serverpoint hosting banner

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Apple to drop Google Maps from upcoming mobile platform


Apple to drop Google Maps from upcoming mobile platform

San Francisco: Apple will drop Google Maps from its upcoming mobile platform iOS 6 in favour of its own mapping system, it was reported Friday.
The application design is said to be fairly similar to the current Google Maps programme on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, but it is described as a much cleaner, faster and more reliable experience, said technology news website 9to5mac, citing its sources.
Apple will drop Google Maps from its upcoming mobile platform iOS 6 in favour of its own mapping system.
Over the last few years, Apple has been acquiring mapping companies like Placebase, C3 Technologies and Poly9. The acquisitions enable Apple to create a complete mapping database of its own instead of relying on Google’s solutions, reported Xinhua.
The most important aspect of the new Apple Maps application, according to the report, is a powerful 3D mode, which is technology straight from C3 Technologies, a Swedish company Apple bought last year.
Apple has been gradually pushing Google Maps away. Last week, Apple acknowledged that its iOS iPhoto app, a photo-sorting tool for the iPad and iPhone, had switched from Google Maps data to OpenStreetMap data since March. The app uses mapping data to display the shoot location of geotagged photos.
Apple is scheduled to hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco from 11 to 15 June. The key announcement at this year’s conference is expected to be iOS 6, the sixth generation of its mobile operating system.

The verdict is out: Tech critics love Apple’s ‘improved’ iPhone 5


The verdict is out: Tech critics love Apple’s ‘improved’ iPhone 5


Apple’s long awaited iPhone 5 will hit US stores on Friday. The device is already sold out on pre-order and according to Apple it is the fastest selling smartphone ever. So what are the tech pundits saying about the new iPhone 5? It’s mostly rave reviews all the way.
Here’s a quick look at a few:
CNET: The headline says it all about how much they love this phone. iPhone 5 full review: Finally, the iPhone we’ve always wanted. Reviewer Scott Stein says,
The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It’s absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe.
For him, the winning point of the iPhone 5 is design, design, design. You can read the complete post here.
New York TimesThis one seems mildly restrained as far as reviews go. From reviewer David Pogue, his point of view regarding the iOS vs Android vs Windows 8 debate doesn’t change radically with the iPhone 5.   As far the new screen-resolution in concerned, he says,It’s a nice but not life-changing change.
The new iPhone 5. Reuters
But its clear that the design is impressive and he says A single company, known for its obsession over details, produces both the hardware and the software. The result is a single, coherently designed whole.
You can read the entire NYT review here.
TechCrunch: Once again, the Apple fanboy strikes. ReviewerMG Siegler’s post has the headline With iPhone 5, Apple Has Chiseled The Smartphone To Near Perfection. Need we say more about how awesome they think the iPhone 5 is? You can read the entire reviewhere.
AllThingsD: Walt Mosberg at AllThingsD also feels that still considers, the iPhone the best smartphone on the market, especially with its staggering 700,000 third-party apps and a wealth of available content.
Apple’s design is still what keeps it in favour with many tech experts. Mosberg writes,
Yet unlike many competitors, this isn’t a plastic, insubstantial-feeling device. Although Apple claims it’s the world’s thinnest smartphone—18 percent thinner than the prior model—the iPhone 5 retains Apple’s trademark, solid-feeling, metal construction, with an aluminum back this time, instead of a glass back. Like many Apple products, it’s gorgeous.

DND, Camera, Maps: Why the iOS 6 update is a must


DND, Camera, Maps: Why the iOS 6 update is a must

Weeks before the launch of the iPhone 5, there was a video floating around teasing the mad crowds that all they were going to get this time was a camera, almost a point-and-shoot. The mockery was on many of us who have iPhones, and use it largely to take pictures and reject the 700,000 or so apps in the store or the seamless software experience.
I can’t be apologetic for the number of images I shoot on my iPhone 4S. And until today, I also had some substantial cribs. One, I could never share the images I shot easily. And two, I missed a panorama layout.
The iOS 6 update delivers smartly on both counts. You don’t have to open up Facebook, and then choose images you want to upload. That reverse engineering process is dead. Now simply shoot and share – to Facebook, Twitter, SMS, etc. And in the iPhone 5, you can shoot a still image as you shoot a video. You can also share a stream of pictures with a smaller group of friends.
The Do-Not-Disturb feature is also a welcome addition. In the past, the silent mode, truly silenced your iPhone. You couldn’t make the distinction between phone calls, emails, or Facebook notifications. Now you can. You can shut out drunk friends serially uploading images through the night, but answer a call from someone who might be sick.
The Do-Not-Disturb feature is also a welcome addition. Reuters
For me the jury is still out on maps. With this update, Apple has replaced Google maps with its own version. It gives you multiple options from point A to B, with voice instructions. What will take a little getting used to for regular Google map users is the dramatic zoom in and large labeling. The maps though are clearer and less cluttered than the Google experience.
If a software update is fundamentally about making features you already use a lot better, and introducing a few that will be used instantly – this update is certainly a winner.

iOS 6 update’s finally here: Key features to watch out for


iOS 6 update’s finally here: Key features to watch out for

Apple’s latest OS for iPhone and iPad is finally here; the iOS 6. The new OS is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, the iPod touch (4th generation) and the iPad 2 and the new iPad. Of course the iPhone 5 and the new iPod Touch (5th generation) ship with iOS6 pre-loaded.
The key features of OS are as follows:
Facebook all the way: This ones a winner. Facebook, like Twitter on iOS 5, is now an integral part of the Apple OS experience. Users can post locations to Facebook directly from the maps app and also post photos on Facebook directly via the photos app.
Replying to posts no longer requires going into the app. A Tap to post button has been added which means users can post their status updates directly without clicking on the Facebook app. Users can also dictate their Facebook posts via Siri. For more on why iOS 6 loves Facebook click here.
Screenshot of the new Apple Maps.
New Maps feature: After Apple ditched Google Maps for their in-house maps, there is definitely some chatter on whether this was a wise move. The new maps have a voice navigation feature and “flyover” three-dimensional images taken by helicopters hired by the company to fly over major cities.
This feature will however be available only to users of the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and new iPad. The new iPhone 5 and new iPod Touch will ship with these features. Apple maps is creating a lot of buzz on Twitter right now with some saying the new feature is awesome while others canning it in harshest of terms. More on Apple maps later.
The maps will also features snippets of reviews for restaurants etc from Yelp. Yelp is not available in India.
VIP MailBox: This is one feature that will make sure you don’t get an alert every time you receive an email. Apple has redesigned the Mail interface for easier reading and writing, in iOS 6 and also given users the option to set up a VIP list.
Smarter Web-browsing: Safari also got a serious upgrade. Users can now saves web pages — not just links — in their Reading List even when they’re offline. Users can also take photos and video without leaving Safari.
There’s also a new feature called TabView. Users can simply use gestures to navigate through tabs. Big bummer is that offline Reading List will be available on iPhone 4 or later and iPad 2 or later.
DND feature: Once again this option will give users more control about what calls they want to take and when. Users can set reminders if they don’t want to call back right away. Also “call when you leave” feature that reminds users to call back while they leave a building etc.
Passbook: This is Apple’s answer to NFC or Near Field Communications which according to tech experts can be used by shoppers instead of the old credit card. For more on how NFC is the new answer to credit cards and Apple didn’t use it click here.
Apple’s new Passbook feature is like the new wallet where users can keep digital copies of their tickets, gift cards, etc. It does not yet allow users to sync their credit debt cards with their iPhones.
Google wallet on the other hand does support credit and debit cards syncing.
No native YouTube App: The YouTube app is gone folks. Download the original YouTube app from Google via the App Store. iPad users might find this a tad annoying as the official YouTube iPad app is not yet out.

TomTom stands by map data, willing to help Apple fix any problem


TomTom stands by map data, willing to help Apple fix any problem

Amsterdam: TomTom NV stood by the quality of its mapping systems on Friday after Apple’s iPhone 5 launch was marred by glitches in its mapping app, which is built on TomTom’s data.
“We are more than willing to work with Apple to help fix any problems, as we would with any of our customers,” said Caroline Fisher, vice-president of TomTom’s consumer business unit.
Apple launched the iPhone 5 on Wednesday, but soon afterwards users went to social media and blog sites to complain about geographical errors and missing information on the maps feature.
AP
Holland-based TomTom licenses its map data to Apple, but said each manufacturer applies TomTom’s map data and other content to create their own unique application.
“There is a difference between a map and an app. We don’t develop the app. We license the map data, which is like a foundation. The customer can build on top of that, but we license the same mapping data to all our customers,” said TomTom media manager Cem Cohen.
Apple Maps, which is built on TomTom’s mapping data, has replaced Google’s maps, which is no longer available on iOS 6.
“We don’t know what is causing the issues (on the Apple maps) but from our perspective the quality of our data is great and we stand behind it,” added Fisher.
TomTom does not have an in-house team at Apple, Fisher said.
According to BNP Paribas analyst Alexander Peterc, who points out 20 different information and service providers, including TomTom, are involved in Apple Maps, the problems appear mostly to do with points of interest, or POIs, which include things like restaurants or shops and are not part of the cartography suppled by TomTom.
TomTom’s Fisher declined to comment on whether Apple had asked the Dutch map maker for help, saying it never comments on individual customers.
Reuters

Why Apple Maps on iOS 6 are getting two thumbs down


Why Apple Maps on iOS 6 are getting two thumbs down

San Fransisco: An entire city is in the ocean, a farm has been labeled as an airport, highways end in the middle of nowhere and a hospital now covers the entire center of British city Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s home.
Welcome to the new world of Apple Maps that greeted iPhone and iPad users when they downloaded the highly anticipated update to the consumer giant’s mobile software platform, iOS 6.
Apple Inc’s home-grown Maps feature was introduced with much fanfare in June by Apple’s software chief Scott Forstall and is a direct challenge to the same service offered by friend-turned-rival Google Inc.
But the app is already facing criticism from users globally for a number of geographical errors, missing information and because it lacks features that made Google Maps so popular, including public transit directions, comprehensive traffic data or street view pictures.
Apple Maps has replaced Google Maps, which is no longer available on iOS 6.
Screenshot of Apple maps. AP
Many users who downloaded Apple’s iOS 6 software, released on Wednesday, took to Twitter and online forums to express their frustration at the glitches.
“The people who thought the world was flat were more accurate cartographers than Apple Maps,” @RayneBradley said on Twitter.
“Apple Maps also have errors in business listings. I went to call a local taxi driver and it was a taxidermist (seriously),” said @TomDavenport on Twitter.
Apple did not return messages seeking comment.
The criticism comes on the eve of the launch of Apple’s iPhone 5, which hits stores around the globe on Friday. The iPhone 5 comes pre-loaded with the new iOS 6 software and Maps.
Users have created a Tumblr blog sarcastically dubbed “The Amazing iOS 6 Maps” where many have posted screen shots of the errors. Pictures showed the Norwegian town of Leknes in the Norwegian sea, the entire city center of Stratford-upon-Avon is labeled as a hospital.
Some of the errors have even irked politicians. Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said he was surprised to discover that Airfield — a 35-acre estate with working farm and café in center of his constituency in Dundrum, Ireland — has been labeled with the image of an aircraft.
He said this could be dangerous for pilots and suggested in a statement that Apple use the image of “a cow, a goat, a sheep, a flower” instead, and that an “aircraft is an entirely inappropriate flight of imagination.”
Users in Asia were surprised to see two sets of the disputed territory of Senkaku Islands. Some joked that this was Apple’s effort at providing a diplomatic solution to Japan and China, both of which claim the islands.
Not an easy fix
Closer to home, New York city residents are unhappy that Apple maps doesn’t offer public transit directions, one of the most-used features on Google Maps in cities.
“My phone should be able to tell me which bus and train to take,” said Kennan Ali, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who exclusively uses public transport in the city and has been an iPhone user since 2008. “I am hoping in the next update they will somehow add transit directions.”
Apple’s map service comes with three-dimensional images of cities called “Flyover” along with real-time traffic updates and also turn-by-turn navigation, the last a feature that Google has in Android devices but had not made available in Apple devices.
Apple licenses mapping data from vehicle navigation systems maker TomTom. TomTom said it stands behind the quality of its maps but didn’t develop the app.
“During the process of turning mapping data into an app, every manufacturer does it their own way,” said TomTom spokesperson Cem Cohen. “We are not part of that process. Apple uses exactly the same maps as our other customers.”
Cohen said TomTom hasn’t talked to Apple about the issues.
While in theory it will be possible for Apple to update Maps with a software fix, the problems appear to be “pretty profound and pretty fundamental,” said Marcus Thielking, co-founder of Skobbler, maker of the popular GPS Navigation 2 app, built using the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap platform.
“The question is really how much expertise do they have in-house and what they sourced from third parties,” Thielking said, adding that Apple requires people with a very specific skill set to fix it.
“It’s not their core competence,” he added.
Google, for its part, did not say whether it would do a Google Maps apps for iOS 6. Users now have to access Google Maps through the browser.
“Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system,” the company said in a statement.
Reuters

It’s there, no wait, it’s not: Spotting India on Apple Maps


It’s there, no wait, it’s not: Spotting India on Apple Maps

Apple’s new in-house Maps application on iOS 6 is getting a lot of negative feedback from users and rightly so, since the app has a lot of gaping holes in its cartography. From places going missing to just plain wrong directions, Maps on iOS 6 is just bare bones and terrible, especially for those using it outside of the US.
For those who are heavy maps users, this app will come as a big disappointment. More so, since Google has not yet announced if or when it will be launching an official Google Maps app for iOS 6. But according to The GuardianGoogle is preparing a Google Maps app for iOS6, which will appear in time. No official statement has been made and there will inevitably be questions over whether Apple will approve it in the App Store.
The report is adding to the rumours that the Google Maps might be ready, but is waiting Apple approval which may or may not come.
App data supplier TomTom NV has defended the quality of its mapping systems, stating that “We are more than willing to work with Apple to help fix any problems, as we would with any of our customers.” You can read more on what TomTom NV has to say here.
It’s clear that as far as data is concerned nobody can play catch with Google. And Apple’s problem is not as simple as the maps not being world class.  That would indicate that they are still pretty good, and just not quite up to Google’s high standards.
Instead the maps are of abysmally low quality, simply because they don’t have all the information. For users in India, Nokia’s OVI maps are another good option as they are much more detailed and accurate when it comes to giving directions and finding locations.
Basically Nokia and Google are already giving India’s users everything that a good map app should offer. In terms of maps apps in India, Apple isn’t even a distant second with the new app.
According to ZDNet, even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, feels it’s not a top notch product. The reports quotes Wozniack as saying
“I tried to navigate somewhere, and I couldn’t get to where I wanted to by voice,” he told ZDNet Australia. “So, I was a little disappointed, because I love navigation by voice with my Google [Android] phones, actually, since they always get it and are based on a better database.”
We tried looking for a couple of places in Mumbai and New Delhi in Apple Maps and compared it with Google Maps on an Android smartphone. The result were well…. all we can say is that somewhere in Silicon Valley, Google is laughing its head off.
You can check out some pictures below.

Here’s what Delhi University looked like on Apple Maps (Left) and Google Maps (Right)

Ok maybe this was tough one but according to Apple Maps, Govandi just doesn’t exist. On Google Maps it does.

Nope, no Connaught Place either on Apple Maps. As you can see Google Maps has shows it quite clearly and with details.

Gateway of India on Apple Maps compared to Google Maps on the right. Also notice how the Taj Mahal Hotel is marked far away from Gateway of India in Apple Maps.

Newest iPhone 5 complaint: It scratches too easily


Newest iPhone 5 complaint: It scratches too easily

The honeymoon period for the iPhone 5 seems to have not lasted very long.
Quite apart from its terrible mapping application, the physical phone itself does not seem to be holding up very well. Macrumours and other sites have reportedly been besieged with a slew of complaints by users who say that the phone had scratches on it straight out of the box. The problem seems to be most persistent in the case of the black phones.
Not so tough: AFP
The Daily Mail newspaper quoted one Macrumoursuser as saying “Mine arrived today with small scratches on the right out of the box. Looks like they chipped the anodised coating putting the screen in, and there is a small mark on the lower back too, by the glass section”.
Others say that even daily regular use is causing terribly unsightly scratches and markings on the back of the device.
So in order to test what the the iFixit site is calling “Scuffgate”, it decided to subject the device to the toughest tech test of all: A two-year-old armed with a set of keys.
You can watch the video below, but needless to say the phone did not fair well at all. Interestingly, the previous model of the device performed better.

Now, Google is bigger than Microsoft too. Here’s why


Now, Google is bigger than Microsoft too. Here’s why

After Apple, Google too  soared past Microsoft in terms of market value on Monday to become the second-richest firm in the tech world.
Looks like the unstoppable Microsoft  has its market value surpassed by 2 of their fiercest competitors. While Google has now officially passed Microsoft, their value is still less than half of Apple’s $627 billion.
According to a Bloomberg report, Google rose 1 percent to $761.78 at the close in New York, gaining a market capitalization of about $249.9 billion. Microsoft, the world’s biggest software maker, fell less than 1 percent to $29.49, for a valuation of $247.2 billion.
Eight years after going public, internet search giant Google, is now bigger than Microsoft for the first time.  Reuters
Google’s market value also edged past that of Wal-Mart Stores, making it the third most valuable US company behind Apple and Exxon Mobil.
“The PC hardware business is obviously struggling,” said Martin Pyykkonen, a Wedge Partners Corp analyst from Colorado, speaking to Bloomberg.
“The transition here is pretty straightforward in terms of where things have moved to and certainly that’s cloud, that’s Web.”
Google’s stock price has risen 48% in the past year, fueled by a stabilizing search advertising business and investor enthusiasm over the company’s growing wireless segment. The shares got a further boost last week from a Citigroup note advising investors that the Google stock price could “rise significantly in the 12 months ahead.”
This success could partly be because of the failure of its competitors. Says Wall Street Journal, ” Apple remains the most valuable company in the world, but the proven quality of Google’s technology is attracting investor confidence and driving shares higher.
The short-term gain can also be attributed to Apple’s iOS 6 and maps fiasco.
Also  Google’s mobile operating system Android  is the world leader, and it continues to gain market share at almost everyone’s expense.
Google is also expected to topple Facebook and Yahoo this year as the leader in online display advertising, bringing in $2.31 billion in display ad revenue, according to eMarketer.

Apple likely to sell 8 mn iPhone 5s over the weekend


Apple likely to sell 8 mn iPhone 5s over the weekend

Apple Inc fans queued around city blocks worldwide on Friday to get their hands on the new iPhone 5, pointing to a strong holiday season for the consumer device maker despite grumblings about the mapping app in the new smartphone.
The iPhone 5 — thinner, lighter and with a 4-inch screen — went on sale in stores across the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, with mobile carriers reporting record demand that looked likely to stretch Apple’s supply capacity.
“The line for the iPhone 5 was 70 percent greater than the line for the iPhone 4S despite Apple taking two (times) as many online pre-orders,” said Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. He expects Apple to sell 8 million of the new smartphones over the weekend.
The long lines of excited buyers prompted optimism on Wall Street. Getty Images
The long lines of excited buyers prompted optimism on Wall Street. Deutsche Bank raised its target on Apple stock to $850 from $775, saying “demand indicators are tracking very strongly.”
The iPhone is Apple’s highest-margin product and accounts for half of the company’s annual revenue. Apple shares were up 0.5 percent to $702 in afternoon trading in New York.
JPMorgan estimates the phone could provide a $3.2 billion boost to the U.S. economy in the fourth quarter – a boost almost equal to the whole economy of Fiji.
Apple’s rival and component supplier, Samsung Electronics Co, tried to spoil the party, saying it plans to add the iPhone 5 to its existing patent lawsuits against Apple.
Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 last Friday and booked more than 2 million orders in the first 24 hours – double the first-day sales of the previous iPhone, the 4S. Shipping time for online orders is three to four weeks.
Prices for the iPhone 5 start at $199 for a 16 GB model and range as high as $399 for a 64 GB model.
As Apple began delivering the new phone, struggling competitor Research in Motion, which makes the BlackBerry, had to admit that it was once again having service problems in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The iPhone 5 supports faster 4G mobile networks and also comes with a number of software updates, including Apple’s new in-house maps feature, which is based on Dutch navigation equipment and digital map maker TomTom’s map data.
But not everyone was impressed. Some users criticized the maps feature for a number of geographical errors, missing information, and a lack of features.
And not everyone was thrilled with Apple’s success.
Hundreds of French iPhone fans lining up at Apple’s main store in Paris got an earful from disgruntled store employees and others protesting against Apple policies.
Marching in front of the Paris store were about 20 former staffers of independent Apple distributors that closed after struggling to compete with Apple’s own stores. Joining them were three Apple store employees striking to protest Apple’s refusal to offer staffers meal vouchers and a yearly bonus of an extra month’s pay – perks that are standard for many French workers.
In San Francisco, Apple store worker Cory Moll, who is seeking to start a union and is the founder of the Apple Workers Retail Union initiative, stood outside the main downtown store with a placard showing his support for the French workers and those who assemble Apple products in Asia.
The line of buyers at the store wound around several blocks.
A FLINTSTONE PHONE
The launch drew crowds of customers at Apple stores worldwide.
Hundreds of people lined up around the block at Apple’s store on New York City’s swanky Fifth Avenue.
Kadijah Perez, 26, a Bronx resident, had not heard about the map issues. She said she wanted to use the phone for navigation, adding, “Hopefully, they’ll just fix it.”
In Annapolis, Maryland, customers settled in lawn chairs waiting for the Apple store in Westfield Annapolis Mall to open. A man walking by quipped: “I’m beginning to believe (Mitt) Romney. The economy is bad. People are starving.”
Waiting in line for anything was a first for Annapolis resident Robert Delarosa, 37, who skipped buying the iPhone 4 due to bad reviews but is now tired of his iPhone 3GS.
“I’m stuck with this old 3GS, a Flintstone phone,” he said.
In London’s central Regent Street, about 1,300 people lined up to buy the iPhone 5, nearly twice as many as showed up for the previous iPhone.
The iPhone 5 “is both the fastest and biggest selling iPhone to date on our network. Pre-order sales are up more than 50 percent compared to the iPhone 4S,” a Vodafone UK spokesman said.
In Germany, 19-year-old musician Okan Yasin had waited since lunchtime on Thursday to be at the front of the queue at the Frankfurt Apple shop. Proudly holding a sign saying “Ich bin Nummer 1″ (I am Number 1), he said:
“I just need to have it. I know that the new iPhone from a new features perspective hardly has anything extra to offer. But I just needed to be here. It’s the hype, man!”
In Australia, about 600 people queued around the block at the Apple store in Sydney, the first in the world to hand over an iPhone 5 to a buyer. Customers were limited to buying a maximum of two phones.
In Tokyo, the lines stretched several blocks.
“It’s thin and light. I’ve used Samsung before, but the operation, the feeling, of the iPhone is better,” said Wataru Saito, a semiconductor engineer who had been queuing in Tokyo since mid-afternoon on Thursday – with his suitcase, as he had a flight to catch on Friday.
In Hong Kong, people carrying rucksacks filled with cash waited outside the city’s main Apple store, hoping to snap up phones for resale. Staff there chanted “iPhone 5, iPhone 5.”
Most of those waiting were fans already hooked on Apple’s earlier iPhones and best-selling iPad tablet computers.
“I feel like if I leave it at home, I go a bit crazy,” said James Vohradsky, a 20-year-old student who queued for 17 hours with his sister. “I can’t do my normal day without it.”
Vohradsky said the iPhone 5′s lack of a mobile payment chip was “a bit of a letdown.” Apple did not embed Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, used to turn cellphones into mobile wallets, into the new smartphone.
RUNNING OUT
There was concern that not enough new phones were available to meet demand.
Softbank and Singtel, Singapore’s biggest mobile phone operator, said demand had exceeded previous offerings from Apple and there was worry the company would not be able to keep up.
Japanese carrier KDDI Corp said it had already run out of the new phone, and Australia’s Telstra Corp Ltd reported online orders sold out in a record 18 hours. Telstra said it was discussing bi-weekly restocking with Apple.
Apple plans to sell the new phone in 100 countries by the end of the year, ramping up competition in a smartphone market that has already reached fever pitch.
Apple is up against phones that run on Google Inc’s Android software, which has become the most-used mobile operating system in the world, while Samsung has taken the lead in smartphone sales.
Reuters

iPhone 5 easier to repair than iPhone 4S: Tech experts


iPhone 5 easier to repair than iPhone 4S: Tech experts

Apple’s latest offering, the iPhone 5, is much easier to repair than the 4S or 4 devices, according to tech gadget team, iFixit. The iFixit team has done its usual tear-down of the iPhone 5 and by all indications they like what they see. For pictures of what the iPhone 5 looks like from inside click here.
The team has good news for Apple fans saying that fixing the iPhone 5 should be easier. The team writes,
What’s this? A suction cup? We haven’t needed a suction cup to get into an iPhone since the 3GS!
Because the iPhone 5 is opened front-to-back, replacing a cracked screen is going to be easier than ever. Thank you, Apple. Compare this to the iPhone 4S, where it took 38 steps to isolate the display assembly, and this iPhone may be the most repairable iPhone we’ve seen in a while.
You can check out the complete post by iFixit here.
Reuters
When Apple had launched the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, earlier this year, iFixit had said that the device was virtually unrepairable, adding that upgrading would not be an easy option. The blog which dismantled Apple’s latest offering gave it a lowly 1 out 10 as repair score.
The iPhone 5 has done much better, scoring seven out of 10 as far as repairability is concerned.
iFixit also revealed details on Apple’s A6 chip. Unlike Samsung or HTC or any other smartphone company, Apple never reveals the processor speed for its chips. According to iFixit: The A6 processor is the first Apple System-on-Chip (SoC) to use a custom design, based off the ARMv7 instruction set.
Another tech team UBM TechInsights that has disassembled the iPhone 5 has a complete detailed analysis on Apple’s A6 chip. The big question has been whether Samsung probably had a role to play in parts of the chip. There were reports that Apple had reduced chip orders from Samsung due to the bitterness over patents case in San Jose, California.