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iPhone 6 will feature larger 4.8-inch display

October 7, 2013 By Lori David Leave a Comment

Apple is apparently going to cave into user demands and make a larger iPhone 6 screen, expanding the rather small screen to 4.8-inches to compete with some high-end Android smartphones, including the Moto X, Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

This has been reported on quite a bit since the iPhone 5S release and now Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek has said supply chain sources have told him about new screen sizes for the iPhone 6.

From the $450 value Misek previously had on Apple, he has upped it to $600 and told investors they should buy Apple stock now, while it is still low. He has two reasons for this, Apple is buying components at a cheaper price and the 4.8-inch iPhone 6.

This is a move expected by Apple, who have said 2014 will be the year of innovation for the company. Cupertino has not had a standout product launch since the iPad in 2011, leading some to believe Apple has lost their innovative spark since Steve Jobs death.

With the iPhone 6 expected to launch around the same time as the iPhone 5S and Apple adding the new 12.7-inch iPad, redesigned Mac Pro and revealing the iWatch to their large line of products, it could be a successful year for Cupertino.

The problem with iOS is the movement from one smartphone size to another seems to be terrible for developers, who have to cater to the size redesign. We still see some apps like Reddit without the redesigned four inch screen size, giving the black impressions.

This is the polar opposite of what can be achieved on Android, with developers creating apps for dozens of different sized smartphones with different resolutions without any problems.

We will have to wait and see if Apple adds some way for developers on xCode to add multiple sizes for different users, for all we know Apple could be testing out more than one size change and may want to keep both the 3.5-inch and 4-inch size model.

Apple set to host iPad event on October 15

September 17, 2013 By David Leave a Comment

Apple second fall event is set to reveal the iPad, iPod, MacBook Pro and there are rumors of a Mac Pro release date and a first look at the iWatch or at least Jony Ive in the white background saying some words about how Apple is amazing at wearables.

Multiple sources have commented on the official date for Apple’s iPad event, although nothing is certain, the ring seems to be around October 15 or somewhere in the middle of October.

This date would make sense for Apple, the company has been pushing all new products out before the end of November and pre-orders normally end at the start of November. This gives a good holiday season for Apple to reap in customers.

iPad

Apple is set to launch two new iPads this year, the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini with retina display. We do not believe Apple will want to start numbering the iPad Mini and the retina display upgrade can keep them safe from improving the tablet this year.

We will also see the iPad 5 coming this year, set to have a new design similar to the iPad Mini. The iPad will also be thinner and lighter than the previous version, with a slight ramp up on performance.

Apple has been testing out a 12-inch tablet but we are unsure if this will come this year, considering there is already cannibalisation in the iPad market, perhaps the larger tablet will be held off for a year, to see what happens to the PC market.

iPod & MacBook Pro

iPods are still a product Apple likes to revamp every year, with the iPod Nano, Touch and Shuffle still getting different changes in design and format. We are uncertain if they will make an appearance this year, as reports say Apple is selling half as many every year.

The MacBook Pro will definitely be revamped by Apple, with the newest Haswell processor inside. The Haswell processor should give the MacBook Pro full day battery life and better graphical performance, on top of the release of OS X Mavericks.

Other Possibilities

Apple may also announce the Mac Pro release date, with the huge redesign making it 10% the size of the previous edition, it may take time before the company is capable of mass-producing this, especially with the Mac Pro being built in the US.

Lastly Apple may tease the new iWatch, set to be the first smartwatch from Apple.

WhatsApp on iOS, Android – Now Download WhatsApp on iPhone, iPad for Free

July 18, 2013 By Brandi McCants 2 Comments

It likes of Line, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, KakaoTalk and Path, all of which are eager to dominate the instant messaging segment in markets across Europe and Asia. It’s like a silent war raging between them. However, it is the Sequoia backed messaging application, WhatsApp that seems to have an edge above the rest and enjoys dominance in Europe. Not only that, the business is often considered to have all the ingredients to make a great acquisition by companies such as Facebook or Google. Meanwhile, WhatsApp has recently been in the news when it was announced to have gone free on iOS, which till recently came for a sum of $0.99.

So instead of having to buy the app for an upfront fee of $0.99, WhatsApp has been announced as a free app for a term of one year, after which users will need to pay an annual subscription fee of a very nominal $1 a year. That means the users of iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini, iPod Touch can download and access to WhatsApp for free for a certain period of time.

The news didn’t come in as a surprise to the users of this app, as Jam Koum, CEO had made an announcement to this effect a few months ago. Rather, iOS is late to join the party since such a business model has already been prevalent on other popular platforms such as BlackBerry, Nokia, Windows Phone as well as Android.

Such a pricing strategy can also be considered to be in vogue these days with more and more developers adopting it with their apps. So while earlier, developers were seen eager to sell their apps for a one time upfront payment, the trend has now shifted to making available the apps free of cost while charging for premium services. It is already available for free on BlackBerry and Android.

This has been especially true for game developers that prompted this craze, whereas some other apps like texting have taken to the freemium cue.

For instance, Japanese Line, have made almost 60 million dollars in the first half of this year, in Japan itself. The profit was made through the sale of stickers and in-app purchases, which has been copied by Facebook Messenger and Path. WhatsApp which came to the spotlight in 2009 became a popular messaging service soon as users discovered it’s much more easy and cheap compared to text messages. Although WhatsApp dominates the European market, it also has a strong grasp over the Indian market as well. The company very recently has claimed that it is even larger then Twitter, recording over 200 million monthly activations a months and billions of messages transacted daily.

Google Nexus 7 2 vs iPad Mini 2 Before the Tablet Release Date

July 7, 2013 By Micheal Baptiste 1 Comment

iPad Mini 2 and Nexus 7 2 are the much anticipated midsize tablets of 2013. Previously, a stream of rumors surfaced regarding their release dates, but none of the manufacturers has officially confirmed the launch of these tablets. However, owing to the satisfactory performance iPad Mini and Nexus 7 delivered, it is likely for Apple and Google to launch their successors respectively.

Release Date

Nexus 7 was launched in June, 2012. Rumors have rolled up regarding the launch of its successor this summer. Google has not passed an official statement, but fans expect the tablet to surface this July.

iPad Mini was released in October 2012 and its successor is expected to follow a one year gap, like other Apple products. iPad Mini 2 is expected to release by October or November, this year.

Display

Apple is self-strategic over its products. Fans’ pressure barely alters the minds of Apple developers and they always execute their unique sense in shaping up every product. However, it mostly manages to satisfy its anticipators. This means that the brilliant Cupertino tech pays heed to preferences of fans and leads in innovation, producing something unique and apart from the contemporary. But fan pressure does not change Apple’s pre-defined direction.

While Android manufacturers like Samsung and Sony are keen on extending the display size of their products, Apple concentrates on display quality rather than its size. Obviously, Apple products bear a fine display quality, but fans want it large. However, iPad Mini bore a 7.9 inches display screen, which exceeded 7-inch Nexus 7 in size. Asus-manufactured Nexus 7 possessed a higher pixel density of 216, which is rumored to have been enhanced to 300 in its successor. It may also endorse an HD display. iPad Mini 2 is unlikely to feature a retina display, as its battery may not be efficient enough to support it.

Storage

Apple iPad Mini was available in three variants of 16, 32 and 64GB. Apple has now got the 128GB chipset but whether they will implement it in the next gen iPad Mini is unsure. iPad Mini featured 512 MB RAM, which is supposed to be augmented to 1GB in its successor.

Nexus 7 was available in two variants of 8 and 16GB and there is no assurance if Google has any plans of introducing an extended variant of Nexus 7 2. Google Nexus 7 possessed 1GB RAM, which is supposed to be enhanced to 2GB in its successor, as rumors suggest.

None of these tablets featured a card slot. Apple is likely to ignore the card slot in iPad Mini 2 as well alike its other products, whereas Google has some stances of considering a card slot.

Camera

iPad Mini featured a 5MP rear-facing camera and a 1.2MP front-facing one. Nexus 7 lagged much behind in its camera specifications, bearing only a 1.2MP primary sensor and no secondary ones. Google is likely to enhance the camera specifications of Nexus 7 2 to 5MP.

OS and Chipset

iPad Mini ran on iOS 6 and is upgradable to v.6.1.3. Recently, it was speculated that Apple will roll out an iOS 7 update to iPad Mini users. Apple has released two beta versions of iOS 7, with the third about to surface soon. So, iPad Mini 2 will be blessed with iOS 7 and an A7 chipset, thus making it much powerful than its predecessor that bore an A5 chipset. Apple is likely to implant a more powerful processor in second-gen iPad Mini.

Google Nexus 7 2 will probably run on the mildly upgraded version of Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2, v4.3, featuring Qualcomm 800 CPU. iOS 7 will definitely be far better than Jelly Bean 4.3. Android Key Lime Pie 5.0 is supposed to be launched on Android’s fifth birthday this October, which is far behind the rumored release date of Google Nexus 7 2.

Price

Price of Apple products is always higher than Android products. Users do not mind spending a bit high on iOS, considering its unbeatable utility. iPad Mini was launched for those seeking an iOS tab at a lower price. iPad Mini 2 may arrive at a price tag of $300 approx, whereas Google Nexus 7 2 may range at $200-$250.

These specifications reside on a rumored platform and there is hardly any official confirmation from the manufacturers. But in any case, they are expected to abide by our expectations.

New iOS 7 Launched at WWDC for iPhone, iPad

June 14, 2013 By Micheal Baptiste Leave a Comment

The groundbreaking iOS update – the iOS 7 – unveiled by Apple at the WWDC on June 10^th marks a new enlivening beginning for the company’s mobile market. However, the stock market was indifferent to the launch, as evident from statistics that showed Apple’s stocks sliding down by approximately $3.

Developed under the supervision of Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of design, the new iOS 7 introduces a plethora of visual changes and additional features. The looks are entirely different from earlier iterations, with totally redesigned icons, a new color scheme and translucent transition effects. The new design intends to utilize the entire screen, so the interface appears much bigger.

The new platform provides enhanced Multitasking, allowing users to switch between multiple apps in a more intuitive manner. It keeps track of the most used apps, so as to maintain up-to-date content in the background. Some of the new features include Night Mode, FaceTime audio, Find My iPhone Activation Lock, and Notifications sync. With better in-car integration, the iOS 7 will bring a new Apple-designed experience into vehicles.

Developers can access the new iOS 7 right away at the developer.apple.com website. The update will be available free for iPhone 4 and iPad 2 onwards, plus the iPad mini and iPod touch shortly. The apps inside iOS 7 will update automatically, so users just have to connect Wi-Fi to set off the updates, rather than wait for notifications.

The iOS 7 is the “biggest change” to Apple’s mobile operating system since the introduction of iPhone as Apple CEO Tim Cook put it. From Apple’s perspective, the iOS is the most used mobile platform for shopping and about 90 percent of iPhone owners have the latest software. That said, the iOS 7 is indeed a new beginning for the company.

iPad Mini 2 launch this year – Release Date to Feature Dramatic Changes

May 27, 2013 By Micheal Baptiste Leave a Comment

The second generation iPad Mini is expected to undergo dramatic changes in screen technology, according to MobiLeaks, a German blog. Sources also expect a Q4 2013 launch of the device drawing on Apple CEO Tim Cook’s words – “we can’t wait to introduce this fall.”

MobiLeaks says that the iPad Mini 2 will come with an enhanced Retina display having a resolution of 2048 x 1536 and a pixel density of 324 pixels per inch. AU Optronics is said to be manufacturing the revolutionary displays. The change is indeed dramatic because the resolution will be four times that of the current iPad Mini, which has a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. It will also place the second gen iPad Mini on equal footing with the fourth gen iPad.

The screen size will be the same 7.9 inches, but the bezel will not be as prominent, so expect an edge-to-edge screen. Amazingly, the thickness will increase from 7.2mm to 7.5mm, probably to add some space for a bigger battery with a 10-hour battery life. Nevertheless, the difference is negligible. Apple is said to be using Sharp’s indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) screen technology to reduce the thickness of the device.

The device will be powered by Apple’s dual-core A6X processor, a 1.4GHz dual-core chip with quad-core PowerVR GPU. The camera is likely to be tweaked, so expect an 8MP back camera and a 2MP front camera. For some more detail, the device will come with FaceTime HD camera plus iSight camera capable of 1080 pixels HD video recording.

Apple’s first iPad Mini was a big hit, but still lags behind the bigger iPad 4. The aforesaid specs are based on leaked reports as Apple has yet to officially reveal the details.

Apple iPad mini vs iPad mini 2 Before its Release Date – Design, Display, Price, Features

May 10, 2013 By Micheal Baptiste Leave a Comment

The iPad mini was the fifth notable model in the iPad series, with an exceptional 7.9 inches display replacing the usual 9.7 inches display-dimension of its larger predecessors. iPad mini was released in October 2012. With iPad mini being a success, Apple is set to launch the iPad mini 2 this year. It was supposed to release earlier this year, but Apple has reported some development issues that led to postponement of iPad mini 2’s release date to the latter half of this year.

iPad mini Vs the iPad mini 2

Design

The iPad mini featured similar specs as that of iPad 2. iPad mini 2 is being reported to possess a silver and thicker casing with a sky blue Apple logo on its hind portion.

Display

The iPad mini featured a display screen of 7.9 inches with a screen resolution of 768*1024 pixels and a density of 162 ppi. The iPad mini 2 will possess a Retina display of 2048*1536 resolution and a pixel density of 324 ppi. This is going to be a remarkable improvement in the iPad mini 2.

The low screen resolution of its predecessor was quite disappointing, which probably the successor would quench. iPad mini was protected with oleophobic coating. iPad mini 2 may be featuring a scratch resistant glass alongside Oleophobic coating. Reportedly, iPad mini 2’s screen-work is being taken care of by AU Optronics.

Processor

iPad mini operated on iOS 6, which was upgradable to iOS 6.1.3. It was powered by 1GHz Cortex A9 Dual Core processor. Probably the Apple A5 chipset of iPad mini would be augmented to Apple A6X in its successor, the iPad mini 2. As display resolution in the iPad mini 2 would be higher, a supportable processor would be required to accommodate the HD screen. The PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU of iPad mini may be upgraded in iPad mini 2 as well. However, Apple is focusing on A7 for iPads and it may decide to insert the same into iPad minis.

Storage

Alike other Apple gadgets, the iPad mini had no card slots and was released in three different models of 64, 32 and 16GB. It had an internal storage capacity of about 512 MB. Apple is likely to enhance the internal storage capacity to 1GB in iPad mini 2. iPad has recently brought out the iPad 4 128GB model. Whether, it is going to incorporate the same with the forthcoming iPad mini is doubtful, but it’s a possibility as Apple has already manufactured the giant chipset but it needs to be capacitated and made compatible according to the core features of iPad mini 2.

Wireless Charging

Rumors suggest that the iPad mini may feature a circuitry for wireless charging alongside individual battery cells. This spec resides on a rumored base but its genuineness may be incorporated by Apple in its iPad 5 and iPad mini 2.

Camera

The iPad mini possessed a 5 MP camera of 2592*1944 resolution with auto focus, geo tagging, face detection and touch focus. Rumors direct to the fact that iPad mini 2 may possess an 8MP camera with simultaneous image and video recording facility. But no confirmation is available over the camera specs on iPad mini 2.

Price

The Apple iPad mini 2 may be priced similarly to that of its predecessor. Likely, the 16GB version, 32GB version and 64GB version would be priced at £269, £349, £429 respectively. You may have to pay a £100 extra for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

Apple iPad mini 2 will probably hit the shelves after fall this year and is expected to carry better specs than its predecessor, close to the upcoming larger iPad 5.

Apple iPad Mini 2 Will have a retina display or not? No one really knows

May 8, 2013 By Mary Duncan Leave a Comment

The iPad mini 2 is once again back on the rumor mills for a release sometime in 2013. Sources have revealed that LG is going to start developing a smaller retina display for these devices sometime in either June or July this year.

Ever since the iPad mini was released in 2012, customers immediately noticed the poor quality of the display. Having a retina display screen on the iPad mini 2 will make it a lot easier to read without the appearance of any pixels as well as easier to play games and look at photos. This device along with the iPad 2 are two of the only Apple devices which don’t have retina display. It is understandable in the iPad 2 since the device is quite old now.

But, there is absolutely no reason why the iPad mini shouldn’t have included a retina display. Reputed sources had earlier said that the iPad mini 2 was not going to come with retina display but a new iPad mini was going to be released in 2014 with retina display.

The retina display for the iPad mini 2 is rumored to have a 2048 x 1536 resolution just like the iPad 4. One the smaller screen of the mini 2 this would give a ppi rating of 324. This is almost double what you have on the current mini. Chances are it might even be more than the iPad 4 or the iPad 5.

We believe that Apple is going to announce the iPad mini 2 along with retina display as well as a ne processor. The current mini uses an Apple A5 processor and we believe the mini 2 will at least have an A6 processor.

There are even some rumors doing rounds that the iPad mini 2 was going to be launched this fall with the latest iPhone 5S.

Asus Fonepad Released Date Rumors – Earlier than Expected?

April 3, 2013 By Mary Duncan 6 Comments

Are you one of the eager customers of Asus Fonepad? If yes, you might find this blast an exciting one! According to the latest buzz, the said handset may be hitting UK this April. Evidently, Cardphone Warehouse revealed that this gadget is currently marked as “coming soon” in the shelves. Yes, you’ve heard it right. It will be available in the market earlier than anticipated.

We had a first sight on this handset during the Mobile Congress 2013, together with the Asus Padfone Inifinity. At that time, the company estimated that the release date will be on the late second quarter. But now, we are going to have it this month.

Asus Fonepad is a combination of a tablet and a Smartphone since you can make calls out of this device. It is actually a potential way to eliminate the need of two gadgets- Smartphone and tablet. However, for a 7-in handset, making calls is not an ideal function. Just try to visualize a book sticking to the side of your face- how awful isn’t it?

Talking about its specification, here are some of them: 1280 x 800 pixel LCD screen, a 3-megapixel rear camera, a 1.2-megapixel webcam, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory, and a microSD slot for expanded file storage. It is just like the usual Android tablet in the market.

As I went to different reviews regarding the specs of Asus Fonepad, plenty of writers commented that this Fonepad is fairly similar to Nexus 7. Just so you know Asus is also the manufacturing company of Nexus 7, though it is branded as a “Google” device.

iPhone and iPad May Feature Google – iOS Could Get It First Google Search Engine App

March 18, 2013 By Nicholas Anderton Leave a Comment

Some promo videos were recently leaked to the media and the voice over heard in these videos, suggests that Google real time search ability will soon be available for iPhone and iPad users all over the world. People will be able to access this feature from the present iOS search application of the company, with a simple action of swiping it up from the home screen of the application. This will give iPhone and iPad users access to all the auto search features enjoyed by all Android users at present.

Google Now as it is known was launched in the month of June last year during Google I/O. This represents the biggest foray made by the company into active techniques for search. Most of the Google users use it as a search engine to look for information they require. Google Now has the same features as that of Google search engine pages in a passive manner. It will provide the latest information about everything from movie tickets, to flight information and even real time traffic.

The strategy of the Google Now being used like a search engine is quite a contrast to Siri, the native personal assistant provided by Apple iOS. Siri enables voice search where you can ask it a question in your own voice or give it a command. The backend service will look for that information for you and perform the required action. In that sense Siri is very similar to the traditional search methods used nowadays.

Google Now is being envisioned as tough competition to Siri. Some people think it is strange that Google is bringing this application to the platform of its arch rival Apple. However, this is not the first time that Google has brought to iOS, any of its flagship services. Google has done this on a regular basis in the past in order to aid the adoption of its technologies. It is estimated that Google Now will be launched in May this year.