Do you like Windows Phone 8 flat interface METRO ? It seems ilke Apple might change it’s icon based interface to tiles , similarly to what you see on Windows Phone 8.
According to Softpedia report, source tells 9to5mac that the new iOS 7, set to be unveiled at WWDC in June, is “very, very flat.” Another person familiar with the matter said, “the interface loses all signs of gloss, shine, and skeuomorphism seen across current and past versions of iOS.”
Yet another person described iOS 7 as having “a level of ‘flatness’ approaching recent releases of Microsoft’s Windows Phone ‘Metro’ UI.”
Some changes will will be apparent on iOS 7 and that includes new tool bars and tab bars. The new iOS devices prepared by Apple will have “polarizing filters to decrease viewing angles of on-lookers,” according to the report. Apple refers to iOS 7 as “Innsbruck” internally.
iOS 7 is scheduled to debut at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10. It is unclear whether the company will actually ship the software then, or whether it will just offer us a demo.
Apple just sent notification that there is an iOS upgrade available for iPad. This version iOS 6.1.2 fixes an Exchange calendar bug that could result in increased network activity and reduced battery life.
The highly anticipated CES 2013 is around the corner. The trend in 2013 seems to be larger screen smartphones. This is probably led by Korean manufacturer Samsung with it’s Note series of smartphones powered by Android.
Chinese Huawei is expected to unveil the Ascend Mate with a 6.1-inch screen, and 5-inch phones anticipated from LG and ZTE. According to various sources, Apple might even fiddle with the idea of launching smaller and do away black and white designs for it’s iPhone. There is also the rumoured iPhone 5S in the pipeline.
The focus of the show is probably on Apple. It is said that Apple might showcase it’s highly anticipated Apple TV which will revolutionise the way one watches TV.
So how will things pan out for the different companies. Stay tuned.
Apple is said to be secretly developing a smart device, probably in the shape of a watch for 2013. Dubbed the iWatch it has a 1.5″ screen and could probably communicate with the iPhone and send texts, emails, twitter or Facebook all from the 1.5″ screen.
image courtesy of mirror.co.uk
If the rumour is true, we should see it in 2013. In fact, Sony or the former Sony Ericsson already had such gadgets but it didn’t really take off.
So will you be looking forward to this new toy for 2013 in addition to the Apple TV?
Apple just released iOS 6.0.2. The software update is now available in iTunes. According to Apple, the update includes “improvements and bug fixes”, including a fix for a bug that ”could impact Wi-Fi”. At the moment of writing this, iOS 6.0.2 is only showing up in iTunes, as Apple’s own software update tool for iOS is returning an error.
iOS 6.0.2 is available only for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini.
For those of you who intend to buy the iPad mini, it is important to take note that the iPad mini LTE version would not be able to take advantage of the dual band 1800MHz and 2600MHz available in Singapore.
According to the specification provided by Apple, there are two models available. One model supports only Bands 4 and 17 while the other supports band 1,3,5,13,25.
Singapore telcos supports dual band LTE, Band 3 (1800MHz) and Band 7 (2600MHz). The situation is the same for the iPhone 5. The model that is suitable should be model A1455.
LTE at 2600MHz usually give you better throughput. In this case, users will to run their devices under the 1800MHz Band 3 since it is the only supported band on the iPad mini LTE.
Unveils New Fourth Generation iPad with Retina Display, Faster A6X Chip, FaceTime HD Camera & Ultrafast Wireless
SAN JOSE, California – 24 October, 2012 – Apple® today introduced iPad® mini, a completely new iPad design that is 23 per cent thinner and 53 per cent lighter than the third generation iPad. The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch™ display, FaceTime® HD and iSight® cameras, ultrafast wireless performance¹ and an incredible 10 hours of battery life²―every inch an iPad, yet in a revolutionary design you can hold in one hand. Apple today also announced the fourth generation iPad featuring a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina™ display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features.
“iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless―all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life.”
iPad mini comes in a beautiful new aluminium and glass design that is just 7.2 mm thin and weighs only 308 grams. The 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display delivers the same iPad experience users have come to expect, in a design that has 35 per cent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67 per cent more usable viewing area when browsing the web. The dual-core A5 chip delivers responsive graphics and a fast, fluid Multi-Touch experience, while still providing all-day battery life.
iPad mini features a front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 5 megapixel iSight camera on the back with advanced optics for taking sharp still pictures and recording full 1080p HD video. The iSight camera includes video image stabilisation and both cameras feature backside illumination to let users capture great pictures in low light. iPad mini also allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.
iPad mini features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for speeds up to 150 Mbps,³ which is twice the Wi-Fi performance compared to previous iPad models. iPad mini is available in Wi-Fi + Cellular models which are world-ready with built-in support for ultrafast wireless standards, including LTE¹ and DC-HSDPA, so you can browse, download and stream content fast from wherever you are. iPad mini data plans will be available with no contract so you can simply sign up and activate service directly from your iPad.⁴ The Personal Hotspot feature means you can share a fast cellular data connection via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB with up to five other devices such as MacBook® Pro, iPod touch® or another iPad.⁵
The new fourth generation iPad features the amazing 9.7-inch Retina display and includes a new Apple-designed A6X chip that delivers up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip, all while delivering an incredible 10 hours of battery life in the same thin and light iPad design. Other new features include a FaceTime HD camera, twice the Wi-Fi performance when compared to previous iPad models and support for additional LTE carriers worldwide.⁶
iPad mini and fourth generation iPad both feature support for the Lightning™ connector that is smaller, smarter and more durable than the 30-pin connector. Lightning connector accessories are available to support cameras, SD cards and VGA or HDMI digital video.⁷ Existing iPad Smart Covers and the iPad Smart Case are compatible with fourth generation iPad, and new polyurethane Smart Covers custom-designed for iPad mini are available in pink, green, blue, light gray, dark gray and (PRODUCT) RED.
iPad runs over 700,000 apps available on the App Store℠, including more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad, from a wide range of categories including books, games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. iPad also supports newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand and books available on the iBookstore℠. The iTunes Store® puts the world’s most popular online music and movie store at your fingertips with a catalogue of over 26 million songs and thousands of films. The new iBooks® app for iPad lets users read ebooks in over 40 languages. iBooks also lets users experience an entirely new kind of ebook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. Ebooks created with Apple’s new iBooks Author offer gorgeous, fullscreen ebooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, custom fonts, mathematical expressions and much more.
Pricing & Availability
iPad mini with Wi-Fi models will be available in black & slate or white & silver on Friday, 2 November for a suggested retail price of SGD$448 inc. GST for the 16GB model, SGD$578 inc. GST for the 32GB model and SGD$708 inc. GST for the 64GB model. The fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi models will also be available on Friday, 2 November, in black or white for a suggested retail price of SGD$658 inc. GST for the 16GB model, SGD$788 inc. GST for the 32GB model and SGD$918 inc. GST for the 64GB model. iPad mini and the fourth generation iPad will be sold through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com/sg) and select Apple Authorised Resellers in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular and fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular will start shipping a couple of weeks after the Wi-Fi models. iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be offered for a suggested retail price of SGD$618 inc. GST for the 16GB model, SGD$748 inc. GST for the 32GB model and SGD$878 inc. GST for the 64GB model. Fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be offered at a suggested retail price of SGD$828 inc. GST for the 16GB model, SGD$958 inc. GST for the 32GB model and SGD$1088 inc. GST for the 64GB model. Additionally, iPad 2 is available for a suggested retail price of SGD$528 inc. GST for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just SGD$698 inc. GST for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model where they are sold now.
Customers can begin pre-ordering all models of iPad mini and all models of the fourth generation iPad on Friday, 26 October (PST) through the Apple Online Store in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
¹LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks. Check with your carrier for details.
²Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
³Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary.
⁴Only available on some carriers.
⁵Personal Hotspot requires supporting data plan. Customers should check with their carrier for availability.
⁶LTE is available through select carriers.
⁷Sold separately.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
FORTUNE reports that there are rumours going on that Apple is preparing to launch a smaller and cheaper version of the iPad — often called the iPad mini or iPad air and usually described as having a 7.85-inch screen. Various press can expect invitations to go out on Oct. 10.
If the rumor is true, and if Apple follows its usual scheduling protocol, that would suggest a special event to unveil the product on Wednesday, Oct. 17, with a launch day of Friday Nov. 2 — plenty of time to capture holiday sales.
Apple fans throughout the world are fasincated by the launch of the iPhone 5 today. Pre-orders were available in Singapore but that didn’t deter people from queueing to collect it overnight.
Look at the overnight queue at EpiCentre, Singapore.
Although the iPhone 5 is not technically superior than some of the Andriod phones out there, there are still a die hard group of fans that will go for the iPhone. It happened for 3GS, 4, 4S and now iPhone 5.
Some of it’s competitors has larger screen and slimmer body. Some even has anti dust, water resistance. The most important thing that most review sites forgot to mention is that the iPhone 5 comes with single band LTE 1800MHz unlike the others with Dual band of 1800MHz and 2600MHz. This is important as outdoor coverage is mainly 2600MHz and iPhone 5 will likely be seeing access speeds.
So, why is it that people are buying into Apple products knowing that the technical specifications might not be as good as the competitor. What I feel is the software that is more important than the hardware. Look at the apps you have on iPhone versus others. Secondly, it is the only brand that provides iOS upgrade from version 3 to 4, 5, and now iOS 6 across all iphones and iPads. Older phones gets a new life with every OS update. Compared to the Android, most of the older phones are still stucked at version 2.3.4 Gingerbread.
If you just bought your iPhone 5, I would like you to do a speedtest (using Speedtest app) on the LTE network. Do a screen capture and send it in to us on our Facebook page or email us at webmaster at ocworkbench.
Screen shot of Singtel phone user testing the LTE speed test at Kovan. It achieves 11Mbps for downlink and 27.11Mbps uplink. Picture courtesy of Sgphonedeals
So what is your opinion about this phenomenon ? Will you buy one ? Post your comments below :
This morning we upgraded our new iPad to iOS 6.0. It took a while but it is definitely worth the wait.
The upgrade brings new features including Siri in multi language to the iPad for the first time. In fact, the most impressing feature is the 3D Maps which replaces Google maps on the Apple phones from iOS 6.0 onwards.
There were also instant shares to Facebook, twitter, email etc.
Below are screen shots of the new iOS 6.0 running on the new iPad – Screen shots including Eiffel tower, Tower Bridge, Sydney Opera House etc.
We also upgraded our iPhone 3GS to iOS 6.0 through WIFI. It took almost an hour. We thought the phone hung at the Apple logo initially. We let it alone with power plugged in and everything works, just abit slower than before.
Apple users waited for it to be downloaded. Some managed to complete and install it while some didn’t. From what we read and heard, there were some common issues that users faced when updating their iPhone 3GS/4/4S or iPad.
One common problem is that updating through WiFi, the blue bar is almost 100% complete but it just hangs down there forever. Some readers said you got to be patient as it will eventually complete.
The most common problem is WIFI seems to be lost after updating the device. They can no longer login to their network. Actualy this can be easily solved by reset network settings or just Forget and Rejoin network.
So, what other issues did you face while updating your iDevice. Comment below.
The latest iOS 6.0 has just been released 5 minutes ago.
You can update it from the settings within iPhone/iPad or through iTunes.
According to Apple, it has up to 200 new features for the older phones. It includes Apple designed maps, Siri updates (both are for 4S). There will be Facebook integration, Passbook, Shared Photos depending on your iPhone generation.
We are updating our old iPhone 3GS to iOS 6.0 right now. The phone runs on M1 Singapore network and it will take a while to complete the download.
The highly anticipated iOS 6.0 will be available on 19th September 2012. No exact timing is announced but I am sure Asia region readers will be first to get it. iOS 6.0 should also be the last OS upgrade for the iPhone 3GS. Android users, do you get such support with 3 major revisions of OS from 3.1 to 4.x, 5.x and now 6.0. You are still probably stucked with Android 2.1 on your 2 years old phone
So are you ready for it ? Click the to see what is new on iOS 6.0
iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Top Two Million in First 24 Hours
CUPERTINO, California – 18 September 17, 2012 – Apple® today announced pre-orders of its iPhone® 5 topped two million in just 24 hours, more than double the previous record of one million held by iPhone 4S. Demand for iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply and while the majority of pre-orders will be delivered to customers on 21 September, many are scheduled to be delivered in October. iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina™ display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology*—all while delivering even better battery life.**
“iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet, the most beautiful product we’ve ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do.”
iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new user features including: an all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and an amazing new Flyover™ view; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center; Passbook, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place; Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari® and Maps; and Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®.
Pricing & Availability
iPhone 5 will be available from 8 a.m. local time on Friday, 21 September from the Apple online store and select Apple Authorised Resellers.
iPhone 5 comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and will be available in Singapore for a suggested retail price of SGD$948 inc. GST for the 16GB model, SGD$1,088 inc. GST for the 32GB model and SGD$1,238 inc. GST for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com/sg) and select Apple Authorised Resellers. iPhone 4S will also be available for a suggested retail price of SGD$788 inc. GST and iPhone 4 for a suggested retail price SGD$588 inc. GST. iOS 6 software will be available on Wednesday, 19 September as a free software update.
iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on September 28, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
* LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.
** Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
*** Not all features are supported in all countries.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
The iPhone 5 is finaly launched. So what is new ? Let’s take a look at it’s specs :
iPhone 5 specs: 112 grams (20 percent lighter than 4s), 7.6 mm (18 percent thinner), 4-inch display (up from 3.5 inches), 1136×640 pixel resolution (up from 960×640), a fifth row of icons on the screen, 44 percent more color saturation, LTE network compatible, available on Verizon/Sprint/ATT, processor and graphics are 2x faster.
The battery life far exceeds the iPhone 4S. It will have 8 hrs of talk time, 8 hrs of 3G / LTE browsing, 10 hrs for WIFI, 10 hours for Video, 40 hours for music and 225 hrs for standby.
The camera is improved too. It has a 8 megapixel camera
3264 x 2448, has backside illumination, Hybrid IR filter
Give elecment lens
f/2.4 aperture
25% smaller
It has an improved low light mode and a sapphire crystal lens cover.
The facetime front camera is upgraded and it supports 720p, backlit illumination, face detection
and now facetime over cellular.
Audio quality is improved too with an Improved speaker with 5 magnet transducer. Also Wide band audio too. Makes voice sound more natural.
The old USB cable goes into history as Apple introduces “lightning” connector. The new connector is smaller but there will also be an adapter for the old one
The new iPhone 5 will ship with iOS 6. It comes with new map applications that replaces google maps. Some other changes include tweeting right at the notification centre.
There is also iCloud Tabs which syncs whatever sites you have open on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. A VIP VIP feature – messages from VIp filtered to special mail box.
iOS 6 also feature the Passbook. Passbook takes care of all the passes – boarding pass, ticketing etc. It has has push notifications — brings up boarding pass right on the lock screen, swipe it and you are right at your boarding pass.
Photo stream now can be shared with friends so that you can view what your friends are shooting.
There are also updates to Siri. It is now able to launch applications, recomend movies and check restaurants and do reservations. You can also update facebook using Siri.
Pricing is USD 199 for 16GB (contract). iPhone 4 8GB is Free with contract, iPhone 4S 16GB is USD 99 with contract.
iPhone 5 16GB is USD 199, 32GB at USD 299 and 64GB at USD 399, all with contracts.
Pre order starts from 14 sep, ships 21 Sep. iOS 6 comes Sep. 19th.
Later today, Apple is going to unveil the next generation iPhone or iPhone 5 that most will call it. So far, we have seen some rumours about the new phone, e.g. larger screen, new smaller dock, nano SIM etc. So, will it support the LTE network used in Europe and Asia or it supports all 4G networks ?
All will be made known to you at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time when Apple kicks off the event at Yerba Art Center in San Francisco.
The CoverItLive blog will be updated automatically from ABCNews. So, stay tuned to this page
Note: The updates in the CoverItLive module below will come through automatically when the event begins; no need to refresh the page. Just keep it locked here!
M1 will launch their 4G service plans on 15 September 2012. On the same day, M1 will also obsolete the old Surf plans – ValueSurf, Lite Surf and ExtremeSurf plans. These 3 plans are rather popular because it gives users a 12GB data bundle and 500 SMS.
M1 will replace it with the new ValueSurf+, LiteSurf+,ExtremeSurf+ and MaxSurf+ plans. The noticeable change is the data bundle for the various plans. From the usual 12GB, it is reduced to 2GB, 3GB, 5GB. MaxSurf+ is at 12GB.
The upgraded ValueSurf+ is still at S$39 bundles in 600 free SMS instead of 500. LiteSurf+ is at S$59 , S$4 more than it’s original plan. Instead of it’s 250mins outgoing calls, M1 throws in 300 mins and 800 free SMS. The ExtremeSurf+ is priced at S$98, $3 more than the original plan. Instead of 600 mins outgoing calls, M1 throws in another 100 mins making it 700 mins and 1000 Free SMS but the unlimited free data is removed and is now capped at 5GB. A new plan MaxSurf+ at S$198 is introduced which has unlimited voice call minutes,2000 SMS and 12 GB data.
The new Surf plans is also available for 4G value added service at S$10.70/mth.
For those who re-contract, an extra 1GB will be added on to the free bundle. Effectively from 15 September, those who are on the old plans will have their data bundle dropped from 12GB to 2+1 GB (ValueSurf+ plan).
Looks like the good old days of unlimited or 12GB abundance of data bundle is history. In fact, if we calculate it this way, we should be paying lesser as most telcos charges S$5.35/GB when the subscriber exceeds the data limit. In this case, A 12GB to 2GB reduction is 10GB, based on the calculation, the plan should be S$50 cheaper.
I do know of people who abuse the data by torrenting. This greatly affects the data performance of others. In fact, the reduction and cap on the limit will smoother give mobile users a better internet experience.
Below are the charts comparing the old and new plans.
* so far, the iPhone plans remains the same with 12GB data.
Apple on Wednesday announces the launch of iTunes music and movies store in Singapore plus 11 asia countries. At last apple users will now be able to purchase a wide selection of Asia music from labels featuring popular artistes such as Andy Lau, Korean groups like Girls Generation and SHINee.
There will be over 20 million songs available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store.
Do you dream every night about something like iOS 6 or a refreshed Mac lineup? If yes, then blame the WWDC 2012, Apple’s annual pilgrimage for developers, which is all set to kick off 10 a.m. PT on Monday at Moscone West center in San Francisco.
Hot on the heels of announcing that his untethered jailbreak works on iPad 3 running on iOS 5.1, pod2g has posted a demo video of the untethered iPad 3 on his blog.
The video shows the untethered iPad 3 on iOS 5.1 can run Cydia, run iFile – a jailbreak app and reboots without an issue.
iBooks also seems to work without an issue (which currently is an issue with the tethered jailbreak).
pod2g has clarified that since his untethered jailbreak works on iPhone 4 and iPad 3, it should work with other iOS 5.1 devices like iPhone 4S and iPad 2 as well. But it may not work with Apple TV 3.
pod2g plans to stabalize the payload and then use try his untethered jailbreak on iOS 5.1.1 that was released by Apple earlier in the week.
pod2g hasn’t provided an ETA on when the untethered jailbreak will be released. We’ll let you know as soon as we’ve any further updates so stay tuned.
FORTUNE reports that there are rumours going on that Apple is preparing to launch a smaller and cheaper version of the iPad — often called the iPad mini or iPad air and usually described as having a 7.85-inch screen. Various press can expect invitations to go out on Oct. 10.
Maps
Siri
Facebook
Shared Photo Streams
Passbook
FaceTime
Phone
Mail
Safari
Accessibility
