Some Apple users complain about iOS6 WiFi glitch
Within the last hour, Twitter and Apple’s forums have lit up with hundreds of complaints from users whose upgrades to the latest iOS6 software for iPhone and iPad have prevented them from connecting to WiFi. Read more
A nitpicker’s guide to the iPhone 5
The first batch of iPhone 5 reviews is out. Every one agrees it will be a smash hit for Apple. As is customary with iPhone reviews, there is no shortage of superlatives along the way.
“This iPhone 5 review unit is the single nicest object in my possession,” writes Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, while acknowledging the hyberbole.
That isn’t to say Apple doesn’t deserve such high praise. But with such lofty standards, the faults can stand out more glaringly, sometimes becoming minor news cycles in themselves.
So below is a nitpicker’s guide to the new iPhone, as seen by its first batch of users outside Cupertino. Read more
Interesting commentary from around the Web on the tech story that made headlines this week.
This week marked the start of iPhone mania. Apple’s much-awaited unveiling of the device on Wednesday drew a degree of criticism from tech commentators, some of whom saw the changes as incremental. But the longer, thinner and lighter bodied iPhone didn’t dissuade consumers from burning through Apple’s first round of online pre-order supply.
The surprise in Wednesday’s iPhone 5 announcement was reserved till the end, when we were finally allowed to hold one in our hands backstage.
The new specifications had already been widely leaked or guessed: a bigger screen, 4G LTE connectivity, a faster processor and a new dock connector were all expected, and Apple had already previewed the improvements in its iOS 6 operating system and apps during the summer.
Apple unveils longer, thinner iPhone 5
Apple has reset the bar for the smartphone industry with the unveiling of an iPhone 5 in San Francisco.
The new device is thinner and longer than the current iPhone 4S, with a 4in screen. It includes 4G LTE connectivity and a new A6 processor twice as fast as the previous one. It features a new connector and improved camera. Apple also updated its iPod line with new nano and touch models and upgraded its iTunes store and software.
For more detail on how the announcements unfurled, see our live blog from the event after the jump. Read more
A round-up of reaction to the launch of the Apple iPhone 4S:
Apple has come under criticism for failing to manage expectations and speculation about a new iPhone model. Mashable comments that the company usually follows a policy of “under-promising and over-delivering” when it comes to product launches – citing the example of how Apple handled rumours of a retina display screen on the iPad2.
So what happened to the back channels this time? It seems especially odd, considering Apple is still trying to establish Tim Cook as an effective replacement for Steve Jobs, that expectations for his first event weren’t dampened accordingly. But only in the last few days did stories about the iPhone 4S begin to appear, and not from the usual trusted sources. The vast majority of the technology world was still expecting an iPhone 5, and with good reason.
Tech news from around the web – including a round-up of the latest news and speculation surrounding Tuesday’s launch by Apple:
Sprint, theUS mobile telecoms company, has made a multibillion-dollar committment to gain access to the latest iPhone models from Apple, The Wall Street Journal reports. Sprint has committed to buy at least 30.5m iPhones, even though – according to the WSJ - it is likely to lose money on the deal until 2014.
Ahead of today’s launch, Vodafone Germany has started offering memory options of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB on the iPhone 4, TNW says. The move has fuelled rumours that Apple will not debut the iPhone 5 today – instead unveiling a low-cost iPhone 4 model and new iPhone 4S models. Read more
Tech news from around the web:
Apple is expected to hold its next big media event on Tuesday October 4, where it will unveil the next iPhone model, according to AllThingsDigital. Meanwhile, Mashable reports that a remark made by Apple board member and former US Vice-President Al Gore at the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit in South Africa – “Not to mention the new iPhones coming out next month. That was a plug.” – has sparked speculation of more than one iPhone5 model.
TechCrunch reports that a deleted tweet from Facebook creative director Ji Lee may point to a special feature in the social network’s long-anticipated music service. In a tweet that was deleted minutes after it was sent, Mr Lee wrote:
The “Listen with your friend” feature in ticker is blowing my mind. Listen to what your friends are listening. LIVE.
Tech news from around the web:
Square is now processing $4 million in mobile payments daily, TechCrunch reports. The company is on track to reach over $100 million in transactions in July.
Tech news from around the web:
A survey from Nielsen that tracks music sales across real and digital sources shows that album sales actually increased in the first half of this year, Techcrunch reports. The increase – albeit one of just 1% – was the first time album sales had risen since 2004.
In an apparent move to take on Apple’s iCloud, Amazon has made a series of enhancements to its Amazon Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services, says bgr.com. For a limited time, anyone who signs up will get unlimited space for music while Cloud Drive customers can now store all MP3s purchased from the Amazon MP3 music store for free. On top of this, the Cloud Player for Web is now available on the iPad. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
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