Following an extensive beta testing cycle, Apple has announced that it will release iOS 12 for iPhones and iPads on Monday, September 17th.
The new operating system includes a host of improvements for iPhone and iPad users, including performance enhancements, ARKit features, and more.
Apple originally announced iOS 12 back at WWDC in June. The company has since gone through an extensive public and developer beta testing period.
Over at the “Gather Round” media event, Apple’s long-awaited operating system, macOS 10.14 Mojave’s release date was announced. The updated operating system will be available on Monday, September 24th, as a free upgrade for compatible Macs.
macOS Mojave was first shown off at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference in early June. The new Mac operating system includes Stacks Desktop file organization, Quick Actions in Finder windows for marking up and editing documents, enhanced screenshot and recording with built-in markup and editing, system-wide Dark Mode for apps, Continuity for grabbing and editing photos you snap on your iPhone, and more.
It isn’t the strongest rumor but it’s still a rumor.
Per Korean web site etnews, Apple will be releasing the iPhone 5 arriving in June after all. The device would still miss WWDC but could have a special event with Steve Jobs weeks later. ETNews claimed to know that both KT and SK Telecom would have the new model along with or soon after other countries.
Despite suspicions, the iPhone 5 wasn’t necessarily delayed, according to tips. The unnamed sources didn’t have an explanation for Sony’s Howard Stringer warning that iPhone cameras might be delayed due to the Japanese earthquake.
The assertions are contradict Apple’s usual pattern of Korean iPhone launches, which usually have the device ships to Korea months after everyone else and only just shipped the iPhone 4 to SK Telecom. Even with a July ship date, it would give the current iPhone just over three months on the market.
Apple also rarely has an event so close after WWDC. If a release is close to the event, it usually prefers to mention the new hardware at the event itself and time the release accordingly.
If not at WWDC, the unveil’s actual release date is still a mystery. Although both the initial tip and follow-up rumors have presumed the September media event would be the most likely candidate, they didn’t know for certain and didn’t rule out an in-between event. Apple might want the iPhone 5 to ship as quickly as possible to hedge against Android and could be unwilling to wait any longer than necessary.
Stay tuned for additional information as it becomes available.
In his long-awaited Worldwide Developers Conference keynote speech, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the fourth-generation iPhone, termed the “iPhone 4”. Per Macworld, the iPhone 4 is 9.3mm thick, or 24$ thinner than the iPhone 3GS and includes new camera with an LED flash on the black, but a second, front-facing camera as well. There are new volume buttons, a mute button, plus a second microphone on the top for noise cancellation. Just like the iPad, it now incorporates a micro-SIM tray.
Apple has also engineered three integrated antennas into the design: one for Bluetooth, one for WI-Fi and GPS, and one for UMTS and GSM.
The iPhone 4 features a new screen technology called a “retina display” which operates at 326 pixels per inch, double the 163 pixels per inch resolution of the iPhone 3GS.
The new display measures the same 3.5″ inches diagonally, but at 960 x 640 it has four times as many pixels as the previous model with an 800:1 contrast ratio that’s also four times that of the iPhone 3GS. It uses the same IPS display technology as the iPad and the iMac for good color fidelity, brightness, and viewing angle.
The new handset also sports the A4 chip, which boasts both a small footprint and good power management. Apple went with the micro-SIM design to save space, mostly for a new battery that, coupled with the new chip, Apple says provides 40$ more talk time. The company says talk time is up from 5 hours to 7 hours; 6 hours of 3G browsing; 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing; 10 hours of video; 40 hours of music; and 300 hours of standby.
Environmentally, the new iPhone is arsenic free, BFR-free mercury-free, PVC-free, and made from highly recyclable materials.
The handset includes quad-band HSPDPA/HSUPA networking with a maximum of 7.2Mbps down and 5.8 Mbps up.
There’s also 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking, an improvement from 802.11g in the previous model.
The iPhone 4 also add a three-axis gyroscope for measuring angular velocity and can figure out pitch, roll, and yaw; and rotation about gravity. The gyroscope plus the accelerometer provide six-axis motion sensing which can be combined with new CoreMotion APIs that developers can call for extremely precise position information.
The iPhone 4 has a new, 5-megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and an LED flash. It also adds 720p HD video capture at 30 frames per second. The company has also created a version of its iMovie consumer video-editing application for the iPhone. With it, you can record or edit you videos (and add photos as well). Once the video has been recorded, users can add titles, changes themes, and use music from your iTunes library.
iMovie for iPhone will be available for US$5.
For Jobs’ “One More Thing” moment, he sat down on a chair to show off the iPhone 4’s video chatting capabilities. Using either of the two cameras, you can make video calls via a feature called FaceTime between iPhone 4 phones over Wi-Fi only (at least through 2010). Users can also switch between cameras and chat in landscape or portait mode.
The iPhone 4 will be available in both black and white, at US$199 for 16GB and US$299 for 32GB (with the same qualifications and two-year contract with AT&T as in the past). Apple will also add an 8GB iPhone 3GS for US$99.
Jobs said that AT&T is going to make “an incredibly generous upgrade offer.” If your contract expires any time in 2010, you’re immediately eligible for that pricing, for up to six months early eligibility. The iPhone 4 will be available from Apple and AT&T’s retail and online stores, as well as at Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores.
The iPhone 4 goes on sale in the U.S., France, Germany, the U.K., and Japan on June 24th, with pre-orders starting on June 15th. It will ship in 18 more countries in July, in 24 more in August, and in 40 more by the end of September.
Apple also showed off some accessories: a US$29 dock and a US$29 case called a Bumper that comes in white, black, blue, green, orange, or pink.
Because the rumors make life interesting.
A recent rumor has suggested that Apple Store employees will get their first hands-on experience with the iPad and begin training on Wednesday, March 10th, while consumers could be able to purchase one Friday, March 26th.
According to The Examiner, an unnamed Apple Store manager in Southern California stated Tuesday evening that the definitive release date has not yet been determined, but the March 26th date is “very likely.” As was announced at its unveiling, the 3G-enabled models will arrive about a month later.
While employees will begin training on March 10th, commercials will allegedly begin to air on TV starting March 15th. Those TV spots are expected to emphasize the e-book capabilities of the device.
Finally, the report claimed that those who camp out for the iPad will receive a “special gift.”
If accurate, the report would suggest that an alleged “manufacturing bottleneck” will not delay the launch of Apple’s new multi-touch device. However, initial supplies could still be constrained, as rumors of an “unspecified production problem” have surfaced from Apple’s manufacturing partner, Foxconn.
Initial demand for the iPad is predicted to be strong, with most analysts on Wall Street forecasting first-year sales of between 1 million and 5 million.