iPhone News
Current consumer, business and technology news about the Apple iPhone multi-function
mobile device (cell phone, media player and Web browser). Constantly updated
from news sources around the world.
39 Cool Apple iPhone 4S Cases - Feb 6
iPhone App Contains Secret Tethering Capability - Feb 3
By entering the codes "1984" and "31337" in iRandomizer Numbers, you can create a sharable Internet connection using your iPhone.
Mobile Phone Growth Slides In Fourth Quarter - Feb 3
Mobile phone shipments on a global basis reached 427.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011 -- a tepid 6.1 percent rise from the year earlier period, IDC says. The global handset market's single-digit growth in the seasonally strong fourth quarter shows that handset vendors are not immune to weaker macroeconomic conditions worldwide, the firm's analysts said Thursday. A surge in smartphone purchases led by Apple's iPhone 4S in the final three months of 2011 also caused feature phone shipments to decline faster than analysts had expected. Smartphone growth in Western Europe was not enough to offset the feature phones decline, despite successful product performances from Apple and Samsung. With the exception of Apple, feature phones still account for a majority of unit sales at four of the five top handset vendors, said IDC Research Analyst Kevin Restivo. "The introduction of high-growth products such as the iPhone 4S, which shipped in the fourth quarter, bolstered smartphone growth," Restivo said. "Yet overall market growth fell to its lowest point since the third quarter of 2009 -- when the global economic recession was in full bloom." Strong iPhone Customer Loyalty Unit shipments of Apple's red-hot iPhone 4S reached a record 37 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, which propelled the company into the No. 3 slot in the global handset market overall. During last year as a whole, Apple shipped 93.2 million iPhones. According to Strategy Analytics, Apple is on track to ship well more than 100 million iPhones during 2012. "China is becoming a key market for Apple this year, and we expect Apple's share to grow rapidly in 2012, despite countless copycat rivals," said Strategy Analytics Director Tom Kang. Investment firm Piper Jaffray expects Apple to ship 134 million iPhone units during calendar year 2012. "Despite the lack of...
Apple Now 3rd-Biggest Phone Maker, Thanks to iPhone 4S - Feb 2
Having established itself recently as the world's leading computer maker, Apple has now moved into third place among phone makers worldwide. According to a new report, the jump from the fifth spot is largely due to record-breaking shipments of its iPhone 4S smartphone. The report, from industry research firm IDC, noted that sales of the 4S were particularly strong in Japan as well as the U.S. It also found that, while the overall mobile phone market grew 6.1 percent in the fourth quarter compared with a year ago, this is the lowest growth in over two years because the feature phone market is dropping fast. The third quarter of last year showed 9.3 percent growth overall. Few 'Stupid' Phones Anymore Although smartphone sales are growing, most of the phones shipped are still feature phones. Ramon Llamas, an IDC senior research analyst, said in a statement that, "even though their proportion is ending, feature phones maintain their appeal on the basis of price and ease of use." Even as the boundary between smartphones and small tablets is becoming less distinct, so is the difference between smartphones and feature phones. The IDC report noted that feature phones "are becoming more like smartphones, incorporating mobile Internet and third-party applications." Michael Gartenberg, research director at Gartner, said that "it's hard to tell what's a smartphone anymore." He added that feature phones are showing more capabilities, and smartphones can be obtained through carriers for little or nothing. "It's difficult to find a stupid phone these days," he said. Gartenberg pointed out that, when the 4S was released, many observers expressed disappointment that it wasn't more innovative, more of an advance over previous models. But, he said, "Apple has sold boatloads of them," which has now pushed its position higher on the worldwide scale. Nokia Still No. 1 The IDC report noted that Nokia...
Review: Super Bowl Online Decent, Won't Replace TV - Feb 2
The television set won't be the only place to watch video of the New York Giants and the New England Patriots this Sunday. For the first time, U.S. football fans will be able to watch the Super Bowl live on a computer or on a phone. You may be wondering whether anyone without super-strength eyesight would be able to follow the football on a tiny phone screen. And what about the ads? After all, many people tune in more for the commercials than for the game. I got a chance to test the offering with a pair of playoff games and last weekend's all-star Pro Bowl. Although it's impossible to say what will happen Sunday, I have found the experience decent so far, but no substitute for the big screen. The phone offering is made possible through a collaboration involving the National Football League, Comcast Corp.'s NBC and Verizon Wireless. The nation's largest wireless carrier had rights to carry NBC's Sunday night broadcasts live during the regular season, as well as some games from the NFL Network and ESPN. The post-season games broadcast by NBC are an extension of that package. That means you'll need service through Verizon Wireless to watch on an iPhone or an Android phone. Unless you have the higher-speed 4G service through Verizon, you'll also need its V Cast video service, which costs $3 a day or $10 a month on top of your regular phone bill. A generous data plan or a Wi-Fi connection will help you avoid additional charges. If you don't have the right phone or wireless carrier, or if you have a super-cheap data plan with low caps, you can watch for free on a computer instead at NBCSports.com. You can interact with the game more that way, but you won't get the same commercials. To get started...
Sony's Hirai To Replace Stringer as CEO in April - Feb 2
Sony Corp. announced Wednesday that Kazuo Hirai, who leads the company's core consumer products business, will replace Howard Stringer as CEO and president effective April 1, as the electronics and entertainment company desperately tries to engineer a turnaround. The 51-year-old Hirai, currently executive deputy president, was widely expected to succeed Stringer. The Welsh-born Stringer, one of the few foreigners to lead a major Japanese company, will retain his post as chairman of the board, Sony said in a statement. In 2009, Hirai, who has also led the company's gaming business in the past, was named as part of a new management team to lead Sony, and Stringer had recommended to the board that Hirai replace him. Hirai, who is fluent in English, will be Sony's youngest CEO. Sony has been fighting to regain its image as a global leader in gadgets as consumers have increasingly turned to rival offerings such as the iPod and iPhone from Apple Inc., making the Walkman brand a has-been. It has also fallen behind in liquid-crystal displays for TVs to South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. "Kaz is a globally focused executive," Stringer said in a statement. "I believe his tough-mindedness and leadership skills will be of great benefit to the company and its customers in the months and years ahead. I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success." The management shuffle came a day before the company was to announce fiscal third-quarter earnings. Battered by a strong yen and poor sales in its flat-panel TV business, Sony has forecast its fourth straight year of net losses for the fiscal year through March. The company has gone through massive cost cuts and restructuring and is hoping to recover in flat-panel TV, gaming and personal computer businesses. "The path we must take is...
Galaxy S3 Delay Could Mean Head to Head Challenge to iPhone - Feb 1
Samsung is flooding the mobile market with a galaxy of Galaxy products. From the original Galaxy S phones launched in March 2010 to the Galaxy Tab tablets, Galaxy S II phones and the new Galaxy Note, the South Korean manufacturer is making the most of its grandiose brand name, which has been well received by critics and consumers. Now the company is gearing up for the third generation of its powerful, large-touchscreen handsets, with the Galaxy S3, and its launch may well coincide with the expected launch of archrival Apple's eagerly awaited iPhone 5 this summer. Samsung raised some eyebrows by announcing Wednesday that it will not showcase the Galaxy S3 at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, later this month. Galaxy Far, Far Away? "Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012," the company said in a statement first reported by the Web site TechRadar. "The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product." The U.S. versions of the Galaxy phones, with a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, 1-GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera were first announced in June 2010 as T-Mobile's Vibrant, AT&T's Captivate, Sprint's Epic, and Verizon Wireless's Fascinate. U.S. Cellular later added a variant called the Mesmerize, and MetroPCS added the Galaxy Indulge. The Galaxy S II was unveiled almost a year ago at the Mobile World Congress with upgraded features such as a 1.2 GHz, dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, a 4.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus screen display and 8-megapixel camera with flash and 1080p high-definition recording. The Galaxy Nexus, the first to run Google's Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system and with a 4.65-inch screen and near-field communication technology for...
iPhone 5 Could Be Game-Changer For Mobile Payments - Jan 31
Some developers are betting the next Apple iPhone will have NFC capability and pave the way for mobile payment technology to finally take off.
Stolen iPhone Saved By iCloud - Jan 27
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police follow Find My iPhone directions to nab a suspect and recover an iPhone in the space of four hours.
Kaiser Permanente Offers EHR App For Androids - Jan 25
iPhone app coming soon; patients also can securely access health records and email docs via mobile-friendly version of Kaiser website.
Verizon: 44% Of Customers Use Smartphones - Jan 24
Verizon's fourth quarter earnings show a significant jump in the number of smartphone subscribers, but strong iPhone sales dinged Verizon's margins.
Hackers Jailbreak iPad 2, iPhone 4S - Jan 23
It took 10 months for hackers to crack iOS 5.0.1. Workplaces that allow bring your own device need to act immediately to avoid potential security risks.
iPhone Wins Back Android Losses - Jan 18
Newest figures from Nielsen show that Apple's iPhone 4S, which launched in October, grabbed back marketshare during the fourth quarter of 2011.
Wozniak: iPhone Could Learn From Android - Jan 17
Apple co-founder says Google's mobile platform outperforms iOS in key areas like battery life, navigation, and voice assistance.
iPhone 4S China Debut Turns Violent - Jan 13
Apple halts sales of the iPhone 4S at its retail stores in China, as angry would-be buyers egg its flagship store in Beijing
New app promises wireless sync for iPhone — if Apple approves it
(Ben.. - Apr 26
Ben Patterson - Zune users have been able to sync their music and videos over Wi-Fi for years now — not so for patrons of the iPhone or iPod Touch, which can only sync up files via USB tethering. That said, an enterprising developer is looking to change the game when it comes to wireless iPhone and/or iPod Touch syncing ... if Apple will let him, that is.
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