daily Update for December 17, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Chinese iPhone 5 sales top 2 million in first weekend
Apple announced yesterday that it has sold over 2 million iPhone 5s in China in the three days since its launch on December 14. "Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "China is a very important market for us and customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products." Apple did not release sales information for the other 32 new countries that debuted the iPhone 5 last weekend. China, of course, is a very important market for Apple, as it generates 15 percent of the company's sales.
Apple sold over two million iPhone 5s in China in first weekend
Even though there were no insanely long lines to rave about this time, Apple's now showing some big numbers merely three days after its iPhone 5 launch in China. According to the short press release fresh out of the oven, Cupertino's Chinese division has so far managed to sell over two million iPhone 5s through various channels (notably with online reservation for Apple's in-store purchases, as already implemented in Hong Kong), thus "setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China," said CEO Tim Cook. To put that into context, the iPhone 5's original opening weekend sales topped five million in nine countries, which is again solid proof that "China is a very important market" for Apple. Or maybe the Mayan calendar really made an impression among Chinese consumers.
Element Case's Ronin case for iPhone 5: Lightweight luxury (updated)
A few weeks ago I received a PR blast from Element Case about their new Ronin case for iPhone 5 ($199.99) and just had to write a short post about it due to its unique and gorgeous design. The case uses a combination of nickel-plated aluminum, exotic wood, and leather in a design that is stunning, yet featherlight. Design What can you say about a case that comes with its own case? With a $200 iPhone case, you'll want to make sure that your iPhone 5 and the Ronin case are getting protection. That's why the Ronin comes with a leather protective wallet as well. When I say that the Ronin is lightweight, I mean it. It registered a scant 0.6 oz (17 gm) on my postal scale. As with many of the Element Case products, the Ronin requires some installation smarts. You need to remove one screw with an included tool, pull open the case, wrap it securely around your iPhone 5, then tighten all of the screws on the case. Once that's done, you install a leather backplate. Two are included with the Ronin -- one that's "genuine leather" and the other that is made of Ultrasuede. %Gallery-173502% There are "rash strips" that need to be installed on the outside of the case to keep it from scuffing the finish of your iPhone 5; extra strips are included should you they need to be replaced. Element Case also includes a cleaning cloth and screen protector for your iPhone in the box, as well as extra screws. The leather protective wallet is a nicely designed piece of work as well. It's slender, made of two colors (brown and black) of leather, with a Velcro closure to keep your iPhone and Ronin nicely protected. The leather backplates are interchangeable; Element Case provides a tack sheet onto which you can stick the backplate that's not currently in use. That's a nice touch, something I guess you should expect with a $200 iPhone case! Functionality iPhone cases are all about two things: protecting your iPhone and making it look nice. Up until this point, I hadn't seen a case that would make me actually cover up the iPhone 5. The Ronin changed that. I did have one gripe about the case; for $200, it sure requires a lot of installation. Many people who can afford to pay that much for a case probably have no mechanical skills at all, so there may be a booming cottage industry for installing Element Cases. The instructions were too generic; they were for another one of the Element Case lines, and rather than just removing one screw I found I needed to remove two. Update: The review Ronin was inadvertently packed with the wrong instructions, which Element Cases has remedied. The new instructions are much more clear. The rash strips took a little bit of work to install properly, and I found that the edges that wrap around the beveled sides of the iPhone 5 just wouldn't stick down. Fortunately, the case covers those so uneven edges aren't visible. The exotic wood used on the Ronin case is a bit darker than that seen on the Element Case website, but it still looks beautiful. I installed the Ultrasuede back on the iPhone 5 as I liked the lighter color, and it has a wonderful warm feeling to it. One thing I noticed almost immediately when holding the Ronin/iPhone 5 combo is that the slightly curved edges of the wood make the case much easier to grip than an uncased iPhone 5. The Ultrasuede backplate also reduces the annoying buzz of the iPhone in vibrate mode when it's on a table top to a still-noticeable rumble. Conclusion While the Ronin obviously isn't for everyone, it will appeal to those with a sense of luxury and has a certain steampunk cachet to it. It's certainly the most unique iPhone 5 case I've seen to date, and the construction of the Ronin is top notch. If you're looking for a luxurious Christmas present for the iPhone 5 owner who has everything, you can't go wrong with the Element Case Ronin. Pros Unique. I challenge you to find another case that is made of nickel-plated aluminum, wood, and leather. Extremely well-made. The amount of care taken in both design and manufacturing is obvious. Curved wood sides make the Ronin a joy to hold. Luxurious feel and look. Cons A bit out of the price range of the average iPhone 5 owner. Installation can be a challenge. Who is it for? The iPhone 5 owner who wants a classy case that protects while complementing the design of the smartphone with steampunk good looks.
French reporters infiltrate Foxconn iPhone 5 factory, find few of the vaunted changes (updated)
Envoyé Spécial, a 60 Minutes-like program from public TV station France 2, went undercover at the Zhengzhou iPhone 5 Foxconn factory recently (within the past two months) and reported many of the same problems the Chinese manufacturer and Apple promised to fix earlier this year. According to the story that aired last night, dorms at the new factory were occupied by workers despite the fact that many were still under construction and had no elevators, electricity or running water -- apparently because builders focused on the production lines at the expense of housing. A Foxconn manager even warned employees on hidden camera not to plug devices into dorms that did have electricity, saying that eight workers were killed in a fire after overloading circuits.
iPhone 5 goes on sale in China, 31 other countries
After months of exciting twists and turns of procedural regulatory examination, the iPhone 5 is now available for sale in China. It's important to remember that China is Apple's second biggest market (after the US, of course), and accounts for an ever-increasing percentage of Apple's revenue. As The Next Web reports, a snowstorm in Beijing may have reduced the line there, but Engadget reports plenty of iPhone 5 customers in other parts of the country. In addition to the huge market in China, Apple will be rolling out the iPhone 5 in over 30 more countries today and nearly two dozen more before the end of the year. This is the fastest global distribution for an iPhone yet, a testament to Apple's strong channel efforts and global appeal.
