In 2012, Apple had the highest score out of any cell phone manufacturer with an 83. This year, still at the highest, it has actually dropped two points down to 81. It’s not too big of a deal, but it is telling overall that less people are happy with their iPhone this year — namely the iPhone 5.

On the other hand, satisfaction with the likes of Motorola and Samsung has increased. Motorola is definitely peculiar since the company has been slacking in 2013 to put out new handsets. It leaped from 73 to 77 while Samsung had the biggest increase of them all with a 5-point boost from 71 to 76.  Nokia also got a slight increase from 75 to 76.

This means that Apple is now only ahead by 4 points compared to last year when it was ahead by 10. Motorola is in second place and Nokia and Samsung aren’t far behind tying for third. HTC and LG come in toward the end, both dropping in satisfaction. HTC fell to 72 from 75 and LG fell to 71 from 75. BlackBerry stayed the same at just 69 points.

Apple has a lot of work to do at WWDC 2013 next month if it wants to maintain its customer satisfaction lead into 2014.

[via CNET]

His quote that says it all is: “Our teams are working on new hardware, software, and services that we can’t wait to introduce this Fall and throughout 2014.” Tim Cook does say that some of what’s currently unannounced will arrive “throughout 2014″ but that’s most likely software. Apple’s WWDC is always in June and in recent years it’s been used to talk about features in iOS and OS X — in other words, software. At WWDC 2013, Apple is expected to talk about iOS 7 and OS X 10.9.

There have been some rumors that Apple could introduce an iPhone 5S, a fifth-generation iPad, or a second-generation iPad mini at WWDC this summer, which would break the usual one-year product refresh cycle. However, Tim Cook’s comments specifically mentioning fall product introductions are likely referring to the new iPhone and iPad. The iWatch is something else we’re waiting for as well, but some speculate that might not be a reality until 2014. Cook did mention new product categories during the conference call, so it’s possible the iWatch is what he was referring to.

[via Gotta Be Mobile]

Ok, ready to have your mind blown? Good. The video is a fake. I mean, it’s real, but aside from the first row of iPhones and the office space, (and probably the people) the whole thing is computer animated. Sure fooled me, Aatma.

“Except for the first iPhone that is set off, every other phone you see is computer generated,” said Pramod Modi Shantharam, CEO and animation director at Aatma Studio. “We modeled, animated and rendered the CG phone where the footage was first motion-tracked and the CG phone was composited over it.”

Even though it is computer animated, the video is still amazing. Aatma is known for making high quality renders and concepts of upcoming Apple devices, and based the iPhones in the video on the upcoming iPhone 5S. The end of the video utilizes NFC, which is rumored to be available in Apple’s iPhone 5S.

“The end shot is a representation at scale but imagine bringing together four smartphones screens together to view content on an expanded real estate,” he added. “A potential use case could be a family of four connecting their phones or tablets to watch a movie together.”

So sit back and enjoy the video, and marvel at the wonders of modern technology.  One thing’s for sure, computer animation has come a long way since The Lawnmower Man, thank the gods.

[Via: Mashable]

After the images went viral, Suit Male, a man named Wang, turned himself in and probably ended his career as the Best Pickpocket Ever. Like a great sword being interned into stone, he’ll be retiring his chopsticks into the little paper sheath of history.

All that’s left for Wang now is to atone for his two-pronged crime and face the music (which is probably Chopsticks, by the way). I, for one, think a theft this impressive warrants a Get Out of Jail Free card. At very least he deserves a slap on the wrist in exchange for community service. He could teach proper chopstick etiquette to messy kids or maybe Mr. Miyagi style pest control!

All kidding aside, he told a local journalist that he began stealing to support himself and his daughter, who he’s raising as a single parent. So, I almost feel for the guy and I wish him the best despite his mistakes. Hopefully his notoriety will lead to some TV appearances or a job. I see a chopstick brand sponsorship deal in his future! Or not.

Take a look at these pics and have your mind blown below.  Truly a master at work, he wields those things like Picasso holding a brush.

And remember,  chopsticks are for food and not for criminal activity.

[Via: Sohu.com]

Ming-chi Kuo has a slew of reasons justifying his logic. Firstly, he believes the iPhone 5S is having problems integrating a new fingerprint sensor part into the handset. This rumor about the fingerprint sensor may have some validity given recent events. In his note, Ming-chi Kuo explained more clearly, saying

“Apple has to work out how to prevent interference from the black and white coating material under the cover glass.” He continued adding “Apple is the first to attempt this function and technology, and time is needed to find the right coating material, which will likely affect iPhone 5S shipments.”

His other reason behind the delay is the supposed overhaul that is taking place with iOS 7, as rumors have suggested that OS X engineers have been assigned to help speed up the process.

As for the Retina iPad mini, the KGI analyst said it will be released later than expected because of difficulties manufacturing the tablet’s upgraded Retina display panels.

Although the delays seem troubling, Apple is still expected to make its deadline for its third quarter launch. We’re sure that more light will begin to shed once the company gets closer to its next event.

[AppleInsider; via BGR]

Notes sent to the news sites email mentions a thing called “network/device optimizations,” but little is known as to what it means. We assume it has everything to do with enabling T-Mobile LTE support, similar to what is being done with the latest Jailbreak mod.

Here’s the notes TmoNews received:

“The T-Mobile Carrier Update is a minor iOS software update that enables official iPhone support by T-Mobile. When installed, the software update enables a handful of capabilities like Visual Voicemail, MMS Settings and Network/Device optimizations that customers do not have access to today. On April 5, the software update will begin being pushed via OTA to all iPhone devices on the T-Mobile network with iOS 6.1.x or higher.”

A move like this would be perfect in assisting T-Mobile’s new strategy, as it promotes its new “Un-carrier” plans. Getting people to bring their unlocked iPhones to the network is a win.

Stay tuned as more information begins to develop…

[via TmoNews]

]]> http://www.intomobile.com/2013/04/02/tmobile-pushing-update-thatll-let-unlocked-iphones-use-its-lte-network/feed/ 0 http://www.intomobile.com/2013/03/27/iphone-6-design-concept-supposed-taken-seriously/ http://www.intomobile.com/2013/03/27/iphone-6-design-concept-supposed-taken-seriously/#comments Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:56:03 +0000 George Tinari http://www.intomobile.com/?p=412859 ... Read more]]> Uh, yeah. That thin glass block you’re looking at above is supposed to be an iPhone 6 concept design. Before I rip into it as you might have expected, let me at least explain what it has to offer.

Designer Abel Verdezoto mocked this up to release his own concept for what the iPhone 6 could look like. It has a larger display than the iPhone 5 it appears, squared corners on the front and back with the top and bottom curved, a very slim form factor, and what seems to be the return of a glass back casing.

I guess it looks cool in its own way and futuristic, reminiscent of something Sony might design for an Xperia phone. Unfortunately, this is an Apple concept, not a Sony one, and much of this concept does not even remotely follow any of Apple’s design principles.

First of all, let’s talk about the larger display. All rumors up until now have suggested that if Apple was going to release an iPhone with a larger display than 4 inches, it would be alongside the 4-inch model, not replacing it. It would be pretty stupid on Apple’s part to market a 4-inch iPhone 5 as “just the right size” and then scrap it a year later with the iPhone 6.

Next, for some reason the designer chose to revert back to a glass back — which was clearly removed for a reason in the iPhone 5 — as well as move the front-facing camera next to the speaker like with the iPhone 4 and 4S. There’s also no noise-cancelling microphone in between the back camera and LED flash. Those are three steps backward, not forward. Oh and where the hell is the mute switch on this thing? Make that four steps backward.

Lastly, when is the last time you’ve seen a major Apple product without rounded corners?

I appreciate and admire the effort and creativity here, but this iPhone 6 concept simply is not realistic. I’m not even sure why we’re talking about an iPhone 6 anyway. Putting whatever Apple chooses to name it aside, the 2013 iPhone will most likely keep the iPhone 5′s external design.

[via Product Reviews Net]

The second rumor says that the Cupertino folks are working on a cheaper version of the iPhone 5, one that would use polycarbonate instead of aluminum. This rumor goes on suggesting that such a device would be a bit thicker than the iPhone 5, available in more color options, while costing as little as $330. Now, we have hard time imagining Apple slashing prices that much (since the unlocked iPhone 5 costs more than $600), but then again – if this phone is released at the same with the first rumored device, it will make perfect sense to offer it at a substantial discount. In some way, it would be a sort of iPhone mini compared to the 4.5-inch iPhone.

As always, we can’t really tell what’s Apple up to and we’ll rather have to wait for few more months to get some new information. Whether that will be the iPhone 6 or, more likely, iPhone 5S. Staying tuned to IntoMobile can’t hurt…

[Via: Unwired View]

What makes the Metal Slate line so special is its inspiration: Spigen designed these to complement the design of the iPhone 5. You’ll find a lot of two-tone dark cases here like the one above. Others just have the familiar slate color from the black iPhone 5 and some cases are offered in a lighter gray or white color to pair with the white iPhone 5. What you won’t see is any super-heavy duty cases comparable to the Otterbox lines. Instead, the Metal Slate line focuses on elegant design that doesn’t sacrifice on protection.

I happen to own two of the cases found in this line because I love them so much. The Slim Armor TPU/polycarbonate case, one of which I own, comes with two pieces and looks almost exactly like my black iPhone 5. I grabbed it for only $17.99. The other one I have is the bumper style Neo Hybrid Slim Ex, again coming with two pieces (silicone and polycarbonate) for great shock protection especially around the edges. This one also comes with a screen protector and will run you $31.99.

Aside from those, the other four in the series are the Ultra Thin Air, Linear, Crystal Series Linear, and Linear Slim Ex. All of them do an outstanding job preserving the look and feel of Apple’s latest iPhone.

If you’re like me and you are the type of person who loves the iPhone for its remarkable hardware design but feels that most cases often degrade the quality of the design, look no further than Spigen SGP’s Metal Slate line.