Apple confirms iPhone 4 will not get Siri compatibility
Apple has announced that it has no intention of rolling out its recently released, voice-commanded personal assistant Siri to older iPhone devices.Landing on the newly launched Apple iPhone 4S Siri looks set to remain exclusive to the latest generation smartphone with official word from Apple tricking through that the Cupertino based company “currently has no plans to support older devices.”The announcement, which landed via the blog of an Apple reporter was release in response to a number of issues some users had been experiencing with the personal assistant service.”Engineering has provided the following feedback regarding this issue: Siri only works on iPhone 4S and we currently have no plans to support older devices,” the Apple confirmation read.Apple iPhone 4S SpecsWhilst a number of users have attempted to port the Siri software to their iPhone 4 handsets, the service looks set to remain officially exclusive to the 4S.Officially release last month in place of the much mooted iPhone 5 the iPhone 4S boasts the same ARM A5 dual-core processor found within the iPad 2 alongside and 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera with 1080p Full HD video recording capabilities.Would you make use of Siri if it was made available to the iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS or would it simply be an unnecessary add-on? Let us know via the comments box below.
via Apple confirms iPhone 4 will not get Siri compatibility | T3.
Steve Jobs dead: 10 Greatest Apple moments
It’s a somber day not just for Apple fans but for the entire tech world with news that Steve Jobs has died aged 56. Just two days after the iPhone 4S was announced, the innovator who brought us the Mac, the iPod and
the iPad to name a few, finally lost his long battle with illness.
To pay homage to the man who made life-changing gadgets and said, “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me”, we pick the top ten moments from under the turtleneck…
1. Jobs founds Apple – 1976
What were you doing in your early 20s? Most of it involved a beanbag, right? Not for Steve Jobs. Born in 1955, by 1976 he teamed up with his friend, handily a computer genius, Steve Wozniak and founded a new computer company, called Apple. By 1980 it had become the biggest stock market launch since Ford in the 50s.
2. What he wants, he gets – 1983
After a couple of turbulent years, Jobs was in need of a new experienced exec to become president of Apple, and so lured John Sculley, then president of PepsiCo, to his company with the immortal words: “Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?” After throwing in a desk tidy and use of the executive washroom, we imagine, he accepted. Read more 
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, has passed away at 56
We just got some very, very sad news. Steve Jobs has passed away. As confirmed on Apple’s site, Mr. Jobs has died at the age of 56 after recently stepping down from the position of CEO and naming Tim Cook his successor. Steve has had a profound effect on the world of technology, both at Apple and through his many other endeavors. Our thoughts go out to his family.
Update: All Things D has posted a memo sent out by Tim Cook to Apple employees stating that there will be an internal celebration to honor Steve’s life soon. Those words can be found after the break, along with statements from Apple’s Board of Directors, his family, and Bill Gates.
Tim Cook:
Team,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
Tim
Apple Board of Directors:
We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.
Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.
His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.
Steve Jobs’ family today made the following statement regarding his death:
Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.
In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.
Bill Gates:
I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.
via Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, has passed away at 56 — Engadget.
iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S II
The iPhone 4S might be Apple’s top dog but Android has some pretty impressive breeds of its own. Right now, the No.1 in the Google mobile space has got to be the Samsung Galaxy S II with the LTE and even LTE HD editions to enjoy if you happen to live in the right parts of the world.
We’ve already seen how the iPhone 4S matches up to the iPhone 4 but there’s going to be an awful lot of people out there tempted to make the step over to Android given that the 2011 Apple phone announcement has been an S upgrade rather than an iPhone 5 in its own right. So, if that’s you, or if you just want to know how your Samsung superphone compares to the latest that Cupertino has to offer, then here’s Pocket-lint with the iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S II so you can see for yourself.
Form Factor
- 1ST: GALAXY S2 : 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49mm, 117g
2ND: IPHONE 4S : 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm, 140g
As far as pure design aesthetics and ergonomics go, this one’s a matter of horses for courses. Both the iPhone 4S and SGS2 are good looking devices with neither a knobble out of place. So, what the form factor contest comes down to is pocket space. What we always go on first are the mass and profile of the phones and it’s the Samsung Galaxy S II that’s both thinner and lighter. Yes, it’s longer and wider but these tend to be the dimensions of least importance when it comes down to taking up the room where your wallet and crumpled up tissues go. Ultimately, what you want is less weight to carry around and something that keeps the lining of your clothes as close to the way which your tailor intended. Read more
iPhone 4S Review
1. The look #1: On the outside, it looks, feels and smells like an iPhone 4. That’s because it is. The inside, however, is where the S
magic happens. The faster A5 processor makes operation noticeably quicker when launching, re-launching apps and when using power-hungry apps such as iMovie.
2. The look #2: The plain fact that it looks like an iPhone 4 will be a hammer blow to those who have waited patiently for a freshly
designed, potentially cooler-loooking iPhone 5. This tweet from @crossan_phil sums it up: “glad the 5 didn’t come out. Gives me more time to use my 24mth contract with the 4!!”
3. The iPhone 4S gaming. The improved graphics are amazing. While the version we used didn’t have Infinity Blade 2 installed, we tried Real Racing 2 which, to us, looked smoother than our iPhone 4 version. The keynote demo of Infinity Blade 2 was mind-blowing considering it was running on a bloomin’ phone. It wowed the room. A room full of cynical hacks. PSP Vita, eat your heart out
4. The iPhone 4S Camera: The 8-megapixel camera shoots great photos (and macro shots). Although we were inside the Covent Garden Apple store with strip lighting a reflections-a-go-go, the resulting shots were nice and sharp, employing some of that new camera tech built into the iPhone 4S. However, the real star of the vision upgrade is…
5. …the 1080p video camera. The difference in quality is instantly noticeable. We were very impressed. Will it nail the coffin shut on
the dwindling camcorder industry? It’s a great upgrade regardless of whether you really need it. Well, cinema pirates might.
6. iOS 5: You all know what it’s like, the 200+ features it brings plus the iCloud. However, getting hands on with Notifications,
Newsstand, iMessage and Reminders demonstrated to us just how much of a step up from iOS 4 it is.
7. The iPhone 4S Price: Apple has announced entry level UK pricing of £499. We think this is for the 16Gb version, which could put the brand new 64Gb model at a whopping £699 (going by the US pricing structure). We need to confirm that though. Orange and T-Mobile have confirmed that they will be selling the iPhone 4S come October 14, presumably on a two-year contract.
8. Speech: Siri is the most interesting feature of the 4S. We asked it the weather in London, and then San Francisco. We gave it a multiplication query. We asked who the prime minister of the UK was. We asked it the meaning of life (‘to answer questions like these’ was the retort). It answered them all. Some of the replies were even funny. From a damn robot. It also got a few things wrong and we think that, in a real-world environment surrounded by lots of noise, it may struggle. Especially as it’s still in beta. We’re looking forward to testing it further (watch this space). Our long-suffering partners, however, aren’t.
9. The Antenna: It’s the big question for many thinking of upgrading – will it still fall foul of the reported drop call issue? Apple claims that switching between the dual antennas will improve call quality and reduce dropouts. We didn’t have enough time to try this out, but are looking to putting that and the 2x download speed claim to the test as soon as we possibly can.
10. The iPhone 4S alternatives: Many smartphones already sport a lot of these features already. And for those who were hoping for a brand-new iPhone 5 today might just now consider a top-drawer Android. They’ll be cheaper, too.
iPhone 4S hands-on!
It’s not an iPhone mini or anything, but it’s the first iPhone with Siri. And that has to count for something, right? Right? While it’s no iPhone 5 (not even close, really), the iPhone 4S is far from being “last year’s iPhone,” and the greatly enhanced camera, bolstered A5 dual-core processor and inbuilt voice command should provide plenty of reason for folks to upgrade if they’re near the end of their contract. Furthermore, having the option on Sprint — despite Apple almost announcing it as an afterthought — is bound to make folks already entrenched on the Now Network think twice about what their next phone will be come upgrade time.
We were able to spend a few quality moments with the refreshed iPhone 4 here at Apple’s campus, the Sprint flavor no less, and as you might expect… it’s an iPhone 4. But S-ier. Much in the same way that the 3GS improved the overall experience of the 3G, the 4S does likewise compared to the existing 4. The dual-core A5 chip is a laudatory improvement, and whisking about pages, loading the camera application and launching — well, just about everything — just feels zippier. As it should. The other major change, the antennas, weren’t readily different at a glance, but as Mr. Cook stated, you’d have to be iFixit to notice (and we’re sure they will).
The most impressive part was the demo of Siri, the new assistant that lets you do just about anything you can do on your phone — but with your voice. We tried to psych it out with a bunch of random requests, including the history of Chester, Vermont (a lovely town) and the best Ramen places in San Francisco. Siri never faltered, never missed a beat. It worked as well as Scott’s demo up on the stage. There’s nothing better to say than that. We even sent ourselves a few text messages, which Siri transcribed to a T. Of course, the lady on the other end still sounds eerily robotic, but we’re hoping for smoother responses from the alien within in a future update.
The 8 megapixel sensor doesn’t look any different from the outside, but we’re trusting that Apple’s re-engineered the interior. We snapped a few photos in the demo room to test and not a one came out as great as the retina-bursting contrasty pictures of balloons and flowers we saw in the demo, but then again, we didn’t have any balloons or flowers to capture.
As for weight and feel? Just like the old king. We’ll be updating this post with our impressions live from Cupertino, and are working to get you some better pictures to look at. Hang tight — they’re coming!
iPhone 5 release unveiling to be held at Cupertino Campus?
With Apple expected to officially unveil the iPhone 5 release date at an October 4th event headed by newly instated CEO Tim Cook, new reports have suggested the iPad and iPod maker will shun its usual San Francisco unveiling location in favour of hosting the event at its Cupertino campus.
The latest iPhone 5 rumour to circulate within the increasingly crowded pool of Apple speculation would see Apple heading for a low key unveiling of its next generation handset with the much mooted iPhone 5 to enter the realms of reality in a little over a week’s time.
Citing “sources close to the company,” the Wall Street Journal’s tech blog All Things D has claimed that Apple will forgo the usual high-profile San Francisco based announcement in favour of a more intimate product showcase on home soil.
iPhone 5 Rumours: The full story
The most eagerly awaiting gadget in recent memory the iPhone 5 release date has been a thing of speculation for many months with most recent reports hinting at an October 21st arrival.
Looking to compete with the likes of the dual-core powerhouse that is the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Apple iPhone 5 is set to land with the same A5 dual-core CPU found within the iPad 2 as well as an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video recording capabilities and a new slimmer form factor.
iPhone 5 Release Date: What to expect
As well as the iPhone 5, Apple’s upcoming event is expected to see a number of other new products announced. Landing alongside the iPhone 5 the repeatedly leaked entry-level Apple smartphone, the iPhone 4S to set to make an appearance with the iPod range getting its annual update to produce the new white iPod Touch 3D.
via iPhone 5 release unveiling to be held at Cupertino Campus? | T3.
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1… fight!
We’ve seen it before, but not against one of its chief rivals: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Now here they are, sharing a little table space — but not getting along too well. On one hand the Tab 10.1 is thin and light on its feet. On the other, the ThinkPad Tablet is large and would very much like to be in charge of your corporate lifestyle. Due to Honeycomb’s limited customizations, Lenovo’s tackling this angle thanks in large part to some enterprise- and stylus-friendly software, much of which the device comes with pre-installed. Join us after the break for a quick demonstration, plus a look back at our first hands-on with the thing.
via Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1… fight! — Engadget.
Apple now the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung checks in at number two
We make our own truth. That’s how IDC can come up with roughly the same numbers as fellow research firm Canalys and crown Apple the king, when its rival called Android top dog — it’s all about how you slice it. See, where as Canalys bundled all Android handset makers together, IDC has broken them up, which leads to a rather interesting twist — the largest smartphone maker in the world is now Apple. Cupertino’s growth of 141.7-percent in shipments year over year was enough to push it past Nokia (which slipped to number three) and Samsung (which climbed two spots to take the silver medal), while RIM and HTC rounded out the top five. That being said, no one is running away with the lead here, and Sammy’s continued stratospheric rise should keep Apple on guard. Check out the full report after the break.
via Apple now the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung checks in at number two — Engadget.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch mid 2011 hands-on
Apple has just released a new range of MacBook Air laptops and weve already grabbed the top of the range 13-inch model to put it through its paces. Before we start work on the full review of the new thin laptop from Apple, we thought it would be wrong not to share a stack of hands-on photos of the new model. Now the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that there is very little change to the design of the laptop with most of the changes happening
via Apple MacBook Air 13-inch mid 2011 hands-on – Pocket-lint.
