iPhone 4
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Apple rolls out iBooks app for iPhone, iPod touch
It's not just multitasking apps that are hitting the App Store to coincide with the release of iOS 4.0 -- Apple has also just rolled out version 1.1 of its iBooks app, which is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch in addition to the iPad (officially, this time). As previously announced, the app now also supports PDF viewing, and boasts a range of other more minor improvements, including new ways to bookmark (complete with syncing across devices), your choice of white or sepia colored pages, more font options and, of course, "greater stability and better performance."
HyperMac Micro, Mini batteries get iPad / iPhone 4 charging support, yet more color options
We've already seen some HyperMac batteries updated to support iPad charging, and it looks like you can now also add the smaller HyperMac Micro and Mini batteries to the list -- they've not only been updated with iPad / iPhone 4 charging, but with no less than ten color options as well. Apart from those changes, however, the Micro and Mini remain the same as before, and pack capacities of 3600mAh and 7200mAh that should translate to about five and ten hours of iPad battery life, respectively. They also hang onto the same $89.95 and $119.95 list prices, but HyperMac is knocking $20 off each of those just for this launch. Full press release after the break.
How to sell your old iPhone
When the iPhone 4 becomes available later this week, many folks will find themselves with two iPhones: one shiny and new, the other slightly less so. Those not donating the past edition to a relative or friend might want to sell it. Here's what you can do to successfully and painlessly sell your "old" iPhone. Pick a retailer The most obvious choices are Ebay and Craigslist. Expect a flood of iPhones to hit their virtual shelves later this week. As of this writing, there are just over 1,700 16GB iPhone 3GSs available on Ebay and nearly as many listed on Craigslist for Boston. Remember that Ebay and Paypal will take a cut of your sales. Of course, you have more choices than Ebay and Craigslist. When the 3GS came out, I sold my original iPhone to NextWorth. I provided information like model, condition, etc. and NextWorth gave me a value estimate. Then I printed the pre-paid shipping label and sent my iPhone off. Once they received it, they inspected it to confirm that it was as I described and promptly paid me via Paypal. Read on for more...
Apple wants the FCC to keep quiet on iPhone 4
What could be lurking among the iPhone 4's innards that hasn't already been disclosed to the public? Apparently Apple isn't just hinting that there's more than meets the eye with the new iPhone 4, they're flat-out admitting it. In a recent letter filed with the FCC, Apple has requested that several details from its filings for the iPhone 4 not be released to the public. Apple explains that these documents (including schematics and user manuals) contain trade secrets that have not yet been exposed to the public, and to reveal them now could harm the company. Apple is asking that the FCC keep these documents from the public until 45 days after certification of the licenses are granted. Obviously the question on anyone's mind here is: what are they hiding? Haven't there already been enough iPhone 4 tear-downs that we should know if there's anything significant there? And will we get the full skinny before those 45 days have elapsed? [via Patently Apple]
Best Buy iPhone inventory reportedly leaked
iClarified has posted what looks like iPhone 4 inventory plans for several US Best Buy locations. Stores in Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and West Virginia are listed. If these are to be believed, the black 16GB model will be most abundant (no surprise there). Most stores will receive between 10 (State College, PA) and 70 (West Kendall, Florida) units. What's most interesting is what we don't see. First, there are now white units listed. Second, we can't tell if these represent reserved units, general sale units, or a combination. With some numbers as low as 10, we're guessing these are reserved iPhones. The iPhone 4 will go on sale in the US this Thursday, June 24th at Apple Stores, Best Buys, and Radio Shacks. We'll have lots of coverage on Thursday, so be sure to check back. [Via Engadget]
Best Buy's iPhone 4 inventory plans revealed by another purported leak
Seriously, can't we keep any mystery in our lives anymore? After we saw what's purported to be Best Buy's "playbook" for the iPhone 4 debut yesterday, today we're being treated to an inventory list revealing the stock ordered up from Apple for the big retailer's launch of the new handset. Black 16GB variants of the iPhone 4 dominate, with up to 70 per store, but the leak also includes smaller orders for the white 32GB units as well. None of these are in stock yet, mind you, and that playbook did serve up some confusing messages as to whether Best Buy will have any unreserved iPhones to sell at all on launch day. Still, at least you'll now have a better idea of which locations stand the best chance of dishing out some of that Apple pie you crave so much.
Best Buy's iPhone 4 launch manual leaked?
Like the iPad launch guide before it, Best Buy's iPhone 4 launch plan has just made its wily way into our collective lap, replete with loads of details on how your favorite blue-shirted electronics salespersons are going to be spending their Thursday morning. While we've yet to see any hot scoops inside its two dozen pages (aside from some confusing, contradictory gibberish about whether Best Buy will have iPhones at launch at all) we have learned that stores will open up previously suspended preorders on launch day, accepting reservation fees for devices that customers can pick up at a later date. What we're not seeing here is anything about specific number of units, but there are various lines that caution against expecting much in the way of non-reserved phones -- should there be any, the guide advises first come first serve once the store opens. In other words, it's business as usual: call ahead and show up early. See some choice quotes from the playbook after the break.
Reader reports: iPhone 4 shipping notifications
In the past 12 hours, we've begun hearing from readers who have gotten shipping notifications on their iPhone 4 orders. Keep in mind, just as with past overnight shipments of iThings, the shippers are scheduled to hold the phones for delivery so that they don't arrive before June 24. Meanwhile, a long thread over on the MacRumors forums cites the trials and tribulations of some would-be iPhone 4 buyers who had their preorders cancelled unexpectedly. It's not clear exactly what circumstances led to the cancellations. In some cases, it may have been a missed checkbox on the order form agreeing to AT&T's terms and conditions; in others, it may be a complex billing situation (family or corporate plan, an unpaid invoice) that caused the carrier to flag the order for in-store handling. Is your iPhone on its way to you already? Let us know below. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
iPhone 4 pre-orders now shipping
We're still trying to puzzle out the mystery of why some iPhone 4 pre-orders have been randomly canceled, but there's good news for the rest of the 600,000 people who managed to get past Apple's ordering issues last week: the newest iPhone is now shipping. We haven't gotten our ship notification email yet, but judging from our tip jar plenty of other people have -- we'll see if anyone's lucky enough to score an early delivery. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple randomly canceling some iPhone pre-orders? Update: AT&T pre-orders too?
We haven't verified exactly what's going on here, but we've gotten several tips tonight from people who've received an iPhone 4 pre-order cancellation email from Apple saying that their order couldn't be authorized. That sounds like an AT&T authorization problem to us, and given the litany of problems that Apple and AT&T had all week dealing with the huge number of pre-orders, we can't say we're too surprised to hear that the chaos continues. Here's the email: Dear Customer, We were unable to complete the authorization process for your iPhone order. As a result, we had to cancel your iPhone order. To complete the purchase of your iPhone, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an AT&T company-owned retail store. We apologize for this inconvenience. Sincerely, Apple Online Store Team Uh, yeah. We're obviously looking into the situation, and we'll let you know what we find out. Update: We're hearing that some people are getting cancellations from AT&T, as well -- curiouser and curiouser. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Poll: Did you pre-order an iPhone 4?
Now that iPhone pre-orders have concluded, many people have been left frustrated by the technical issues that both Apple and AT&T experienced on the 15th. Authorized retailers like Best Buy and Radio Shack also sold their stock within a day or so. With technical difficulties that hindered many would-be customers, we're curious to see who was successful and through which provider. If you did pre-order an iPhone 4, take our informal poll to let us know who it was with. In addition, please tell us how long the process took. Ten minutes? Two hours? We'll post the results tomorrow. %Poll-48257%
iPhone 4 lineup starts in Texas
Don't mess with Texas. Especially Dallas resident Justin Wagoner. He's the first in line for an iPhone 4 at Apple Store Knox Street. For those of you who just glanced at your calendar, you're right. He's a week early. Calling himself "...a very determined fan," Justin has been posting about his residency on Knox Street on the Macrumors Forums. Inside his tent he's got sleeping gear, a chair, food and drinks and power for his devices. He says that the Apple Store staff have been treating him "like a king." I'm not surprised. When I was in line for an iPad in Boston (only a few hours for me), the staff at the Boylston Street Store were cheering for Miles, our line's leader. Before you call Justin crazy, remember that a few New Yorkers lined up for the 3G iPhone and the original iPhone a week ahead of time. Here's hoping Justin enjoys his week's "vacation" and, more importantly, his new iPhone 4. [Via MacDailyNews]
How-to: figure out the best value iPhone 4 contracts in the UK (updated)
Choices, choices. Do you get the 16GB or 32GB iPhone 4? The black one now or the white one a little later? We can't tell you which variant of Apple's next phone will hold its value best over the coming months, but we can try to clear up a bit of the fogginess surrounding price plans on offer from UK networks. Orange and O2 are the first to drop handset pricing and full contract details, but they haven't made it easy for the discerning buyer, with each carrier offering more than a dozen options. Vodafone, T-Mobile, Three, and even Tesco Mobile are set to follow suit in the coming days and weeks, but we thought we'd get the ball rolling with the pair we have now. Update: And just as we publish this, Voda has gone official with its tariffs. We've now broken them down into a more digestible format as well. Just for you. Update 2: Tesco Mobile has also outed its pricing and it's by far the best of the bunch. Check out the full chart inside the post. Update 3: Three's iPhone 4 pricing has now also been made known.
First iPhone 4 camper spotted, one week early (update: video)
Let's hope he got his preorder in, and that he's not waiting for the white one. Otherwise, he's going to be one unhappy camper, eh? Sorry, couldn't help ourselves. Update: Video interview with the Yosemite Squatter posted after the break. [Thanks, BT228]
iPhone 4 to have 512MB of RAM, double the 3GS and iPad?
Apple has traditionally been -- how shall we put it -- cagey with revealing memory and CPU specifics of its mobile devices, but MacRumors is today reporting its discovery that the fourth-gen iPhone's RAM apportionment will be a very healthy 512MB. We've heard similar rumblings from reliable sources of our own. What it means is that iPhone 4 users can look forward to not only the same processor (though potentially at a lower speed) as their iPad compatriots, but also double the memory allowance. Of course, this will hardly be the first handset to offer half a gig for the OS to dance inside, but at least Apple's keeping up with the times. Wouldn't wanna disappoint all those pre-orderers now, would we?
Best Buy stops iPhone 4 pre-orders
If you're thinking you can overcome AT&T's move to stop taking iPhone 4 pre-orders by power-walking over to Best Buy to get your pre-order on before anyone notices: not so fast. Following AT&T's move, Best Buy pulled a big ol' "me too" today and, according to their iPhone 4 FAQ page, are no longer taking pre-orders of the new phone. The Best Buy website assures those who were already successful in placing an iPhone 4 pre-order with them that their orders will be honored. However, it's still possible latecomers won't get their phones until the early-July timeframe due to their processing them on a first-come-first-served basis. As you might recall, Apple boasted pre-sales of about 600,000 units before AT&T had to stop accepting new pre-orders. That number was said to include those that Best Buy processed. I'm just wondering what percentage of that 600k was processed through Best Buy rather than AT&T and Apple stores. I can't believe one is considered a "latecomer" a mere two days after this all started. [via The Mac Observer]
iPhone KIRFs up to 4.3-inch screen, claims invincibility from haters
Hey, just because Apple won't make one doesn't mean you can't have a 4.3-inch iPhone. This here product of Chinese ingenuity offers you as much real estate as "the king of HTC HD2" while also throwing both digital and analog TV tuners into the mix. When you factor in the dual SIM compatibility, 2 megapixel camera, WiFi, and a removable back cover, it's enough for anyone to agree that "even a popular niche iPhone 4G had to step aside!"
Apple CDMA iPhone 4 rumor given new wings
With the iPad unicorn now slain, what other beast can DigiTimes shackle its rumor mongering machine to? How about Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology (and inspiration for the ASUS company name) galloping forth with promises of a CDMA iPhone. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, Pegatron (ASUStek's OEM manufacturing arm) will begin shipping a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 from its Shanghai plants to Apple in Q4. Right, just in time for the holiday shopping season and perfectly aligned with Apple's annual September iPod event... you know, should Apple want to announce a deal with Verizon.
iTunes 9.2 is out, ready to hook up with your iPhone 4
It looks like iTunes 9.2 has just hit the Software Update screens of computers across the land, and if you've got an iPhone 4 on order, this is one you'll want to get around to installing in the next few days -- it's the only way you'll be able to sync (actually, you'll want it if you're using iOS 4 on any manner of iPhone). Major features include iBooks support on the iPhone and iPod touch, PDF syncing through iBooks, home screen folder organization, and "faster backups" with iOS 4-equipped devices -- a promising sign for anyone troubled by long sync times. Follow the break for Apple's full rundown.
Orange and O2 announce UK iPhone 4 pricing
UK carrier Orange has already confirmed that it'll be joining in on the iPhone 4 party on June 24th, and it's just now revealed exactly how much the phone will cost you depending on the service you choose. As with the 3GS, the iPhone 4 is available on both monthly or pay-as-you-go plans, and actually starts as low as free for a 16GB iPhone 4 on the highest monthly plan (£75 per month) and goes all the way up to £570 (or $845) for an off-contract 32GB iPhone 4 on a pay-as-you-go plan. There's literally no less than twenty different price points in all, however, so be sure to hit up the source link below to see exactly what's available before you go line up. Update: Hey, O2 has followed suit. Imagine that! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
