• iPhone 5 Will Not have Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPhone, News, Rumors, Tech. No Responses

    Apple has informed their European iPhone carriers that the next-generation iPhone, as the Independent states, will not include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Apple is reluctant to include the technology and introduce a new “wave and pay” system due a “lack of a clear standard across the industry.”

    The iPhone 5 not having NFC technology does not mean Apple isn’t working on their own NFC service for a 2012 launch.

    Apple is understood to be working on its own NFC proposition, which would link payments through iTunes. It hopes to introduce the technology in a handset likely to be released next year.

    Apple was rumored to include this NFC technology in their just released iPad 2, and that same report from Bloomberg noted the iPhone 5, too, will include the NFC technology.

  • All Apple iOS 4.3 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, Direct Download Repository

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Download, iPad, iPhone No Responses

    It is time to get your iOS 4.3 download on. Here are all of your current iOS device downloads.

    device current version date found
    AppleTV(2G) (AppleTV2,1) 4.3 (8F191m) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    iPad (iPad1,1) 4.3 (8F190) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    iPad2,1 (iPad2,1) 4.3 (8F191) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    iPad2,2 (iPad2,2) 4.3 (8F191) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    iPad2,3 (iPad2,3) 4.3 (8F191) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    iPhone (iPhone1,1) 3.1.3 (7E18) 04/08/2010 21:05:48
    iPhone3G (iPhone1,2) 4.2.1 (8C148) 11/22/2010 13:08:57
    iPhone3GS (iPhone2,1) 4.3 (8F190) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    iPhone4 (iPhone3,1) 4.3 (8F190) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    iPhone4(vz) (iPhone3,3) 4.2.6 (8E200) 01/31/2011 20:30:02
    iPodTouch(2G) (iPod2,1) 4.2.1 (8C148) 11/22/2010 13:08:57
    iPodTouch(3G) (iPod3,1) 4.3 (8F190) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    iPodTouch(4G) (iPod4,1) 4.3 (8F190) 03/09/2011 13:07:02
    last updated: 03/09/2011 13:08:01 EDT

  • Apple May Partner with TSMC ditching Samsung For A5 Production

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPad, iPhone, News, Rumors, Tech. No Responses

    Apple has allegedly inked a deal with chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to produce the A5 chip for the iPad 2, a move that is seen as a potential loss for Samsung.

    Apple is rumored to have entered a foundry agreement with TSMC to build the A5 processor, according to EETimes. In addition to powering the new iPad 2 set for release on Friday, Apple’s custom dual-core A5 processor is also expected to power the anticipated iPhone 5, expected to debut this summer.

    Apple is expected to spend $7.8 billion on components from Samsung alone in 2011, for parts including liquid crystal displays, processors and NAND flash memory chips in mobile devices including the iPhone and iPad. The deal would make Apple the largest customer of Samsung.

    The EETimes report said Apple is making the switch for three reasons, one of them being the fact that Samsung competes with both the iPhone and the iPad with its own devices.

    Apple, according to the source, will use TSMC for three reasons: 1. Samsung competes with the iPhone and iPad; 2. TSMC has the highest yielding 40-nm process in the foundry world; and 3. TSMC has the most 40-nm capacity.

  • Apple to Unveil iOS 5, New MobileMe at Media Event in Early April

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPhone, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors No Responses

    A new rumor claims Apple will hold its annual iOS roadmap event in early April to show off iOS 5 as expected, but also states the company will also unveil an updated MobileMe service.

    Citing a “confident” source, German site Macerkopf.de reported Tuesday (via Google Translate) that the event will be held in early April at the company’s Cupertino, Calif., campus. The timing would not be a surprise, as last year’s iOS 4 preview event was held in early April.

    But the inclusion of MobileMe in the annual event would be new, and could signal that anticipated changes to the cloud-based service will be heavily integrated into the next major release of Apple’s mobile operating system for the iPhone and iPad.

    In February, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple plans to improve MobileMe by having the service act as a “locker” to hold personal data such as photos, music and videos. It was also said that Apple is considering making the service, which currently costs $99 per year, free.

    Corroborating that information, The New York Times separately reported that Apple plans to roll out an enhanced MobileMe this year. It was said that Apple is working on improved “voice navigation” on the iPhone, allowing users to operate the device through voice commands without the need to rely on a virtual keyboard.

    Further evidence of planned changes to MobileMe came as Apple discontinued the sale of retail boxes for the service last month. It has also been rumored that the new MobileMe will rely on self-storage from a home computer for streaming, rather than remotely saved files hosted by Apple.

    [via appleinsider]