You might want to wait. With WWDC coming up on Monday, June 10, we think that Apple will most likely announce updates to its current product line. So if you can hold off on buying that new MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, you should.
I’ve had a couple calls from clients (can you say alliteration?) about a sudden drain on their iPhone 5 battery. In both cases, the users noticed the drain after updating to iOS 6.1.3. I took a peak at the Apple support boards and it seems like some other users are experiencing similar issues.
We’ll keep an eye out for a statement from Apple on the issue, but in the meantime, here are some simple tips to follow to get the most out of your iPhone battery:
1. First, take a look at your usage. Settings icon > General > Usage. Scroll to the bottom and find “Time since last full charge,” and you’ll see 2 things: “Usage,” which is the amount of time your iPhone has been up and in use since its last full charge, and “Standby,” which is the amount of time your iPhone has been powered on since its last full charge.
2. Turn off push notifications (unless you really need them). Settings icon > Notifications. Look at the items “In Notification Center” and click on the ones that you don’t need push notifications from. Slide the “On” to “Off.”
3. Turn down the brightness on your screen. Settings icon > Brightness & Wallpaper. Move the bar closer to the dimmed sun icon.
4. Turn off location services that you don’t need. Settings icon > Privacy > Location Services. Go through all the applications that you don’t really care about (does IMDb really need location services on? Fruit Ninja?).
5. Go through at least one charge cycle per month. Apple defines this as charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down.
Above and beyond all this, you can always pick up a mophie juice pack air, which is a case that gives up to an additional 8 hours of talk time on 3G (10 hours on wifi).
Another round of security updates were released by Apple a couple of days ago, and clients have been asking if they should update. Yes, yes, please!
The iOS 6.1.3 update fixes a bug that could allow someone to bypass the the passcode (and also adds improvements to Maps in Japan) . The Apple TV 5.2.1 update fixes a number of security issues that are addressed by Apple here. The Hulu interface has also been redesigned so users will see this after the update.
So we’re wondering if Apple is going to unveil not just one but TWO new minis tomorrow: an iPad mini AND an updated Mac mini. We obviously don’t know for sure if Apple is going to debut a smaller iPad (or if it will in fact be called an iPad mini), but the rumor mill has produced photos of a supposed iPad “mini” surface, as well as part numbers for an iPad “mini” with 12 different configurations in 2 colors. And, well, the invitation for the media event tomorrow, Tuesday, October 23rd sure does hint at it:
We expect that Apple will also launch new Mac minis with these new mini iPads, as the Mac minis have been on backorder for quite some time now and are definitely due for an update (the last model was released in July 2011).
Surprise, surprise! The existence of Apple’s iPhone 5 was officially confirmed today. Pre-orders start this Friday, September 14, and the launch date is the following Friday, September 21. Pricing remains the same at $199 for the 16 GB, $299 for the 32 GB, and $399 for the 64 GB. The iPhone 5 is available in black and white. The white iPhone has a raw aluminum back, while the black iPhone has black anodized back.
So what’s new with the iPhone 5? Lots and lots of cool wizzardry:
The Apple site hasn’t yet updated with photos and full details, but you can visit engadget’s live blog to see images and get more info.
The rumors have been swirling for months that the new iPhone (we’ll call it the iPhone 5 for now) was due to arrive at some point in October. Now all the tech blogs are speculating that the iPhone 5 will debut the week of September 9th. IMore reported that Apple has scheduled a special event on September 12th. AllThingsD has noted a significant spike in Apple’s prepayment for inventory components, which seems to point to a big product launch.
A new line of hardware was just announced today at Apple WWDC 2012. The first announcement was the new MacBook Air, which has Ivy Bridge processors, up to 2GHz dual-core i7, up to 8GB of 1600MHz memory and 60% faster graphics. It also has 512GB of flash storage and two USB 3.0 ports! The 11-inch model features a 1366 x 768 display, and the 13-inch model has a 1400 x 900 display. Pricing starts at $999 for the 11-inch and machines start shipping today.
There’s also been an update to the MacBook Pro. Ivy Bridge processors, up to 2.7GHz quad-core i7′s, 8GB of 1600MHz memory and 60% faster graphics here, too. The 15-inch has Kepler GeForce GT 650M, up to 1GB of memory. All MacBook Pros have USB 3.0. The MacBook Pro comes in 13-inch and 15-inch. 13-inch starts at $1199 and the 15-inch starts at $1799. Also shipping today.
The big surprise is the next-generation MacBook Pro with Retina display, which also starts shipping today! The next-generation MacBook Pro has a 15.4 inch display with a pixel density of 2880 x 1800 (four times the number of pixels than the previous generation of MacBook Pro).
Price starts at $2199 for 2.3GHz quad-core chip, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage. The next-gen MacBook Pro goes up to 2.7GHz quad-core i7s and up to 16GB of RAM and 768GB of flash storage. At 0.71 inches thin (almost as thin as a MacBook Air!) and 4.46 pounds, this is the lightest MacBook Pro ever.
Ports: SD, HDMI, 2 – USB 3.0, MagSafe 2, Thunderbolt and a headphone jack. FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet Thunderbolt adapters. [Nota bene: the unibody is now an actual component of the display and not just a case, which reduces the number of layers and integrates the glass right into the frame, making it thinner.]
Yesterday, Apple released iOS 5.1.1, an update that fixes several known issues for all iOS 5-compatible devices. Apple lists the following improvements and bug fixes in its support document:
To update to iOS 5.1.1, go to Settings > General > Software Update on your iOS 5-compatible device. Alternatively, you update by going to iTunes, selecting your iOS 5-compatible device in the sidebar, and click “Check for Update” on the screen.
Last Thursday, Apple released the Java for OS X Lion 2012-003 update to kill the Flashback malware. The update also configures the Java web plug-in to disable automatic executive of Java applets, which keeps Flashback from spreading. This update works for all Mac users with Java installed.
For OS X Lion users WITHOUT Java installed, Apple has provided a download of a Flashback malware removal tool. If Flashback malware is found, a dialog box will appear and let you know that the malware has been removed.
Yesterday Apple revealed the 3rd generation of the iPad, which will be available in stores on March 16 (can also be pre-ordered now for delivery on March 16).
Among the stunning new features are:
The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white, priced at $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model and $699 for the 64GB model.
iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for either AT&T or Verizon will be available for $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model.
Also! The 16GB iPad 2 is now being offered at a very affordable $399.
