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Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: fall 2013
As the leaves turn to gold and flutter from the trees, the Engadget team digs out their scarves and mittens to get ready for the mad rush of phone launches that take place ahead of the holiday season. We've seen big devices (both large and high-profile ones) enter the world over the last few months, including new heavyweights from Apple and Google. Then there's Samsung, Nokia and HTC, which are all following the philosophy that bigger is better. But it's not just on the hardware side that things are getting exciting. T-Mobile's eliminated roaming charges and Verizon is doubling its LTE speeds to a whopping 80 Mbps. AT&T is offering customers a $5 daily pass for internet and is making mobile share plans the standard rather than the exception. Of course, if you'd prefer unlimited data, Sprint is promising that its Spark LTE will beat the field -- but it's currently only available in NYC, LA, Chicago, Tampa and Miami. Whether you're looking for a smartphone right now, or if your contract is about to expire, this is your guide to the best ones on the market.
Shipping estimates for iPhone 5s improve to 3 to 5 days
Good news for everyone still waiting to get their hands on an iPhone 5s. Shipping estimates for the flagship iPhone have now improved to three to five days on most Apple online stores around the globe. That's down from a one- to two-week shipping estimate just last week, and a far cry from the three-week estimate that the 5s saw just after launch. The new estimate also includes all models of iPhone 5s, including gold. The increased availability of the iPhone 5s can be due to many factors including Apple catching up with demand and ramping up production at the same time. It's also possible Apple has moved some production away from the iPhone 5c, which reportedly isn't selling as well as Apple thought it would, and using those production facilities to produce more 5s handsets, which are selling better than Apple thought they would.
Fitness-tracking app Moves now supports the iPhone 5s' M7 chip, offers battery-saving mode on iOS 7
Thanks to an update released today, the always-on fitness app Moves will now work with the iPhone 5s' M7 motion-sensing chip. The activity tracker utilizes Apple's "motion co-processor" to track your steps taken, distance ran and more stats -- in the absence of the M7, Moves will monitor this activity via software running in the background. Version 2.0 of the activity tracker for iOS 7 also addresses one of users' biggest complaints about the app: it includes a battery-saving mode to minimize the drain of your handset's juice. It's available to download now for $1.99, though the price will jump to $2.99 at the end of November. If you already own the previously free app, though, you won't be required to pay for the upgrade.
iPhone 5s shipping estimates improve to 1-2 weeks
Good news for those of you who are still waiting to get an iPhone 5s: Shipping estimates via Apple's Online Store for the company's flagship iPhone have improved to one to two weeks, down from two to three weeks just yesterday. The one to two-week shipping time includes all models, on all carriers, in all colors and all capacities in every country in the world -- yes, that includes the gold model. The improved shipping times could mean Apple has successfully ramped up production to meet demand, or that initial demand has been satiated enough -- but it's probably a combination of the two. From here on out, we can expect shipping time to decrease further as the holiday shopping season approaches.
US Cellular starts selling the iPhone 5s and 5c
Since the official release of the iPhone 5s and 5c this past September, the phones have been slowly rolling out across the US beyond the major carriers. As we've reported previously, today marks the release of the 5s and 5c for US Cellular customers. Chicago-based US Cellular is the fifth-largest carrier in the US, larger than some carriers that are already selling iPhone plans. However, its contract-based customers may see less price shock up front when upgrading than those people who are buying pre-paid phones through Boost Mobile (which also started selling the iPhone 5s and 5c today) or other carriers. The 5s at US Cellular starts at US$199.99 for the 16 GB model, while the 16 GB 5c starts at $99.99.
RunKeeper adds that iPhone 5s special sauce to its running app
If you thought that Nike+ Moves was the only fitness app to quickly latch on to Apple's new M7 co-processor, think again. RunKeeper has announced that the latest update to its iOS app will now automatically track periods of activity lasting longer than 15 minutes and will also track your cadence -- letting you analyze that statistic with the same level of obsessive detail as you do your pace and elevation. If you own an iPhone that isn't a 5s, the company is throwing a bone your way too, letting you prove how grueling your morning run is by sharing route details to other users over AirDrop -- as if those incredible calf muscles weren't evidence enough.
Nike's Move app brings Fuelband skills to your iPhone 5s
During the iPhone 5s launch, Apple decided to show off its fancy new M7 co-processor with Nike+ Move. The free fitness app brings FuelBand-esque features to your smartphone, without the need to buy a $150 wearable. Of course, Nike was keen to stress that the app is only an "introductory experience," so if you still want to brag about how much of an athlete you are, you're still gonna wanna splash out on an SE. For everyone else? We'll probably stick with Nike+ Running.
iPhone 5s and 5c sales reportedly off to strong start in India
When Apple introduced the iPhone 5s and 5c during its September media event, the company touted that both devices would be available in more than 100 countries by December. Since then, Apple has slowly but surely rolled out both iPhone models to an ever-growing number of countries. On October 25, Apple's new iPhones launched in 35 new countries. This past Friday saw both new iPhone models hit stores in an additional 16 countries, including India. Apple has been trying to improve sales in India for some time now, and so far it seems as if Apple's new iPhone lineup is proving to be quite the hit in the country. After launching in India this past Friday, The Economic Times this Sunday indicated that both devices have been selling extremely well: Apple has completely sold out its premium iPhone 5s in India in less than 24 hours of its retail launch, while the iPhone 5c model has become the fastest-moving model in stores and is expected to be sold-out during the weekend, the country's top multibrand cellphone retail chains said. This is the first time a new iPhone model got sold out in India in such a short span of its launch, with fresh stock of iPhone 5s available again from Wednesday. Sales of the lowerpriced colourful iPhone 5c, however, picked up pace only from Saturday with consumers buying the model since 5s was sold out, mirroring a global trend. While this is ostensibly great news, it's hard to really appreciate the significance without first being aware of what iPhone 5s and 5c supply levels were like on Friday. It's no secret, after all, that iPhone 5s supply remains rather lean even a few weeks out from launch. Nonetheless, struggling to meet demand is undoubtedly a "problem" that most other companies would love to grapple with. Further, with the iPhone currently ranked sixth in terms of smartphone sales in India, word that the iPhone 5s and 5c are off to great starts must be welcome news to the higher-ups at Apple.
Poll: How well does the iPhone 5s Touch ID work for you?
The iPhone 5s seems to be the best iPhone Apple has ever made, yet after a month of use, it's primary feature -- the Touch ID fingerprint scanner -- doesn't seem to be all that. To be sure, Touch ID seems to work reasonably well for a number of users, but there's a growing number of anecdotal reports (including from myself) in Apple's Support Communities that the Touch ID is hit or miss with an increasing number of false-negatives resulting in users having to re-code their fingerprints or even restore their iPhones completely. Here at TUAW we'd love to hear from you about your Touch ID experience. Take the poll below and feel free to elaborate in the comments. %Poll-85494%
Daily Update for October 31, 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
Apple asks developers not to use gold iPhone 5s in marketing materials
If you take a look at promotional materials for various apps these days, you'll notice something very interesting -- none of the photos show an app running on a gold iPhone 5s. MacRumors is reporting that Apple is now asking developers to use only certain colors of devices when producing photos and videos for marketing purposes. In the App Store Marketing Guidelines, Apple provides a number of product images with blank display areas where developers paste their screenshots for marketing purposes. At this time, the product colors are limited to the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini only showing up in silver and space gray; the iPhone 5c in blue and white; and the iPod touch in blue and space gray. You'll notice that the gold iPhone 5s isn't included in that list, and that's just for static images. If developers wish to use devices in custom photography and video, they need to get approval from Apple, but they're told exactly what they can feature in their imagery -- "Feature only the most current Apple products in the following finishes or colors: iPhone 5s in silver or space gray, iPhone 5c in white or blue, iPad Air in silver or space gray, and iPad mini in silver or space gray." Eric Slivka at MacRumors posits that "Apple prefers to keep focus on the distinctive color to itself," using the gold model in much of its own TV and print advertising. The ban on developers using the gold iPhone 5s in promotional materials could be a way to keep demand for the model in check until the company is able to boost production.
10 people, 10 face slaps and 10 iPhone 5s slow-mo videos
The iPhone 5s has plenty of fancy features that make it more powerful and secure than any iPhone before it, but it also has some pretty fantastic toys, like slow-mo video capture. Sure, you could use the feature to record some amazing BMX tricks or an adorable squirrel, but that can get old. Do you know what never gets old? Seeing people get slapped in the face. It seems that the release of the new iPhone has become the perfect excuse for a bunch of people to slap their friends in the face, and then post the videos online. To that we say "Bravo!" [Image credit: Manatari]
Apple: The iPhone 5c is our 'mid-tier' model
Just in case Apple's pricing scheme didn't make things crystal clear, CEO Tim Cook set record straight during today's earnings call: The iPhone 4s is the company's entry level model. The 5c, which was rumored to be tailored for emerging markets and more price-sensitive consumers, is officially Apple's mid-tier model. In response to a question about iPhone pricing strategy, Cook was adamant that the 5c was never intended as an entry-level model. The 4s, he said, is the entry-level model, and is a "fantastic product," with access to the entire iOS ecosystem.
iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c go on sale in another 35 countries around the world
Apple online stores in various locales around the world have begun going down in preparation for the second phase of the iPhone 5s and 5c global rollout, notes MacRumors. Just as with countries in North America and Europe in September, lines have also begun forming at Apple resellers in the 35 additional countries. Countries with the new iPhones launching today, October 25 (local time) include: 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. Apple will continue to global rollout of the iPhone 5s and 5c next week with another rollout on November 1 in Albania, Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, India, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. By the end of the year, the new iPhones are expected to be on sale in 100 countries.
Stats suggest plastic iPhone 5c is catching up with its prettier sibling
After a couple of high-profile reports about how the plastic iPhone isn't faring too well in the laser-cut shadow of the iPhone 5s, here's a bit of evidence to the contrary. It comes courtesy of stat collectors at an app marketing platform called Localytics, who claim they've spotted a distinct upwards trend in the number of Americans using a 5c relative to a 5s. Whereas usage of the flagship metal iPhone was 3.4x higher during the launch weekend, this ratio has drifted down to 1.9x one month later, suggesting that a secondary wave of not-so-early adopters is happy to give the cheaper model a bit more consideration. Of course, these ratios don't tell us anything about absolute sales figures for either handset -- we'll have to wait on first-hand info from carriers or from Apple itself (perhaps as part of today's event) before we know those.
iPhone 5c, 5s coming to Boost Mobile on November 8
This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, considering that just about every other regional and/or prepaid mobile carrier in the US has announced that they'll soon have (or already have) the new iPhones. Today's addition to the long list of carriers is Boost Mobile, a prepaid mobile virtual network operator hosted on the Sprint network. The company will begin offering the iPhone 5s and 5c on November 8, and existing or potential Boost Mobile customers can get more information here. Show full PR text Boost Mobile to Offer iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on November 8 IRVINE, Calif. – October 21, 2013 – Boost Mobile, a leader in the no-contract wireless industry with its exclusive Monthly Unlimited plan with Shrinking Payments, today announced it will offer iPhone 5s, the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, and iPhone 5c, the most colorful iPhone yet, to customers beginning on November 8. For more information please visit: www.boostmobile.com/shop/iphone. For more information on iPhone, please visit: www.apple.com/iphone. About Boost Mobile Boost Mobile, recently recognized by J.D. Power as "Highest Satisfaction with the Purchase Experience among Non-Contract Wireless Providers," offers wireless phones and services with no long-term contracts. Boost Mobile redefines value for wireless consumers with its Monthly Unlimited with Shrinking Payments no-contract service, where the longer you stay the less you pay with on-time payments for unlimited voice, text and data[1]. Boost Mobile offers nationwide voice service on the Nationwide Sprint Network, reaching more than 278 million people, with no long-distance fees. Boost Mobile offers a selection of quality handsets from BlackBerry, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola and Samsung, ranging from entry-level to Android™ smartphone devices available nationwide at nearly 20,000 major retail stores, including Best Buy, RadioShack, Target, Walgreens and Walmart, Sprint retail stores, independent wireless dealer locations, and on HSN, a leading TV home shopping network. Re-Boost® Cards are available at approximately 100,000 locations throughout the United States. Experience Boost Mobile on the Web at Facebook and Twitter; and purchase products at www.boostmobile.com. # # # [1] Monthly plans include 2.5GB of high-speed data and video streaming limited to 3G speeds.
Apple airs first iPhone 5s TV commercial
Apple aired its first iPhone 5s television commercial over the weekend, which can be viewed on its website, or below. The commercial shows some pretty cool CGI liquid metal forming the gold iPhone 5s. The video, called "Metal Mastered" pretty much speaks for itself. The song in the video is "Ooh La La" by Goldfrap.
iPhone 5s and 5c coming to Boost Mobile on November 8th
Apple and the Sprint-owned Boost Mobile aren't the best of buddies, but that's all set to change on November 8th. The carrier has announced that it'll be offering the iPhone 5c and 5s starting the second week of next month, confirming the leaks we saw back in September. You'll be able to snag the devices on Boost's shrinking payments plans, which gives you unlimited talk and text with 2.5GB data for $55 a month.
Poll: Is iOS 7 buggy on the iPhone 5s?
Here at TUAW, we have several anecdotal reports that iOS 7 is running extremely flaky on the iPhone 5s. As an iPhone 5s user, I can confirm that I've seen a number of issues on my 5s that I have not been able to reproduce on my fourth-generation iPad running iOS 7. The issues I've had with iOS 7 on my 5s include: Jarring shifts in the background wallpaper when returning to the home screen from the lock screen or from an app Poor recognition of taps when tapping the music player's previous and next buttons in Control Center Increasing authentication errors using the Touch ID fingerprint scanner To be sure, the bugs I'm experiencing are not necessarily signs of widespread issues with the iPhone 5s. However, we'd be interested in hearing TUAW readers' feedback to see if they are noticing any bugs unique to the iPhone 5s. Take the poll below and feel free to expand on your selection in the comments! %Poll-85179%
iPhone 5s and 5c set to hit US Cellular on November 8
US Cellular announced today that it will begin selling both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c in stores beginning on November 8. A regional carrier based out of Chicago, US Cellular is the fifth-largest carrier in the US and serves many more subscribers than some of the other regional carriers that already carry the iPhone. Interestingly enough, US Cellular had a chance to carry the iPhone as far back as 2011, but decided not to due to economic reasons. In short, US Cellular at the time wasn't particularly enamored with Apple's contract terms. FierceWireless reported on the matter back in 2011: U.S. Cellular turned down Apple's iPhone because it did not make sense for the company economically, CEO Mary Dillon said on the company's third-quarter earnings conference call. Dillon said that the carrier had the opportunity to sell the iPhone but that Apple's "terms were unacceptable from a risk and profitability standpoint." Dillon added that the potential strain on the company's network was not a factor in the decision, and that U.S. Cellular remains open to carrying the iPhone in the future. I suppose you can only hold out so long, something that a number of carriers around the globe have also discovered in the face of high subscriber churn. As for iPhone pricing and contract terms, those details have yet to be disclosed. A US Cellular spokesperson indicated via email that users should check the US Cellular website for more information. At the time of this writing, there is no mention of the iPhone on the US Cellular website but we'll keep you updated when more information begins to roll in.
