iOS 5 updates expected to be carried over-the-air, at least for the Verizon iPhone

Having spent a good part of our day yesterday negotiating with iTunes and downloading a whopping 666.2MB file to update our iPhone to version 4.3.3 -- a version, we might add, whose sole claim to fame is the removal of things -- we know well the pains of updating Apple's mobile software. Those aches, however, may soon be coming to an end. 9to5Mac has multiple sources informing it that Apple and Verizon are scheming to start delivering iOS updates over the air from this fall, or just as soon as iOS 5 is made available. Untethered OS updates are a familiar feature to users of other smartphone operating systems and even the iOS-infused Apple TV, but getting Apple's mobile devices up to date has so far always required going through the company's own cable and software.More after the break...

iPHONE - TRANSITIONS YOUR MUSIC FROM iTUNES TO iPHONE INSTANTLY WITH SEAMLESS

Apple officially answers questions on location tracking, says it doesn't do it

1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone?
Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.



More after the break...

Exclusive: White iPhone 4 lands at Vodafone UK

Well, would you have a gander at that? That, friends, is Apple's long-awaited, hardly-forgotten white iPhone 4, and so far as we can tell, this is actually the real deal. We've seen retailers making space for the elusive handset over the past few months, and earlier today, we heard that Vodafone UK's inventory systems were showing the white iPhone 4 as shipping in. Now, we've secured a few images of a 16GB model from a separate source that has seemingly made its way into the hands of one lucky customer (read: bloke) over in Britain. More after the break...

iPHONE IS SILENTLY LOGGING YOUR LOCATION

Pete Warden and Alasdair Allan talking about how they discovered the existence of the tracking database on the iPhone, and what it might mean. Also how they went about exploring and visualising the data once they knew it was there, and show how it could be used to track individuals movements over time.Video after the break...

White iPhone 4 appears to be ready to order at Three UK for April 20th delivery

Looks like somebody pulled the trigger on an order page for the mythical white iPhone 4 a little early over at Three UK. The phone that had previously been listed on the carrier's site for a long, long time (sans any ability to actually order it) has now sprouted up a page all its own with the magical option to "buy now." We managed to get all the way through to an order confirmation page, so if it's a mistake it's a very thoroughgoing one. Calling up Three's telephone ordering line and PR personnel brought us no closer to finding out the truth, but this particular order page was discovered via a tweet by a Three affiliate -- whose tweets have since gone private -- suggesting it was dug up from someone in the know. Our suspicion is that Apple's finally about ready to dish this phone up to the people and Three has been caught testing out its order page ahead of the inevitable onslaught of white iPhone orders.

NEW iOS FIRMWARE FOR iPHONE/iPAD & iPOD TOUCH

Apple released today iOS version 4.3.2 (and 4.2.7 for Verizon iPhone) for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and it seems that the only changes noted by Apple are bug fixes and security updates. Download it for free from iTunes but be careful, if you have jailbroken your iPhone / iPad it will remove your jailbreak and all custom apps.

HOW TO JAILBREAK iPHONE 4 ,iPHONE 3GS,iPAD WITH iOS 4.3.1

This is a simple guide to jailbreak (untethered) almost any iOS 4.3.1 device on Mac or Windows (iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1, iPod touch 4, 3G) Video and more after the break...

Apple's WWDC 2011 kicks off on June 6th

It's five days of developer love in sunny San Francisco, and this year it starts on June 6th. As ever, Moscone West will be hosting Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, and this year we'll be seeing "the future of iOS and Mac OS" along with "more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers." Last time Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4 to a very willing world at large. Could its successor make an appearance this year

iPHONE - THE WORLDS BEST CAMERA

Click on the thumbnail to view the original file.

SAFARI SPEED TEST - iPHONE OS 4.2 VS 4.3

Here is a test of safari performance on the iPhone 4 running 4.2.6 vs 4.3. over ATT 3G. And as you can see, the iOS 4.3 is a lot faster than the iOS 4.2. Video after the break...

iPHONE 5 WILL HAVE THE SUPER FAST A5 CHIP

ts official now, the iPhone 5 will have the super fast A5 chip.

Developers have found references to the A5 processor in a kernel file for a device codenamed N94AP, widely assumed to be the iPhone 5, within the code for iOS 4.3, as reported by iClarified.

iOS 4.3 BETA FOR iPHONE AND iPAD IN FIVE MINUTES!

The guys at tipb shows you everything you need to know about iOS 4.3 beta for iPhone and iPad, including orientation lock/mute switch toggle, multitouch navigation gestures, and Wi-Fi personal hotspot.Video after the break...

NYT: Apple considering a cheaper iPhone, but not a smaller one right now

Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal seemed pretty sure that an iPhone nano was inbound, but the New York Times' anonymous sources dispute that tale -- the paper writes that "Apple is not currently developing a smaller iPhone," and that the company is "not planning to introduce a smaller iPhone anytime soon." While the publication doesn't outright deny the existence of such a device at any point in the story, it does quote an anonymous Apple executive as saying that it doesn't make sense for the company to create multiple iPhone form factors at any given time, and an anonymous Apple engineer as saying that cheaper components, not a smaller size, would make for a cheaper overall price.

One thing's for sure: either Apple's making one, or it's not.

In related news, the Times' sources corroborate the idea that Apple will make MobileMe free, and say that the next full-sized iPhone is nearly complete. Woo!

Verizon iPhone will go on general sale at 7AM on February 10th, you can reserve one on February 9th

Apple has just announced that tomorrow morning's early Verizon iPhone pre-orders will be available through its online Store as well -- starting at 3AM, available to current VZW subscribers only, and sold on a first-come, first-served basis. More pertinent news, however, can be found deeper in the company's press release, which states that pre-orders will be opened up to the general public on February 9th, when you'll be able to reserve or have one delivered on launch day, February 10th. Shops will open their doors early, 7AM -- matching AT&T's early opening for the iPhone 4's original launch way back in June -- and availability will be broad, encompassing Apple's brick and mortar Stores, Verizon's 2,000+ retail locations, select partners, and even a zany 1-800-2 JOIN IN phone number you can call. So, really, the only people left without a Verizon iPhone on February 11th should be those that don't actually want one.

DEEPEND ADDS 3D EFFECT TO iPHONE WALLPAPERS

Want to add a 3D look to your iPhone’s Home screen? Try DeepEnd from Ryan Petrich. Check out the video demo after the break and get ready to be impressed

iPhone 5 and iPad 2 will come with NFC built in, suggests well-connected analyst

You'll no doubt be aware of our (well justified) distrust for anything that passes a tech analyst's lips, but this time's a little different. Richard Doherty of Envisioneering Group cites "engineers who are working on hardware" for Apple's latest project in asserting what that project actually is: NFC capabilities are apparently being built into the next generation of iPhone and iPad devices. Contactless payments via NFC have been steadily building up in hype and adoption recently -- at least in the western hemisphere, the stuff is commonplace in Japan -- and Doherty predicts Apple will make its move into the field with some new hardware and an accompanying "revamp" of iTunes. The idea would be to allow the use of iTunes gift card balances and the credit card info Apple already has from you to make swiping payments at compatible retail outlets. Apple is said to be planning enticements, like loyalty credits and points, to get you using its service in the place of the competition, and there are already a couple of software patent applications from the company detailing other potential uses for the technology. All of which could mean absolutely nothing, of course, but this seems like an awful lot of smoke for there not to be a fire under it.

FORST DIGITAL CONNECTED DERMATOSCOPE FOR iPHONE

Handyscope by FotoFinder converts your iPhone into a handheld dermatoscope. The clever handyscope app makes it very easy to achieve brilliant dermatoscopic images of up to 20x enlargment. You can tag pictures with patient name and localization and send them via e-mail. The smart alternative to handheld dermatoscopes.....

Apple's invested in a 'very strategic' $3.9b component supply agreement, but what is it?

Here's an interesting little note from Apple's record-breaking Q1 2011 financial sales call: according to CFO Peter Oppenheimer and acting CEO / COO Tim Cook, the company's made a two-year, $3.9 billion deal with three suppliers to secure a "very strategic" component for its products. Cook wouldn't identify what the component was, citing competitive reasons, but he did say the arrangement was much like Apple's famous deals to source iPod flash memory that date back to 2005. According to Tim, "We think that was an absolutely fantastic use of Apple's cash, and we constantly look for more of these, and so in the past several quarters we've identified another area... these payments consist of both prepayments and capital for processes and tooling, and similar to the flash agreement, they're focused in an area that we think is very strategic."

Importantly, Apple paid out $650m under its agreements for this mystery part this past quarter, and it's planning to spend another $1.05b in payments next quarter, so this is already happening in a big way -- and frankly, we're dying to know what it is, since Apple has a long history of squeezing the market for components it wants. Our best guess? High-density displays for the iPhone and iPad -- we've heard some rumors of deals with Toshiba and Sharp, but that's just conjecture, and we don't know who the third vendor is.

iOS 4.3 code reveals new iPhone and iPad models, rumor mill suggests a dislike of the home button

History lesson, folks. If you dig far enough into iOS's code, you'll eventually come across iPhone3,1, which is the AT&T iPhone 4, and the analogous iPhone3,2 (i.e. Verizon iPhone). It's nothing we haven't seen before, but then along comes iOS 4.3 with a handful of new mystery identifiers to spurn speculation -- namely, two new-generation iPhones (4,1 and 4,2) and three iPads (2,1; 2,2; and 2,3). Speculate all you want, but there isn't much else at all we can say definitively here, but if we had to take a guess, it's the GSM and CDMA variants of the next-gen models (plus a WiFi-only iPad). It is interesting to note the lack of an "iPhone4,3" given the yet-to-be-revealed iPhone3,3 is still there -- will the last member ever see the light of day? Outside of iOS 4.3 but still very much related, BGR is claiming it's heard from sources that the next iPhone / iPad models will eschew the physical home button altogether in lieu of the new multi-finger gestures and that employees at Cupertino are already testing such devices. That seems a little more out there to us; five-finger pinch to home feels extremely clunky. The real takeaway here? We can finally have an iPhone rumor that doesn't involve wondering if it'll head to a new US carrier.