With the passing of Steve Jobs last week, this weeks 7 Days in News will be solely based on Apple.
1. Apple releases iTunes 10.5 with iTunes in the Cloud, WiFi sync support
iTunes 10.5 is officially available to the public ahead of Wednesday's launch of iCloud and iOS 5. The release is required for users who want to make use of iOS 5 features like iTunes in the Cloud and wireless syncing via WiFi, and is available via Software Update for both Windows and Mac users.
According to Apple's release notes, there are only a few major features that come with iTunes 10.5. The first is iTunes in the Cloud support, which not only allows you to re-download previous music, TV, movie, and book purchases on your iOS devices, but also allows your other devices to automatically download that media when you buy it.
This, plus the wireless WiFi syncing for iOS devices, makes up the bulk of the 10.5 update (Update: As noted by MacRumors, Apple has seeded a new developer version of iTunes that continues to test iTunes Match), though users who don't plan to make use of those features will still want to upgrade if they want to update their devices to iOS 5 when it becomes available. It's also worth noting that the iTunes 10.5 update for Windows 7, Vista, and XP SP2 also comes with a handful of security updates, so it's likely worth upgrading if only for improved security protections, too.
2. Early benchmarks show iPhone 4S just slower than iPad 2, lots faster than iPhone 4
Thanks to the early delivery of some German iPhone 4S devices, the first benchmarks of the A5-powered phone are now in. According to these early tests, it looks as if the new A5 processor in the iPhone 4S is running at 800MHz—slightly slower than the iPad 2's 1GHz A5 processor, but 68 percent faster than the iPhone 4's 800MHz A4 processor.
The first results began coming in as German iPhone 4S users startedrunning Geekbench, which syncs its results to a searchable database online. Geekbench gives the device a score of about 622, with the iPad 2 scoring 749 and iPhone 4 scoring 370. The system information reported to Geekbench also indicates that the iPhone 4S may have 512MB of RAM, as was previously suspected thanks to the developer behind Infinity Blade 2.
Following the initial benchmark results, Anandtech went ahead and dug up other iPhone 4S benchmarks from around the Web, including SunSpider, RightWare, and GLBenchmark results. The iPhone 4S performance in the SunSpider benchmarks put it near the top of the list with a score of 2222, compared to a score of 2220 (lower is better) from the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9—a 1GHz Tegra 2 device. And, thanks to the integer performance numbers out of Geekbench, Anandtech concludes that the iPhone 4S has been underclocked compared to its iPad 2 sibling—"[t]his naturally makes sense as the iPhone 4S has a much smaller 5.25 Whr battery," the site wrote.
The rest of us in the US are still waiting on the first batch of iPhone 4S devices to be delivered on October 14, though some customers began tweeting on Monday night that they had already received shipping notifications. Will Apple put a hold on early shipments like it has in years past, or will the company let them be delivered early? Either way, you can look forward to the Ars review of the iPhone 4S to arrive early next week with our own benchmarks and plenty more.
3. Siri is iPhone 4S-only today; where will it be tomorrow?
Apple is launching the iPhone 4S this week with the recently unveiled integration of Siri, a voice activated "assistant." Siri accepts voice input and can perform a range of actions on your iPhone, including looking up information, adding calendar events, and even composing short texts and e-mails.
Siri shows a lot of promise in realizing human computer interaction using natural language. Right now, however, Apple seems to be wisely keeping the feature firmly in the "beta" stage even as it seeks to popularize talking to your cell phone to get things done. As iPhone 4S users start using Siri en masse, it's worth considering where Apple might integrate the technology in the future. Will talking to computers and devices transcend conventional keyboard or touch input, à la Star Trek?
4. Tech World's Fire Dims With Passing of Steve Jobs
Apple Chairman Steve Jobs, who has been battling pancreatic cancer for years, has died, Apple announced on Wednesday. The company's iconic former CEO was 56. "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," Apple said. "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."
5. iPhone 4S: Just Apple Being Apple
It didn't take long for journalists, bloggers and commenters to start declaring the iPhone 4S an iFail, a disappointment, a wide-open opportunity for competitors. I was mildly surprised that we didn't see an iPhone 5, but in retrospect, I think I got caught up in the mass hysteria of rumors and supposition by bloggers and analysts alike. My nagging thoughts: Why would Apple deviate from its previous roadmap, where it set its basic strategy when it introduced the iPhone 3GS?
6. iPhone 4S sets new one-day preorder sales record at 1 million
Apple took more than one million preorders for the iPhone 4S during the first 24 hours the device was available online, the companyannounced on Monday. This tops the company's previous single-day preorder record of 600,000, a title held by the current iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S itself is still not in consumer hands, though—preorders will go out to customers on Friday, October 14, the same day the iPhone 4S will be available in retail stores.
It hasn't even been a week since Apple announced the existence of the iPhone 4S after months of speculation over whether the company would release a radically redesigned "iPhone 5" or not. As such, the intro of the iPhone 4S—which looks the same as an iPhone 4 but has a faster processor, better camera, and the "intelligent assistant" Siri—was a disappointment for some who were expecting some new eye candy along with updated specs.
That disappointment seemed to translate into pessimistic expectations for the iPhone 4S, but as is often the case, the real world's reaction seems to have diverged from that of the geek world. As noted by Macworld, Apple, AT&T, and Verizon all exhausted their supplies of preorder iPhone 4Ss near the end of Friday, with AT&T boasting that it sold 200,000 devices within the first 12 hours of availability. (Sprint also reported that it sold out of the 16GB version of the iPhone 4S.)
If you're interested in obtaining an iPhone 4S on launch day, it now looks like your best bet is to do the old waiting in line schtick at an Apple retail store. Just keep your fingers crossed for nice weather (there sure won't be any in Chicago that day) and a minimal instance of homeless people asking you for cigarettes while you wait.
7. Speed, Speech and Signal: The New iPhone's New Tricks
Buyers of Apple's new iPhone 4S will be able to do more with the latest version of the smartphone, and they'll be able to do it faster. The new iPhone, which will be available in black or white models when it ships on Oct. 14, has a new, peppy A5 dual core-processor that provides twice the performance of its predecessor in the iPhone 4 and seven times the graphics muscle. While a 2x bump in performance is nothing to ignore, it may not be big enough for many users to notice.
1. Apple releases iTunes 10.5 with iTunes in the Cloud, WiFi sync support
iTunes 10.5 is officially available to the public ahead of Wednesday's launch of iCloud and iOS 5. The release is required for users who want to make use of iOS 5 features like iTunes in the Cloud and wireless syncing via WiFi, and is available via Software Update for both Windows and Mac users.
According to Apple's release notes, there are only a few major features that come with iTunes 10.5. The first is iTunes in the Cloud support, which not only allows you to re-download previous music, TV, movie, and book purchases on your iOS devices, but also allows your other devices to automatically download that media when you buy it.
This, plus the wireless WiFi syncing for iOS devices, makes up the bulk of the 10.5 update (Update: As noted by MacRumors, Apple has seeded a new developer version of iTunes that continues to test iTunes Match), though users who don't plan to make use of those features will still want to upgrade if they want to update their devices to iOS 5 when it becomes available. It's also worth noting that the iTunes 10.5 update for Windows 7, Vista, and XP SP2 also comes with a handful of security updates, so it's likely worth upgrading if only for improved security protections, too.
2. Early benchmarks show iPhone 4S just slower than iPad 2, lots faster than iPhone 4
Thanks to the early delivery of some German iPhone 4S devices, the first benchmarks of the A5-powered phone are now in. According to these early tests, it looks as if the new A5 processor in the iPhone 4S is running at 800MHz—slightly slower than the iPad 2's 1GHz A5 processor, but 68 percent faster than the iPhone 4's 800MHz A4 processor.
The first results began coming in as German iPhone 4S users startedrunning Geekbench, which syncs its results to a searchable database online. Geekbench gives the device a score of about 622, with the iPad 2 scoring 749 and iPhone 4 scoring 370. The system information reported to Geekbench also indicates that the iPhone 4S may have 512MB of RAM, as was previously suspected thanks to the developer behind Infinity Blade 2.
Following the initial benchmark results, Anandtech went ahead and dug up other iPhone 4S benchmarks from around the Web, including SunSpider, RightWare, and GLBenchmark results. The iPhone 4S performance in the SunSpider benchmarks put it near the top of the list with a score of 2222, compared to a score of 2220 (lower is better) from the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9—a 1GHz Tegra 2 device. And, thanks to the integer performance numbers out of Geekbench, Anandtech concludes that the iPhone 4S has been underclocked compared to its iPad 2 sibling—"[t]his naturally makes sense as the iPhone 4S has a much smaller 5.25 Whr battery," the site wrote.
The rest of us in the US are still waiting on the first batch of iPhone 4S devices to be delivered on October 14, though some customers began tweeting on Monday night that they had already received shipping notifications. Will Apple put a hold on early shipments like it has in years past, or will the company let them be delivered early? Either way, you can look forward to the Ars review of the iPhone 4S to arrive early next week with our own benchmarks and plenty more.
3. Siri is iPhone 4S-only today; where will it be tomorrow?
Apple is launching the iPhone 4S this week with the recently unveiled integration of Siri, a voice activated "assistant." Siri accepts voice input and can perform a range of actions on your iPhone, including looking up information, adding calendar events, and even composing short texts and e-mails.
Siri shows a lot of promise in realizing human computer interaction using natural language. Right now, however, Apple seems to be wisely keeping the feature firmly in the "beta" stage even as it seeks to popularize talking to your cell phone to get things done. As iPhone 4S users start using Siri en masse, it's worth considering where Apple might integrate the technology in the future. Will talking to computers and devices transcend conventional keyboard or touch input, à la Star Trek?
4. Tech World's Fire Dims With Passing of Steve Jobs
Apple Chairman Steve Jobs, who has been battling pancreatic cancer for years, has died, Apple announced on Wednesday. The company's iconic former CEO was 56. "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," Apple said. "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."
5. iPhone 4S: Just Apple Being Apple
It didn't take long for journalists, bloggers and commenters to start declaring the iPhone 4S an iFail, a disappointment, a wide-open opportunity for competitors. I was mildly surprised that we didn't see an iPhone 5, but in retrospect, I think I got caught up in the mass hysteria of rumors and supposition by bloggers and analysts alike. My nagging thoughts: Why would Apple deviate from its previous roadmap, where it set its basic strategy when it introduced the iPhone 3GS?
6. iPhone 4S sets new one-day preorder sales record at 1 million
Apple took more than one million preorders for the iPhone 4S during the first 24 hours the device was available online, the companyannounced on Monday. This tops the company's previous single-day preorder record of 600,000, a title held by the current iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S itself is still not in consumer hands, though—preorders will go out to customers on Friday, October 14, the same day the iPhone 4S will be available in retail stores.
It hasn't even been a week since Apple announced the existence of the iPhone 4S after months of speculation over whether the company would release a radically redesigned "iPhone 5" or not. As such, the intro of the iPhone 4S—which looks the same as an iPhone 4 but has a faster processor, better camera, and the "intelligent assistant" Siri—was a disappointment for some who were expecting some new eye candy along with updated specs.
That disappointment seemed to translate into pessimistic expectations for the iPhone 4S, but as is often the case, the real world's reaction seems to have diverged from that of the geek world. As noted by Macworld, Apple, AT&T, and Verizon all exhausted their supplies of preorder iPhone 4Ss near the end of Friday, with AT&T boasting that it sold 200,000 devices within the first 12 hours of availability. (Sprint also reported that it sold out of the 16GB version of the iPhone 4S.)
If you're interested in obtaining an iPhone 4S on launch day, it now looks like your best bet is to do the old waiting in line schtick at an Apple retail store. Just keep your fingers crossed for nice weather (there sure won't be any in Chicago that day) and a minimal instance of homeless people asking you for cigarettes while you wait.
7. Speed, Speech and Signal: The New iPhone's New Tricks
Buyers of Apple's new iPhone 4S will be able to do more with the latest version of the smartphone, and they'll be able to do it faster. The new iPhone, which will be available in black or white models when it ships on Oct. 14, has a new, peppy A5 dual core-processor that provides twice the performance of its predecessor in the iPhone 4 and seven times the graphics muscle. While a 2x bump in performance is nothing to ignore, it may not be big enough for many users to notice.
No comments:
Post a Comment