• Explosion at Chinese Foxconn iPad Factory Kills Two

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPad, News No Responses

    Chinese television is reporting a big explosion at Foxconn’s factory. It has happened in building A05, the production line for iPad 2.

    Right now, there are more than ten fire engines and ten ambulances at the scene. According to TV reports, the place is in chaos and Foxconn’s spokesperson is still not answering his phone. Watch the video below:

    At approximately 7 pm on May 20, there was an explosion at our Chengdu campus. At this point, we can also confirm that there were two fatalities with injuries to 16 other employees. We are working with medical officials to provide treatment to the injured employees and we are working with government and law enforcement officials to contact the families of all employees affected by this tragedy.

    The situation has been brought under control by the fire department and the cause of this explosion is being investigated by local police officials. Foxconn is cooperating fully with that investigation.

    Production has been suspended at the site of the explosion until the completion of the investigation. The safety of our employees is our highest priority and we will do whatever is required to determine and address the cause of this tragic accident.

    [via Gizmodo]

  • Apple Signs Deals With Sony, EMI and Warner Group Over Cloud Music

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Cloud, News, Rumors 1 Response

    Apple has reached agreements with three major record labels to let users of its new music service access their song collections from handheld devices via the Internet, as reported by Bloomberg tonight:

    The new iTunes offering will let users store content on Apple’s servers and access it using the Web, rather than loading songs into a device’s memory, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. The plans could be previewed as early as Apple’s developers conference, set to begin June 6, the people said.

    Apple has reached licensing accords with Sony music division, EMI Group and Warner Music Group, the people said. Universal Music Group, the largest recording company, is close to a deal. The company also would need to reach agreements with music publishers, which control different rights than the labels.

    Apple’s cloud music service is said to be part of a major MobileMe overhaul which said to be unveiled in WWDC this June.

  • Apple Thinks Smaller is Always Better. Apple Introduces a Nano SIM Card Design

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPhone, News, Rants & Raves, Tech. No Responses

    Reuters reports that Apple has proposed a nano SIM card design smaller than the micro-SIM currently used in the iPhone 4 and iPad, the new design won the backing of French giant carrier Orange. The design allows Apple and other companies adopting the card to design smaller and thinner devices.

    “We were quite happy to see last week that Apple has submitted a new requirement to (European telecoms standards body) ETSI for a smaller SIM form factor — smaller than the one that goes in iPhone 4 and iPad,” said Anne Bouverot, Orange’s head of mobile services.

    “They have done that through the standardisation route, through ETSI, with the sponsorship of some major mobile operators, Orange being one of them,” she told the Paris leg of the Reuters Global Technology Summit.

    With finalization of the standard and technical issues still to be worked out, devices using the smaller SIM card could hit the market next year.

    This is a great news and for Apple smaller and thinner is always better. This comes in bar with rumors speculated that Apple will introduce nano iPhones in the future. However, Don’t expect the new SIM until 2012, at the very earliest

  • iPhone 4S, with 8MP Camera, Production to Begin in August?

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPhone, News, Rumors No Responses

    Due to the launch of iPhone 4S planned as early as September 2011, Digitimes reports that Apple has lowered its expected shipment volume of iPhone 4 ahead of the September launch for the fifth-generation iPhone – “iPhone 4S.”

    for the second quarter of 2011 from 20 million units, to 17.5-18 million units consisting of 16 million units of the 3G version and 1.5-2 million units of the CDMA version, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers. Bases on global sales of 18.6 million units of iPhone 4 and shipment volumes in the first quarter of 2011, there are an estimated 1.5-2 million units in stock, the sources indicated.

    Production of iPhone 4S will begin in August and the earliest launch may be in September. All the 3G and CDMA chips for iPhone 4S will be supplied by Qualcomm and the rear camera will be upgraded to an 8-megapixel resolution model with OmniVision Technologies and Taiwan-based Largan Precision to supply image sensors and lens kits respectively.