Apple takes wraps off iPhone 5, 4 inch screen and all
One of the biggest additions is the new 4 inch display, besting its predecessor's 3.5-inch screen. The device once again comes with the Retina display and has the same 326 pixels per inch found in the iPhone 4S. In terms of resolution, users can expect 1,136 x 640, Apple senior vice president for worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller said today during the unveiling. The screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio.The 5 arrives CNET's iPhone 5 reviewApple out to prove it's still kingPictures: Apple's big iPhone 5 revealHo-hum. iPhone 5 won't wow anyoneiPhone 5: No Steve Jobs, no sizzleiPhone 5: What we didn't getComparing the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy S3 vs. Lumia 920Poll: Will you buy the iPhone 5?Apple springs leak - rumors were rightAn awful dock-connector changeApple shares up, down, then upStart your iOS 6 downloads September 19 iOS 6 hits major marksApple reworks, simplifies iTunesNew iPod Touch: Siri and a 4-inch screenNew Nano: Remembering the iPod MiniFull coverage: The iPhone 5 arrivesWith the bigger displays comes more space for your goodies. In fact, Apple says that the device will be able to accommodate a fifth row of icons. Previously, Apple's iPhones only supported four rows of icons.Apple says that it has updated its software, including iLife, iWork, and the native apps, among others, to accommodate the larger display. In addition, the company will allow developers to update their apps to work with the larger screen.Moving onto the Web, Apple announced that, as expected, the iPhone 5 will come with support for 4G LTE service, delivering what it calls "Ultrafast Wireless." The device's LTE service will be available in the U.S. on the Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and AT&T networks.In addition, Apple says that the platform will offer up HSPA+ and DC-HSPDA. On the Wi-Fi side, the device will boast support for 802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals.Apple's ultrafast wireless is coming to the iPhone 5.James Martin/CNETPerformance-wise, Apple is making some big promises, thanks to its inclusion of the A6 processor. According to Schiller, the chip is 22 percent smaller than the previous A5, featured in the iPhone 4S, but is twice as fast and doubles the graphics performance of its predecessor. Saving an image from an iPhoto app, for example, is 1.7-times faster on an iPhone 5 than on the iPhone 4S.Despite the LTE and better chip, Apple is promising strong battery life in the iPhone 5. The company claims it'll deliver 8 hours of 3G talk time and 8 hours of LTE browsing. On standby, the device will last 225 hours on a single charge, the company says.Apple showing off its new iPhone 5 camera.James Martin/CNETGiven the popularity of the iPhone's iSight camera, it's not surprising that it has been updated, as well. According to Apple, the camera now comes with an 8-megapixel sensor and 3,264 x 2,448 resolution. Backside illumination, a five-element lens, and better low-light performance are just a few of the upgrades that have made their way to the iSight. Users will also be able to take panoramic shots, thanks to built-in software.As one might expect, the camera also supports video capture. Apple says that the lens will deliver 1080p video and facial detection for up to 10 people. As Apple announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year, FaceTime, the company's video chatting feature, is available on both Wi-Fi and cellular networks.Apple says that it has bundled an additional speaker in the iPhone 5, bringing the grand total to three. The device will also come with a noise-canceling earpiece to improve call quality.Not willing to leave anything untouched, Apple also took to its Dock connector and replaced it with a new one. According to the company, the 30-pin connector is now being replaced by an all-digital connector, called Lightning. The connector is 80 percent smaller than the 30-pin connector and according to Apple, will deliver "improved durability" and be "easier to use."Say hello to LightningJames Martin/CNETThe trouble with the smaller connector, however, is that it's not compatible with accessories featuring the old design. To make good on that, Apple's Schiller also unveiled a new adapter that will allow the iPhone 5 to connect to standard, 30-pin ports. For the low, low price of $29.The Lightning adapter.James Martin/CNETApple's handset will ship in the customer's choice of white or black, and run on iOS 6. The device will offer the same storage options as its predecessor -- 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB -- and come with identical pricing of $199 to $399, depending on storage needs, with a two-year contract.iPhone 5 pricing.James Martin/CNETMeanwhile, Apple has decided to kill off the iPhone 3GS and cut the price of its iPhone 4 8GB device to free. The iPhone 4S will be available in its 16GB flavor for $99.Apple's new iPhone pricing.James Martin/CNETApple plans to open pre-orders for the iPhone 5 on September 14. The device will hit store shelves on September 21.This story has been updated throughout the morning.
Microsoft could create the ultimate mobile music service
Microsoft could create the ultimate mobile music service
First, Microsoft confirmed that Windows Phone 7 devices, like the last couple generations of Zune players, will be able to sync music, video, and large images with a user's PC over a wireless home network--no sync cable required. Wireless sync is one of my favorite features of the much-maligned Zune, and something I've been hoping Apple would add to its devices for years. Second, Microsoft announced an online service called Windows Phone Live that will provide backup for photos, notes, and other information. This service is similar to MyPhone for Windows Mobile 6.5, but will use Microsoft's SkyDrive service (registration required), which offers 25GB of free online storage and is rapidly becoming a very interesting part of Microsoft's arsenal. (SkyDrive also provides a way to send very large virtual attachments through the recently revamped Hotmail, and is the main entry point and storage space for Microsoft's Office Web Apps.)With these announcements in mind, I looked back at my recent survey of cloud-based music services for mobile devices. Microsoft has the technology in place to compete with every single one of them. For users who want a subscription service, which lets you pay a monthly fee for unlimited streams from a catalog of millions, there's the Zune Pass. The company hasn't officially confirmed to me that Zune Pass will be available on Phone 7 devices--there may be licensing issues, since the Zune Marketplace is currently available only in the U.S. and Phone 7 will be available elsewhere--but I fully expect it to happen. For users who want to store their personal music collections in their own online music locker, then stream or download it to their mobile device, Microsoft could add music to the type of material that can be synced with SkyDrive. The easiest way would be to add an option to the Zune PC software that would let users upload their libraries to SkyDrive, then update Phone 7 to enable streaming or downloading from that service. Windows Live ID (formerly Passport) would make the experience relatively seamless--just sign in once from Zune, SkyDrive, or Phone 7, and Microsoft would be able to associate your music in the cloud with all the devices you have.The third option would be streaming directly from a PC over the Internet to a phone with no intermediary service--like Simplify Media offered before being bought by Google. Here, Microsoft could use the technology from the Remote Media Streaming feature of Windows 7, which lets you stream music and video from your Windows 7 PC's library to any other Windows 7 PC, again using Windows Live ID for authentication. Microsoft would simply put a Remote Media Streaming option into the Zune client software (it's in the Windows Media Player today), then make sure that Phone 7 could connect to it. Bonus: this might be a Windows 7 feature only, spurring upgrades to the new OS.Many users of Apple's iTunes have already said that they'd be willing to pay for a cloud-based music service from Apple. Imagine if Microsoft launched a similar set of services for free. Surely that would get Apple fans talking, if not switching.
First, Microsoft confirmed that Windows Phone 7 devices, like the last couple generations of Zune players, will be able to sync music, video, and large images with a user's PC over a wireless home network--no sync cable required. Wireless sync is one of my favorite features of the much-maligned Zune, and something I've been hoping Apple would add to its devices for years. Second, Microsoft announced an online service called Windows Phone Live that will provide backup for photos, notes, and other information. This service is similar to MyPhone for Windows Mobile 6.5, but will use Microsoft's SkyDrive service (registration required), which offers 25GB of free online storage and is rapidly becoming a very interesting part of Microsoft's arsenal. (SkyDrive also provides a way to send very large virtual attachments through the recently revamped Hotmail, and is the main entry point and storage space for Microsoft's Office Web Apps.)With these announcements in mind, I looked back at my recent survey of cloud-based music services for mobile devices. Microsoft has the technology in place to compete with every single one of them. For users who want a subscription service, which lets you pay a monthly fee for unlimited streams from a catalog of millions, there's the Zune Pass. The company hasn't officially confirmed to me that Zune Pass will be available on Phone 7 devices--there may be licensing issues, since the Zune Marketplace is currently available only in the U.S. and Phone 7 will be available elsewhere--but I fully expect it to happen. For users who want to store their personal music collections in their own online music locker, then stream or download it to their mobile device, Microsoft could add music to the type of material that can be synced with SkyDrive. The easiest way would be to add an option to the Zune PC software that would let users upload their libraries to SkyDrive, then update Phone 7 to enable streaming or downloading from that service. Windows Live ID (formerly Passport) would make the experience relatively seamless--just sign in once from Zune, SkyDrive, or Phone 7, and Microsoft would be able to associate your music in the cloud with all the devices you have.The third option would be streaming directly from a PC over the Internet to a phone with no intermediary service--like Simplify Media offered before being bought by Google. Here, Microsoft could use the technology from the Remote Media Streaming feature of Windows 7, which lets you stream music and video from your Windows 7 PC's library to any other Windows 7 PC, again using Windows Live ID for authentication. Microsoft would simply put a Remote Media Streaming option into the Zune client software (it's in the Windows Media Player today), then make sure that Phone 7 could connect to it. Bonus: this might be a Windows 7 feature only, spurring upgrades to the new OS.Many users of Apple's iTunes have already said that they'd be willing to pay for a cloud-based music service from Apple. Imagine if Microsoft launched a similar set of services for free. Surely that would get Apple fans talking, if not switching.
Arctic Monkeys and Pink Floyd spinning record sales of vinyl records
Arctic Monkeys and Pink Floyd spinning record sales of vinyl records
Hoary old rockers like Pink Floyd and young upstarts like Arctic Monkeys are driving a resurgence in popularity for the humble vinyl record -- and for the first time in nearly two decades, more than 1 million vinyl records have been sold in the UK.Vinyl is riding a groove it hasn't reached since the heady days of Britpop. The last time a million records were sold was 1996, in the days before iTunes and digital downloads, when all music came in physical form.LP! I need somebody. LP! Not just anybodyApple reveals drop in sales of iTunes musicFresh music that'll make your headphones & speakers sound better than everCan one man buy all the records in the world?Can 50-year-old records still sound great?Taylor Swift is right about music, wrong about Spotify, says Daniel EKAttention, artists: Streaming music is the inescapable future. Embrace itVinyl still sells only a fraction of the numbers of songs and albums bought digitally: Pink Floyd's latest opus "The Endless River" shifted 6,000 units in its first week, but that was enough to make it the fastest-selling vinyl release since 1997.Vinyl is popular enough that the Official Chart Company has plans for a weekly vinyl chart. "Only five years ago this business was worth around £3 million a year," the Chart Company's Martin Talbot told the BBC. "This year it's going to be worth £20 million."This year's best-selling record is "AM" by Arctic Monkeys, pictured above. The bands doing well on vinyl signal the two distinct demographics of vinyl lovers: old-school record buyers continuing to buy vinyl as they always have, and a younger generation that appreciates the physical artifact as a reaction against the ephemeral nature of digital music.The older demographic is made clear by the presence in the vinyl charts of heritage acts such as David Bowie, Status Quo, Bryan Ferry and the Floyd. Newer acts to be successful also tend to be rock acts, including Jack White, Temples and Royal Blood.It's easy to see the appeal of vinyl records: the physical object comes complete with giant artwork, the nuances of which have been lost in the thumbnail age. Vinyl fans claim a warmth to the sound of records that isn't found on other formats. And there's the fragility of vinyl, making a record and the music it contains something to be cherished.Last month, Apple noted that sales of digital music from the iTunes store have declined in the past year.
Hoary old rockers like Pink Floyd and young upstarts like Arctic Monkeys are driving a resurgence in popularity for the humble vinyl record -- and for the first time in nearly two decades, more than 1 million vinyl records have been sold in the UK.Vinyl is riding a groove it hasn't reached since the heady days of Britpop. The last time a million records were sold was 1996, in the days before iTunes and digital downloads, when all music came in physical form.LP! I need somebody. LP! Not just anybodyApple reveals drop in sales of iTunes musicFresh music that'll make your headphones & speakers sound better than everCan one man buy all the records in the world?Can 50-year-old records still sound great?Taylor Swift is right about music, wrong about Spotify, says Daniel EKAttention, artists: Streaming music is the inescapable future. Embrace itVinyl still sells only a fraction of the numbers of songs and albums bought digitally: Pink Floyd's latest opus "The Endless River" shifted 6,000 units in its first week, but that was enough to make it the fastest-selling vinyl release since 1997.Vinyl is popular enough that the Official Chart Company has plans for a weekly vinyl chart. "Only five years ago this business was worth around £3 million a year," the Chart Company's Martin Talbot told the BBC. "This year it's going to be worth £20 million."This year's best-selling record is "AM" by Arctic Monkeys, pictured above. The bands doing well on vinyl signal the two distinct demographics of vinyl lovers: old-school record buyers continuing to buy vinyl as they always have, and a younger generation that appreciates the physical artifact as a reaction against the ephemeral nature of digital music.The older demographic is made clear by the presence in the vinyl charts of heritage acts such as David Bowie, Status Quo, Bryan Ferry and the Floyd. Newer acts to be successful also tend to be rock acts, including Jack White, Temples and Royal Blood.It's easy to see the appeal of vinyl records: the physical object comes complete with giant artwork, the nuances of which have been lost in the thumbnail age. Vinyl fans claim a warmth to the sound of records that isn't found on other formats. And there's the fragility of vinyl, making a record and the music it contains something to be cherished.Last month, Apple noted that sales of digital music from the iTunes store have declined in the past year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)