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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 addresses battery life defect affecting some iPhone 5S models
Apple has released a statement to the New York Times acknowledging that select iPhone 5S handsets have a manufacturing issue that results in their battery draining much faster than it should. It goes as follows: "We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," said Teresa Brewer, an Apple spokeswoman. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone" No number was given as to how many units are affected, but we're guessing the company wouldn't have issued the release if it wasn't significant. In our review of the phone, we actually found the iPhone 5s to be the longest-lasting iPhone to-date, lasting almost 11 hours in our standard video rundown test. If you're one of the few whose iPhone 5S have been giving you less than stellar performance, do let us know in the comments below.
Apple sold 33.8 million iPhones this summer, but faces tough competition
In reporting its latest quarterly earnings today, Apple announced record fourth-quarter sales of iPhones -- 33.8 million, up 26 percent from 26.9 million in the same quarter last year -- along with virtually flat iPad sales of 14.1 million this quarter, up from 14 million last year. During the same period, arch-rival Samsung, which just reported its earnings last Thursday, sold 86 million smartphones, though Samsung's lineup has far more models than Apple's, including entry-level versions that don't compete directly with the iPhone. Samsung is facing its own challenges at the top of its range, and sold just 16 million of its flagship Galaxy S4 during the period, according to estimates. Apple continued to lead the tablet market, selling 14.1 million iPads in the quarter, compared to Samsung's 10.5 million -- though Samsung's tablet sales doubled from last year.
iPhone 5s and 5c now on sale in 35 more countries
If you were disappointed that your country missed out on the initial iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launches, we have good news: you can (probably) buy the smartphones today. As promised, Apple has released both devices in 35 more countries, including Russia, South Korea and wide swaths of Europe. There hasn't been quite as much fanfare as there was in September, however. Our colleagues at Engadget Chinese covered the launch in Taiwan, and noticed that retail demand was mixed -- since many customers could pre-order their iPhones, only some stores had long queues. Those who haven't yet seen the new iPhones won't have to wait long, at least. Apple plans to ship the 5s and 5c to 16 more countries on November 1st, and the handsets should reach 100 nations by December.
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%
GarageBand could go free on iOS 7
GarageBand could be the next built-in app to go free on new iOS devices. Apple recently updated the icons for its iLife and iWork apps, and according to MacRumors the update page also notes that Apple's music making suite will become a complimentary download. However, to flesh out the application you'll have to pony up for individual instruments and sounds via in-app purchases. This possible price change should let almost anyone live out their music-production dreams, but we hope it doesn't cost more than the app's current $5 price to get the full experience. If Tim Cook and friends follow tradition, we should know more later this week.
US Cellular finally gets the iPhone 5c and 5s on November 8th
If you've loyally stuck by US Cellular in the hopes of getting an iPhone 5c or iPhone 5s, your patience is about to pay off. On November 8th, the regional carrier will start selling Apple's incredibly popular new phones. The company didn't say for how much or what colors will be available, but we've reached out to the carrier and will of course let you know if we hear back.
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.
Get lost! iPhone compass app struggles in tests
Before you start thinking about relying on the iPhone compass app for your next hiking trip, you might want to read the results of tests performed by TechHive. While some believe that the compass issues are limited to the new iPhone 5s and 5c, the tests showed that the problems go well beyond those two models. The TechHive team used the Compass app in both iOS 6 and iOS 7 on a range of phones from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 5s and 5c. All phones were re-calibrated several times, and the testers found that the results varied greatly regardless of location (inside or outside). The expensive phones were tested against a reliable and cheap -- US$15 -- Suunto A-10 compass. Tests with an iPhone 5s showed a variation of 10 to 22 degrees, while a 5c showed more consistent results of 9 to 12 degrees off. The iPhone 4s showed an average of 14.5 degrees variation. TechHive found that the worst deviations came from the last year's iPhone 5, with one phone showing anywhere from a 15- to 28-degree deviation. By the way, TechHive took on the testing initially as a way of verifying Gizmodo's claim that the iPhone 5s "level sensor" is out of whack. TechHive found that to work just fine, but noticed that the direction-finding capability was horribly wrong. It should be noted that the test results are associated with the Compass app, not the iPhone's GPS capabilities. However, it's worth considering the purchase of an inexpensive -- and much more accurate -- traditional magnetic compass if you're heading for the deep woods.
Apple begins marketing the iPhone 5s in magazines
MacRumors tips us off to the fact that Apple has begun advertising the iPhone 5s in various magazines. Up until recently, there hasn't been much advertising in the way of the iPhone 5s. Indeed, most iPhone advertising over the past few weeks has focused on the iPhone 5c with a series of really great and delightful commercials. Apple has also been advertising the iPhone 5c heavily via billboards in large cities like Chicago, San Francisco and New York. As for the 5s, MacRumors notes that the following ad appears on the back of this week's edition of The New Yorker. The tagline reads: Your finger is the password. Touch ID was created not only to protect all the important and personal information on your phone, but to be so easy to use, you'll actually use it. Its state-of-the-art technology learns your unique fingerprint, so you can unlock your phone or even authorize purchases with just a simple touch. Touch ID. Only on iPhone 5s. It stands to reason that with the holiday shopping season slowly creeping up on us, Apple will soon begin to ramp up its iPhone 5s marketing. This is admittedly nothing more than speculation, but perhaps Apple has been slow to roll out iPhone 5s ads because supply continues to remain strained across the country. After all, if you take a look at the fine print in the advert above, you'll note that it says "Limited Availability" -- though perhaps that's in specific reference to the gold model. Similar ads have reportedly been spotted in other high-circulation magazines such as Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated.
Wall Street Journal: Apple cutting iPhone 5c orders (Updated)
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has told two of its manufacturing partners to ramp down production on the iPhone 5c. Apple told its two assemblers, Taiwan-based Pegatron Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., that it would cut this quarter's orders for the iPhone 5C, the people familiar with the situation said. Pegatron, which analysts said assembles two-thirds of iPhone 5Cs, was told the order would be cut by less than 20%, a person familiar with the matter said. Hon Hai, which assembles the remaining 5Cs, was told the order would be cut by a third, two people familiar with the matter said. What's more, a component supplier was told that orders for iPhone 5c parts would be cut in half. At the same time, orders for the iPhone 5s have reportedly increased. So what are we to make of all this? Well, it's hard to say. Now assuming that Apple has, in fact, slashed orders for the iPhone 5c, we have no way of knowing if this is due to lower than expected demand, or perhaps, the result of Apple initially ramping up production to account for iPhone 5s shortages. Speaking of, the iPhone 5s is another wildcard to consider. A recent survey found that the iPhone 5s is outselling the iPhone 5c by a factor of two to one. And though the iPhone 5s launched about three weeks ago, Apple is still struggling to keep up with demand. So for all we know, perhaps weaker-than-expected demand for the iPhone 5c is the result of stronger-than-expected demand for the iPhone 5s. Remember that it's always dangerous to read too much into reports detailing alleged iPhone and component orders. Tim Cook even addressed this point himself during Apple's earnings conference call last January. I suggest its good to question the accuracy of any kind of rumor about build plans. Even if a particular data point were factual, it would be impossible to interpret that data point as to what it meant to our business. The supply chain is very complex and we have multiple sources for things. Yields can vary, supplier performance can vary. There is an inordinate long list of things that can make any single data point not a great proxy for what is going on. What will really be telling is how many iPhones Apple shipped for the entirety of the current quarter. Apple's next earnings release date is on Monday, October 28 so we won't have to wait long. While Apple, if history is any indication, will not break down sales figures across various iPhone models, the cold hard data will be a much better indicator of Apple's success than rumors that portray, at best, an incomplete picture. Update: The Journal has toned down its initial story, changing the title from "Apple Cuts iPhone 5C Orders" to "Apple's Dual iPhone Strategy in Doubt." The revised story also contains a quote from an executive at Orange that contradicts the initial story. AppleInsider has a detailed look at what's changed in the Journal piece over the last 24 hours.
WSJ reports Apple cutting orders for the iPhone 5c, invites you to speculate
Apple broke routine when it launched not one, but two new iPhones at its last event. Analysts, media and consumers alike have been quick to offer opinion on how that's working out for the firm. Not least because -- despite being pitched as a cheaper alternative -- Cupertino still priced the iPhone 5c in the upper reaches of many people's budgets. So, fresh reports from The Wall Street Journal today, then, that Pegatron and Hon Hai (the two firms that assemble the iPhone 5c) have been told to cut back on production has triggered new waves of speculation. And speculation it is. The WSJ's sources suggest that orders will be cut by between 20 and 30 percent, which analysts are quick to confirm points to a slump in demand. What's not mentioned is that the same thing happened with the iPhone 5 not long after its release. Not to mention the potential impact of high demand for the iPhone 5s in its gold variant (and iPhone 5s generally, as the WSJ also notes). Or that Apple might very well have just got their stock right for the first wave of orders -- including inventory for the next round of countries to get it. We'll perhaps get a better idea from the firm's forthcoming financial reports, but for now we're left navigating passage through the bandwagons.
Sports photography with the iPhone 5s
The 10-frame-per-second burst mode of the iPhone 5s camera makes it possible for it to capture action like no smartphone camera has done before, and for at least one photographer, that's stirring up thoughts of replacing a DSLR with a big zoom lens with an iPhone. Jim Zellmer of Madison, Wisc., doesn't think the iPhone 5s is ready to replace those expensive cameras and big lenses you see on the sidelines of sports events, but conjectures that the next generation or two might just do the trick. Zellmer normally uses a Canon DSLR with a 70-200 mm f/2.8 zoom lens to shoot sporting events, but recently tried some shots with the iPhone 5s burst mode that look almost pro quality. He notes that the "lack of a big zoom requires quite a bit of moving around, something that is not always possible in an active sports venue." Rather than use the big glass to shoot a tennis match, Zellmer got about 20 - 25 feet away from the players, used the digital zoom of the iPhone 5s, and then used the burst mode to capture a series of images. The result, seen in the image at the top of this post, shows just how well the 5s works for action photography. The tennis player is literally captured in the air, the ball frozen in place just before it is hit with the racquet. Zellmer speculates that some current technologies (including light field photography) applied to future generation iPhones could be just what is needed to make Apple's smartphone the go-to camera for sports photographers. Image © 2013 Jim Zellmer, Zmetro.com
iPhone 5s, 5c debuting on prepaid carrier Cricket October 25
It ended up taking almost no time at all for a prepaid wireless carrier to announce that it will begin selling the iPhone 5s and 5c, with Virgin Mobile jumping on the new phones at the beginning of October. Now competitor Cricket Wireless has announced that both of the newest iPhones will be available on the prepaid network starting October 25. Cricket hasn't announced what pricing will be like for the phones. At the present time, they sell the 16 GB iPhone 5 for US$600, the 16 GB iPhone 4S for $500, and the 8 GB iPhone 4 for $400. The company uses an installment plan to sell the phones, with an iPhone 5 going for $25 down and 23 payments of $25 -- similar plans with smaller down and monthly payments are available for the other phones. The Cricket network currently serves 6.2 million customers in the US, offering 4G LTE connectivity in some metropolitan areas. The company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on phone purchases.