Here's how Apple announced the iPhone throughout the years

Believe it or not, more than five years ago, Steve Jobs went on stage to announce the first iPhone. It was a unique moment. Jobs spoke about three devices: a "widescreen iPod with touch controls"; a "revolutionary mobile phone"; and a "breakthrough Internet communicator," all of which turned out to be combined in a single unit, the iPhone.

The iPhone has evolved a lot over the years. The iPhone 3G got 3G speeds and GPS.

The iPhone 3GS added a huge boost in speed, so much that it’s still relevant and you can play most games on the App Store on it. It also got multitasking which many craved for.

The iPhone 4 received a gorgeous redesign and a camera that put it on top of Flickr’s list of most popular cameras.

The iPhone 4S seemed like a more incremental update, adding in an even better, this time 8-megapixel camera and Siri, Apple’s take on intelligent voice assistance.

All of those were announced at events packed with people and tons of excitement, and what better time to look back at all the iPhone keynotes than now, hours before the iPhone 5 arrives?

Source: Phonearena

PayPal revamps its iOS and Android apps

PayPal has launched new version of its iOS and Android apps, and they now look better than ever. And we’re not talking about minor tweaks here; rather the whole UI has been revamped from the ground up and many new features have been added to make for a that much better user experience.

From the “Shop” tab you can find shops or restaurants nearby that accept PayPal payments. While there, you can also “check in” and open a tab with a single swipe. There’s also the ability to change how you want to pay from here, providing you with access to your entire wallet in the app. And after you’ve paid, you’ll see PayPal’s confirmation alert and the usual PayPal email receipt. No money to pay? No problem – in the new app, you can open a line of credit using Bill Me Later.

While at a “PayPal friendly” restaurant you can now order ahead and bypass the line. More than a thousand Eat24 locations are already included, with more restaurants and cafes coming soon. Or you can check-in to view your bill, give a tip and pay your restaurant bill through the application. Heck, you can even order another drink from the app at some locations.

Finally, PayPal Offers come included in the new application. $100 is available in your PayPal app from local US businesses, and these offers are automatically redeemed at checkout. Check how it all comes together in the following video.

Source: Intomobile

iPhone 5S Fingerprint Scanner Inbound?

Rumors have begun running rampant once more, pointing to the features of the iPhone 5S and what it will and won’t come with, many expecting the fingerprint scanner to be standard.

The Christian Science Monitor notes that anticipation has climbed to near insurmountable heights, with rumors now sprinting across news sites once more that fingerprint scanning is the real deal and will be part of the September 10th announcement of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.

The site also notes that the iPhone 5C stands for iPhone 5 Colored, given that it comes in a range of different colors, and allows for users to customize their experience with a wide palette of visual aesthetics to suit their smartphone needs.

With so much anticipation put into the Cupertino, California’s next iPhone outing, it will be interesting to see which rumors come true and which ones are just that… rumors.

Source: iPhone Informer

SNES emulator slips onto App Store, shoots straight to No. 1

Super Mario Bros 3, running on the emulator

A storage app that also happens to work as a Super Nintendo emulator has managed to slip by Apple's reviewers and has shot to the top of all paid applications.

The 99-cent app, called Remote File Manager, can link up to both FTP and Dropbox accounts and open numerous file types. That includes ROM files for Super Nintendo games, which open up in an emulator with on-screen touch controls.

It's unclear exactly when the feature was added to the software, which has been on the App Store since last November. It's only received two updates since then, the most recent of which was in July.

None of this seems to concern shoppers on the App Store, which have made it the top paid app, and the 26th highest grossing.

Apple is expected to pull down the app, which was spotted by TouchArcade on Wednesday. It has done that with just about every other piece of software that's slipped an emulator past its defenses.

Source: CNET

Record Apple iPhone Sales But Profit Slumps

Apple has seen a spike in iPhone sales but a 16% decline in iPad sales during the last reporting quarter.

The US technology firm sold 14.6 million iPads during the quarter, compared with 17 million in the same period last year.

It sold 3.8 million Macs, down from four million between April and June last year.

However it sold 31.2 million iPhones in the last financial quarter, up 20% and a record for the three-month period to June.

That figure beats the 26 million handsets sold in the same period last year but is down on the 37.4 million devices sold between January and March this year.

The third quarter results beat analysts' expectations and shares surged in after-market trading.

Overall, the company's quarterly sales totalled $35.3bn (£23bn). The figure was $300m (£195m) up on the same period last year and $200m (£130m) above analysts' expectations.

Net profit was reported at $6.9bn (£4.49bn), down almost 22% from $8.8bn (£5.73bn) last year.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said: "We are especially proud of our record June quarter iPhone sales of over 31 million and the strong growth in revenue from iTunes, Software and Services.

"We are really excited about the upcoming releases of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks operating systems, and we are laser-focused and working hard on some amazing new products that we will introduce in the fall and across 2014."

In 2012 Apple was the most valuable listed firm globally, with a share price that peaked above $700 (£455) last September.

However, its stock has since dropped and sat below $419 (£272) on Tuesday's close, as concerns continue of Apple regaining its creative mojo.

The California-based company faces strong competition from Samsung, which is growing on the back of the popularity of its Galaxy S4 handset.

Samsung also makes many of its own components.

In April the South Korean manufacturer posted a 41% leap in earnings in the first quarter of this year - in the same week Apple reported its first annual slide in a decade.

Samsung made a net profit of 7.15tn Korean won (£4.2bn) for the period, up from 5.05tn won (£2.9bn) a year ago, attributed largely to a surge in sales of smartphones.

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iPhone 5S And 5C Release: Apple Launches iPhone Trade-In Program At Retail Locations Across The Country

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has rolled out its rumored iPhone trade-in program, enabling a consumer to receive a credit that would go toward buying either the new iPhone 5S or the new iPhone 5C, which are expected to be officially announced at a special media event on Sept. 10.

“[I]Phones hold great value. So, Apple Retail Stores are launching a new program to assist customers who wish to bring in their previous-generation iPhone for reuse or recycling,” Apple representative Amy Bessette said in a statement. “In addition to helping support the environment, customers will be able to receive a credit for their returned phone that they can use toward the purchase of a new iPhone.”

As previously reported, the trade-in program, dubbed the iPhone Reuse and Recycling Program, is part of company CEO Timothy D. Cook’s effort to improve iPhone sales at physical retail locations.

“I see channels doing it, and I like the environmental aspect of it, and so that part of it really is encouraging to me,” Cook said during Apple’s June earnings call. “The reason that is so attractive around an iPhone is that the residual value of an iPhone stays so high. That makes the trade-in programs a win-win from many points of view.”

According to Auto World News, Apple will accept only devices that work properly and are not water-damaged under the trade-in program. As the Wall Street Journal noted, employees at Apple retail locations will input information about iPhones being offered as trade-ins into a computerized system before telling consumers how much they’ll be getting. If a given iPhone a consumer wants costs less than the trade-in credit, he or she will receive a gift card with the remaining balance.

9to5Mac.com reported that a new iPhone must be purchased during the trade-in process.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech company is offering as much as $280 for an iPhone 5, the Wall Street Journal reported. And Auto World News said consumers can get $200 for an iPhone 4S and $140 for an iPhone 4.

Meanwhile, TechCrunch reported that this trade-in program exclusively applies to the iPhone, as opposed to any other Apple device.

Apple is expected to announce on Sept. 10 the release dates for the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, with the rumored release dates being Sept. 20.

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Apple iPhone 6 Release Date Nears: 5 Features And Specs To Expect Based On Rumors

In only nine days, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) will introduce two new iPhone models at a special media event on Sept. 10, including the high-end iPhone 5S and the company's long-rumored budget iPhone, which has been given many names including iPhone 6, iPhone Light, and iPhone 5C (based on a single leaked photo of its plastic packaging). We believe Apple will simply call it "the new iPhone" (much like the iPad line, after last year's third-generation iPad release) and distinguish this year's high-end offering with the extra "5S" moniker, but for clarity's sake, we'll call the budget iPhone "iPhone 6" for now.

Most attention will deservedly fall on the iPhone 5S, which will feature the newest technologies from Apple, but many still want to know what will make the budget iPhone distinctive. We've been following the rumors for more than a year now, and we have a great picture of what users can expect from Apple's lower-end smartphone when it is released this month.

But before we discuss some of the features of the iPhone 6, here's a little background: Most analysts believe the concept of the iPhone 6 is to offer a cheaper iPhone for people in lower income brackets and emerging markets (including China and India -- two largely untapped markets for Apple) who can't readily afford the newest high-end iPhone. Apple is particularly interested in China, as proven by multiple recent visits by Apple CEO Tim Cook to the headquarters of China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE:CHL), the largest telecommunications carrier in the world with 703 million subscribers. Many believe Apple has chosen to produce and release the cheaper iPhone 6 so it can strike a deal with China Mobile, and join the company's vast TD-LTE network.

Now, without further ado, here are five features of the iPhone 6 you should expect to see at Apple's Sept. 10 unveiling.

1. Plastic (and less scratchy) form factor. The iPhone 6 is expected to release with many of the same features of the iPhone 5, but the key difference will probably be the form factor. Reportedly, the anodized aluminum body of the iPhone 5 will be replaced by a cheaper, albeit sturdier and more scratch-proof, polycarbonate shell. In January, iLounge editor-in-chief Jeremy Horwitz said the iPhone 6 will release as a "cross between the iPhone 5, the fifth-generation iPod touch and -- wait for it -- the iPod classic." With a 4-inch screen like the iPhone 5, a tapered bottom like the latest iPod touch and a rectangular shape like the iPod classic, the budget iPhone 6 is expected to be made substantially of plastic but will feature a hybrid plastic and metal chassis. The right side of the iPhone 6 will likely feature a flat, centered SIM card tray like the iPhone 5, with the locations of the camera, microphone and rear flash located about where they are on the latest-generation iPod touch.

2. Same iPhone 5 specs, same iPhone 5 performance. We believe Apple will release the iPhone 6 with most of the same specs as the iPhone 5, including a 4-inch Retina display at 326 ppi, an A6 chip, a FaceTime HD camera and an 8-megapixel rear side camera; the 8-megapixel camera has already shown up in allegedly leaked photos of the iPhone 6 components.

3. Five candy colors. The major difference between last year's iPhone 5 release and this year's budget iPhone 6 -- besides the new polycarbonate enclosure -- will likely be its availability in five colors (red, green, yellow, blue and white), as opposed to the two silver and slate color options from the iPhone 5. Alleged photos have depicted the iPhone 6 with a black front face on all models regardless of rear shell color, which seems likely, but don't be surprised if Apple includes white or color front-face options when it is released next month.

4. Pre-loaded with iOS 7. Phone hardware tends to get more attention than its software, but the operating system running on the iPhone 6 is just as vital to the iPhone experience as the phone itself. This year, Apple has completely revamped the style, icons, textures and features of the iOS ecosystem to provide a familiar but entirely new experience altogether. The release of iOS 7 will provide a big cosmetic and feature-ridden upgrade with plenty of new tools and features, and could quite possibly be Apple's most successful iOS release to date. Most notable among the new iOS 7 features: The helpful Control Center that contains quick access to important settings; the built-in parallax that shifts the background image in response to one’s movements; a new way to multitask apps; the AirDrop feature for sharing photos or documents with other iPhone users in the area; and much more. For more on iOS 7, check out our visual guide on iOS 7 to learn more about the new design, some surprise features we discovered in the very first iOS 7 beta release, plus our collection of 80-plus screenshots of iOS 7.

5. It'll be cheap. Obviously, the selling point of this particular iPhone release won't be its form factor, or its specs, but rather its price (plus its availability in five colors, which will help the iPhone 6 stand out). Many originally predicted Apple would release the iPhone 6 at the same price as the iPhone 4, which is currently being sold for $0 with a two-year contract in the U.S., or for about 3,000 yuan (roughly equivalent to $490) in China. This week, these iPhone 6 price rumors seemed to be confirmed by a prominent poster on China's social network Sina Weibo, "C Technology," who also claimed the iPhone 6 will release at the same price as the iPhone 4. KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo, who has an excellent track record with forecasting Apple's product pipeline, also predicted (via MacRumors) the iPhone 6 would release at a price between $450 and $550 off-contract, which would line up with the newest set of rumors.

If these price rumors are indeed accurate, Apple will likely be changing its price strategy across all iPhone lines. With the new iPhone 5S price said to be $199 with a two-year contract, last year's iPhone 5 may drop its price to $99 on-contract, and the iPhone 4S from 2011 may sell for the equivalent of the plastic iPhone 6 at $0 on-contract. Some rumors predicted that Apple would eliminate the iPhone 5 from its iPhone lineup with the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S, but given how we believe the iPhone 6 won't release with all of the same specs as the iPhone 5, we believe last year's iPhone model still will "deserve to exist" and won't be discontinued just yet. This may be the first year, however, that Apple removes the popular iPhone 4 from its U.S. lineup.

Apple iPhone 6 Coming: When Is The Release Date?

We originally predicted that Apple would reintroduce iOS 7 on Sept. 10 and release the operating system a week and a day later on Sept. 18. Since Apple tends to release its newest iPhone two days after the release date of its newest iOS, we predicted Apple would release at least one of its two new iPhones on Sept. 20.

Kuo recently said (via MacRumors) that Apple would release its iPhone 5S after the budget iPhone 6 in September due to supply constraints, but we believe Apple will be able to launch both new iPhones on the same release date -- Sept. 20. Apple has reportedly restricted vacation time for employees between Sept. 15 and 28, while T-Mobile has implemented vacation blackouts between Sept. 20 and 22, according to TmoNews. All rumors seem to point to a single Sept. 20 release date for both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S.

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