The evidence continues to suggest the next iPhones will arrive September and the next 9.7-inch iPad sometime after that, perhaps October. We have a lot to look forward to. Yet one more rumor is suggesting both the iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone will come in a variety of colors. According to AppleInsider, the Japanese website Macotakara received word from two different sources yesterday saying the new low-cost phone will have color options, though they differed slightly in their description of the colors. One said to expect navy, gold, orange, white, and gray, while the other said that the colors would be white, pink, green, blue, and yellow-orange.
The report said a test run of 1,000 units would be manufactured in June for the purpose of field testing, and mass production of the low-cost iPhone would happen between July and September.
Walt Mossberg, who writes about technology for the Wall Street Journal, posted a helpful review of iPad productivity suites last week on All Things D. People are increasingly leaving their laptops at home these days when they travel and are using an iPad instead. But that typically entails having some relatively robust software to play the role of those familiar desktop applications: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. No app is going to have all the features of the desktop applications, but most are good at opening and editing files created using these software programs.
In addition to compatibility with Microsoft's offerings, a key issue is file management. On your desktop computer, you organize your files by putting them in folders and access them in these locations. But iOS doesn't have this sort of filing system. So how do you transfer files back and forth between your desktop computer and iPad, and keep the files in sync? The cloud, of course.
Since day one, the free Mailbox app has been hugely popular due to the unique email management features it introduced. With simple swipes left and right, you can quickly organize and clear your inbox. The developer announced yesterday that the app is now available in a version tailored to the larger screen of the iPad.
The app has more than 1 million users, who value Mailbox's mission of getting to "inbox zero." The company claims that 40 percent of its users get to that laudable state at least once a week.
The iPad version is similar to the one for the iPhone, but takes advantage of the larger screen by offering a bigger box for composing emails and by using a menu drawer that opens beside your inbox rather than replacing it.
I've just been watching the live stream of the Congressional hearing with Apple CEO Tim Cook today. It's ugly. The buzz among tech blogs has said the hearing would largely be grandstanding by members of Congress. And that's what I'm seeing. The current rant is going on and on, with Senator Carl Levin endlessly chastising Apple for having not paid taxes on $44 billion in profits being held by three Apple subsidiaries in Ireland. I've been watching for 20 minutes, and Cook hasn't been allowed to speak more than a couple sentences.
It's unfortunate that Apple has such a target on its back these days. Apple's manufacturer in China, Foxconn, has been criticized for its working conditions, Apple's recent earnings report disappointed Wall Street. Market analysts have doubted Apple's mojo and question whether the company has the creativity to continue to innovate. And now, various governments are going after Apple, wanting to get more money from the company.
Many rumors have been circulating in recent days, a lot of them credible. A post on AppleInsider confirms the eariler rumor saying the next iPhone will be available in multiple colors. Photos of multicolored SIM trays, the iPhone component holding the small card that identifies your phone to the carrier, have been leaked to BGR, strongly indicating the forthcoming iPhone will go beyond black and white models. When will we see this new phone? No one knows, of course, but I'm guessing the iPhone 5S will arrive in September.
On the iPad front, DigiTimes, which has a spotty reputation for accuracy, has reported that the 5th-generation iPad is now in trial production, with full production likely in July. The post says we may see the new model in September, and says the device will be 25–33 percent lighter. Perhaps most relevant is details of the display, saying that the bezels will be narrower than the current iPad, which goes along with earlier rumors that the new 9-7-inch iPad will have a form factor similar to the iPad mini.
Let's hope this is just the beginning. The CW television network announced it will be coming to Apple TV — the first major network to stream its content to the device for free. Until now, the major networks have been reluctant, and Apple's set-top box has had pretty limited fare, unless you were inclined to pay for every episode via the iTunes Store.
A number of websites have reported this week that Siri is now advising users to ask shorter questions — but is doing it in a lighthearted way. Apparently, Apple's servers have a difficult time parsing long requests. CNET notes the irony in that Siri was originally touted as being able to understand natural language. CNET and iLounge say when making the request, Siri prefaces it with a quotation from a famous individual about the value of being concise. And then it says, "Can you ask me that again, in fewer words?" or "How about a shorter question?" On the one hand, it's disappointing that users must accommodate themselves to Siri rather than the other way around.
Google held a major press event Wednesday, announcing a number of new initiatives. The most significant may have been a new version of Maps that will highlight locations based on your history and other Google applications you use. As an article in The New York Times says, it's both useful and a little creepy. Initially it will only be available to those who sign up for the feature. And it won't come to mobile devices until later. But Google's vision is that once you're logged into a Google service on whatever device you're using, you'll see personalized maps tailored to your interests.
So how will it work? According to the Times, when you're logged into Google and are using Google Maps, it will highlight places you visit frequently, such as your home and favorite restaurants.
When Square was first released, it garnered a lot of buzz: it was an extraordinary combination of practicality, cool, and cost-effectiveness. You simply plugged a small square gizmo, which was free, into your iPhone, and used it to swipe credit cards. The best part was that unlike other credit card processing systems, there was no monthly fee. You simply paid 2.75 percent of each transaction, with no other fees. This low cost convenience was ideal for small businesses, and needless to say, Square was widely adopted.
Although there had been rumors of a June announcement and July launch of the next iPhone, it increasingly seems likely it will arrive in September. And one of the more interesting details to emerge in recent days is that it may have a sapphire crystal home button. It won't be a physical button, as in current iPhones, but will be capacitive touch just like the display.
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