Tech Geeks

SAN FRANCISCO -- The iPhone 5 is finally here.

After months of rampant rumors and hype, Apple debuted its latest smartphone Wednesday in front of a packed house at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, claiming it is the world’s thinnest.

The iPhone 5 features a larger screen and weighs 112 grams, or about 4 ounces, which is 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S. It is also 18% thinner, Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller said. It has an improved A6 processor that is twice as fast as its predecessor, high-speed 4G LTE connectivity and a widescreen aspect ratio.

Siri got a makeover as well, and can now tell users the scores of sports games and post status updates to Facebook.Apple has also improved the device's battery life and updated both of its cameras, giving its front camera 720p HD video. The company also announced a smaller dock connector for the device and a new cable charger named Lightning that is 80% smaller than its predecessor.

The iPhone 5's dock connector has also been made smaller.

The device will be available in black and white. It will be available for $199, $299 and $399 for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, respectively. Pre-orders begin Friday and the iPhone 5 will launch Sept. 21.

The company said iOS 6 will arrive as an update for many of its iOS devices Sept. 19.

The invitation-only Apple event, which began at 10 a.m. Pacific time, is still ongoing. Cook is expected to announce upgrades to other products, including the iPod, soon, so check back for updates.

The launch of a new iPhone will mean huge sales for the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant.

Since the original iPhone debuted in 2007, Apple has sold more than 244 million units and has been credited with upending the smartphone industry.

Sales of iPhones and related products and services accounted for 46% of Apple’s revenue in the most recent quarter and 58% in the previous quarter. In its last fiscal year, the company reported revenue of $47.1 billion from sales of iPhones and related product and services, an 87% increase over the year before.

Analysts estimate the iPhone has a gross margin of about 50%, making it an extremely profitable device for the world's most valuable company. Nearly two-thirds of Apple's profits come from the iPhone.

With sales of Apple's iPhone 4S and earlier models dropping off in recent months, analysts believe there is huge pent-up demand for the iPhone 5. Many have predicted that Apple could sell up to 10 million iPhones in the first 10 days, and up to 50 million in the holiday quarter.

CUPERTINO, Calif. (Reuters) - Apple Inc's newest iPhone left Wall Street and fans wishing for more than a souped-up version of last year's device, at a time when rival smartphone makers are nipping at its heels.

At his first major product launch since being crowned CEO, Tim Cook ceded the critical iPhone presentation to another executive, and failed to generate the same level of excitement and buzz that predecessor Steve Jobs was famous for.

The new iPhone 4S is identical in form to the previous model, disappointing fans who had hoped for a thinner, bigger-screened design. Apple's shares fell as much as 5 percent, before recovering with the broader market to close down 0.6 percent.

But analysts say the new device sported some new features, such as voice commands, to draw in consumers and is still going to be a big draw this holiday season, particularly as the phone is now available on Sprint's network in addition to AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

It remains to be seen whether the iPhone 4S can stem market share gains by phones running GoogleInc's Android software. Samsung Electronics, notably, is growing global shipments several times faster than Apple and is now estimated at within a hair's breadth of catching up in worldwide market share.

"It's been 16 months and all you've got is an A5 processor in the existing iPhone 4," BGC Partners' analyst Colin Gillis said of the new Apple phone. "It's a mild disappointment, but they're still going to be selling millions of units."

The iPhone 4S's voice commands -- for sending messages, searching for stock prices and other applications -- caught the attention of several analysts who argued it could profoundly change the user experience.

Known as "Siri", the technology already exists on Android but experts say Apple's integration was more fluid -- a hallmark of the company.

Whether such high-tech wizardry is enough to make the iPhone 4S a must-have in consumers' eyes and set it apart from the competition, remains to be seen.

"It's not clear that Siri is sufficient to make or break a purchase decision," said John Jackson, an analyst at CCS Insight. "It's a better mousetrap. History tells us users don't use this technology in great numbers."

INTENSIFYING COMPETITION

While the iPhone 4S sports many of the features leaked in tech blogs before Tuesday, it lacked the "wow" factor that some were hoping for to sustain the popularity of the brand.

In some ways, Apple may have been a victim of past success. Product launches by Jobs, now chairman, had been some of the hottest events on the tech calendar.

The iPhone, which accounts for more than 40 percent of Apple's sales, has been a success since it came out in 2007, making Apple one of the world's top electronics companies.

Cook said Apple has made significant inroads into the corporate market, with more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies testing or using its iPhones and iPads. The news sent shares of BlackBerry maker RIM down nearly 3 percent at one point. Google shares finished 1.3 percent higher.

The iPhone 4S will cost $199 with pre-orders starting Oct. 7. Apple also cut the price of the older iPhone 4 to $99, and said an even older "3GS" model will be available for free to customers who sign a long-term contract.

That could help Apple expand into developing markets such as Asia, Samsung's backyard. And it might allow Apple to take a bite out of a low-end market it had eschewed.

"Apple is hitting Nokia when it's vulnerable. How many billions of people in emerging markets would love to have an iPhone? These are a growing demographic," said YCMNet Advisors CEO Michael Yoshikami.

Tuesday's iPhone event took place at Apple Central -- the same venue where the iPod was introduced years ago -- versus the larger, splashier venues of more recent choice, such as downtown San Francisco's Moscone center.

The event, though as usual choreographed to a tee, lacked the oomph and pizazz of Apple events in years past and sorely missed the star power that Jobs brought to the unveilings.

Heading into the event, many on Wall Street had questioned Cook's ability to lead the company as Jobs had. In terms of stage presence, Jobs was a tough act to follow.

While it did little to alleviate concerns about whether the company would stay a creative force to be reckoned with without its founder and visionary at the helm, analysts say Tuesday's proceedings hinted at Apple's new team-based approach.

"What he did is let the team shine through," said Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett. "What we may see is a somewhat different style, and frankly a healthy style that says: Look, this is a team that works together, there's a deep bench, it's not just one person."

Twitter users were not impressed with the phone, though.

"Please note I will be selling some 'S' stickers for $0.99 so iPhone 4 owners have a cheaper upgrade option," wrote HAL9000 on Twitter.

Tomlinsonr tweeted, "I'll have a double helping of 'meh' with a side of 'whatever'."

The latest version of the iPhone comes as the economy slows and competition intensifies. People activate more than 550,000 Android-based devices -- including tablets -- each day.

Nielsen data shows the iPhone was No. 2 in the United States with a 28 percent market share, with Android at 43 percent.

Globally, iPhone shipments rose 9.1 percent in the second quarter while Nokia's plummeted more than 30 percent, handing the top spot to Apple with a market share of 18.4 percent, according to IHS iSuppli. Samsung, whose shipments grew faster, is coming on strong with a market share of 17.8 percent.

Despite disappointment online, analysts said the phone is superior to many rival offerings.

"Voice recognition has been on Google and Blackberry devices for years, but Apple will make it much more usable," said Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt.

(Additional reporting by Noel Randewich, Alistair Barr and Sarah McBride in San Francisco, and Sinead Carew and Liana B. Baker in New York. Writing by Edwin Chan. Editing by Phil Berlowitz, Robert MacMillan and Bernard Orr)

He was deemed the heart and soul of a company that rivals Exxon Mobil as the most valuable in America.

"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," Apple said in a statement.

"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."

Apple paid homage to their visionary leader by changing their website to a big black-and-white photograph of him with the caption "Steve Jobs: 1955-2011." The flags outside the company's headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop flew at half mast.

Jobs' health had been a controversial topic for years and his battle with a rare form of pancreatic cancer a deep concern to Apple fans and investors.

In past years, even board members have confided to friends their concern that Jobs, in his quest for privacy, was not being forthcoming enough with directors about the true condition of his health.

Now, despite much investor confidence in Cook, who has stood in for his boss during three leaves of absence, there remain concerns about whether Apple would stay a creative force to be reckoned with in the longer term without its visionary.

Jobs died one day after the consumer electronics powerhouse unveiled its latest iPhone, the gadget that transformed mobile communications and catapulted Apple to the highest echelons of the tech world.

His death triggered an immediate outpouring of sympathy.

"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. "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."

Outside an Apple store in New York, mourners laid candles, bouquets of flowers, an apple and an iPod Touch in a makeshift memorial.

"I think half the world found out about his death on an Apple device," said Robbie Sokolowsky, 32, an employee for an online marketing company, who lit a candle outside the store.

Cook said in a statement that Apple planned to hold a celebration of Jobs' life for employees "soon".

Apple, NeXT, iPhone A college dropout, Buddhist and son of adoptive parents, Jobs started Apple Computer with friend Steve Wozniak in 1976. The company soon introduced the Apple 1 computer.

But it was the Apple II that became a huge success and gave Apple its position as a critical player in the then-nascent PC industry, culminating in a 1980 initial public offering that made Jobs a multimillionaire.

Despite the subsequent success of the Macintosh computer, Jobs' relationship with top management and the board soured. The company removed most of his powers and then in 1985 he was fired.

Apple's fortunes waned after that. However, its purchase of NeXT -- the computer company Jobs founded after leaving Apple -- in 1997 brought him back into the fold. Later that year, he became interim CEO and in 2000, the company dropped "interim" from his title.

Along the way Jobs also had managed to revolutionize computer animation with his other company, Pixar, but it was the iPhone in 2007 that secured his legacy in the annals of modern technology history.

Forbes estimates Jobs' net worth at $6.1 billion in 2010, placing him in 42nd place on the list of America's richest. It was not immediately known how his estate would be handled.

Six years ago, Jobs had talked about how a sense of his mortality was a major driver behind that vision.

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," Jobs said during a Stanford commencement ceremony in 2005.

"Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

The iPhone 5 that everyone expected didn’t materialise. Instead Apple announced a souped-up version of the iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4S was unveiled at a special event at Apple’s headquarters early today and boasts a faster A5 processor and an improved 8 megapixel camera.

You can watch the video of the Apple event here.

But one of the most impressive features of the new device, to be released in Australia on October 14, will be a new voice command system called Siri.

The iPhone 4S, which will ship with the new iOS 5 onboard, will be available in 16GB ($799), 32GB ($899) and 64GB ($999) capacities in black and white versions.

The new iPhone 4S will be released on October 14

The iPhone 4 will still be available in a 8GB model with the 3GS also hanging in there with an 8GB model.

Anticipation was high ahead of the Apple event with speculation reaching fever pitch that a brand new iPhone would be released.

Many expected an all-new device with a larger screen and thinner form factor.

But the new iPhone 4S is a significant improvement with the faster A5 dual core processor – the same as that used in the iPad 2.

It also has up to 7x faster graphics which means it can easily handle graphics-heavy games and apps.

The iPhone 4S has an enhanced 8 megapixel camera which can shoot full HD video

Browsing the web on the Safari browser will also be up to twice as fast on the iPhone 4S.

Another new feature is the enhanced 8 megapixel camera which is capable of shooting full high definition video.

The new camera sensor can capture images with a resolution of 3264 x 2448. The sensor can also offer 73 per cent more light per pixel and capture images 33 per cent faster.

It also has face recognition, image stabilisation and better white balance.

But the most impressive feature of the new iPhone 4S is Siri – a new voice-activated digital assistant that can talk back to you.

The iPhone 4S features a new voice activated digital assistant called Siri

Users can ask Siri what the weather’s like and even if they need to take a raincoat.

This digital assistant can also let you make calendar entries, read out your text messages while you're driving and even reply with your voice.

Siri also extends to finding places close to your location. Users can ask iPhone 4S if it can find shops, restaurants, parking and many other points of interest close to their location.

Users can also ask Siri for directions and it will direct them to their destination GPS style.

It can also take dictation so you can say what you want to write in emails and text messages.

Another notable new feature is with the antenna.

Last year the iPhone 4’s central metal band, which also doubles as the antenna, caused a stir with some users able to reduce the number of coverage bars on the screen by gripping the device in the bottom left corner.

Now the new iPhone 4S has addressed this issue with a multi-antenna set-up that can intelligently switch between the two antennas on the device on the fly to find the best signal strength.

The iPhone 4S will also work faster on the networks with HSDPA compatibility to make it up to twice as fast as the iPhone 4.

Also built into the iPhone 4S is both GSM and CDMA radios so it will work across even more networks around the world.

Battery life has also been extended with eight hours talk time, 10 hours of video and 40 hours of music.

The iPhone 4S will be released on October 14. Pre-orders start October 7 and starts at $799 for the 16GB version.

The unlocked iPhone 4 8GB will be available for $679 and the unlocked iPhone 3GS 8GB is available for $449.

The new iOS 5 operating system will be available from October 12 (Oct 13 Aust time) for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users.

This new software includes numerous updates and new features including reminders, notifications and free messaging between iOS devices.

The release date was revealed at Apple’s special media event which was held at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino.  

Also announced was a refresh of the iPod range which includes a new white iPod Touch now available and capacity now 16GB, 32GB and 64GB and will be priced at $219, $329 and $439 respectively.

The new iPods will be available from October 12.

October 12 (Oct 13 in Australia) will also be the day when the iCloud services begin to allow content and documents to be shared between your iOS devices.

Pre-orders for the new iPhone 4S will begin on October 7 ahead of the October 14 Australian release date – the same day it will be available in the US.

The new device, which was announced by Apple at its headquarters in Cupertino. See our full report here.

Also revealed today were two new apps created by Apple – Cards and Find My Friends.  

Cards is an app which allows users to take their pictures and send them to Apple to turn into a greeting card.

Part of the service includes Apple mailing the card for you and even informing you when it has been delivered.

Australian pricing for this service has yet to be announced.

Another Apple app announced was Find My Friends which will be part of iOS 5. This app allows users to make their location visible on a map.

The new Cards app lets you send your pictures ti be turned into greeting cards. Picture: Engadget

This will come in handy if your trying to locate your friends or see where they are if they are planning to meet you.

Parents will also be able to see that their child got school and also keep track of their location of they need to be picked up.

There will be plenty of uses for this app and, before anyone complains that it is tailor made for stalkers, it is something which you can switch off so you don't show up on a map if you don’t want to.

Cards and Find My Friend will be available on October 12.

 The Find My Friend app lets you find your friends on a map. Picture: Engadget.

San Francisco, Sep 28 (IANS) Apple Inc looks set to introduce its iPhone 5 at a special event next week.

The invitation-only event will be held Oct 4 at Apple campus in Cupertino, California, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

This could be the first big product launch by the newly installed chief executive officer Tim Cook after he took over the reins of Apple from Steve Jobs in August.

According to US media reports, the iPhone 5 is expected to have a larger screen, a higher resolution camera and a faster dual-core A5 chip on which the iPad 2 runs.

Apple is also reported to release a low-cost and contract- free iPhone model bundled with its cloud computing service iCloud.

Steve Jobs pushed the envelope many times when it came to product design, and the results weren't always pretty. Here are seven products created under his direction that failed commercially or functionally:

1. Apple III (1981) — The successor to the very popular Apple II was focused on business users and priced accordingly. Unfortunately, the hardware was unreliable. Apple lost the business market to the IBM PC, launched the same year, and a rapidly expanding market of PC clones.

2. Lisa (1983) — The first commercially produced computer with a graphical user interface cost $9,995 when it launched. It quickly fell into the shadow of the cheaper Macintosh, launched a year later.

3. NeXT Computer (1989) — Jobs' venture after being forced out of Apple created a computer that was in many ways ahead of its time, but in the vein of the Apple III and Lisa, it was also too expensive to catch on with mainstream users.

4. Puck Mouse (1998) — The new iMac was the first major product created after Jobs' return to Apple in 1996, and it was a big success, despite its tiny, round mouse. Users couldn't tell which way it was oriented by feel, and it tended to disappear in the cup of the hand, making it hard to use.

5. The Cube (2000) — This small desktop computer was beautifully encased in a cube of clear plastic. It won design awards but was a flop in stores because of its high price. Also, it didn't really offer any functional benefits over other Macs. Apple's designs are iconic, but people aren't usually willing to pay a premium for design alone. The Cube idea lives on in the Mac Mini, a more successful but less eye-catching small Mac.

6. iTunes phone (2005) — It's easy to forget that the iPhone wasn't Apple's first venture into the cellphone business. It formed a partnership with Motorola Inc. to launch the ROKR in late 2005. As a phone, it was decent if unexciting, but as a music player, it fell far short of the iPod. It could only hold 100 songs, and transferring them from the computer was a slow process. It was also criticized for not allowing users to download music over the cellular network, a limitation that also applied to the first iPhone. Some even called the ROKR "the iPhone."

7. Apple TV (2007) — Apple's foray into the living room was an uncharacteristically half-hearted effort — Jobs later referred to the Apple TV as a "hobby." It was a small box that connected to a TV and to a Mac in the home. A tiny remote allowed the owner to play music and movies from the PC on the TV. It was expensive, at $249, and complicated to set up and use. Movies purchased from iTunes were low resolution and looked blurry on HDTV sets. In 2010, Apple introduced a much improved, cheaper Apple TV designed to connect directly to the Internet.

London, Sept 3 (ANI): Google chairman Eric Schmidt has called Apple's Steve Jobs as 'the best' company boss in 50 or 100 years.

Schmidt, who sat on Apple's board between 2006 and 2009, handed down the praise at a technology conference, and said that Apple's former CEO deserved the praise because he built the company into a powerful corporation not once, but twice.

The assessment puts Jobs ahead of other American industry giants such as oil magnate John D Rockefeller and car maker Henry Ford, the BBC reports.

Jobs' first term as head of Apple lasted from the late 1970s when the company was founded until 1985. He resigned after losing a boardroom battle over the future of the company.

In 1997, Steve Jobs returned as CEO and launched the iMac range of personal computers.

Since then he has introduced the iPod, iPad and iPhone, all of which had made huge amounts of money for Apple. (ANI)

After taking the smartphone and tablet markets by storm, Apple is planning to dominate the living room with yet another slickly-designed user-friendly device -- an Apple TV.

According to multiple reports Apple intends on revolutionising the TV market in 2012.

"Apple is working on new technology to deliver video to televisions, and has been discussing whether to try to launch a subscription TV service, according to people familiar with the matter," said an August 26 article in the The Wall Street Journal.

"Apple is almost certainly working on a digital television based on its iOS operating system, according to multiple sources in Silicon Valley," reported technology blog VentureBeat after speaking with sources that include Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster and Venture capitalist Stewart Alsop of Alsop Louie ventures.

Asian suppliers to Apple Inc have begun manufacturing a lower priced version of its hot-selling iPhone 4 with a smaller 8 gigabyte flash drive, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The flash drive for the 8GB iPhone 4 is being manufactured by a Korean company, one of the people said on Tuesday, declining to name the company. Apple currently sources its flash drives from Japan 's Toshiba and South Korea 's Samsung Electronics.

The sources declined to be identified because the information has not been made public.

Apple, which demands high levels of secrecy and security from suppliers and employees, declined to comment.

The existing iPhone 4 was first launched in June 2010 with 16 GB and 32 GB versions, with a white version added to the lineup in April. The 8 GB version expected to launch within weeks, one of the sources said.

In addition to launch of the smaller iPhone 4, Apple is targetting an end September launch for the next-generation iPhone 5, one source said, confirming earlier reports on Apple follower blogsites and industry websites.

The new iPhone , which some call the iPhone 4S because of its largely identical appearance to the existing iPhone 4, will have a bigger touch screen, better antenna and an 8-megapixel camera, one of the people said.

The iPhone 5's two manufacturers have been told to prepare production capacity for up to 45 million units altogether, the source said. The phone will be made by Hon Hai and Pegatron, the person added.