iPhone 5 summer release date = iOS 5.5 and low power LTE, not iOS 6

by Bill Palmer

The iPhone 5 will depend on the rise of a low power LTE antenna and an interstitial iOS 5.5 operating system if it sees its release date this summer instead of the fall. For those wishing the iPhone 5 would hurry up and arrive as soon as possible, a summer launch may not be quite what they were bargaining for. Apple requires significant advance seeding for an entirely new iteration of iOS (the comparatively minor iOS 5.1 is now in its third beta with more to come), meaning that iOS 6 testing would need to commence very shortly if it is to be ready for a summer iPhone 5 launch. More likely would be that a summer iPhone 5 would come with a less ambitious iOS 5.5 operating system, which Apple would hand-wave by pointing to the fact that the iPhone 5 would be arriving a mere eight or nine months after iOS 5.0 debuted with the iPhone 4S late last year. But that’s not the only potential compromise an early arriving iPhone 5 might have to make, and the LTE issue may not be under Apple’s control…

The singular reason the iPhone 4S doesn’t have built in 4G LTE is that current 4G LTE antennas are physically large and draw a significant amount of power. Building a 4G LTE phone correctly would require making it very thick to accommodate not only the antenna but the massive battery power required to power it while providing acceptable battery life. Some manufacturers have gone ahead and made average-sized 4G LTE enabled smartphones, but their battery life has been almost comically short, prompting widespread complaints from users of those phones. If the iPhone 5 is to be a normal sized phone while including LTE, it would need a new kind of LTE antenna which is smaller and runs on lower power. Such antennas are in development, but they may not happen in time for a summer iPhone 5 release date. If that’s the case, would the iPhone 5 lusters of the world accept an LTE iPhone 5 that’s oversized, or has too little battery life? Or perhaps an iPhone 5 which doesn’t employ LTE at all? In such a scenario, Apple might be more inclined to hold back the iPhone 5 to the fall in the hopes of buying more time for antenna technology to develop. On the other hand, Apple has shown a penchant for designing its own low-power internal components (the A5 processor found in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, for instance) when third party components don’t match its needs. Does Apple has a low-power LTE antenna up its sleeve? We’ll have to wait until the summer, or the fall, to find out. Here’s more on the iPad 3.

iPad 3 release date March 29th, claims rival Kindle Fire maker Amazon

by Bill Palmer

The iPad 3 will see its release date on March 29th according to the French iteration of Amazon, which just happens to make the Kindle Fire, thus far the closest thing the iPad has to a rival. The retailer’s leak apparently has nothing to do with competitive reasons, however. Although Amazon doesn’t offer the iPad on its otherwise universally stocked online retail site (with searches for “iPad 2″) surreptitiously redirecting to Kindle Fire results), it does sell third party iPad help books and manuals. And two French-language books have just surfaced on Amazon with “iPad 3″ in their title, with both having March 29th listed as their release date, says the Register. Oops…

This information of course assumes that Amazon would have access to the iPad 3 release date, a product which it won’t be offering and which it competes directly against with its Kindle Fire. It’s unlikely that Apple would give such information to Amazon, for a number of reasons. However it’s more plausible that the publishers of these books have inside information which they unwittingly shared when choosing the launch date for their iPad 3 books. March 29th fits right in with Apple’s history of launching new iPad models in the month of March, with the iPad 1 having launched late in the month and the iPad 2 having launched toward the middle. For Apple to put the iPad 3 on sale on March 29th, it would likely need to unveil the device at a press event the week beforehand, and send out invites for said press event a week before that. So if press invites go out around March 15th, that’ll confirm that these iPad 3 book publishers knew something all along…

The one caveat regarding the March 29th date is that it’s a Thursday, and Apple has a history of giving devices like the iPad 3 a Friday release date. It could be that Apple’s actual release date is Friday March 30th, and the iPad 3 book publishers are merely looking to make sure their book is on the market the day before so it’s listed as “now shipping” by the time the earliest iPad 3 retail buyers are getting home with their new tablet on the 30th. Then again, it’s possible the book publishers are merely taking their best guesses as to when the iPad 3 will see its release date and penciling in their own release dates for their books accordingly. Nothing is certain until Apple speaks regarding the matter, and history suggests that won’t happen until invites go out for the press event. Here’s more on the iPad 3.

Xbox 720 release date lags as Kinect thrives, PlayStation 4 lags more

by Beatweek Staff

Xbox, also known as the only major Microsoft product which isn’t losing marketshare, is thriving in gaming circles. The Xbox 360 is gradually having its way with the formerly dominant Sony PlayStation, and Xbox Kinect has leapfrogged Nintendo’s Wii insurgency. Still, Xbox enthusiasts are left wondering just where and when the fabled Xbox 720 might be lurking. Various corners have pegged its release date as being anywhere from 2013 to 2015, not exactly encouraging news a mere one month into 2012. Microsoft says the aging Xbox 360 still has some life left in it, but what the company might really be saying is that it can move as leisurely as it wants thanks to the fact that Sony still thinks the current PlayStation 3 has a ten year lifecycle in it and has little chance of getting the PlayStation 4 out the door before Microsoft finally launches the Xbox 720. How the console gaming market came to be dominated by two glacial companies, one known as a subpar copycat artist and the other having done nothing of note in a generation, is another story…

Once upon a time, Sony was the most revered company in consumer technology. The late Steve Jobs routinely praised what Sony used to be. But the company’s products appear to sell well based on long term brand name goodwill alone, and no one in the tech industry considers Sony to be a leader or an innovator. Microsoft built itself (and unwittingly its reputation) by copycatting every move Apple made, and typically coming up with ripoffs with where a combination of inexpensive and awful. That combo translated into dominant marketshare with Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer. But all three products are now bleeding marketshare, leaving Xbox the only major Microsoft division which isn’t in freefall. Xbox, while bringing its own set of flaws, came as a breath of fresh air for gamers who were growing weary of Sony’s slow PlayStation progress. But with the Xbox 720 at least a year away and the PlayStation 4 at least a few years away, the door is (theoretically) open for another tech player to step in with a next generation console device in the mean time. However, giants like Apple and Google have shown no interest in console gaming devices, with both companies instead pushing tablets and smartphones as the gaming devices of the future.

iPhone 4S carrier review: Limited on Verizon. Slow on Sprint. AT&T?

by Beatweek Staff

The public said they wanted a choice of iPhone carriers, and they’ve gotten their way: the iPhone 4S is the first iPhone to launch simultaneously on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, leaving only the adrift T-Mobile without an iPhone offering. But three months into the iPhone 4S era, it’s time to review how that’s worked out for users. It turns out none of the carrier choices is a perfect one. Each of the nation’s three largest carriers has its own strengths and weaknesses, leaving iPhone users in the position of having to pick their poison when it comes to choosing a carrier for their favorite smartphone. There’s Verizon, whose network routinely rates out the highest in terms of quality, but limits monthly data usage in a manner which could get expensive. There’s Sprint, which offers iPhone users unlimited data but has a network which (based on the experiences of Beatweek staff and reports from our readers) has been steadily declining in quality. And then there’s AT&T, which limits data and has the lowest rated network of all. But it’s not all bad news for iPhone 4S users…

For one thing, there’s the fact that the carriers offer the same compromised experience to all smartphone users; in other words, Android and BlackBerry users have to put up with the same carrier nonsense and have to do so on an inferior device, if it’s any consolation. But for iPhone users who are looking to make the best of a muddled situation rather than merely commiserate, doing so essentially comes down to defining ones priorities. If you need a solid voice network and don’t use so much data as to have to worry about coming up against monthly limits, then Verizon is your frontrunner. If being able to check your email and internet and download files is your top priority, Sprint emerges as the favorite. AT&T still has one ace up its sleeve in that you can make phone calls while surfing the web, something Verizon iPhone users still can’t do. But with AT&T’s recent crackdown on its longtime iPhone users, throttling their unlimited data plans even if they’re using less data than the max on the limited plan, it’s increasingly difficult to recommend AT&T for iPhone users when the iPhone 4S exists on both Verizon and Sprint. Then again, with the (real) 4G LTE era kicking off with the launch of the next iPhone, and all three carriers on differing paths when it comes to their 4G LTE futures, the balance of power may shift all over again. Here’s more on the iPhone 4S.

Review: SOL REPUBLIC Tracks three button $99 headphones

by Bill Palmer

Popular brand names are often popular for a good reason: they have a history of making excellent products. But every once in awhile a company neither we nor you have ever heard of comes along and serves up a product which instantly becomes the best in its class and price range. That’s the case with the Tracks headphones from newcomer SOL REPUBLIC. They’re a $99 set of on-ear headphones which come in a black on white design and offer built in three button playback and volume control along with under-band padding.

Not having any expectations regarding audio quality, we were blown away with what we found. The Tracks are the best sounding sub-$100 on-ear headphones to ever come through Beatweek headquarters – and we’ve been at this since 2004. They offer an expansive sound which is quite rich for their price point, along with a bass ratio that’s slightly higher than typical but shines in that department. There’s no cheat here; every kind of genre we tested the Tracks with sounded excellent. As a matter of course, they don’t measure up to the $200 and $300 headphones we’ve tested. But when it comes to the $99 range, SOL REPUBLIC has instantly jumped to the front of the pack.

The only oddity we found during testing is that unlike most headphones which feature a single cable running to one side of the headphones (with an internal wire running through the headband to the other side), the Tracks employs a Y-cable connecting to both sides of the headphones. It’s a design seen more often on earbuds than headphones. It turned out to be of no issue during testing. SOL says they’ve partnered with ColorWare to optionally offer additional color choices (not tested), but the stock options are all black, black on white, and black on red.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 • Price: $99 • solrepublic.com

iPhone 5 release date comes after iPad 3 spring launch, iOS 5.1 update

by Bill Palmer

The release date for the iPhone 5 could be in the summer or the fall, but it won’t be in the spring – and not because it’s not ready, but because the iPad 3 simply must come first. Apple’s history shows that it prefers to launch each new iPad in March (the iPad 1 shipped in the final days of March 2010 while the iPad 2 shipped in the middle of March 2011). And whether iOS 5.1 ends up being released alongside the iPad 3 or sees the light of day sooner, it’ll have to reach the door before the iPhone 5 as well. Even if the iPhone 5 is ready to go by the spring, and even if Apple decides to ambitiously push the iPhone 5 to market well under a year after the iPhone 4S was launched, the new iPhone will simply have to wait until after the new iPad is out the door. Last year Apple learned the hard way what it likely already knew: allowing any of its flagship iDevices to go more than twelve months without a generational update will result in users holding off on purchases until that update finally happened. iPhone 4 sales fell as the device went past the year mark and backdoored itself into an eventual seventeen month reign atop the iPhone food chain before Apple finally unveiled the iPhone 4S. Accordingly, Apple must update the iPad in March in order to keep sales momentum. That means the iPad 3 will debut in March and ship no later than April. That leaves May 2012 as the earliest Apple could introduce the iPhone 5 at a press event, and June the earliest the device could see a release date…

And that’s if Apple even wants the iPhone 5 on the market so soon, not to mention the question of whether it would be ready by then. Talk of a four inch screen and a full body redesign, along with the challenge of battery-draining 4G LTE antennas, suggests that the next iPhone could represent Apple’s most ambitious new iPhone model to date. It’s been widely speculated that the iPhone 5 was supposed to arrive last summer and that its failure was the reason the iPhone 4 was left twisting in the wind for so long and why the intermediary iPhone 4S was eventually brought to market at all. Even if Apple has since solved those challenges and the iPhone 5 is ready to go, don’t expect it in the spring. Nothing says Apple has to wait until the iPhone 4S has been on the market for a full year before replacing it with a new flagship iPhone. But everything says that the iPad 3, along with iOS 5.1, must see their release dates first. Here’s more on the iPad 3. Here’s more on the iPhone 5.

iPad 3 release date: March press event marks first without Steve Jobs

by Bill Palmer

When Tim Cook takes the stage in March to introduce the iPad 3 and unveil its forthcoming release date, it’ll mark Apple’s first major press event since the death of co-founder and longtime CEO Steve Jobs. Apple’s last major press event was for the launch of the iPhone 4S; Jobs passed away the following day. Cook acquitted himself well enough on stage that day, particularly in light of the circumstances. But attention was quickly shifted away from his performance that day, and Apple’s medium-ish event this month to introducing iBooks textbooks notwithstanding, the iPad 3 event will be the first in which Jobs is officially no longer involved in any present-tense manner. Jobs ultimately made no secret of the fact that the iPad meant more to him than the iPhone, that Apple had been secretly on the iPad since before the iPhone was even on the table, and that he returned to Apple amid failing health in order to make sure that the original iPad made it out the door. At present, the iPad 2 is the most popular tablet on the market, Apple is the only player int he tablet market with any substantial presence, and Jobs’ vision for the iPad eventually replacing Macs and PCs in the hands of most mainstream users still appears plausible. But that tells us little regarding what Apple has in store for the iPad 3…

Last year’s iPad 2 may in fact tell us more about what we can expect from the iPad 3. Aside from a laundry list of evolutionary hardware updates, the iPad 2 was essentially a recast of the original. It got thinner, faster, and lighter. It gained a camera. These were all improvements which could have been predicted a mile away. In other words, the iPad 2 might as well have been called the “iPad 1S” and the true second-generation iPad is set to land in the form of the iPad 3 – and it may be closer to Jobs’ original vision than the original iPad. The iPad 1 was simply what Apple could initially get out the door. The iPad 2 was a placeholder to another year. The iPad 3, unless Apple punts and tries to buy another year with mere additional incremental hardware adjustments, could finally be what Jobs had wanted to do from the start. What exactly does that entail? We’ll have to wait until Cook’s launch event, which Apple’s history tells us will take place in March of 2012, to find out. But whatever the iPad 3 entails on its release date, it’ll have Jobs’ fingerprints all over it. Here’s more on the iPad 3.

Gaming: Steam Mobile app arrives in beta for iPhone iOS and Android

by Brandon Tucker

Valve has recently released a closed beta for Steam on two major mobile platforms, iOS and Android.

For those of you new to Steam, it’s a Software Delivery tool that allows functionality similar to the App store for Windows/MacOS Games. This year will mark Valve’s 10th anniversary since the release of the Original Steam for Windows.

The new Steam Mobile app will let gamers chat with friends, read current gaming news, and find the best deals on the most popular games for Windows & Mac.

Due to restrictions in place for app developers it looks like there won’t be any actual mobile gaming functionality to this app, but at least it brings a highly wanted mobile extension of your regular steam account to your handset.

If you already have a steam account and would like to sign up, you can download the app now for free and apply for when more invites are available.

App Store • Market Place

iPhone 5: summer release date depends on iOS 6, LTE tech, 4S fallout

by Bill Palmer

When plotting the release date for the iPhone 5 this year and weighing the possibility of a summer launch, Apple will need to make decisions based on the development of two technologies while keeping an eye on one essential data point. First, Apple must decide whether the iPhone 5 will feature an all-new iOS 6 operating system. Last year’s iPhone 4S release came with iOS 5, the operating system which many believed would accompany a 2011 iPhone 5 launch. Instead the 4S landed with the fifth iteration of iOS, leaving the door open for the iPhone 5 to come with a new iOS 6 or whether the potentially short upgrade cycle might be better served by an intermediary iOS 5.5 instead. Apple has yet to breathe a word regarding iOS 6, and each new iOS generation has been previewed at least a few months before its arrival on a corresponding new iPhone. Apple would need to preview iOS 6 for developers by this spring in order to ship an iPhone 5 with iOS 6 on it by this summer. If spring comes and goes without a developer debut for iOS 6, it could mean that the iPhone 5 is targeted for the fall – or it could mean that the iPhone 5 will arrive without a new-generation operating system. But that’s not the only development Apple must weigh…

Key to the launch of the iPhone 5 is the development of LTE, the so-called “real 4G” which offers speeds up to five times faster than the 4G currently offered by Sprint and T-Mobile. Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint all say they’re now fully committed to LTE, and they’ve erected towers in vastly different proportions. But none of that matters to Apple, which has taken one look at the LTE antennas currently available for use inside smartphones and decided to pass altogether. Some competing smartphones do offer LTE reception, but the antennas inside those phones are physically huge and use up the device’s battery extraordinarily quickly. Apple finds that unacceptable, and has thus far kept 4G off the iPhone altogether despite the “4″ in the name of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. If next generation LTE antennas can be developed by the summer which will allow Apple offer an LTE-enabled iPhone 5 with acceptable physical dimensions and battery life, that’ll make Apple’s release date decision easier. If LTE antennas are still a boondoggle by this summer, Apple might opt to buy time by giving the iPhone 4S a full year in the limelight and holding back the iPhone 5 until the fall. But the iPhone 4S plays into iPhone 5 plans in another manner as well…

Some analysts were expecting the iPhone 4S to tank because it wasn’t an “iPhone 5″ and was instead the same outer shell as the iPhone 4 with a few new hardware advancements stuffed inside. As it’s turned out, the iPhone 4S is breaking sales records (thanks at least in part to the fact that it’s the first iPhone to launch on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint simultaneously) and has led a surge which has the iPhone gaining double digit marketshare while the rival Android platform is losing double digit marketshare (source: Nielsen). If this trend keeps up, Apple may be in no hurry to rush the iPhone 5 with a summer 2012 release date. But if iPhone 4S sales taper off heading into the spring, Apple could feel compelled to push out the iPhone 5 by this summer in order to maintain marketshare momentum. Here’s more on the iPhone 4S. Here’s more on the iPhone 5.

iOS 5.1 release date a few betas away, iOS 5.0.2 rescues battery life

by Bill Palmer

iOS 5.1 will see its release date in early 2012, but don’t hold your breath. It’s only on its third round of developer beta testing, which means it’s not finalized for consumer release and not yet close. Those who are suffering from bugs on their iPhone or iPad in the mean time, however, can look forward to an iOS 5.0.2 update which will quash most (if not all) of what ails users in the mean time. The vast majority of users of products like the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 and older devices running iOS 5 hade made no complaints of “bugs” of any kind. However, a fraction of iPhone 4S users in particular have complained that their battery life is worse on their 4S than it had been on their iPhone 4 or 3GS before it, despite the 4S having a more powerful battery and offering longer battery life on paper. Many of those affected by the “battery bug” saw it go away with the release of iOS 5.0.1 late last year, but some are still struggling – and still vocal about it. iOS 5.0.2 should solve that issue. But that still leaves the matter of iOS 5.1, which has been the source of some confusion…

The general naming convention of software releases is that a hundredths-decimal update (iOS 5.0.2 for instance) delivers bug fixes and security enhancements, tackling known issues which aren’t working in the manner the original whole number update (iOS 5 here) was intended. In contrast, tenths-decimal releases (iOS 5.1) bring new minor features which weren’t ready in time for the original release, or alter the way in which the software works based on user feedback. So while iOS 5.1 may offer updates to the way in which iOS 5 features like Notification Center and iMessage work, it can’t automatically be assumed to also be a bug fix update. That’s what iOS 5.0.2 is for, and while iOS 5.1 likely still has a few more rounds of beta testing to go (we’d be a bit surprised if it sees its release date prior to March), there’s no reason not to expect iOS 5.0.2 in February. And that should be good news to those who are still complaining of battery issues or other iPhone and iPad ailments.

iPhone 4S quarter in review: Siri, battery life snafu, cases rebound

by Bill Palmer

The iPhone 4S has been shipping for just over a calendar quarter, and while there’s already ample buzz for the next new iPhone, the first three months of the 4S era have proven fruitful for Apple and the carriers who offer it. Sales numbers are breaking smartphone industry records for Apple, and the iPhone 4S is the most popular phone on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint – despite all three carriers also making less successful attempts to promote their Android lineups (for instance, the Verizon iPhone 4S outsold all of Verizon’s other smartphone offerings combined in Q4 2011 despite having only been available for about half of it). With three months in the rear view, the iPhone 4S has seen its ups (everyone loves Siri), its downs (battery life has been a problem for a vocal minority of users who are now begging for an iOS 5.0.2 or iOS 5.1 update to fix it), and the initial confusion over iPhone 4S vs iPhone 4 cases has resolved itself. Here’s a look at all of the above and then some in the annals of the iPhone 4S…

While the iPhone 4S initially appeared to offer little over the iPhone 4 beyond a faster internal hardware processor and a better camera, Tim Cook’s insistence that Siri would prove to be a major feature has turned out to be correct. Unlike voice control systems on other devices like bluetooth headsets which only recognize a small list of preprogrammed voice commands, Siri can parse nearly anything you tell it to do. Users have given it high marks, even as a few lists have been cobbled together of intentionally humorous responses she’s come up with in retort to oddball questions. But at the same time, while most users appear to have no issues with the battery life of the iPhone 4S, some users claim their battery life is only a fraction of what it should be and have become quite vocal about it (for instance, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, while generally praising his iPhone 4S, routinely criticizes its battery life). These users are demanding Apple “fix” the battery issue with the iOS 5.1 update, which is currently in developer beta testing…

In the mean time, the iPhone 4S case conundrum has worked itself out. Initial confusion over whether iPhone 4 cases would fit the iPhone 4S with its slightly shifted volume buttons has given way to a lineup of cross-compatible cases whose volume button cutouts are designed to fit both the 4S and 4. Just don’t expect the same kind of cross compatibility with the next iPhone, which is expected to offer a fully designed body. Here’s more on the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 5 release date: Verizon, Sprint get post-4S leg up on AT&T

by Bill Palmer

The iPhone 5 release date marks the turning point at which iPhone newcomers Verizon and Sprint will finally gain the upper hand on original iPhone carrier AT&T, as it’ll mark the first time a truly new iPhone generation rolls out on all three carriers simultaneously. Verizon gained the iPhone 4 after it had already gone the majority of the way through its first-run life cycle, and it merely sold middlingly for the carrier. The iPhone 4S last fall saw its debut on Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T all at the same time and has seen record-breaking results on all three. But despite being officially considered the fifth generation iPhone, the 4S wasn’t a truly new iPhone iteration. According to some accounts, it wasn’t even supposed to have ever been a flagship model, having been substituted into the spotlight once it became clear to Apple that the iPhone 5 wouldn’t be ready in time for the holiday 2011 buying season. While the 4S has proven immensely popular overall, it hasn’t (aside from Siri) done much to attract those who already had an iPhone 4. That means that AT&T’s hordes of iPhone 4 users haven’t yet been in position to be picked off by Sprint or Verizon, despite arguably better offerings. That’ll all change once the iPhone 5 reaches its release date later this year…

Apple hasn’t breathed a word about the iPhone 5, and observers are divided as to whether it’ll launch in the summer or the fall (we essentially consider it to be a coin flip at this point). But it’s widely expected to a 4G LTE enabled phone, and Verizon is significantly ahead of AT&T in that regard. The 4G LTE era will result in increased data usage thanks to faster network speeds and the additional capabilities which will come along with that, and Sprint offers unlimited data to new customers even as AT&T closed that door and recently began actively harassing its existing unlimited data users. All of this opens the door for Sprint and Verizon to make a move on longtime AT&T iPhone users who are seeking greener pastures but have been waiting for the right time to switch. When the iPhone 5 sees its release date, all three carriers will begin running ads explaining why their iPhone 5 experience is the superior one. And when existing AT&T iPhone 4 users begin weighing their options, we’ll find out how big of a carrier shift the iPhone 5 release date will bring.

GTA 5 release date for consoles comes as GTA 3 arrives for iPhone

by Beatweek Staff

Gamers awaiting the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 for their console will have to wait for the GTA 5 release date a bit longer, but in the mean time they’ll be heartened to know that the aging Grand Theft Auto 3 has been adapted to the smaller screen and released as an app for iPhone and iPad. That may be small consolation for those who take their criminal underworld gaming seriously enough that they won’t settle for anything less than the full big-screen experience from their console and their HDTV or their PC and their flat screen monitor.. But for those who want to take the GTA experience with them on the go, or for those who still have a soft spot for GTA 3 nostalgia, the App Store app clocks in at a mere five bucks and allows you to take a stroll down memory lane through Liberty City. Of course the real payoff for GTA fans will come later this year when GTA 5 arrives for Xbox and Windows…

Buzz from some corners has Grand Theft Auto 5 landing in May of 2012, but other rumblings have placed the release date in the second half of the year. Game publisher Rockstar Games released a trailer for GTA 5 back in November, revealing that the game will take place in a fictionalized version of Los Angeles known as Los Santos, complete with a “Vinewood” sign to replace the iconic Hollywood sign. Still, no specific release date has been given. That leaves those looking forward to the GTA 5 release to continue to twiddle their thumbs in anticipation as their virtual lives of crime remain grounded in GTA 4 for now, along with the mobile version of GTA 3.

iPad 3 release date brings pricing conundrum amid Kindle Fire flareup

by Bill Palmer

When the iPad 3 reaches its release date this spring, we’ll find out whether Apple sees Amazon’s Kindle Fire as a threat or not. Apple’s latest quarterly numbers reveal that even as the $199 Kindle Fire chalks up sales, its rise hasn’t impacted the popularity of the $499-829 iPad 2 in the slightest. The Fire is selling into the bargain tablet market, which had initially been temporarily established by the HP TouchPad when it was briefly fire-saled in the midst of being discontinued. But those buying the Fire are apparently not the same people who would have been buying an iPad, meaning that Apple can rest easy knowing that Amazon isn’t about to begin stealing its tablet business. That said, strong sales of the Fire even amidst overwhelmingly negative critical reviews make clear that there is a separate market for a $200-ish tablet, and now Apple must decide whether it wants a piece of it. Seeing Apple serve up a seven inch stripped-down version of the iPad 3 alongside the flagship model wouldn’t be a shock, as Apple has already laid the groundwork for it well ahead of the iPad 3 release date…

In fact Apple set a precedent for wanting to capture the low end of the mobile market even while cashing in on the high end nearly a decade ago when it launched the iPod mini at a time when the full size iPod was already selling briskly. Some analysts feared cannibalism, but it turned out the market for the mini (which later evolved into the iPod nano) was a different segment than that of the full-size, full-price iPod. Apple has since expanded the lineup to include a sub-bargain iPod shuffle model. The same could easily happen with the iPad lineup: the ten inch iPad 3 could remain the flagship model at $499 and up even as a seven inch “iPad mini” or “iPad nano” launched alongside it with more basic technical specs. If the screen on the seven inch model is sufficiently high resolution, existing iPad apps and games would work without adaptation. Just don’t expect Apple to go all the way to the $199 mark to compete with the Kindle Fire on price directly; Apple’s tablet mindshare dominance means that a $299 iPad mini would be sufficient to steal away a significant portion of those who are currently eyeballing the Fire. We’ll merely have to wait until the iPad 3 reaches its release date to find out whether Apple believes the bargain tablet market is here to stay or merely a fad, and if it’s the former, whether Apple wants in on it. Here’s more on the iPad 3.

iOS 5.1 release date for iPhone 4S, iPad 2 helps older iDevices too

by Bill Palmer

“iOS 5.1 – when is it coming out?” It’s the question which landed in our inbox this morning, and it’s one of the most popular questions on the tongues of iPhone 4S and iPad 2 users so far in 2012. They want to know the release date for the first major update to iOS 5, the operating system which shipped with the iPhone 4S late last year and was also simultaneously released for the latest iPad and iPod touch. But users of older iDevices have something to look forward to with the iOS 5.1 release as well. iOS 5 was released for the last few generations of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, including the older iPhone 4 and aging iPhone 3GS. The less powerful hardware of those older devices means that some of the top level functionality of iOS 5 may not be fully usable (or in some instances has been omitted entirely), but as it stands iOS 5 was released as a free download for older devices in the fourth quarter of 2011. While some existing users failed to take notice, or failed to grasp the meaning of the iTunes alert which attempted to steer them toward the iOS 5 update, the upcoming release of iOS 5.1 represents another opportunity to get on the iOS 5 bandwagon. When that release arrives is another matter…

Unlike Apple’s iHardware releases, which are (usually) predictable based on time of year, the nature of a secondary software updates is that they’re released as needed. iOS 5.1 has been in the works for some time, and its third beta is already in the hands of third party app developers who need it for compatibility testing purposes. But word from developers is that it’s not ready for public release in its current beta incarnation, and at least one more round of beta testing (likely more given Apple’s iOS beta history) will be needed before it sees a public release date. If untenable bugs creep up for iPad or iPhone in the mean time, Apple may opt to release an iOS 5.0.2 update as an interim measure. Either way the answer to the “When will iOS 5.1 be released” remains the same: when Apple is good and ready.

Toddy Cloth cleaning for iPad, iPhone, etc now comes in 3 new designs

By: Daynah

Toddy Cloth is the perfect item to clean all of your gadgets. They recently released 3 new funky designs to their collection: Bear Claw, Exposed (Photography Enthusiasts) and Versailles. Each one is $9.99, or purchase two and get the third one for free.

Love to hear more? See our review of Toddy Cloths.

ToddyGear.com· $9.99 · Amazon ($9.99)

BT at Macworld iWorld 2012 RISE: live at the Mezzanine

BT, one of the world’s most popular DJ artists, took to the stage at the intimate Mezzanine in San Francisco on Friday night for the RISE event as part of Macworld iWorld 2012. He performed an hour long DJ set, and then the insistence of fans in attendance, a rousing encore. In a previous year, BT was one of the keynote speakers for Macworld, explaining how he extensively uses Apple products as part of his professional efforts.

Last night’s party which included BT’s set was part of the week long Macworld-iWorld festivities which centered around the Apple-oriented exhibit hall, conference sessions, and training sessions at Moscone center but also included film festivals, live musical performances, and parties galore.

Watch below.

iPhone 5 release date: summer vs fall depends on iPhone 4S sales curve

by Bill Palmer

Word from inside Apple’s factories is that the iPhone 5 will be ready for release date when Apple wants it to be ready, as prototypes are already flying around and production is ready to commence. That means the iPhone 5′s arrival will come down to just when Apple does in fact want to spring it on the world. Until not too long ago, the answer would have seemed self evident: new iPhones launch in the summer, so keep an eye out around July 2012. But after last year’s turnabout with the iPhone 4S debuting in the fall after what most observers were certain would be a summer 2011 iPhone 5 launch, what Apple does this year is anyone’s guess. The best guess, however, centers around how well the iPhone 4S is doing in the mean time. And the good news regarding iPhone 4S sales could mean bad news for those wanting the iPhone 5 to be released sooner than later…

Recently released numbers spanning from Apple’s own quarterly report to outside statisticians like Nielsen have shown that the iPhone 4S is currently selling in a lights-out manner. In fact sales were so strong over the holiday quarter that the iPhone nearly doubled its share of smartphone sales in the fourth quarter of 2011. If that pace keeps up for the next quarter, it could leave Apple to conclude that there’s no huge rush to get the iPhone 5 out the door and that it would instead do well to allow the iPhone 4S to have a full twelve months in the sun. That would point to a fall 2012 release date for the iPhone 5. But if 4S sales begin to taper off as 2012 progresses, or if Apple is simply feeling ambitious, the iPhone 5 could see its release date arrive while the iPhone 4S is still in its prime. Such an arrangement would see the iPhone 5 take the $199 and up flagship sales spot, while the iPhone 4S would become the new $99 model and the iPhone 4 could become the free-with-contract option (which would finally give Apple a “free” iPhone option on Verizon and Sprint as opposed to the current free iPhone 3GS which is only available on AT&T). With the new iPad set to arrive in the spring, it would seem unlikely that the iPhone 5 would arrive prior to summer under any circumstances. Whether it ends up being summer or fall will remain open to debate. In the mean time our advice is to keep one eye on iPhone 4S sales figures at all times.

iPro Lens for iPhone 4S: Beatweek 2012 Best of Show at Macworld-iWorld

by Jason Tucker

The iPro Lens System from Schneider Optics consists of a case for iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, wide angle and fisheye lenses and a unique handle which also acts as a lens carrying case. The handle can be opened into sections revealing the two lenses inside. Each lens is attached inside the cylinder shaped handle using a twist lock. This allows the lenses to stay clean and protects them when they are not being used. The handle is attached to the iPhone by way of its unique case. The handle can be attached on either the left or right side of the case and allows you to have the lens positioned towards the top of the bottom of the phone. This also allows you use to the volume button as a shutter button. One glitch is that we found that the hard plastic case was a bit difficult to remove due to the ridge along the inside of the case clipping over the aluminum sides on the iPhone. However we found changing lenses to be quite easy, and opening up the handle lens compartments was as simple as twisting off a lid. Speaking of which, the handle has two screws on either end; when you unscrew the top screw when it is attached to the iPhone case it can then be attached to a tripod.

The bottom of the modular handle also has this same female screw allowing it to also be mounted on a tripod. Despite how hard the case is to remove, the device works better overall than expected. I was able to take pictures during Macworld-iWorld 2012 with ease, holding the handle with my left hand and manipulating the iPhone screen with the other. As with our recent Olloclip review, the Fisheye lens did show quite a bit of vignetting which is to be expected and the wide angle lens was my go-to lens for shooting. During our time at the Schneider Optics booth we learned that they will be offering a Telephoto lens along with a matching extension to the handle which will house the lens when it is not in use. We’d love to see them offer a macro lens as well.

The iPro Lens System retails for $199 and the upcoming Telephoto lens will be sold separately for $89.

Monster Clarity HD Model One: Beatweek 2012 Best of Show at Macworld-iWorld

by Bill Palmer

Monster’s two piece Clarity HD Model One stereo system is, in a word, a beast. The units are only about seven inches wide each, but stand a few feet tall and offer a commanding presence without a large footprint. The audio output is ferocious and easily cut through the surrounding noise in the busy Macworld-iWorld 2012 exhibit hall. The audio remains pristine even at super high volumes.

Hardware niceties on the $749 Model One include an iPhone-iPod dock on the top of one of the speaker units and a choice of bold colors like red and yellow, along with handles built into the top of the units. The speaker units aren’t particularly heavy, but the audio certainly is.

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