Accessories, News/Rumors

Cassette Tape live on with the case for iPhone 5

For those who remember their first albums, which were recorded on cassettes and are ready to greet these things in a new variation, then this news will cheer you. You can help it live on with this cool cassette case for iPhone 5 from Rocket Cases. Priced at just $14.99. This accessory will delight all fans of the original items, and especially music lovers.

Made from a sturdy TPU plastic the cover in the form of audio cassettes ideally adapts to the body of the iPhone 5, and protects it from micro scratches and drops. It also provides your device with all-over protection from the ingress of dust and dirt on the back of the unit, and a slightly protruding silicone edging prevents the screen from scratches on it.

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Due to the unique design and dense, but at the same time light and flexible material, the case has the same shape and curves of the iPhone 5 and practically does not increase its volume and weight. Thus, the control buttons, connectors, earpiece, and other communications are available. The cable you get with your iPhone fits just fine, but if you use a micro USB to Lightning adapter, you’ll need to pull the cassette case off at the bottom. Its shiny finish also makes it easy to pull out of your pocket when taking a call.

The biggest downside to the cassette case, however, is that Rocket Cases isn’t the only company that sells them. The cassette case may feel cheap, but it is built to last. This case could be great for your clumsy kids who need protection for their iPhone 5.

iPhone, News/Rumors

“Black Diamond”-world’s most expensive iPhone 5

Have $15.3 million lying around? United Kingdom-based designer Stuart Hughes will help you get rid of such sum! For three years on end, he has done his best to be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records with his most expensive handheld gadget. He has already made a number of ultra-expensive Apple devices – White iPhone 4 ($ 20,000), iPad ($ 121,000), iPhone 3GS ($ 3,2 million), iPhone 4 ($ 8,000,000) and iPad 2 ($ 8,000,000). Stuart’s new creation – $15 million iPhone 5, which topped all previous prices.

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This beautiful device took 9 weeks of detailed intricate work to re-create the original chasis of the iPhone 5 in solid gold all of which was started and finished by hand, including a flawless black single deep cut diamond weighing in at 26 cts, most unique to replace the home button also the chasis was inlaid with a circa of 600 white flawless diamonds with full gold dressing for the rear section with the logo in solid gold with 53 flawless diamonds.

This masterpiece has 135 grams of 24-carat gold and sapphire glass for the screen. $15.4 million handset, called «Black Diamond» and recognized as the most expensive smartphone in the world, was commissioned for Stuart by a Chinese business man who has had the black diamond for a while. A Chinese businessman was identified only as “Joe”. Purchase of probably the most expensive iPhone in the world isn’t possible, it’s made by special order. But a cheaper iPhone 5,  made entirely of gold is available right now.

News/Rumors

Analyst says: lower-cost iPhone prices make good sense

Following recent meetings with Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty today issued a research note sharing some of her takeaways from those discussions and her views on Apple’s future plans. Katy Huberty dis not disclose any important information that Oppenheimer shared. She just indicated that Apple is making effort to expand carrier partnerships and distribution for the iPhone to drive growth in Apples largest segment.She believes that Apples is working hard to develop new services to take advantage of the “stickiness” of the Apple ecosystem.

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On the case of lowering the price of iPhone, “We also see several signs that a lower priced iPhone makes sense: 1) iPad Mini is expanding Apple’s customer base with 50% of purchases in China/Brazil representing new customers to the ecosystem. 2) Chinese consumers show a desire to purchase the latest version of iPhone (instead of discounted older generations). 3) iPhone 4 demand surprised to the upside in the December quarter. Even at a low 40% gross margin and 1/3 cannibalization rate, we see an “iPhone Mini” as incremental to revenue and gross profit dollars.”
Despite continued investments in that pipeline, Huberty believes that Apple is likely to return more cash to shareholders as its cash holdings continue to grow. Huberty goes on to note that she believes Apple has maintained its long-standing approach to product decisions under the leadership of Tim Cook and that the company remains committed to innovation with a strong product pipeline under development. It would be wise for Apple if they would lower the prices for their devices. It would generate better revenue and adds more consumers that will be willing to buy Apple products.

iPhone, News/Rumors

iPhone 5 again a Best-Seller ?

According to the latest stats data Apple’s iPhone 5 was the best-selling smartphone in the world in Q4 2012.

History repeats itself: you remember when the iPhone 4S overtook Samsung’s flagship. This time the iPhone 5 took the crown from Samsung Galaxy S III. Now let’s get down to figures: Samsung shipped 15.4 million Galaxy S IIIs, while Apple shipped 17.4 million iPhone 4S units and 27.4 million iPhone 5 units in Q4 2012.

“Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has long proven wildly popular with consumers and operators across North America, Europe and Asia. However, global demand for the Galaxy S3 appears to have peaked and Samsung will surely be keen to introduce its rumored Galaxy S4 upgrade in the coming weeks to fight back against Apple’s popular iPhone range,” said Executive Director at Strategy Analytics Neil Mawston.

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As for the terms of  market share, the iPhone 5 currently holds 12.6% of the global market, followed by iPhone 4S with 8% and Samsung Galaxy S III with 7.1%.

News/Rumors

Foxconn Freezes Current Hiring

According to Financial Times, Foxconn implemented a hiring freeze at most of its Chinese facilities due to the reduction of iPhone 5 demands. Foxconn denied that the move was related to any single customer and added that “any speculation to the contrary is false and inaccurate.”

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The Financial Times noted that it was the first time since a 2009 downturn that the company opted to halt hiring in all of its facilities across the country. The publication talked to multiple recruiters. “Currently, none of the plants in mainland China have hiring plans,” said Liu Kun, a company spokesman at Foxconn’s largest manufacturing facility, in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen across the border from Hong Kong. Human resources officials at Foxconn’s largest factories, local government officials and external recruiters working with the company said there had been internal notices on Tuesday and Wednesday to halt hiring until at least the end of March, in response to reduced orders for the iPhone 5.”
Another Foxconn spokesman, Bruce Liu, gave a different explanation in a phone interview. Foxconn halted recruitment until the end of March after more employees returned from the Chinese New Year break than a year earlier, Bruce Liu, a spokesman for the Taipei-based company, said today in a phone interview. The decision wasn’t related to iPhone 5 production.”
Speculation will be running wild on what prompted the hiring freeze of Foxconn. Giving different explanations coming from one spokesman to another just fueled the rumors about the true reason regarding this.

News/Rumors

Has the iPhone 5 Lost the Smart Phone War?

In the recent survey conducted by a mobile research firm namely OnDevice, Apple’s iPhone 5 only ranked 5th on the survey. This was done with 92,000 smart phone users to determine the satisfaction using their devices. Apple’s latest iPhone only garnered 8.23 on the survey. It was behind Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 and the difference was just 0.03. On the top was Motorola’s Atrix HD with a score of 8.57. It was followed by Motorola Droid Razr (8.5) and HTC Rezound 4G (8.32).
These numbers only show that Apple’s iPhone 5 is falling behind unlike its predecessors that totally outmatch its competitors. The concept and function of the iPhone 5 is just like the first iPhone. In today’s standards, it is most likely an ordinary sight to have an iPhone. Unlike the first unveiling of iPhone, it has lost its luster on the general public. The innovation that Apple has provided before is gone. Generally speaking, the function is albeit the same as the first generation iPhone.

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Nowadays, consumers will go for a device which offers more functionality and capabilities. Another thing to mention is the price to pay when buying an iPhone. You need to pay an arm and leg just to have these phones. With a plethora of choices from different brands, consumers would likely go for a brand that would fit their needs.
We cannot say that Apple lost track on phone development but we can clearly see that it has slowed down greatly. In a fast paced environment, an ever changing smart phone concept is needed to satisfy the consumer. If Apple once to be on top again, they should innovate like what they did on the first iPhone.

News/Rumors

iPhone 5 helps Apple be №1 in smartphone market in Q4 2012

According to the stats Apple’s 4.8 million combined iPhone shipments for the last quarter of 2012 represented 22 percent of the global smartphone market, up from 15 percent in 2011.

The firm noted that while overall mobile phone shipments were flat for the three-month span at 438.1 million, the smartphone market grew 37 percent to reach 216.5 million units over the same period.

Apple’s iPhone has jumped +2% to 36.3% of the U.S. smartphone market share in December 2012, comScore’s latest data suggests.

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In that same period, Google’s Android rose +0.9% to 53.4%, retaining its first place by a large margin, while BlackBerry and Microsoft’s Windows Phone lost a good chunk of their market share: -2% and -0.7%, respectively.

It should be noted that during the most recent call, Apple reported 47.8 million iPhone sales, a figure Canalys noted above as units shipped. The exact number of Android handsets sold remains unknown as other OEMs, such as Samsung, do not traditionally release those statistics.

News/Rumors

Again Apple Drops Below $500 ..

For the first time this year Apple’s stock briefly dipped below $500 a share on Monday.
The firm’s share price dipped above and below the $500 mark throughout early morning trading, and stabilized out at around the $503 mark after the opening bell
The latest drop in Apple stock, falling more than $15 a share, was triggered by news that orders for parts that go into the iPhone 5 have been cut because demand for the phones is weaker than expected.
The WSJ report, which cited unnamed people familiar with the matter, said orders for iPhone 5 screens for the January-March quarter are about half what was expected. Orders for other types of components have also been reduced, the WSJ article said. The Journal said it was told Apple notified the suppliers of the order cut last month.

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Still, the news has clearly unsettled investors as it reinforces concerns that the iPhone 5 is not selling as well as the company had hoped. As of publication, the stock was hovering around $503 a share.

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Apple Confirmed the iPhone 3GS Retirement

The iPhone 3GS is about to come out of stock. After that, it will never come back. Apple has confirmed that the 3GS model will be discontinued in the coming weeks. The stock will then be filled only with iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 5.

The iPhone 5 will be released September, 21 in U.K. Then the 8 GB iPhone 4 will be the oldest iPhone model in the lineup.

This decision may come also due to the release of iOS 6. Even though you can install the new mobile OS on an iPhone 3GS you will not be able to use all the features because the old components of the smartphone cannot cope with its need of resources.

Anyway, technology moves on but old smartphones get stuck in the mud. The 3GS model is 3 years old and outrun. Its demise was predictable.

Source: Pocket-lint

Apple

Samsung is getting ready too for Apple’s release of iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 ‘is almost here’ and Samsung’s joke ‘is coming’ too. Apple’s biggest rival, Samsung, is preparing a new commercial that mocks the Cupertino Company and its fanatical adepts.

Samsung’s plans for the commercial are announcing a major deride of those who are about to stand in line in front of the Apple Stores, as usual, to buy the iPhone 5. The Korean company started the construction of a fake Apple Store fully charged with Macs and iOS devices, on a set in Los Angeles. Moreover, the store has its own fake Apple Genius staff.

One may speculate that the topic of the commercial is the iPhone 5 due to a poster that illustrates an ugly and poorly-looking smartphone tagged with the “It’s coming” headline. The photo resembles with the “It’s almost here” media event invitations sent by Apple.

Source: The Verge