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iPhone 5s and 5c approved for China Mobile, the world's biggest carrier (updated)
Apple's mission to bring the iPhone to the world's largest mobile operator has apparently dragged on since 2007. Now, however, it finally looks as if Tim Cook's latest round of secret negotiations has paid off. TENAA, China's equivalent to the FCC, has released documents clearing a pair of iPhones packing GSM-enabled TD-LTE radios. Considering that China's other two carriers (Telecom and Unicom) use the more common CDMA2000 or WCDMA, this is a very hefty hint that the iPhone 5s and 5c will shortly be available to China Mobile's 740-million plus subscribers. Update: Looks like these variants were actually first made public on TENAA back in September, according to our friends over at The Next Web, but a tease can only last for so long. China will just have to hurry up with its official TD-LTE roll-out, which is rumored to take place later this year.
Change the look of your iPhone 5c case with CaseCollage app
With the iPhone 5c, Apple for the first time introduced color to its iPhone lineup. What's more, Apple upped the color ante by concurrently releasing perforated iPhone 5c cases in an assortment of colors. While some folks seem to enjoy the tremendous number of color options afforded by the 5c and the accompanying cases, not everyone shares that enthusiasm. The solution? A new app called CaseCollage that allows users to create and print iPhone 5c backings to fill up the circular openings which result from the iPhone 5c case. The app description reads: CaseCollage for iPhone 5c provides an interactive way to add personality and design for the new 5c case. Use the case holes as frames for your artwork, friends, and interests. Merely create and print for endless custom cases. Features: • Add and arrange photos from your phone, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, or Picasa • 250+ colors, letters, patterns, and clipart • 35 circle-spaces to arrange and create your design • Share your CaseCollage with friends and family • Print a copy for your own case or for others The app is free and provides a neat way for users to really customize their 5c device to their liking. Check out a video demo of the app in action below.
Target discounting iPhone 5c to $49.99... or less
Target has joined the parade of retailers who are discounting Apple's colorful iPhone 5c. Earlier this week, TUAW reported that Walmart and RadioShack were selling the 5c for just US$45 with a two-year contract; now Target has announced that they will sell the 16 GB version of the phones for $49.99 or less. That "or less" has a caveat attached to it, of course. An extra 5 percent discount is available for those who happen to have a Target REDcard, bringing the price tag down to $47.50. The prices are for a phone equipped with a new two-year contract with the carrier of your choice, and appear to be available only in stores and not online.
Fill your iPhone 5C's sad, empty case holes with CaseCollage's cat faces (and other stuff)
That iPhone 5C you've got outfitted with a swiss cheese-esque Apple case might've looked pretty fresh at first, but it's been a few weeks and you're starting to wish those holes had something a bit more exciting to look at inside. Either that or you're totally okay with what you've got, in which case we'd suggest you go watch this clip from the Kids in the Hall. For the rest of you, CaseCollage is here to help: it's a free app that helps you design and print custom images to fill those empty holes with creativity. Taking images that are either already on your phone or synced via various online image services (Flickr, Picasa, Instagram, etc.), the app lets you place images in a virtual facsimile of your case and save those patterns. There are also a variety of pre-loaded shapes and fonts should you wish to add wingdings and messages to your iPhone's rear. Head below the break for a quick video walkthrough, and snag the app right here if you're feelin' it.
Dutch telco KPN's 4G network is ready for iPhone 5c, 5s
Later this month, on October 25, Apple's latest smartphones will land in the Netherlands, and if you're a customer of KPN, one of the country's wireless providers, you'll be happy to hear that its network will indeed support 4G on both the iPhone 5s and 5c. KPN is currently leading the way in 4G in the Netherlands, using a variety of bands for its network, which should cover roughly 80 percent of the country by the end of the year. While 4G compatibility is typically a given in many countries, KPN's 4G network originally wasn't compatible with the iPhone 5 due to its use of an unsupported band. Now that the iPhone 5s and 5c have launched with support of KPN's 800MHz band, the groundwork is set for plenty of high-speed iPhone fun. [via ZDNet]
Apple receives clearance to sell iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in Brazil
Apple yesterday announced that both the iPhone 5s and 5c will be launching in more than 25 countries on Friday, October 25. Just one week later, more than a dozen additional countries will be getting the iPhone treatment as well. You can check out a full list of those countries over here. While the list includes countries from all across the globe, from Albania to Moldova and everything in between, one country conspicuously missing from the iPhone launch festivities is Brazil. That, however, may soon change. ZDNet is reporting that the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) recently granted the requisite authorization for Apple to sell its new iPhone lineup in the country. The new Apple devices will be compatible with the 4G technology available in Brazil and work at the frequency adopted locally, which is 2600 MHz. The previous iPhone and iPad sold in Brazil operated in the 700 MHz band. According to Anatel, the iPhones will be manufactured by Foxconn in the company's factory in São Paulo, in the countryside town of Jundiaí. However, the company is yet to announce the release date and the price of the devices. While no release date has yet been announced, both the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5 launched in Brazil in December of their respective release years. So, perhaps, the 5s and 5c will see similar launch windows.
iPhone 5s and 5c will be available in more countries on Oct. 25
Apple has announced that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will be available in 35 additional countries starting October 25, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, French West Indies, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand. In addition, the iPhone 5s and 5c will debut in the following countries on Friday, November 1: Albania, Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, India, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE. Happy shopping, folks. We look forward to your stories and photos from the Apple Store near you.
Apple bringing iPhone 5s and 5c to more than 35 countries by November 1st
Apple appears to have weathered its iPhone supply issues because its newest smartphones are set to go on a world tour. The company announced today that it will launch the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in Italy, Russia, Spain and over 25 new markets on October 25th, heading to further ten new markets by November 1st. As always, the new iPhones will available through Apple retail stores, online and select Apple Authorized Resellers. You can find the full list of countries just after the break.
Booq offers Complete Protection Kit for iPhone 5s and 5c
Booq is best known for its stylish protective bags for iPads and MacBooks, but last week they surprised the iPhone accessory market by announcing the Complete Protection Kit for iPhone 5s and 5c (both US$34.95). Booq's unique idea is to keep the focus on Apple's amazing product designs, and as such they've created extremely thin snap cases (one black, one clear) that are protective, but somewhat understated. According Booq's lead designer S. Kema Subsomboon, "We've heard so many people say that they wish they didn't have to have a case on their phone because they love the iPhone the way it is. That was the thought process behind the kit; thinking about the beauty of the iPhone and the complete protection it deserves in an intelligent and simple way." In addition, each kit comes with a tempered glass screen protector. For the 5c, you can take advantage of covers that adhere to the home button and offer even more protection. The clear case is perfect for those who want to show off the sleek silver, gold or space gray finish of the iPhone 5s, or for people who want to protect their iPhone 5c, but want to keep the colorful shell of the device in front of the public. We hope to get one of the Complete Protection Kits for iPhone 5s soon and will have a full review at that time.
Daily Update for October 7, 2013
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
iPhone 5c now just $45 with contract at both Walmart and Radio Shack
If you're looking to pick up an iPhone 5c sometime soon, you'd be hard-pressed to find better deals than what's currently being offered at Walmart and RadioShack. Both retail outlets this weekend slashed pricing on the iPhone 5c from US$99 to $45, provided, of course, you sign up for a two-year contract. That translates into a solid 55 percent price drop for a brand-new device that has received nothing but glowing reviews since being released two weeks ago. Here are deal particulars to be aware of: The iPhone 5c price cut at RadioShack will run through November 2 while Walmart's deal will run through the holiday season. Keep in mind that Best Buy is also offering special iPhone 5c savings through Monday. We recently reported that iPhone 5c purchasers at Best Buy locations will receive a $50 gift card that can be used on other store items, though notably not towards the iPhone 5c purchase itself.
Apple posts tips and tricks guide for the iPhone 5s and 5c
Apple today posted new pages to its website highlighting a number iOS 7 tips and tricks for iPhone 5s, 5c, and 4s users. Truthfully, I'm surprised Apple hasn't done something like this before given that there's so much power in iOS that the general public is often unaware of. While the tips listed by Apple may, on the whole, be familiar to anyone who keeps up with Apple-centric blogs, Apple's new webpages provide a nice resource for users new to iOS and even for seasoned users who haven't yet experienced the full power of iOS. The new pages put up by Apple are even more timely given the recent release of iOS 7 which, as has been said time and time again, marks the biggest change to iOS since the 2007 release of the original iPhone. The tips are broken up by categories which include Photography, Swipe Gestures, Maps, Siri, Safari and more. It's well worth checking out. Speaking of tips, don't forget to check out our series of TUAW video tips for iOS 7. via MacRumors
iPhone 5s tops sales at big US carriers
Not surprisingly, some analysts tried every which way to downplay the fact that Apple sold 9 million iPhones in just three days. Some claimed, with no evidence to back it up, that the 9 million figure included devices shipped to carriers, but not yet purchased to consumers. Still others were quick to point out that the 9 million figure encompassed iPhone 5c sales, while noting that Apple last year did not include weekend sales of the iPhone 4s in its iPhone 5 weekend launch tally. While analysts can tinker with numbers and speculate all they want, it's damn near impossible to argue that Apple's most recent iPhone launch was anything but an overwhelming success. All that said, a survey conducted by Canaccord Genuity reveals that the iPhone 5s is the top-selling smartphone across all four major US carriers. What's more, the iPhone 5c is the second-most popular smartphone on both AT&T and Sprint. On Verizon and T-Mobile, the iPhone 5c is the third-most popular smartphone. AppleInsider adds: According to the report, September brought "very weak" demand for HTC's flagship HTC One, while the Taiwanese company posted the first quarterly loss in its history earlier Friday. The story was similar for BlackBerry, which saw "very soft" sales of its new Z10 and Q10, and Motorola, where sales for its refreshed Droid lineup declined after Apple's new iPhones became available. Even more impressive is that the iPhone 5s remains in tight supply across a number of major US cities. So not only is the device the most popular smartphone on the market, but also demand still far outstrips supply. If anything, it stands to reason that the 9 million figure Apple announced last week would have been even higher had Apple's initial supply of iPhone 5s devices been greater.
Best Buy offering $50 gift cards with iPhone 5c purchase
Best Buy has announced on its website that it is giving a $50 gift card to anyone who purchases an iPhone 5c with a two-year contract. The offer is good between now and close of business on Monday, October 7th and available only in-store or with in-store pickup. Both the 16 GB and 32 GB models in any color are valid for the $50 gift card offer. It's also important to note that the $50 gift card can not be used to pay for part of the iPhone, and is only valid towards future purchases. It's rare to see significant promos like this so early in an iPhone's release cycle, so if you're in the market for a 5c, now's the time to snap it up from Best Buy.
gdgt's best deals for October 2nd: Apple iPhone 5c, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our friends at sister site gdgt track price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today's top deals both earned high gdgt Scores. Apple's new iPhone 5c, which is pretty much a colorful iPhone 5, is already available at a discount, and the capable Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet has nosedived from its MSRP. Hoping to grab one or the other? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list -- every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Apple iPhone 5s and 5c now at Virgin Mobile for $100 below retail
You knew this day would come, Virgin Mobile fans, and now the highly sought after iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c are available for purchase at Virgin Mobile. Better yet, you're in for a rather nice discount, as Sprint's prepaid subsidiary is selling each of the phones outright for $100 less than you'd pay elsewhere. This puts the 16GB iPhone 5s at $550 and the 16GB iPhone 5c at $450. Each of these phones should be available for purchase either online or in a retail setting, but if you want to score an iPhone with larger storage (either 32GB or 64GB), you'll need to direct your browser to Virgin's website. With its surprisingly low pricing, perhaps Virgin Mobile is retraining its brain as well.
Leak hints at iPhone 5c and 5s variants for Boost Mobile
Apple offers iPhones through both large and small US carriers these days, but it has so far given Boost Mobile the cold shoulder. That may soon change, however -- @evleaks has just leaked ads hinting that Boost will get the iPhone 5c and 5s in the near future. While the images don't reveal any launch dates or pricing, they suggest that both smartphones will be eligible for the provider's "shrinking" unlimited rates. The expansion isn't all that crucial given the upcoming 5c and 5s launches through Virgin Mobile, but it doesn't hurt to have another option for low-cost iPhone service.
This week on gdgt: Apple's new iPhones, Loewe's Speaker 2go and Steam Machines
Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
Analysts, pundits try to downplay Apple's record iPhone launch weekend
Last weekend, Apple sold nine million new iPhones, blowing away analyst expectations and setting a launch weekend record in the process. In fact, the nine million tally nearly doubles Apple's previous iPhone launch record. Suffice it to say, the iPhone 5s and 5c are bonafide hits and, once again, Apple is struggling to manufacture iPhones fast enough to meet demand. Considering that many pundits and analysts recently expressed supreme confidence that Apple had peaked and was prepped for a decline, that's not too shabby. Now you would assume that even Apple's most vehement critics wouldn't be so bold as to turn a blind eye to nine million units sold in just three days, right? And yet, as sure as the sun rises in the east, pundits from two mainstream publications attempted to turn Apple's overwhelmingly successful iPhone 5s and 5c launch into cause for concern. First up, we have Sandy Cannold from ABC News whose article headline itself suffers from a dearth of logic; "Why Record iPhone Sales Might be Rotten for Apple", the headline reads. There's a pun in there, I guess that's gotta count for something, right? Cannold's article reads in part: To me though, all this over-the-top fanfare and even the record-breaking first weekend of sales could actually be cause for concern... I fully concede that Apple is going to make billions in profit from the sale of these new devices and the company is in no danger of becoming Blackberry or Nokia. But the reason I am voicing a bit of doubt is that it seems like Apple is now trying to squeeze every last bit of profit it can out of an aging, shall we call it, iStone. Let's face it this new iPhone is just an upgrade, a refresh, dare I say a sequel. I am sure that true tech devotees will tell me how wrong I am, that this new device is smarter, faster, revolutionary, etc. But to me and millions like me it seems a lot more evolutionary. It looks a whole lot like the last iPhone and the one before that and the one before that too. The "evolutionary but not revolutionary" theme is often trotted out by folks who fail to realize that revolution is often the amalgamation of many smaller evolutionary improvements. As for Apple attempting to squeeze "every last bit of profit out of an aging" device, Cannold has it backwards. Apple is impressively able to increase its profits, year after year, by putting out devices that continuously set a new bar for excellence while making the majority of existing devices seem woefully outdated. Cannold also writes that "this is no longer the Apple of Steve Jobs" insofar as Apple under Tim Cook hasn't upended an industry lately. "I firmly believe that Steve Jobs," Cannold continues, "wouldn't have been satisfied to only pocket billions upon billions on tweaked products alone." First, it might be instructive to look back at Apple's iPod years. On that note, Harry McCracken of TIME recently penned a piece highlighting "The Myth of Steve Jobs' Constant Breakthroughs." Second, to call the iPhone 5s, sporting iOS 7 along with a number of hardware enhancements a slight tweak misses a larger point -- namely that the device's 64-bit processor and Touch ID software could be setting the stage for something larger. Also downplaying Apple's impressive iPhone launch was Rolfe Winkler of The Wall Street Journal who wrote the following earlier this week. Investors should be careful, though, not to extrapolate opening-weekend sales strength to future growth rates. For starters, Apple is including two "new" iPhone models in its opening-weekend sales figures for the first time. Last year, customers who opted for a new iPhone 4S, a model first released the prior year, weren't counted in the company's opening-weekend tally. This is despite the fact that it was sold for similar terms as this year's 5c, which is included. This is true, but hardly cause for concern. The fact that Apple released two new iPhone models and was able to spur demand should be looked at as a positive. The iPhone 5c may be a repackaged iPhone 5, but it's effectively being touted and viewed as a new, fresh, and affordable alternative to the iPhone 5s. As for the iPhone 4s not being included in last year's iPhone 5 launch numbers, that's a valid point, but lets try and guesstimate how many iPhones Apple might otherwise sell on any given weekend. Now Apple doesn't release sales figures on a device-by-device basis, so let's start by taking look at sales figures from one of Apple's recent quarters, say, Apple's most recent holiday quarter covering a 13-week period ending on December 29, 2012. During that quarter, Apple sold a record 47.8 million iPhones. Dividing that by 91 days (13 weeks) yields approximately 525,000 iPhones sold per day, or 1.57 million units over a three-day period. That being the case, even if we look at Apple's most successful iPhone quarter in history and subtract an average three day iPhone haul from the nine million total, we're still left with an impressive 7.43 million units. And that's with tightened supply, no less. Returning back to the nine million unit figure, analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray also tried to downplay the figure by assuming, with no evidence, that the figure included units shipped to stores but not yet sold to consumers. Munster's take on this may have to do with the fact that he anticipated weekend sales of 5-6 million units and his subsequent attempt to save face. The thing is, Apple has historically only counted sales to end users. To that end, Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt relays that Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope pointed out that Apple this year "used the same sales recognition rules it has always used." What's more, some have scoffed at the increase in iPhone sales by pointing out the obvious -- namely that the iPhone was available in more countries at launch than in previous years. The thing is, that was hardly a secret and analysts presumably took that into account when tabulating their iPhone launch sales estimates. Elmer-DeWitt also relays an astute point from Matt Lew who writes that Apple's nine million figure doesn't take into account the number of iPhone devices ordered online and not yet delivered to consumers. And seeing as how iPhone shipment times were a few days at best, Apple's iPhone launch total sales -- incorporating the back-ordered phones where the customer clicked "buy" in the first three days -- may in fact be higher than the nine million figure. Elmer-DeWitt concludes with an astute point: No other smartphone manufacturer's sales figures are subjected to this kind of scrutiny. Take, for example, Samsung. You won't see analysts questioning Samsung's unit sales numbers for the Galaxy S3 or S4. Nobody writes notes to clients asking what percentage of those sales were sell-in or sell-through. Samsung doesn't get this kind of scrutiny because it doesn't tell anybody -- not analysts, not investors, not the SEC -- how many smartphones it sells. And that's what's wrong with this picture. Apple's iPhone sales aren't fluffed with "buy 1 get 1 free!" promotions, but are legit sales of two brand new devices that have received overwhelmingly positive reviews. The reality is that nine million iPhones is impressive no matter how you look at it.
Virgin Mobile teases iPhone 5s and 5c as 'coming soon,' prepaid pricing TBA
Just a few short months after Virgin Mobile's Sprint-fueled US arm listed the iPhone 5 for sale, the MVNO is teasing the smartphone's successors as "coming soon." According to the firm's homepage, both the iPhone 5s and 5c will debut for prepaid customers, though pricing and availability remain unknown. Judging by the previous-gen's starting price of $550, however, you might want to start saving up now. The iPhone 4S, meanwhile, remains on the ticket. That handset is currently listed for 15 percent off its $450 sticker price, available today for $382.49. [Thanks, Jay]
