Tag Archives: apple

iPhone 4S bangs the Indian Market On 25th November

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By far it’s been the quickest entry of the latest iPhone into the Indian Market (Officially, that is) from the date of launch. iPhone 4s is going to be offered by two carriers in India.They are Airtel and Aircel. Aircel has already begun its advertising campaign flooding its galleries with banners. Pre-ordering will begin a week before launch. This has been made official on Aircel’s Facebook page.

Airtel is said to be offering a premium price of Rs 35,000 (US $690)  for 16 Gb model while 32 Gb is said to be 41,000 (US $809) Indian Rupees. You will be bundled with a contract with your service provider. While Apple Stores offer factory unlocked for higher prices. Such as 16 Gb for 41,850 Indian Rupees, 32 Gb for 50,250 Indian Rupees and 64 Gb for 58,650 Indian Rupees. These prices exclude local taxes which will shoot the prices further high!

The iPhone 4 will then only be offered in 8GB version and the price is going to fall about Rs. 10,000+ ($235) from its current price especially because of capacity variations. The 3GS is likely to continue with the current price (Rs 19,900).

Apple starts selling officially unlocked iPhone 4S in the US

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After selling millions of iPhones with contract in the US, Apple has revealed the pricing for the unlocked iPhone 4S’s on the online store.

16 Gigs for $649, 32 for $749 and 64 for $849. If you place an order now, you will be seeing it in one or two weeks. The catch is that these ‘unlocked’ phones only work with GSM carriers and NOT CDMA carriers. So carriers like AT&T will work but Verizon and Sprint won’t.

If you are in some country like India or UAE where prices for the 4S are $1000+ (black market) expect the prices to fall now. Infact, they will further decrease as Apple is officially releasing iPhone 4S to many countries in the east. Though we’re still not sure whether they will be unlocked or not.

Get to the Apple Store.

Now Siri works perfectly on iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G!

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Siri was launched exclusively for the iPhone 4S but hackers have managed to get through. They have been able to port Siri to the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G. This proves that the A5 processor (bundled with 4S) is not a compulsion for Siri to work. There are about 20 steps after which Steven Troughton Smith managed to get it working.

If you are wondering, “How to get Siri working on iPhone 4 and iPod Touch?” then here’s a flat answer – They’re not planning to release it to the public because it’s illegal to repack Apple’s code and distribute it. But I don’t think it will take more time for other hackers to get this working and release it once we know it’s possible. And we will update you on this as soon as it’s released. Have a look at the video after the break.


Steve Jobs was Rethinking Television : It indeed is the Last – One Last Thing…

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Steve Jobs said, “I’ve finally cracked it”. When the word was out, there erupted a billion guesses about what he had found out.  He was talking about something that all of us have grown up with. The TV.

When I first heard Apple’s releasing a product called Apple TV, I thought it’s a television screen that they’re selling. It was an obvious guess. Later on, I learnt, it’s type of a device which controls the content on your Television and connects it to the internet, iTunes, Netflix and other services. It sought to revise the TV concept. Then the Remote app to control Apple TV from any of the iDevices reckoned the existing remotes useless. But now, Apple is turning back to my conjecture. They are eyeing Television.

If you clearly observe, Apple has constantly been trying to narrow it down. Either by bringing iTunes to your TV or remote to your iPhone or App Stores to Macs. This is all part of their long term strategy and vision. To put it across, at one time everything is just going to converge into one centralized system. iCloud was made for this. To stitch all the devices together into a simple system. In this, I see Job’s vision and his Zen philosophy,which stresses on focus and simplicity.

The problem with innovation in the television industry is the go-to-market strategy. The television industry fundamentally has a subsidized business model that gives everybody a set-top box for free or for $10 a month. And that pretty much squashes any opportunity for innovation because nobody’s willing to buy a set-top box. Ask Tivo. Ask ReplayTV. You know, ask Roku. Ask Voodoo. Ask us. Ask Google in a  few months. Sony’s tried as well. Panasonic’s tried. A lot of people have tried. They’ve all failed. – Steve Jobs at the D8 Conference.

Apple is eyeing the Television Market and definitely urges to redefine and change this market. Surprisingly, this industry has not undergone much change since its inception. They’ve grown thinner and SMART TV’s began by changing the interface. Every product from Apple focuses heavily on User Interface. This is it. An opportunity to re-invent another industry.

What analysts think is that since Apple came up with the Siri on the iPhone, the voice controlled assistant they think it makes a lot of sense to them to bring it to TV. It wants to kill the concept of a buttoned remote. It could bring a revolution in TV industry like what happened in Music when iTunes came out. If you command Siri to play a movie according to your mood, using its own Artificial Intelligence maybe it can. You let your assistant pick up stuff you’d like and your in command.

It’s not a new idea, something like this is already in the market. Can you guess what it is? Damn. It’s Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox. Basic TV controls are present but something like Siri (assuming an adaptive version of the iPhone Siri for TV) is far away from Kinect’s imagination.

But I don’t get it and I don’t think this is what “Jobs Finally Cracked it”. Apple could have something like this ready in few months. They could work on Siri, connect the iPhone to the Apple TV and then all the commands would be processed on the iPhone and sent to Apple TV.

There is something more to it. A new method of media consumption and a brilliant user interface. Something that we haven’t imagined as of yet. Yeah, I’m excited.

iPhone 4S Review : It fills the gap before the next powerful iPhone

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If you’ve come here reading reviews and posts deciding whether to the buy the iPhone 4S or not, get it if you are a diehard Apple fan, only and only. There are no major improvements in the 4S except the name (which reminds me of Steve Jobs so much).

I’ve got an iPhone 4 and I have no reason to upgrade to iPhone 4S because it looks just the same. Even if I would want to show off the 4S, who knows the phone I have is the new or the old one?

Hardware

Major changes have been made under this section. The core processors have got a facelift and the 4S rocks a dual core A5 CPU (800 Mhz approx). This is what appears in iPad 2. Undeniably, Apple has focused its vision onto hardware now. They are eliminating hardware which is not engineered or made by Apple one by one. (FYI iPhone 1 was running on Samsung ARM 11 CPU) You know what this means, Right? The iWorld.

The new CPU wouldn’t make much impact if you’re not used to playing games which flaunt brilliant graphics or apps which require such higher processing power. Even if you don’t use such apps, this could work out well if you multitask with several apps. 4S is capable of running Siri, the digital assistant that Apple revealed only because of this dual core. As of now, we don’t think other iPhone versions are capable of running Siri due to hardware constraints.

Design Same as iPhone 4

Camera

During the Keynote, Tim Cook’s most lethal weapon indeed was the camera which turns out to be a game changer here. Compared to other smartphones, this is the most superior camera you will see. And if you didn’t know, megapixel don’t matter much in a camera quality. What matters is the sensor quality and the materials used. Apple got this right, Big time.

The sensor on the 4S is larger than the previous and has got five lens elements. It shoots at 8 Megapixels, 3264×2448 pixels with backside illuminated sensor. It’s got a larger aperture, f/2.4 and the image sensor is backside illuminated. For not so Techy people, it means that your photos will be better in low light settings.

You know what’s the biggest add on? You can shoot two pictures one after the other in about .5 seconds which no available phone allows you today. Apple’s got video right too. 1080p HD video and the clarity is as good as the photos. This could give all the camcorders a run for their money. Maybe after getting an 4S you could possibly call yourself a photographer?

Siri Assistant

If you’ve used Siri’s app, you would know that Apple’s version is just a tweaked and advanced version of the previous software. It’s more intelligent than you think. The application revolves around logic and learns from your previous commands, easily follows up conversations. We’re going to post more on this once we get a hands on.

These are the major changes on the newer version of the most selling smartphone. I would recommend you to stick to your iPhone 4 and wait for a major upgrade which will have LTE support (which means blazing fast speed) and NFC (Near Field Communication). Much to talk when iOS 5 comes out.

You know, “The Journey is the Reward” : Steve Jobs

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The title represents one of those frantic buddhist quotes that Steve Jobs believed in.

I had this strange feeling that Jobs was going to pass when he resigned from Apple. It was obvious, why would a man leave his dream job? Especially a man like Steve who always followed his heart?

This morning I woke up to find that the greatest idol of my childhood (and for many more years to come) is no more. I couldn’t help myself from getting too emotional.

Relation I (and many more like me) shared with Steve Jobs

I don’t know Jobs and not had one conversation with him. I’m not even sure if he has ever read my name. There are millions like me whom he has helped and changed while not knowing us. But we knew him. He was the great visionary who had the guts to always follow his intuition and make the Apple of his dreams. We’re connected to him through all his inventions, we’re listening to Music, Playing games, Surfing the Internet, Watching Television Shows. We’re all surrounded by Steve’s creation.

For me, one of things why Technology always enticed me was Apple. They always challenged their past to make something better. The perfectionist Jobs lead to the perfectness of the products.

What about his family?

Steve Jobs had 4 children and wife, Laurene Powell Jobs. Three Daughters (One of which is adopted) and a son.  They will be good and FYI Laurene is also a good-to-do entrepreneur.

Will Apple be the same without Jobs?

Ofcourse not. Nothing can fill the gap of a brilliant personality like Steve’s. The Optimistic attitude. The Aura. Nothing can replace it. Apple will never be like Jobs’ Apple.

Will the world be the same without Jobs?

Obviously not. His ideas changed the way we interact with Digital Media and probably shook the hell out of mobile companies. He raised the standards and ethics of business. He made the tech scenario beautiful and perfect.

Emotional Attachment..

I shared something more than just what most people do. He’s served as an inspiration for me. His presentation skills have awed me, time to time.

I started blogging and first few posts were dedicated to Apple, a company who we knew to make MP3 Players. Today, six and a half years later under the direction of Jobs, they shaped the Digital World. I’ve covered almost all product unveilings from 2005 and liveblogged many. His controversial statements, sudden replies to emails and random acts have left a mark on my mind. I can never forget him. He’s left a legacy and inspired millions of children like me to get up and follow our hearts.

How can I miss his speech? I’ve seen it 100′s of times and I request you to see it too. After 15 minutes you will know why.

Steve Jobs steps down as CEO and puts an end to a legacy

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Steve Jobs resignation came as a shock to many but to the man, it was exactly how it was supposed to be. Every day when I come across news cooked up in Cupertino, it reminds me of a classic tale in the making. Every decision Jobs takes is rapidly leading him to preparation of a legacy to leave behind.

Its his sheer luck, a planned adventure or whatever. I don’t know. One thing that I’m sure about is his daring and dauntless character. Steve Jobs was my idol. I’ve seen his Stanford Commencement Speech more than a hundred times, not once did I not sense the energy that I felt the first time. I’ve read many books about him. iCon, his unauthorized biography tells me a lot about him and his perseverance. He was a perfect entrepreneur. I’ve spent infinitely many hours studying Apple’s market tactics, ideas and their execution. Through all of it, flows the vision of this man.

Being a tech blogger, I knew that if any news has something to do with Jobs, it’s definitely worth a chase. And it always turned out to be. Steve amazed us and gifted us those breathtaking moments when he unveiled the most revolutionary concepts before anyone else. Ah, I’m feeling nostalgic.

What happens next at Apple under Tim Cooks leadership? I don’t know. But Apple is Definitely not going to be what it was without Jobs. I surely won’t feel the excitement. Thank You Steve Jobs for filling our jobs with emotions. Thank You.

What’s coming on June 6th at Apple’s WWDC event! : iOS, Lion, iCloud and ?

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Apple has already thrown light on its offerings at the upcoming World Wide Developer Conference which is held every year where the team from Cupertino boasts its brand new innovations every year. iPhone, MacBook Air’s and iPads in the past years.

What can it be this year? Here’s an excerpt from the press release,

Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS® X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®; and iCloud®, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.

Lets take it one by one. I’ve tried Lion (Developer Preview 2) on my Mac and the design’s elegance is unbeatable . Though I haven’t dug up into the technicalities of the OS, I can say that they have worked on the spotlight and rewritten it completely to give it better features like Quick View. It slogs on my MacBook when which is obsolete so you can expect better results on later products. So on June 6th completely furnished OS will be available. I feel, Lion solders the Mobile OS and a typical Desktop OS into one. This is just the beginning. With the Apple App store for Mac, it’s more like advanced version of iOS on your Mac.

For iOS 5, I don’t know where to being from. I’ve have this intuition that they will most probably redesign the iPod/Music app on the iOS. My intuition is pretty much supported by the fact, they are ready to offer cloud services and possibly a cloud based locker with iCloud (to oppose Amazon’s Cloud Offerings, that of course). They all talk about Twitter and Apple’s relationship which could show on the Good Old Steve’s keynote. Frankly, with iCloud the guess apart from Music Locker Service could be revamp of MobileMe. Update : With Twitters Release of Photos, I am sure it’s surely going to be integrated with iOS 5 allowing users to directly post photos to Twitter. There is something cooking for sure!

Its prominent, with Apple’s invites and Press Releases carrying focus on iOS and Mac OS X and later, iCloud this event is going to be a software oriented event. So that means, no hardware updates? No new iPhone? It’s difficult to predict but I don’t think they would dare to risk their large market share now when it’s competitors are gearing up with advanced hardware and NFC technology which Google showed off with the launch of Wallet at I/O. iPhone 4S is something that they all are expecting and which could be Steve’s “One more thing..”

We will keep you updated with what they are upto.

Apple Store 2.0 : Revolution of retail ecosystem?

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Apple’s constantly lurching on the news headlines for something or the other. Yes, 9to5Mac had posted earlier about a possibility that Apple would revamp their retail stores and coming of a Apple Store 2.0. That’s what exactly happened.

Since Australia falls on the other side of the world, it got its refresh ahead of U.S launch. All the paper on the shelves is gone. All they have is their products and the iPads with a brilliantly built application exclusively for the retail stores to help customers.

It also boasts a click to call a Apple Representative button which almost immediately gets you some aid. What they did is not more important than what this could possibly mean for the retail ecosystem. Till years, they’ve been practicing the traditional methods of Come, See and Buy. Making iPads fit in somewhere sure adds interactivity and ease of use while promoting the product itself.

We will keep you updated on whether this change did really affect Apple sales or not.

Pictures : 9to5Mac

Steve Jobs wanted to create tablets ever since Apple’s Inception : Steve Wozniak

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Sometimes, I feel sad because Steve Jobs takes all the limelight. Not just once, ever since. Always. Steve Wozniak, the infamous co-founder of Apple willingly takes the backseat.

Years after his leave at Apple, at a keynote on Storage Networking World in Santa Clara, California he was questioned as how tablets could change the computer industry. I expected some sort of answer and he fulfilled my wish. He compared them to TV’s.

Moreover he called them, “It’s for the normal people in the world”.

I think Steve Jobs had that intention from the day we started Apple, but it was just hard to get there, because we had to go through a lot of steps where you connected to things, and (eventually) computers grew up to where they could do … normal consumer appliance things

He even expressed his desire that Android tablets shall never surpass iPads. Why? Ofcourse, somehow the technology that powers iPad is the highly evolved version of the technology that Steve Wozniak had designed in 1980.

The question that bugs most of people who follow Apple is that, Why did Wozniak ever leave Apple? Steve Jobs and Wozniak had different vision for the company. Wozniak was inclined towards the engineering side while Jobs was interested in running a business and a company. [Source]