iPod Plus Apple

The problems with the Apple Maps app that have emerged since the launch of the iPhone 5 and the roll out of iOS 6 have deepened to the point that chief exec Tim Cook has actually had to make a public apology.

In the days after iOS 6 arrived, many people began to complain of poor performance from the Apple Maps service, comparing it unfavorably to the Google Maps service which it replaced.

As well as geographical inaccuracies and issues with a lack of detail, Apple has subsequently been criticized for including detailed images of secret or sensitive government and military installations across the world which are usually redacted by Google and its rival mapping services.

500 million searches have already been made using the Apple Maps app, although it is now being suggested that just four per cent of iOS 6 users are actually accessing it on a daily basis.

Back when Google Maps was Apple`s choice for native navigation and location based services, it is thought that 25 per cent of iPhone owners used it every single day of the week at least once.

Mr Cook said that Apple was working hard to remedy all of the issues that have been highlighted over the past few weeks. He even pointed out a number of third party apps that could be used as alternatives to Apple Maps for the time being, including MapQuest and Waze.

Mr Cook said that customers could use their iPhones to access Google Maps via the Safari web browser and pointed out that Nokia also has a similarly equipped online mapping service.

It seems that Apple is being put in a difficult position because it not only made its proprietary software the standard for mapping in iOS 6, but also completely removed Google Maps support so that there is no app for users to turn to when their main option fails to deliver the goods.

Whether or not iOS 6 will eventually be fully reunited with a Google Maps app or not remains to be seen, but hopefully the apology from Mr Cook will be taken to heart by Apple customers and help them endure while an update for the Apple Maps app is created.

Back in 2010 you may remember that the launch of the iPhone 4 was marred by the news that the phone had antenna issues when held in a particular fashion, resulting in dropped calls and much fun-poking by Apple`s rivals.

This year other companies, including the Google-owned Motorola, have already released adverts in which they satirize the reports surrounding the Apple Maps app.

Interestingly it seems that the problems with the mapping have not dissuaded people from picking up the iPhone 5, because it was reported that 5 million units were sold in the first three days following its international release.

Since cheap phones can now provide impressive navigation and mapping, Apple really needs to step up and fix its own service or else face annoying its loyal customers.

If you are a fan of Facebook and the owner of an iOS device then you may already have been using the social networking service`s dedicated instant messaging app in order to chap with friends while out and about.

Following the release of the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 last month, the Facebook Messenger app has now been updated in order to keep in step with the latest changes to Apple`s flagship device and software platform.

In terms of interface, Facebook Messenger can now offer a side-swipe gesture which lets you look at who else is online and available to chat at any given time.

The app will please people who have upgraded to the iPhone 5 because it now fully supports the 640×1136 widescreen resolution that is afforded by the larger four inch display found on this new model.

The Facebook Messenger app has received a number of other tweaks, including the ability to order your friends list according to who you talk to the most. This means that your favorites can sit at the top of the list, rather than residing further down which might require a lot of scrolling finger work each time you want to get in touch.

To make the app look more closely related to the iOS platform, the text from contacts taking part in a conversation now appears in little stylised speech bubbles, so it resembles the kind of aesthetic which has defined the iPhone`s SMS capabilities for some time.

The Facebook Messenger app is still free to download and use, provided you have Wi-Fi connectivity or a decent data allowance on your iPhone.

When it comes to Wi-Fi, some iOS users may have been encountering issues since upgrading to version 6 of Apple`s mobile operating system.

CNET reports that a number of forum posts have popped up on Apple`s support page, with people complaining that since they downloaded the iOS 6 update to their devices they have had trouble either connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots or maintaining decent speeds once they are hooked up to one.

Other connectivity issues have been highlighted, with iPad owners stating that AirPlay is no longer working as well as it once did, or indeed functioning at all in some cases after iOS 6 has been installed.

Any Apple customer who has encountered problems should not panic, because you are not alone and the company will already be developing fixes to help overcome issues.

It is always worth remembering that each new iteration of iOS is going to have a few bugs early on, no matter how well it has been tested, which is why subsequent updates are generally required.

Even the best smartphones can be struck down by a software issue, but overall it is good to see Apple continuing to support its older devices with iOS 6 updates and also to see third party apps getting updated to work with this new platform.

Apple is a company that tends to forge its own unique path, which rivals later follow in order to echo its commercial successes and design innovations, which is why its decision to call the third generation iPad by the same name as the 2010 original, with no numerical suffix denoting its relation to its older siblings, has to be accepted as one of its quirks.

The new iPad remains one of the most popular tablet devices on the planet, easily outpacing its rivals in terms of sales not only due to the reputation of its brand but also because of the experience that it offers.

The first secret to the success of the new iPad is in its 9.7 inch Retina Display. Whilst previous iPads featured screens of the same size, the pixel count has been doubled here to provide a resolution of 2048×1536.

For those keeping score, that gives the new iPad more onscreen detail than all 1080p full HD TVs that sit in living rooms across the world and because this is compressed onto a screen that is much smaller, it means that there is so much detail that your eye cannot distinguish the difference between one pixel and the next, for a truly natural viewing experience.

Of course a great display is nothing without the right hardware to back it up and deliver excellent content to it, which is why the dual core A5X processor and GPU solution within the new iPad is a boon. You get significantly improved graphics capabilities thanks to the PowerVR chip, which means that Apple sees the iPad as easily competing with Android-based quad core tablets in terms of performance when running intensively visual-oriented tasks such as playing games or processing video.

The five megapixel iSight camera on the rear of the iPad is another of its major features, because if you watch any sporting event or go to any major gig or gathering you will doubtlessly see someone holding aloft an iPad to capture video or take photographs. The first two generations of the iPad were a little lacking in this department, but with full HD 1080p video capture and a better sensor resolution the new iPad is a more appealing companion for photography fans.

In terms of connectivity the new iPad kicks things up a notch thanks to its use of LTE networking in areas where this is available. Of course there are more basic models with Wi-Fi only which makes them more affordable, but for people who require constant connectivity at high speeds the new iPad provides them with an excellent platform for this.

There is not really any secret as to why the iPad 3 is such a good tablet, because it showcases everything it has upfront and is so popular that there are few potential buyers who will not already have experienced its capabilities at the controls of a friend`s device.

The iPhone 5 is finally here, with Apple`s official launch revealing all of the intimate and much debated details about the device that will doubtlessly be breaking sales records across the world once it launches in late September.

The most obvious new feature of the iPhone 5 is its display, which measures four inches across the diagonal and has a resolution of 640×1136. This gives it the same pixel density as the 3.5 inch Retina Display that was found onboard the iPhone 4 and 4S models, although it clearly has a larger surface area and a new 16:9 aspect ratio, which allows for an additional row of icons to appear on the homescreen, amongst other things.

The style of the device is very similar to that of the phones that Apple has launched over the last two years, which means you get a chassis fashioned from alloy and glass with rounded edges and excellent build quality. It is thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S and is also lighter, tipping the scales at just 118 grammes, despite the increase in its display size.

In terms of processing power the iPhone 5 uses a new A6 processor which has two physical cores and is reported to be clocked at 1GHz, although talking about things such as CPU speed is not as relevant when discussing an Apple device, because it always chooses to opt for efficiency rather than all out brute force.

The iPhone 5 is claimed to offer double the processing and graphics power of its predecessor the 4S, which is attested to by the number of videogame demos that Apple used during its launch presentation. In addition the larger display means that games look better than ever on the phone.

On the rear is an eight megapixel camera which is actually a little smaller in physical terms than its predecessor, but equipped with better processing capabilities to help it deliver quality snaps. On the front is a new 1.2 megapixel camera which can be used to record 720p video and also harness FaceTime for video calls.

The iPhone 5 is the first Apple handset to feature an integrated LTE antenna, which means that it will be able to connect to mobile data services at a theoretical maximum of 100Mbps, although in practice this will vary, as with any wireless signal.

This is good news for those who live in areas with LTE coverage, because it means that high speed connectivity is not only available on Android-based devices.

Some are disappointed by the fact that the iPhone 5 lacks NFC (near field communication) capabilities, which have become increasingly important over the past 12 months. However, this is hardly going to hamper its sales as it offers a suitable evolution over what came before it and it is, after all, another iPhone.

The iPhone 5 represents a very important launch for Apple, since it is necessary to drive the range forwards. Although it is not as revolutionary as the first iPhone was when it hit in 2007, it definitely has the potential to achieve great things.

Stunning Retina display, 5MP iSight camera, and ultra 4G LTE

It’s brilliant, in every sense of the word.

Pick up the new iPad and suddenly, it’s clear. You’re actually touching your photos, reading a book, playing the piano. Nothing comes between you and what you love. To make that hands-on experience even better, we made the fundamental elements of iPad better — the display, the camera, the wireless connection. All of which makes the new, capable of so much more than you ever imagined.

Retina Display. See everything like never before. Four times more pixels than iPad 2. Razor-sharp text. Richer colors. The Retina display transforms the entire iPad experience. So everything looks and feels incredibly lifelike and perfectly detailed.

Breakthrough technology. For a breakthrough display.

In order to create a display with four times the pixels, we had to design it in a completely new way. You see, every pixel in a display has multiple signals telling it when to light up. But when you have a lot of pixels and a lot of signals on the same plane, signals get crossed and image quality suffers. To make sure everything on the new iPad looks crystal clear, Apple engineers elevated the pixels onto a different plane — separating them from the signals. It’s technology that’s breakthrough. Just like the new iPad itself.

Pixel-perfect performance.
The A5X chip with quad-core graphics drives four times the pixels of iPad 2 yet it delivers the same smoothness and fluidity iPad is known for. Even with all that extra oomph, the new iPad still gets an amazing 10 hours of battery life.

I can not wait for the personal reviews to see how well it really performs. Just heard that in the last 3 days over 3 million sold. That is pretty impressive…

Apparently, the design of the upcoming new iPhone believed to be coming in October could be slowing up the handset’s production.

That’s according to a report from 9to5Mac, which claims that at least one assembly line for the new iPhone is being stalled because of troubles with the handset’s new design. According to PCWorld, that design is something like tear-shaped, with a rounded back, and it’s giving the machines producing the handset some troubles.

Unnamed sources cited by 9to5Mac reportedly confirmed a couple of rumors we’ve been hearing about the next iPhone: specifically, that there’s not one new iPhone in the pipe, but two. That’ll be a handset similar to the iPhone 4 (perhaps known as the iPhone 4S) and the actual iPhone 5, a redesigned model that’s a bigger technological step forward from the current handset. The launch is now believed around Oct. 7, with Apple expecting to have 10 million handsets available at launch.

Sources also told 9to5Mac the iPhone 5 will have a larger screen than the iPhone 4, and a thinner, rounder body.

This wouldn’t be the first time something about a new iPhone handset stalled up the actual phone’s manufacturing process. The finally released white iPhone 4 was set to come out just a few months after it was initially announced way back in June 2010, but all kinds of trouble with the white paint and the heat applied to the phone during manufacturing caused months of delays (it only just came out in April 2011).

AT&T accidentally lists iPhone 4S (maybe)

Speaking of the iPhone 4S and white handsets, an interesting screen grab made its way around the Internet this weekend that suggests Apple might have both on-hand in coming months.

The screenshot shows this item: “iPhone 4S white,” listed on an internal AT&T product system. The shot comes from Engadget, which received it from a tipster. If it’s the real deal, it seems to back the rumors coming out from 9to5Mac and others stating that we’d be seeing a more iPhone 4-like handset coming up this fall.

It also appears that Apple plans to have a white handset on hand at launch, which is a pretty big deal given how popular the white iPhone 4 has been. Part of the sustained demand for the iPhone 4 has been the numerous different models that have been released since its original June announcement. First there was the Verizon version of the iPhone 4 that dropped in February. Then, in April, the white iPhone reinvigorated iPhone 4 sales after a huge wait, since the alternate-color handset was announced right along with the original iPhone 4.

White is pretty popular among iPhone owners, for whatever reason, and it would make sense that Apple would want to get the white version out early to try to drag in more customers.

Original article from Phil Hornshaw @ Appolicious

Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder and former CEO, has died at the age of 56 after a long and highly public battle with cancer, he passed away peacefully surrounded by family.

It is a sad day indeed…

A statement released by Steve Jobs’ family says he passed away peacefully surrounded by family, “In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness. We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.”

Tributes have been pouring in from around the world including US President Barack Obama who paid tribute to the Apple genius saying he “exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity”.

“He transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.”

“The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented,” said Obama

Jobs resigned as the company’s CEO in August after being on medical leave since January 17. The unveiling of the iPhone 4S on Tuesday was the first time he had not been at a major product launch.

A spokesman for Apple said: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.”

RIP Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011

UPDATE

The tributes have been pouring in from all around the world for Steve Jobs…

Here is the text of the email that Apple CEO Tim Cook sent to staff to announce Jobs’ death:

“Team,

I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.”

Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp co-founder and chairman

“For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor,” Gates said in an e-mailed statement. “I will miss Steve immensely.”

“Insanely great” was of one of Jobs’ favorite expressions.

“The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come,” Gates said.

“Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.”

“I’m truly saddened to learn of (his) death,” he said. “Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.”

Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder and CEO

“Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.

Larry Page, CEO of Google

“He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me.”

Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder

“People sometimes have goals in life. Steve Jobs exceeded every goal he set himself.”

Paul Allan, co-founder of Microsoft

“We’ve lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by how he persevered.”

Steve Case, Founder of AOL

“I feel honored to have known Steve Jobs. He was the most innovative entrepreneur of our generation. His legacy will live on for the ages.”

Walt Mossberg, tech columnist for The WSJ and co-executive editor of allthingsd.com

“That Steve Jobs was a genius, a giant influence on multiple industries and billions of lives, has been written many times since he retired as Apple’s CEO in August. He was a historical figure on the scale of a Thomas Edison or a Henry Ford, and set the mold for many other corporate leaders in many other industries.”

Original Article From Free The Gadgets: Click Here

The report shows that the new iPod touch to rely on SIM cards in GSM networks and maintain the traditional airlines in much the same way as the iPhone, although presumably some sort of data-only plan.

The claim is dubious, and not AppleSpot.nl history when it comes to rumors, so we are sharing the first report of interest and discussion.

The issue of 3G capabilities for the iPod touch has been raised repeatedly in recent years, driven in part by the hope of those who want an “always-on” data connection without the need for expensive iPhone contract . While Apple has released iPhone 3G-capable models that work in a very similar and provides no data contract plans, there was virtually no reliable information that Apple is definitely working in these capacities for the iPod touch.

Quick Overview
iPod touch lets you enjoy everything you love about iPod, and more. Watch videos on a bright 3.5-inch widescreen display. Use the revolutionary Multi-Touch interface to navigate your music in Cover Flow. Also, whenever you want more entertainment, just playing in iTunes to find and buy on the fly.

Product Description:

Features

• 14,000 songs
• 80 hours of video
• 90.000 photos
• Voice Control
• Up to 30 hours of music playback
• Up to 6 hours video playback
• Software 3.1 for iPod touch
• Wi-Fi
  Bluetooth
• Integrated support for Nike + iPod
• Built-in speakers
  Earphones with Remote and Mic

Music

With space for up to 14,000 songs and up to 30 hours of audio playback time, iPod touch gives you musical entertainment in one place . In addition, the functionality of Genius Mixes and Voice Control add more ways to experience your music.

More information

New Mixes Genius

Now, the Genius feature is even more powerful. Introducing Genius Mixes. All you have to do is sync your iPod touch with iTunes Genius automatically search for your library and find songs that go great together. Then, create up to 12 mixes you’ll love. These mixtures are as fully programmed channels with your music.

Genius Playlists

Say you’re listening to a song on your iPod touch that you really like and want to hear others who are the same style. Just tap the Genius icon. Genius is automatically in other songs your iPod touch-like you’re listening, and with them creates a Genius playlist for you.

New Voice Control

Not only can you listen to music, but now also the music he listens to you. The new models of iPod touch 32 GB and 64 GB including Voice Control. So you can tell the iPod touch play songs from a playlist or specific artist, or gave simple commands such as “random”, “pause” or “next song.” You can even ask the name of the song is playing (and listening how you answer your iPod touch).

Apple Headphones
with Remote and Mic New

The new models of iPod touch 32 GB and 64 GB including Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic, ideal for applications when using Voice Memo and Voice Control.

Videos

Your own private screening awaits you on iPod touch. Watch your videos anytime. Store up to 80 hours of video and play up to 6 hours of video on the new iPod touch.

Additional information:

Capacity: 64Gb
What’s Included: iPod Touch, Earphones, USB Cable