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Quad-Core on the iPhone 5?

– February 20, 2012

 

Apple fans all over are interested in the latest updates and news regarding the next iPhone 5, and most have already heard the latest rumors on specs and features. The biggest rumor or hope is that the iPhone 5 will step up to an A6 quad-core processor, but nobody seems to know for sure.

Regardless of how the phone turns out it, history indicates that it surely will be a big hit. The iPhone through all of its generations has been extremely successful and has gained a very loyal Apple following. This being said there are more and more competitors joining the smart phone race each day and one would think that the iPhone 5 would need to make a big splash and some serious upgrades in order for it to once again stand out from the pack.

In November the HTC Edge announcement was made which would likely make it the first quad core smartphone, and then in December we told how Apple was test two new versions for the iPhone 5, one dual-core and one quad-core. Increasingly since then it had looked probable that the next iPhone would feature a quad-core chip. But more recently it has been rumored that the iPad 3 and the iPhone 5 will more likely be dual core rather than quad core.  At this stage of the game though we have no way of knowing as the usual Apple secrecy is in place regarding its new releases. Either way, it would be wise of Apple to release the iPhone 5 with a quad core processor as by the time it is released there will be plenty of options that do have the quad core processor.

In addition to the HTC Edge we’ve since heard of multiple new handsets and a few days ago told how quad-core smart phones could actually start appearing in this first quarter, according to NVIDIA’s CEO. We’re expecting to see many more unveiled at MWC later this month including the LG X3 and more offerings from HTC such as the Endeavor and Zeta. There’s also widespread talk that Samsung’s flagship, the Galaxy S III (S3), expected to be announced in March, will also sport a quad-core processor. So what does all this competition mean for the iPhone 5?

We now know that quad-core Android handsets are expected very soon, with Windows 8 quad-core smartphones apparently due later this year, the lack of quad-core for the iPhone 5 could certainly impact on how successful it is. Many iPhone fans could be disappointed by the fact that it doesn’t feature the very latest type of processor, although as we said earlier it would still no doubt be a big hit with diehards.

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Mac OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview

– February 17, 2012

Most of the news surrounding Apple lately has been centered on the upcoming release of both the iPhone 5 and the iPad 3, but today we are got a surprise sneak peek at the new Mac OS X 10.8 “Mountain Lion”. This release is basically just a developer preview to get programmers for new softwares up to speed on the new technologies and changes that will be incorporated into OS X 10.8, as the customer release won’t happen until sometime in August or September of 2012.

Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will not be a “major” change like the transition from 10.6 Snow Leopard to 10.7 Lion. Apple is not really changing and fundamentals that could make the decision to change a difficult one, instead Mountain Lion is more of an evolution of the 10.7 Lion. The main focus has been to take some of the technologies that were developed for the iPad and iPad 2 and mesh them well with the Macs and iCloud. Lion takes the goal of integrating iCloud services into its entire product line just a bit closer to the end goal for Apple.

One of the major add on’s for Mountain Lion will be the direct integration with Twitter. Mountain Lion users will be able to tweet directly from within application, without having to launch a separate Twitter client. Also many of the standard Apple applications such as Safari, Photo Booth and iPhoto will get a new “Tweet Sheet” that will enable users to create tweets and share from within the app.

Another feature new to Mountain Lion, and very similar to the Tweet Sheet will be the new Share Sheets. Mountain Lion applications including things like Safari, Mail, Reminders and Messages will have a Share menu with prompts to be able to send the current Web Page, photo, message, or any other item directly to other applications without the need the copy and paste. The Share Sheet will also be context aware, so for instance a video will offer the ability to upload to You-Tube and a photo will be able to be shared on Flickr for example. This function will be very similar to the functions within iOS for mobile users of the iPhone and iPad lines.

Mountain Lion will also be dropping the very unloved iChat for a new Messages application that will roll FaceTime, screen sharing, instant messages and iMessage into a single service. Which means that you will be able to seemlessly continue a converstation from your mobile device on to your Mac without skipping a beat as long as the mobile device is running on iOS 5. Those who are accustomed to using the IM features of iChat will not be left in the dark though, Messages will support AIM, Jabber, Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger. Also if you want to try out Messages now you can get the beta version for free!

As we review Mountain Lion OS X further you will be the first to know! If you are a member of Apple’s developer program, which comes with a $99 annual enrollment fee you can preview the OS X now. Developers will also get access to further developer releases as Apple updates the OS X before its final release.

Apple is saying that Mountain Lion will be available to everyday users in late summer 2012 which will most likely be September, almost exactly a year since the last update. Mountain Lion will also be coming pre loaded on new Macs once it is shipped and will be available for download via the Mac App Store. As of now no pricing has been release but it is likely that the company will stick with its standard $29.99 per machine price level.

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The Ethical iPhone 5

– February 15, 2012

Apple has dispatched independent inspectors into its supplies factories to check on working conditions in what is being called by Apple boss Tim Cook “unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope” when questioned about the inspections. The Fair Labor Association has begun auditing Apple’s final assembly suppliers including the Foxconn factories in China where the iPhone 5 is secretly being built.

Since the reports of employees driven to suicide due to poor working conditions in electronics factories. The pressure has been building for Apple and other tech companies for some time due to these allegations.

Apple was the first company to join the Fair Labor Association, which came following the reports of harsh working conditions and deaths in factories. It is hoped that this step by Apple will help nudge other electronics manufactures such as Samsung and Sony to follow in their footsteps. There has even been a petition demanding an ethical iPhone 5 which received thousands of signature s from concerned citizens.

Inspections were started on Monday led by FLA president Auret van Heerden. Heerden and his team of labor rights experts at the FLA are investigating all areas of the manufacturing facilities and conducting interviews of thousands of employees regarding all aspects of their working situation. This is sure to include those who are working on manufacturing the iPhone 5.

Chinese Factory The inspections are scheduled to take place in facilities where more than 90 per cent of Apple products are made. The inspectors first findings will be posted in early March at fairlabor.org with further inspections to take place later in the year. It should be interesting to see the results, and the effects in may have on the sterling reputation of Apple, not to mention the release of the iPhone 5.