Apple’s September 12th event roundup: iPhone 5, new iPods, iOS 6, Lightning and everything else

Posted on 13/09/2012 by Joe Pollicino

The rumored iPad mini didn't rear its mythical seven-inch screen today at Yerba Buena, but no matter, as the iPhone 5 brought a potent smack of ~~thunder~~ Lightning. A few mere hours ago, the oft-leaked smartphone was officially been revealed by Apple, along with the next-generation iPod Nano, a redesigned iPod Touch packed with a Retina display and iOS 6 in its final form -- and those were just the main announcements. Of course, scrolling through Engadget's homepage might not be ideal if you're looking to sift through the day's news from Cupertino's favorite tech company in one fell swoop -- and that's why we've rounded it all up here, in one convenient spot. You can re-live the event at our archived liveblog here, otherwise you'll find a full listing of the news from it after the jump.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Portable Audio/Video, Wireless, Mobile

Apple's September 12th event roundup: iPhone 5, new iPods, iOS 6, Lightning and everything else originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s iPhone 5 keynote event now live for online viewing

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Zachary Lutz

San Francisco shook today, but thankfully, it wasn't from an earthquake. In case you missed today's event, Apple took the wraps off of the new iPhone 5, along with a new batch of iPods, a new version of iTunes and a round of price reductions. A replay of the keynote is available on Apple's website, where you can join Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall and even the Foo Fighters make waves. So grab your beverage of choice and settle in for two hours of gadget goodness -- you'll find it at the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Apple's iPhone 5 keynote event now live for online viewing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Jon Fingas

Apple has a tradition of timing FCC filings for new wireless mobile devices so that they appear just as soon as they've been announced, and it's not about to let up now. We've got a trifecta of approvals on the way for 2012 that start with the iPhone 5. What's hard to miss is the absurd number of cellular bands at work: as Apple had to make separate iPhone 5 models to cover every LTE carrier it supports, on top of the usual alphabet soups for CDMA and GSM, the filing combining the two devices is one of the largest we've seen to date. The addition of 5GHz WiFi support only compounds the situation.

A pair of iPods also made their appearances today, and they've been given the regulatory once-over as well. The iPod touch has the 5GHz WiFi band included and isn't special by itself, but the new iPod nano is noteworthy simply for showing up at all -- the inclusion of Bluetooth means a spin past the testing facility in addition to some wireless audio. We're still digging to see if the iPhone or new iPods have any surprises, although you can have a first-hand look through the source links.

Brad Molen contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile

iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s Phil Schiller explains new ‘Lightning’ port, doesn’t think much of NFC and wireless charging

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Ben Gilbert

Now that we know much, much more about Apple's latest iPhone, we can't help but wonder why certain features are missing from the iPhone 5. For instance, near-field communication -- standard in many iPhone competitors -- is notably absent. This seems especially odd considering iOS 6's Passbook feature, which acts like a virtual wallet for gift cards, boarding passes, and other such things, would be a perfect fit for NFC technology. "Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today," Apple senior VP Phil Schiller told All Things D.

Schiller also explained the reason for the iPhone 5's new "Lightning" port, which allows for faster data transfer between phone and computer, but also requires an adapter ($29) for use with Apple's previous wire standard. Apparently Apple's future lineup would be impossible without the new connecter, according to Schiller. He attempted to assuage concerned consumers with one hopeful promise: "This is the new connector for many years to come."

And finally, when pressed on wireless charging -- a main feature of Nokia's flagship Windows Phone 8 device, the Lumia 920 -- Schiller said such a feature offers little to consumers beyond confusion. "Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated," he said. As per usual, the iPhone 5 will charge via USB -- using the new dock connector, of course. But surely, turning a bunch of cables into just one giant wireless charging plate aligns well with Apple's simplicity design, right?

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Apple's Phil Schiller explains new 'Lightning' port, doesn't think much of NFC and wireless charging originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple EarPods hands-on

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Zach Honig

By now, you're probably familiar with Apple's latest earbuds. But are they an improvement over their arguably disposable predecessor, you ask? You bet. Still, they're not going to win out over high-end or even mid-range audio options. That's to be expected, though -- the EarPods do sound better, and, well, they cost 29 bucks and ship with all of the devices Apple announced today. The attractive white 'buds are packaged in a plastic case that's quite similar to the enclosure that Apple introduced with its previous-gen step-up set. They're very lightweight, not that you had any doubts, and appear to be durable enough. The "one size fits all" design worked well in our ears -- it wasn't a snug fit by any means, but we didn't fear that they'd fall to the ground with the slightest movement.

You'll net the best performance in quieter settings, considering that they don't isolate sound like some other options on the market, and if you're a frequent air traveler or often find yourself working in noisy environments, you'll probably want to consider other options. That said, folks who don't need the absolute best or want to save up for a better solution should find these to be sufficient -- we didn't have a chance to do any in-depth testing and analysis, but expect that to come after we've had a chance to digest all of today's new gadgets. For now, you can take a closer look in the hands-on gallery just below.

Gallery: Apple EarPods hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Wearables, Mobile

Apple EarPods hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple details LTE plans for iPhone 5: true global reach requires multiple models

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Brad Molen

So the rumors are true, and the iPhone 5 is indeed offering LTE for regions around the globe. This is no small feat, given the plethora of frequencies used by various carriers worldwide. Apple's taken to its official website to discuss in detail its plans for making such a task possible. The new device will come in two different models and three total SKUs (excluding color): the A1428 (GSM model) will facilitate LTE for the US (AT&T) and Canada (Rogers, Bell and Telus) on the 700MHz and AWS bands; the CDMA version of the A1429 covers the US (Verizon, Sprint) and Japan (KDDI) using Bands 1, 3, 5, 13 and 25; and the GSM version of the A1429 spans Europe (Germany, UK) and Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Japan and Australia) using bands 1, 3 and 5.

This certainly prompts a few thoughts. First, if you purchase an A1429 unlocked, you won't be able to use it on AT&T's LTE network or that of any Canadian carriers. You'll still be able to take advantage of the global HSPA+ capability, but its lack of LTE on the Western Hemisphere is important to note. It gives us pause to wonder if we'll see both the A1428 and A1429 sold as unlocked models in North America in case you'd like to have either option. Additionally, it'll be interesting to see what Verizon and Sprint do with the CDMA models -- namely, will these devices allow for global LTE roaming? And will they be unlocked for traveling abroad? We'll get you set up with answers as we hear them, but it may be an influencer on exactly which iPhone 5 option you choose.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Apple details LTE plans for iPhone 5: true global reach requires multiple models originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 6 GM seed now available for developers

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Brad Molen

Developers, start your engines: the GM (Golden Master) seed of iOS 6 is now available and ready for download on Apple's Developer page. Essentially, the GM seed is the final version of the OS sent out to developers -- as an opportunity to fully test their apps -- before the rest of the general public, which will take place on September 19th. The Xcode 4.5 GM seed is now available as well. Head to the link below, log into your developer account, and venture over to the iOS Dev Center to find the download links.

Update: it looks like it's fully working now. Hop to it!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile

iOS 6 GM seed now available for developers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5 vs the competition: fight!

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Brad Molen

As the plethora of recent posts attest, Apple has indeed launched the iPhone 5, the next generation in its five-year-old iPhone family tree. But is it the best smartphone money can buy? For kicks and giggles, we've pitted the specs of Tim Cook's darling against those found in the top Android and Windows Phone devices (as a disclaimer, the Nokia Lumia 920 has yet to be officially released, but we have received nearly all of the essential stats). So how does the iPhone 5 hold up against some of its most vicious competitors? Follow along after the break as we analyze the best of the best.

Note: We're still waiting to get final word on a few of the specs, but we'll update the post as those details come to light.

Continue reading iPhone 5 vs the competition: fight!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

iPhone 5 vs the competition: fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple launches incremental iTunes 10.7 update: supports new devices and iOS 6

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Mat Smith

While we won't be seeing the heavily redesigned iTunes 11 until October, Apple has unveiled a new update ready for its roster of new devices, not to mention the incoming iOS 6. The refresh will work with the fresh-off-the-production-line iPod Nano and Shuffle hardware -- but that's the extent of what's new in the 165MB download. You can grab it at the source below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Apple launches incremental iTunes 10.7 update: supports new devices and iOS 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5 confirmed to use nano-SIM, current SIMs not compatible

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Jon Fingas

While Apple was busy announcing the iPhone 5, it left out mention of whether the device would use the recently approved (and Apple-designed) nano-SIM standard. Sure enough, the leaks were right once more -- Apple is relying on that even tinier subscriber module for GSM, HSPA and LTE networks. The company also makes clear that there's no going back, so you'll have to chuck your earlier micro-SIM card if you've got one. Such is the price of progress.